DETROIT -- They say April showers bring May flowers, right?

The Tigers, who had batted just .211 over their last 10 games, banged out 14 hits in Tuesday night’s 9-3 win over the Kansas City Royals in a rain-shortened two-game series.

Mired in a late-April slump, Detroit’s first seven batters reached base off starter Luke Hochevar en route to a five-run first inning, keyed by two run-scoring errors.

"There was action," manager Jim Leyland said. "We looked more like the Tigers that I expect to see for the most part this year."

Detroit had only combined to score 11 first-inning runs in its first 22 games before the five-inning surge -- the most runs the team has scored in an inning this season.

It was only the Tigers' third win in 11 games.

With clouds threatening rain throughout the night, Miguel Cabrera highlighted the early-inning outburst with an RBI double that scored Austin Jackson from second.

Cabrera has a history of success against Hochevar with 16 hits in 32 at-bats against the right-hander -- tops among all major leaguers.

And the Tigers' offense didn't stop.

With an injured Victor Martinez cheerleading from the dugout, Detroit scored three more runs in the third, capped by Jackson's two-run double that scored Don Kelly and Ramon Santiago.

"It seemed like old times," Leyland said. "That was good tonic for us."

Jackson added two more base hits, tying him with Andy Dirks for a team-high .314 batting average. It was his third four-hit game this season.

"It's always good to get off to a good start anyway that you can," Jackson said. "I just tried to get in scoring position for the guys that are behind me and let them work."

Prior to Tuesday, Detroit had lost eight of 10 since its 9-3 start, which was capped by a three-game sweep in Kansas City.

"We just needed to go out there and play loose," right-handed starter Rick Porcello said. "We're coming off a tough stretch, obviously, and we just have to climb back out of it and get rolling."

The beneficiary of Detroit’s early offensive frenzy was Porcello, who gave up two runs on six hits in eight innings. It’s the deepest he’s pitched since July 29, 2011.

"Rick really needed that and the club really needed it," Leyland said. "That's more like the Tiger team that I expect to see."

A day after rain postponed his start Monday, Porcello showed early command, pounding the strike zone and needing only 97 two work eight impressive innings.

Porcello, who retired 12 of his first 13 batters, found instant success following a mechanical tweak on pitching coach Jeff Jones' recommendation, which required him to bring his hands over his head to start his delivery.

It worked.

"We tried to do it to slow everything down," Porcello said. "I think it helped me especially locate my offspeed stuff."

It was a much-needed outing for the 23-year-old, who had given up a combined 14 runs in back-to-back starts after going 1-0 with a1.84 ERA in his first two.

Prior to Tuesday's game, Detroit's pitchers had posted a 5.68 ERA over its 2-8 stretch after putting up a 3.08 ERA in the first 12 contests.

"The key tonight was the pitching and the defense," Leyland said. "Porcello was around the plate and making them put the ball in play."

Left-hander Phil Coke pitched a scoreless ninth to give the Tigers their fourth straight win over the Royals this year.

"We're a good team -- we know that," Porcello said. "We just have to go out there and play like it."

-- Follow James Schmehl on Twitter: @jamesschmehl.