Cain HR, Hosmer single lead Royals over Tigers 3-2

Kansas City Royals' Eric Hosmer, middle, gets covered with "Rally Sauce" after he drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the 10th inning.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kansas City Royals' Eric Hosmer, middle, gets covered with "Rally Sauce" after he drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the 10th inning.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lorenzo Cain hit a tying, two-run homer off Jose Valverde with two outs in the ninth inning and Eric Hosmer had a winning single in the 10th, helping the Kansas City Royals overcome Justin Verlander’s seven scoreless innings Wednesday in a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

Verlander did not allow a batter past first base, giving up three singles, striking out eight and walking two in a 117-pitch outing, his second-highest total this season. Verlander has a 15-2 record with a 2.56 ERA in 25 starts against the Royals.

Drew Smyly pitched a one-hit eighth, then allowed a leadoff single in the ninth to Hosmer and was replaced by Valverde. He retired Santiago Perez on a flyout and struck out Billy Butler as Hosmer stole second — becoming the first Kansas City runner in scoring position.

Cain fouled off three pitches, then sent an 85 mph offering over the wall in left-center. Valverde blew a save for the third time in 12 chances.

Greg Holland (2-1) pitched a perfect 10th, striking out Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera and retiring Prince Fielder on a lineout, and Miguel Tejada singled off Phil Coke (0-4) leading off the bottom half.

Kansas City Royals' Eric Hosmer celebrates his game-winning RBI single during the 10th inning.

Tejada advanced to third on Alcides Escobar’s sacrifice and Alex Gordon’s groundout to first, and Hosmer singled to center.

James Shields, acquired from Tampa Bay in a December trade, allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. He is 0-4 in eight starts since beating the Rays on April 30 despite a 2.64 ERA in that span.

Detroit built its lead on Fielder’s RBI single in the first and consecutive doubles by Matt Tuiasosopo and Brayan Pena in the fifth. Pena, who played the four previous years with Kansas City, has three doubles, two homer and 10 RBIs in his past 16 games.

Royals right fielder David Lough robbed Cabrera of a run-producing extra-base hit in the third when he made a diving catch of his liner to the gap with Hunter on first. Lough received a standing ovation from the Kauffman Stadium crowd of 24,564, while Shields tipped his cap and waited for Lough in front of the Royals dugout to congratulate him.

NOTES: Royals manager Ned Yost will miss the game Thursday at Tampa Bay to attend his daughter’s wedding. Bench coach Chino Cadahia will manage the game in Yost’s absence. ... Tigers RHP Anibal Sanchez, who sat out his previous start with shoulder tightness, is scheduled to start Saturday at Minnesota. ... The Tigers had three sacrifice bunts, including two by Ramon Santiago. They had only eight in their first 64 games.