With the Detroit Tigers trailing the Chicago White Sox by one game in the American League Central, Justin Verlander pitched eight strong innings to lead the Tigers to victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday evening. Verlander is now 16-8 on the season.

The Tigers got on the board in the second inning when Prince Fielder hit his 28th homer of the year off Luke Hochevar. Alex Avila doubled in Jhonny Peralta later in the inning to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

After Alex Gordon's fourth-inning homer cut the lead in half, Austin Jackson doubled down the right-field line to score Alex Avila and Omar Infante to make it 4-1.

Andy Dirks knocked in the last two Tiger runs with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a single in the eighth.

Miguel Cabrera went 1 for 4 in his quest for the Triple Crown. Jose Valverde threw a scoreless ninth to shut the door on the Royals.

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