Kerry Carpenter hit two solo home runs and the Detroit Tigers held off the host Baltimore Orioles for a 4-3 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Spencer Torkelson also homered for Detroit, which won two of three games in the series despite managing only five hits in the finale.
Carpenter smacked both of his blasts off Orioles starter Albert Suarez, including a tiebreaking solo shot to lead off the sixth.
The Tigers (82-74) won four of six meetings with Baltimore across the last 10 days.
Detroit has won seven of its last nine games and is tied with the Kansas City Royals for the second wild-card spot, four back of the Orioles. The Royals lost 2-0 to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.
Sean Guenther (2-0) was the winning pitcher with two-thirds of an inning in relief. Jason Foley notched his 26th save.
The Orioles (86-70) were denied, at least for now, from clinching a playoff spot as an AL wild card and the outcome will make it nearly impossible to overcome the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East. Baltimore begins a three-game series Tuesday night at New York.
Suarez (8-7) gave up four runs on five hits in five-plus innings while striking out six and walking one.
Carpenter has 17 home runs after his third two-homer game of the season.
Cedric Mullins drilled a two-run homer in the fifth for Baltimore. The Orioles tied the game on Jordan Westburg’s double later in the inning as he provided a key hit in his first game since July 31 after a hand injury.
Detroit relievers Guenther, Brenan Hanifee, Will Vest and Foley combined for 4 2/3 shutout innings while allowing one hit.
Torkelson’s ninth long ball of the season came in the second to open the scoring.
The Tigers used Trey Sweeney’s run-scoring double in the second for a 2-0 lead before Carpenter’s first homer of the day in the third.
The Orioles had only one hit — a single — through four innings off Tyler Holton and Ty Madden before converting in the fifth on Mullins’ 18th homer after Ramos Urias’ one-out single.
Baltimore finished 44-37 at home.
–Field Level Media
