Newest Royals star, but win streak ends at 5 in extras heartbreaker

DETROIT -- Sometimes, a loss is just that. There’s no blowup, no glaring error or mistake. There are good days and bad during a 162-game season, and there are also days that are neither.

Such was the case on Saturday night at Comerica Park, when the Royals were simply eager to shrug off the 6-5 loss to the Tigers and move on.

“A lot of times, especially when you're on the road, you're going to have to score more than one [run in extra innings],” manager Matt Quatraro said after the 11-inning battle. “We weren't able to do that, and they did.”

The Royals’ win streak ended at five games, during which Kansas City outscored its opponents, 38-14, and racked up 59 hits -- 10 of them homers. Only one win, a 4-3 victory against the White Sox on Tuesday, was by fewer than three runs.

If you couldn’t have imagined such a marked turnaround after last year’s 56-106 finish, you’re not alone. But the Royals have made it clear that the turnaround is for real.

It’s been fun to watch Kansas City roll this past week, but a great measuring stick for growth is how a team responds when everything isn’t roses. Hits were a bit harder to come by on Saturday, and the defense wasn’t spotless, but the Royals rolled up their sleeves and made things happen anyway.

“I thought we did a good job coming back late in the game, and I thought we also did a good job fighting back, pushing a couple of runs across,” Paul DeJong said. “They just got that extra big hit that we didn’t get, and it was one of those things that maybe let that one slip away a little bit.”

Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 15th homer of the season in the loss. He’ll ride a seven-game hit streak into Sunday’s series finale. The club also got some solid contributions from a trio of new faces:

Welcome … back?
Newest Royal Michael Lorenzen, whom Kansas City acquired from Texas on Monday, held his former team scoreless through 5 2/3 innings before Bligh Madris hit a two-out ground-rule double and Andy Ibá?ez plated him with a single.

Lorenzen, the Tigers’ lone All-Star representative in 2023, was also pitching at Comerica Park for the second time since he was dealt prior to last season’s Deadline. He struck out five, including the side on 13 pitches in the second inning, drawing 13 swings and misses.

“I felt good,” he said. “I worked well with [catcher Salvador Perez]. I like how quick he works, and you’re able to just kind of stay in a groove, so I really liked that.

“... You always want to leave with a win, and so I wish I maybe could’ve given them more, but I’m excited for the next one in Kansas City.”

New team, same sweet swing
After the Tigers evened the score in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out single, DeJong, whom Kansas City acquired from the White Sox on Tuesday, mashed a two-run home run to put the Royals back in front.

The homer also pushed DeJong’s hit streak to eight games, during which he’s slashing .385/.433/.692.

“I think [things like winning] are contagious,” DeJong said. “I think that’s a culture thing that’s built over the course of the whole year. I just got here, but I can tell how tight the bonds are here and how much these guys care about each other.

“It’s nice to be plugged right into that.”

Flawless execution
Lucas Erceg, who landed with the Royals on Tuesday in a trade with the A’s, entered with a 3-1 lead and worked a perfect eighth, striking out one to earn his 15th hold of the season. Erceg has made three appearances with Kansas City so far and totaled 2 1/3 perfect innings. He has allowed runs in just one of his past 12 outings.

The Royals weren’t going to ride out the season on the current win streak, no matter how possible it felt at times. But the nice thing about this season is that there is no panic button. With the talent on hand and the newcomers’ contributions, the Royals are in a safe place in thinking another win streak is just around the corner.

“I like the way we picked each other up, especially not giving in, in extras,” DeJong said. “It’s a good sign for us, moving into tomorrow to be able to just get back on the horse.”