Royals Can't Pull Tiger Sweep

(Thursday, August 30th) Final Score: Detroit 6, Kansas City 1 Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Magglio Ordonez went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBI as the Detroit Tigers downed the Kansas City Royals, 6-1, to wrap up a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium. Curtis Granderson went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored while Jeremy Bonderman (11-7) pitched seven innings of one-run, six-hit ball for the Tigers, who had lost eight of their last 12 coming into the game. Detroit remained 4 1/2 games behind Cleveland for first place in the AL Central, as the Indians beat Seattle, 6-5, Thursday night. The win was Bondermans first since July 13 "Weve got to worry about winning," said Bonderman. "We need to win as many as we can. You dont need to worry about anybody else. If we play the way we can, and you play good baseball and we dont get in, then you can look back and be okay with it." Alex Gordon drove in the lone run while Leo Nunez (2-2) was saddled with the loss for giving up six runs on 12 hits in 6 1/3 innings of work for the Royals, who were looking to sweep the Tigers for the first time since taking four straight against them from September 19-21, 2005. Detroit grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second as Grandersons sacrifice fly plated Brandon Inge. Kansas City tied the game in the fourth as Billy Butler hit a one-out triple and Gordon followed with a single to right. The Tigers, though, grabbed the lead for good in the fifth. Granderson got things going with a one-out solo homer over the right field wall. Placido Polanco followed with a double and came home when Timo Perez belted a double off the center field wall. Ordonez then made it a 5-1 game with a home run off the left field foul pole, his 26th of the season. Butler hit a two-out double in the sixth, but Gordon grounded out to end the inning. Detroit added another run in the seventh as Ordonezs RBI single to left score Granderson for a 6-1 advantage. Fernando Rodney replaced Bonderman in the eighth and retired the Royals in order while Joel Zumaya worked a 1-2-3 ninth to finish the contest. Game Notes Before the game, the Tigers announced they acquired pitcher Chris Lambert from the St. Louis Cardinals to complete a June 22 deal for pitcher Mike Maroth and also acquired pitcher Clay Rapada from the Chicago Cubs to complete the August 23 trade for outfielder Craig Monroe. The team also optioned pitcher Andrew Miller to Lakeland (Florida State), recalled pitcher Virgil Vasquez from Triple-A Toledo and outrighted the contract of pitcher Aquilino Lopez to Toledo...Bonderman had gone 0-6 in his previous eight starts. He is 9-5 in 19 games (17 starts) against the Royals...Attendance was 11,196.