Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer, Maikel Franco homered and drove in two runs and the host Kansas City Royals edged the Detroit Tigers 8-7 on Thursday.

Adalberto Mondesi supplied four hits, two runs scored and two RBIs for the Royals (24-33). Jesse Hahn (1-0) recorded four outs to get the victory and Jake Newberry got the last four outs for his first career save.

Miguel Cabrera smashed his third homer in two games and drove in three runs for the Tigers (22-33). Willi Castro homered among three hits, scored three times and drove in three runs.

Detroit first baseman Jeimer Candelario left the game in the fourth inning due to a back injury.

The Royals used a bloop, a bunt and a blast to gain a 3-0 lead in the first. Whit Merrifield reached on a soft single to right, stole second and moved to third on Mondesi's bunt single. Perez then ripped his 11th homer this season over the left-field wall.

Detroit got on the board in the third when Victor Reyes reached on a bunt single and scored on Castro's sixth homer this season.

Kansas City answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-2. Mondesi and Perez hit back-to-back singles and Franco drove in Mondesi with a sacrifice fly.

Cabrera's 10th homer of the season, which followed a Castro single, knotted the score in the fifth. Cabrera's long ball over the center field wall traveled an estimated 450 feet.

The Royals regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth with four runs. Franco led off with his eighth homer of the season off Tyler Alexander (2-3). They scored the next run against Gregory Soto when Hunter Dozier walked and Jorge Soler ripped an RBI double. Soto issued two more walks before being removed and Mondesi smacked a two-run single off the glove of shortstop Castro.

Detroit rallied for three runs in the eighth to cut Kansas City's lead to 8-7. Castro, Cabrera and pinch-hitter Harold Castro drove in the runs with singles.

--Field Level Media