Baltimore Orioles vs Detroit Tigers: Five players to watch

The Baltimore Orioles are on a losing streak, but a chance at redemption against the Tigers could be just what they need to stop the bleeding.

The Baltimore Orioles dropped their fifth game in a row on Thursday, but salvation could lie just around the corner. Next on the schedule are the Detroit Tigers, who boast one of the weakest rosters in the American League.

True, the Tigers swept the Orioles when the two teams faced off earlier this month. And true, the Tigers sit at 10-13, a full five games ahead of the Orioles in the AL Wild Card race. But they were also outclassed by Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova on Thursday, managing zero runs and six hits over eight long innings.

The Orioles, meanwhile, appear to have turned a corner — at least on one side of the ball, that is. While they still rank 27th in MLB in OPS, the Birds have scored nine runs over their last two games. That production won’t be enough to lift them out of the cellar just yet, but it’s certainly enough to do some damage against the Tigers’ probables for this week: Mike Fiers, Francisco Liriano and Daniel Norris. In short, this series looks like a great opportunity for Baltimore to get some revenge for the early-season sweep.

Of course, they’ll need to be more consistent than they’ve been if they want to return to the win column. In the following slides, read up on five players who could decide the series.