n outshot the Lightning 11-5 in the scoreless first period, but Tampa Bay had the best

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Detroit Tigers answered Kansas Citys late rally with another big swing by Justin Upton.Upton hit a two-run homer with two out in the eighth inning, sending the Tigers to a 6-5 victory over the Royals on Sunday.We had some great at-bats earlier in the game that we didnt come through on, Upton said. We came through right there. Its definitely a September feel. Theyre in the hunt, were in the hunt. Both teams are battling, the crowd is into it. Its fun. It makes it a lot more fun.Upton also doubled in J.D. Martinez in the second. He has seven homers and 18 RBI in his past 14 games.Miguel Cabrera was on first after a leadoff single when Upton drove a fastball from Joakim Soria (4-7) over the wall in center for his 20th homer, giving Detroit a 6-5 lead. The seven losses are a career high for Soria.That was a really good pitch, Soria said. Sometimes you have to tip your cap to the hitter.Shane Greene (3-3) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win. Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his 38th save in 42 opportunities.The Royals batted around in a four-run seventh, highlighted by Jarrod Dysons two-run triple with two out. Paulo Orlando doubled home Dyson, but the lead was short-lived.Its a teeter-totter back and forth with this team, said Andrew Romine, who had two hits for Detroit, including an RBI double in the seventh. From what Ive seen the last couple of years since Ive been here, its the same thing every game. So, we know that nobodys out of the game. Were not out of it, no matter how many runs. Theyre not out of it, no matter how many runs, so weve just got to stay mentally locked in.Alcides Escobar opened the Kansas City ninth with a double and advanced on Dysons groundout. Before Dyson bounced to second, he drove a ball just outside the right-field foul pole. The Royals asked for a review.That ball couldnt have been foul by six inches, Royals manager Ned Yost said. I dont think it was much more. It was so close we couldnt tell on the replay. We could not get an angle on it. We just thought let New York look at it and see what they think. Again its a matter of inches and inches didnt work out in our favor today.Escobar was stranded at third when Alex Gordon bounced to second and Orlando grounded out to third.Martinez also homered for the Tigers. He is hitting .397 with eight home runs and 17 RBI since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 3.Tigers left-hander Daniel Norris was charged with three runs and four hits in six-plus innings. He struck out seven and walked one.Escobar homered in the third, tying it at 1 and hiking his hitting streak to 12 games.Royals starter Edinson Volquez gave up four runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.BOYDS RETURNINGTigers left-hander Matt Boyd will be recalled Tuesday to start at the White Sox. Boyd went 5-2 with a 4.23 ERA in 16 games, including 14 starts, for Detroit before being optioned to Triple-A Toledo, where he was 2-5 with a 2.25 ERA in 11 starts.TRAINERS ROOMTigers: OF Cameron Maybin has been out since Monday with a bruised left thumb. ... RHP Mike Pelfrey (lower back strain) gave up nine hits in 3 1/3 innings in a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Toledo at Columbus. I guess four of them were infield hits; they didnt get to the dirt, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. His velocity was good. He looked healthy. Weve got to figure out if we want to try to find another rehab start for him or whether to activate him.Royals: Gordon, who left in the ninth inning Saturday with a sore right ankle, was not in the starting lineup Sunday, but was intentionally walked as a pinch hitter in the seventh and then stayed in the game. It was more precautionary, more than anything else, Yost said. He was fighting me to play. ... LF Lorenzo Cain has not played since Tuesday because of left wrist inflammation.UP NEXTTigers: RHP Justin Verlander, who was selected the AL pitcher of the month for August after going 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA, and White Sox LHP Chris Sale are scheduled to start on Monday at U.S. Cellular Field.Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy, who went 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in August, will start Monday at Minnesota in the opener of a six-game trip. The Twins are recalling RHP Jose Berrios from Triple-A Rochester to start. Marshon Lattimore Jersey . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Taysom Hill Womens Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. http://www.authenticsaintssportsonline.com/saints-chauncey-gardner-johnson-gold-jersey/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Taysom Hill Jersey . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Rickey Jackson Womens Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. TORONTO -- Late in Team Europes exhibition victory over Sweden, Danish forward Frans Nielsen looked at his countrys flag on his sleeve and reflected.Nielsen remembered the 200 times Denmark played Sweden and lost.We tried so many times, but theyre just too good, Nielsen said.But on a team that mixes players from Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Norway, Nielsen beamed with pride that he finally -- finally -- beat the Swedes. It didnt matter that it was a pre-tournament game with no points on the line because Team Europe now has a belief going into its World Cup of Hockey opener Saturday against the United States.Its fun to come to a tournament like this and feel like you have a chance to do something, Nielsen said.Coach Ralph Krueger, a Canadian who serves as chairman of the Southampton Football Club, calls it the magic of Team Europe, the only one at the World Cup that wont have an anthem played before its games. Critics have complained that mashing together leftover European players is too gimmicky a concept, but the group together makes the World Cup far more competitive than if individual countries had to go up against titans like Canada and Sweden.Anze Kopitar is the only NHL player from Slovenia and knows his national team couldnt win a tournament like this. Slovakia has enjoyed some international success, but in a best-on-best competition, it cant hold up as well, and neither can most of the other countries.Together, its different.You dont feel like a complete underdog where youre going to be outshhot 50-10 and your goalie needs to make numerous saves in order for you to have a chance to win a game, Danish forward Jannik Hansen said.dddddddddddd You feel like the playing field is leveled a little bit because now you have the depth that is always lacking when you play these teams.Slovak goaltender Jaroslav Halak wont be counted on to be a hero. Halak stopped 34 of 36 shots against Sweden and could see a similar workload against the U.S.Hell have help because Europe is deep up front with playmakers Marian Gaborik and Thomas Vanek, all-around winger Marian Hossa and speedster Mats Zuccarello. Big Zdeno Chara and underappreciated Roman Josi anchor the defense, which will be tasked with stopping Patrick Kane and the Americans.Krueger believes it was good for his team to get whacked a couple of times by North America to shake off some summer sluggishness, break bad habits and prepare for the U.S.It was the best thing for us, he said.That is, until Europe scored five goals to chase The King, Henrik Lundqvist, and beat Sweden on Wednesday in Washington. Beyond giving Nielsen a sense of relief, that win was a major boost.Its just another step we took in the right direction, defenseman Christian Ehrhoff said. Playing a good team in Team Sweden and beating them, it gives us confidence and it shows that we are not just here to show up and lose.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno . ' ' '