DETROIT — As Riley Greene stood in the tunnel Sunday, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch approached him and said with a smile, “What a difference a day makes.”
Just 24 hours had passed since Greene struck out four times, but on Sunday he played a key role in the Tigers’ (43-24) shutout win over the National League-leading Chicago Cubs (40-25), helping secure the series victory.
“He’s always just one game away from being a big piece in a win like this — a meaningful game at home, in front of a good crowd, against a strong opponent,” Hinch said.
Greene had entered Sunday’s finale in a tough slump — hitless in his last nine at-bats with seven strikeouts across three games. But he broke out of it with a 2-for-4 day and two important RBIs in Detroit’s 4-0 win.
“It was a mix of things,” Greene explained afterward. “I got with the right people, made some adjustments to my swing, and just tried to go up there and enjoy it again.”
A small spark may have come from a change in his walk-up song — catcher Jake Rogers suggested Toby Keith’s “How Do You Like Me Now?!”
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Greene’s day didn’t start ideally, though, as he struck out looking in the first inning on a pitch that missed the zone. Still, he didn’t let it derail him.
“Sometimes you just tip your cap,” Greene said. “You can’t let it get to you. This game doesn’t care if you’re 0-for-4 or 4-for-4. You just keep your head down and grind.”
In his next at-bat, he dropped a bloop single over third baseman Matt Shaw, hustling into second on a defensive lapse by the Cubs. Later, in the fifth, he faced Cade Horton again and lined a two-run single to double Detroit’s lead.
Greene nearly capped his day with a home run, sending a fastball 406 feet to center — just shy of clearing the wall.
Now in his fourth season, Greene has been central to Detroit’s strong first half, hitting .276 with a .327 on-base percentage and a .443 slugging mark. His 13 homers, 14 doubles, and 44 RBIs all project to career highs.
Still, he’s had his struggles. Entering Sunday, he led MLB with 85 strikeouts and endured a rough April stretch where he went 1-for-32. More recently, he had gone 0-for-12 with six strikeouts over four games against the Guardians.
“He goes through these stretches,” Hinch said Saturday. “Sometimes it’s pitch selection, sometimes it’s his approach. But he’ll bounce back — no question.”
After Greene’s rough Saturday, Hinch gave him the space to reset but never wavered in confidence, slotting him right back into the cleanup role on Sunday — a decision that paid off quickly.
