Tigers-Royals Series Quickly Becoming One Of The Most Compelling In Baseball
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Given the way the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals battled for the American League Central Division last season, many expected the teams would deliver many competitive, entertaining games this season. So far, the series has lived up to the hype.
The teams have faced each other seven times already this season. About a week and a half ago, they split a four-game series in Kansas City. Over the weekend, Kansas City won a series in Detroit, two games to one, by eking out a 2-1 victory Sunday in a 10-inning game delayed almost two hours by rain.
Five of the seven games between the teams this season have been decided by three runs or fewer. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus expects close games between the rivals will be the norm as the season continues.
"There's no reason to think it's going to go any other way," Ausmus said after Saturday's game - a sellout, only the second of the season - which the Tigers lost, 6-2. "It should make for some good baseball and good drama, hopefully. They've got a good team. Right now they seem to be clicking on all cylinders. They seem to be a little bit better offensively than they were a year ago.
"Maybe some of that is the acquisition of a guy like [Kendrys] Morales, maybe some of it is guys like [Eric] Hosmer having another year under his belt or Alex Gordon having another year under his belt, [Lorenzo] Cain," Ausmus continued. "These guys all seem to look a little more polished at the plate than they did a year ago."
More than 39,000 fans bought tickets for Friday's game, and the Tigers delivered a win via a walkoff bunt. Unprompted, Ausmus noted the crowd seemed to sense the significance of this series as much as the team did.
"Certainly was a little bit more atmosphere than most games at this point in the season," Ausmus said after the 6-5 victory.
Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler would not call a game in early May a big game, but he acknowledged that games against Kansas City are certainly important ones. The Tigers spoke respectfully of the Royals last season, but obviously Kansas City's profile is much higher given the team made it to the World Series last season and stretched the series to seven games.
"With their run they had last year, they're no sleeper," Tigers catcher James McCann said Saturday. "Last year they were kind of a dark horse, but this year they're no sleeper, and you've got to respect that, and you've got to be ready to come out with the intensity they're going to bring. You see the fire that they bring each and every day, the aggressiveness that they bring, and we've got to match that."
The teams do not meet again in May, nor in June, nor in July. They will clash in two series in August, however, and in two series in September. Needless to say, it does not look like the competitiveness in those games will be dying down any time soon.
"It's been a friendly rivalry," Ausmus said Sunday. "I think both teams respect each other, and the games are indicative of that. I think they have a friendly competition. It might get a little more competitive the deeper we go into the season.
"These are how rivalries start," Ausmus added, "when you have two teams playing well over a long period of time."
