Orioles 5, Tigers 3: Jansen gives up a walkoff shot in Game 1 of the doubleheader
· Yahoo Sports
Desperately needing a win in the first of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Detroit Tigers had it in their grasp. They scratched out a small lead behind a quality Framber Valdez outing and took it into the eighth. Unfortunately, Kyle Finnegan coughed up a run and had to be bailed out by Kenley Jansen. The veteran closer then gave up a three-run walkoff homer to Colton Cowser in the bottom of the ninth to blow it. None of this is working.
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COLTON COWSER WALK-OFF HOME RUN 💥
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The day started with more injury news as Brant Hurter moved to the 15-day injured list with lumbar spine inflammation. RHP Ricky Vanasco was recalled from Toledo in his place, with LHP Drew Sommers serving as the extra pitcher for Sunday’s doubleheader.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz stacked up his right-handed bats against Framber Valdez, but it didn’t help them early on. The Tigers went in order in the top of the first, and Valdez struck out Taylor Ward and Gunnar Henderson, before walking Adley Rutschman. Pete Alonso flew out to end the inning.
The Tigers again went in order in the second against Brandon Young, while Valdez allowed a two-out Leody Taveras single and no more in the bottom half. Zack Short doubled to the left field wall with two outs in the third, but Zach McKinstry grounded out to end the inning. In bottom of the third, Valdez got Blaze Alexander on a ground ball. Taylor Ward lined out to Colt Keith at first, and Henderson punched out again. Good start for Valdez.
Kevin McGonigle, who had a whole family reunion’s worth of guests in Camden Yards on hand from his native Philadelphia, opened the fourth with a sharp single. Dillon Dingler hit a little spinning blooper to Alonso at first, and thinking he’d turn two, Alonso tried to let it bounce only for it to get away from him. He scooped the ball and fired a one-hopper to second that Henderson couldn’t pick and everyone was safe. Riley Greene flew out to center, but Matt Vierling came through with a single to left and McGonigle scored to make it 1-0. That also got Dingler to third, and Colt Keith lifted a deep enough fly ball to right field to bring home Dingler on a sacrifice fly. 2-0 Tigers. Wenceel Pérez worked a full count and Young walked him, putting runners at first and second for Jake Rogers, but the Tigers catcher popped out to end the frame.
After pounding the zone early, Valdez’s command started to falter a bit in the third, and he walked Adley Rutschman to start the bottom of the fourth. However, Pete Alonso lifted a fly ball to Riley Greene and Tyler O’Neill and Weston Wilson both lifted Valdez’s sinker out to Perez in right field to end the inning.
The fifth started with a pop-up from Zack Short. McKinstry tapped one back to Young for the second out of the inning. McGonigle got into a 2-1 count and Young dropped a curveball in for a called strike at the top of the zone. It probably wasn’t a strike but the Tigers’ rookie declined to challenge, and grounded out to end the Tigers’ half.
Taveras opened the bottom half with a lineout to Perez, the third straight hitter to get the ball in the air against Valdez. Jeremiah Jackson chased a nasty changeup away for the second out of the inning and Valdez’s fifth strikeout. Jake Rogers correctly used a challenge on a first pitch curveball to Blaze Alexander that was just on the edge of the zone, but the left fielder also flew out to Perez on the next pitch to end the inning. Valdez was at 81 pitches through five good innings of work.
Young was still working in the sixth, and got Dingler to ground out to Henderson. Kevin McGonigle’s mother was busy telling the broadcast about having an appendectomy on Friday, and how she wasn’t going to miss this game after setting up 265 tickets for family and friends.
Matt Vierling grounded one to Wilson at third, but he couldn’t handle it and Vierling was safe at first as Colt Keith dug into the batter’s box. In a 2-2 count, Keith lifted a flare off the end of the bat into the right center field gap and Vierling went first to third. Young handled it, getting Pérez to ground out to Jackson at second to strand two.
The fly balls to right continued for Valdez in the bottom of the sixth. Ward lifted a fly out to Pérez to start things, and then Gunnar Henderson ambushed a first pitch curveball and lifted a high fly ball to right field that just carried onto the concourse for a solo shot. 2-1 Tigers as Rutschman stepped in and Will Vest was warming in the bullpen. The Orioles catcher grounded out to McKinstry for the second out of the inning. Vest wasn’t ready yet, and so Valdez faced Alonso and nearly gave up another blast as the first baseman lifted a deep drive to the wall in straightaway center field. Matt Vierling camped out with his back to the wall and hauled it in to end the sixth, and Valdez’s outing.
The fly ball trend is a little odd, but another good start for Valdez. 6.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K.
Young was also putting together a good start, and he started the seventh just over 80 pitches. Jake Rogers worked his way through an 8-pitch at-bat but struck out. Short whiffed on a sinker for the second out of the seventh. McKinstry fouled off a bunch of pitches in another long at-bat and Young eventually walked him. With McGonigle up, Albernaz finally took the ball from Young. Lefty Keegan Akin, who opened Friday’s game, took over to face the Tigers’ rookie and got a soft tapper back to the mound to send us to the bottom half.
Will Vest popped up O’Neill with the first pitch of his outing. Will Vest correctly challenged a ball call against Jackson Holliday, who took over for Wilson at third, and eventually got him to ground out to first. Taveras was blown away by a good fourseamer, and we were on to the eighth. Still 2-1 Tigers but insurance was necessary.
Akin walked Dingler to open the eighth. Riley Greene popped out, but Vierling lifted a bloop single down the right field line. Dingler read it well and took third on the play, and Spencer Torkelson stepped in hitting for Keith and taking over at first base. The Tigers finally got a little break when Torkelson tapped a swinging bunt toward Alonso and was past him down the line by the time the first baseman collected the ball. Dingler scored from third to make it 3-1 Tigers. Pérez struck out, and that left it up to Jake Rogers. Akin’s struggles continued as he walked the weak hitting Tigers’ catcher to load the bases, and that was the end of his night. Old friend Dietrich Enns took over and got Short to fly out and strand the bases loaded.
Kyle Finnegan took over for Vest in the bottom of the eighth, looking to start piecing his command back together. He hung an 0-1 splitter to Jackson, and it was drilled for a double to right center field. Not a good start to the inning. Colton Cowser hit for Alexander, and fought off some better two-strike splitters from Finnegan before finally tapping a grounder to Torkelson for the first out. Jackson moved to third with one and Taylor Ward lined a fastball to center for an RBI single. 3-2 Tigers.
With the dangerous Gunnar Henderson now up as the go-ahead run, and Adley Rutschman lurking, Chris Fetter came out to reset Finnegan. It didn’t help as the right-hander missed badly with three straight splitters. He fired a pair of fastballs for strikes to get the count full, but ultimately walked him. Finnegan got ahead of Rutschman, but the catcher fouled off a good high fastball and then Finnegan missed away just off the edge. Rogers burnt a challenge but it was a ball, and another miss with the splitter evened the count. He stuck with the splitter and Rutschman lifted a fly ball off the end of the bat to Vierling for the second out.
With Pete Alonso up, AJ Hinch had seen enough of Finnegan’s struggles, and turned to Kenley Jansen looking for a four-out save. The veteran closer got Alonso to pop out to McKinstry, stranding two. That was a long and scary threat, but it was still 3-2 Tigers headed to the ninth.
Jahmai Jones hit for McKinstry against Enns but flew out harmlessly to left. McGonigle took a called strike three, and Dingler popped out to second. So, it was on to the bottom of the ninth. Fortunately, the heart of the Orioles order already had their chance in the eighth, and Jansen has been pitching really well since getting past the groin strain. It’s still pretty hard to take any confidence the way things are going.
Before Jansen got started, he talked to home plate umpire Jonathan Parra about the mound. There was a pretty big hole chopped out of the clay near his landing spot, and there was a lengthy delay as the Orioles’ grounds crew got it together and came out with some dirt and the tamper to get the mound back in shape.
The Orioles did have one big weapon left, and Samuel Basallo pinch-hit for O’Neill. Jansen jammed him with a cutter and the slugging catcher flew out weakly to right field. Jackson Holliday was up next, and the 21-year-old is another dangerous bat starting to come into his own. He worked a walk, and that was a problem because Holliday has speed and Jansen’s pause makes him easy to run on. The youngster quickly stole second base with Leody Taveras at the plate and Jansen fell behind 2-1 before getting a whiff on a rare sinker and then missing away to make the count full. Taveras fouled off another sinker and Jansen missed high with a slider to walk his second straight hitter.
So, runners on first and second, one out, and Jeremiah Jackson at the plate. Fetter came out to talk things over and give Jansen a moment to collect himself. It worked, as he pounded Jackson in with a sinker and got a pop out to Vierling in shallow center field. Jansen spotted a nasty cut fastball on the inner edge to Cowser for strike one, but Holliday and Taveras pulled off the double steal to get the winning run to second. Cowser fouled one off for strike two but Jansen came back with another sinker on the inner third and crushed it to right center field for a three-run walkoff shot.
That is gutting, if you hadn’t already been gutted. Hey Kenley and Jake, stop trying to make the sinker happen, especially to left-handed hitters. Guess it doesn’t matter much at this point. The Tigers are already beaten down, and that loss might finish the job. We’ll see if they can rally in the second game. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. ET.
The Tigers are 20-33, and losers of eight straight games.