Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs, while Jackson Holliday added a go-ahead two-run shot as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers 7-4 on Friday night—handing Detroit its seventh straight loss.
BALTIMORE — The night tilted on a pitch that didn’t miss its moment.
Pete Alonso launched a three-run home run off Jack Flaherty in the third inning, turning a one-run swing into a 3-2 lead for the Baltimore Orioles. For Alonso, it was his second straight game going deep, and it set the tone for a 7-4 victory that snapped Baltimore’s own three-game losing streak.
Jackson Holliday then struck in a way that felt like payback for more than just one at-bat. With Baltimore clinging to a 4-4 tie. the second baseman unloaded a two-run homer as part of a three-run fourth that put the Orioles ahead 6-4. Holliday had been on the injured list for the Orioles’ first 48 games. and even before his homer. he added a single for his first hit.
Alonso’s power didn’t end with the third-inning blast. He added a sacrifice fly in the seventh following his 10th home run of the season.
Detroit’s offense had answered earlier. Rookie Kevin McGonigle hit his third homer—on Keegan Akin’s first pitch—to give the Tigers the lead. Baltimore’s pitching and timely extra bases helped the Orioles take control, even as the Tigers kept pushing back.
Chris Bassitt (4-3) entered in the second and needed seven pitches to retire the side. But in the third, Gage Workman and Hao-Yu Lee opened the inning with doubles to make it 2-0. In the fourth, Zach McKinstry’s RBI fielder’s choice and Hao-Yu Lee’s two-out single pushed Detroit ahead 4-3.
The Orioles didn’t wait long to tie it again. Leodys Taveras doubled in the second and reached on a bunt single to start the bottom of the fourth. Colton Cowser singled to put runners on the corners, and Taveras scored on a balk to level the score at 4-4.
Flaherty’s outing ended with five innings already heavy with damage. A detail that stood out in the Tigers’ stumble: Flaherty did not have a balk through any of his previous 200 appearances and 1. 037 1/3 innings. Against Baltimore, however, the Orioles scored on one anyway. Flaherty allowed six runs—three earned—in 3 1/3 innings, striking out seven.
Bassitt left in the sixth after a one-out double by Wenceel Pérez. having allowed three runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. Rico Garcia got the final two outs in the fifth. and Yennier Cano and Tyler Wells both pitched a scoreless inning. In the ninth, rookie Anthony Nunez struck out two for his third save in five opportunities.
Baltimore finished with 14 hits, and Gunnar Henderson had three of them at the start of a season-high 10-game homestand.
Detroit, meanwhile, kept sliding. The Tigers lost for the 15th time in 17 games, and they have the majors’ worst road record at 7-20. The Orioles left with a win, while Detroit headed into the next day still hunting for answers.
Next up, Tigers LHP Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.58) will start Saturday against Orioles RHP Brandon Young (3-1, 4.25).
Orioles Tigers Pete Alonso Jackson Holliday MLB Friday night baseball Baltimore vs Detroit 7-4