The Detroit Tigers dominated the Kansas City Royals with a three-game sweep last month, but the tables have turned dramatically as the Royals now seek to hand their division rivals a season-high sixth consecutive loss on Sunday night.
In mid-April, Detroit edged out Kansas City in three straight one-run victories to extend their winning streak against the Royals to six series. However, Kansas City stormed back on Friday with a thrilling 4-3 walk-off win. The Royals then secured a 5-1 victory on Saturday behind seven strong innings from Michael Wacha, a two-run inside-the-park home run by Bobby Witt Jr., and a traditional three-run blast from Michael Massey.
With this win, Kansas City secured their first series victory over the Tigers since August 2024 and improved to 12-5 since an eight-game losing streak.
“We’ve got a special team,” Witt told Royals.TV. “This is a great series win, but we’re not satisfied. We’re always trying to get better.”
Witt has hit three of his five home runs in the last six games. Massey, meanwhile, is 5-for-11 with two homers and five RBIs over his past four contests.
Noah Cameron (2-2, 5.40 ERA) is set to return to the mound Sunday after missing his previous start due to low-back tightness.
“If it were August or September, I would be very capable of pitching through it,” Cameron told the Royals’ official website. “Just trying to be smart and see where we are. It’s feeling a lot better.”
Cameron allowed just two runs over 10 2/3 innings in his first two starts of the season, but he has since surrendered 20 runs (17 earned) in 21 innings across his last four outings. The left-hander has made 30 career starts for the Royals since his debut last season but has never faced the Tigers.
Detroit managed only four hits on Saturday and has been outscored 28-11 during a five-game losing streak that matches their longest skid of 2026.
“Just find a way to weather the storm,” said Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling, who went 0-for-4 on Saturday. “Get a couple wins. Get some momentum.”
The Tigers are already missing key offensive contributors Gleyber Torres (oblique) and Javier Baez (ankle). They may also be without Kerry Carpenter after he exited Saturday’s game with shoulder soreness from hitting the wall while misplaying Witt’s inside-the-park home run.
“It’s next man up,” Vierling said.
Despite Detroit’s offensive struggles, Riley Greene drove in the Tigers’ only run with an eighth-inning double on Saturday. He is batting .385 with eight RBIs over his last 18 games and .458 with five doubles in his past six games at Kansas City.
With ace Tarik Skubal out for at least six weeks after elbow surgery and Framber Valdez serving a suspension, the Tigers are expected to use a bullpen game on Sunday. Right-hander Brenan Hanifee (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.2 IP) is slated to start as an opener for Detroit, which has a 4.74 ERA over the last five games. Hanifee is 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA in 10 career appearances (one start) against the Royals.
