Tigers 13, Orioles 8: Detroit earns second sweep of season

The Detroit Tigers earned their second sweep of the 2018 season, despite a late push from the Baltimore Orioles, as they prevailed by a score of 13-8 in an offense-heavy tangle on a sunny afternoon at Comerica Park.

The Tigers jumped on Orioles starter Alex Cobb early, tacking on five runs in the first two innings. Aided further by another home run by Jeimer Candelario, they would ultimately hang seven runs on 10 hits before chasing Cobb after 3 ¹⁄₃ innings of work. They would further build on the lead in the fifth inning, with a five run frame topped with a grand slam from Leonys Martin blowing the game wide open to a 12-3 deficit.

The Orioles would chip away at the lead, scoring six runs before adding two more in the ninth to make it a 13-8 game, but the damage would be limited from there. The Tigers improve to 7-9 on the season, while the Orioles fall to 5-14.

Jordan Zimmerman earned the victory in today’s contest, but was far from dominant. Though he struck out seven batters, he allowed five earned runs on seven hits, including three home runs, over 5 ¹⁄₃ innings. Inheriting the bases loaded, Chad Bell would keep any of the runners from scoring as he managed to force a ground-ball double play to end the inning.

Martin’s big day

In addition to the grand slam that broke this game open, Martin recorded three hits on the day, missing out on hitting for the cycle by a double. Going 5-for-12 on the series, he elevated his batting average to .295 with on-base numbers that are, so far, above the expectations that were set of him going into this season.

Candelario breaks out

The young third baseman finished the series strong, reaching base five times, including four hits. He went 8-for-12 over the three games against the Orioles with two home runs. Not known for his home run power, it has been on full display this season. As he finally heats up, Candelario is now looking as though he’s finally picking up where he left off in 2017.

Spreading the wealth

The Tigers saw production from all areas of their lineup, registering 18 hits, including a 4-for-10 showing from their bottom three, on Thursday, with every starter besides Nicholas Castellanos recording a hit or reaching base in some way. Other notable performances included Miguel Cabrera going 3-for-5 with a double, three hits and three RBI for Jose Iglesias, Dixon Machado reaching base twice via a walk and a hit by pitch, and two-hit performances from JaCoby Jones and Victor Martinez, who extended his on-base streak to 12 games with a two-hit performance.

On deck

The Tigers will be back at it on Friday as they kick off a weekend homestand with a day/night doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. Michael Fulmer will look to get back on track as he faces Jakob Junis in game one, a make-up of April 4th’s rainout. Daniel Norris will get his first start of the season as he faces Jason Hammel in the nightcap. First pitch for game one is slated for 1:10 p.m, with game two currently scheduled for 7:10 p.m. You can watch both games on Fox Sports Detroit, or listen in on your local affiliate of the Detroit Tigers radio network.