Kansas City, Mo. ? Will Rhymes started the game with an 11-pitch at bat, fouling off six offerings from Zack Greinke with two strikes.

Rhymes was 0-for-4 before he hit a two-run triple in a four-run 11th inning to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 9-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

“I felt like I had good at-bats all night but had nothing to show for it,” Rhymes said. “I just kept grinding, and it felt really good to get a big hit right there. We didn’t need to play any more.”

The Tigers, who have played three straight extra-inning games, won 10-9 in 13 innings Thursday at Minnesota and did not arrive in Kansas City until around 4 a.m. Friday.

“It’s been a long couple of days,” Rhymes said. “Fortunately, we found a way to come out on top.”

Rhymes’ triple to right-center field off Jesse Chavez (2-3), the sixth Royals pitcher, scored Alex Avila, who had singled, and Casper Wells, who reached on a Josh Fields error. After Johnny Damon walked, Ryan Raburn singled to right to score Rhymes. Austin Jackson’s suicide squeeze bunt scored Damon with the final run.

“The error didn’t help, but Jesse is making too many pitches up and over the middle of the plate, and good hitters hit those pitches hard,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He needs to find a way to get back down in the zone on the outer third to be effective.”

Ryan Perry picked up the win with two perfect innings.

Greinke did not allow a hit until one out in the fifth, when Jhonny Peralta and Don Kelly stroked back-to-back ground ball singles.