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Pena's hit gives Royals win over Tigers

Mar 31, 2008 - 10:34 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Kansas City Royals showed some fight in Trey Hillman's managerial debut.

Tony Pena Jr.'s RBI single with two outs in the top of the 11th inning Monday lifted the Royals to a 5-4 season-opening victory over the Detroit Tigers.

One batter earlier, Tigers center fielder Brandon Inge preserved the tie, throwing out Mark Teahen, who was trying to score on John Buck's sharp single up the middle.

But Pena blooped a single to center off Denny Bautista (0-1) that dropped in front of Inge. Buck, who took second on the previous play, was able to score without a throw.

"That was very impressive - coming from behind to win in extra innings against this team," said Hillman, who spent five years managing in Japan before taking the Royals' job.

Through five innings, the Royals managed only one hit off Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who appeared to be in control with a 3-0 lead.

In the fifth inning, Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who signed a seven-year, $153 million contract on Friday, hit a solo home run to make it 3-0.

But the Royals pulled within 3-2 on Alex Gordon's two-run shot in the sixth. Kansas City grabbed a 4-3 lead in the seventh on RBI singles by Buck and Mark Grudzielanek.

"Verlander's a great pitcher, so you just have to stay patient and try to get something you can hit," Gordon said. "You have to try to find any way you can to get a hit off him."

Verlander yielded four runs and four hits in six-plus innings with a walk and six strikeouts. He left after Teahen walked and Ross Gload singled to start the seventh.

"The lead-off walk upset me a little bit," Verlander said. "I didn't feel like I was tiring. It was a really good sign for me because I hadn't stretched it out that far yet."

Kansas City starter Gil Meche surrendered three runs and eight hits in six innings. Meche struggled with his control, walking four and striking out five, but was in line for the win until Brett Tomko surrendered a game-tying homer to Carlos Guillen in the eighth.

"It was good to see Gil stick with it and keep battling," Hillman said. "He made a couple mistakes, just like any starter does, but he showed me a lot of guts."

Leo Nunez (1-0) followed Tomko and tossed two hitless innings to record the win. Joakim Soria worked out of a jam to register the save.

Rookie Clete Thomas opened the bottom of the 11th with his first major league hit - a double to deep left field - and took third on Inge's sacrifice.

But after Soria struck out Edgar Renteria, Gordon preserved the lead courtesy of a terrific play at third base. The second-year star smothered Placido Polanco's hard grounder and made a strong throw to first to end the game.

"To me, the big play was Joakim striking out Renteria," Gordon said. "That meant all we had to do was focus on Polanco."

"The fact of the matter is we left 10 guys on base," Tigers manager Jim Leyland added. "We had one of the best hitters in baseball up with a man on third and two outs the last inning. I'll take that situation every time."

Guillen finished with three hits, falling a triple shy of the cycle.

The Tigers grabbed a 2-0 lead on Renteria's RBI single in the second and Gary Sheffield's bases-loaded walk in the fourth.