KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Victor Reyes and Austin Meadows had RBI singles in the seventh inning, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Thursday night.
With the game tied 2-2, pinch-hitter Eric Haase hit the first of three straight two-out singles off reliever Jake Brentz (0-2), followed by Reyes and Meadows.
Miguel Cabrera had three of the Tigers’ nine hits, leaving him six shy of 3,000 for his career. All of Detroit’s hits were singles.
Joe Jimenez (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth, one of four Tigers relievers who combined to allow only one walk among the final 13 Kansas City batters. Gregory Soto worked the ninth for his second save.
Zack Greinke allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings for Kansas City and did not strike out a batter for the fourth time in 490 career starts. Detroit scored twice in the second when Greinke’s changeup grazed Spencer Torkelson’s leg with the bases loaded and Harold Castro followed with a sacrifice fly.
Michael Taylor and Whit Merrifield had RBI singles in the fourth for Kansas City.
Detroit’s Casey Mize worked five innings, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Hunter Dozier had three of the Royals’ seven hits, including a fourth-inning triple.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: SS Javier Báez was a late scratch after missing Wednesday’s game with right thumb soreness. OF Robbie Grossman remains out of the lineup with right groin tightness.
UP NEXT
The series continues Friday night as Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (0-1, 9.00 ERA) matches up with Kansas City’s Brad Keller, who threw six scoreless innings in his first start, a no-decision.
