Tyler Alexander picked a good night to make a first impression.
On the day the Detroit Tigers announced the hiring of new president of baseball operations Scott Harris, Alexander carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. The left-hander allowed just two hits and two walks in seven innings in the 9-0 win over the Orioles on Monday night in Baltimore.
Riley Greene had two run-scoring doubles and three RBIs, Spencer Torkelson had two doubles and a single and scored three times and Ryan Kreidler had hit, scored twice and drove in three runs.
Miguel Cabrera, in his first game back from the injured list, had two singles, scored once and had an RBI. Tucker Barnhart had three singles.
Miguel Cabrera, in his first game back from the injured list, had two hits and an RBI.
Alexander, making his 39th career start and 92nd career appearance, threw 87 pitches, 52 for strikes, and retired the first 11 batters he faced. He allowed just two walks on 77 pitches through six innings. But in the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Mountcastle hit a 1-0 pitch to center for a single, ending Alexander’s chance at history. On the next pitch, Anthony Santander repeated the feat, putting two runners on before the Tigers could get the bullpen warmed up.
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After a visit from pitching coach Chris Fetter, Alexander struck out Jesus Aguilar and then got Gunnar Henderson to ground into an inning-ending 4-3 double play.
Alexander seemed to tire a bit in the sixth inning, giving up a two-out walk to Austin Hays. Rookie Adley Rutschman hit a grounder down the third-base line that rookie Ryan Kreidler fielded on a backhand while sliding and then fired to first for the out, that the Orioles challenged but replay confirmed that rookie Spencer Torkelson kept his foot on the bag.
The Tigers gave Alexander plenty of run support with a five-run fourth inning. Cabrera led off with a single and was pushed to second on a Torkelson single. After a Jonathan Schoop walk and a mound visit, Tyler Wells walked Kreidler to make the score 2-0.
Well was lifted in favor of DL Hall, who struck out Barnhart but then uncorked a wild pitch, sending home Torkelson. Akil Baddoo then hit a two-run single and Greene followed with an RBI double to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead.
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After the long wait, Alexander got two outs on four pitches in the fourth before giving up a walk on a full-count pitch to Mountcastle. But the Orioles’ first baserunner was stranded on a Santander fly out to right two pitches later.
In his first at-bat, Cabrera hit an RBI single to left to drive in Javier Báez. The Tigers added two more runs in the sixth on another Greene double to score Kreidler and Baddoo. They scored one more in the seventh after Torkelson, who doubled, scored on Kreidler’s two-out single.
The Tigers added two more runs in the ninth. Pinch hitter Kerry Carpenter singled and Torkelson smashed a ground-rule double down the left-field line. Carpenter then scored on a Schoop sacrifice fly, and Torkelson scored on a Kreidler sac fly.
Will Vest pitched a perfect eighth inning and Jose Cisnero gave up two walks but struck out two in the ninth.