BALTIMORE — Delmon Young knocked in three runs with a pinch-double in the eighth inning and the Baltimore Orioles took a commanding two-game lead in the American League Division Series with a 7-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday.
Baltimore can complete the sweep when the series resumes with Game 3 in Detroit on Sunday.
After allowing two runs and failing to get an out the previous night, Joba Chamberlain entered in the eighth inning for the Tigers and gave up an RBI single to first baseman Steve Pearce that cut the margin to 6-4. Joakim Soria (0-1), who allowed four runs in Game 1, walked J.J. Hardy before the bases-clearing double by Young.
Orioles closer Zach Britton, who finished the regular season with 37 saves, closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning.
“You put it behind you,” Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said about being down two games. “We’re 0-2. We understand it, but it really doesn’t affect us playing Game 3. If you win Game 3, then you look to Game 4.”
Designated hitter Nelson Cruz picked up another two hits for Baltimore.
“We’re never out of the game,” Cruz said. “That’s the mentality we’ve got. It showed today and it showed yesterday.”
Brad Brach (1-0) claimed the win for the Orioles by getting the last two outs in the eighth inning.
Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander entered the matchup 7-0 with a 2.84 ERA in eight starts at Camden Yards. He had an uneven outing, allowing three runs and six hits with four strikeouts and one walk in five innings.
J.D. Martinez homered for the second straight game and first baseman Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 for the Tigers. Third baseman Nick Castellanos had a solo home run for Detroit.
Baltimore right fielder Nick Markakis provided a 2-0 lead with two outs in the third inning when he roped a 3-2 pitch that landed just above the grounds crew station in right field. The play was reviewed and upheld after two minutes and 36 seconds.
Cardinals 10, Dodgers 9
Matt Carpenter belted a solo homer in the sixth inning before his three-run double highlighted an eight-run seventh as visiting St. Louis overcame a five-run deficit to win Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
Matt Holliday capped the lopsided inning with a three-run blast for the NL Central-champion Cardinals, who did the majority of the damage against two-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw (0-1). Matt Adams and Jon Jay added RBI singles, Marco Gonzales (1-0) worked a scoreless inning to pick up the victory and Trevor Rosenthal allowed Dee Gordon’s RBI groundout in the ninth before striking out Yasiel Puig with a runner on third to secure the save.
A.J. Ellis belted a two-run homer to highlight his four-hit performance and Adrian Gonzalez added a two-run shot in the eighth to trim St. Louis’ lead to 10-8. Matt Kemp slapped a run-scoring single among his three hits and Carl Crawford ripped an RBI ground-rule double to extend his postseason hitting streak to a franchise-record 11 games for the NL West-champion Dodgers, who host Game 2 on Saturday.
Giants 3, Nationals 2
Joe Panik and Brandon Belt each had an RBI single to continue their solid postseasons, and Jake Peavy allowed two hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings as visiting San Francisco seized Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
Brandon Crawford, who launched a grand slam in the Giants’ 8-0 wild-card victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday, collected three hits and Panik and Belt added two apiece as the Giants recorded their ninth consecutive playoff victory. Buster Posey added an RBI single and Hunter Pence and Travis Ishikawa each had a hit and scored a run.
Bryce Harper crushed a mammoth homer into the third deck in right field to lead off the seventh inning and Asdrubal Cabrera belted a solo shot two batters later for the Nationals, who host Game 2 on Saturday. After missing the 2012 postseason to rest his surgically repaired right elbow, Stephen Strasburg (0-1) allowed two runs on eight hits in five-plus innings in his playoff debut.
Ishikawa singled to center off Strasburg to lead off the third inning and was awarded second base after San Francisco correctly challenged a close play on Peavy’s sacrifice bunt. Ishikawa moved to third on a passed ball and scored after Panik slapped a 2-1 changeup to center.
The Giants doubled their advantage in the fourth on Belt’s single to right field and claimed a 3-0 lead in the seventh as Panik tripled to lead off the frame before coming home on Posey’s RBI single up the middle. Peavy (1-0) struck out three before rookie Hunter Strickland served up a pair of towering homers, but Santiago Casilla retired the side in order in the ninth for the save.