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Mistake on defense sets tone for Detroit Tigers in 7-1 loss to Baltimore Orioles
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- Mistake on defense sets tone for Detroit Tigers in 7-1 loss to Baltimore Orioles
BALTIMORE — A fly ball that should've been caught by the Detroit Tigers dropped between center fielder Parker Meadows and right fielder Kerry Carpenter in the first inning, resulting in a leadoff double for Gunnar Henderson .
The rare mistake set the tone for the Tigers .
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"It's on me," Meadows said.
The Tigers lost, 7-1, to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday in the first of three games in the series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, snapping a four-game winning streak. The Orioles won back-to-back games for the first time since three wins in a row from Sept. 1-3.
In the postseason race, the Tigers (80-74) trail the Minnesota Twins by one game — two games counting the tiebreaker — for the third and final American League wild-card spot , as the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox in 12 innings.
There are eight games remaining in the regular season.
"Playoff atmosphere, for sure," Meadows said. "They came out swinging. It's a three-game series for a reason, so we're going to come out tomorrow and give it everything we got."
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) tags out Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (30) on a first inning steal attempt at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
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The Orioles launched a season-high five home runs, including a two-run homer from Anthony Santander against left-hander Tyler Holton — a traditional reliever who worked as an opener — with two strikes and two outs in the first inning.
It was his 43rd homer of the season.
The Santander-Holton matchup wouldn't have happened if not for miscommunication in the outfield between Meadows and Carpenter. On the play, Carpenter appeared to call the ball, then he backed off too late. With two outs, Santander made the Tigers pay by crushing a 420-foot two-run home run to left-center.
"I thought I saw him wave his hands," Meadows said, "but I just got to take charge out there and want every ball."
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Manager A.J. Hinch explained the miscommunication.
"Parker thought that he saw Carp wave him off with his hand," Hinch said, "which is the way you call the ball whenever it's really loud, and Carp really never did that."
For the second inning, right-hander Keider Montero — who started 15 of 16 games in his MLB career before Friday's game — replaced Holton as the bulk reliever. His first pitch, a fastball to Colton Cowser , traveled for a solo home run to straightaway center, making it 3-0.
Montero surrendered a total of four homers.
"I kept my routine as if I was starting," Montero said in Spanish, interpreted by Carlos Guillén, manager of Spanish communication and broadcasting. "I did my whole routine previous to the game. I didn't change my mindset, my preparation or my plan on the field. It didn't affect me at all because I did everything as if I was a starter."
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Keider Montero (54) throws a second inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
After Cowser's blast, Montero allowed a two-run home run to James McCann in the fourth inning, a solo home run to Cowser in the sixth inning and a solo home run to McCann in the sixth inning. Both Cowser and McCann produced multi-homer games.
Montero, who exited with a 7-0 deficit to the Orioles, allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts across 4⅔ innings, throwing 82 pitches. The 24-year-old, despite his struggles, showcased a nasty changeup.
"The swing and miss, he generated more swing and miss," Hinch said. "He faced these guys five days ago. He got seven punchouts, only got one last week. I told him on the mound, 'Keep your head high. You're going to get the ball again in five or six days, and you're going to help us win.'"
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The five homers combined for 2,060 feet.
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Corbin Burnes cooks
The Tigers had to face right-hander Corbin Burnes for the second time in seven days, and for the second time in seven days, the Tigers were shut down by Burnes.
This time, the former National League Cy Young Award winner tossed seven scoreless innings on three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts, throwing 91 pitches. (Last time, he threw seven scoreless innings on two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.)
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"His arsenal was pretty similar to last time," Meadows said. "Finding the edges. He was on."
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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a first inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.
In the second matchup, the Tigers put at least one runner on base in four of the seven innings. The best opportunity to score came in the sixth inning, when Carpenter doubled and Matt Vierling walked with two outs, but Riley Greene grounded out.
The Tigers also had a good chance to score in the third inning, when Trey Sweeney singled and Parker Meadows walked, but Carpenter grounded out to strand the runners.
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Burnes has a 2.95 ERA in 31 starts.
"He's really good," Hinch said. "He started the All-Star Game for a reason. He's really tough on us. Over the course of two games, we hardly got any good swings off him. He dominated the day."
The Tigers scored their lone run on Sweeney's RBI single off right-handed reliever Jacob Webb with two outs in the ninth inning.
Kenta Maeda cleans up
Bringing in right-handed reliever Kenta Maeda is generally a sign of surrender.
That's what the Tigers did with two outs in the sixth inning, following McCann's second home run. But Maeda, who has 27 games of postseason experience in his eight-year career, tossed 2⅓ scoreless innings with five strikeouts, all while throwing 18 of 23 pitches for strikes.
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Maeda retired all seven batters.
He struck out the side in the eighth inning on 10 pitches, missing an immaculate inning by one pitch.
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 win streak ends at 4 with 7-1 loss to Baltimore Orioles
