DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera drove in two runs and surpassed Omar Vizquel for the most major league hits by a Venezuelan player, leading the Detroit Tigers past the slumping Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Cabrera’s two RBI singles gave him 2,878, one more than Vizquel, who played his last game in 2012 and was a coach for Cabrera and the Tigers from 2014-17.
Tonight, Miguel Cabrera became the #1 hits leader among Venezuelan born MLB players and moved up another spot on the all time MLB hits list; he speaks with the media post game. #DetroitRoots pic.twitter.com/f4XP0jbWtl
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) May 13, 2021
Kansas City lost its 10th straight, the Royals’ longest skid since they dropped 10 in a row from March 31-April 11, 2019.
Casey Mize (2-3) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in six innings. He hit one batter and struck out four. Three Detroit relievers finished, with Gregory Soto pitching the ninth for his fourth save.
Danny Duffy (4-3) gave up a season-high four runs in six innings.
The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the first. Mize hit leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield with a pitch and Carlos Santana worked a 10-pitch walk. Salvador Perez followed with an RBI double and Andrew Benintendi added a sacrifice fly.
JaCoby Jones’ single made it 2-1 in the second and Cabrera tied it with his first hit of the night.
Detroit added two runs in the fifth. Robbie Grossman led off with a triple into the right-field corner. After Duffy struck out Jonathan Schoop, Jeimer Candelario doubled over center fielder Jarrod Dyson’s head.
Cabrera then hit a grounder through the right side of the infield to score Candelario.
MOVES
The Tigers placed C Grayson Greiner (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list and purchased the contract of C Eric Haase. Detroit released RHP Franklin Perez, a key part of the Justin Verlander trade, to make room for Haase on the 40-man roster.
UP NEXT
The teams finish their series on Thursday with LHP Daniel Lynch (0-1, 18.56 ERA) starting for the Royals against Detroit’s Spencer Turnbull (1-2, 4.74).
