Cabrera, Martinez pilot Tigers past Kansas City

DETROIT — J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera homered and Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Verlander (5-4) was down 3-0 before getting an out, but didn't allow another run as the Tigers won their second straight after an eight-game losing streak. He gave up three runs, nine hits and a walk, striking out six.

Three relievers finished for the Tigers, with Justin Wilson pitching the ninth for his seventh save.

Matt Strahm (2-5) gave up five runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings for the Royals.

The Royals got off to a quick start against Verlander. Whit Merrifield started the game with a groundrule double over the 420-foot sign in center and the next four batters singled to give Kansas City a threerun lead with no outs in the first.

Verlander, though, retired the next three batters to escape the inning without further damage. After the five hits to start the game, he got 21 outs while only allowing four singles.

Martinez led off the bottom of the second with his 12th homer, and Cabrera put the Tigers ahead 4-3 with a three-run, opposite-field homer in the third.

Peter Moylan replaced Strahm with runners on the corners and two outs in the fourth, but Ian Kinsler lined an RBI single up the middle to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

Tigers centerfielder Mikie Mahtook received a standing ovation and a hug from Verlander when he ran down Salvador Perez's hit to the deepest part of the park, making a leaping catch against the wall in right-centerfield to end the fifth inning.

RANGERS 2, INDIANS 1 Adrian Beltre hit his 450th career home run, a solo drive in the ninth inning off Cody Allen that sent the Texas Rangers over the Cleveland Indians. Beltre drove the first pitch from Allen (0-4) into the left field bleachers, and moved into sole possession of 39th place on the all-time homer list.

WHITE SOX 4, YANKEES 3 The White Sox did a lot of walking in the eighth and ninth innings against the Yankees on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field — and then they celebrated a walk-off victory. With the Sox down a run, Yankees reliever Dellin Betances walked Kevan Smith and Alen Hanson and hit Yolmer Sanchez with a pitch. Jose Abreu’s two-run single to left field then gave the Sox a victory to halt a fourgame losing streak.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NATIONALS 6, CUBS 1 Max Scherzer allowed one run and two hits as the Washington Nationals knocked Chicago Cubs starter Jake Arrieta out in the fifth inning on the way to a victory in a showdown of the past two NL Cy Young Award winners. Scherzer (9-5) was dominant in his six innings of work, striking out six with no walks and retiring 16 of the final 17 batters he faced. The right-hander allowed an earned run in the first inning for the first time since April and his streak of 10-plus strikeout games ended at six, but he was in control almost all night.

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