Tigers 4, Orioles 2: A win well worth the wait

The Detroit Tigers finally took the field on Tuesday in frigid temperatures, but they were able to heat their bats up just enough to gut out a 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Francisco Liriano pitched a strong but short game, as his command eventually eluded him and drove up his pitch count. Yet he managed to hold the Orioles to just two runs on five hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out seven, the first six coming among the first 11 Orioles batters.

Victor Martinez had a hot night at the plate, collecting three hits. This included the first runs of the game when he hit an opposite field two-run home run to left in the second inning. The Orioles cut the lead in half when Trey Mancini homered between the bullpens in the third inning. They would later tie the game in the top of the fifth, but the Tigers quickly untied the game. Leonys Martin laid down a textbook bunt for a base hit, and then Jeimer Candelario drove a ball off the auxiliary scoreboard in right-center field for an RBI triple.

The Tigers bullpen would do the rest as Buck Farmer, Daniel Stumpf, Joe Jimenez, and Shane Greene closed out the game on just one hit in the final four frames.

Victor Martinez led the Tigers offense with three hits in four at-bats. Martin and Candelario also collected two hits apiece. Martinez now lead the Tigers regulars in batting average and OPS at .310 and .851, respectively. Miguel Cabrera was replaced in the ninth inning due to lower back tightness.

Tweet of the game