DETROIT -- On a day of dandy Detroit debuts, Alex Gonzalez helped Brad Ausmus start his tenure as Tigers manager with a win.http://www.authenticpatriotsshop.com/Limited-Rob-Gronkowski-New-England-Patriots-Jersey-Mens-Nike-Nfl-87-Vapor-Grey-64 . Gonzalez lined an RBI single off Greg Holland in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday in Ausmus first game since replacing Jim Leyland. Victor Martinez homered for Detroit, and Justin Verlander was sharp aside from a three-run fourth inning that wasnt all his fault. "Theres two things that could have spoiled opening day for me," Ausmus said. "One, if we lost. And two, if the sun wasnt out. Because for me opening day, the sun is out, fans are having fun, theyre eating their popcorn, drinking their beer. The energy is higher." Kansas City lost its sixth straight opener. Ausmus was upstaged a bit by another newcomer on a bright, pleasant day in downtown Detroit. Gonzalez was acquired by the Tigers in late March following an injury to shortstop Jose Iglesias. Detroit is just hoping he can fill in competently, and Gonzalez did not impress at first. His error in the fourth helped the Royals score an extra run, but he made up for that with a tying triple in the seventh. Gonzalez then singled with men on first and third in the ninth. "Ive played on a lot of opening days -- I dont even remember all of them -- but this one was special," Gonzalez said. "I was looking for a pitch that I could elevate, and I got one. I rounded first and all I saw was the whole team coming at me." Joe Nathan -- another new face on Detroits roster -- pitched a scoreless ninth. Nathan (1-0) signed with the Tigers to become their closer, but hell have to wait a bit longer for a save opportunity. Holland didnt have a save chance either after converting 47 of 50 last year. Instead, the right-hander came into a difficult situation in the ninth and couldnt get out of it. Wade Davis (0-1) yielded a one-out walk to Alex Avila and a single to Nick Castellanos before Holland allowed the single to Gonzalez. "I get paid to get people out, and I didnt do it today," Holland said. "Were not here to fight and compete. Were here to win." Detroits Tyler Collins made his major league debut as a pinch runner for Avila -- and ended up scoring the winning run. Salvador Perez had four hits for Kansas City. Although there were still a few patches of snow in the Detroit area Monday morning, the game was played under a sunny sky with temperatures in the 50s. With its recently re-sodded field, Comerica Park looked sharp. But the Tigers, coming off three straight AL Central titles, were sloppy at first. Right fielder Torii Hunter dropped a routine flyball in the second, and although Verlander pitched out of that jam, he couldnt escape the fourth. Salvador Perez tied it at 1 with a one-out RBI double off Verlander, and Lorenzo Cain slapped an RBI single through the hole into left field to put Kansas City ahead. After a two-out walk, Gonzalez bobbled Norichika Aokis slow grounder for an error that loaded the bases. Verlander then walked Omar Infante, forcing in Kansas Citys third run of the inning. Verlander had surgery in January after injuring his groin, but he pitched 20 scoreless innings during spring training. He allowed three runs -- two earned -- and six hits in six innings Monday, walking three and striking out two. That was enough for a no-decision. Verlander was making his seventh straight start on opening day, and hes only 1-1 in those games. "I never seem to find a win on opening day, but the bullpen shut them down and we got one anyway. Thats all that matters," Verlander said. "Every opening day is special, but this one meant a little more, because I had to really work and grind to get here for this one after the surgery." With Kansas City ahead 3-1 in the seventh, Austin Jackson hit a one-out triple and Avila drew a walk. Aaron Crow replaced starter James Shields and struck out Castellanos, but the third strike was a wild pitch that allowed Jackson to score. Gonzalez followed with a triple to the gap in left-centre. Shields gave up three runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. NOTES: Infante received a hand from the Detroit crowd when he was introduced with the Kansas City players before the game. He left the Tigers and signed with the Royals in the off-season. ... The crowd of 45,068 was the second-largest in Comerica history. ... It was the fourth four-hit game of Perezs career. ... The Royals were 67-6 last year when leading by 2 or more runs at any point from the seventh inning on, according to STATS. Bryan Stork Jersey . The team said they will announce a corresponding roster move prior to their series opener on Tuesday night in Kansas City. Donta Hightower Patriots Jersey . -- Referee Jeff Triplette acknowledged the down marker was moved incorrectly on the Washington Redskins last possession of a 24-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night, but said halting play to fix the mistake "would have given an unfair advantage.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Rick Porcello has an AL-leading 12 wins and a 3.39 ERA for the first-place Detroit Tigers. His manager believes thats good enough for the right-hander to be on the All-Star team. However, Porcello, who has a family fishing trip planned for the All-Star break, hasnt been picked for the team yet. "I think he clearly is an All-Star," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said after Porcello pitched seven strong innings in Detroits 5-1 victory over Kansas City on Saturday. "Hes got 12 wins, An ERA in the low 3s. Theres going to be snubs every year at the All-Star break and I think hes clearly a snub." Porcello (12-5) outpitched James Shields as the Tigers won their fifth in a row. He also raised his career record against Kansas City to 8-3 while yielding six hits and one run to help give Detroit a 7 1/2-game cushion over Kansas City in the AL Central. Alex Avila drove in three runs, putting the Tigers in position to go for a four-game sweep on Sunday. Porcello, who has won four of his last five decisions and been key in Detroits taking a big lead in the division, is fine whether or not hes selected for the All-Star game. "Thats not my decision," he said. "I just go out there and pitch and let everybody else take care of that." His teammates clearly believe Porcello deserves to be there when the games elite are introduced. "We all thought he definitely deserved (a selection), but I will say that is a tough group he was in, that final vote," said Avila, who drove in three runs with a single and a ninth-inning homer. "All those guys did deserve it, too. Theres always going to be a guy who gets left out." The Royals have lost six of their last eight and are 0-6 at home against Detroit this year. "To this point, weve underachieved but were still seven games better than we were at this point last year,&" Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. James White Jersey. . "We know were a second-half club. Weve been a second-half club." Shields (9-5) allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked none while throwing 121 pitches. The Tigers scored three in the ninth against reliever Aaron Crow, starting with J.D. Martinezs leadoff home run. Nick Castellanos was safe at first after a replay review overturned a call, and Avila hit a 427-foot homer. Ian Kinslers RBI single put the Tigers on top 1-0 in the third. In the fourth, Torii Hunter hit a drive into straightaway centre field over the head of Jarrod Dyson and turned it into his first triple of the season. The relay throw actually beat the sliding Hunter to the bag, but he was safe when third baseman Mike Moustakas failed to get the tag down. Avilas RBI single made it 2-0. Billy Butler had a sacrifice fly in the sixth after the Royals had wasted several scoring chances. Alcides Escobar bounced into an inning-ending double play in the second, Lorenzo Cain did the same in the third and then, with the bases loaded and two out in the fifth, Porcello struck out Cain on a 2-2 pitch. Al Alburquerque pitched a perfect ninth for the Tigers, who held the Royals to one run for the second night in a row. NOTES: Austin Jackson has led off the Tigers first inning with a base hit in all three games of the series. ... Cain made a terrific catch of Miguel Cabreras opposite-field drive in the first, snaring the ball just as he crashed hard into the wall. ... Both starters laboured, but after four innings, Shields had thrown 78 pitches and Porcello 40. ... It was the 12th time in his career that Shields has thrown 121 or more pitches. ... Eric Hosmers first-inning single stretched his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games for the Royals. ' ' '
