Zack Greinke allowed one run in seven innings, and Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen homered to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Detroit Tigers 4-1 Thursday for a season-opening three-game sweep. 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.
Detroit, with the second-highest payroll in the major leagues at $138.7 million, scored only five runs in the series. 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. Already missing Curtis Granderson because of a broken hand, the Tigers played without Miguel Cabrera, who is day to day with a quadriceps strain. (More Kansas City Royals stories.)