Orioles push Tigers near extinction, Royals top Angels

Baltimore pinch-hitter Delmon Young smacked a three-run double in the eighth inning to give the Orioles a 7-6 victory over visiting Detroit in the Major League Baseball playoffs.
The victory gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five American League Division Series, and they'll try to finish off a sweep of the Tigers on Sunday to book an American League Championship Series showdown with either Kansas City or the Anaheim Angels.
Kansas City are also eyeing a sweep after a 4-1 victory in 11 innings over the Angels in Anaheim.
Eric Hosmer hit a two-run home run in the 11th inning to spark the surprising Royals, the AL wild card winners who now have the team with the best regular-season record in the major leagues on the ropes.
Salvador Perez drove in another run with an infield single in the 11th for Kansas City, who upon returning to the post-season for the first time in 29 years have opened their playoff campaign with three straight extra-inning triumphs.
"These games have been exciting, they've been taking a long time, but we'll take a win any way we can get it," said Hosmer, who finished the night with three hits.
The last was his crushing two-run blast off a fastball from Anaheim relief pitcher Kevin Jepsen.
Alex Gordon also drove in a run for the Royals in the second inning, with Anaheim's Albert Pujols delivering an RBI single in the sixth off of Royals rookie starter Yordano Ventura to knot the score at 1-1.
Kansas City got a scare in the bottom of the fifth, when Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton swung at a changeup from Ventura and on the backswing, his bat hit catcher Perez in the helmet near his right eye.
Perez toppled over, but passed an on-field exam for concussion as well as further tests after the inning ended.
The Royals will try to close out the series at home on Sunday.
- Late surge lifts Orioles -
In Baltimore, the Orioles again powered to victory with a scoring explosion in the penultimate inning.
Trailing 6-3 going into the bottom of the eighth, the Orioles began their comeback when Adam Jones was hit by Detroit relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain.
Nelson Cruz followed with a single to left field, Steve Pearce then singled to right to score Jones and send off Chamberlain in favor of Tiger reliever Joakim Soria, who promptly walked J.J. Hardy to load the bases.
Young then went to the plate in place of Ryan Flaherty and smacked the first pitch he saw into left field, sending all three base runners speeding for home.
The throw to home was slightly off target and Hardy was able to slide and touch the plate to provide the Orioles their margin of victory.
"Any time we have an opportunity and get guys on, we think we can win," said Young, who was the Most Valuable Player of the 2012 American League Championship Series while with Detroit.
Nick Markakis smacked a two-out home run over the right-field wall in the third inning to give Baltimore a 2-0 lead.
But Detroit answered with five runs in the fourth inning, the first run coming when Victor Martinez singled to score Torii Hunter from third base and advance Miguel Cabrera to second.
J.D. Martinez followed with a three-run homer to left field and the next batter, Nick Castellanos, blasted a solo homer to right field to give the Tigers a 5-2 edge.
All the runs were surrendered by Orioles starting pitcher Chen Wei-Yin, a 16-game winner this year. The 29-year-old Taiwanese left-hander allowed seven hits while striking out three.
The Orioles pulled within 5-3 in the fourth when Jones singled, reached second on a Cruz ground out and scored on Hardy's single to left field.
But the Tigers stretched their advantage in the top of the eighth when Victor Martinez's double up the middle scored Hunter Walker.
"We're 0-2, we understand it," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "If you win game three, you look to game four, but you don't look past the day in front of you."
Source: AFP