The Kansas City Royals scored all six runs in the first four innings to defeat the Detroit Tigers 6-2 on Saturday. The Tigers took Game 1, but the Royals, after winning Game 2, have set up a Game 3 to determine the series winner. 

Jeremy Guthrie was knocked around for six runs on 11 hits in last weeks 6.0 inning outing against Detroit, but it was much different this time around. 

On Saturday, Guthrie went 7.1 innings and gave up just two earned runs on eight hits and one walk against the same Detroit squad. He threw 98 pitches and made three strikeouts. The 36-year-old is now 2-2 with a 5.70 ERA after the win. 

The Royals got major help from players in the top of the order to push them to victory over Detroit. 

Alcides Escobar went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Eric Hosmer had those same exact numbers to help the Royals take over the Tigers pitching early. Ex-Tigers second baseman Omar Infante went 3-for-5 with one RBI. Infante helped to set the table for Escobar and Hosmer. 

Escobar was ready and took the first pitch of the game for a home run. It got everything rolling for Kansas City. 

"I said, `If he throws me a fastball right down the middle, I'm swinging no matter what," the Kansas City shortstop said.

Anibal Sanchez took the mound in search of his third win, but failed to reach that feat. Sanchez took the loss and is 2-4 with a 5.44 ERA during the 2015 season. The 31-year-old gave up six runs (five earned runs) on nine hits and three walks over 6.0 innings pitched. Sanchez struck out two hitters on 99 pitches on Saturday. 

Detroit's main offense came from Nick Castellanos, who went 1-for-3 with a two-RBI triple off Guthrie. The triple was made possible because of a tough hit that both Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson attempted to catch against the wall.

"That's nobody's ball. That's a play that nobody can call. There's no communication there," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "That was in no-man's land. Not a lot of outfielders get to that ball, and we had two of them at the same time."

The bats of Victor Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes helped set things up for Castellanos. Both Martinez and Cespedes went 2-for-4 with one run scored.

"They've got everything they had last year, but now they've got more offense," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. "I think adding a veteran like (designated hitter Kendrys) Morales helped, but they've also got a lot of guys who look more polished at the plate."