Royals outslug Tigers in marathon

(The Sports Xchange) - Kendrys Morales stroked four hits and drove in four runs and Lorenzo Cain hit a three-run homer as the Kansas City Royals outslugged the Detroit Tigers 15-7 in a game lasting two minutes shy of four hours Thursday night. Designated hitter Morales, who hit a two-run double in a six-run seventh to break the game open, upped his RBI total to 98, which ranks second in the American League. Center fielder Cain, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, was one of six Royals with a multi-hit game. Cain, who has injected his name into the American League MVP race, raised his average to .315. "It was definitely a long game, but we will take that kind of win," Cain said. Second baseman Ben Zobrist also collected four hits, scored three runs and drove in two runs while rookie left fielder Paulo Orlando belted a two-run homer. The Tigers allowed 61 runs in a 1-5 trip to Kansas City and Toronto. "This was a very tough road trip for the pitching staff," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We do have some young guys, but we've got to work to get them better. Some tough lessons learned on this road trip." The first inning lasted 47 minutes and required 76 pitches -- 38 each by Tigers rookie left-hander Matt Boyd and Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez -- with 14 men coming to the plate. It featured five runs, seven hits, two walks and mound visits by each pitching coach. The Royals forged ahead 8-6 in the fourth with left fielder Alex Gordon's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded scoring Eric Hosmer with the first run. Catcher Salvador Perez punched a two-out single to score Morales to expand the lead.