For six innings Thursday night, Comerica Park had little to celebrate. Randy Dobnak kept Detroit off balance with changing speeds, the Tigers failed to push a run across, and Isaac Collins’ two-run homer in the sixth left the home side staring at another narrow loss.
The noise arrived in the seventh.
Dillon Dingler and Kerry Carpenter opened the inning with consecutive singles, but Kansas City reliever John Schreiber recovered to record two outs. Batting ninth and down to his final strike, James Outman caught a 94.1 mph four-seam fastball over the plate and sent it toward right-center field.
The ball cleared the wall by a narrow margin, flipping a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead and waking up the stadium.
Kansas City tied the game in the eighth, only for Dingler to answer with a two-out RBI double. Kyle Finnegan then turned Salvador Perez’s grounder into a game-ending double play, sealing Detroit’s 4-3 comeback and its 14th win in 19 games.
Dobnak silences Detroit before Collins breaks through
Dobnak spent five innings disrupting Detroit’s timing. He changed speeds, moved the ball around the strike zone and forced the Tigers to make weak contact. The right-hander allowed four singles, struck out three and walked one while completing five scoreless innings.
Detroit starter Troy Melton matched him through the first five frames, although Kansas City repeatedly made him work. Melton walked four and escaped early traffic, including a bases-loaded jam in the opening inning.
Michael Massey started the sixth with a single. Collins followed by lifting a 1-2 slider over the right-field fence, ending the scoreless game and Melton’s night with one swing.
The 2-0 lead appeared secure while Detroit’s offense remained flat. Matt Strahm handled the bottom of the sixth without allowing a run, leaving the Royals nine outs from completing a quiet road victory.
Dobnak had done his part. Kansas City’s bullpen could not do the same.
Outman turns a quiet stadium with one swing
Schreiber immediately ran into trouble when Dingler and Carpenter opened the seventh with back-to-back singles. Their hits placed runners at the corners with nobody out and finally forced Kansas City to pitch under pressure.
The former Tigers reliever nearly escaped. He retired the next two hitters and pushed Outman into a 2-2 count, leaving Detroit one strike from wasting its best scoring opportunity of the night.
Schreiber then challenged him with a 94.1 mph four-seam fastball over the plate.
Outman drove it at 100.1 mph with a towering 38-degree launch angle. The ball traveled 364 feet toward right-center, hanging in the air long enough to create a moment of uncertainty before dropping beyond the fence.
Comerica Park erupted as Dingler and Carpenter crossed the plate ahead of Outman. Detroit had gone from scoreless to leading 3-2 in a matter of seconds.
The home run was Outman’s fourth of the season. More importantly, it rewarded a Tigers lineup that had stayed within reach despite spending most of the evening searching for solid contact.
Dingler delivers after Kansas City pulls level
Kansas City answered before Detroit could settle into its new lead.
Massey opened the eighth with a single before Tyler Tolbert entered as a pinch-runner. Tolbert stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when Josh Rojas lined a changeup into center field.
The tying rally briefly drained the energy Outman had created. Detroit responded in the bottom half.
Hao-Yu Lee sent a one-out single up the middle against Steven Cruz. Riley Greene’s groundout moved Lee to second, bringing Dingler to the plate with two outs.
Cruz attacked with cutters. Dingler fouled off two in succession before Cruz left another over the plate. This time, Dingler stayed through it and ripped a line drive into the left-field corner, easily scoring Lee for a 4-3 lead.
The RBI was Dingler’s 35th of the season specifically with two outs. His fingerprints were all over both Detroit rallies. He scored on Outman’s homer in the seventh, then drove home the winning run in the eighth.
Finnegan slams the door on Kansas City
Manager A.J. Hinch had limited bullpen options after Kenley Jansen pitched on two of the previous three nights. Drew Sommers began the ninth, but Kansas City put two runners aboard with only one out.
Finnegan entered for his third appearance in four nights. Perez, a longtime problem for Detroit pitching, represented the Royals’ final chance to tie the game or retake the lead.
Perez hit a ground ball that Spencer Torkelson and Kevin McGonigle turned into a clean double play. The sudden finish brought another roar from the crowd and gave Finnegan his second save.
Slamming the door was a welcome change for a Tigers team that has routinely stumbled in tight games. Detroit entered Thursday with a 13-33 record in contests decided by two runs or fewer, the most such losses in the majors.
This time, the Tigers created the late lead and protected it.
Detroit’s surge complicates the trade deadline
Detroit improved to 49-54 and moved within four games of the final American League Wild Card position. The Tigers also pulled within six games of the AL Central lead.
Weeks earlier, the club looked likely to move veteran pieces before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. A run of 14 wins in 19 games has made that decision far more complicated, especially with two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal at the center of trade speculation.
Since June 1, Detroit and Boston share the second-best record in baseball at 27-16. Only Milwaukee, at 29-17, has been better over that period.
Outman believes the Tigers’ recent play has changed the atmosphere inside the clubhouse, saying, “It feels like we show up to the yard and we expect to win.” Thursday offered evidence behind that confidence. Detroit looked sluggish for much of the night, fell behind late and surrendered a lead after finally claiming one. Instead of letting another close game slip away, the Tigers answered every difficult moment.
Detroit has spent much of the season losing games like this. Against Kansas City, Outman, Dingler and the bullpen finally changed the ending.
READ MORE: Tarik Skubal wants to stay, forcing Tigers into a deadline dilemma
FAQS
1. What was the final score between the Tigers and Royals?
The Tigers beat the Royals 4-3 at Comerica Park after scoring all 4 runs over the final 3 innings.
2. Who hit the Tigers’ three-run home run?
James Outman hit the three-run homer in the seventh inning. His swing turned Detroit’s 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
3. Who drove in the winning run for Detroit?
Dillon Dingler doubled home Hao-Yu Lee with two outs in the eighth inning, giving the Tigers their decisive 4-3 lead.
4. How did the Tigers finish the game?
Kyle Finnegan induced Salvador Perez to ground into a game-ending double play with two Kansas City runners aboard.
5. How close were the Tigers to a playoff position?
Detroit moved within 4 games of the final AL Wild Card spot and 6 games of the AL Central lead.
I live for the roar of the crowd, the rush of a new city, and the kind of moments that turn into lifelong memories. Sports keep me energized, travel keeps me grounded, and every journey gives me a fresh story to tell.
