Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler set the pace with early two-run homers and Spencer Torkelson went deep late as the visiting Detroit Tigers won their fifth straight, 7-5 over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Dingler and Wenceel Perez each had three hits, while the former drove in three for the Tigers, who have averaged 6.7 runs amid a 12-3 road stretch. Detroit’s offense picked up starter Casey Mize, who allowed three runs, eight hits and two walks over just 3 1/3 innings. Mize struck out four.

Bobby Witt Jr. homered, Maikel Garcia had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and Drew Waters added two hits and three RBIs for the Royals, who stranded 11 men and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Kansas City’s Seth Lugo (3-5) returned from a two-week-plus stint on the injured list and also lasted 3 1/3 innings, allowing both two-run homers, five hits and two walks. He fanned three as the Royals lost for the fifth time in seven games.

After retiring the first two batters of the game, Lugo gave up a single to Colt Keith, then Greene sent a drive deep into the right field seats.

Witt drove a Mize pitch into the left field fountains in the bottom of the first.

In the second, with a man on, Dingler clubbed a Lugo pitch over the left field fence into the Tigers’ bullpen for a 4-1 lead.

The Royals continued to pressure Mize in the third. Walks to Vinnie Pasquantino and Garcia sandwiched Salvador Perez’s 300th career double. Waters’ two-run single narrowed the deficit to 4-3.

Mize’s night ended in the fourth with two on and one out. The Royals loaded the bases, but the Tigers’ Brant Hurter (2-0) did not allow any damage.

Detroit got a run back in the fifth via Torkelson’s RBI single.

In the sixth, Perez grounded into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play with two men on. Kansas City did not waste a leadoff triple in the seventh from Garcia, who scored on Mark Canha’s sacrifice fly. However, Torkelson cleared the left-center-field wall in the eighth and Dingler added an RBI single, boosting the lead to 7-4.

Waters added an RBI single in the ninth, when the Royals brought the tying run to the plate. Will Vest allowed the run, but he picked up his eighth save.

–Field Level Media