DETROIT (AP) — Victor Martinez homered for the first time since August, and the Detroit Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
Martinez hit a two-run shot in the second, and Jeimer Candelario hit a tiebreaking triple in the fifth for Detroit. Francisco Liriano (2-1) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked three.
Baltimore managed only one hit off four Detroit relievers. Shane Greene pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.
Trey Mancini hit a solo homer for the Orioles, who lost their fourth straight. Andrew Cashner (1-2) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings.
The temperature was in the mid-30s by game’s end, but at least the teams were able to get nine innings in. Detroit had home games postponed Saturday and Sunday against the New York Yankees, and the Orioles were postponed Monday at Boston.
Miguel Cabrera went 0 for 2 with two walks before leaving the game with back tightness.
Martinez hadn’t homered since Aug. 18. A heart problem cut his 2017 season short about a month early, and at 39, he’s in the final season of his contract.
His opposite-field drive to left-center gave Detroit a 2-0 lead, but Mancini answered the following inning with his second homer of the year, and the Orioles tied it on an RBI single by Adam Jones in the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, however, Leonys Martin reached on a bunt single with one out, and Candelario followed with a triple to right-center.
Detroit added a run in the eighth on a wild pitch by Mychal Givens.
