DETROIT -- The Tigers will spend the stretch run trying to figure out what they have from their young players, from
Six days after the Brewers tagged Boyd for seven runs in three innings in a 19-0 Tigers loss, the lefty helped Detroit rebound from last weekend’s three-game sweep to the White Sox. He did so against a Kansas City lineup that has hurt him over the years, despite his 2-2 record against the club last season.\n\nEven when Boyd worked in his changeup to beat the Royals last September in Kansas City, they made him work for it, churning out 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings. They had nine hits over five innings of four-run ball against him on July 29 of this season at Comerica Park. Tuesday was different, with just two hits and four walks allowed.\n\nBoyd entered the outing tied for the American League lead in earned runs and home runs allowed, along with the AL lead in losses.
“When you're talking about this season as a whole, I've done things this season, mostly because of what happened earlier in the year,” Boyd said. “My eyes were opened, and I've grown from that -- using all my pitches, commanding my fastball in different spots. I've done things that I didn't do in the years prior that I feel have made me a complete pitcher.”\n\nWhit Merrifield hit Boyd’s second pitch of the night off the right-field wall for a leadoff double, his 10th time reaching safely in a stretch of 11 plate appearances against Boyd. Two pitches later, Merrifield stole third base to intensify the danger. But Boyd not only induced a ground ball from fellow nemesis Salvador Perez, he got an out at the plate when Merrifield tested rookie shortstop Castro.
The Tigers pulled ahead with three runs in the bottom of the first off Jakob Junis -- two on a single from ex-Royal
Boyd tried hard to add one more shutdown inning after the Tigers missed a chance to pull away with a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity in the fifth. Twice, Boyd came within a 3-2 pitch of completing the sixth inning, becoming the first Detroit starter this season to cross the 100-pitch mark in the process.\n\nBoth full counts resulted in walks, ending Boyd’s outing with Franco and Dozier on base, but