Tigers 7, Royals 5
Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta each had two hits and two RBIs as host Detroit snapped a four-game losing streak.
Omar Infante went 3-for-4 with an RBI single and Miguel Cabrera had two hits and drove in a run for the Tigers, who were outscored 22-4 during a three-game sweep in Anaheim over the weekend and had Tuesday's series opener postponed.
Detroit right-hander Max Scherzer (2-0) labored through five innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. Kansas City's Wade Davis (2-1) lasted only 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs (three earned) on eight hits and four walks.
The Tigers received a big effort from their bullpen. Al Alburquerque tossed 1 2/3 scoreless frames before Joaquin Benoit set down all four batters he faced to bring on closer Jose Valverde, who earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth in his season debut.
The Royals strung together five straight hits in a four-run third, getting an RBI double from Alex Gordon and run-scoring singles from Alcides Escobar and Billy Butler to take a 4-1 lead. Martinez doubled in a run and scored on Peralta's single in the bottom of the inning before Detroit went ahead 7-4 with four runs in the fourth, with Martinez contributing an RBI single.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Detroit signed Valverde, who had 110 saves in the previous three seasons as the team's closer, Tuesday and sent RHP Brayan Villarreal to Triple-A Toledo. ... Davis' abbreviated outing ended a streak of seven straight games in which Kansas City starters had pitched at least six innings. ... Infante's RBI single in the second was Detroit's first with a runner in scoring position by a player other than Cabrera since April 14.