DETROIT -- One of the strong suits that Royals manager Ned Yost has admired about his starting pitchers lately is their ability to grind through starts even without their best stuff.
Such was the case Saturday at Comerica Park as Royals right-hander Jakob Junis gave up eight hits and tossed three wild pitches, but still kept the Royals close. Junis gave up just three runs through six innings in the Royals' 5-4 loss to the Tigers.
The Tigers broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth when Mikie Mahtook drilled a two-run home run to left on a hanging slider from right-hander Jason Hammel, who lost his team-high 14th game.