O's begin second half with 7-2 loss to the Tigers

This was not exactly the start to the second half the Orioles had in mind. Get blown out at home and lose their No. 1 starting pitcher to an injury. Jason Hammel left the game in the top of the fourth as Detroit routed the Orioles 7-2 at Camden Yards. For the Tigers, this is their sixth win in a row. For the Orioles, they fall to 6-14 over their past 20 games. Hammel left after throwing a 1-2 pitch to Brennan Boesch, who was leading off in the top of the fourth. Hammel landed awkwardly, it appeared on his left leg, but the Orioles later announced that he injured his right knee, the same one that has bothered him since earlier in the year. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Boesch delivered a two-run single in the first for the Tigers, who added one in the fourth and four in the fifth. In that inning, Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer that traveled 454 feet. Later Jhonny Peralta hit a three-run shot. Nick Markakis, batting leadoff for the first time ever in the majors, came up with an RBI double in the third as the Orioles ended a 24-inning scoreless streak. However, the O's got just one run over seven innings against Doug Fister, a pitcher that had allowed 18 earned runs over 14 1/3 innings in his previous three starts. The Orioles lost by five runs as they fell for the fourth time in five games and the 10th time in the last 14 games to fall to 45-41 on the year. The second half began tonight, but for the Orioles, their struggles from the first half carried over. They'll host the Tigers in Game 2 of this series on Saturday at 4:05 p.m.