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Behind Durbin and offense, Tigers win seventh straight

May 6, 2007 - 11:07 PM KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Chad Durbin was in complete control.

Durbin worked 7 2/3 strong innings and Craig Monroe homered and knocked in four runs as the Detroit Tigers extended their winning streak to a season-high seven games with a 13-4 pounding of the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Curtis Granderson and Gary Sheffield also launched two-run homers for the Tigers (19-11), who scored 26 runs in sweeping this three-game series in dominating fashion.

"This was one of the best offensive performances we've had, obviously," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We came out swinging pretty good, which was great to see, particularly today. Sometimes, when you see the weather like this, and it's iffy that you're going to play, it's easy to pack it in because we've won the first two. But they were ready to play and that was very pleasing to see."

"We're ready to hit," Granderson said. "We're ready to get in and hit, but at the same time we're taking the approach that we want to see what the opposing pitcher is trying to do. We'll take one pitch, two pitches, and we're watching the previous batter."

Making just his sixth career start, Durbin (2-1) more than took care of things on the mound as he limited the Royals to two runs and six hits to along with three strikeouts.

"Right until the end he was keeping the ball down with his breaking ball and changeup," Leyland said. "He got a little tired at the end. His pitch count was good and I hoping to get him through it but they were starting to center it pretty good."

"I was thinking, 'get outs'," Durbin said. "I was working on a good downhill plane and the ball was moving. Pitching ahead in the count makes them swing at my pitches. After we got the lead they were going to have to hit a bunch of balls in the gaps because I wasn't going to walk anybody."

Durbin also showed no signs of the control problems that plagued him in his last outing Monday, when he walked six in 3 2/3 innings against Baltimore. The righthander walked none and threw 58 of 87 pitches for strikes.

"Strikes," Durbin said when asked what his best pitch was. "It was important to get ahead of guys, especially after walking six the last time. My approach was very similar, but maybe a little quicker with the weather like it was. But we were going to throw strikes in any case."

The long ball helped stake Durbin to a comfortable lead as Monroe, Granderson and Sheffield all homered in the second inning off Zack Greinke (1-4).

"I think it just has to do in being in the middle of the plate," Royals manager Buddy Bell said of the home runs. "He's just wild in the strike zone, whether it's his off-speed stuff or hard stuff. He's trying to think through too it as well, whether to throw it a little softer or a little harder. He's kind of in-between right now which is a bad place to be."

"I'm just not locating at all," Greinke said. "I'm getting behind in the count and then not locating, especially in crucial situations."

Greinke was ripped for six runs and nine hits in four innings.

"I just wasn't getting them off balanced," Greinke said. "I wasn't making them hit pitcher's pitches. It was just really doing everything I could not to do good."

"His stuff is there," Bell said. "I don't think he's doubting himself. I just think he's trying to figure out what he needs to throw in certain situations. It seems like he is really wild in the middle of the plate."

It marked the second time that Greinke was ripped by the Tigers. On April 16, the righthander retired just two batters and surrendered four runs in a 12-5 loss.

"I think the score speaks for itself," Bell said.

After stranding two runners in the first, the Tigers began their onslaught against Greinke in the second. Sean Casey singled with one out and Monroe followed with his fourth homer of the season.

"There's no rythym or getting into a groove at all," Greinke said. "Today I never threw good from the beginning of the game until the end of the game. That's three times I've done that now. That's way too many. So I need to stop doing that."

One out after Brandon Inge doubled, Granderson hit his fifth homer to make it 4-0. Ivan Rodriguez then singled before Sheffield hit his fourth homer.

"We're looking for the pitch we want and attacking it," Granderson said. "And we're not missing it."

Monroe and Neifi Perez, who also had four RBI, delivered run-scoring doubles as part of a three-run sixth that pushed the lead to 9-0. Perez's three-run blast highlighted a four-run seventh that also featured a run-scoring single from Monroe.

"So many times as a player I get in my own way by overanalyzing," Monroe said. "The last ten at-bats or so, I've been trying to focus on just seeing the ball and let my athletic ability take over."

"Craig's getting more confident," Leyland said. "He's getting more aggressive and hitting the pitches he should hit."

Granderson and Monroe each had three hits for the Tigers, who pounded out a season-high 17.

The Royals scored twice in each of the final two innings to make the final score respectable.

"This was a disappointing series," Bell said. "We understand that this is probably the best team in the American League. But after we won two against Los Angeles, a very good team as well, we expected to play better in this series. We did not."

Kansas City fell to 2-7 against Detroit this season.