(AP) — In Jason Vargas's opinion, the job of the starting pitcher is to set the right tone. The Royals left-hander was pounded by the Tigers before getting yanked in the fourth inning, and his counterpart Justin Verlander proceeded to shut down Kansas City in 10-1 win that allowed Detroit to add another game to its AL Central lead. Vargas allowed five runs on nine hits in 3 1-3, his shortest outing since April 16, 2013. 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. Kinsler led off the game with a single, and after Torii 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. 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. The Royals considered bringing him back a few weeks ago, but Royals manager Ned Yost said a back injury kept him in the minors. Royals: RHP James Shields (14-7) beat Detroit at Comerica Park the following day, tossing seven shutout innings.