Motown Blues
The Orioles go into Detroit flying high but leave some Battered Birds as they are swept away in Detroit & barely put up much of a fight in the process.
Game 1 : Tigers 4, Orioles 2 – Miguel Cabrera doubles, homers & drives in 2, Eduardo Rodriguez pitches 6+ innings of shutout ball & the Tigers take the opener of the 3 Game Series against the O’s in Detroit. Cabrera doubles home a run in the 3rd, the 602nd of his career, which moves him ahead of Barry Bonds for sole possession of 17th in major-league history & adds a 2-run shot in a 3-run 6th, the 504th of his career, which moves him into a tie for 27th on the all-time list (also breaks a tie w/ Manny Ramirez for 17th place). Willi Castro doubles home another run & scores when Rookie Spencer Torkelson reaches on an infield single as the Tigers add to their run total in the 6th & Rodriguez goes 6 2/3 innings, allows 5 just 5 hits, strikes out 3 & walks 4 in his scoreless outing. O’s starter, Jordan Lyles once again goes more than 5 innings, but takes the loss – he allows 4 runs on 6 hits, strikes out 6 & walks 3 in 5 2/3, his outing takes a turn for worse in the 6th which knocks him from the game as fatigue sets in. Trey Mancini & Anthony Santander homer on back to back pitches to lead off the 8th against reliever, Jacob Barnes. After closer, Gregory Soto struggles in the 9th, loading the bases on 2 walks & a hit batter but Will Vest comes on to close it out for his first career save. The Orioles leave the bases loaded in each of the last 3 innings & go 1-12 w/ men in scoring position on the night. Detroit wins for just the 2nd time in their last 11 games, while the O’s lose for only the 5th time in their last 13.
Det (10-23) Bal (14-19)
WP : Rodriguez (1-2)
LP : Lyles (2-3)
S : Vest (1)
Game 2 : Tigers 3, Orioles 0 – Tigers starter, Michael Pineda exits the game early after being hit by a line drive by Ramon Urias in the 2nd & breaks the middle finger on his pitching hand. It doesn’t phase the Tigers at all, as they use the bullpen to shut out the Orioles anyway & clinch their first Series win at home this season. Pineda retires the first 4 he faces before being knocked out & the bullpen goes 7 2/3 shutout innings, allowing only 4 hits all day. Wily Peralta replaces him & 4 more relievers finish the job, including Gregory Soto, who pitches the 9th to earn the save Jason Foley, Joe Jimenez, Andrew Chafin all go at least an inning in what turns into a bullpen game for the Tigers. Willi Castro hits a sac fly in the 2nd against O’s starter, Bruce Zimmerman – Eric Haase takes Zimmerman deep for a solo shot when he leads off the 5th to tack on another & Castro adds to his big day w/ a long ball in the 7th, another solo shot off of Zimmerman. The O’s lefty goes 6 innings, allows 3 runs on 7 hits, walks 1 & strikes out 2 but the bats go silent & are unable to give him any run support. The Orioles didn’t get their first hit until the 5th inning when Tyler Nevin singles & don’t get a man into scoring position until Ramon Urias leads off w/ a double against Jimenez in the 7th. Detroit wins for the 2nd time in a row after winning only twice in their last 11 prior. Baltimore has now lost 2 in a row after winning 8 of 12, they will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday in Game 3.
Det (11-23) Bal (14-20)
WP : Peralta (1-0)
LP : Zimmerman (2-2)
Game 3 : Tigers 5, Orioles 1 – Miguel Cabrera homers for the 2nd time in the 3-game Series & Tarik Skubal ties a career high w/ 11 strikeouts as the Tigers sweep the Orioles in convincing fashion. Cabrera has 2 hits, drives in 2 & scores twice, as he hits a solo shot in the 2nd, the 505th of his career & has a 6-game hitting streak in which he is batting .500 in that span. O’s starter, Tyler Wells allows 3 runs on 8 hits, he strikes out 2 & walks none in 4 innings of work. Harold Castro adds an RBI double in the 2nd after the Cabrera homer & Cabrera adds a sac fly in the 3rd against Wells to tack on another. Skubal is marvelous all day long – going 6 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits & walking 2, his bullpen records the final 9 outs as he earns his 3rd win of the season. Jacob Barnes & Rony Garcia work the final 3 innings in relief & the Orioles strike out a season high 16 times in the game against Tigers pitching. They don’t get on the scoreboard until Trey Mancini’s solo blast off of Garcia in the 9th which helps the O’s avoid being shutout in back to back games. Tucker Barnhart singles in a run in the 7th against Logan Allen & Castro adds another single in the 8th against Bryan Baker, he has 3 hits & drives in 2 on the day, also scores a run. Detroit pulls off the sweep & wins it’s first Series at home this season. Baltimore has now lost 3 in a row after winning 8 of 12, they are a banged up bunch & w/ no days off until May 26th.
Det (12-23) Bal (14-21)
WP : Skubal (3-2)
LP : Wells (1-3)
Baltimore now heads home for a 7-game homestand, starting w/ 4 against the New York Yankees & ending w/ 3 against Tampa Bay. This team is missing 3 starters due to injury right now & is a battered group.
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GO O’S!!
#WalkingWounded