Zach Eflin dominated for 6.2 innings, stifling the MLB-leading Tigers, while the Orioles’ offense erupted late to secure a 10-1 victory.
Eflin, the Orioles’ standout starter, delivered his third straight quality start, shutting down the league’s top team with precision. He set the tone early, striking out Parker Meadows with a sharp changeup to open the game, followed by two quick groundouts on a sweeper and changeup for a clean first inning.
Eflin’s changeup was his weapon of choice, consistently baffling Detroit’s lineup. In the second, Riley Greene rolled over a change for a groundout, and another change induced a leadoff grounder in the third. The fourth saw Gleyber Torres ground out to third on a 0-1 changeup, while Kerry Carpenter whiffed on a changeup that dove out of the zone. Greene broke up Eflin’s no-hitter with a single on a low-and-away change, but Eflin still recorded nine of his 20 outs with the pitch, allowing just two singles off it.
The veteran cruised through a 1-2-3 fifth, fanning Wenceel Pérez with a high cutter, jamming Colt Keith for a flyout, and coaxing a groundout from Jake Rogers on another changeup. In the sixth, Eflin needed just five pitches for the first two outs and worked around a two-out single with yet another changeup-induced groundout. Through six scoreless innings, he threw only 70 pitches, hinting at a potential complete game—the first for Baltimore since 2022.
Eflin’s night ended in the seventh after a leadoff single by Spencer Torkelson and a Pérez single put runners on. Colt Keith’s double off the right-field scoreboard drove in Detroit’s lone run, and Eflin exited after inducing a fielder’s choice from pinch-hitter Dillon Dingler. His final line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 Ks.
The Orioles’ offense, initially sluggish, broke through in the third against Tigers starter Casey Mize. Cedric Mullins sparked the rally with a leadoff double into the right-field corner, and Ramón Urías followed by crushing a first-pitch sinker to the left-field Splash Pad for a two-run homer, igniting Baltimore’s late offensive surge.
Despite Ramón Urías’s early homer, the Orioles struggled mightily with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-12 through six innings, including a squandered chance with runners on first and third and no outs in the fourth. The sports card above details the team’s overall offensive output, showing they finished with 16 hits and 10 runs.
The bats finally broke through in the seventh. Adley Rutschman sparked the rally with a double to left, and Gunnar Henderson followed with a single to center, driving in an insurance run to make it 3-1. The eighth inning brought the real explosion. Ramón Laureano singled, and Cedric Mullins crushed his second double of the night off the right-center wall, scoring Laureano for a 4-1 lead. Mullins advanced to third on an Urías groundout and scored on a wild pitch from Beau Brieske, pushing the lead to 5-1.
The Orioles didn’t stop there. Jackson Holliday notched his second infield single, and back-to-back walks to Rutschman and Henderson loaded the bases. Ryan O’Hearn, hitless to that point, ripped a two-run single to center. Jordan Westburg, fresh off the IL, capped the rally with a three-run homer to left, sealing the 10-1 rout.
Keegan Akin, Brian Baker, and Gregory Soto combined for 2.1 scoreless innings, extending the Orioles’ bullpen’s stellar run. The pen has surrendered just one run over its last 30.2 innings, marking their best streak since 2015.
Every Oriole notched at least one hit, totaling a season-high 16. The 10-1 rout marked only the second time this season Baltimore scored 10+ runs, the first being Opening Day in Toronto. The O’s aim to carry this offensive surge into Thursday’s matchup against AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
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