Detroit Tigers: Mistakes cost Sanchez – Tigers lose 9-3

The Detroit Tigers dropped another game in Baltimore. Anibal Sanchez’s strong outing was overshadowed by some mental miscues. The water is only getting hotter in Detroit after their most recent 9-3 loss.

The Detroit Tigers stink right now. There are no two ways around it. Maybe they are home sick, maybe they are cursed, maybe they just are not that good. But if there was ever a time for panic in Tiger Town it is now.

Anibal Sanchez took the mound Saturday looking to earn his fourth win of the season and the Detroit Tigers third win of the month. Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop had other ideas. Schoop smashed two home runs in this game, including an eighth inning grand slam. Fans have come to expect this from the Orioles, a team with so many power threats. Mix in the Anibal Sanchez factor, knowing he gave up the most homers in the majors last season, and you had to expect Adam Jones and Matt Wieters would also hit home runs.

Miguel Cabrera hit a ball that almost took out some of the Tigers pitchers sitting in the upper deck visitors bullpen in Camden Yards. In the yes of some fans they probably would not have been all that mad if a bullpen pitcher or two was struck by Cabrera’s 462-foot blast. His two run big fly broke the scoring open for the Tigers in sixth inning and things were finally looking up for Detroit. That did  not last long.

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Sanchez cruised through his first five and two third innings of work. Prior to the sixth inning Sanchez had shut the Orioles out. He would have pitched six shutout innings if Steven Moya had not misplayed a line drive that went just over his glove allowing Mark Trumbo to double. Had Moya started back rather than taking his first step in he would have likely caught the line drive resulting in the third out. Somewhere I hear my old baseball coach says “You cannot give teams four outs.” Instead the inning continued and Sanchez surrendered a two run homer to Wieters.

Sanchez’s night was over after he gave up Schoops first homer in the top of the seventh. The dynamic duo of Drew Ver Hagen and Mark Lowe came on in relief and each surrendered a homer. For Lowe, this was already his second grand slam given up this moth adding to his woes in May. Warwick Saupold made his major league debut coming straight out of Australia. The game started at 7 a.m. in his home land and I am sure his family has excited to see him pitch. Saupold allowed one hit and recorded the final two outs of the ninth inning.

Victor Martinez continued his red hot hitting tear going 2-4 and adding an RBI single. While Nick Castellanos seems to have cooled off a bit Victor has picked up all the hitting magic, now boosting his average up to a team leading .363.

Orioles starter Miek Wright was credited with the win with his only costly mistake begin the pitch he threw to Cabrera.

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The Detroit Tigers will now look to salvage a game in Baltimore after a couple of quality outings by their starters. A pair of young righties face off Sunday afternoon as Tigers rookie Michael Fulmer will battle Kevin Gausman. Gausman has seen some bad luck this season, posting a 0-1 record with an eye-popping 2.16 ERA. The Tigers will want to chase Gausman early and try to dip into the Orioles bullpen if they want to come home with the win. Michael Fulmer is coming off of a win in his last start and will need to be a slump buster Sunday in Baltimore. First pitch is 1:35 p.m.