Riley Greene singled in a run in the top of the 10th inning and Zach McKinstry added a sacrifice fly as the Detroit Tigers pulled out a 6-4 road victory against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
The Tigers (81-74) have won five of their past six games in their quest to rise in the American League wild-card mix.
The Orioles (86-69) had a two-game winning streak snapped as they try to catch the New York Yankees atop the AL East.
The Tigers rebounded after squandering a two-run lead in the ninth and had to hang on to extend the game.
Gunnar Henderson’s two-run double with the bases loaded and no outs tied the score in the ninth for Baltimore. With runners on second and third after Henderson’s double, Cedric Mullins grounded out, Anthony Santander popped out and Colton Cowser flied out against Beau Brieske (3-4), who was summoned from the bullpen after Jason Foloey failed to record an out while facing four batters.
The Tigers went ahead on Jake Rogers’ pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning. Tigers relievers mostly kept the Orioles in check until the ninth.
The first three Tigers batters in the eighth singled off Cionel Perez. Rogers drove in the first run and pinch hitter Colt Keith’s sacrifice fly off Seranthony Dominguez accounted for the second run. It was Rogers’ first RBI this month in his 15th game.
Dillon Dingler, a rookie appearing in his 24th big-league game, was an unlikely contributor for the Tigers. He ended a 1-for-31 funk with a two-run triple in his first at-bat. Greene had three hits.
Emmanuel Rivera drove in the first two runs for Baltimore and Heston Kjerstad had three hits.
Orioles starter Cade Povich was charged with two runs on two hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking three. Yennier Cano (4-3) took the loss.
The Orioles, who homered five times in Friday night’s 7-1 series-opening victory, didn’t have an extra-base hit Saturday until Henderson came through in the ninth.
Detroit starter Reese Olson went three innings, giving up one run on one hit and a walk to go with three strikeouts.
Dingler gave the Tigers their first lead of this series with his two-run triple in the second inning.
The Orioles responded in the bottom of the second inning on Rivera’s sacrifice fly. Baltimore pulled even on Rivera’s two-out RBI single in the sixth.
