Spencer Torkelson hits 16th home run in Detroit Tigers' 5-3 win over Baltimore Orioles
BALTIMORE — Detroit Tigers slugger Spencer Torkelson saw seven pitches from Baltimore Orioles left-hander Cade Povich in the fifth inning: four pitches in the strike zone, three pitches out of it.
He refused to chase.
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On the fourth in-zone pitch, the seventh of his at-bat, Torkelson destroyed a 92 mph fastball to center field for a two-run home run, capping a three-run inning for the Tigers. The center fielder nearly robbed it, but the ball eluded his leaping attempt.
The Tigers won, 5-3, over the Orioles on Tuesday, June 10, in the first of three games in the series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, supported by Torkelson's 16th homer in 65 games (a 38-homer pace in the 2025 season).
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Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers celebrates a two-run home with third base coach Joey Cora in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
Torkelson leads American League first basemen with 16 homers and 47 RBIs, and ranks second behind the Tampa Bay Rays' Jonathan Aranda with an .850 OPS.
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The Tigers (44-24) wouldn't have benefited from Torkelson's home run if not for a string of two-out hits in the fifth inning. After back-to-back outs, Riley Greene doubled, Dillon Dingler singled, Torkelson homered and Zach McKinstry tripled.
The Dingler single made it 3-1 Tigers, and the Torkelson homer made it 5-1 Tigers.
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Leading 5-2, the Tigers called on right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle to protect the three-run advantage with a runner on second base and two outs in the eighth inning.
Kahnle escaped without allowing a run.
Right-handed reliever Will Vest surrendered a leadoff home run to Jordan Westburg in the ninth inning — making it a 5-3 game — but he took care of the next three batters to record his 11th save in 13 chances.
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Sawyer Gipson-Long sharp
Right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long is a starter, but the Tigers used him as a reliever against the Orioles — only because manager A.J. Hinch preferred left-handed reliever Brant Hurter as an opener in matchups with the Orioles' left-handed hitters.
Gipson-Long entered in the fourth inning.
He was sharp.
The 27-year-old took down 4⅔ innings with five strikeouts, throwing 78.4% of his 51 pitches for strikes. His changeup was responsible for six of his nine whiffs, as the Orioles missed six times on 11 swings against his best pitch.
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The Orioles didn't record a hit off Gipson-Long until his fifth and final inning of work. That runner ended up scoring on Adley Rutschman's sacrifice fly, cutting the Tigers' lead to 5-2.
Gipson-Long surrendered two hits in his final inning, which he couldn't complete. One of those hits — a double by Gunnar Henderson that chased him — marked the first hit off Gipson-Long's changeup this season.
Tuesday marked Gipson-Long's second MLB game since Sept. 28, 2023, following his recovery from right elbow surgery and right hip surgery. His fastball averaged 94.6 mph, up 2 mph from his 2023 average of 93.6 mph.
Javier Báez puts Tigers in front
The Tigers and Orioles traded runs in the early innings.
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In the second inning, McKinstry hit his first of two triples and scored on Wenceel Pérez's sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. In the third inning, hits from Jackson Holliday and Henderson against Hurter. The Henderson single tied the game, 1-1.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Zach McKinstry (39) scores during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
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The Tigers grabbed a 2-1 lead with Javier Báez's two-out RBI single in the fourth inning. He hit a second-pitch changeup from Povich into right field, upping his batting average to .269 through 57 games this season.
Báez hit .184 in 80 games last season.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Spencer Torkelson blast powers Detroit Tigers past Orioles, 5-3
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