DETROIT, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Miguel Cabrera socked his 40th homer of the year and Max Scherzer improved to 18-1 with eight solid innings Sunday in Detroit's 6-3 win over Kansas City.
Austin Jackson singled to lead off the first inning and after Torii Hunter popped out, Cabrera belted the first pitch he saw from Royals starter Bruce Chen into the left-field seats for a quick 2-0 lead.
The 2012 Triple Crown winner added a run-scoring single in the third, finishing 2-for-3 to raise his MLB-best batting average to .360 while boosting his RBI total to 120, also the best in baseball.
Scherzer yielded two runs on five hits, didn't issue a walk and struck out four for the American League Central-leading Tigers, who took 3-of-5 games against the Royals.
Chen (5-1) was tagged for six runs on eight hits in a 5 1/3-inning effort.
Billy Butler went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored for Kansas City.
