Sunday’s game 1 of a day-night doubleheader between the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers (20-33) ended in exciting fashion. Colton Cowser (1 for 2) walked it off with a three-run homerun, his second of the season, that travelled 440 ft. to right-center field and sealed the 5-3 win over the Tigers. Future Hall of Fame reliever, Kenley Jansen (1-3), surrendered the homerun.
The game was actually a battle of the starters. Baltimore’s Brandon Young went toe-to-toe with Detroit’s Framber Valdez. Young allowed a pair of unearned runs on 5 hits, while walking 2, striking out 4 and throwing 105 pitches (71 K’s) over 6.2 innings of work. Valdez matched that effort with a 6.0 inning outing of his own in which he allowed 1 run on 2 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. The lone run scored on him came on a homerun to right field off the bat of Gunnar Henderson (1 for 3, BB), his team-leading 11th of the season. Neither starter factored into the decision.
Detroit’s scored their two runs against Young as a result of a Pete Alonso throwing error in the fourth inning. With a runner on first, Alonso attempted to make what MLB Network’s Brian Kenny would call a “baseball-y play”. Allowing a humpback liner to land on the field, Alonso attempted to start a double play but his throw to Jeremiah Jackson to start a 3-4-3 double play missed the mark. Good idea, poor execution.
The Tiger’s third run came on a Spencer Torkelson RBI single off of Keegan Akin in the eighth. Baltimore matched that run with one of their own in the home half of the eighth. Jackson (1 for 4) doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a Taylor Ward (1 for 4) RBI-single with one out, setting the stage for Cowser’s moment.
Dietrich Enns (2-0) relieved Akin with two outs in the eighth and retired all four batters he faced to get the credit for the win.
2026 Record: 23-29
Next Game: Sun. 5/24 @ 6:05 pm (Game 2) vs. Detroit Tigers
