Royals' skid hits unlucky 13
Ivan Rodriguez was supposed to get a day off. Unfortunately for Kansas City, the Tigers catcher had to play.
Rodriguez drove in five runs in the final two innings and Detroit rallied from a six-run deficit to beat Kansas City, 13-8, yesterday in Kansas City, Mo., handing the Royals their 13th straight loss.
Vance Wilson was scheduled to catch the finale of the four-game series to give Rodriguez a rest, but Wilson stepped on a ball Wednesday night.
``I'm ready to play every day," Rodriguez said. ``Vance got hurt and it's my job to go back there and go to work."
Rodriguez hit a two-run triple in the eighth to erase Kansas City's 8-6 lead and a three-run homer in Detroit's five-run ninth. Craig Monroe, who went 4 for 4, and Marcus Thames started the ninth with solo homers off Elmer Dessens (2-5).
Making the Royals' loss sting even worse was the fact they knocked Mike Maroth out of the game in the first inning with three consecutive home runs and seized a 6-0 lead.
``We've done this before. This isn't anything new," Royals manager Buddy Bell said. ``I don't know how many games during the stretch where we've done exactly what we did today."
The 13-game losing streak is the second longest ever for Kansas City, which lost 19 in a row last season. The Royals are a major league-worst 10-35 and drawing comparisons to some of the most terrible teams in history.
Only Boston in 1932, Baltimore in 1988, and Washington in 1904 had worse records (9-36) after 45 games.
``I've kind of run out of things to say," said Doug Mientkiewicz, who had one of the first-inning homers.
Rangers 8, Athletics 7 -- Phil Nevin snapped an 0-for-17 slump with a two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift host Texas. Rookie second baseman Ian Kinsler came off the disabled list and homered twice as the Rangers overcame a seven-run deficit to hand the Athletics their sixth straight loss.
Orioles 2, Mariners 0 -- Struggling Rodrigo Lopez (2-7) gave up two hits in 7 1/3 dominant innings as visiting Baltimore handed Seattle its second loss in seven games.
Lopez retired 17 consecutive batters, from Raul Ibanez's first-inning single to Richie Sexson's single with one out into the seventh. He began the game with the AL's second-highest ERA, 8.07, and second-most losses.
Phillies 5, Mets 3 -- Chase Utley had four hits, Brett Myers won for the first time in more than a month, and visiting Philadelphia avoided a three-game sweep. Bobby Abreu and Ryan Howard each homered and drove in two runs for the Phillies, who won for only the second time in nine tries and trimmed New York's lead in the NL East to four games.
Nationals 8, Astros 5 -- Jose Vidro hit a three-run homer and host Washington beat Houston despite seven stolen bases by the Astros.
