Brennan Boesch came through too late for Rick Porcello. His hit came just in time for the Detroit Tigers, though.

Boesch hit a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning to give the Tigers a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

“I just didn’t want to do too much,” Boesch said. “I just wanted to make sure I was under control and just try to play pepper back up the middle. I wanted to do that.”

The Tigers extended their lead in the AL Central to four games over the Cleveland Indians, who lost in extra innings around the same time the Tigers were winning.

Porcello, who had won his previous five starts, took a 3-0 lead into the seventh.

“Every time he goes out there now, we really feel we’re going to win,” Boesch said. “He’s really been pitching well. He’s been growing all season long, getting better as the year goes on. That’s what we need from him. He’s stepping up big.

Wilson Betemit led off the 10th with a walk and pinch-runner Andy Dirks took second on a wild pitch by Aaron Crow (3-3) with one out.

Daniel Schlereth (1-1) worked two scoreless innings and Jose Valverde pitched the bottom of the 10th for his 31st straight save.

Manager Jim Leyland pulled Porcello after he gave up a run on three singles with one out in the seventh.

“I feel bad for Rick,” Leyland said. “He deserved to get a win. He was fantastic. I’m sorry he didn’t get a win.”

Austin Jackson and Boesch opened the game with back-to-back triples in the Tigers’ two-run first inning. Alex Avila tacked on a solo homer in the fifth.

Johnny Giavotella made his debut for the Royals and hit an RBI single before scoring the tying run on Alcides Escobar’s single in the seventh.

Royals starter Felipe Paulino gave up three runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two.

Porcello had a string of wins in five straight starts snapped. He left with one out in the seventh after giving up Giavotella’s RBI single.

Phil Coke came on, gave up an RBI single to Mike Moustakas and left. David Pauley gave up Escobar’s tying hit to center field.

“The team got the win and that’s the biggest thing,” Porcello said. “Obviously, it’s nice for yourself personally to get a win, but we got the win and started the series off to a good start. That’s the bottom line, the most important thing. I definitely had plenty left in tank. The skipper wanted to go with a lefty-lefty matchup. That’s his call.”

Giavotella went 2-for-3 in his big league debut, with a double, a walk a steal and a run in addition to his RBI single.

“I had some jitters coming into the game, some butterflies here and there, but after that first ground ball I calmed down and felt comfortable out there,” Giavotella said. “On the double, I looked up into the stands and saw my dad. He gave a little fist pump and I gave one back to him. It was a nice moment.”

— Associated Press —

Alex Gordon matched his career-high with four hits and Yamaico Navarro drove in three runs to the lead the Kansas City Royals over the Baltimore Orioles 9-4 on Thursday night.

The Royals sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run sixth inning to break open the game. The inning included eight hits with Navarro doubling home two runs and Chris Getz stroking a two-run single. Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler added run-producing singles in the inning.

The Royals had 17 hits with every starter having at least one. Gordon, Cabrera and Butler, the first three Kansas City hitters, combined to go 8 for 14 with six runs, two doubles and three RBIs.

Reliever Blake Wood (5-0) worked two hitless innings, walking two and striking out two, to pick up the victory.

Royals starter Jeff Francis, who pitched eight scoreless innings to beat Cleveland in his previous start, gave up four runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings before Wood replaced him.

Orioles rookie left-hander Zach Britton (6-9) again ran into difficulties in the first inning. Britton, who had allowed 13 runs in a combined one inning in his previous two starts, allowed three runs and three hits in the first. Two of the runs were unearned after his throwing error. Britton, who allowed six runs and 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings, is 1-8 in his past 14 starts after starting the season 5-1.

Navarro, Butler and Jeff Francoeur, who had three hits, each drove in a run in the first.

J.J. Hardy homered for the Orioles in the fifth inning, his 19th this season and the 100th of his career. Hardy, however, left after six innings with a sore left ankle.

Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and Chris Davis drove in the other Baltimore runs. Markakis and Wieters each had two hits and an RBI. Adam Jones doubled and singled for his seventh multi-hit game in his past 12.

— Associated Press —