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Cabrera, Joyce red-hot as Tigers pound Royals

Jul 22, 2008 - 6:17 AM By Marc Bowman PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Miguel Cabrera and rookie Matt Joyce combined for 11 RBI Monday, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 19-4 pasting of the Kansas City Royals.

Carlos Guillen scored five times while Joyce hit a three-run homer and drove in five as the Tigers matched their season high for runs in a game for the third time this season, becoming the first team to score at least 19 runs in a game three times in a season since the 1950 Boston Red Sox did it on four different occasions.

"You can never have enough (runs)," Guillen said. "Earlier in the season, we were giving too many at-bats away. Tonight, we focused on each at-bat, trying to win a ballgame and not to be a hero."

For the contest, Detroit's 3-4-5 hitters combined to go 12-for-16 with 10 runs scored and 13 RBI.

After Cabrera's single gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the third, Joyce drove the next pitch over the left field wall for his 10th homer of the season.

"I was really surprised it left," Joyce said. "It was a changeup and I stayed through it pretty well, stayed on my legs and didn't try to do too much. That's something I'm trying to do more on off-speed stuff. That's part of being a good hitter, making the adjustment on off-speed pitches."

Cabrera doubled to score a pair of fifth-inning runs, driving Royals starter Luke Hochevar (6-8) from the game. He also singled and doubled to drive in three runs during a 10-run eighth inning and finished 5-for-6, tying career highs in RBI and hits.

"Cabrera had a huge night, as did a bunch of other guys," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "When his concentration is locked in, he's going to hit big-time. When he's locked in, he's pretty impressive."

"What you want to do tomorrow is come back and play better," Cabrera said. "Driving in the runs means the most to me. When you drive in runs for your team, you win some games."

Detroit sent 15 batters to the plate in the eighth as it pounded three Kansas City relievers for 12 runs - including Jimmy Gobble for all 10 during the eighth - over the final four innings on their way to its first win against the Royals in seven contests this year.

"You do feel bad when you see somebody struggle like that," said Leyland of Gobble's difficulties. "You don't like to see these (games) either way to be honest with you. I've been on both sides of them and it's not really fun for anybody. You don't like to see it happen, but it happens now and then. It's one of those unfortunate things that happen to all of us."

Zach Miner (4-3), who was recalled from Class AAA Toledo prior to Monday's game, was making his first start since May 17, 2007. The 26-year-old righthander allowed just three singles while walking one and striking out one to collect his first win as a starter since 2006.

Hochevar went five innings, allowing seven runs and eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Shortstop Tony Pena Jr. worked the final inning for Kansas City, retiring the Tigers in order to become the first position player to pitch for the Royals in more than a decade. Shane Halter had a scoreless appearance against Seattle in July 1998.

"We're in a difficult situation with our pitching, so I had to stay with (Robinson) Tejeda and Gobble longer than I wanted to," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "As ugly as it got, we inserted Tony in there and he did a nice job of finishing it up for us. If we're not in the situation where we feel like there's a risk of injury to our pitchers, then we probably don't go to Tony."

The Royals collected all four runs on five straight hits to start the eighth inning, after the Tigers had already taken a 19-0 lead. It marked the most runs Kansas City has allowed since a 21-6 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2004.

"It was a nasty loss," Hillman said. "It was lopsided. It was a real laugher for them, but the thing I look at is, that toward the end, we were still playing with pride and we were still battling. It's just a loss. It doesn't go down as five or 10 losses because we got our tails kicked.

"I think earlier in the year, maybe, it would have been (demoralizing), but we're a lot more resilient now."