DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers are on a roll, and, for them, this is the right time to do so.

Victor Martinez, Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin blasted home runs to back rookie pitcher Michael Fulmer's seven innings of one-run ball in Detroit's 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night that kept the Tigers in control of the American League's second wild-card spot.

Detroit's fifth win in a row kept it a half-game ahead of Baltimore for the second wild-card spot and one game behind Toronto, both of whom also won.

"I think there's a little bit of a sense of urgency now," Tigers' manager Brad Ausmus said. "This is our last home stand now; last chance at home to try and do something in the standings.

"We're playing against two teams that know each other very well in Kansas City and Cleveland and we know (them) very well. For some reason, maybe I was the only one who felt it, but I thought there was more energy.

"You just keep moving forward. That's how you're trained when you play this game. You just keep plowing forward. There's no rearview mirror."

"We control where we end up," said Detroit's Ian Kinsler, who reached base four times with two walks, a single and a double in his return to the lineup after missing three games with concussion symptoms.

Fulmer (11-7) enhanced his AL Rookie of the Year chances by allowing eight hits, striking out seven and not allowing a walk. His seven innings gave him 155 2/3 for the year, enough to qualify for and assume the league's ERA lead at 2.95.

He needs 6 1/3 innings in his final start of the season Wednesday against Cleveland to reach the 162 he needs to qualify for the ERA crown.

"He was really good," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "The big difference in this time than when we saw him last time is he was right on top of his game.

"He had a really good slider down in the zone, really good fastball to the corners, both sides, and a good changeup. He was really on top of his game. What we saw was what everybody saw in the first half. Really, really on top of his game."

Blaine Hardy pitched a scoreless eighth for Detroit, but Mark Lowe allowed a two-run triple to Jarrod Dyson with two outs in the ninth, so Shane Greene was brought in to get the last out.

Danny Duffy (12-3) lasted only 3 2/3 innings, throwing 99 pitches, while allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks.

"He just struggled with his command," Yost said. "He's really good with the back-foot breaking ball but he just couldn't get it there. His command with the fastball was off and changeup too.

"I was trying to get five (innings) but the pitch count got so high in the first inning he just never really got settled in. He just couldn't get his tempo and rhythm down to where he could command consistently."

An overturned call on a challenge led to Kansas City's run in the sixth. Kendrys Morales was called out at the back end of a 3-6-1 double play that seemingly ended the inning, but the Royals challenged and Morales was ruled to have been safe, leaving Whit Merrifield on third.

Merrifield, who had singled and advanced one base on Eric Hosmer's single, scored after play resumed on a ground single to second by Paulo Orlando to make it 6-1.

"He challenged," Fulmer said, "it got overturned. I need to do a better job of getting over there and maybe actually catching it (the ball) next time. We had a good lead there, so just keep going."

Victor Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth to make it 7-1, and J.D. Martinez added a sacrifice fly for an 8-1 Tigers lead.

Earlier, Maybin's first-pitch home run, his fourth, scored Kinsler, who had walked with one out in the fourth off Duffy, and gave Detroit a 6-0 lead.

Victor Martinez blasted his 26th home run to lead off the third and one out later Upton hit his 27th, and 14th since Aug. 21. It expanded the Tigers' lead to 4-0.

Detroit scored a pair in the first with just one hit, three walks, a wild pitch plus an error. Kinsler scored on a throwing error by catcher Drew Butera and Upton doubled in the second run.

NOTES: Royals C Salvador Perez was a pregame scratch from Friday night's starting lineup due to a sore knee. "His knee's a little banged up," manager Ned Yost said. "It's nothing serious. He could definitely play. I just decided to give him a day." ... Tigers 2B Ian Kinsler returned to the starting lineup after missing his team's three games in Minnesota with concussion symptoms. ... C Jarrod Saltalamacchia started over Detroit C James McCann because of better numbers against Kansas City LHP Danny Duffy (2-for-3 versus 3-for-17), but went 0-for-4 on Friday.