Mora’s homer, 4 RBIs give Orioles 11-2 win
Melvin Mora finished a double shy of the cycle, driving in four runs to lift the Baltimore Orioles to an 11-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
Mora finished 3-for-4 and has 15 RBIs in his last seven games, his offensive production corresponding to a sudden charge by the Orioles offense. Baltimore has scored 66 runs in its last eight games.
Reliever Lance Cormier (2-3) picked up the win in relief, allowing only a hit in 2 1-3 innings against a potent but suddenly scuffling Detroit lineup.
Nate Robertson (7-9) allowed five runs — four earned — and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings for the Tigers, who gave him very little help on defense. Detroit committed three errors in losing for the 11th time in its last 15 games.
Aubrey Huff’s two-out RBI single in the first gave Baltimore a 1-0 lead, and the Orioles added two more in the second when Brian Roberts‘ single brought in Luke Scott and Juan Castro followed him home on a throwing error by right-fielder Magglio Ordonez.
Mora’s 18th home run made it 4-0 in the third.
Placido Polanco put the Tigers on the board with a two-run homer in the fifth, but despite piling up 11 hits, those were the only runs Detroit could muster.
Mora hit his sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Baltimore added six more runs in the ninth.
Lou Montanez was credited with an RBI on a bases-loaded grounder that Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera bobbled, and two more runs came in on Castro’s fielder’s choice grounder. Castro got an RBI and the other run scored on Polanco’s error.
The Tigers‘ second baseman got the relay at second on a grounder to short, but his throw hit the hand of Montanez, who was sliding into second. Polanco argued that Montanez blocked the throw intentionally and was ejected by first base umpire Ron Kulpa.
Mora added a bases-loaded, two-run single later in the inning, and Huff drove in the final run with another single.