(AP) Jordan Zimmermann threw just about every pitch against Kansas City for a strike Monday night.
Except the one that plunked Alcides Escobar.
The Tigers’ veteran starter pounded the zone in a dominant performance against the Royals, and backed by long home runs from Nicholas Castellanos and Mikie Mahtook, he helped Detroit to a 10-2 rout to open a four-game series between AL Central rivals.
The dominance was partly a result of first-pitch strikes to 24 of the 28 batters he faced, which helped Zimmermann (6-7) snap a personal three-game skid with his first win since June 3.
As for Escobar, the Royals shortstop was hit in the left wrist in the seventh inning and remained crumpled on the ground for several minutes. But he escaped with a bruise and could play Tuesday night.
Eric Hosmer homered in the eighth for Kansas City. Whit Merrifield also drove in a run.
Things went awry for Vargas from the first pitch, which Kinsler swatted to the fence for a double. Vargas proceeded to match a season high with four walks, Kinsler added a pair of triples off him, and the homers by Castellanos and Mahtook combined to go nearly 900 feet.
The dismal performance came after Vargas was battered for six runs — including three homers — on eight hits and a walk in five innings at Seattle in his final start before the All-Star break.
Vargas did toss a shutout inning during last week’s Midsummer Classic.
It was Zimmermann who looked like an All-Star on Monday night, though — not someone who had allowed at least four runs each of his last three starts, and was 0-4 with a 6.99 ERA on the road.
Zimmermann breezed through a perfect first, bounced back from back-to-back singles to escape trouble in the second, then began pounding the strike zone. By the time he hit the 50-pitch mark, Zimmermann threw 44 of them for strikes, and he wound up with only four two-ball counts in the game.
