Local kid Joey Wentz shuts down Royals in 10-2 Tigers win

Joey Wentz, who graduated from Shawnee Mission East in the Kansas City area tossed 6 ²⁄₃ innings of shutout ball in a 10-2 blowout win for the Tigers.

Royals starter Daniel Lynch has had mixed results over the last month, and after a clean first inning, was rocked in the second in a 31-pitch inning. Eric Haase led off the inning with a home run, followed by two singles. Jeimer Candelario brought them all home with a 445-foot, three-run blast to make it 4-0 Tigers.

Lynch continued he struggles in the fourth when Candelario singled and Riley Greene doubled. Willi Castro grounded out to plate a run and Javier Baez drove home another run on a single to shallow center to make it 6-0. Lynch would leave after just 3 ²⁄₃ innings, having allowed ten hits and six runs. Candelario would drive home another run on a double in the fifth off Brad Keller to make it 7-0.

Haase would smack his second home run of the night off Keller in the sixth, and add an RBI double in the eighth off Luke Weaver, part of a three-RBI night.

That would be more offense than Wentz would need, as he was in total command all evening. He retired 20 of the 23 hitters he would face, allowing just one walk and two hits while striking out five. The Royals would must a run in the eighth and another in the ninth off Daniel Norris once the game was already out of reach. Nate Eaton drove home a run and was the only player in the lineup with more than one hit. The Royals managed just three walks and six hits all evening.

The Royals fall to 56-83 and will face the Tigers again tomorrow afternoon. The game has been moved up to 3:10 CT due to weather, and fans with tickets can use them for the new time, or can exchange them for another game.