Time to regroup again: O's look to bounce back after loss in Detroit

DETROIT - With back-to-back losses to the Rays and Tigers by one run each, the Orioles are 76-64 and have fallen three games back in the American League East race behind division-leading Boston.

They've now been tied by Detroit as the clubs have identical records and co-hold the second AL wild card spot as play begins today. The New York Yankees are now just one game behind the Orioles, for both third place in the AL East and for the second wild card.

The race for playoff spots is pretty crazy and the Orioles' up-and-down season has suddenly hit another down spot. Back-to-back one-run losses with the bullpen allowing the go-ahead runs in the seventh on Wednesday and eighth inning last night are games we are not used to seeing from this bullpen. For most of this season, when the game was tight late, the Orioles bullpen would help put the team over the top.

The loss of Darren O'Day continues to be felt. The Orioles hope he returns to the active roster next week.

Victor Martinez turned around Brad Brach's 96 mph fastball in the eighth inning last night, broke a 3-3 tie and the Tigers won 4-3. The Orioles had rallied from 3-0 behind to get even on Jonathan Schoop's two-run homer and Adam Jones' RBI single. But that only led to the Martinez's game-winning home run.

"Yeah, he's been doing it for a long time," Brach said. "It was 96 and up a little bit. You just can't make mistakes like that to a hitter like him."

After a first half that saw him allow runs in just five of 40 appearances and make the All-Star team, Brach has now been scored on in four of his last nine games. In that time, he has allowed 11 hits and five runs, including three homers, over 9 1/3 innings. His ERA is 4.61 since Aug. 1.

Friday's game started out as a pitchers' duel between young right-handers Kevin Gausman and Michael Fulmer. Gausman made some big pitches. He stranded runners at second and third after allowing a run in the second. He pitched out of a first-and-third, no-outs jam in the third with a strikeout of Miguel Cabrera and a 9-2 double play hit into by Martinez with Mark Trumbo getting an outfield assist in right field.

Manager Buck Showalter kept Gausman in the game for six innings and 114 pitches, just two off his career high.

"It's about trust, too," Showalter said. "You start realizing you're going to have a pretty good finished product if you let him go. He worked out of some tough jams against a good offensive team, operating at the top of their game. And Kevin was solid. Their guy was a little better. That's why he's leading the league. You're talking about a guy who leads the American League in ERA. We had some good at-bats against him there, but he's improved. That's why you get guys like him when you give up a (Yoenis) Cespedes right?"

Fulmer, who gave up just three hits over seven innings, began his outing with not enough innings to qualify for the league leaders, but ended it with enough. So his 2.76 ERA indeed leads the AL this morning with Aaron Sanchez of Toronto second at 2.92.

Trumbo's throw to the plate, on which Matt Wieters applied a nice tag in the third inning, was recorded by Statcast at 90.8 mph. That is Trumbo's third-hardest throw this season.

Gausman's scoreless innings string ended at 20 on Erick Aybar's RBI double in the second. But over his last four starts, Gausman has an ERA of 1.08.

O's starting pitchers have recorded seven quality starts the last 11 games with an ERA of 3.36. Over the Orioles' last 18 games, they have 11 quality starts and a rotation ERA of 3.96.

Detroit's J.D. Martinez went 3-for-3 with a two-run single and a walk. Over his last 34 games, he is batting .400 (52-for-130) with 12 doubles, eight homers and 19 RBIs. Ian Kinsler is batting .438 (14-for-32) during an eight-game hitting streak.