Bad times all around.
The Tigers were feeling pretty good after their series-opening win on Tuesday and were hoping to continue that momentum against the Orioles on Wednesday evening. They were turning to Casey Mize for their pitching needs, while the O’s were hoping Zach Eflin could stymie the Tigers’ bats.
At the top of the first, the Tigers went 1-2-3. In the home half, Gunnar Henderson took a two-out walk, then successfully stole second base, but a Ryan O’Hearn lineout ended the inning.
It was another three-up, three-down outing for the Tigers in the top of the second. The home half started with a Jordan Westburg double, but a strikeout and double play ended the inning with no damage done.
The Tigers finally got a baserunner in the top of the third, with a two-out walk by Zach McKinstry. In the home half, Mize continued to look a bit uneven, and this time he wouldn’t be able to pitch his way out of the issues he was having. Cedric Mullins doubled to start things off, then Ramon Urias hit a home run to bring two runs in and give the Orioles an early lead. Jackson Holliday then singled, but Mize managed three outs in a row to finally get himself out of the inning.
Riley Greene got a two-out single in the fourth, but the Tigers couldn’t capitalize on the baserunner. In the home half, Westburg took a leadoff walk, then Colton Cowser singled. Once again, though, Mize was able to pitch his way out of the jam and leave the runners stranded.
The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth, and it’s worth a quick note that this game is flying by, but now that I’ve written that, it seems likely the final innings will take four hours to finish. Adley Rutschman got a one-out single in the bottom of the inning, then Henderson singled behind him. But with two on, Mize collected the final two outs of the inning.
In the sixth, Gleyber Torres extended his on-base streak to 18 games with a two-out single, but the Tigers left him stranded. After a one-out single to Ramon Laureano in the sixth, that was the end of the day for Mize, whose final line was 5.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR on 90 pitches. He had a few rough patches throughout, but when his stuff was good, it was good. Tyler Holton came out of the pen in relief, and Ramon Urias singled, but thanks to a fielding error by Wenceel Perez, Laureano was able to advance to third. Then Urias stole second. Even with a runner 90 feet away, Holton stayed in the zone and got the final out of the inning.
Spencer Torkelson got a one-out single in the seventh, then Wenceel Perez singled on his heels. The Tigers did not throw away their shot, and a Colt Keith double helped them score their first run of the game.
Dillon Dingler replaced Jake Rogers and hit a fielder’s choice, with Perez getting tagged out, making for home. Eflin’s day was done, and he was replaced by Keegan Akin, who got the final out of the inning. Rutschman started the home half with a double, then Henderson singled, scoring Rutschman. O’Hearn grounded into a double play, but that was the end of the night for Holton. Brenan Hanifee was next out of the pen, hoping to get the final out of the inning, and he did just that.
Bryan Baker came in for the Orioles in the eighth, and unsurprisingly, given how this game has gone so far, the Tigers went 1-2-3. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Laureano singled. Mullins then hit an RBI double, pushing the Orioles’ lead to 4-1. With two outs, the Tigers turned things over to Beau Brieske. A wild pitch then allowed Mullins to score. Jackson Holliday singled on a pitch that basically bounced right off Brieske’s glove. Holliday stole second, and then Rutschman walked. Henderson walked. Then O’Hearn singled to bring two runs across and really blow the lead open. Oh, you thought that was bad? Well, Westburg homered to score three runs. At the end of the eighth, the score was 10-1, and while I never really count the Tigers out completely, I’m pretty sure they’re not coming back tonight.
Old friend Gregory Soto was out in the top of the ninth. The Tigers didn’t give him much of a fight, going down in order, and the game was done.