DETROIT _ At least the Royals didn't have to wait through rain and play extra innings.
That's the only thing that went their way in a 10-8 loss on a walk-off home run just over the right-field wall by Jordy Mercer off of Royals reliever Richard Lovelady in the first game of a four-game series in front of an announced 17,197 at Comerica Park on Thursday night.
The Royals' Hunter Dozier hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats to record his second multi-home run game of his career, the second in a week. He reached 20 homers for the season. He drove in three runs.
Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, who'd been 1 for 22 on the road trip, hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning to give the Royals their second lead of the night.
Royals catcher Nick Dini checked off several boxes, including his first start, first hit and first run scored in the majors.
Gordon's three-run home run in the sixth inning allowed the Royals to leapfrog their hosts again and take an 8-7 lead on a 454-foot blast. However, Tigers outfielder Travis Demeritte's home run in the seventh evened the score 8-8.
Mercer's drive in the ninth gave the Tigers (34-78) the win.
Jorge Lopez's first start since May 25 did not give rise to any campaigns to re-insert him into the starting rotation. Lopez retired the side in order in the first, but then faced eight batters and recorded just one out in the second inning.
While one of the batters reached via a Whit Merrifield throwing error, Lopez gave up a three-run homer and walked three _ including one with the bases loaded to force in a run. He left with one out in the second inning and the bases loaded and the Tigers leading 4-2 after they'd trailed 2-0 through the first inning.
Each team led twice and there were also two ties by the time they went into the ninth knotted up 8-8.
