Kansas City Royals drop series opener at Detroit Tigers. Game turned in 7th inning

The Kansas City Royals let another win slip through their fingers. This time, they were undone by their own struggles in the middle innings.

The Royals were cruising along until the wheels fell off in the seventh. The Tigers scored five runs behind Kerry Carpenter’s three-run homer, which traveled 381 feet and vaporized the Royals’ lead.

The Tigers went on to win the series opener at Comerica Park 6-4. The Royals (19-53) couldn’t secure Jordan Lyles’ first win.

The Royals’ offense was stagnant. Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. hit home runs, but the Royals didn’t score after the fifth inning.

“It’s always tough whenever a team comes back on you and does that,” Witt Jr. said.

This season, the Royals have been outscored 135-95 in the fourth through the sixth innings. Opposing teams take advantage of seeing KC’s pitchers a third time.

The Tigers needed an extra frame but made the seventh inning count.

Detroit built momentum with three consecutive hits. After Miguel Cabrera and Jonathan Scoop got aboard, Jake Rogers greeted Royals reliever Taylor Clarke with a two-run single.

Three batters later, Carpenter delivered the big blow. Clarke left an 89.3 mph changeup over the middle of the plate. Carpenter connected on the mistake pitch and sent the baseball into the right-field seats.

“I thought Jordan was in control and throwing the ball well,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We always feel good when Clarke comes in the game. They put some good at-bats together and put a big inning together.”

KC pieced together a rally in the eighth, but Detroit avoided trouble as Edward Olivares grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat. Tigers closer Alex Lange worked a scoreless ninth to pick up the save.

Here are more notables from today’s game:

Jordan Lyles turns quality start

The Royals let down Lyles again.

He has made 15 starts this year but has yet to enter the win column. On Monday, he was saddled with another no-decision despite pitching well enough to earn a quality start.

Lyles had command of all his pitches. He primarily worked his sweeper and fastball to keep the Tigers’ lineup off-balance. The sweeper had more velocity, as it topped out at 83.9 mph. Lyles used it to generate 20 swings and six whiffs.

“We definitely relied on the four-seam and sweeper a lot tonight,” Lyles said. “Mixed in a few more changeups than normal.”

Lyles recorded a shutdown frame in the fourth. He kept the Tigers off the board to preserve a 3-0 KC lead. He worked around a single and struck out future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera to end the threat.

Then Lyles ran into trouble in the sixth inning. Two runs scored to inflate his final line, but it wasn’t indicative of his outing. He scattered six hits and allowed three earned runs across six innings of work.

“Everyone knows it. You look up there and see the zero in front of the win column,” Witt said. “You’ve just got to keep going. He is one of the most positive guys in here. He just comes with the work each and every day.”

Bobby Witt Jr. leaves imprint vs. Tigers

Witt wasn’t at his customary position Monday night. The talented shortstop had the day off from field work. Instead, he was the Royals’ designated hitter.

Witt made the most of his outing. He blasted his 12th home run in the fourth inning to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. The homer traveled 442 feet and registered a 108.8 mph exit velocity.

Witt added to his stats in the fifth inning. He recorded his 22nd stolen base of the season off Tigers starter Reese Olson. This season, Witt ranks fourth among all MLB players in steals.

What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game series against the Tigers. Daniel Lynch will start Tuesday game against Michael Lorenzen. Brady Singer will oppose Matthew Boyd in Wednesday’s series finale.