Royals 3, Tigers 1
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Tiger's starting pitcher Phil Coke had a good outing but it wasn't enough as the Kansas City Royals scored early to beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Saturday.
Detroit loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Magglio Ordonez hit a popup on Robinson Tejeda's only pitch of the game.
Joakim Soria pitched the ninth and allowed a two-out home run by Ryan Raburn before holding on for his second save.
Phil Coke (0-2) pitched well in his first start of the season for the Tigers.
The Royals' Bruce Chen allowed three hits over six innings. Wilson Betemit and Alcides Escobar drove in runs in the second inning for Kansas City, and Jeff Francoeur added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
The Royals' previous four wins all came in their last at-bat, but they needed no dramatics this time with Chen (1-0) protecting the early lead.
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