KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Daniel Norris threw five scoreless innings to pick up his first victory in more than three months as the Detroit Tigers snapped a season-high nine-game losing streak by beating the Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Thursday night.

Norris (5-8) gave up two hits in five innings. He was 0-4 in four starts and four relief appearances since a June 16 triumph over Tampa Bay.

The Tigers had been outscored 68-39 in their losing streak, which was their longest since dropping nine straight Sept. 1-9, 2005.

Nicholas Castellanos’ fifth-inning double with the bases loaded scored Alex Presley, JaCoby Jones and Dixon Machado. Jones singled home Andrew Romine with the first run of the inning.

Royals left-hander Danny Duffy (9-10) did not make it through the inning. Duffy was charged with four runs, six hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. Duffy, who was the Royals’ opening day starter, finishes the season with a 3.81 ERA in 24 starts.

Paulo Orlando led off the Kansas City sixth with a home run off Warwick Saupold. Orlando has homered in back-to-back games after going 117 at-bats without going deep.

Orlando also doubled in the third and had two of the five Kansas City hits.

Relievers Daniel Stump, Drew VerHagen and Shane Greene held the Royals scoreless over the final three innings. Greene picked up his eighth save in 12 opportunities, but not before giving up a single and a walk.

IT’S A GO FOR ROMINE

With the Twins clinching a playoff berth, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said, “it’s probably going to happen,” that Romine will play all nine positions in the season finale at Minnesota. “I haven’t drawn out a map, and I probably won’t until Saturday,” Ausmus said. “Catcher and pitcher it’ll probably just be one hitter.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: 3B Jeimer Candelario was held out of the lineup with a sore left wrist. The switch-hitting Candelario said it bothers him when he swings right-handed, but not left-handed. . RHP Jeff Ferrell still has not cleared the concussion protocol procedure. He has not pitched since Sept. 18.

Royals: C Salvador Perez left after three innings with left groin tightness. Drew Butera replaced him.

UP NEXT

Tigers: LHP Matthew Boyd will start the series opener at Minnesota. He is 5-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 10 career starts against the Twins. RHP Kyle Gibson will be the Twins starter.

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy, who is winless in a club-record 18 consecutive home starts, will start Friday against the Diamondbacks. RHP Zack Greinke, who began his career with Kansas City, will start for Arizona.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Paulo Orlando sparked the Kansas City Royals with his glove early and his bat late.

Orlando hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, his first of the season, as the Royals rallied from a three-run deficit to beat Detroit 7-4 on Wednesday night, the Tigers’ ninth straight loss.

The centerfielder made a superb running catch in the first inning to rob Nicholas Castellanos of an extra-base hit with two runners on base.

“That was huge,” Royals starter Jason Hammel said. “I thought Nick hit that better, but that’s the friendly confines of The K (Kauffman Stadium) helping out there. You’ve got to hit it pretty well to get it past some of our guys.

“Paulo had a great game tonight overall. He helped me spit the hook there at the end of the game with the two-run homer to put us ahead and the guys added on.”

The Tigers are 4-22 in September and have been outscored 68-30 in the skid. The last time Detroit lost nine in a row was Sept. 1-9, 2005.

“It’s probably more inexperience than anything else,” Tigers lame duck manager Brad Ausmus said. “It’s been tough. We’ve got four wins in the month of September and part of it is we haven’t pitched real well.”

Orlando’s home run was his first since Sept. 19, 2016, going 117 at-bats between long balls.

“Kind of vintage Paulo,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Scott Alexander (5-4), the third Kansas City pitcher, picked up the victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Drew VerHagen (0-3) gave up the home run to Orlando with Alcides Escobar, who had tripled, aboard.

The Royals padded their lead with a three-run eighth, which was highlighted by a two-run double by Escobar. Whit Merrifield scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch by Chad Bell.

Hammel gave up three runs in the first three innings, but after James McCann’s run-producing double in the third, he did not allow another hit. He retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced, giving up three runs and six hits over six innings.

Jeimer Candelario drove in three Detroit runs with singles in the first and third innings and a ground out in the ninth.

Melky Cabrera’s two-out single in the bottom of the third scored Merrifield and Alex Gordon, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 3-2.

Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann was pulled after 84 pitches and six innings, yielding two runs and four hits.

“Obviously, I want to win and everybody in here wants to win,” Zimmermann said. “For me, personally, it was a good start to finish the year.”

Mike Minor got the final two outs for his fourth save in six situations.

CABRERA UPDATE

Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera, who has two herniated discs, said he will get a second opinion Monday in Miami. “I hope I can take care of this in the offseason, come back next year and try to play every day,” he said Wednesday. “I think I need to change a lot of things in the offseason so I can come here in better shape and not be hurt. I don’t want an injection because I don’t want to put a Band-Aid on my injury. There’s no reason to do that. Let’s do all the therapy I have to do and we’ll see.” He said he initially injured his back in spring training, lifting heavy weights. Cabrera is an 11-time All-Star selection and entered this season as a career .321 hitter with 446 HRs and 1,553 RBI. In 130 games this season, he hit .249 with 16 home runs and 60 RBI. “It’s a nightmare,” he said of the season.

ALL NINE ROMINE

Ausmus plans to play Andrew Romine in all nine positions in the Tigers’ finale Sunday at Minnesota. Romine has played every position but catcher in his career. He caught RHPs Anibal Sanchez and Buck Farmer bullpen sessions Wednesday. Sanchez is the probable Sunday starter. “That would be nice,” Romine said. “I’ve caught him plenty of times between innings. And he doesn’t throw 100. That’s the main thing.” The only other players to play all nine defensive positions in a major league game are Bert Campaneris, Kansas City Athletics, Sept. 8, 1965; Cesar Tovar, Minnesota Twins, Sept. 22, 1968; Scott Sheldon, Texas Rangers, Sept. 6, 2000; and Shane Halter, Tigers, Oct. 1, 2000. Halter had four hits, three RBI and scored the winning run against the Twins. “I’m excited, to be part of history,” Romine said. “I’ll be the fifth one here pretty quick.”

TIGERS SIGN PEDRO’S SON

Pedro Martinez Jr., the son of the Hall of Fame pitcher, signed with the Tigers. Unlike his dad, the younger Martinez, who lives in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is a third baseman.

UP NEXT

Tigers: LHP Daniel Norris, who has walked 44 in 96 2/3 innings, will start the series finale.

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy will take a 9-9 record into his final start of the year.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jason Vargas tied for the major league lead with his 18th victory, lifting the Kansas City Royals over the struggling Detroit Tigers 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Vargas (18-10) went six innings to match Cleveland’s Corey Kluber and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw for most wins in the majors. He gave up a run and five hits, inducing groundball double plays in the second, fourth and fifth innings.

In his first two starts against Detroit, Vargas was 0-2 while allowing 13 runs, including four home runs, in 4 2/3 innings. Vargas had Tommy John surgery in 2015 and only made three starts last year, but he’s now the first Royals pitcher to win 18 games since Kevin Appier in 1993.

The Tigers have lost eight straight and dropped to 4-21 in September. Anibal Sanchez (3-6) allowed two runs in six innings.

Mike Minor got his third save.

— Associated Press —