Valencia ignited a historic 19-hit onslaught, powering a 14-0 rout of Baltimore with two home runs as Detroit’s revamped lineup keeps their postseason hopes alive at Comerica Park.
The Tigers needed an offensive spark after their recent losses to the Royals and Orioles. With their wild-card chances hanging in the balance, Detroit continued changing the roster, recalling Eduardo Valencia from Triple-A Toledo on Monday before designating catcher Jake Rogers for assignment and activating Javier Báez from the injured list Tuesday.
The reaction from the Tigers’ bats was overwhelming.
Detroit scored in all eight innings in which it came to the plate, pounding out 19 hits in a 14-0 victory over Baltimore on Tuesday night at Comerica Park.
Valencia led the way with the best performance of his young major league career, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored. The 26-year-old catcher and first baseman now has four home runs and nine hits through his first 17 major league at-bats.
His first home run came in the second inning, when Valencia drove a pitch from Orioles starter Dean Kremer over the left-field wall to extend Detroit’s lead to 3-0. He added an RBI single in the third, singled and scored in the fifth and capped his night with a two-run homer in the eighth.Valencia’s performance provided another look at the offensive ability that earned him a spot on Detroit’s 40-man roster after the 2025 season. He hit 24 home runs with a .941 OPS between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo last year, then homered in his first major league plate appearance earlier this month.
The Tigers did not have to wait long to take control Tuesday.
Kevin McGonigle singled and Riley Greene walked in the first inning before Colt Keith drove both runners home with a triple to right field. Valencia’s solo home run started the scoring in the second, but Detroit was far from finished.
Báez, playing in his first major league game since suffering a severe ankle sprain in late April, followed Valencia with a single. McGonigle collected another hit before Gleyber Torres doubled home both runners, pushing the lead to 5-0.
Báez finished 3-for-4 with a double and two singles, giving the Tigers an immediate contribution in his return to the lineup.
Valencia drove in Keith with a two-out single in the third, and Torres added a two-run homer in the fourth. Torres finished with five RBIs, collecting a two-run double, a two-run homer and an RBI groundout.
McGonigle also continued his strong rookie season, reaching base five times with four hits and a walk. He scored four runs and drove in another as the Tigers consistently turned over the lineup against Kremer and the Baltimore bullpen.
Detroit added a run in the fifth on McGonigle’s RBI single, another in the sixth on Spencer Torkelson’s sacrifice fly and two more in the seventh on an RBI groundout from Torres and a run-scoring single from Ben Malgeri.
By the time Valencia stepped to the plate in the eighth, the Orioles had turned to catcher Chadwick Tromp to finish the game. After Zach McKinstry doubled with two outs, Valencia hit his second homer of the night to finish Detroit’s scoring.
The offensive production gave Tigers starter Troy Melton more support than he needed. He tossed seven innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five.
Melton held Baltimore scoreless over seven innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five. The Orioles did not advance a runner beyond second base against the right-hander, who worked around traffic with two double plays and several weakly hit balls.
Ty Madden completed the shutout with two perfect innings, striking out two.
Valencia, after being brought back from Toledo only a day earlier, supplied considerably more than a spark.
