BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler Alexander held Baltimore hitless until the seventh inning, Riley Greene drove in three runs and the Detroit Tigers stalled the Orioles’ playoff push with an 11-0 victory Monday night.
Baltimore fell five games behind Seattle in the race for the last of three AL wild-card spots. Both teams have 16 games left, and the Mariners own the tiebreaker advantage for winning the season series.
Alexander (4-10) permitted only two baserunners over the first six innings, both on walks, before Ryan Mountcastle led off the seventh by lofting a single in front of Greene in center. Anthony Santander followed with another single, but both runners were stranded.
Prior to that, the closest Baltimore came to a hit was in the sixth, when Kreidler snagged Adley Rutchman’s two-out grounder down the third-base line and fired the ball to first.
Alexander matched his career high by pitching seven innings. The lefty, who struck out four, was winless in four starts since Aug. 20.
Will Vest worked the eighth and José Cisnero completed the two-hitter.
After losing six of their previous seven games, the last-place Tigers took control with a four-run fourth against Tyler Wells (7-7) that made it 5-0. Greene contributed an RBI double, and he doubled in two runs in the sixth for an 8-0 lead.
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera returned from a stay on the injured list with a left biceps strain to contribute two singles and an RBI. The two hits moved the 39-year-old into a tie with Cap Anson for 24th with 3,081
MEET THE NEW BOSS
Detroit hired 36-year-old Scott Harris to be president of baseball operations following his successful three-year stint as general manager of the San Francisco Giants. Harris takes over for Tigers GM Al Avila, who was fired on Aug. 10.
MIGGY’S SCHEDULE
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Cabrera will be given Tuesday off and return to the lineup for the series finale Wednesday night. Hinch outlined the schedule because when the Tigers were in town last year, he rested Cabrera so the slugger could seek his 500th career homer at home. “I don’t want get booed again by the fans when I sat him at 499,” Hinch said. “I had a fan tell me I owed him 50 bucks for the ticket he bought.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Still nursing a sore elbow after being hit by a pitch on Saturday, Mountcastle served as the designated hitter instead of playing first base.
UP NEXT
The Orioles attempt to make up ground in the wild card race on Tuesday night, sending Austin Voth (5-2, 4.36 ERA) to the mound against the Tigers and rookie left-hander Joey Wentz (1-2, 4.15).
