Shields helps KC regain 1st place over Tigers in AL Central

Published February 05, 2015

Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Big Game James lived up to his moniker on Wednesday night.

James Shields fired seven shutout innings and the Kansas City Royals blanked the Detroit Tigers 3-0 to salvage a three-game set.

Shields (14-7), who has tossed 18 1/3 consecutive scoreless frames, struck out eight, scattered two hits and walked one. He retired 18 batters in a row at one point and helped Kansas City regain first place over Detroit in the AL Central.

"It's definitely a game that we needed for sure, but I think every game from here on out is pretty crucial," Shields said.

Lorenzo Cain was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Josh Willingham and Eric Hosmer each posted two hits and a run scored in the triumph.

Wade Davis spun a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his third save of the year.

Rick Porcello (15-11) surrendered two runs on seven hits and fanned seven over 6 2/3 frames for the Tigers.

"Let's be realistic, it's tough to get a sweep in Major League baseball, and they're a pretty good team," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "They pitched better and they hit better."

Detroit is a half-game ahead of Seattle for the AL's second wild-card sport following the Mariners 5-2 loss to Houston.

The Royals opened the scoring with two runs in the fourth inning.

Willingham, Hosmer and Salvador Perez each hit one-out singles, with Perez's bouncer through the hole on the left side of the infield plating Willingham. Mike Moustakas flied out before Cain singled up the middle to bring home Hosmer and give KC a 2-0 lead.

Ian Kinsler smacked a leadoff single in the first and Detroit didn't record another hit until Torii Hunter singled with one out in the seventh. He moved to second on a wild pitch and Miguel Cabrera walked. Hunter advanced to third on Victor Martinez's fly out, but Shields struck out J.D. Martinez to end the threat.

It was the only frame the Tigers put runners into scoring position.

Kansas City added an insurance run in the ninth when Cain shot a leadoff triple the opposite way down the right-field line and scored on Alcides Escobar's sacrifice fly.

Game Notes

Shields moved to 5-0 in his career against Detroit at Comerica Park ... Porcello was 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA over his last three outings against KC coming in.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/shields-helps-kc-regain-1st-place-over-tigers-in-al-central