Orioles 12, Tigers 3: Anibal Sanchez allowed 5 home runs

Anibal Sanchez gave up a career-high five home runs while Orioles’ starter Ubaldo Jimenez shut down the Tigers offense to give Baltimore a 12-3 victory over Detroit in the series finale at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sunday. Sanchez allowed eight runs and the Tigers bullpen chipped in four more in a 17-hit Baltimore attack.

The Orioles shot out of the gate with back-to-back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first inning, by Jonathan Schoop, Trey Mancini, and Chris Davis to take a 4-0 lead. The game was never in doubt the rest of the way. Manny Machado and Joey Rickard added a pair of dingers with no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning to finally end Sanchez’s bad day on the mound.

The Tigers were not without their scoring opportunities. They managed 14 hits but only scored one run off Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez, that a solo home run by Nick Castellanos in the fifth inning. Detroit recorded nine hits against Jimenez to go with three walks and six strikeouts. The Tigers added a pair of runs in the ninth inning against the Orioles bullpen.

The loss gives the Tigers a split of their four-game series in Baltimore. They will head to Pittsburgh for a pair of games against the Pirates, followed by two more against those same Pirates in Detroit.

ROARS:

John Hicks collected three hits including a double. He is hitting .320/.346/.573 on the season.

Andrew Romine added three hits for the Tigers, filling in for Miguel Cabrera at first base.

Ian Kinsler collected three more hits for Detroit, including a double.

Mikie Mahtook had a pair of hits and an RBI, bringing his average to .287 for the season.

HISSES:

Anibal Sanchez is back to his old tricks again.

Joe Jimenez has been used sparingly, but was called in with an 8-1 deficit. He loaded the bases with no outs and gave up a pair of runs before departing. Warwick Saupold allowed the two inherited runners to score, leaving Jimenez with four runs allowed in ²⁄₃ inning.

The Tigers offense took Sunday off against a struggling Jimenez, who lowered his ERA to 6.31 for the season.

STATS AND STUFF:

Five home runs in one game is a career high, even for Sanchez. He now owns the highest home run rate in the American League at 2.47 homers per nine innings.

Sanchez entered the game with a 3-1 record. Yeah, he somehow only had one loss in his previous eight starts this season.

Sanchez allowed only four home runs for the entire 2014 season, as he allowed just 0.29 home runs per nine innings. In 2013, he led the league with 0.45 home runs allowed per nine innings. Clearly, those days are gone.

The home run by Castellanos was the 500th hit of his career.