Orioles 2, Tigers 1
Nelson Cruz homered and Bud Norris struck out six in 6 1/3 scoreless innings as visiting Baltimore completed a three-game sweep of Detroit in their American League Division Series.
Norris (1-0) got the nod over Miguel Gonzalez and scattered two hits and two walks for the Orioles, who will take on the Kansas City Royals in the AL Championship Series. Cruz’s two-run blast was his eighth in nine career postseason games against the Tigers and helped lead Baltimore to its first ALCS appearance since 1997.
David Price (0-1) was the tough-luck loser after allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks in eight innings for Detroit, which will miss out on a fourth straight trip to the ALCS. Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez led off the ninth with back-to-back doubles to get the Tigers on the board before a strikeout, an intentional walk and a double play ended the game.
Adam Jones singled with one out in the sixth and Cruz followed by reaching out for a 1-1 changeup and slicing it down the line in right field, just over the low fence and inside the foul pole for a two-run homer. Andrew Miller took over for Norris in the seventh and retired the next five batters before Zach Britton gave up a run, but the closer got the double play he needed in the ninth for his second save of the series.
The Tigers missed a chance to grab a quick lead in the second inning, when Andrew Romine laid down a two-out bunt with a runner on third but was called out at first on a close play that was upheld by video review. Detroit lost another runner in scoring position in the third as Don Kelly was caught too far off second and could not get back to the bag on a grounder to shortstop as second baseman Jonathan Schoop sprawled out on top of him while collecting the ball.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Tigers CF Rajai Davis (pelvic strain) did not start and C Alex Avila (head injury) left in the sixth inning with what likely is a concussion. … Price dropped to 0-5 with a 4.98 ERA in five career postseason starts. … Cruz’s blast was the 16th of his postseason career, moving him past Babe Ruth and into a tie with Carlos Beltran for ninth place on the all-time list.