Tigers manager Jim Leyland was wary of the Kansas City Royals before Monday night’s series opener at Comerica Park.

The Royals’ everyday lineup features young talent that promises to make them factors in the American League Central in future years.

Leyland was clairvoyant as the Royals pounded Tigers right-hander Max Scherzer on their way to a 9-5 victory.

“I tried to remind everybody before the game — this isn’t the Royals team that fell way out of the race at the start,” Leyland said. “This is a different team.”

The Tigers (73-61) still hold a five-game lead in the division with 28 games left, but the up-and-down season of Scherzer continues.

Since a July 2 game against the Giants in which he gave up six earned runs in two innings to raise his ERA to 4.90, he had lowered it to 4.21 entering Monday night.

After Monday night, it was up to 4.52.

The problem was an erratic fastball that he had problems locating. Leyland said that’s usually at the root of Scherzer’s struggles.

Scherzer agreed — for the most part.

“You can say that, but at the same time, that’s just what happens over a season, and that’s why you play 162 (games),” Scherzer said. “You’re going to have some good ones and you’re going to have some bad ones. You just got to battle and go out there with the same amount of confidence you had the last time and continue to do what you do best.”

Scherzer promised to go back to the drawing board to get it corrected.

“I was doing some things that allowed me to miss,” Scherzer said. “So obviously looking through video … you know I can make some adjustments before I go out next time.”

The Royals had 18 hits, with youngsters Alex Gordon, Johnny Giavotella and Salvador Perez providing big blows.

Gordon led off the game with a home run on his way to a 4-for-5 night. Giavotella, earning a reputations as a Tigers killer in his rookie season, delivered a key three-run double, and Perez socked a solo homer to lead off fourth inning when the Tigers had scored three runs in the third to narrow the deficit to 5-3. Alcides Escobar followed with another homer to make it 7-3.

“It’s been that way for years and always will be,” Leyland said. “When you score, you go out the next inning and hold the team down and give yourself a chance to add some runs.”

Contact Vince Ellis: 313-222-6479 or vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freeppistons.

Join Free Press special writer Anthony Fenech for a live blog of the Tigers-Royals game Wednesday afternoon at freep.com/sports.

A day after Brad Penny gave up seven runs in five innings, it was Max Scherzer (13-8) who allowed seven runs in three innings as the Tigers lost 9-5 to the Kansas City Royals Monday night.

“It’s pitching, pitching and pitching that decide most games,” Leyland said. “We got some very good pitching for a while and got on a roll, but now we haven’t gotten that in the last two days.”

Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon all homered while Johnny Giavotella added a bases-loaded double for the Royals, who came in 18½ games behind Central Division leaders.

“I couldn’t locate my pitches, and that cost me tonight,” Scherzer said. “When I threw good pitches, they hit them, and when I threw bad pitches, they hit them harder.”

Leyland wasn’t surprised by Kansas City’s offensive show. The Royals finished with 18 hits.

“People need to realize that isn’t the team that fell way out of the race,” he said of the Royals. “They’ve brought up some young, aggressive hitters that are pretty impressive.”

Luke Hochevar (9-10) ended a four-start winless streak. He gave up five runs on eight hits in seven innings.

Gordon led off the game with his 19th homer, and Perez’s RBI double made it 2-0 in the second.

“I remembered that (Scherzer) likes to start fastball, fastball, fastball, so I was expecting the last one,” Gordon said. “We knew we needed to score runs against them.”

The Royals then broke the game open with three runs in the third. Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler started the inning with singles, and Eric Hosmer walked to load the bases. Scherzer retired the next two batters, but Giavotella hit a line-drive into the right-center gap, scoring all three runners.

The Tigers made it 5-3 in the bottom of the inning on an RBI groundout by Ramon Santiago and run-scoring singles by Delmon Young and Victor Martinez, but Scherzer couldn’t keep the Tigers in the game.

Perez led off the fourth with his first career homer — a 415-foot drive to left-center that bounced off the brick wall behind the seats — and Escobar followed with a shot into the left-field stands.

Gordon singled, ending Scherzer’s night, but Duane Below got out of the inning.

Miguel Cabrera’s RBI double pulled the Tigers back to 7-4, but the Royals got RBIs from Cabrera and Hosmer to put the game away in the sixth.

Detroit threatened in the eighth, adding a fifth run, but Blake Wood came in to get a double play and a strikeout to escape further damage. Wood also pitched the ninth for his first career save.

NOTES: The Tigers announced before the game that OF Brennan Boesch will need surgery to fix a sprained thumb, but that he will try to find a way to play with the injury. Boesch has only played once since Aug. 22 because of the injury. … RP Al Alburquerque (concussion) has been cleared to resume baseball activities, and will be available after getting his arm ready. Alburquerque has been sidelined since he was hit with a ball during batting practice in Baltimore on Aug. 13.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

DETROIT (AP) — Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar hit back-to-back homers and the Kansas City Royals beat the first-place Detroit Tigers 9-5 Monday night.

Alex Gordon also homered and Johnny Giavotella added a bases-loaded double for the Royals, who came in 18½ games behind Central Division leaders.

Luke Hochevar (9-10) ended a four-start winless streak. He gave up five runs on eight hits in seven innings.

Max Scherzer (13-8) allowed seven runs on 10 hits and a walk in three-plus innings to drop to 2-2 in August. Both losses were to the Royals.

Gordon led off the game with his 19th homer, and Perez’s RBI double made it 2-0 in the second.

The Royals then broke the game open with three runs in the third. Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler started the inning with singles, and Eric Hosmer walked to load the bases. Scherzer retired the next two batters, but Giavotella hit a line-drive into the right-center gap, scoring all three runners.

The Tigers made it 5-3 in the bottom of the inning on an RBI groundout by Ramon Santiago and run-scoring singles by Delmon Young and Victor Martinez, but Scherzer couldn’t keep the Tigers in the game.

Perez led off the fourth with his first career homer — a 415-foot drive to left-center that bounced off the brick wall behind the seats — and Escobar followed with a shot into the left-field stands.

Gordon singled, ending Scherzer’s night, but Duane Below got out of the inning.

Miguel Cabrera’s RBI double pulled the Tigers back to 7-4, but the Royals got RBIs from Cabrera and Hosmer to put the game away in the sixth.

Detroit threatened in the eighth, adding a fifth run, but Blake Wood came in to get a double play and a strikeout to escape further damage. Wood also pitched the ninth for his first career save.

NOTES: The Tigers announced before the game that OF Brennan Boesch will need surgery to fix a sprained thumb, but that he will try to find a way to play with the injury. Boesch has only played once since Aug. 22 because of the injury. … RP Al Alburquerque (concussion) has been cleared to resume baseball activities, and will be available after getting his arm ready. Alburquerque has been sidelined since he was hit with a ball during batting practice in Baltimore on Aug. 13.

The loss marked the second straight night the Royals couldn’t hold a late lead against the Indians. Kansas City took a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning Friday, but Cleveland tied the game and scored the go-ahead run when Tim Collins walked Ezequiel Carrera with the bases loaded.

Saturday’s meltdown was even tougher to take since the Royals battled all night and responded every time the Indians scored, taking the lead on three different occasions. Alex Gordon’s three-run homer broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh, a blow that appeared to put the Royals on the verge of a win.

“It felt like we were trying to stick our fingers in the dike all day long before it caved in on us,” manager Ned Yost said. “We didn’t pitch well. We couldn’t get anybody to have a clean inning.”

The loss dropped Kansas City to 21-28 in one-run games and 4-17 on the road.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of one-run games,” Gordon said. “This happens to be another one. It’s tough, but we’re not going to hang our heads.”

Coleman (1-4) tried to get a 1-1 slider past Cabrera, but the ball landed in the seats in right field.

“He likes the ball in and I got it in a little bit instead of keeping it away,” Coleman said.

The slider didn’t surprise the Indians’ shortstop, who has a career-high 21 home runs.

“That is what he threw to the guys in front of me,” Cabrera said. “In that situation, I was looking for one swing. I got it.”

Coleman, a reliable setup man for the Royals all season, has allowed seven runs on eight hits in three innings over his last three outings. He gave up a home run to Toronto’s Brett Lawrie in the seventh inning to snap a tie and send the Royals to a 4-3 loss on Wednesday.

“I’m making some costly mistakes — not good timing,” Coleman said.

Gordon, who came into the game in a 2-for-15 slump with nine strikeouts, hit his career-high 18th homer off Tony Sipp.

“I was just trying to drive the ball and not hit into a double play,” Gordon said.

The Royals nearly tied the score in the ninth against Indians closer Chris Perez. Salvador Perez dropped a single into center field and took second when the ball skipped past Carrera for an error. Alcides Escobar tried to sacrifice the runner to third, but Chris Perez pounced on the ball and threw to third for the out.

Escobar was bunting on his own, a fact that didn’t please his manager.

“We’ve already had that conversation,” Yost said. “That’s not a spot we’re looking to bunt.”

Escobar stole second, but Gordon, who had three hits, scored two runs and drew a walk, struck out. Melky Cabrera, who was 3 for 3 lifetime against Perez, including a game-winning hit earlier this season, struck out to end the game.

Joe Smith (3-3) got the final out in the eighth for the win and Perez recorded his 29th save in 33 chances.

Royals starter Danny Duffy allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings. He gave up a solo homer to newly-acquired Jim Thome in the sixth, the 602nd of the slugger’s career. The blast came on Thome’s 41st birthday.

Trailing 1-0, the Royals scored three times in the fourth off Fausto Carmona on Eric Hosmer’s RBI single and a two-run double by Mike Moustakas. The Indians tied the game in the bottom of the inning, but Melky Cabrera’s RBI double put Kansas City ahead in the fifth, though Gordon was out trying to score from first.

Asdrubal Cabrera’s RBI single pulled Cleveland to 7-5 in the seventh.

Notes: Gordon is hitting .484 (15 for 31) off Carmona overall. … Indians OF Shin-Soo Choo left in the fifth after aggravating his sore left side. He had missed two games with the injury and went 0 for 2 before being replaced by pinch-hitter Carrera. … Royals LHP Bruce Chen (9-5) will oppose RHP Justin Masterson (10-7) in the series finale Sunday. Chen has won a career-high four straight. He’s 11-4 against the AL Central the past two years and 4-0 against Cleveland since joining Kansas City in 2009.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Another late lead, another late loss for the Kansas City Royals.

Asdrubal Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning off Louis Coleman to erase Kansas City’s two-run lead and lift the Cleveland Indians to an 8-7 win over the Royals on Saturday night.

The loss marked the second straight night the Royals couldn’t hold a late lead against the Indians. Kansas City took a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning Friday, but Cleveland tied the game and scored the go-ahead run when Tim Collins walked Ezequiel Carrera with the bases loaded.

Saturday’s meltdown was even tougher to take since the Royals battled all night and responded every time the Indians scored, taking the lead on three different occasions. Alex Gordon’s three-run homer broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh, a blow that appeared to put the Royals on the verge of a win.

“It felt like we were trying to stick our fingers in the dike all day long before it caved in on us,” manager Ned Yost said. “We didn’t pitch well. We couldn’t get anybody to have a clean inning.”

The loss dropped Kansas City to 21-28 in one-run games and 4-17 on the road.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of one-run games,” Gordon said. “This happens to be another one. It’s tough, but we’re not going to hang our heads.”

Coleman (1-4) tried to get a 1-1 slider past Cabrera, but the ball landed in the seats in right field.

“He likes the ball in and I got it in a little bit instead of keeping it away,” Coleman said.

The slider didn’t surprise the Indians’ shortstop, who has a career-high 21 home runs.

“That is what he threw to the guys in front of me,” Cabrera said. “In that situation, I was looking for one swing. I got it.”

Coleman, a reliable setup man for the Royals all season, has allowed seven runs on eight hits in three innings over his last three outings. He gave up a home run to Toronto’s Brett Lawrie in the seventh inning to snap a tie and send the Royals to a 4-3 loss on Wednesday.

“I’m making some costly mistakes — not good timing,” Coleman said.

Gordon, who came into the game in a 2-for-15 slump with nine strikeouts, hit his career-high 18th homer off Tony Sipp.

“I was just trying to drive the ball and not hit into a double play,” Gordon said.

The Royals nearly tied the score in the ninth against Indians closer Chris Perez. Salvador Perez dropped a single into center field and took second when the ball skipped past Carrera for an error. Alcides Escobar tried to sacrifice the runner to third, but Chris Perez pounced on the ball and threw to third for the out.

Escobar was bunting on his own, a fact that didn’t please his manager.

“We’ve already had that conversation,” Yost said. “That’s not a spot we’re looking to bunt.”

Escobar stole second, but Gordon, who had three hits, scored two runs and drew a walk, struck out. Melky Cabrera, who was 3 for 3 lifetime against Perez, including a game-winning hit earlier this season, struck out to end the game.

Joe Smith (3-3) got the final out in the eighth for the win and Perez recorded his 29th save in 33 chances.

Royals starter Danny Duffy allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings. He gave up a solo homer to newly-acquired Jim Thome in the sixth, the 602nd of the slugger’s career. The blast came on Thome’s 41st birthday.

Trailing 1-0, the Royals scored three times in the fourth off Fausto Carmona on Eric Hosmer’s RBI single and a two-run double by Mike Moustakas. The Indians tied the game in the bottom of the inning, but Melky Cabrera’s RBI double put Kansas City ahead in the fifth, though Gordon was out trying to score from first.

Asdrubal Cabrera’s RBI single pulled Cleveland to 7-5 in the seventh.

Notes: Gordon is hitting .484 (15 for 31) off Carmona overall. … Indians OF Shin-Soo Choo left in the fifth after aggravating his sore left side. He had missed two games with the injury and went 0 for 2 before being replaced by pinch-hitter Carrera. … Royals LHP Bruce Chen (9-5) will oppose RHP Justin Masterson (10-7) in the series finale Sunday. Chen has won a career-high four straight. He’s 11-4 against the AL Central the past two years and 4-0 against Cleveland since joining Kansas City in 2009.

8/27/2011

By TOM WITHERS

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — The Kansas City Royals handled Jim Thome. Ezequeil Carrera was their problem.

Cleveland’s pesky rookie leadoff hitter drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning off Kansas City’s Tim Collins as the Royals wasted a strong outing by Felipe Paulino and fell to the Indians 2-1 on Friday night in Thome’s homecoming.

Thome went hitless in four at-bats, striking out twice, as Kansas City’s pitchers stopped the burly slugger with minimal effort.

Paulino (2-6) blanked the Indians for six innings, but got into trouble in the seventh and Collins couldn’t bail him out.

Carlos Santana drew a one-out walk and Kosuke Fukudome singled. One out later, Jack Hannahan, who nearly drove in the tying run in the fifth, grounded a hard single to center. Santana never hesitated rounding third and slid home, tagging the plate with his outstretched left hand.

Paulino walked No. 9 hitter Lou Marson and was pulled for Collins. Carrera then worked his walk, taking ball four on a low full-count pitch to force in Fukudome. It was more tough luck in Cleveland for Paulino, who threw six shutout innings on July 31 against the Indians but got a no-decision.

Collins took full blame for blowing it.

“My job was to go in there and throw strikes and I didn’t do that,” he said. “That’s just unacceptable going in there with the bases loaded and walking the first guy. That’s not what you want to do.”

Manager Ned Yost was upset for Paulino, who has a 1.53 ERA in his last three road starts and zero wins.

“I feel bad for Paulino,” Yost said. “He doesn’t deserve the loss. He pitched far too good to lose the game.”

Ubaldo Jimenez (2-1) struck out 10 and allowed one run in seven innings, the kind of performance Cleveland had been needing from him since he came in a trade from Colorado. Other Eric Hosmer, who hit a leadoff homer in the fourth, the Royals struggled to make any real contact off Jimenez.

“Jimenez was awesome,” Yost said. “He threw the ball really, really well.”

The Royals got the tying run to third with two outs in the ninth but Chris Perez got Chris Getz to line out to right his 28th save. Kansas City is just 4-9 against Cleveland this season.

Yost knows that for the young Royals to ever become contenders, they need to start winning close games.

“Those are games in the future we’re going to have to find ways to win,” Yost said.

The Royals did all they could to spoil Thome’s return.

He received a thunderous standing ovation when he came up for the first time in the second inning. Holding “Welcome Thome” signs, fans clapped and yelled and he returned the love before his first at-bat with the Indians in nine years by taking off his batting helmet and bowing slightly.

Perhaps overanxious, he topped Paulino’s first pitch, hitting a weak comebacker.

Thome struck out looking his second time up in the fifth, fooled by a chest-high fastball for strike three that he thought was out of the strike zone. Paulino struck him out again in the seventh, this time on a vicious cut, and Thome grounded to second in the eighth. He didn’t have the impact he wanted, but the Indians won, and for Thome that’s all that will matter.

For Paulino, getting Thome out once an achievement. In July, he gave up a 490-foot homer — the longest in Target Field’s brief history — to Thome.

“I tried to pitch him different this time and it worked,” Paulino said. “It’s really special to pitch to him. Someday he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame.”

Hosmer put the Royals up 1-0 in the fourth, when he hit Jimenez’s first pitch over the wall in right-center. It was Hosmer’s 12th homer, and Kansas City kept pressure on by loading the bases on three consecutive singles. Jimenez, though, got Chris Getz on a pop to second and retired Alex Gordon on a soft liner.

NOTES: Hosmer is third among AL rookies in homers. His 30 mulithit games leads all first-year players. … OF Jeff Francoeur hit his 40th double, tying a career high. … Royals OF Alex Gordon recorded his major league-leading 20th assist, when he threw out Fukudome at the plate in the fifth. … Gordons’s assist was Kansas City’s 44th, also best in baseball.

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