Jason Kendall had three hits and drove in three runs as the Kansas City Royals downed the Detroit Tigers 7-3 on Friday.

The veteran catcher had an RBI single in the second inning and a two-run single in the sixth frame as the Royals were victorious for just the second time in their last seven games. The three-hit night raised Kendall’s average to .293.

Bruce Chen (2-0) earned the win, allowing two runs in five innings. Kyle Farnsworth, Robinson Tejada and Kaneoka Teixeira made the lead stand with four innings of one-run, four-hit relief.

Scott Podnedsik paced a balanced attack for Kansas City with two hits, an RBI and three runs scored. David DeJesus added a run-scoring single and an RBI sacrifice fly in the victory.

Brennan Bosch belted a three-run homer in defeat for the Tigers, who didn't get much else from their offense. Miguel Cabrera and Johnny Damon added two hits apiece for Detroit.

Max Scherzer (2-5) absorbed the loss, surrendering five runs on nine hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three.