KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Michael Wacha continued his absolute mastery of the Detroit Tigers, delivering seven strong innings to guide the Kansas City Royals to a 3-1 victory on Saturday night.The win extends the Royals’ streak to seven games—the second-longest active winning streak in Major League Baseball behind only the Philadelphia Phillies. Kansas City hasn’t dropped a game since Aug. 15.
Wacha (7-8) pitched seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out six and walking one.The outing marked his third start against Detroit this season, with Wacha going seven full innings in each.Across those 21 combined innings against the Tigers, he has surrendered a total of just three earned runs.
The Royals’ offense set the tone early through the long ball:
- 3rd Inning:Kyle Isbel launched a 400-foot leadoff home run to the right-field bullpen off Tigers starter Drew Anderson (4-5), putting Kansas City up 1-0.It was Isbel’s second consecutive game with a homer.
- 4th Inning:Salvador Perez padded the lead with a 424-foot solo shot to straightaway center field.The blast was Perez’s 17th home run of the season.
- 5th Inning:Detroit cut the deficit to 2-1 when Hao-Yu Lee hammered a 446-foot solo blast to left field—his seventh home run of the year.
- 6th Inning:Jac Caglianone doubled to start the frame and later scored on a wild pitch by reliever Tanner Rainey, restoring Kansas City’s two-run advantage.
Anderson took the loss for Detroit, giving up three earned runs on five hits across five innings, striking out four and walking one.
Out of the bullpen, Alex Lange threw a scoreless eighth before Craig Kimbrel shut the door in the ninth.The save was Kimbrel’s first since July 7, 2024, when he was pitching for the Baltimore Orioles.
Up Next
The Royals will send left-hander Daniel Lynch IV (4-4, 2.83 ERA) to the mound for Sunday’s series finale as they search for the sweep. The Tigers have yet to announce their starting pitcher.
