KC Royals: Detroit Tigers No Longer Run A.L. Central
By Alec Tilson
That one was sweet. That one was years of investment paying off for the KC Royals.
It felt like just a routine win for this team, a no-pressure, nine-inning business trip, but last night’s 5-1 win in Comerica Park validated one thing that the Royals have worked at for a long time: the Kansas City Royals run the A.L. Central.
The Tigers, as Royals’ fans have known them for the last five years, are done. Last night, they wanted nothing to do with a Royals team that had lost four-of-five games and is apparently blood-thirsty in its pursuit of another postseason. As far as 2015 goes, the Tigers packed up and went home.
The Tigers sold at the deadline, the Royals bought, and the A.L. Central baton is off-and-running in the hands of the Royals, who’s lead in division stretched to 9.5 games with the win.
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Starting pitcher Danny Duffy turned in seven innings, one earned run and allowed just five hits to the Miggy-less Tigers.
When the Tigers signed Justin Verlander for $180 million in 2013, the Royals waited for Duffy to work back from injury as a raw left-handed prospect. He’s still raw, but he now has a 2.30 ERA over his last six starts, and the Royals have won five of those. Verlander allowed five earned runs and entered the game with 4.86 ERA.
Seven Royals recorded at least one hit, Salvador Perez drove in three and reliever Luke Hochevar threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning. The whole game had a poetic justice about it for Royals’ fans.
It’s not that Detroit is gone forever, or even that they won’t compete next year. It’s that they’re in the backseat.
That was the first of a three-game series on their field. The Royals did what a good team does, and the Tigers rolled over. The changing of the guard was as clear as it’s been since the Royals arrived and clinched the A.L. Wild Card last season.
While the Royals continue to rise, the division reign of the Detroit Tigers, which let’s be honest goes back to 2011, is decimated.
Detroit traded its best pitcher in David Price, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and closer Joakim Soria before the deadline. Yesterday, general manager Dave Dombrowski, the man running the organization for the past 14 seasons, was relieved of his job, according to the Detroit Free Press.
They have Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, a shortstop, a third baseman and not much else. Victor Martinez is 36 years old. Ian Kinsler is owed a combined $25 million over the next two seasons. Verlander has more than 2,000 innings on him, and he’s owed $28 million per year.
While the new general manager Al Avila tries to sort that roster out for Detroit, the Royals look to be the team taking control of the chaos in the A.L. Central.
It’s not that Detroit is gone forever, or even that they won’t compete next year. It’s that they’re in the backseat. They’re chasing; the Royals are running in front – and last night summed it all up.
It’s early August and it might be way too early to draw conclusions on this season, but until proven otherwise: the Detroit Tigers ran the A.L. Central. The KC Royals run it.