Tigers edge Orioles in 10 innings, move half-game behind Twins

BALTIMORE — Manager AJ Hinch has done his darndest to keep the playoff race narrative out of his clubhouse and away from his young players.

But, believe this: He is in full playoff managerial mode.

He played every perceived advantage, however marginal, to put the Detroit Tigers in a position to win Saturday. And, despite giving up a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, they pulled out a 6-4 win in 10 innings, hushing a boisterous crowd of 39,647 at Camden Yards.

Riley Greene, who had three hits and a walk, singled home the free runner in the 10th and, after pinch-hitter Jace Jung doubled, scored on a sacrifice fly by Zach McKinstry.

Credit right-hander Beau Brieske for rescuing the Tigers in the ninth.

Gunnar Henderson ripped a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth off Jason Foley to tie the score. Brieske was hastily summoned with runners on first and third and no outs and he didn't give an inch. He got Cedric Mullins on a grounder to second and then shortstop Trey Sweeney made a clutch catch of a pop up in shallow left.

He caught the ball despite getting tangled with left fielder Greene.

Brieske then got the game to extra innings, getting Colton Cowser to fly out to center.

He finished it off, stranding the free runner in the 10th.

The score was tied, 2-2 in the top of the eighth when Hinch started pressing buttons. The Tigers had left runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings. And they put the first two hitters on in the eighth, against lefty reliever Cionel Perez.

Matt Vierling and Greene both singled. That brought lefty-swinging Kerry Carpenter up and Hinch went to his bench, sending up catcher Jake Rogers to pinch-hit.

Marginal move but it paid off. Rogers was batting .169 with a .494 OPS against left-handed pitching; Carpenter .107, .408.

Advantage Rogers. He hit a hard ground-ball, 96 mph, to the right of rookie second baseman Jackson Holliday. Holliday couldn’t make the backhand play.

Vierling scored and Greene hustled into third, sliding around a strong throw from center fielder Mullins. Rogers, credited with an RBI single, scampered into second base.

Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde brought in right-hander Seranthony Dominguez to face Spencer Torkelson.

Hinch countered with lefty Colt Keith, one of the rare times he’s pinch-hit for Torkelson. Keith delivered a sacrifice fly.

With the win, the Tigers (81-74) move to a half-game behind the Twins for the final wild-card spot. The Twins-Red Sox game was rained out Saturday.

They also guaranteed themselves their first non-losing season since 2016.

Dillon Dingler, who was in a 2-for-38 skid, got the Tigers on the board first. With two outs and two runners on in the second inning, he drove a two-strike pitch from lefty Cade Povich to the wall in right-center.

His triple scored both runs and the only runs the Tigers could muster against Povich.

Dingler finished with two hits and an 11-pitch walk.

The Orioles went about erasing that lead in very un-Oriole fashion. They came into the game leading baseball with 224 homers, having bashed five in their 7-1 win Friday.

Saturday, though, they slapped the Tigers with singles, most to the opposite field.

Reese Olson made his second start since coming back off the injured list. It was always going to be a short outing, but a 29-pitch second inning shortened it further.

He was yanking pitches to his glove side (in on left-handed hitters), especially his slider and it got him in trouble. He walked a batter and hit another in the second, loading the bases with one out.

He limited the damage to a run on a sacrifice fly by Emmanuel Rivera, but he came out for the third inning knowing it would be his last.

Still, he made the most of it, striking out the top of the Orioles’ order — Gunnar Henderson, Mullins and Anthony Santander.

Lefty Brant Hurter took over and promptly gave up three opposite-field singles to left-handed hitters. But the scoreboard didn’t change.

Credit left fielder Greene for that. He threw out Adley Rutschman at the plate trying to score from second on a single by Heston Kjerstad.

Greene’s throw to the plate rang the radar gun at 92.1 mph, the hardest throw of his career. It was his fourth outfield assist this season.

The Orioles, who nicked Hurter with five singles in 2 2/3 innings, tied the score in the sixth on an RBI single by Rivera.

Lefty Sean Guenther quieted the Orioles in the seventh and eighth innings, getting the game to Foley in the ninth.

Olson was the beneficiary of a sterling defensive play in the first inning by center fielder Parker Meadows. Meadows took the blame for letting a ball drop in the first inning Friday.

This time he robbed Mullins of extra bases with diving catch in right-center. Statcast had a 15% catch probability on it. Meadows covered 87 feet in 29.9 feet per second.

____