Luke Hochevar took the mound today, and tried to extend the 2 game winning streak that the Royals are on, starting with that win against the Orioles on Sunday to avoid a sweep. Now they are looking at a sweep of their own against the Tigers, as Hochevar pitched 6 innings of shutout ball, and sealed another win for the Royals over the Detroit Tigers, extending that winning streak to 5.
The shutout that Hochevar started was continued by the bullpen nicely, and the pitching staff would get the gold star today. The runner up goes to Joey Gathright, who hit a two run single in the 2nd inning, for the games only runs.
What else can you say but the Royal seem to own the Tigers this year. These winning ways can be traced back a couple of seasons for the Royals, as they have played the spoiler to the Tigers many times, including 2006 when they knocked the Tigers out of 1st place in the division, at the bitter end of the season, sending them into the wild card position. For some reason the Royals seem to always get the job done against this team. It would be nice to see this kind of dominance against other teams, but for now it is a much needed win, and a great re-start to a still fairly young season. Hopefully, this can spark a long term win streak, and jump them right into contention for the lead in the Central.
Their record is still 18-21, and there is a lot of room for improvement. But for now, Trey Hillman and his team will take a win any way they can get it. Tomorrow is another chance for the Royals to sweep the Tigers, this time at home.