Tigers 3, Royals 1
Max Scherzer bounced back from one of his worst outings of the season to pick up his 10th win and Ryan Raburn and Don Kelly hit home runs to power the Detroit Tigers to a 3-1 win over the host Kansas City Royals on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals had the tying run at second base in the ninth, but Jose Valverde got Mike Moustakas to fly out to left for his 22nd save in 22 opportunities.
The loss snapped a modest two-game winning streak for the Royals, who have not won more than two in a row since a four-game streak from April 29-May 3.
Scherzer (10-4), who had failed in three previous attempts to pick up his 10th victory, allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings. It marks the first time in his career he has reached double-digit wins before the All-Star break.
The Tigers have scored three runs or fewer in six of their past 10 games, but the offense did just enough, fueled by Raburn's two-run homer in the second and Don Kelly's solo shot leading off the ninth.
Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson left in the third inning with a sore wrist. Detroit already was without outfielder Brennan Boesch, who missed a second consecutive game after fouling a pitch off his right knee Tuesday.