KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Edinson Volquez tossed seven sharp innings, Mike Moustakas went deep and the Kansas City Royals pounded Mike Pelfrey in a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.
Volquez (3-0) retired the first eight batters and only had to wiggle out of one jam, when Alcides Escobar let a grounder go through his legs in the fourth inning. The Tigers went on to load the bases before Volquez struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia to end it.
Escobar atoned for his gaffe with a sacrifice fly off Pelfrey (0-3) in the bottom half of the fourth. Lorenzo Cain also drove in a run, and Kansas City tacked on another when a double-steal turned into an error on third baseman Nick Castellanos that allowed a run to scamper home.
Volquez scattered five hits and a walk while striking out five, while Pelfrey allowed all four runs — three of them earned — on eight hits and five walks in five innings
Volquez stuck to his track record of this season rather than his history against the Tigers.
The veteran right-hander has only allowed four runs over 24 2/3 innings, and the Royals have won all four games he's started — though he had been just 1-4 with a 6.21 ERA against the Tigers.
He didn't have much trouble with them Thursday night.
Volquez's counterpart had all sorts of issues with the Royals, though. Pelfrey allowed five hits, two walks and two stolen bases to the first 12 batters he faced, though a timely double play and groundout with the bases loaded kept the damage to just one run.
The Royals left seven on base through the first four innings.
Despite the missed opportunities, they still managed to coax across some runs in Royals-like fashion. They slapped singles away from where the Tigers had shifted, laid down bunts to set up scoring chances and even showcased a little power on the homer by Moustakas in the fourth.
They also made their meager production look more daunting with some stellar defense.
Left-fielder Alex Gordon threw out Jose Iglesias by several feet at third base to end the third, then began the fourth by making a diving catch at the track to rob Justin Upton of extra bases. Escobar also made a series of flashy plays deep in the hole at shortstop.
TAKE A BREATH
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus gave outfielder Anthony Gose a mental break after he slammed his bat in frustration during a tough night at the plate Wednesday. "It's good to take a breath," Ausmus said.
WELCOME BACK, DAD
The Royals reinstated right-hander Dillon Gee from the paternity list and optioned right-hander Miguel Almonte to Triple-A Omaha. Gee's wife gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte, on Monday.
UP NEXT
The Royals send right-hander Chris Young to the mound Friday night to open a three-game set against the Orioles, while the Tigers begin a seven-game homestand with Justin Verlander taking on the Indians.
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