Recap: Detroit vs. Kansas City
Sports Network | September 23, 2008
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Zack Greinke threw seven shutout innings, and the Royals barely moved ahead of Detroit into fourth place in the AL Central with a 5-0 victory over the Tigers.
Alex Gordon belted a two-run homer, while Ryan Shealy and Mike Aviles also went deep for Kansas City, which has won 10 of its last 12 games. The Royals' winning percentage of .456 (72-86) is just ahead of Detroit (.455, 71-85). It's significant for the Royals, considering they have finished in last place each of the previous four seasons.
Kansas City's 15 wins in September are the most since the club had the same amount in 1987.
Greinke (13-10) allowed four hits, walked a pair of batters and fanned four to win his third consecutive start. Leo Nunez gave up a walk, but faced the minimum number of hitters over the final two innings.
Detroit, which had four hits for a second straight night, lost for the 11th time in 12 games.
Freddy Garcia (1-1) was charged with seven hits, including the three homers, and all five runs over five innings. He also fanned six in his second start of the year, but fell to 8-11 lifetime against Kansas City.
Aviles homered just beyond a leaping Marcus Thames in left field with one out in the opening inning.
The Tigers were on the verge of tying the game in the second when Thames singled to left field. But Mark Teahen threw a perfect one-hopper to catcher Miguel Olivo to get Jeff Larish at home and end the inning.
Shealy homered to left field leading off the three-run fourth. Billy Butler walked with one out, and Gordon followed with his 16th homer of the year, a blast to right field.
Shealy's ground-rule double scored David DeJesus in the fifth.
The Tigers went over the three million mark in home attendance this season, passing last season's record of 3,047,139 tickets sold...Greinke is 8-4 lifetime against the Tigers...Detroit was blanked for the 12th time this year...DeJesus extended his hitting streak to 14 games..Greinke has pitched 202 1/3 innings this year, a career-best. He and Gil Meche are the first KC 1-2 punch to each reach that threshold since Paul Byrd and Jeff Suppan in 2002.
