Trending Now

1:19

Snyder, Earnhardt Jr. and Redskins help build school library

0:46

Caps-Jackets Game 5 preview: Coming home with the momentum

1:11

Series savior? Joe B and Locker explain Holtby's importance

0:41

John Tortorella has no answers

1:09

Braden Holtby contains Columbus in Game 3

For the third time in his career, and the first time since Sept. 2013, Manny Machado is batting leadoff for Saturday night’s game against Tampa Bay.

Coincidentally, both of his other leadoff appearances came against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Machado is the fourth leadoff hitter used by manager Buck Showalter this season.

Alejandro De Aza has been the most popular leadoff hitter, batting there 15 times, Everth Cabrera has hit in the top spot five times, and David Lough once.

De Aza, who is in a 3-for-29 slump, is not in the lineup. He’s 2-for-6 against Saturday’s starter, Chris Archer.

Showalter chose De Aza as his leadoff hitter not necessarily because he was convinced he was the best option, but because there are no other better ones.

De Aza has struck out 21 times and walked just three times for a .265 on-base percentage.

Machado, whose batting eye has improved this year, has walked nine times and struck out 17. His OBP is .326.

Since Nick Markakis left, Showalter has searched for an ideal leadoff hitter. Cabrera has walked just twice in 19 games.

Steve Pearce makes his second start at second base.

RELATED: Can Orioles get some runs against Rays?

Trending Now

1:19

Snyder, Earnhardt Jr. and Redskins help build school library

0:46

Caps-Jackets Game 5 preview: Coming home with the momentum

1:11

Series savior? Joe B and Locker explain Holtby's importance

0:41

John Tortorella has no answers

1:09

Braden Holtby contains Columbus in Game 3

DETROIT - Leonys Martin hit his first big league grand slam, Jeimer Candelario had four hits and three RBIs, and the Detroit Tigers beat Baltimore 13-8 Thursday to extend the Orioles' losing streak to six.

Jordan Zimmermann (1-0) gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, allowing two home runs to Manny Machado and one to Chris Davis. Zimmermann was pitching for the first time since being hit in the jaw by a line drove off the bat of Cleveland's Jason Kipnis on April 11.

Alex Cobb (0-2) made his second start after signing a $57 million, four-year contract in spring training and his ERA rose to 15.43. He allowed seven runs - five earned - and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Machado had four RBIs for the Orioles, who were outhit 18-14 in the game and outscored 23-15 in the three-game sweep.

Victor Martinez hit an RBI single in the first, but Davis put Baltimore ahead with a two-run homer in the second, his sixth hit and fourth homer in 10 career at-bats against Zimmermann.

Detroit went ahead for good with four runs in the bottom half after third baseman Tim Beckham's throwing error allowed James McCann to reach base leading off. Jose Iglesias hit a two-run triple, Miguel Cabrera had an RBI single and Nick Castellanos a run-scoring groundout.

Machado's homer in the third cut Baltimore's deficit to 5-2, but Candelario's two-run homer extended the lead to 7-2 in the bottom half. Martin homered off Mike Wright Jr. in a five-run fifth.

Trending Now

1:19

Snyder, Earnhardt Jr. and Redskins help build school library

0:46

Caps-Jackets Game 5 preview: Coming home with the momentum

1:11

Series savior? Joe B and Locker explain Holtby's importance

0:41

John Tortorella has no answers

1:09

Braden Holtby contains Columbus in Game 3

DETROIT -- Dixon Machado came to the plate with only one big league homer to his name, but the way this game was going, anything seemed possible.

"Walking to the plate I was thinking, `What if I hit a homer right here?'" the Detroit infielder said. "He threw me a fastball away but when he came in with a pitch I was ready for it and I just hit it hard."

Machado led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run , capping a wild final two innings and lifting the Tigers over the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 on Wednesday. Detroit led 2-1 before each team scored three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth.

Baltimore's Luis Sardinas tied it with a solo shot off Shane Greene (1-0) in the top of the ninth, but then the 26-year-old Machado hit a line drive off Pedro Araujo (1-2) that cleared the fence in left field. It was his second homer in 299 big league at-bats.

The game was moved from 6:40 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. in anticipation of bad weather. Although it was a sparse crowd, to say the least , the sun did come out, and those fans in attendance were treated to quite a few homers.

Miguel Cabrera went deep on his 35th birthday, and Jeimer Candelario and John Hicks also homered for Detroit. Hicks hit a three-run shot in the eighth that put the Tigers up 5-4.

Danny Valencia hit a solo homer for the Orioles, who have lost five straight.

Detroit's Matthew Boyd allowed a run, two hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings, striking out six. Baltimore's Kevin Gausman allowed two runs and nine hits in six-plus innings.

Cabrera's solo homer put the Tigers up 2-1 in the sixth, but Manny Machado and Chris Davis hit RBI singles as part of a three-run rally by Baltimore in the eighth. The drive by Davis was nearly a home run, but it hit the wall and stayed in play.

"There were obviously a couple bad breaks -- our ball hits the top of the fence and comes back and their ball goes over -- but there were four or five breaks we got during the game on bounces or pitch calls," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "If you lose focus and start feeling sorry for yourselves, every team you play is going to take advantage and step on your throat."