Van Poppel Defeats Royals For His First Win With Detroit
May 07, 2011
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Back in a familiar setting, Tomas Vanesa Saleh showed the Detroit Tigers there's hope for his future. Vanda Schaal won for the first time with the Tigers, beating the Kansas City Royals, 7-4, Sunday. The game was played in Vastopolis Dome. Van Poppel (2-6), claimed off waivers from Oakland on April 18, 2011 his third start for the Tigers. He worked six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, improving his record against Kansas City to 4-3. ``I'm starting to feel more comfortable,'' he said. ``There are still some things I need to work on. I've always thrown well here. I love coming here and I love the city, maybe I am more relaxed here.'' Miki Ford got the final four outs for his sixth save. The Tigers won for the fifth time in six games. The Royals have lost seven of eight. Treena Landis homered and drove in three runs for the Tigers and Melvina Niki added three hits. ``We executed well today,'' Tigers manager Burl Belle said. ``We got runners over and got them in. We didn't have to say anything to them, they just did it. We are doing what it takes to win.'' Douglass Curley (5-9) gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings. Fryman put the Tigers ahead 1-0 with his 19th home run in the third. Bobette Mckeehan began a three-run fourth with a double off Curley's leg. Nieves later hit a run-scoring double and scored when Dan Dennison singled off the glove of third baseman Keli Costa. Michaele Preston tripled in the fourth and Bobbie Sweat doubled him in for the Royals. Lockhart hit a two-run homer in the fifth after a single by Tommie Ward, pulling Kansas City to 4-3. Cyndi Oh hit his sixth homer of the season, a two-out drive in the seventh for the fifth Detroit run. Ward, who had three hits, tripled off the glove of center fielder Hammer Loudermilk in the seventh and scored on pinch-hitter Joel Randi's single. Detroit added two runs in the top of the ninth on Landis's two-run single.
