DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:
TIGERS BATTLE BACK IN THE NINTH IN LOSS TO ORIOLES: The Tigers suffered a 2-1 loss to the Orioles on Friday night. Trailing 1-0 in the top of the ninth and down to its final out, Detroit tied the game on a RBI single by Javier Báez. The Orioles came back in the bottom of the ninth and scored the winning run on a fielder’s choice. Michael Lorenzen started for the Tigers and threw 5.0 shutout innings, allowing three hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Chasen Shreve, José Cisnero and Tyler Holton each turned in scoreless outings in relief. Offensively, Jake Rogers had a pair of hits, while Akil Baddoo, Báez and Riley Greene each had one hit.
BÁEZ IN THE CLUTCH: Javier Báez drove in the game-tying run in the ninth inning of last night’s game with a two-out single. It marked Báez’s
14th career game-tying or go-ahead hit in the ninth inning-or-later. After starting the season 4×40 in his first 11 games of the season, Báez has hit safely in each of his last seven contests, over which he is 9×25 with three doubles and seven RBI.
BE LIKE MIKE: Making his second start of the season, Michael Lorenzen threw 5.0 shutout innings last night against the Orioles, giving up three hits with a walk and four strikeouts. It marked the fifth time in his career that he has thrown at least 5.0 scoreless frames in a start
(last, October 4, 2022 at Oakland). Lorenzen’s start continued a trend of good performances from Detroit’s starting rotation. Tigers starting pitchers have allowed three runs-or-fewer in seven of the last eight games, posting a 3.07 ERA (44.0IP/15ER) during that span.
MR. ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD: Jake Rogers went a perfect 2×2 at the plate last night, notching his second multi-hit game of the season. Rogers enter tonight’s game having reached base safely in nine consecutive games, the longest streak of his big league career. Over his current streak, Rogers is hitting .286/.394/.571 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI.
ANOTHER ONE-RUN GAME: The Tigers played their fifth consecutive one-run game last night, losing to the Orioles 2-1. It’s the first time Detroit has had five straight games decided by one run since August 24-30, 2021, when the Tigers played six straight one-run games. For the season, the Tigers are 4-3 in one-run affairs. Detroit’s seven one-run games this season are tied for the fourth most in the big leagues.
TIGERS AND ORIOLES: The Tigers and Orioles continue their seven-game season series tonight. Along with the three games this weekend, the two teams will play a four-game series next weekend in Detroit. The Tigers went 5-1 against Baltimore last season, including taking two-of-three games in Baltimore. Detroit has won the season series over the Orioles in each of the last five seasons the two teams have played.
ON THE ROAD: The Tigers are 0-1 on their current six-game road trip, which includes three games at Baltimore (0-1) and three games at Milwaukee (0-1). Detroit is 3-7 away from Comerica Park this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .195/.256/.305 on the road, while the
pitching staff has a 5.30 ERA (86.2IP/51ER).
TIGERS ON THE IL:
• RHP Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort, 15-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)
• RHP Matt Manning (right foot fracture, 15-day IL on April 8, retroactive to April 7)
• OF Austin Meadows (anxiety, 10-day IL on April 12)
• RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)
• RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on March 27)
• LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain, 60-day IL on March 14)
TONIGHT’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER – #43 Joey Wentz • 0-2, 6.39 ERA (12.2IP/9ER)
• Wentz will make his fourth start of the season tonight at Baltimore.
• Had his best start of the season in his last outing on April 14 vs. San Francisco, allowing only one run on six hits with a walk and a career-high seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
• Has faced the Orioles once in his career and earned the win on September 20, 2022, tossing 5.2 shutout innings with two hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts…will be making his first career appearance at Oriole Park at Camden Yards tonight.
• Saw his first Major League action in 2022, starting seven games and posting a 2-2 record with a 3.03 ERA (32.2IP/11ER) and 27 strikeouts… also appeared in 12 games, including 11 starts, with Triple A Toledo and went 2-2 with a 3.17 ERA (48.1IP/17ER) and 53 strikeouts.
• Pitched in the Arizona Fall League following the 2022 season and made three starts for Salt River, throwing 12.0 scoreless innings with two hits allowed, four walks and 14 strikeouts.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:
WIN COLUMN: The Orioles walked off the Tigers, 2-1, in last night’s series opener, improving to 7-0 in series openers this season…Marked their 11th walk-off win since the start of the 2022 season, tied for third in the AL and fourth in MLB during that span…Have won four straight games, six of their last seven, and eight of their last 10; their four-game winning streak is the team’s longest since another four-gamer from August 31 to September 3, 2022…The game clocked in at two hours and 25 minutes, the quickest home game of the season and third-shortest of the season.
Tyler Wells tossed a career-high 7.0 innings, surpassing his previous high of 6.0 innings, done six times (last: 4/9/23 vs. NYY); joined Kyle Gibson (4/4 at TEX) as the only O’s starters to complete 7.0 innings in a game this season.
Adam Frazier recorded his fourth career walk-off plate appearance and first since a walk-off home run in the 11th inning on August 19, 2018 vs. Chicago-NL with Pittsburgh.
GOING STREAKING: Orioles pitchers did not allow a run in 34 consecutive innings from the second inning on Sunday, April 16, at Chicago-AL through the eighth inning last night; according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marks the sixth-longest streak in club history (since 1954) and the longest since the O’s tossed 45 straight scoreless frames to end the 1995 campaign (see chart at right)…According to STATS, it is the longest streak by an AL team in a single season since Baltimore’s 45-inning streak in 1995.
HOME SWEET HOME: The O’s continue their six-game homestand tonight with the second of three games against the Tigers…The Orioles will then host the Red Sox from April 24-26…Baltimore went 4-3 (.571) in their season-opening homestand against the Yankees (1-2) and Athletics (3-1) from April 7-13.
AGAINST THE TIGERS: Baltimore and Detroit will play seven times in 2023 with the Orioles traveling to Comerica Park from April 27-30…The Birds went 1-5 against the Tigers last season, including being swept in three games in Detroit from May 13-15 and going 1-2 in Baltimore from September 19-21.
LOOKING AHEAD: Following the current homestand, the Birds embark on the longest road trip of the season with four games at Detroit from April 27-30, an off day on May 1, three games at Kansas City from May 2-4, and three games at Atlanta from May 5-7.
ON THE ATTACK: Baltimore is batting .248/.343/.426 (156-for-629) with 36 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs, 101 runs scored, 98 RBI, and 88 walks to start the season… The O’s rank fifth in the AL and tied for 10th in MLB in runs scored after finishing 10th in the AL and 20th in MLB with 674 runs scored in 2022…The Birds are fifth in MLB in on-base percentage while ranking among AL teams in walks (1st), slugging percentage (2nd), and OPS (2nd, .769).
The Orioles lead MLB with 4.12 pitches per plate appearance this season; the O’s have four players in the top 10 in the AL in pitches per plate appearance:
Adam Frazier (5th, 4.38), Adley Rutschman (6th, 4.36), Anthony Santander (8th, 4.33), and Gunnar Henderson (10th, 4.27); Cedric Mullins ranks 23rd in the AL with 4.13 pitches per plate appearance.
NEED FOR SPEED: The O’s have 25 stolen bases, trailing only the Guardians (26 SB) for the most in MLB this season…The 25 steals through the first 19 games of the year are the most in O’s history (since 1954) to open a campaign…The O’s have only been caught stealing three times for an 89.3 percent success rate…Cedric Mullins is tied with Chicago-NL’s Nico Hoerner for the MLB lead with nine stolen bases while Jorge Mateo is tied for second in the AL and third in MLB with eight steals…The duo’s 17 combined stolen bases are more than 21 MLB teams while six teams have eight or fewer steals to start 2023.
Mullins’ nine successful stolen bases are the most to begin a season by an Oriole since Adam Jones also swiped his first nine attempts in 2013; the last Orioles to steal 10-or-more bases successfully without being caught to begin a season are Brian Roberts and Corey Patterson, who each swiped their first 13 attempts, an O’s record, to begin 2006.
STARTING PITCHER – #48 KYLE GIBSON RHP
3-0, 4.18 ERA
QUICK HITS: Scheduled to make his fifth start of the 2023 campaign tonight against Detroit…Became the first O’s pitcher in club history (since 1954) to start and win each of his three first appearances with the team…In 271 career appearances (265 GS), Gibson owns a 92-91 record with a 4.51 ERA (766 ER/1527.2 IP)…The O’s signed Gibson to a one-year contract on December 5, 2022…He has also spent time with the Twins, Phillies, and Rangers across 10 Major League seasons.
LAST TIME OUT: Did not factor in the decision on April 15 at Chicago-AL after allowing four runs on seven hits (1 HR) with two walks and one strikeout in 5.1 innings…Threw 96 pitches, 58 strikes.
CAREER AGAINST THE TIGERS: Making his 25th career start and 26th appearance against the Tigers…Owns a 10-11 record with a 5.84 ERA (88 ER/135.2 IP) in his first 25 career appearances against Detroit…With the Rangers, he was dealt the loss in his last start against the Tigers on July 19, 2021 at Detroit, surrendering eight runs on 10 hits (1 HR) with two walks, one hit batter, and two strikeouts in 5.0+ innings.
CAREER AGAINST THE AL CENTRAL: Making his 93rd career appearance (89th start) against the AL Central…Owns a 32-31 record with a 4.52 ERA (257 ER/512.0 IP) and 39 quality starts through his first 92 appearances…With the Rangers, he recorded his shortest career start of 0.1 IP against the AL Central at Kansas City on April 1, 2021.
HOME SWEET HOME: Making his second home start of the 2023 campaign… Earned the win on April 10 vs. Oakland after allowing one run on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 6.1 innings…In seven career starts at Oriole Park, Gibson is 4-1 with a 3.69 ERA (16 ER/39.0 IP)…He went 7-4 with a 4.57 ERA (52 ER/102.1 IP) in 18 home starts with the Phillies in 2022.
