Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Jose Guillen went 2-for-4 with a home run and finished with three runs batted in, as the Kansas City Royals completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with an 8-4 victory.
Billy Butler had a 1-for-4 day, with two RBI and a run scored for the Royals, who have won four in a row and are 6-0 against the Tigers this season. Joey Gathright, Miguel Olivo and Mark Teahen added an RBI apiece in the win.
Gil Meche (3-5) got the win after he went seven innings, yielding three runs on six hits while fanning seven and walking two.
Magglio Ordonez had a pair of doubles, drove in a run and scored a run for the Tigers, who have dropped four in a row and 10 of their last 12 contests overall. Matt Joyce hit a solo homer and ended with a pair of RBI, while Curtis Granderson accounted for the other RBI.
Kenny Rogers (3-4) absorbed the loss after he was touched for seven runs on 11 hits in just four innings. The Tigers bullpen gave up just one run on two hits in four innings.
"There's no way around our inability to win at this point in time," Rogers said. "Kansas City is playing fine and all that, but we're not even coming close to our capabilities. Myself included."
The Royals jumped on top in the first inning. Gathright led off with a walk, Esteban German followed with a bunt single and Butler plated them both with a double to right field. Guillen then flied out, but Olivo blasted the first pitch he saw for a double to center to score Butler and put Kansas City on top, 3-0.
The Tigers got one back in the second. Ordonez led off with a double and went to third when Miguel Cabrera flied out to center. After Gary Sheffield was issued a free pass, Joyce then lofted a sac fly to left field, allowing Ordonez to cross home plate.
Ross Gload led off the bottom of the second with a double. Tony Pena's single then made it first and third, before Gathright singled to score Gload. German put down a sac bunt to advance the runners, and Butler drew a walk to load the bases. Guillen also earned a base on balls, and Pena came around to score as the Royals went up 5-1 after two frames.
The Royals tacked on a couple more runs in the fourth. Guillen blasted a solo homer with two outs, and Olivo followed with a double. Teahen then hit a single to left, allowing Olivo to score and push the KC's lead to 7-1.
"It feels good when you win, especially when you're playing that team, the Tigers," Guillen said. "That's a pretty tough team over there. It's always great when you beat the team in your own division."
Ramon Santiago clubbed a two-out double in the fifth, and came around to score on Granderson's single, as the Tigers cut their deficit to five runs in the fifth.
Joyce led off the seventh with his third homer of the year, and Detroit was within 7-3.
Carlos Guillen doubled off Joel Peralta and Ordonez followed with an RBI double in the eighth as the Tigers cut their deficit to 7-4.
German drew a walk off Todd Jones to lead off the home eighth and stole second. After Butler grounded out, Jose Guillen cracked a single to bring around German for the four-run lead and Ramon Ramirez finished the game by pitching a perfect ninth.
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