DETROIT -- Michael Fulmer is one of the biggest reasons the Detroit Tigers are still in the mix for a postseason spot.At the start of the teams final homestand, the rookie right-hander came through with his sharpest performance in weeks.Fulmer pitched seven strong innings for his first win in over a month and the Detroit Tigers homered three times in an 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. Justin Upton, Victor Martinez and Cameron Maybin went deep for the Tigers, who won their fifth game in a row to remain in the lead in the race for the ALs second wild card.Detroit remained a half-game ahead of Baltimore, which beat Arizona in 12 innings.I think theres a little bit of a sense of urgency now, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. This is our last homestand. This is the last chance at home to try and do something in the standings, and were playing against two teams ... in Kansas City and Cleveland, we know very well. Maybe I was the only one that felt it, but I felt there was more energy.Fulmer (11-7) allowed a run and eight hits, striking out nine with no walks. It was the first victory since Aug. 14 for Fulmer, who emerged around midseason as a Rookie of the Year candidate but is now having to fight off a torrid challenge from Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees.Danny Duffy (12-3) allowed six runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four.The Tigers jumped ahead right away against Duffy. The Royals made two errors in the first inning, and Uptons RBI double made it 2-0.Martinez and Upton each hit solo shots in the third, and Maybins two-run homer in the fourth made it 6-0.Upton has 27 homers on the season, including 14 in his last 29 games.Kansas City has lost nine of its last 12.DISPUTED CHALLENGEKansas Citys only run off Fulmer came after replay overturned the second out of an apparent double play, which would have ended the top of the sixth. Ausmus complained to the umpires, saying the Royals had waited too long before challenging.I said I wanted to protest, which, even going into it, when I said it, I knew instant replay wasnt protestable, Ausmus said.After the review revived the rally, Paulo Orlando hit an RBI single.ON THE BORDERLINEFulmer is the ALs ERA leader at 2.95 -- his 155 2/3 innings are enough to qualify at this point. Hell need to throw 6 1/3 more to qualify for the title at the end of the season.The Tigers have taken steps to limit his workload, and this latest start was a positive sign.I still feel good, so I guess its working, Fulmer said. Hopefully Im able to still pitch beyond the regular season. Thats our goal as a team.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: Kansas City C Salvador Perez sat out with what manager Ned Yost described as a very minor knee issue.Tigers: 2B Ian Kinsler returned to the lineup from a concussion after missing three games. He had a single, a double, two walks and three runs. ... SS Jose Iglesias left in the top of the seventh with a bruised right hand. X-rays were negative.UP NEXTRoyals: Kansas City sends RHP Yordano Ventura (11-11) to the mound for Saturdays game at Detroit. Ventura is coming off a complete game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday.Tigers: Detroit starts LHP Daniel Norris (3-2) in the middle game of this series.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister Swell Water Bottle Wholesale . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. sWell Bottle Sale 17oz . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. http://www.swellwaterbottlesale.com/ . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Swell Bottles Wholesale . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. sWell Traveler Bottle Sale . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. CHARLOTTE, N.C. --?Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short will report to training camp July 27 despite the absence of a long-term extension, a league source told ESPN.com.Short is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He skipped two weeks of offseason workouts when negotiations to extend his contract stalled, but reported for a three-day minicamp in June.General manager Dave Gettleman said earlier this year that extending Short, who led Carolina in sacks this past season with 11, was a priority. But Gettleman made it clear in June that he wouldnt mortgage the future to sign one player.Everybody has got to do whats best for them, and you deal with it, Gettleman told ESPN.com at the time. The market is the market.Since Ive been here, I never have said, Lets see how cheap we can get this guy. No. Its aboutt being fair.dddddddddddd Its nothing more than that. He gets a fair wage and we both get a fair contract. Thats what its about. Its not about winning.The market for top defensive tackles, based on recent deals by the Philadelphia Eagles Fletcher Cox and Muhammad Wilkerson of the New York Jets, is around $17.2 million a year.Cox got a six-year, $103 million extension with $63 million guaranteed. Wilkerson got a five-year, $86 million extension with $53 million guaranteed.Short is set to make just over $1 million this season and count $1.4 million against the salary cap. The Panthers are believed to be looking to pay Short, a second-round pick in 2013, in the $13 million to $15 million a year range. ' ' '