Baltimore 11, Detroit 3
When: 7:10 PM ET, Saturday, September 10, 2016
Where: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
Temperature:
71°
Umpires:
Home -
Andy Fletcher, 1B -
Kerwin Danley, 2B -
Mark Ripperger, 3B -
Joe West
Attendance:
36634
By The Sports Xchange
DETROIT -- From top to bottom, the Baltimore Orioles can bury opponents with the long ball.
Their game in Detroit on Saturday was another case in point for the majors' leader in home runs. Adam Jones homered on the first pitch and the No. 8 hitter, Matt Wieters, blasted two homers and drove in five runs as the Orioles pounded the Detroit Tigers 11-3 at Comerica Park.
Chris Davis supplied a two-run homer, his 36th of the season, in the first inning. The Orioles, who moved a game ahead of Detroit in the race for the American League's second wild-card spot, have gone deep 224 times.
"As far as where guys hit, our guys look around and it doesn't really matter to them," manager Buck Showalter said. "We always try to do the lineup where we space it out a little bit. We can take our 8-hole hitter and hit him third and we could take our 9-hole hitter and hit him second. We have a lot of versatile guys."
Jones had three hits and a walk and knocked in two runs. Jones isn't a prototypical leadoff hitter -- he has a .322 on-base percentage -- but sets an aggressive tone.
"That's kind of Adam's M.O.," Showalter said. "We like Adam the way he is. He doesn't have any days where he's not engaged. Guys like Adam seem to find a way to show who they are at this time of year."
Wieters notched his second multi-homer game of the season and sixth of his career.
Ubaldo Jiminez (7-11) won his second consecutive start, holding the Tigers to two runs on four hits with four strikeouts over seven innings.
Jiminez settled in after giving up a first-inning run.
"In that inning, I got into a little bit of trouble," he said. "After that, I was able to command my sinker. It was really good and after the second inning, I was able to throw all my breaking balls. Behind in the count, ahead in the count -- whatever (catcher) Wieters was putting out there, I was able to execute."
Detroit starter Jordan Zimmermann lasted just one-plus inning in his first start since coming off the 15-day disabled list. Zimmermann (9-6), who recovered from a neck strain, allowed six runs -- including three homers -- on four hits with three walks.
"I felt good -- I guess that's about the only positive I can take out of this," Zimmermann said. "Physically I felt pretty good. I just wasn't locating the fastball. I was trying for the corner, and I'd miss five inches off, or five inches down the middle."
Zimmermann, the AL's Pitcher of the Month in April, has made only two starts since late June.
"I've had two or three months off, and two short outings, so it's really, really frustrating for me right now," he said. "I'm doing everything I can. I'm doing all my work. Just having some bad luck right now."
Jones' fifth career leadoff homer set the tone for Zimmermann's abbreviated return. One out later, Davis drilled an opposite-field, two-run shot to make it 3-0.
The Tigers got one run back in the bottom of the first on J.D. Martinez's RBI single.
Zimmermann walked the leadoff man in the second and Wieters followed with his 13th homer of the season. Zimmermann then gave up a single and a walk before manager Brad Ausmus went to the bullpen. The Orioles added another run when Blaine Hardy threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded.
Jones' two-out RBI single in the third gave Baltimore a 7-1 lead. The Orioles tacked on another run in the fourth on Mark Trumbo's run-scoring double.
Wieters' second homer of the game, a three-run shot off Buck Farmer, gave Baltimore an 11-2 lead in the sixth.
NOTES: Orioles RHP Chris Tillman will come off the 15-day disabled list and start the series finale on Sunday. Baltimore's ace hasn't pitched since Aug. 20 because of right shoulder bursitis. "I expect him to be a little rusty," manager Buck Showalter said. ... Orioles 2B Jonathan Schoop started his 141st consecutive game, the second-longest active streak behind Kansas City's Alcides Escobar (149). ... Detroit will start LHP Daniel Norris, LHP Matt Boyd and RHP Anibal Sanchez for the first three contests of a four-game series against Minnesota that begins on Monday. ... Detroit DH Victor Martinez's game-deciding home run in the eighth inning on Friday was the 12th go-ahead home run of his career in the eighth inning or later. He's had three such blasts this season. ... Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said rookie RHP Michael Fulmer will have his next start pushed back but didn't offer a timetable. Fulmer pitched seven innings in Friday's 4-3 win.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
Baltimore
|
12 |
4 |
26 |
.308 |
18 |
9 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
Detroit
|
8 |
0 |
10 |
.229 |
20 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
0 |