Tigers bounce back with 6-2 win over Royals

It looked like the kind of freakish bad break the Tigers could ill afford.

"With a guy on third and the ball coming back on the ground, I've got to try to stop it," Verlander said. "So I went down to get it, and my body just wasn't prepared for that. All my weight landed on my left arm, and just kind of jarred my shoulder a little bit. I felt it for a little bit and then it went away."

Verlander was able to stay in the game, and not only did he pitch out of that jam, but he went eight innings to help Detroit beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Monday night. The Tigers remained a game behind the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, who beat Cleveland 5-4.

The Tigers were swept in a doubleheader by Minnesota on Sunday but steadied themselves behind their top pitcher. Verlander (16-8) had little trouble with the Royals, who knocked him around for eight runs and 12 hits last month.

The right-hander allowed two runs and nine hits this time, striking out eight without a walk. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth.

Verlander threw 114 pitches, 89 for strikes.

"He just threw strike after strike after strike. There's not much you can do when he's throwing like that," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We had a couple good at-bats against him, but he was extremely good tonight. You just need to get lucky when he's going that well, and we didn't."

Luke Hochevar (8-15) yielded six runs — five earned — and 12 hits in 7 1-3 innings.

Alex Gordon homered for Kansas City.

The Tigers play three more games at home against the Royals before finishing the regular season with a six-game trip to Minnesota and Kansas City.

Prince Fielder hit a solo homer for Detroit in the second, and Alex Avila added an RBI double later in the inning.

Gordon's 12th home run in the fourth cut the lead in half, and the Royals appeared poised to tie it in the fifth when they put runners on first and third with one out.