None of that mattered once the Royals' bats started chipping away. Kansas City scored in 4 straight innings, from the 4th through the 7th, while Detroit's only rally came in the 7th and wasn't enough to erase the deficit.
Cameron's turned into one of the best stories in baseball right now. He tossed the first complete-game shutout of his career in his last start, and over his last several outings he's gone deep into games while barely allowing contact — the kind of stretch that gets compared to Hall of Fame arms. Saturday wasn't quite that dominant, but it didn't need to be with the bullpen and lineup both clicking behind him.
Detroit came in already banged up in the outfield and corner spots, and it showed. A rotation that includes Jack Flaherty and Justin Verlander rehabbing on the 15- and 60-day IL means this Tigers team is patched together even when Melton is dealing, and it left little margin once Kansas City started scratching across runs.
Final score aside, the bigger story is where both clubs sit. Detroit's now dropped 3 straight and can't find its footing, while Kansas City keeps stacking wins even while stuck at the bottom of the AL Central standings — a team playing out the string with real pride.