DETROIT (AP) — Seth Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings and the Kansas City Royals won their fourth straight game, beating the Detroit Tigers 8-0 on Friday.
Lugo (4-1) allowed three singles and matched a career high with nine strikeouts in a game played at 1:10 pm due to the NFL draft festivities in downtown Detroit on Friday evening.
Tigers starter Reese Olson (0-4) allowed one run on three hits and three walks in seven innings, striking out eight.
Kansas City led 1-0 before scoring seven runs in the ninth inning.
With one out in the third, Adam Frazier and Kyle Isbel singled before Maikel Garcia walked to load the bases for the Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to center.
The Tigers thought they had the lead in the bottom of the third, but Frazier reached over the right-field fence to rob Parker Meadows of a home run before doubling Javier Báez off first.
Detroit got a pair of two-out hits against former teammate John Schreiber in the eighth, but he struck out Spencer Torkelson to end the inning.
The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, thanks to two singles and a walk off Tyler Holton. Holton, usually one of Detroit's best control pitchers, then hit Frazier and Isbel with consecutive pitches to make it 3-0.
Garcia greeted Will Vest with a two-run single to put the Royals up by five, and Witt tripled before Vinnie Pasquantino's sacrifice fly made it 8-0.
UP NEXT
The teams play the second game of the series on Saturday evening. RHP Casey Mize (1-0, 2.95) is scheduled to start for Detroit against RHP Brady Singer (3-0, 1.82). Pregame at 4:30pm with first pitch at 5:10pm on 680 KFEQ.