Orioles hit 5 home runs as Tigers suffer series-opening loss

The Baltimore Orioles crushed five home runs on Friday night but didn't crush the Detroit Tigers' playoff hopes.

Nothing went right for the Tigers in a 7-1 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards. Shortly after the Tigers (80-74) lost their series opener to the Baltimore Orioles (86-68), attention quickly turned to the Minnesota Twins' game in Boston against the Red Sox.

The Tigers entered the day tied with the Twins (80-73) for the final American League wild-card spot.

A Twins' loss could salvage an otherwise dispiriting night for the Tigers.

The Tigers sputtered from the start on Friday, and the highly anticipated, nationally televised showdown turned out to be a dud.

The Orioles took advantage of a Tigers' mental error to grab the lead in the first inning. Right fielder Kerry Carpenter initially called for a fly ball hit by Gunnar Henderson but pulled away at the last moment, seemingly thinking center fielder Parker Meadows had called him off. He probably heard someone in the crowd, as Meadows was nearby but unprepared to make the catch. The ball dropped harmlessly for a double.

Tigers opener Tyler Holton nearly escaped the inning unscathed, recording two groundouts and getting two strikes on Anthony Santander. But the Orioles slugger crushed a cutter 420 feet to left-center for his 43rd home run, giving Baltimore a 2-0 lead.

Holton was unjustly tagged with two earned runs. Entering the game, Holton had allowed only two earned runs over 47 1/3 innings dating to June 29.

Keider Montero took over for Holton in the second inning. His first pitch was drilled 412 feet to center field by Colton Cowser. It was the first run allowed by Montero since Sept. 4, breaking a string of 14 scoreless innings.

The Orioles extended their lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning when former Tiger James McCann drove a hanging slider to left field for a two-run homer.

Cowser and McCann both homered against Montero again in the sixth inning, knocking him out of the game. Veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda finished the game in mop-up duty, retiring all seven batters he faced and striking out five of them. If nothing else, Maeda's work ensured the rest of the Tigers' pitching staff will be well-rested for Saturday.

For the second time in a week, Orioles starter Corbin Burnes befuddled Tigers' hitters. He pitched seven shutout innings on Sept. 14 in Detroit , and repeated the feat six days later in Baltimore.

Burnes struck out eight, allowed just three hits and never faced any serious threats.

The Tigers broke up the shutout with two outs in the ninth inning when Spencer Torkelson reached on a walk against reliever Jacob Webb and Trey Sweeney drove him home on a single to right.

BOX SCORE

Up next: The Tigers and Orioles meet again on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. Eastern time.

Tigers right-hander Reese Olson (4-8, 3.50 ERA) will face Orioles lefty Cade Povich (2-9, 5.74).

The Tigers faced Povich on Sept. 15 at Comerica Park . He gave up two runs in five innings, striking out eight.

Povich was drafted in the third round by the Minnesota Twins in 2021 and traded to the Orioles a year later. He made his MLB debut in June.

He has a 3.60 ERA in eight starts (45 innings) at Camden Yards; he's 0-5 with a 9.75 ERA in six starts on the road.