KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez joined the Detroit Tigers' 20-homer club Sunday.

Upton homered, doubled and drove in three runs as the Detroit Tigers topped the Kansas City Royals 6-5 Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers took two of three in the weekend series, and they moved into a tie for the second American League wild card with the Baltimore Orioles. Detroit (74-62) remains five games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.

Upton homered with Miguel Cabrera aboard with two outs in the eighth inning erased a 5-4 Tigers lead. His double in the second scored Martinez, who homered in the fourth inning.

"It was a good pitch," Upton said of his home run off Royals reliever Joakim Soria. "It was down. It was kind of, I don't know, the ball doesn't normally come in to you, but it was coming in a little bit and I was able to stay up with it. At this point in the year, you've got to battle every out. Anytime you have outs left, you battle to the end."

Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez and Cabrera also have surpassed the 20-homer mark for Detroit.

"It says be careful," said Tigers third baseman Andrew Romine, who went 2-for-4 with a RBI double and scored a run. "It says that at any point in our lineup, there can be some damage done. That puts a lot of pressure on the other team, and it takes some off the other hitters in our lineup."

The pressure landed on Soria (4-7), who lost for the second time on the Royals' homestand.

"I cannot be frustrated," Soria said. "I'm in the major leagues. I'm doing my best. All the times I go out there, I try to perform. Today, I controlled the ball down and in, and he hit it out. And that's what it is. It's tough."

J.D. Martinez, who fractured his right elbow June 16 while running into the wall at Kauffman Stadium, homered in the fourth. He is hitting .397 with eight home runs and 17 RBIs in 30 games since coming off the disabled list.

The Royals sent nine men to the plate in a four-run seventh to take an abbreviated 5-4 lead and chase left-hander Daniel Norris. Jarrod Dyson's triple with two outs off of Alex Wilson scored Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez to tie the score. Paulo Orlando's double drove in Dyson.

Whit Merrifield's sacrifice fly scored Eric Hosmer, who led off the inning with a walk, with the first run.

Alcides Escobar led off the ninth with a double off Francisco Rodriguez but was stranded at third. The Detroit closer picked up his 38th save.

Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez threw 6 2/3 innings, permitting four runs on seven hits -- one a home run -- while striking out five and walking one.

Norris was charged with three runs on four hits in six-plus innings in a no-decision. He fanned seven and walked one.

Escobar extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a third-inning home run to left-center on a 2-1 Norris pitch for the first Kansas City run. Escobar has an extra-base hit or an RBI in 12 of his past 15 games.

The Royals (70-66) dropped four of the final five games of their homestand to the New York Yankees and Tigers -- two teams they are contending with in the wild-card chase. Kansas City sits four games behind Baltimore and Detroit.

"Jack (Soria) came in and a little blooper to Cabrera, ends up getting the two Martinezes out, and the pitch to Upton was about a foot off the ground," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Sometimes you've just got to give the hitter credit. He's a big strong guy and got the head of the bat on the ball. He drives it out of the biggest part of the ballpark on a pitch that was 12 inches off the ground."

NOTES: Royals LF Alex Gordon did not start because of a sore right ankle, but he was used as a pinch hitter in the seventh and played the final two innings in the outfield.. ... Royals OF Lorenzo Cain was unavailable because of left wrist inflammation, which has kept him out since Tuesday. ... The Tigers will recall LHP Matt Boyd to start Tuesday's game at the White Sox. ... Detroit OF Cameron Maybin has not played since Aug. 29 because of a left thumb contusion. ... Tigers RHP Mike Pelfrey (lower back strain) gave up five runs on nine hits with a strikeout in 3 1/3 innings in a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Toledo. ... The Tigers will continue their trip Monday at Chicago, with two Cy Young Award candidates, Detroit RHP Justin Verlander and White Sox LHP Chris Sale, starting the series opener. ... The Royals will start RHP Ian Kennedy Monday at Minnesota for the first contest of a six-game trip. The Twins will recall RHP Jose Berrios, who struck out 14 in his last start with Triple-A Rochester, and start him Monday.