Article: Royals thump Tigers 9-2 but Affeldt leaves game because of blister.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Bob Dutton

KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The Royals ran smack into the first serious bit of adversity during this splendid spring of theirs Saturday afternoon despite rolling to a 9-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

Left-hander Jeremy Affeldt, a cornerstone in their young rotation, left the game at Kauffman Stadium after just three innings because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

The ailment, minor in most cases, is a major issue for Affeldt, who battled the problem over the last few years.

"There's a lot going on in my head right now," he admitted. "I'm angry. I'm frustrated. I worked really hard in the off-season ...

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