Royals Complete Sweep, Extend Winning Streak to Eight

The Kansas City Royals extended their winning streak to eight games with an 11-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep. The streak is the Royals' longest since May 2024, and the team has won seven straight at home — only the fourth time in franchise history they've completed an undefeated homestand of seven or more games, as reported by multiple outlets.

Nick Loftin and John Rave homered, and Kyle Isbel drove in three runs, according to reports. Isbel drove in the first runs of the game with a two-run single, and Loftin added a three-run shot over the left-center field wall, putting Kansas City up 5-1. Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez added RBI doubles in the fifth, before Rave extended the lead to 9-5 with a two-run shot to right field. Isbel and Loftin added RBI singles in the eighth to cap the scoring.

John Schreiber worked two-thirds of an inning in the fifth and earned his first win of the season. Daniel Lynch IV pitched 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball, allowing four hits and striking out two, and Steven Cruz worked a hitless ninth.

For the Tigers, Kevin McGonigle had an RBI double and a game-tying home run. Gleyber Torres and Max Clark had run-scoring groundouts, Hao-Yu Lee added an RBI single, and Ben Malgeri walked with the bases loaded in the seventh. Andrew Sears made his MLB debut for Detroit and allowed five runs on six hits in four innings.

Kansas City right fielder Jac Caglianone was scratched from the lineup due to ankle soreness.

Isbel's Spider-Man Bat Highlights Players' Weekend

The Royals' Saturday win was punctuated by a celebratory moment from Kyle Isbel, who homered with a Spider-Man bat during Players' Weekend. Isbel, who used a Buzz Lightyear bat on Friday because teammates call him "Buzz," broke out the Spider-Man bat on Saturday, as that's the favorite superhero of his son, Lane, whose name is also written on the bat. The 3-year-old Lane was carrying the bat around the clubhouse on Friday night, and Isbel shot Spider-Man web hands into the dugout after his homer.

Isbel hit a leadoff homer 400 feet to the right field bullpen in the third inning, his second in as many games, to put the Royals up 1-0. Salvador Perez extended the lead to 2-0 with his 17th homer of the season, a 424-foot shot to straightaway center field, in the fourth inning. The following inning, Hao-Yu Lee hit a 446-foot home run to left field to cut the deficit to 2-1, his seventh homer of the year. Jac Caglianone doubled and later scored on a wild pitch by Tanner Rainey in the sixth, giving the Royals a 3-1 lead.

Michael Wacha allowed one run and three hits in seven innings for the Royals. Wacha (7-8) has been outstanding against the Tigers this year in his three starts, going a combined 21 innings while allowing three earned runs combined. He went seven innings in each of those starts, and on Saturday he walked one and fanned six, according to a report. Wacha leads the American League in innings pitched (162 2/3) and quality starts (17), as noted by one outlet. Tigers starter Drew Anderson (4-5) went five innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits, striking out four and walking one.

Alex Lange and Craig Kimbrel pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively, with Kimbrel getting his first save since July 7, 2024, when he pitched for Baltimore. Kimbrel has 441 career saves, fifth most in MLB history, according to one report. The save was his first as a Royal, and it came with the ninth franchise — tied for the most since 1969, as reported.

High-leverage relievers Steven Cruz, John Schreiber, and Nate Pearson were unavailable on Saturday, according to one outlet. Quoted in a report, Wacha said, "It's what we know is in the tank. We show up every day ready to compete, and we know it hadn't gone well for us earlier in the year. But we're looking forward to coming to the field every day, and it's been a lot of fun." Royals manager Matt Quatraro and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch also provided comments in that report.

Looking Ahead

The Royals have not announced a starter for their series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday. The Tigers have not announced a starter for their home series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

On Saturday, the Tigers had not announced a starter for Sunday's series finale, while the Royals were scheduled to start LHP Daniel Lynch IV (4-4, 2.83 ERA). The Royals have the second-longest winning streak in the majors at seven games behind the Phillies, and they haven't lost since Aug. 15, as reported by CBS News.