Gage Workman hit his first major league home run, a tiebreaking, pinch-hit, two-run shot in his Tigers debut, and visiting Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday night.
Workman was called up from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday after Kerry Carpenter was placed on the injured list with a left shoulder sprain.
Matt Vierling drove in two runs and Hao-Yu Lee and Wenceel Perez drove in one run apiece. Riley Greene reached base four times and scored a run.
Enmanuel De Jesus (2-0) tossed 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Kenley Jansen got the last three outs for his seventh save.
Maikel Garcia had three hits, a run and an RBI to lead the Royals. Vinnie Pasquantino added two hits and drove in a run and Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits and scored a run.
Greene led off the second inning with a single and Perez hit into a fielder’s choice. Spencer Torkelson struck out but Lee hit an opposite-field triple to bring Perez. Zack Short drew a walk before Vierling doubled off the left-center-field wall, bringing home both runners.
Detroit also had two baserunners with no outs in the third but Noah Cameron retired the next three batters. Kansas City then chipped away in the bottom of the inning.
Garcia smacked a double to right and Witt reached on an infield hit. Pasquantino slapped an opposite-field single to knock in Garcia and Carter Jensen hit a sacrifice fly to score Witt.
The Royals knotted the score in the fourth. Jac Caglianone led off with a double. Drew Anderson struck out the next two but Garcia singled to center to knock in Caglianone and make it a 3-all game.
The Tigers left two more runners on in the fifth but took a 5-3 lead in the sixth. Torkelson singled off Nick Mears (2-2). One out later, Workman pinch hit for Short and drilled a slider over the right field wall.
Detroit made it 6-3 in the seventh. Greene doubled to right with one out and scored on Perez’s single to center.
