Riley Greene snapped out of a prolonged slump in dramatic fashion Thursday night, collecting three hits and driving in two runs to power the Detroit Tigers to a 6-1 win over the struggling Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park.
Coming into the game with just one hit in his previous 32 at-bats and 18 strikeouts over that span, Greene got off to a slow start with a popout in the first inning. But he rebounded with RBI singles in the third and fifth innings and added an infield single in the seventh to cap his breakout night.
Greene’s resurgence came at the perfect time for the Tigers, who had dropped three of their previous four games.
Spencer Torkelson also provided a spark for Detroit, going 2-for-4 and driving in three runs. The former top prospect, who endured a rough 2024 season that included a demotion to Triple-A, is showing signs of turning a corner. He’s now hitting .286 with six home runs and 16 RBIs through 20 games.
Reese Olson (2-1) delivered a strong outing on the mound, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and two walks, striking out five. Tommy Kahnle secured the final outs for his third save of the season.
The Royals, meanwhile, continued their skid with a fourth straight loss and sixth in their last seven games. Michael Lorenzen (1-3), facing his former team, was tagged for four runs on seven hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings.
Kansas City’s lone run came on Maikel Garcia’s RBI single in the eighth. The Royals had a golden opportunity in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and one out, but Olson struck out Drew Waters on three pitches and got Kyle Isbel to pop out to left on the first pitch to escape the jam.
Tensions boiled over in the ninth inning when Royals hitting coach Alec Zumwalt was ejected for arguing balls and strikes.
The Tigers and Royals continue their four-game series Friday night. Detroit will send rookie right-hander Jackson Jobe (1-0, 3.00 ERA) to the mound against Kansas City’s Cole Ragans (1-0, 2.28 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 5 p.m. on SuperStar Country 102.5 FM & 1530 AM, with first pitch scheduled for 5:40 p.m.
