Tigers Fall to Royals 5-4 in Season Opener

Game in a Nutshell


Despite Miguel Cabrera's first home run as a Tiger, Carlos Guillen's monster game, and five one-hit innings by Justin Verlander, Detroit was not able to come through with a run in extra innings and lost 5-4 in 11. Detroit jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind an Edgar Renteria RBI single, Cabrera's solo home run, and a Gary Sheffield walk with the bases loaded. Verlander gave up a two-run homer in the 6th and was pulled with two runners on and no outs in the 7th. Jason Grilli immediately gave up a single that tied the game at 3-3 and was pulled for Bobby Seay after getting one groundout. Seay and Aquilino Lopez pitched well into the 8th, with Lopez giving up two hits that scored another run that Verlander was responsible for. It was 4-3 when Guillen hit a bomb into the right field stands to tie that game at 4 apiece. Todd Jones pitched a scoreless ninth, Denny Bautista pitched a scoreless 10th, but gave up a two-out single in the 11th that gave the Royals a 5-4 lead. Brandon Inge threw out a runner at home for the second out with an amazing throw that looked to kill the Royals rally before the game-winning run with two outs. It was an exciting and hard-fought game, but the Tigers loaded lineup couldn't come through with a run in the last three innings.

Bullpen Watch


Jason Grilli came in for Verlander in the 7th and pitched to two batters, giving up a run-scoring single and getting one groundout. Bobby Seay did a great job coming in to face a lefty and got the out. Aquilino Lopez gave up a couple of hits with a run scoring in the 7th, then pitched a scoreless 8th. Todd Jones had a solid outing pitching a scoreless 9th. Denny Bautista showed his big-league stuff, hitting 100 mph a few times and pitching a scoreless 10th. But in the 11th, Bautista gave up the game-winning RBI single to Tony Pena.

Concern Level: 7 out of 10



Today's Key Play


Guillen's home run in the 8th and Inge's spectacular throw out at home in the 11th highlighted the game for the Tigers, but the most important play of this game was Alex Gordon's two-run home run in the 6th for the Royals. Verlander was dominant until this point and Detroit looked like they would blow this one open, but Gordon's homer changed the momentum and gave K.C. a lot of confidence that they could win the game. And they did.

Tiger of the Game: Carlos Guillen



Carlos was 3-5 with a single, double, and a huge home run that tied the game in the 8th. Without Guillen, the Tiger offense would've looked very average today. Magglio was solid with a 2-5 day and Sheffield showed great patience with four walks, but Guillen was definitely our Tiger of the Game.