Cowser’s walk-off homer sinks Tigers, wastes Valdez’s quality start in eighth straight loss

Framber Valdez gave the Detroit Tigers the kind of start that should have stopped the bleeding.

Instead, the Tigers found another way to lose.

Valdez delivered his seventh quality start of the season Sunday afternoon, holding Baltimore to one run over six innings, but the Tigers’ bullpen could not finish it off in a 5-3 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards. Colton Cowser hit a two-out, three-run homer off Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning, handing Detroit its eighth straight loss and adding another brutal chapter to a road stretch that has become one of the worst in franchise history.

The Tigers are now 7-21 on the road, a .250 winning percentage, the lowest road mark in the majors. It is also the club’s roughest 28-game road start since 2022, when Detroit opened 6-22 away from Comerica Park. Through 28 road games, the Tigers have been 7-21 or worse just a handful of times in franchise history, including 2026, 2022, 1996 and 1931.

Sunday’s loss followed the same painful script that has dragged Detroit through this losing streak: enough starting pitching to win, just enough offense to build a lead, and not enough late-game execution to protect it.

Detroit led 3-2 entering the ninth after Jansen had escaped trouble in the eighth. The veteran closer got Samuel Basallo to fly out to right to open the inning, but then walked Jackson Holliday. Holliday stole second, and Jansen followed by walking Leody Taveras, putting the tying and winning runs on base.

After Jeremiah Jackson flied out to center for the second out, Baltimore was down to its final out. But Holliday and Taveras pulled off a double steal, moving both runners into scoring position. Cowser then drove a fly ball to center for his second home run of the season, turning a one-run Detroit lead into another walk-off loss.

It spoiled one of Valdez’s sharper outings of the year. The left-hander allowed one run on two hits over six innings, walking two and striking out five. He retired the Orioles in order in the fifth and had allowed little hard contact before Gunnar Henderson got to him in the sixth, sending a solo home run to right to cut Detroit’s lead to 2-1.

That was the only run Valdez allowed.

The Tigers gave him an early cushion in the fourth. Kevin McGonigle singled to right, and Dillon Dingler reached on a fielder’s choice when Pete Alonso’s throwing error allowed McGonigle to move to second. Riley Greene flied out to center, advancing McGonigle to third, and Matt Vierling followed with an RBI single to center to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.

Colt Keith added a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Dingler and pushing the lead to 2-0.

Detroit had another chance in the sixth when Vierling and Keith singled with two outs, but Wenceel Pérez grounded into a forceout to end the inning. The Tigers added what looked like a critical insurance run in the eighth, when Dingler walked, Vierling singled him to third and Spencer Torkelson, pinch-hitting for Keith, beat out a soft grounder to first to score Dingler and make it 3-1.

But Baltimore answered in the bottom half against Kyle Finnegan. Jackson doubled to center, moved to third on Cowser’s groundout and scored on Taylor Ward’s RBI single. Henderson then walked, putting the tying run in scoring position, but Jansen entered and got Alonso to fly out to second to keep Detroit ahead 3-2.

One inning later, the lead was gone.

Vierling finished with three hits and an RBI, while Torkelson delivered a pinch-hit RBI single. McGonigle, Keith and Zack Short also had hits for Detroit, but the Tigers again failed to build enough separation despite having multiple chances to stretch the game.

Baltimore starter Brandon Young allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings. The Orioles’ bullpen allowed one run over the final 2 1/3 innings, giving Baltimore enough time to come back. Their bullpen, ranked one of the worst ones in the league by ERA, has been highly effective against Detroit so far. 

For Detroit, the frustration is no longer limited to one inning or one reliever. Valdez did his part. The Tigers had the lead late. The game was there to be closed out. Instead, another quality start went to waste, another save chance slipped away, and the Tigers left Baltimore still searching for the win that stops the skid.

Troy Melton is scheduled to start Game 2 in his first start off the IL. 

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