Perez
homer propels Royals past Tigers
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[June 18, 2016]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Michael
Fulmer's scoreless inning streak ended abruptly, while Salvador
Perez continued his torrid stretch.
Perez homered in the sixth inning to snap Fulmer's scoreless
streak at 33 1/3 innings as the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit
Tigers 10-3 on Friday night.
Perez hit a hanging slider on the first pitch over the Royals'
left-field bullpen to snap a scoreless deadlock. It was Perez's
third home run in four games and fifth in eight games.
"My third at bat (Fulmer) left a slider up and I got it pretty
good," Perez said.
Good enough to snap Fulmer's amazing streak.
Perez, who is hitting .406 in his past 18 games, also contributed a
two-run double in a four-run seventh, giving him eight RBIs in the
past four games. Eric Hosmer and Paulo Orlando each had
run-producing singles in the inning.
Fulmer (7-2) had not allowed a run in his previous four starts. His
consecutive inning scoreless streak is the longest by a rookie since
Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"The scoreless streak, it was nice and everything, but my ultimate
goal is it's a team game, to get a team 'w' and unfortunately I
wasn't good enough to do it tonight," Fulmer said. "My goal is to
put zeroes up every inning. I'm hard on myself, especially after a
loss. I'm going to do a better job my next start."
Fulmer lost for the first time since May 5, winning his previous six
decisions after beginning the season with Triple-A Toledo.
 "I was happy for him," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He was
pitching outstanding. I would have liked it (streak) to last longer,
but the fact was it was going to end at some point and the more
important thing for me was the win. It's impressive for anyone. It's
much more impressive for a rookie."
Yordano Ventura (6-4), who is appealing a nine-game suspension,
pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the victory. He allowed
six hits, walked none and struck out five.
In Ventura's past two starts -- victories over the Chicago White Sox
and Tigers -- he has allowed one run, 11 hits, walked one and struck
out 15 in 13 1/3 innings.
"Very impressive again," Royals manager Ned Yost said of Ventura.
Ventura did not tolerate a runner touching second base until the
seventh and only then after Lorenzo Cain and Cheslor Cuthbert
committed errors. Kelvin Herrera was summoned from the bullpen with
Victor Martinez on second and Justin Upton on first.
Steven Moya, who was just promoted from the Mud Hens, hit a hard
bouncer up the middle, but second baseman Whit Merrifield knocked it
down before it could roll into center field and was able to force
out Upton at second.
"We haven't seen plays like that this year, where you're sprawled
out and saving a run," Yost said.
Moya moved to second on a wild pitch, but Martinez remained at
third.
"If he doesn't think he's going to make it, then he's got to hold
up," Ausmus said.
Herrera and James McCann engaged in a high drama 10-pitch at-bat.
McCann fouled off four pitches with the count full before grounding
out to Hosmer at first base, preserving the Royals' 1-0 lead at the
time.

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Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) hits a two run double in the
seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. The
Royals won 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals poured it on with a five-run eighth, which included a
Kendrys Morales three-run homer, his fifth time to reach base.
Hosmer added a two-run single in the eighth as the Royals exploited
the Tigers' bullpen for nine runs.
The Tigers avoided a shutout in the ninth when Miguel Cabrera and
Justin Upton homered off Dillon Gee.
Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer, who had not allowed a run in his
four previous starts covering 28 1/3 innings, almost had his streak
snapped in the second and third innings, but escaped run-free both
times.
Kendrys Morales singled and stopped at third base on Orlando's
two-out second inning double over center fielder Andrew Romine's
head. Fulmer struck out rookie Brett Eibner to end the inning.
The Royals loaded the bases in the third, but came away with zilch.
Cheslor Cuthbert led off the inning with a fly ball single to
shallow left. Whit Merrifield put a perfectly placed fly bunt down
the third base line, just out of reach of a diving Fulmer, for a
single. Alcides Escobar's sacrifice bunt moved Cuthbert to third and
Merrifield to second.
Fulmer walked Hosmer on five pitches to load the bases but coaxed
Lorenzo Cain to roll into a 6-4-3 double play.
Fulmer's scoreless streak reached 35 1/3 innings after the fifth,
breaking the Tigers rookie record of 28 2/3 innings, set by Jon
Hiller in 1967.
The Tigers, who blasted six home runs Thursday night, could no
nothing with Ventura. They had five hits, all singles, the first
five innings.
Miguel Cabrera had two of the hits, but the Tigers failed to get a
runner past first base. Jose Iglesias in the third and Victor
Martinez in the fourth grounded into double plays.

NOTES: Royals LF Alex Gordon, who went on the disabled list May 23
with a fractured right wrist, will start a rehab assignment this
weekend with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Manager Ned Yost said he
would like Gordon to get 20-to-25 at-bats and hopefully be ready for
the Astros series, beginning next Friday. ... OF Steven Moya was
recalled from Triple-A Toledo, where he led the International League
with a .571 slugging percentage, and started in right field for the
Tigers. He replaces RF J.D. Martinez, who is out four to six weeks
with a right elbow fracture. ... The Tigers placed RHP Drew VerHagen
on the disabled list with right shoulder thoracic outlet syndrome.
... Tigers CF Cameron Maybin was not in the lineup for the third
time in four games with a tender left quad. Manager Brad Ausmus said
Maybin was given an extra day as a precaution, but was available to
pinch run if needed. ... Tigers LHP Matt Boyd and Royals RHP Edinson
Volquez are the Saturday probables.
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