Riley Greene hit two home runs and drove in three runs, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. With this victory, the Tigers won two of the three games in the series against the Orioles.
Greene’s first home run was a two-run shot with two outs in the third inning off Cade Povich (2-9). His second was a solo home run in the eighth inning against Gregory Soto.
Greene, who leads the Tigers with 23 home runs, hit both home runs off left-handed pitchers, despite having a .203 batting average with only four home runs against lefties before the game.
Detroit is now tied with Seattle at 77-73, 2 1/2 games behind Minnesota (79-70) for the final AL wild card spot. The Tigers have won six of their last eight games.
“That’s a really, really good team over there,” Greene said. “We just keep putting ourselves in good positions to get a possible win. Our goal is just to win every single game we can.”
Baltimore (84-64) has lost its second consecutive series and managed only six runs in the three games. The Orioles, who have lost six of their last eight games, are now three games behind the AL East-leading Yankees but are still in contention for the top AL wild card spot.
“Our pitching’s been really good,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re giving ourselves a chance to win almost every single night out. We’re playing pretty good defense. We’re just not getting enough baserunners and when we do, we’re not getting them home.”
Keider Montero (6-6) allowed five hits in five innings, while Jason Foley recorded four consecutive outs for his 23rd save in 26 opportunities.
“Having control of the zone, that was the key for sure,” Montero said through an interpreter.
Povich gave up two runs, two hits, and two walks in five innings, striking out eight.
Colt Keith increased the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single in the sixth inning against right-hander Jacob Webb.
Adley Rutschman hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning against Will Vest, marking his 19th home run of the season and his first since August 18.
