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Detroit Tigers get within half-game of Twins in wild-card with 6-4 (10) win over O's
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- Detroit Tigers get within half-game of Twins in wild-card with 6-4 (10) win over O's
BALTIMORE — The Detroit Tigers took care of business in extra innings.
Right-handed reliever Jason Foley squandered two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, but his teammates picked him up in the top of the 10th inning.
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The Tigers showed their resiliency once again in a 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in the second of three games in the series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, scoring two runs in the top of the 10th off right-handed reliever Yennier Cano .
"What a game," manager A.J. Hinch said. "From the beginning to the end, it was just an incredible back-and-forth. Low-scoring game to runners all over the place late to a lot of big pitches our end, a huge defensive play by (Trey) Sweeney, some timely hitting and an incredible character win. I'm rarely at a loss for words, but I just rattled off everything I know about the game."
Detroit Tigers pinch hitter Jace Jung (17) reacts after his run-scoring base hit during the 10th inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
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With the win, the Tigers (81-74) climbed to a half-game behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final spot in the American League wild-card race. The Twins and Boston Red Sox were rained out Saturday at Fenway Park, with a day-night doubleheader scheduled for Sunday.
The Tigers clinched their first non-losing season since 2016, when they went 86-75 and finished 2½ games out of a wild-card spot.
"It was pretty electric," Sweeney said. "Kind of felt like a playoff atmosphere. That was one of the first times I've experienced something like that, so it was pretty cool."
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (31) scores during the 10th inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
In the ninth inning, Foley loaded the bases against the first three batters: Heston Kjerstad (single), Emmanuel Rivera (single) and Jackson Holliday (walk).
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Gunnar Henderson stepped up in the clutch for the Orioles, ripping Foley's changeup for a two-run double to right-center field. The double tied the game, 4-4.
After that, the Tigers replaced Foley with right-handed reliever Beau Brieske . The Orioles had two runners in scoring position with nobody out, but Cedric Mullins grounded out, Anthony Santander popped out and Colton Cowser flied out.
Brieske stranded both runners with three outs in a row, forcing extra innings. On Santander's pop out, though, Sweeney sprinted from his position at shortstop to make a diving catch in shallow left field, which saved the game.
"I knew if it drops, the game is over," Sweeney said. "I just had to chase after it."
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The Tigers got the job done in the top of the 10th inning, scoring two runs on Riley Greene's RBI single and Zach McKinstry 's sacrifice fly for a 6-4 advantage.
Brieske returned for the bottom of the 10th inning.
He kept the Orioles from scoring.
"It was almost an out-of-body experience," Brieske said. "The adrenaline was so high. I don't know if I've ever had that much. There was just a tunnel directly to the plate. I didn't care, honestly. I just didn't care about the negative outcome. I wasn't afraid."
Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (left) greets pitcher Beau Brieske (right) after the final out of the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
A two-run eighth inning
The Tigers scored two runs in the eighth inning, taking a 4-2 lead.
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There were three singles in a row from Matt Vierling , Greene and Jake Rogers , facing left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez . The single from Rogers, who pinch-hit for Kerry Carpenter , bounced past the glove of second baseman Jackson Holliday and rolled into center field.
The Rogers single put the Tigers ahead, 3-2.
The Orioles swapped Pérez with right-handed reliever Seranthony Domíguez, so the Tigers countered by pinch-hitting Colt Keith for Spencer Torkelson .
Keith increased the Tigers' lead to 4-2 with a sacrifice fly.
The Tigers squandered their one-run lead in the sixth inning, when Rivera smacked a two-strike slider back up the middle for an RBI single off right-handed reliever Will Vest .
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It was the first batter of Vest's outing.
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Dillon Dingler delivers
To snap an 0-for-11 stretch, Dingler smacked an outside changeup from left-hander Cade Povich for a triple to right-center field with two strikes and two outs in the second inning.
On the double, Greene (walk) and Sweeney (double) scored for a 2-0 lead.
Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers hits in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 in Baltimore.
"The biggest part was just driving in the two runs," Dingler said. "Putting a couple of runs on the board early for our team, that was the biggest part. It was a little bit of a skid, but the ball fell, so I was happy."
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Povich allowed two runs on two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts across five innings, throwing 89 pitches. The Tigers had runners on base in the second, third and fourth innings, but only scored in the second.
Reese Olson starts
Right-hander Reese Olson started for the second time since his return from the injured list, but his pitch count and innings remained limited. The 25-year-old, who missed nearly two months, threw 58 pitches across three innings.
"I didn't feel very sharp in the first two innings," Olson said. "I made a little adjustment with a little cue in my lower half, and it cleaned things up. The third inning was pretty good. I'll use that cue going forward."
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A 29-pitch second inning impacted Olson's chances of pitching deeper into the game. He responded by striking out all three batters swinging in the third inning: Henderson (changeup), Mullins (changeup) and Santander (slider).
The Orioles scored one run off Olson in the second inning, when Rivera produced a sacrifice fly.
Olson allowed one run on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts across three innings. He generated 11 whiffs on 27 swings — a 40.7% whiff rate — with three changeups and eight sliders.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers bats deliver in 10th inning of 6-4 win over Orioles
