Detroit Tigers: Hicks sends fans home happy in extra innings

The Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles played the second game of a four-game series tonight which the Tigers took in extra innings.

The Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles played the second game of the series tonight which looked like a pitchers duel up until the eighth inning. The game would go 12 innings until John Hicks walked it off with a grand slam to win eight to four.

The game got off to a slow start with Detroit scoring once in the third and one more in the fifth, other than that there was no scoring until Baltimore posted three in the eighth. Victor Reyes would hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. In the twelfth inning, Baltimore scored one run to put them on top four to three. Detroit would respond with loading the bases and Brandon Dixon walking to bring in the tying run, followed by Hicks’ game-winner.

Daniel Norris and Drew VerHagen got their split-start again tonight. Norris went for three innings and struck out three without giving up a walk or a run. VerHagen relieved him in the fourth and went for four innings without giving up a run and striking out two. The bullpen did great with the exception of Bryan Garcia, who gave up the three-run home run in the eighth inning that would give Baltimore a short-lived lead.

With this win, the Detroit Tigers have officially earned their 44th win, which means that they will finish with a better record than the infamous Tigers of 2003. While this isn’t much consolation, it should feel good for the players and staff to get over that hump. They can play out the rest of the season without having that thought hanging over them.

The series continues tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. EST. Edwin Jackson will make the start for Detroit, and he is really in need of something to turn things around. Jackson pitched great in his first outing back with the Tigers, but it has been all downhill from there. He is currently three and nine on the year with a 9.76 ERA. He and the rest of the squad will try to hand the Orioles another defeat.