Highlights
Preview
BALTIMORE (Interstat) — The Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles continue their weekend series Saturday evening at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. under a forecast of 57 degrees and rain. Detroit (20-31) will start left-hander Framber Valdez (2-3), while Baltimore (21-29) counters with right-hander Brandon Young (3-1). Valdez has struggled with consistency in May, while Young has been a bright spot for the Orioles’ rotation. The Tigers enter having lost four straight, including Friday’s 3-2 defeat against Baltimore in the series opener. Detroit has dropped eight of its last nine, the lone win coming May 15 against Toronto. The Orioles snapped a four-game skid with that victory and have won two of three as they seek to climb out of last place in the American League East. Friday’s game was decided by a late rally, with Baltimore scoring twice in the seventh inning. A player to watch for Detroit is right-hander Casey Mize, who has been sharp in recent relief appearances. On May 21 against Cleveland, Mize went 6.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts in a loss. He followed that with six innings of shutout ball May 16 against Toronto, scattering two hits and striking out four in another tough-luck defeat. For Baltimore, right-hander Shane Baz has struggled over his past four starts, allowing at least three earned runs in each. However, he threw six innings of one-run ball May 20 at Tampa Bay, striking out six, and delivered his best outing of the season April 28 against Houston, going 5.2 innings with one earned run and six strikeouts in a win. Detroit’s offense has sputtered, averaging 2.2 runs over the past seven games. Catcher Dillon Dingler homered in Thursday’s 3-1 loss to Cleveland. Baltimore’s lineup has been inconsistent but got a boost from first baseman Pete Alonso, who homered and drove in two runs in Wednesday’s loss at Tampa Bay. The Interstat game simulator projects a 4-1 Orioles victory. Despite that, Detroit opened as a -1.5 run favorite. The over/under is set at eight runs. The two teams wrap up the series Sunday afternoon before Detroit heads home to face the Los Angeles Angels, while Baltimore hosts Tampa Bay on Monday.

