Kerry Carpenter hit two home runs, and Parker Meadows made an impressive catch to save a home run as the Detroit Tigers won 4-3 against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
This victory helped the Tigers gain ground in the American League wild card race and marked their first winning season since 2016. The Tigers now have a record of 82-74, matching the Kansas City Royals and moving a half-game ahead of the Minnesota Twins for the last wild card spot.
“We still have a long way to go, so we’re going to stay grounded,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. “But both things can happen — we can be proud of what we’re doing and we can stay grounded and look forward to the next series.”
The Twins, who won the season series 7-6 against the Tigers, were scheduled to play the second game of their doubleheader in Boston later on Sunday. If the Twins end with the same record as the Tigers, they would finish ahead.
The Tigers have been on a roll, winning 11 of their last 14 games.
The Orioles, with a record of 86-70, lost their fifth straight series and fell 5 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East race, with six games left. However, they still hold a four-game lead over Kansas City and Detroit for the top wild card position.
“We had a great chance to win last night, didn’t get it done,” said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. “We had a chance today also. I thought we just had some unfortunate breaks today.”
Spencer Torkelson hit a home run off Orioles pitcher Albert Suarez, and Trey Sweeney added an RBI double, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Carpenter hit his first home run in the third inning, extending the lead to 3-0.
Cedric Mullins hit a two-run home run for Baltimore, and Jordan Westburg, returning from a right wrist injury, added an RBI double in the fifth inning, tying the game at 3-3.
