Royals sweep Tigers; 3-0 start first since 2003
The Kansas City Royals were supposed to provide a perfect launching pad for the Detroit Tigers' highly touted offense.
The Royals' pitchers did not cooperate, and the Tigers failed to launch.
Zack Greinke had another outstanding pitching performance for Kansas City, allowing 1 run in 7 innings as the Royals finished off a season-opening sweep with a 4-1 win on Thursday in Detroit.
The Tigers and their $138.7 million payroll managed 5 runs in the series, including just 1 in the final 21 innings.
"We stunk," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We look like we're just going up there and giving at-bats away without any purpose. The manager's responsible for the preparation and the performance of the club, and right now, we don't look very prepared. We just look like dead."
Detroit is hitting .206 with 24 strikeouts in three games.
"That's not going to happen too many times to that team," Greinke said. "They might not have another stretch like that all year."
Kansas City is 3-0 for the first time since winning its first nine games in 2003. Last year, the Royals didn't win a series until their sixth try, when they took two of three against Minnesota from April 20-22.
"Obviously, we're very pleased by this -- especially with our pitching," rookie manager Trey Hillman said. "It's nice to come in here and play this well against a team like that."
Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen homered for Kansas City. Gordon's 2-run shot, a 410-foot liner over the bullpen in left-center, put the Royals ahead in the fourth. It was his second of the year.
"We know that Detroit's going to be very good, so we're going to celebrate this sweep," Gordon said. "Hopefully, we can go to Minnesota and do the same thing."
The Tigers lost their first three games for the first time since 2003, when they began 0-9 and finished with an AL-record 119 losses.
"It's early, but you still care about it," said Placido Polanco, who is 1-for-14. "We're not hitting, and if you don't score runs, you don't win. You worry when you don't win games."
Already missing Curtis Granderson because of a broken hand, the Tigers played without Miguel Cabrera, who is day to day with a quadriceps strain, then saw designated hitter Gary Sheffield tear a tendon in his left ring finger on a play at second in the eighth inning.
"He would have not been able to hit if we came around to him in the ninth," Leyland said. "I don't know how serious it was, but he couldn't bend it."
Sheffield said he would try to play through the injury, but he wouldn't know his status until the swelling subsided.
Yankees 3, Blue Jays 2: Bobby Abreu's bloop single snapped an eighth-inning tie, and host New York got a solid outing from Phil Hughes in a victory over Toronto. After scoring 76 more runs than any other team in the major leagues last season, New York's powerful lineup managed only 8 in its first three games against a fine Toronto pitching staff. Still, that was enough to take two of three in the series.
Angels 5, Twins 4: In the final game of an emotional return to the Metrodome, Torii Hunter homered leading off the seventh inning to help Los Angeles beat hsot Minnesota. Prior to his drive, Hunter had gone just 2-for-14 to start the season and admitted to being gassed from the ceremonies and warm welcomes he received from Twins fans who watched him star in center field for the previous nine years. Hunter signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Angels in the off-season.
National League
Phillies 8, Nationals 7 (10): Jesus Colome walked Jayson Werth to force in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving host Philadelphia a victory over Washington. The defending NL East champions overcame a 5-0, first-inning deficit to avoid opening the season with a three-game sweep at home for the third straight year.
Padres 3, Astros 2: Trevor Hoffman kept up his seesaw season when he earned the save in host San Diego's victory over Houston. Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth less than 24 hours after blowing the save and taking the loss by giving up 4 runs in the ninth inning of a 9-6 defeat, including Lance Berkman's two-out, 3-run homer.
Reds 3, Diamondbacks 2: Johnny Cueto allowed nothing more than Justin Upton's solo homer in seven innings, striking out 10 in an overpowering debut for host Cincinnati in a win over Arizona. Pitching in a steady rain, the 22-year-old right-hander struck out eight of his first 13 batters. His 10 strikeouts were the most by a Reds pitcher in his big-league debut since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Cardinals 3, Rockies 0: Brad Thompson had a career-high 6 strikeouts in 6¿ innings to lead hoist St. Louis past Colorado. The Cardinals took two of three from the defending NL champions, who totaled 5 runs in the series. Colorado was 3-for-25 with runners in scoring position, 2 of the hits coming in the finale, but Todd Helton was thrown out at the plate in the sixth.
Pirates 4, Braves 3 (10): Xavier Nady drove in Nyjer Morgan with a 10th-inning single, and Pittsburgh beat host Atlanta. The Braves used seven pitchers after Mike Hampton's much-anticipated comeback was postponed by an injury suffered in pregame warmups. Jeff Bennett started in Hampton's place. Hampton, scheduled to make his first start since Aug. 19, 2005, strained his left pectoral muscle. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 30.