The Tigers scored three runs in the ninth, but came up short. Lewicki gave up five runs on 11 hits in five innings.
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Probably not how he envisioned it.
But there was more to it than the harsh results. The word “intriguing” comes to mind. As advertised, he throws strikes. Seventy-three percent of his 85 pitches were strikes; and, for better or worse, he pitches to contact (one strikeout) .
BOX SCORE: Royals 7, Tigers 6
His fastball was touted as a low-90s pitch that gets on hitters quicker than it should. Clearly, after watching him work, there is a reason for that. If Baseball Savant’s data is correct, his fastball velocity ranged from 86 to 94 mph. In the fourth inning, Royals slugger Eric Hosmer saw fastballs at 93,87 and 86 mph.
He was adding and subtracting on his secondary pitches, as well. His slider ranged from 77 to 88, his curve ball from 75 to 80 and his change-up from 81 to 87.
It could be that the website wasn’ t correctly calibrated for a pitcher they hadn’ t any baseline measures for, but it was clear Lewicki used change of speeds as a weapon.
In the minor leagues, he was able to keep hitters off-balance and induce a lot of weak contact doing that. Against a good-hitting team like the Royals, though, balls put in play were finding holes, and gaps, and seats.
They scored four times off Lewicki in the third inning — a two-run double by Melky Cabrera and a two-run home run by Hosmer.
But Lewicki didn’ t rattle. He pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, getting Salvador Perez to fly out. And he finished with a clean fifth.
It’s evident he knows how to pitch. It’s worth finding out how much better he can be with more experience and a better understanding of the hitters at this level.
This was the fifth straight loss for the Tigers, but unlike the previous four, the offense fought back.
Down 5-0 in the fifth, they scored three times off Royals starter Jake Junis. After back-to-back doubles by Andrew Romine and Jose Iglesias, Alex Presley ripped an RBI triple down the line in right field — a hard-hit ground ball that went past the glove of Hosmer at first base.
Presley scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Castellanos.
The Royals infield defense was shaky in this game, but their outfield stole at least five runs. In the fourth inning, left fielder Alex Gordon took a double away from James McCann with a long running catch in the gap. Then, with two runners on, he timed his jump perfectly, extended well over the fence and took a home run away from Mikie Mahtook.
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In the sixth, with the tying runs on second and third, center fielder Lorenzo Cain made a sliding catch of a sinking liner by Iglesias that might have tied the game had it landed.
The Royals, though, kept hitting home runs.
Perez made it 6-3 with a two-out home run into the visitor’s bullpen in left center off reliever Daniel Stumpf. Mahtook, looking to avenge Gordon’s thievery, nearly tore the fence down trying to scale it and get to the ball.
It was just the fifth run allowed by Stumpf in 25 innings.
Alcides Escobar hit the first pitch from Drew VerHagen over the fence in left field in the eighth.
Castellanos made it exciting in the ninth inning, hitting a three-run home run off reliever Brandon Maurer. Iglesias and Presley (three hits) singled with one out to set the table.
After Maurer struck out Efren Navarro, James McCann singled. Up next, Jeimer Candelario, the prize the Tigers got from the Cubs for Justin Wilson and Alex Avila.
Candelario rapped a single, his third hit of the day.
Royals manager Ned Yost replaced Maurer with left-hander Scott Alexander to pitch to Mahtook — who for his career hits .272 against lefties.
Alas, there would be no revenge for Mahtook. He grounded out to end the game.
