The Kansas City Royals got another quality start from a member of their pitching staff. On Monday, Royals veteran Jordan Lyles added his name to the ledger.

But Lyles earned a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers. He tossed six scoreless innings as the Royals lost 3-2 at Kauffman Stadium.

“It was a clean, efficient outing tonight from us,” Lyles said. “(Catcher) Freddy (Fermin) and I, we threw it pretty well.”

In two July starts, Lyles has allowed one run in 11 innings of work. He allowed three hits and recorded four strikeouts in Monday’s outing.

Lyles threw 83 pitches and recorded 13 called strikes. He relied on his curveball to limit the Tigers’ lineup. The curveball reached 84.1 mph and generated 10 swings and two whiffs.

“We started landing the curveball from the get-go,” Lyles said. “We relied on that throughout the game.”

Lyles used his changeup as well. He said the changeup was a byproduct of adjusting his grip.

“We might’ve threw 10-plus changeups and probably hadn’t done that in years,” Lyles said. “I hadn’t had a changeup I could rely on. I’m getting more comfortable with that pitch.”

After Lyles exited with a 2-0 lead, the Royals’ bullpen cost him a victory. The Tigers roared back with three runs in the eighth inning.

Tigers outfielders Akil Baddoo and Matt Vierling hit doubles. Vierling delivered the decisive blow as he drove in the go-ahead runs.

Royals reliever Taylor Clarke was charged with three earned runs in twothirds of an inning. Clarke has allowed 19 earned runs in his last 11 relief appearances.

“We believe in him and he is a guy that we count on,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Clarke. “We are not going to back away from him.”

Tigers closer Alex Lange, who starred at nearby Lee’s Summit, shut the door with his 15th save.

KC fell to 27-68. Fermin, who went 3 for 4, and Nick Pratto added RBI singles in the loss.

Here are more notables from Monday’s game:

Michael Massey turns in web gem The Royals ended the second inning in style. A gold star belongs to Royals second baseman Michael Massey as he produced a top highlight at the keystone position.

Massey snared a line drive from Tigers infielder Nick Maton. He instinctively flipped the baseball to Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who threw a strike to teammate Nick Pratto at first base.

The defensive highlight resulted in a double play. It allowed Lyles to work around a leadoff single and avoid early trouble.

“It was a really nice play, especially since that’s been a real area of focus for him with José (Alguacil),” Quatraro said. “Those back-hand plays. To see him get the good break, stay low and make a really accurate flip with the glove was really encouraging.”

Lyles agreed. The double play allowed him to pitch deeper in the game.

“It was really huge,” Lyles said. “I’ve had some bad innings get away from me this season. To put that to a halt and stop it right there, the back-hand glove flip was really pretty. It came up quick to keep the pitch count down. You love to see it as a pitcher.”

Salvador Perez injury update

Royals captain Salvador Perez is nursing a Grade 1-plus left-hamstring strain. The injury occurred on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

In the first inning, Perez scored from first base on an MJ Melendez double. He noticeably limped back to the dugout and was replaced by backup catcher Freddy Fermin.

On Monday, Quatraro said Perez will continue to get treatment. He also said Perez could avoid a stint on the injured list.

“He feels really good today,” Quatraro said before Monday’s game. “He is ready to go, but we are going to give him today.

“He is available to hit and we’ll monitor his progress through today and tomorrow.”