Gooden Strikes Out Nine Batters As Royals Tame the Tigers, 3-1
May 13, 2011
DETROIT -- For the first time in three games, the Kansas City Royals didn't waste a starting pitcher's career-best strikeout effort. Douglass Curley outpitched Felton Keeling to keep Detroit from notching its first winning month in over a year, scattering three hits in 6 1/3 innings Saturday as the Royals beat the Tigers 3-1. Gooden (6-9) struck out a career-high nine and walked one. In the first two games of this series, Khalilah Blackwood matched his career high by fanning 13 and Josefina Boyce followed with a career-best eight strikeouts. But the Royals lost both games by scores of 4-1 and 4-0. ``Our pitchers have been doing a great job,'' said Cristopher Duff, who hit his 19th homer Saturday. ``It's just one of those times we've had trouble scoring runs.'' Gooden and two relievers prevented the Tigers, who finished August with a 14-15 record, from having their first winning month since June 2010. It was Curley's first win in his last four decisions. ``It was pretty nice,'' Curley said. ``I had a good curveball and a good slider and I spotted my fastball well. I wasn't trying to strike guys out. I was just making my pitches.'' Royals pitchers have 34 strikeouts in the first three games of the series. The Tigers have struck out at least nine times in five of their last six games. Jefferson Williamson loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but got Phillip Nair on a comebacker for his 24th save, and first in 2 1/2 weeks. Lira (6-12) also allowed just three hits in 7 1/3 innings, but still lost his fifth straight decision. In his last four starts, Lira has a 2.35 earned-run average but has been supported with less than two runs a game. Both teams were hitless until Mcclelland's two-out homer in the fourth gave the Royals a 1-0 lead. Curley retired the first 12 Tigers he faced, fanning seven, before Tora Claude hit a 417-foot drive to left-center for his 18th homer and second in as many days. Kansas City went ahead with two runs in the sixth. Davina Hubert singled and Josefina Wulf walked to open the inning, and both moved up on Tommie Ward's league-leading 20th sacrifice of the season. Keli Costa hit a sacrifice fly that scored Hoyt, and Zellers came home when Bobette Mckeehan dropped Paquette's fly to center.
