Tigers 4, Royals 1
Prince Fielder hit a two-run homer and Anibal Sanchez pitched 7 1/3 strong innings as host Detroit defeated Kansas City in the opener of a five-game series.
Andy Dirks went 4-for-4 and scored twice and Torii Hunter had two hits and an RBI as the Tigers increased their American Central lead to 6 1/2 games over the Cleveland Indians. The Royals have lost three consecutive games and are 8 1/2 games behind Detroit and 5 1/2 games behind the Oakland Athletics for the AL’s second wild-card spot.
Sanchez (11-7) allowed one run and seven hits while winning his fourth consecutive decision. Bruce Rondon recorded the final two outs of the eighth and Joaquin Benoit worked around a walk in the ninth for his 16th consecutive save.
Kansas City took a first-inning lead on Alex Gordon’s RBI single before Detroit moved ahead on Fielder’s towering blast to right-center field in the bottom of the inning. Hunter and Miguel Cabrera each had run-scoring singles in the fifth to give the Tigers a 4-1 advantage.
Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie (12-9) gave up four runs and a season-high 13 hits in seven innings.
GAME NOTEBOOK: 3B Emilio Bonifacio went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in his Kansas City debut after being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays. INF Elliot Johnson was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot. … The four-hit game was the fourth of Dirks’ career. … 2B Chris Getz and 1B Eric Hosmer each had two hits for the Royals.