DETROIT — The Tigers had to wait for Zack Greinke to finish up his work before they could have some fun Tuesday night.
The 38-year-old Greinke, likely making his final start at Comerica Park, kept the Tigers off the scoreboard and left with a 3-0 lead after seven innings.
The Tigers, though, quickly tied the game in the bottom of the eighth and won it in the bottom of the 10th. And it was Harold Castro doing the damage both times.
His two-run single in the eighth tied the game and then with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, he singled home Ryan Kreidler to give the Tigers a 4-3 win over the Royals.
It was their fourth straight win.
Against lefty reliever Anthony Misiewicz, Tucker Barnhart bunted the free runner (pinch-runner Kreidler) to third. After pinch-hitter Eric Haase was walked intentionally, Riley Greene struck out. Javier Báez was walked, too, to set up the left-on-left battle with Castro.
He foiled it, spanking a two-strike pitch up the middle.
Right-handed reliever Dylan Coleman didn’t get much help from the baseball gods or his defense in the eighth. The Tigers managed to score the three runs despite moving just one ball out of the infield.
Spencer Torkelson walked to start the inning and beat out a force-out attempt at second base, sliding into the bag just ahead of the throw from third baseman Nate Eaton. After Barnhart lined out, Akil Baddoo dropped a perfect bunt up the third base line to load the bases.
Greene then hit another chopper to Eaton who charged and threw home. The throw skipped and pulled catcher Salvador Perez off the plate. Torkelson was safe, 3-1.
After Báez struck out, Castro delivered a two-out, two-strike, two-run single to left to tie the game.
Before that, though, Greinke was putting on a show.
Tigers manager AJ Hinch warned his hitters before the game saying if they were overly aggressive, the wily Greinke would get a lot of early contact and quick outs.
He was prophetic.
The Tigers were swinging early and often at Greinke’s soft-tossing, four-pitch mix. He needed only 86 pitches to get through the seven innings. The Tigers managed four singles, never putting more than one runner on in an inning and only one advanced into scoring position.
The average exit velocity on the 19 balls they put in play against him, the average exit velocity was a meek 87.8 mph.
The Tigers will wish the 19-year veteran all the best in his retirement, if that’s what he decides to do after the season, but they won’t miss him. The former Cy Young Award winner and six-time All-Star is 13-8 with a 2.95 ERA in 31 appearances against the Tigers over the years.
Tigers starter Joey Wentz, who grew up 14 miles south of Kauffman Stadium and grew up watching a much younger Greinke dominate hitters for his hometown Royals, didn’t quite have his A-game Tuesday.
Back on Sept. 9, Wentz blanked the Royals on two hits over 6⅔ innings in Kansas City. He did it by hammering them with well-spotted four-seam fastballs. He threw 55 heaters that night, most between 92 and 93 mph, while smartly sprinkling in cutters, changeups and curveballs.
This time he pitched more off his cutter early and was never able to establish his four-seamer.
Hunter Dozier clipped a first-pitch cutter in the second inning and lined a two-run homer just over the wall in left.
In the fourth inning, with Wentz’s fastball velocity dipping below 90 mph. Nate Eaton drove an 89-mph four-seamer into the left-field gap to score Michael A. Taylor from first.
Wentz ended up throwing 31 four-seamers with an average velocity of 91 mph, 1.5 mph less than his season norm. Six were put in play with an average exit velocity of 97 mph.
He ended up allowing the three runs, five hits and three walks in five innings before the Tigers' bullpen put up zeros through the 10th inning (Jason Foley, Angel De Jesus, Daniel Norris, Jose Cisnero and Alex Lange).
