This story was originally published by Dead Spin
The Baltimore Orioles were hoping to be involved in showdowns for the American League East title late in the season.
Instead, they’re in a different kind of tussle regarding qualifying for the postseason and the Detroit Tigers are a big part of that equation.
The Tigers, who’ve surged into the middle of the AL playoff conversion, begin a three-game series in Baltimore on Friday night.
It will be critical for the fast-falling Orioles (85-68) to pick up some wins this week to at least guarantee something is still at stake in terms of the AL East when they visit the Yankees for three games next week.
While they enter Friday in the top wild-card slot, they are four back of the Yankees in the race for the East. Anthony Santander’s two-run walk-off home run gave the Orioles a 5-3 triumph against San Francisco on Thursday afternoon, a jolt of momentum that they’ll want to see grow.
“It was a good win to kind of build into these few series that are probably really important,” Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday said.
For Detroit (80-73), it’s a matter of going from one crucial series to another in quest to earn a wild-card spot.
“First off, we believe,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “We come every day to try to win the game, and we are winning a lot.”
The Tigers are flirting with a wild-card spot after sweeping three games in Kansas City from the playoff-contending Royals. That gives them a four-game winning streak and victories in five of their last six games overall.
This latest strong stretch began by winning two of three meetings with the Orioles last weekend.
“We’ve got a good group, a resilient group,” Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal said. “I think if you just look at the season we’ve had.”
The Tigers, tied with the Minnesota Twins for the third and final AL wild-card slot, are seeking their third winning streak of five or more games this year.
“I think our team has done a really good job of just being day-by-day, game-by-game,” Skubal said. “We need to keep winning and hopefully we can control our own destiny down the stretch.”
Baltimore has won only three of its last 11 games, but Thursday’s outcome was emotional.
“We need that win right there,” Santander said. “We need that momentum for next week.”
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that because of the team’s low scoring numbers recently, most any victory has come in a tight result.
For Friday night, both teams will have pitchers who were dominant when the teams met last weekend.
Right-hander Corbin Burnes (14-8, 3.06 ERA) will be Baltimore’s starting pitcher. He limited the Tigers to two hits and one walk in throwing seven shutout innings Saturday when the Orioles won in Detroit. That was the team’s only victory in a six-game stretch before Thursday’s dramatics.
Burnes has allowed just three earned runs in 18 innings this month, a big turnaround from a rough August when he gave up three or more runs in all five starts.
The Tigers will begin the series by sending right-hander Keider Montero (6-6, 4.60) to the mound. The rookie will be making his 16th start and 17th appearance overall. The 24-year-old has won five of his last six decisions.
Montero has something to build on after blanking the Orioles for five innings Sunday in Detroit. That stretched his scoreless streak to 14 innings after his three-hit shutout Sept. 10 against Colorado.
Detroit is 6-1 in its last seven road games. The Tigers’ last two losses away from home came in extra innings.
–Field Level Media
