KANSAS CITY, Mo.(AP)– Johnny Cueto threw a four-hitter in his Kansas City home debut, leading the Royals past the Detroit Tigers 4-0 on Monday night.
Cueto (1-1) did not allow a runner past second base, struck out eight and walked none. It was his sixth career shutout and second this season.
Cueto, who was acquired from Cincinnati on July 26 for three pitching prospects, received a loud cheer as he went out for his warmup pitches and the standing ovations grew after every scoreless inning as he walked to the dugout.
Cueto struck out Anthony Gose on three pitches to begin the game, and the festive Kauffman Stadium crowd roared with approval. Sluggerr, the Royals’ mascot, appeared wearing a Cueto-esque mane of dreadlocks.
Tigers lefty Matt Boyd, who was acquired from Toronto on July 30 in the David Price trade, gave up three runs in the first inning.
Boyd (1-3), who beat Cueto and the Royals 2-1 last Wednesday when he allowed seven hits and one run over seven innings in his Tigers debut, gave up singles to Alcides Escobar and Ben Zobrist on his first two pitches.
Lorenzo Cain doubled to center, scoring both. Kendrys Morales’ one-out single produced the third run of the inning.
Eric Hosmer’s two-out single in the seventh scored pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson.
Zobrist went 3 for 3 with a walk. The Royals’ first five hitters — Escobar, Zobrist, Cain, Hosmer and Morales — went a combined 11 for 19 with four RBIs.
J.D. Martinez doubled in the second for the Tigers’ only extra-base hit.
