Orioles pounce on Verlander in blowout
DETROIT -- Forget for a moment that the Orioles had averaged fewer than three runs and batted .053 with runners in scoring position over their previous eight games. Baltimore pounced on Tigers starter Justin Verlander during a six-run fourth and cruised to a 9-3 win in Sunday's rubber match at Comerica Park.
The O's sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth and tallied seven hits -- including four with runners in scoring position -- to win the first series after the All-Star break. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop delivered the biggest knock of the afternoon, blasting a 92-mph fastball from Verlander just fair into the seats in left field for a three-run homer.
Verlander, who was making his sixth start since missing the first two months of the season with a right triceps strain, was pulled to a smattering of boos after 3 2/3 innings -- his shortest outing since August. By taking the loss Sunday, he matched the longest streak of winless starts over his 11-year career.
Video: BAL@DET: Jones sends towering solo shot to left field
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
O's get 'em in: A previously struggling Orioles offense went 4-for-5 with runners in scoring position in a six-run fourth inning that chased Verlander from the game. Things started with J.J. Hardy's two-run double before Schoop launched a ball down the left-field line for a three-run homer. It marked his third homer in nine games since returning from the disabled list. Manny Machado also singled in a run. More >
Video: BAL@DET: Schoop launches three-run tater to left
"We have a really good team," Schoop said of a club that posted its first back-to-back wins this month. "Everybody believes in everybody. Everybody believes in each other. They have really good pitchers, but we are a really good offensive team, too."
Kinsler ejected: Detroit's frustrations at the plate boiled over in the third inning when Ian Kinsler slammed his bat into the ground upon hitting a fly ball with two on and one out. Home-plate umpire Manny Gonzalez ejected the second baseman as Adam Jones completed the play in center field. It marked Kinsler's eighth career ejection and his first of the year. More >
"I thought that [the flyout] was a big moment in the game, and I was upset," Kinsler said. "Broke my bat and threw it, and he must have thought I threw it at him. I don't know how he thought that; I threw it at the ground. And that was it."
Video: BAL@DET: Kinsler gets tossed after slamming bat
Tied in the third: Orioles pitchers had retired the last 26 Tigers of Saturday's game, and Miguel Gonzalez had cruised through the first two innings Sunday, but Detroit's offense finally broke through in the third. Shortstop Jose Iglesias -- who racked up four hits and scored all three of the Tigers' runs -- singled to right field, and Anthony Gose plated him with a line drive into center field. It marked the Tigers' first run since the fifth inning of Friday's game and briefly tied the contest at 1.
Video: BAL@DET: Gose laces sharp RBI single up the middle
QUOTABLE
"There were a lot of good at-bats in that game for us. Our guys swung the bat well. After losing the first game and looking at [David Price] and Verlander sitting there, a lot of clubs would've come in with that 'woe is me' [attitude], but our guys battled through it and I'm real proud of them." -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter
"It's not like there's some magical formula where I can wave a wand over the top of the field and all of a sudden they're in sync." -- Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, on his club's struggles to bat and pitch well in the same game
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
• Sunday's victory gave the Orioles their first series win since June 28 vs. Cleveland. They had lost four straight coming into the weekend set.
• The Tigers dropped to below .500 (45-46) for the first time since April 2013. It's their first time below .500 during the second half of the season since 2010.
PAINFUL SUBSTITUTION
Kinsler's ejection forced utility infielder Andrew Romine to move from third base to second, and Nick Castellanos -- who had a day off -- lasted just one inning at the hot corner. Jones led off the fifth with a sharp ground ball that ricocheted off Castellanos' hand and the left side of his face. With swelling already visible near his left eye, Castellanos exited the game, and Jefry Marte assumed duties at third base. Castellanos was diagnosed with a cheekbone contusion and is day to day. More >
Video: BAL@DET: Castellanos gets hit in face, leaves game
"Today definitely wasn't one of my favorite days at the yard, that's for sure," Castellanos said.
REPLAY REVIEW
First baseman Marc Krauss' infield single in the third inning snapped a streak of 32 straight Tigers retired since the first inning of Saturday's game. But Krauss was promptly picked off when Orioles catcher Matt Wieters relayed to Chris Parmelee at first after a pitch in the dirt. Ausmus challenged the call, which was confirmed after a brief review.
Video: BAL@DET: Out at first base confirmed in the 3rd
WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Wei-Yin Chen will start on his 30th birthday Tuesday in the series opener against the division-leading Yankees. Chen, who has been the O's ace this season, is 4-5 with a 2.78 ERA. He will take on New York at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Tigers: Detroit sends Alfredo Simon to the mound as the club welcomes the Mariners for the first of four games at Comerica Park. The righty has allowed at least five earned runs in five consecutive starts, the longest such streak in the Majors this year. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. ET.
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