DETROIT (AP) Delmon Young is finally doing what he was expected to this season.

And, so are the Detroit Tigers.

Young hit a two-run homer to give Detroit a much-needed, four-run cushion in the seventh inning and the Tigers held on to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-7 Saturday.

The designated hitter has a three-game homer streak for the first time in his career. He cleared the fence just six times in his first 74 games this season.

``He's starting to do what I know he can do,'' Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. ``He's a run-producer and right now he's producing.''

Detroit is, too, with a four-game winning streak that matches its longest of the year to give the team with high preseason expectations a winning record for the first time since May 10.

``It was just a matter of time,'' Young said. ``We're too good of a team to struggle. We just need to win one more game to go into the break on a roll.''

Prince Fielder hit a two-run, game-tying homer in the first and the Tigers took an 8-4 lead on Young's two-run shot off reliever Nate Adcock.

Detroit closer Jose Valverde started the ninth with a four-run lead and almost lost it.

Valverde walked Alex Gordon on four pitches to lead off the inning, gave up a double to Alcides Escobar and walked Eric Hosmer to load the bases. All-Star Billy Butler hit a two-run single to pull Kansas City within two runs.

Yuniesky Betancourt nearly hit a go-ahead, three-run homer on a fly center fielder Austin Jackson tracked down near the wall in left-center.

Jackson charged to make an underhanded catch on Mike Moustakas' sacrifice fly for the second out and Jeff Francoeur struck out.

``I thought the worst-case scenario was that it gets up the gap, and it might get out,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ``But Austin Jackson is just a phenomenal center fielder, and he ran it down. I didn't think he was going to get Moose's ball - I didn't think it was hit hard enough - but he got that one as well.''

The Royals have lost seven of nine with one game left before hosting the All-Star game on Tuesday night.

Doug Fister (2-6) gave up four runs in six-plus innings and snapped a three-game losing streak. Fister, who has been on the disabled list twice this season, had given up 14 earned runs in his previous two starts.

``He's getting closer and closer,'' Leyland said. ``He's going to start the first game after the break.''

Fister, Darin Downs, Brayan Villarreal and Phil Coke combined to pitch a scoreless seventh. Joaquin Benoit struck out two in the eighth and Valverde pitched a shaky ninth inning.

Bruce Chen (7-8) gave up six runs for the second straight game and allowed nine hits over 3 1-3 innings.

``Bruce just never got locked in,'' Yost said. ``And while we've been really good with our long guys this year, Nate just hung one breaking ball. Other than that, he was fantastic.''

The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the first after Butler and Betancourt's RBI singles, but couldn't keep it. Jackson hit a leadoff single in the home half and scored on Fielder's 14th homer, a 382-foot shot to right center with two outs to make it 2-all.

Gerald Laird had an RBI double and Jackson, who extended his career long hitting streak to 14 games, had an RBI single in a three-run second that put the Tigers up 5-2.

Miguel Cabrera's sacrifice fly in the fourth gave Detroit a four-run lead.

Fister gave up two runs in the first, then pitched three scoreless innings before giving up Moustakas' two-out homer in the fifth to let Kansas City pull within three runs. Betancourt's sacrifice fly in the seventh off Villarreal cut Detroit's lead to two.

NOTES: Detroit has a four-game winning streak for the third time this season. ... The Royals claimed C Adam Moore on waivers from the Seattle Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.