Orioles Start Well, Finish Poorly in Loss to Tigers
Tigers 6, Orioles 5
Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander pitches against the Baltimore Orioles in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
(Duane Burleson - AP)
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Tuesday, August 4, 2009
DETROIT, Aug. 3 -- Through one glorious inning, the Baltimore Orioles did the unthinkable.
They sent nine batters to the plate in the first, they scored five runs, and they bashed Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who has dominated the Orioles during his brief career.
Then order was restored in the baseball universe.
Verlander turned back into Verlander and the Tigers clawed back for five runs against rookie Chris Tillman before the Orioles eventually lost to the Tigers, 6-5.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Tigers right fielder Clete Thomas hit a walk-off, 426-foot homer to center field against reliever Danys Báez (4-5).
The Orioles have lost four straight and are 4-13 since the all-star break.
Thomas's heroics earned Fernando Rodney (2-2) the victory. But it was Verlander who stole the show after looking like he hadn't shown up in the first.
Verlander threw 25 pitches in the first and had tossed 43 through two innings, on his way to what looked like a brief night. But the Orioles failed to take advantage of the high pitch count, with Verlander throwing just 70 pitches in the following six innings. Of his 119 pitches, 84 were strikes.
The 21-year-old Tillman, making his second big league start, also had a rough first inning, allowing three quick runs. He left after six innings, with his second no decision.
"The nerves were gone, and I felt comfortable out there," Tillman told the Associated Press. "I just had to get out of that first inning a lot better with a five-run lead."
In his first five starts against Baltimore, Verlander had allowed seven runs in 34 innings. On Monday, Verlander coughed up nearly that many in the first inning.
Orioles leadoff hitter Brian Roberts, who had one hit in 12 previous at-bats against the Tigers' ace, homered on the game's second pitch.
