Orioles fall short in 6-4 loss to Tigers, putting potential playoff clinch on hold
The Orioles entered Saturday with a chance to clinch a postseason berth before the night ended.
The first step: a Baltimore victory.
Cade Povich gave his team enough to achieve that in one of his final starts of the season, continuing his solid September to put the finishing touches on an encouraging rookie campaign.
The Orioles bullpen unraveled late, but the offenses ninth-inning rally erased that deficit.
To extra innings the wild-card hopefuls went, with a win potentially securing the Orioles their second straight trip to October.
Yennier Cano let two runners score in the top of the 10th, snatching the energy that the announced 39,647 in attendance built minutes before, and Baltimore didnt have another response in the bottom half in a 6-4 loss.
With the defeat, the earliest the Orioles can clinch a postseason berth is Sunday.
That can happen if Baltimore wins its series finale Sunday and the Seattle Mariners lose one of their next two games against the Texas Rangers.
The Mariners game Saturday began at 7:05 p.m.
Povich preserved a close game before he departed.
He allowed just two earned runs over five innings, striking out seven and walking three.
Scoreless third and fourth frames followed a two-run second as Saturday began to closer resemble Povichs starts as of late.
The left-hander entered with a 3.18 ERA across three September starts.
That success rolled into the fifth, where Povich struck out the side to cap his five-inning, two-run outing.
In four starts this month, the rookie southpaw has 30 strikeouts.
The most he had in a month previously was 17 in June.
Povichs command also continues to steadily climb hes walked three or fewer batters in his last seven outings.
Its a longshot for Povich to make the Orioles postseason rotation, and being on the playoff roster isnt a lock, either.
But a sound finish to his rookie season could set him up for success in 2025.
The Orioles have a playoff race to worry about until then, and the bullpen that took over for the rookie ensured that race would be prolonged.
Cionel Perez allowed two groundball singles to start the eighth, and second baseman Jackson Holliday couldnt field a third one cleanly as the Tigers took the lead.
The left-hander was removed before he recorded an out and gave way to Seranthony Dominguez with two runners on.
The usual closer let one run score, charged to Perez, and the Orioles trailed 4-2 entering the ninth inning after not scoring since the sixth.
After scoring 12 runs on six homers over their past two games, the Orioles offense was quiet for much of Saturday.
Emmanuel Rivera provided both of Baltimores first two runs.
In the second inning, he scored Adley Rutschman on a sacrifice fly to pull the Orioles within one.
And in the sixth, Rivera evened the score with an RBI single that again brought Rutschman home.
Related Articles The Orioles claimed Rivera off waivers Aug.
21.
One month to the day later, he had perhaps his best game with his new club.
The third baseman hit .214 with a .563 OPS with the Miami Marlins before they designated him for assignment.
After his game-tying base hit in the sixth inning, those totals are .264 and .786 with his new club, all while playing a formidable third base as he pushes for a spot on the postseason roster.
Rivera contributed to his teams ninth-inning surge with a single after Heston Kjerstad (3-for-4) did the same.
Both scored on a double from Gunnar Henderson just hours after he was named Most Valuable Oriole for the second consecutive year.
Henderson clenched his fists and yelled at the home dugout as he stood on second base to urge his teammates to bring him home.
They never did, then Cano let in two more, and the Orioles heroics ran dry.
Theyre still on the precipice of the postseason.
But any euphoric release will have to wait at least another day.
Sunday, 1:35 p.m.
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