KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- First baseman Eric Hosmer and left fielder Alex Gordon each drove in two runs and left-hander Danny Duffy pitched seven-plus solid innings as the Kansas City Royals pounded out an 8-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.

The Royals moved a half-game ahead of the Tigers and into first place in the American League Central.

Duffy did not allow a run until shortstop Jose Iglesias tripled to start the eighth inning and scored on center fielder Rajai Davis' single. Duffy was removed after that, throwing 67 strikes in 101 pitches.

Duffy (2-0) surrendered seven hits, six of them singles, struck out seven and walked two before he was pulled.

Every Royals player had at least one hit, and right-hander Jarrod Dyson went 3-for-4. Gordon, third baseman Mike Moustakas and catcher Salvador Perez each stroked two hits. Every Royal scored a run with the exception of second baseman Omar Infante.

Right-hander Alfredo Simon, who won his first four Tigers starts while compiling a 1.65 ERA, was bruised for three runs in the third inning and removed in a five-run fifth. Simon was charged with six runs in 4 1/3 innings.

With one out, Gordon singled and scored on Moustakas' double to right-center field. Hosmer's two-out, two-run homer on Simon's first offering hiked the Royals' advantage to 3-0. It was Hosmer's second home run in two days.

The Royals loaded the bases in the fourth with singles by Perez and right fielder Jarrod Dyson and a two-out Gordon walk on four pitches. Moustakas, however, grounded out to second baseman Ian Kinsler on the first pitch to end the inning.

Designated hitter Kendrys Morales and Perez stroked back-to-back, run-producing doubles in the fifth, boosting the Kansas City lead to 8-0. The inning included a two-run single by Gordon and an RBI single by shortstop Christian Colon against right-handed reliever Alex Wilson.

Duffy labored through a 20-pitch first inning but required just 46 pitches in the next four innings. Duffy was aided when catcher James McCann and shortstop Jose Iglesias rolled into inning-ending double plays in the second and fourth.

NOTES: Royals RHP Yordano Ventura dropped his appeal of a seven-game suspension, which was doled out by MLB for his actions in an April 23 incident against the White Sox that led to a bench-clearing brawl. ... Tigers RHP Joe Nathan, who had 35 saves last year, underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery Wednesday, which was announced Thursday. ... RHP Chris Young will make a spot start Friday for the Royals filling in RHP Edinson Volquez, who is serving a five-game suspension. Volquez returns to the rotation Saturday. ... According to Elias Sports Bureau, Tigers C James McCann became the first player with an inside-the-parker as his first home run since Brewers OF Nori Aoki on April 20, 2012. ... The Royals announced that few tickets remain for games Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Only single tickets and SRO are available for the final three games of this series with the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium.