Final
O's rally past Tigers in 8th, take 2-0 series lead
Oct 3, 2014 - 11:01 PM Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - So much for those three aces.The Baltimore Orioles battered the Detroit Tigers' leaky bullpen in the eighth inning again.
And Delmon Young added to his already impressive postseason resume.
Young hit a pinch-hit, go-ahead three-run double as part of a four-run eighth inning and the Orioles rallied past the Tigers, 7-6, in Game 2 of the American League Division Series to put them on the brink of elimination.
Baltimore has now scored 12 runs in the eighth over the first two games of the set after plating eight during Thursday's 12-3 Game 1 win.
The Orioles trailed 6-3 before Joba Chamberlain got Alejandro De Aza to ground out to start the eighth, but it was the only out he'd record. Chamberlain hit Adam Jones with a pitch and consecutive singles by Nelson Cruz and Steve Pearce brought home Jones.
Joakim Soria (0-1) took over on the mound and walked J.J. Hardy to load the bases. A first-pitch-swinging Young then ripped a slider down the left-field line to clear the bases. Hardy was just able to slide past catcher Alex Avila to beat Ian Kinsler's throw to the plate.
"Any time we have an opportunity and get guys on, we think we can win," Young said.
Young, the 2012 ALCS MVP while with the Tigers, is a career .271 postseason hitter (32-of-118) with nine homers and 21 RBI.
Zach Britton fired a 1-2-3 ninth for his first postseason save. Baltimore will look for the series sweep Sunday in Detroit. The Tigers will trot out the third of their three straight AL Cy Young Award winners in David Price.
"We're 0-2, we understand it," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "If you win Game 3, you look to Game 4, but you don't look past the day in front of you."
Nick Markakis smacked a two-run homer, Cruz posted two hits and a run scored and Jones tallied a hit and a pair of runs scored for the Orioles, who can advance to their first American League Championship Series since 1997 with a win Sunday.
Brad Brach (1-0) picked up the win after recording the final two outs in the top of the eighth. Kevin Gaussman had given up a run and three hits over 3 2/3 frames of relief prior to Brach entering the game.
J.D. Martinez cracked a three-run shot, Nick Castellanos added a solo blast and Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a run scored for Detroit.
Tigers starter Justin Verlander, who had his scoreless ALDS innings streak snapped at 32 innings, labored through five-plus frames. He allowed three runs on six hits and a walk.
Baltimore opened the scoring with two runs in the third.
Jonathan Schoop hit a two-out single and Markakis laced a 3-2 fastball for his two-run homer. The ball ricocheted off the pole that holds the gate for the bullpen beyond the fence in right-center and landed back into the field of play. The homer was confirmed following a review.
The Tigers answered quickly by plating five runs on just 10 pitches to start the fourth against O's starter Wei-Yin Chen, who had yielded just one hit through his first three frames.
Torii Hunter lined a single to center to lead off the frame and Cabrera followed by banging a double halfway up the wall in center to put runners on second and third. Victor Martinez snuck a roller through the left side of the infield to bring home Hunter.
J.D. Martinez cracked his three-run blast into the seats in left and Castellanos went the other way for his solo shot that just cleared the high wall in right to give Detroit a 5-2 lead.
Baltimore got a run back in the home half on Hardy's RBI single, cutting the gap to 5-3, but left two men on base in the fifth. Jones popped out in foul territory with runners on the corners to end the threat.
Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez came out of the pen to fire two straight scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh before everything came unglued in the eighth.
The Tigers added another run in the top half of the eighth to make it 6-3.
Hunter walked and Cabrera singled before Victor Martinez belted a one-hop double to center. Hunter scored easily, but Hardy threw out Cabrera at the plate.
Game Notes
Young went 10-for-20 during the regular season as a pinch hitter ... Detroit's bullpen is a combined 3-8 with a 5.87 ERA over their last four postseasons ... Tigers center fielder Rajai Davis (pelvic strain) was replaced in the fourth inning by a pinch-runner ... Baltimore's Miguel Gonzalez will make his second career postseason start Sunday ... Sanchez had only pitched one inning since Aug. 8 while coming back from a pectoral strain.
- DETROIT: 6
BALTIMORE: 7
Final
Oct 3 3:50 PM - Pinch-Hitter Delmon Young double to left scored Nelson Cruz, Steve Pearce and J.J. Hardy. Runner on second with one out and Caleb Joseph due up.
Tigers 6, Orioles 7 Bot 8, 1 OutOct 3 3:36 PM - Delmon Young doubles to deep left field. J.J. Hardy scores. Steve Pearce scores. Nelson Cruz scores.
Tigers 6, Orioles 7 Bot 8, 1 OutOct 3 3:35 PM - Steve Pearce single to right scored Adam Jones. On the play, Nelson Cruz advances to second. Runners on first and second with one out and J.J. Hardy due up.
Tigers 6, Orioles 4 Bot 8, 1 OutOct 3 3:28 PM - Steve Pearce singles to right center field. Nelson Cruz to second. Adam Jones scores.
Tigers 6, Orioles 4 Bot 8, 1 OutOct 3 3:28 PM - Victor Martinez double to center scored Torii Hunter. On the play, Miguel Cabrera thrown out home. Runner on second with one out and J.D. Martinez due up.
Tigers 6, Orioles 3 Top 8, 1 OutOct 3 3:12 PM - Victor Martinez doubles to deep center field. Miguel Cabrera out at home. Torii Hunter scores.
Tigers 6, Orioles 3 Top 8, 0 OutsOct 3 3:11 PM - J.J. Hardy single to left scored Adam Jones. Runner on first with two outs and Ryan Flaherty due up.
Tigers 5, Orioles 3 Bot 4, 2 OutsOct 3 1:46 PM - J.J. Hardy singles to left center field. Adam Jones scores.
Tigers 5, Orioles 3 Bot 4, 2 OutsOct 3 1:46 PM - Nick Castellanos none-out, solo Home Run (1) to right. Alex Avila due up.
Tigers 5, Orioles 2 Top 4, 0 OutsOct 3 1:20 PM - J.D. Martinez none-out, three-run Home Run (2) to left scored Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Nick Castellanos due up.
Tigers 4, Orioles 2 Top 4, 0 OutsOct 3 1:18 PM - J.D. Martinez homers to left field. Victor Martinez scores. Miguel Cabrera scores.
Tigers 4, Orioles 2 Top 4, 0 OutsOct 3 1:18 PM - Victor Martinez single to left scored Torii Hunter. On the play, Miguel Cabrera advances to third. Runners on first and third with none out and J.D. Martinez due up.
Tigers 1, Orioles 2 Top 4, 0 OutsOct 3 1:18 PM - Victor Martinez singles to left field. Miguel Cabrera to third. Torii Hunter scores.
Tigers 1, Orioles 2 Top 4, 0 OutsOct 3 1:17 PM - Nick Markakis two-out, two-run Home Run (1) to right scored Jonathan Schoop. Alejandro De Aza due up.
Tigers 0, Orioles 2 Bot 3, 2 OutsOct 3 1:07 PM - Nick Markakis homers to right field. Jonathan Schoop scores.
Tigers 0, Orioles 2 Bot 3, 2 OutsOct 3 1:03 PM - Ian Kinsler pops out to shallow right field to Jonathan Schoop.
Oct 3 12:09 PM - DETROIT: 0
BALTIMORE: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Oct 3 12:08 PM
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