Royals get out-slugged by Tigers, lose fifth straight

Six Tigers had at least two hits and Detroit snapped a seven-game home losing streak.

Kansas City lost its fifth straight despite hitting three doubles and four homers.

“We swung the bats well,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We just didn’t pitch well.”

The Tigers led 9-5 after two innings as the teams combined for five home runs, six doubles, a triple and a double steal. By that point, both starting pitchers were gone. Kansas City’s Jorge Lopez (2-5) gave up seven runs without getting an out in the second.

“I was up from the first pitch I threw,” Lopez said. “The plan was to keep the ball down, but I couldn’t make pitches.”

Detroit’s Matthew Boyd allowed five runs while getting four outs.

Zac Reininger (1-0), the second of seven Detroit pitchers, picked up his first major-league victory.

Jorge Bonifacio gave the Royals the lead with a three-run homer off Boyd in the first, but the Tigers came back with four in the bottom of the inning. Stewart hit a two-run homer to right, and Nicholas Castellanos hit the next pitch to nearly the same spot.

Grayson Greiner made it 4-3 with a sacrifice fly later in the inning, and the runs kept coming in the second. Brian Goodwin gave the Royals a 5-4 lead with a two-run homer in the top of the inning, but Stewart made it five RBIs in two innings with a three-run home run in the Tigers’ second.

Glenn Sparkman replaced Lopez and gave up a triple to Castellanos and Victor Martinez’s RBI double before getting the first out of the second inning. Greiner picked up his second RBI with a two-out single, giving the Tigers a 9-5 lead.

Hunter Dozier hit a two-run homer off Reininger in the fourth, pulling the Royals within 9-7, but the next four relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings as Detroit maintained the lead into the ninth inning.

Stewart walked with the bases loaded in the seventh inning for his sixth RBI.

Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi homered off Shane Greene in the ninth to make it 11-8. It was Mondesi’s 11th homer of the season.

Alcides Escobar and Whit Merrifield each had three hits for the Royals.

Up next: The teams continue their four-game series on Friday night, with Ian Kennedy (2-8, 4.73) starting against Detroit’s Francisco Liriano (5-10, 4.54).