If the Royals can close out the 2005 season with a 15-game winning streak, they’ll avoid their third 100-loss season in the last four years. It may be an improbable task, but they were at least able to grab the first of those 15 wins on Monday night with a 10-4 defeat of the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium.

Matt Stairs led the offensive charge for Kansas City by going three-for-five with three RBI’s and two runs. Stairs lifted the Royals in the bottom of the first, with a three-run homer off Detroit starter Jeremy Bonderman to give Kansas City a 3-1 lead. In the top of the first, Chris Shelton hit a solo home run off Royals’ starter Mike Wood.

Detroit cut the lead to one run in the fourth when Pudge Rodriguez doubled in Placido Polanco, but the Royals bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Angel Berroa doubled in Emil Brown and Andres Blanco drove in a run with a sacrifice.

Kansas City moved their lead to 8-2 in the fifth with RBI doubles from Mark Teahen and Berroa and an RBI single from John Buck.

Wood (5-7) lasted 5 2/3 innings and got the win, despite allowing four runs off five hits to get the win. Bonderman (14-13) was charged with seven of the Royals’ ten runs. He surrendered 11 of the Royals’ 18 hits.