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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Kansas City Royals will hear no
excuses from Ricky Bottalico.
"I messed up the game for the whole team," the troubled
reliever said Saturday night after Detroit scored two in the ninth
to beat Kansas City 8-7.
"The ninth inning was a joke."
Down 6-0 in the sixth, the Royals capped a comeback when Jorge
Fabregas hit a solo home run off Doug Brocail (4-3) in the eighth
for a 7-6 lead.
Then Bottalico (7-2), who has blown six saves in 11
opportunities, came out of the bullpen and gave up singles to Tony
Clark and Dean Palmer on his first two pitches.
Rob Fick's RBI single tied it, then Brad Ausmus drew a
bases-loaded walk from Bottalico to force in the winning run.
"You get runners at first and second with no out, you know
you've got a good chance to at least get the tying run in," said
Palmer, who was 3-for-4 with three RBI. "It's always key getting
the first guy on."
Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his league-leading 22nd save.
"We get a lead and I go in and all hell breaks loose,"
Bottalico said. "I was on a little roll, but it didn't carry over
to tonight. I didn't feel crisp."
Palmer and Bobby Higginson each hit their 16th home runs as the
Tigers mounted a six-run lead in the sixth.
Palmer, a former Kansas City third baseman, hit a 416-foot solo
homer off Jeff Suppan in the second and added a two-run single in
the four-run third. Then Higginson's two-out shot put the Tigers on
top 6-0 in the sixth.
Brian Moehler took a shutout into the sixth but left with one
out after up giving up RBI singles to Mike Sweeney, Jermaine Dye
and Joe Randa. Danny Patterson came in and got Carlos Beltran to
ground into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
In the seventh, Dave McCarty's pinch RBI single made it 6-4.
Brocail was called for a balk, sending Johnny Damon trotting home
from third. Dye then tied it with a sacrifice fly.
Sweeney had four hits, one night after getting three, and raised
his RBI total to 75.
Suppan, who gave up only one hit in nine innings in the Royals'
4-1, 11-inning victory over the Tigers on May 8, pitched 3 2/3
innings. He allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk.
Ausmus had a sacrifice fly in the third for Detroit and Juan
Gonzalez drove in a run with the second of his three singles.
The Royals had Sweeney on first with two outs in the ninth but
Dye was called out on a checked-swing third strike.
"I never blame umpires for losses," Royals manager Tony Muser
said. "I don't think he swung. But it doesn't matter what I
think."
Game notes
Royals 3B Randa made one of the best defensive plays in
Kauffman Stadium this year, running in to scoop up Juan
Encarnacion's bunt and making a powerful, accurate, off-balance
throw to nip him by a step. ... Before the game, former manager
Whitey Herzog and former outfielder Willie Wilson were inducted
into the Royals' hall of fame. "I hate to spoil Whitey's night.
I'm a Whitey fan," said Tiger manager Phil Garner. "But I'm a
Tiger fan, too." ... The Tigers have hit 36 home runs in their
last 17 games. ... A boy about 12 years old was struck on the arm
or leg when Tony Clark's bat went flying into the fourth row behind first base. The child was crying but did not appear seriously hurt as he walked to the first aid station.
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