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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Detroit Tigers insisted that they werent trying to make a statement. They accomplished it anyway. Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer, everyone in the Detroit starting lineup had a hit by the fourth inning and the Tigers pounded Jason Vargas and the second-place Kansas City Royals 10-1 on Friday night to add another game to their AL Central lead. The Tigers (85-68), who now lead the division by 1 1/2 games, have forged their advantage by dominating head-to-head matchups. They are 12-5 against the Royals his season. "We just went out there and did what were capable of doing," Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter said. "But there are no statements. Our intent is just to play the game." Justin Verlander (14-12) had all the support he needed by the end of the first inning, when the Tigers had shelled Vargas (11-10) for three runs on five hits. Detroit tacked on a run in the second, another in the fourth and then broke things open with a five-run fifth. Lost amid the offensive onslaught was a fine performance by Verlander, who had struggled his last three times out. The 2011 Cy Young winner allowed one run on seven hits in 7 1-3 innings. "He certainly seemed like he was up for this game," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "It was there up there with one of the best games hes had all season." Vargas allowed five runs on nine hits in 3 1-3, his shortest outing since April 16, 2013. "Its my responsibility to set the tone," he said. "They were hitting good pitches and I was leaving pitches up in the zone. I just wasnt able to put us in the right direction." Now, its up to the Royals to change course in a hurry. "Theres no carry-over," manager Ned Yost said. "They whipped us, they beat us, they spanked us, whatever you want to say. Well show up again tomorrow and be ready to play." Kansas City came into the weekend off a momentum-building win over the White Sox, and a day off Thursday allowed anticipation of the series to swell. Fans snatched up every last ticket, pounding the plastic "thundersticks" given away at the turnstiles as the Royals opened arguably their most important set of games since the 1985 World Series. It took about 15 minutes for silence to grip the ballpark. Kinsler led off the game with a single, and after Hunter flied out, the Tigers rapped out three straight hits to take the lead. Hunter got his hit the next inning, an RBI double, and James McCann became the last Detroit player in the starting lineup with a hit in the fourth. His single and ensuing stolen base were the first of McCanns career. Royals relievers Casey Coleman and Louis Coleman could do little to stop the bleeding as the Tigers pounded out 15 hits by the fifth inning. And those fans that had packed "the K" to see the first act of a pennant-chase drama? Many were already streaming for the exits. Kinsler paced the Tigers offence with three RBIs, and Eugenio Suarez added a pair. Everyone in the starting lineup but McCann, J.D. Martinez and Rajai Davis drove in a run. That included 35-year-old Victor Martinez, whose run-scoring single in the first inning gave him 100 RBIs to go with 31 home runs. The only players older than him to become first-time members of the 30-100 club have been Carlton Fisk (1985) and Edgar Martinez (2000). "Its nice," Martinez said, "but at the same time, I dont look at those numbers. Were in the middle of a race. Thats all that matters." BLOWOUTS AT THE K Detroit has outscored Kansas City 60-21 in eight games at Kauffman Stadium this season. "We love the backdrop," Hunter said. "We love the stadium." CHECK THE BOX SCORE With the game out of reach early, both managers substituted liberally, giving their stars a chance to rest with a noon first pitch on Saturday. They combined to use 31 position players. TRAINERS ROOM Tigers: C Alex Avila remains sidelined with concussion-like symptoms. He tried working out Friday but again felt dizzy. ... RHP Anibal Sanchez (strained chest muscle) had no issues after a bullpen session Thursday. He plans to throw a simulated game Sunday. Royals: LHP Tim Collins was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. The Royals considered bringing him back a few weeks ago, but Royals manager Ned Yost said a back injury kept him in the minors. ON DECK Tigers: RHP Max Scherzer (16-5) tries to beat Kansas City for the second time in less than two weeks. He allowed one run over 6 1-3 innings in a 4-2 victory on Sept. 9. Royals: RHP James Shields (14-7) beat Detroit at Comerica Park the following day, tossing seven shutout innings. He only allowed two hits and a walk in that game. Soccer Jerseys . Austin does not believe the game-time temperature is going to be an advantage for either side heading into the Grey Cup. "We dont think about (the cold)," said Austin. "Im not even sure how you would determine an advantage. Soccer Jerseys Online . I suppose Sternberg has earned the right to speak out since his Rays, despite one of the lowest payrolls in the Majors at $58 million, are entering the final weekend of the regular season holding down the first Wild Card spot in the American League, one game ahead of Cleveland and two up on Texas. https://www.cheapsoccerjerseysjustwholesale.com/. Andrews, Scotland - Oliver Wilson fired a final- round, 2-under 70 on Sunday and he held on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by one shot. Soccer Jerseys From China . Cabrera is hitting .218 with three homers and 16 RBI in 80 games this season. The Padres recalled second baseman Brooks Conrad from Triple-A El Paso to replace Cabrera on the roster. Replica Soccer Jerseys . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie.The 2014 World Cup in Brazil has seen its fair share of excitement over the last 15 days. A total of 133 goals have been scored and thats just been during group play. As the first stage of the tournament comes to an end, the bracket is finally set for the Round of 16. There have been no shortage of storylines to go along with these matches and so moving forward, how do you see the Round of 16 unfolding? Probably the team feeling the most pressure is Brazil. The host nation didnt win its group in dominant fashion. Despite that fact, Brazil have managed to create offence and have one of the best strikers in the tournament so far: Neymar. The 22-year-old is tied for the tournament lead in goals with four. Brazil, however, is in for a big test against Chile. Although Chile finished second in Group B, they have proven to have a great team dynamic led by Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas. These two teams are familiar with each other but Brazil has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the two nations. With both teams being from the same continent, its sure to be an exciting battle. Another all-South American match-up sees Colombia taking on Uruguay. Luis Suarez might have already overshadowed this game, but its still going to be a wild affair. Uruguay will be without their star striker because of suspension, and it might be a big blow for the squad ggiven that he has scored half of their goals.dddddddddddd On the other side, Colombia has gotten stronger as the tournament has gone on. Even without their star Falcao, Colombia went undefeated and will look to James Rodriguez to lead them to the quarterfinals. Another undefeated squad is the Netherlands. Theyve scored the most goals in the tournament with 10 and will look to add to that tally against Mexico. Led by Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, the Dutch havent missed a beat from the squad in 2010 that finished as runners up to Spain. Mexico however has been one of the surprises of the tournament. They stumbled into Brazil after barely qualifying but have been one of the best teams so far, going undefeated in the group stage. What about the dark horses? No one saw Costa Rica coming out of their group period - let alone in first place - and they have so far shocked the world. They have been the surprise team of Brazil 2014 and can continue to be with a victory against Greece. But Greece has a strong defensive mindset that can shut any top offence down. Will that be enough to get them through? France, Argentina and Germany have also been impressive and have something to prove as well. Do they have what it takes to move on? Who do you see booking their ticket to the quarterfinals for a chance at World Cup gold? Its Your Call! ' ' '