Before Tuesday’s game against the Tigers at Comerica Park, the Royals had to feel the stars were properly aligned.
Kansas City was riding a season-high six-game winning streak, averaging 7.3 runs a game during the stretch. Starter Jakob Junis held a career 8-1 mark and a 3.36 ERA against the Tigers.
Conversely, Tigers starter Matthew Boyd was 5-9 with a 6.49 ERA in his career against the Royals. Throw in the fact that Boyd had an unsightly 9.16 ERA at Comerica Park this season.
Easy Royals win, right? Not quite.
Junis was hit hard, Boyd dominated, and the Tigers rolled to a 6-0 victory.
Junis was an emergency starter for left-hander Danny Duffy, who was bumped for disciplinary reasons after missing the team’s charter flight out of Kansas City on Monday.
He never looked comfortable, allowing five earned runs in 2 1/3 innings before exiting after just 42 pitches.