Ventura leaves game early with back tightness

Kansas City Royals starter Yordano Ventura left Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers in the fifth inning with back tightness and is day to day, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.

Before his early departure, Ventura gave up 10 hits, including three earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts. Entering Saturday, he'd gone 11-11 with a 4.35 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 30 starts.

The Royals are 3-9 in their past 12 games, and, after winning the World Series last year, are all but guaranteed to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014, as they're 6 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot.