Miguel Cabrera had three hits and scored a run as the Detroit Tigers defeated the host Kansas City Royals 4-2 Thursday night in the first game of a four-game series.

Cabrera, who turns 39 on Monday, is now six hits shy of 3,000 in his 20-year career.

Joe Jimenez (1-0) earned the win for the Tigers. Gregory Soto picked up his second save. Jake Brentz (0-2) took the loss.

Neither starter got a decision. Zack Greinke lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits for Kansas City. Detroit's Casey Mize allowed two runs on six hits in five innings.

The story early for the Royals was missed opportunities. They had a runner on third with one out in each of the first two innings and did not score. They have yet to score a first-inning run in 2022.

Bobby Witt Jr. laced a one-out triple to right, but after breaking for home on a ground ball by Andrew Benintendi, Witt was caught in a rundown.

The Tigers then loaded the bases with nobody out in the second. Greinke hit Spencer Torkelson with a 1-2 pitch to drive in Detroit's first run. Cabrera then scored on a sacrifice fly to short left by Harold Castro, who replaced Javier Baez after Baez was scratched from the lineup with right thumb soreness.

Hunter Dozier hit a one-out triple in the fourth, the third time in four innings the Royals had a runner 90 feet away with one out. Adalberto Mondesi walked, and Michael A. Taylor's infield hit scored Dozier. Mondesi came around to score on Whit Merrifield's two-out single.

Greinke gave up a leadoff single to Austin Meadows in the sixth. After retiring Jonathan Schoop on a groundout, Greinke left the game.

Cabrera lined a single to right with two outs, but Merrifield threw out Meadows at the plate to end the inning.

The Tigers retook the lead in the seventh. Torkelson drew a one-out walk. With two outs, three straight singles by pinch-hitter Eric Haase, Victor Reyes and Meadows resulted in two runs. Reyes and Meadows got the RBIs.

--Field Level Media