Detroit Tigers blow late lead in Kansas City on Wenceel Pérez error

KANSAS CITY, MO – A hard-hit ground ball from Kyle Isbel shot past diving first baseman Spencer Torkelson and into right field, then snuck underneath the glove of right fielder Wenceel Pérez, rolling to the warning track.

It was a game-changing mistake for the Detroit Tigers in the eighth inning.

The Tigers lost, 4-3, to the Kansas City Royals on Friday, May 8, in the first of three games in the series at Kauffman Stadium, fueled by the Royals’ two-run comeback in the eighth inning.

The game ended with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Isbel sawed off an up-and-in sinker from left-handed reliever Brant Hurter through the left side of the infield for a walk-off single, following pinch-hitter Nick Loftin’s double.

The Tigers have lost four games in a row.

The Tigers (18-21) and Royals (18-21) meet again Saturday (7:10 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) in another showdown between American League Central rivals. In the AL Central, both teams trail the first-place Cleveland Guardians by 2½ games.

In the eighth inning, the Tigers turned to right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan. He was responsible for three hits and one walk, failing to record an out.

The three hits were amplified by Pérez’s fielding error.

On that play, Michael Massey scored from second base (as he likely would’ve regardless of Pérez’s mistake) and Isbel pulled into third base (though he probably could’ve scored), trimming the Tigers’ lead to 3-2. The Royals tied the game, 3-3, on an ensuing RBI single from Maikel Garcia.

It could’ve been worse, but Hurter – the Tigers’ best weapon out of the bullpen against left-handed hitters – recorded all three outs to escape further damage.

Hurter induced a double play against Vinnie Pasquantino, walked Salvador Perez on 11 pitches and generated an inning-ending groundout on a sinker to pinch-hitter Lane Thomas, stranding runners on the corners.

Right-hander Keider Montero set the tone in Friday’s game with another outstanding pitching performance.

He owns a 3.18 ERA in seven starts.

Montero continues to shine since joining the rotation as the replacement for injured right-hander Justin Verlander (who remains sidelined with left hip inflammation but is scheduled Saturday for a live batting practice session).

Facing the Royals, Montero allowed one run on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts across six innings, needing just 71 pitches to record 18 outs.

He has been incredibly efficient in his seven starts.

The average pitches per inning?

Only 14.

For comparison, left-hander Tarik Skubal – the reigning two-time AL Cy Young winner – averaged 14.5 pitches per inning in his first seven starts before undergoing left elbow surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow.

The Royals scored their lone run with two outs in the second inning, following five outs in a row to start the game. A Jac Caglianone double led to an RBI single from Isaac Collins, hitting Montero’s two-strike changeup into right field.

It tied the game, 1-1.

And it was the only run Montero surrendered.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning against left-hander Kris Bubic.

Spencer Torkelson grounded into a double play with runners on the corners after Riley Greene’s double and Pérez’s single, but the runner scored from third base because the double play occurred with zero outs.

The next two runs came in the sixth inning for a 3-1 lead.

Third-base coach Joey Cora deserves credit.

Cora made his intentions known as he refused to stop waving his arm: He wanted Dillon Dingler to score from first base on a double from Pérez to the gap in left-center field.

The ball beat Dingler home by a bit, but catcher Carter Jensen dropped the final leg of the relay from Isbel in center field to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to home.

Just like that, the Tigers took a 2-1 lead.