Jhonny Peralta and Victor Martinez each notched two hits and two RBI as the Detroit Tigers took care of the Kansas City Royals, 7-5, at Comerica Park.
Jose Valverde made his 2013 debut with a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save for Max Scherzer (2-0), who struck out six but allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings.
Omar Infante went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored for Detroit, which snapped a four-game losing skid. Miguel Cabrera tacked on two hits, an RBI and scored a run of his own.
After pitching 12 scoreless innings in his previous two stints, Wade Davis (2-1) was lit up in only 3 2/3 innings of work. Davis yielded seven runs — three earned — and eight hits. He also issued a season-high four walks.
Alex Gordon doubled and scored two runs for Kansas City, while Eric Hosmer drove in two.
Detroit struck first in the bottom of the second inning. With two away, Peralta singled to left and Alex Avila drew a walk. Infante then drove a 2-1 offering to left field, scoring Peralta.
After managing just one hit through the first two innings, Kansas City erupted for four runs in the top of the third. Salvador Perez and Chris Getz singled to lead off the stanza. Gordon then ripped an RBI-double to right, followed by two more RBI singles from Alcides Escobar and Billy Butler. Hosmer completed the scoring with a sacrifice fly before Scherzer finally escaped the inning by forcing Lorenzo Cain to ground into a double-play.
Martinez and Peralta brought the Tigers back to within 4-3 in the bottom of the third with RBI pokes to right field.
Detroit continued to pepper it on in the fourth inning. With one out and two runners on base, Royals third basemen Mike Moustakas muffed a grounder from Torii Hunter, scoring Infante. Cabrera followed with a sac fly to center, then Prince Fielder walked and Martinez plated Hunter with a single to left.
Luis Mendoza replaced Davis with two outs in the fourth but could not find the strike zone. Martinez and Fielder each advanced a base on a wild pitch, then Mendoza walked Andy Dirks and Peralta, forcing in another run. Finally Avila flied out to left to end the inning.
Scherzer walked in a run of his own in the top of the fifth to round out the scoring.
