Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff may have suddenly ramped up their efforts to acquire some bullpen help.
Carrying a 2-0 lead, Bryan Shaw and Jeff Manship threw gallons of gasoline on everything in the eighth inning after starter Corey Kluber had to leave due to what appeared to be a leg cramp.
But in a blink of an eye, diminutive speedster Jarrod Dyson capped the nightmare inning with a backbreaking grand slam(!!!!!) from Jeff Manship. He then looked as if he were expecting his DFA notice before he got off of the mound.
Prior to the destruction, Corey Kluber (7 INN/5 H/8 SO/3 BB) was up to his usual excellent standards. Royals starter Edison Volquez (7 INN/4 H/2 ER/6 SO/3 BB) was excellent in his own right, as neither team could muster much as both starters did what they were capable of.
Unfortunately, the old adage of “seeing someone different” paid off for the Royals. They jumped on Bryan Shaw, who had his first bad night in about a month. Manship did the nearly unthinkable of turning a guy who has no business being the offensive hero into exactly that. In the span of about ten minutes, what felt like another solid win to hold serve within the AL Central instead turned into a game lost on the Tigers (who beat the Twins, 1-0), and may have potentially kickstarted a middling Royals team in desperate need of a spark for the stretch run.
It feels kind of odd saying that a game in mid-July is a must-win, but the quicker the Tribe get the taste of this fiasco out of their mouths, the better. What better time than to turn the page tomorrow?
W: Luke Hochevar (2-2); L: Bryan Shaw (1-4); S: Wade Davis (20)
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On the Yan Gomes front, the team announced that he will be out for at least six to eight weeks. Roberto Perez (who was called up and caught tonight) and Chris Gimenez will rotate on a daily basis at the onset until team doctors believe that Perez can handle a full workload.