September 21 – Home runs pour in as the Baltimore Orioles finally get some momentum at the plate.
The Orioles will look to extend their winning streak in a similar fashion.
The Orioles, who have won two games in a row, will face the visiting Detroit Tigers again on Saturday in the middle game of a three-game series.
The Orioles got two homers each from Colton Cowher and James McCann, plus a long ball from Anthony Santander, in Friday night’s 7-1 win over Baltimore.
“Hitting is contagious, right?” “So it only takes one guy to get a big hit and the next thing you know the rest of the roster follows suit.”
The Orioles (86-68) aren’t necessarily back to their best, but they are winning back-to-back games for the first time since winning three games on Sept. 2-3. They are four games behind the New York Yankees (90-64) for first place in the AL East.
The Tigers (80-74) are also playing big games. After having a four-game winning streak ended in the series opener, they fell one game behind the Minnesota Twins for the final AL wild card spot.
“You just keep playing,” Detroit coach A.J. Hinch said.
Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows said of the Orioles: “They’re playing great. It’s a three-game series for a reason, so we’re going to bring out everything you’ve got.
For the first time in more than three years, two Baltimore players hit multiple home runs in the same game.
It’s like going back to the beginning of the season, when home runs occurred with the same frequency as singles.
“We haven’t hit home runs consistently in a while,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We did that in the first half.”
Santander’s two-run hit in the first inning should not be overlooked. Santander finished Thursday’s game against the San Francisco Giants with a two-run home run.
The Orioles have only two home games remaining before New York’s series against the Yankees. Baltimore hopes it has a reasonable chance to win the AFC East when it gets to the Bronx.
“Hopefully we can keep this momentum going until the end of the season,” McCann said.
The Orioles listed left-hander Cade Povich (2-9, 5.74 ERA) as the starter on Saturday. Povich struck out eight Detroit batters in five innings while allowing two runs in Sunday’s loss.
Povich struck out 23 batters in 17 innings this month. Both of the rookie’s wins came in home games.
The Tigers handed the ball to right-hander Reese Olson (4-8, 3.50). This is his 21st start of the season and his stats are similar to his rookie year in 2023, though he needs one more win to match last season’s win total.
Olson missed nearly two months with a shoulder injury before starting Monday’s game against the host Kansas City Royals. In that game, he allowed four runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking four, but the Tigers won 7-6.
Detroit won all three games Olsen played in July before he went on the injured list. In 41 career games (38 starts), he has yet to face the Orioles.
–Visual-level media
