Massey, Perez hit homers to lead Royals in 8-3 win over Tigers

Updated May. 21, 2024 12:01 a.m. ET

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael Massey and Salvador Perez homered as the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 8-3 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.

Massey opened the scoring in the second with a leadoff homer, the first long ball given up this season by Tigers starter Reese Olson after 48 1/3 innings, snapping the majors’ longest homerless streak.

“The home run was 95 (mph), down and in,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He wouldn’t have been looking there on a 3-2 pitch, but he was able to get the barrel to it. He’s just in a good spot and seeing the ball well.”

In his next at-bat, Massey stunned Olson with a liner off his right hip while Vinnie Pasquantino scored on a throwing error for a 2-0 Royals lead.

After a few warmup pitches, Olson (0-5) exited with a right hip contusion. He threw 2 2/3 innings, allowing the two runs and five hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

“He could have (continued),” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He was trying, but he was really tentative. Given that it was his drive leg, we were not going to take any chances. We took him out for precaution.”

In a 10-pitch at-bat, Perez led off the sixth with his ninth homer as the Royals greeted reliever Joey Wentz with five consecutive hits.

“I was late on 3-1, after that I just tried to make adjustments,” Perez said. “I got a pitch around the middle and I hit it pretty good.”

Seven straight batters reached safely while Kansas City scored six runs to build an 8-1 lead.

“It stems from being prepared,” said Massey, who doubled after Perez’s homer for his third hit. “You get a bunch of guys in a row that execute and you get those big innings.”

Michael Wacha (4-4) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings while walking one with three strikeouts to win his third straight start.

“He was in the zone, so they were aggressive,” Quatraro said. “It looked like he located his fastball really well.”

“Getting back in attack mode and being ahead in the count kind of keeps them on their heels,” Wacha said.

Chris Stratton recorded four outs for his third save.

Kerry Carpenter hit his sixth homer into the leftfield fountains in the fourth, then doubled and scored in the seventh on Colt Keith’s two-out double. Keith had three of Detroit’s seven hits.

Carpenter’s eighth-inning sacrifice fly capped the scoring.

The Tigers have scored 20 runs while losing 8-of-9 starts by Olson.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers RHP Reese Olson left Monday’s game with a right hip contusion after being struck by a third-inning line drive.

Royals LHP Jake Brentz was reinstated from the Injured List and optioned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

ROSTER MOVES

Royals designated RHP Matt Sauer for assignment and selected LHP Sam Long from Triple-A Omaha.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Casey Mize (1-2, 3.50 ERA) opposes Royals RHP Alec Marsh (3-1, 2.43) Tuesday night.