The Baltimore Orioles left Detroit with a win that checked a few boxes at once: 12 hits, three home runs and an 8-5 victory over the Tigers on Monday night.
That kind of offensive night was a welcome change after a weekend at home that featured three one-run games against the Atlanta Braves. Baltimore didn’t just win; it did it by three runs, and that mattered.
Kyle Bradish, though, had to grind for it. The newly extended right-hander wasn’t sharp, needing 93 pitches, 60 K’s to get through 24 Detroit batters in 4.2 innings. By the time Yennier Cano took over, Bradish had already given up all five Tigers runs on 10 hits, with one walk, four strikeouts and a wild pitch.
The Orioles’ bullpen finished the job from there. Grant Wolfram (3-2) got the win after 1.1 innings and two strikeouts, and Rico Garcia locked down his fifth save by striking out two in a clean ninth.
Baltimore’s lineup did plenty of damage, and Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday were right in the middle of it. Mayo went 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs, and his 14th homer of the season was a two-run blast to left center in the fifth.
Holliday scored on that swing and finished 4 for 5 with a double and two runs scored. It was the fourth four-hit game of his career.
The fifth inning also brought Leody Taveras’ fifth homer of the season, a 1 for 5 night that included two runs and an RBI.
Later, Tyler O’Neill came off the bench for Dylan Beavers and made his one swing count, launching his seventh homer of the year to left center to open the sixth.
Baltimore got on the board early. In the first, with Pete Alonso at third and Gunnar Henderson at first and one out, Taylor Ward’s forceout to second brought Alonso home. Alonso’s double was his 100th hit of the season, tying him with Atlanta’s Matt Olson as the only two players with seven or more seasons with at least 100 hits and 20 homeruns since 2019.
The second inning added more separation. Holliday doubled to start the frame, moved to third on Colt Keith’s fielding error on a grounder by Mayo, then scored on Jeremiah Jackson’s ground out to third. Mayo followed by scoring on Dylan Beavers’ single with two outs.
Mayo drove in Taveras again in the fourth with an RBI single, pushing Baltimore further in front.
Then came the strangest part of the night: a black squirrel taking over Comerica Park in the middle innings. The crowd of 21,913 wasn’t thrilled when the grounds crew finally removed it during the seventh-inning stretch, booing the crew as it did. Taveras even joined the effort to help retire the squirrel, and home plate umpire Bill Miller took the microphone to thank the grounds crew.
It was, in every sense, a game with a little bit of everything.
In Other News...
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Colton Cowser looks like the most realistic position-player possibility if the Orioles decide to move a regular, while the pitching side could also draw interest beyond the obvious headline names. Dean Kremer is among the arms being discussed, and with Trevor Rogers and Tarik Skubal also in the mix, Baltimore appears positioned to be part buyer, part seller, and maybe one of the more unpredictable teams to watch over the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Deadline Tension Just Spilled Into A Bryce Harper Conflict
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The Orioles have built around Rutschman as a centerpiece, so any deadline noise around him lands with real weight even before a move is seriously on the table. Baltimore also has to balance todays roster against tomorrows, and with the market tightening for premium talent, the next few days could force the front office to weigh short-term stability against a chance to reshape the clubs future. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Suddenly Have A Dean Kremer Question They Can't Ignore
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Kremers path this season has already been unusual, beginning in the minors before a quad strain and a 60-day IL stint delayed his return to the active roster. Since getting back, he has shown why the Orioles still had him in the mix, but the last few outings have raised a real question about whether he can steady himself quickly enough for a team that cannot afford many more empty nights from the back end of the rotation. [Read more 🡒]