Tigers 5, Orioles 3: A two-out cycle for the win

It was a wild ride.

After an off day on Monday, the Tigers headed to Baltimore to take on the Orioles, a team that took two months to remember they could play well. The Tigers were relying on a bullpen day for pitching, with Brant Hurter getting the Opener call, while the Orioles turned to Cade Povich.

With two outs in the top of the first, Riley Greene walked, but he’d soon walk right back to the dugout as a strikeout ended the inning. In the home half, Gunnar Henderson reached on a two-out error by Gleyber Torres, but there was no opportunity for the Orioles to turn it into a run, as they struckout to end the inning.

In the second, Zach McKinstry tripled to start the inning. A sac fly from Wenceel Perez brought in the first run of the game, as McKinstry scored.

In the home half of the second, Ryan O’Hearn was hit by a pitch, but three outs followed, limiting the potential damage.

The game headed into the third and Jahmai Jones hit a one-out single, then one out later Riley Greene singled. They’d both be left stranded as a Dillon Dingler strikeout ended the inning. In the home half Jackson Holliday got a one-out single. Then, with two outs, he successfully stole second. Henderson then singled to bring Holliday home and tie the game. That was it for Hurter, who was replaced by Chase Lee, who collected the final out of the inning.

With two outs in the fourth, Wenceel Perez doubled on a ball that nearly got into the seats in left field. He’s swinging it well from both sides of the plate at the moment. Javier Baez lined a single to right field to get Perez home.

In the home half, Sawyer Gipson-Long came on to replace Lee, and got three outs in a row. Two of them were thanks to some excellent fielding by Baez, who was grinning the whole time, looking like he never left shortstop. Gipson-Long would pitch very well in the bulk innings role, running his fourseamer up to 96 mph and really carving up the Orioles with a great changeup.

In the fifth, things really broke open for the Tigers, and all with two outs. First, Riley Greene doubled and then a Dingler single brought him home. They weren’t done there though, as Spencer Torkelson homered to dead center. It almost looked like Cowser might commit a robbery, but he just missed grabbing it. That’s 16 bombs for Torkelson on the year.

Zach McKinstry then singled, and while he didn’t score the Tigers did manage an unusual feat, as they performed a combined cycle with two outs in the inning: double, single, home run, triple. They also chased Povich from the game, as he was replaced by Seranthony Domínguez for the final out of the inning.

The Orioles went 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the fifth and Gipson-Long was cruising nicely.

In the top of the sixth, the Tigers were three-up, three-down. In the bottom of the sixth, Ramon Laureano got a two-out single, but that was it for the Orioles.

In the seventh, Yennier Cano was the next pitcher out of the Orioles’ pen, and while he gave up a leadoff single to Torres, he got the next three outs in order. In the home half, Jordan Westburg was hit by a pitch, but a strikeout and double play ended the inning with no harm done.

Scott Blewett was next up for the Orioles relievers. Wenceel Perez got a one-out single, but a double play quickly ended the inning for the Tigers. The bottom of the eighth got rocky for the Tigers. Jackson Holliday hit a one-out double, and then advanced to third on a wild pitch by Gipson-Long. Adley Rutschman his a sac fly to score Holliday. Henderson then doubled, and that was it for Gipson-Long, who was replaced by Tommy Kahnle. Ramon Laureano walked and Kahnle was struggling to locate for a bit, but that was it for the Orioles, who would have to settle for the single run.

Here’s a look at Gipson-Long’s night.

With two outs in the top of the ninth, Torres singled, but he was the only Tiger to get on base in the inning. Will Vest came on in the bottom of the inning and gave up a leadoff home run to Westburg. This was just the second home run of the season for Vest. Vest recovered though, getting the next three outs in order.

The Tigers are now 44-24 with a 7.5 game lead over the Twins, who are losing badly to Texas in the eighth. The Guardians already lost to the Reds, while the Royals are currently down big to the Yankees and highly unlikely to come back in that one down 10-2 in the seventh as of this writing.

Final: Tigers 5, Orioles 3