masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgNot only did Matt Wieters catch in back-to-back games with tonight’s assignment, he also guided Mike Wright through the rotation’s latest quality start and gave the Orioles a lead they never surrendered.
He also opened the flood gates.
Jonathan Schoop homered twice, including his second career grand slam, and Adam Jones homered for the fourth time in five games, as the Orioles again got aggressive late and defeated the Tigers 9-3 before 32,174 at Camden Yards.
Wieters hit his second home run…

Not only did Matt Wieters catch in back-to-back games with tonight’s assignment, he also guided Mike Wright through the rotation’s latest quality start and gave the Orioles a lead they never surrendered.

He also opened the flood gates.

Jonathan Schoop homered twice, including his second career grand slam, and Adam Jones homered for the fourth time in five games, as the Orioles again got aggressive late and defeated the Tigers 9-3 before 32,174 at Camden Yards.

Wieters hit his second home run of the season and his first since April 19, a two-run shot to right-center field with two outs in the bottom of the sixth that erased a 2-1 deficit. Schoop led off the seventh with a homer, Jones did the same in the eighth and Schoop cleared the bases later in the inning to give him a career-high five RBIs.

Jonathan Schoop points up black.jpgSchoop has two multi-homer games this season, the other April 15 in Texas. His other career slam came on April 11, 2015 versus the Blue Jays.

The Orioles scored three runs off Anibal Sanchez in the sixth, did the usual pummeling of the Tigers bullpen and secured their seventh win in a row to match their season high. They improved to 23-12 overall and 16-5 at home.

Brad Brach, who hadn’t pitched since Tuesday, surrendered a run in the eighth on Ian Kinsler’s leadoff double and Victor Martinez’s two-out single. He had permitted only two runs in 18 innings before tonight.

Jones provided a little more breathing room, Schoop provided a lot and Brach notched the six-out save. Brach has two career saves, the first coming May 2, 2015 at Tropicana Field.

Wright retired eight in a row before hitting J.D. Martinez on the left hand with one out in the sixth inning. Miguel Cabrera followed with a two-run homer to left-center field, the ball slamming off the railing above the visiting bullpen.

The dreaded sixth inning claimed another victim.

Cabrera’s ball traveled 462 feet, according to Statcast. Few who saw it would argue.

Victor Martinez doubled into the right field corner, but Wright retired Nick Castellanos on a fly ball and struck out Justin Upton.

Allowed to return for the seventh, Wright retired the Tigers in order on a ground ball, popup and fly ball. He was done after 108 pitches.

Wright matched his career high with six strikeouts and gave the Orioles their 13th quality start in the last 17 games.

Wright struggled to keep his emotions in check in the early innings, his frustration with plate umpire John Tumpane obvious to anyone paying attention. He walked Ian Kinsler and J.D. Martinez back-to-back to load the bases with one out in the third and the game threatened to get away from him.

Cabrera sent a soft liner over Wright’s head that Schoop played on the short hop to start an awkward but successful 4-6-3 double play.

It was a thing of beauty to Wright, who pumped his fist and slapped his hand into his glove before spinning toward the dugout.

The Orioles mounted a two-out threat in the second inning on Pedro Alvarez’s single up the middle and Kinsler’s error, but Hyun Soo Kim bounced to the mound. Schoop walked in the fifth inning, took second on a balk and moved to third on Kim’s grounder, but Joey Rickard popped up.

Alvarez, in his first start at third base since August 2014, made a nice backhanded stop and throw to retire Nick Castellanos leading off the top of the second. He duplicated the play to retire James McCann in the fifth.

Ryan Flaherty replaced Alvarez in the eighth.