DETROIT -- With their playoff hopes fading fast, the Kansas City Royals showed some fight.Paulo Orlando hit a tying, two-run double and Eric Hosmer followed with a three-run homer against Francisco Rodriguez, capping a ninth-inning comeback that led the Royals over the Detroit Tigers 7-4 Saturday.Kansas City stopped a four-game losing streak, and its tragic number for elimination from postseason contention remained at three. The Royals would be the fourth straight World Series champion failing to reach the playoffs after winning a title the previous season.We want to finish strong, no matter where we are in the standings said Hosmer, who was hitless in four at-bats, including three strikeouts, before the home run. We have to be professional about what were doing and continue to play it through.Given a 4-2 lead, Rodriguez (3-4) allowed singles to Alex Gordon and Hunter Dozier before Orlandos double. Cheslor Cuthbert walked and Hosmer hit his 24th homer.We put together a lot of good at-bats, Hosmer said. I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit and not miss it.Wade Davis (2-1) pitched a one-hit eighth and Kelvin Herrera, Kansas Citys seventh pitcher, got three straight outs for his 12th save in 15 chances, ending a game that took 3 hours, 50 minutes. Rodriguez blew a save for the fifth time in 49 opportunities.Detroits five-game winning streak was stopped, and the Tigers dropped a half-game behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card berth.Its a bad position to fail the way that I failed, Rodriguez said. Just unacceptable. This one hurts, big time. I let my team down.Royals starter Yordano Ventura, 7-0 against Detroit in his career, allowed three runs and 10 hits in four innings, then left with back tightness. Kansas City said he is day to day.Tigers starter Daniel Norris, who was in line for his first career victory over the Royals, gave up two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.Alcides Escobar hit a sacrifice fly in the second, but the Tigers went ahead 3-1 on third-inning RBI singles by Cameron Maybin and J.D. Martinez, and Maybins RBI single in the fourth.Kendrys Morales homered leading off the sixth, becoming Kansas Citys first player to reach 30 since Jermaine Dye hit 33 in 2000. Martinezs RBI single gave Detroit a 4-2 lead in the sixth.Give them credit for coming back against one of the best closers in the American League, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.FREE PASSTigers slugger Miguel Cabrera drew an intentional walk in the fourth inning, his 14th of the season. He is tied for the most intentional walks in the AL with Bostons David Ortiz.LONG AFTERNOONSaturdays game was the longest nine-inning contest of the season for Detroit, which played a 3:47 game at the Chicago White Sox on June 14.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: C Salvador Perez started after missing Friday nights game with a minor knee issue. He went 1 for 5 with a single.Tigers: SS Jose Iglesias and Cabrera started after sustaining minor hand injuries Friday.UP NEXTRHP Edinson Volquez (10-11) is to start Sundays series finale for the Royals and LHP Matt Boyd (6-4) for the Tigers Custom Denver Nuggets Jerseys . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Jamal Murray Nuggets Jersey . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. http://www.authenticnuggetsproshop.com/Tyler-Lydon-Jersey/ . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Jarred Vanderbilt Nuggets Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Michael Porter Jersey . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Dont expect major changes in the South Africa XI when they play their first day-night Test in Adelaide in a weeks time. Early indications show they are not looking to shake up the batting line-up but there may be a spot for chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who was seen practising alone with the pink ball in the indoor nets in Hobart during the second Test.I dont think we are going to change much. Its important that we maintain the stability of the squad and the structure of the starting XI, Linda Zondi, South Africas convener of selectors, said. Weve picked the squad based on what we feel will be the right combination. We are fortunate that weve got so much variation. If we feel Shamsi will play a role, we will definitely choose him but [Keshav] Maharaj has done well. Its a nice problem to have. It boils down to the case of the decision to be made and we will see the conditions on the day.Statistical evidence does not help Shamsis case either. He only bowled three overs in the pink ball warm-up match in Adelaide and was South Africas most expensive bowler in the next practice game, a regular red-ball fixture. Neither was he part of the South Africa A side that played two unofficial Tests against Australia A in winter. However, evidence from Indias Duleep Trophy shows that wristspinners can have success with the pink ball. Kuldeep Yadav, a chinaman bowler like Shamsi, led the wicket-charts and Yuvraj Singh said he saw batsmen struggle against wristspinners.Australias batsmen had a hard time against Shamsi in the ODI series in South Africa, which Zondi will be aware of. Vernon Philander is nursing a sore shoulder from his collision with Steven Smith, and concerns remain over Morne Morkels match-readiness. With those factors and a ball that wears quickly, South Africa may surprise by picking two spinners in the starting XI.The pink ball could also force a different thought about the composition of the line-up, perhaps with a push for more aggressive players upfront to maximise scoring chances. Quinton de Kock, or even Rilee Rossouw, whose form against Australia in the ODIs earned him a spot in the Test squad, would seem likely candidates given Stephen Cook has yet to find his stride on this tour. Zondi, however, indicated such drastic measures wont be used.You need to back players, its very important. A player shoulddnt walk into a match knowing This is the last game that Ill be playing, he said.dddddddddddd If you look at Stiaan van Zyl, there was a time when he was really struggling and we needed to back him and we did. You need to give players enough opportunity. Thats something we want to maintain. Yes, there will come a time when youve crossed the line but weve got to be fair in terms of saying weve given a guy enough chances and only then look another way.Van Zyl, a regular middle-order player who has since signed a Kolpak deal and taken himself out of the Test equation, was given the job of opening the batting when Alviro Petersen retired in 2014 but was not able to fit in. In eight innings between January and December 2015, van Zyl managed only 156 runs at 22.28, which included South Africas nightmare tour of India late last year. Yet, the selectors stuck with him for the return series against England at home. He was dropped only after he had failed over a full calendar year and was replaced by the in-form Cook, who scored a century on debut against England in Centurion.Cook has spent more than a decade in the franchise structures and was among the top ten run-scorers for seven seasons before being given an opportunity, and it is expected that his future will not be decided on two poor Tests in Australia, especially as South Africa are strong everywhere else. When you look at the different roles and the structure of the side, weve got enough combinations in the middle order with bowling allrounders as well, so even if the challenge remains upfront, its only fair that we give whoever we pick a good run, Zondi said.Another factor in Cooks favour is that South Africa do not plan on experimenting excessively, despite the series being won. Theyre chasing a whitewash and a consistency to carry into the home summer and the series in New Zealand, as they look to climb the rankings again. From a selection point of view, we try by all means to make sure we sustain and maintain the continuation of the side, Zondi said. Its about guys understanding and having awareness of their roles in the side. The more they understand their roles, the better for the team and the better for us as we are moving forward. ' ' '