Rookie Daniel Lynch threw eight scoreless innings for his first major league victory and Jorge Soler homered twice as the Kansas City Royals completed a three-game sweep of the visiting Detroit Tigers by winning their fifth in a row, 6-1 on Sunday.
Salvador Perez clubbed a three-run homer, going back-to-back with Soler, during a four-run first for the Royals, who have totaled 31 runs with 10 homers while matching a season high five-game winning streak. The 24-year-old Lynch (1-2), meanwhile, allowed five hits while striking out four without a walk in his fourth career start.
The left-hander, who debuted for the Royals on May 3 and was just recalled from Triple-A Omaha this weekend, didn’t look like the pitcher who gave up 14 earned runs and 18 hits over eight innings of his first three starts.
Jonathan Schoop extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a ninth-inning double and scored on Eric Hasse’s single for the Tigers, who have lost a season-high seven consecutive road contests. Detroit allowed 20 runs during this series with the Royals after yielding 12 during a 7-0 post-All-Star break homestand.
Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (6-9) allowed all five of his runs over the first three innings, and lasted five while also giving up five hits and striking out four without a walk.
Whit Merrifield led off the bottom of the first with a double and Carlos Santana followed with a single. Perez drove them both in with his second home run in two games. Soler then unleashed an opposite field drive to right for his 10th of 2021.
Soler made it a 5-0 contest in the third when he clubbed a Skubal pitch into the left-field seats for his eighth career multi-home run game — and first since Sept. 28, 2019.
Skubal’s 22 homers allowed in 2021 are among the most in the majors.
Jarrod Dyson delivered a two-run single in the seventh for the Royals, who recorded their first home series sweep of at least three games this season.
–Field Level Media