DETROIT (AP) — Riley Greene homered twice and drove in three runs, and the Detroit Tigers beat Baltimore 4-2 on Sunday to take two of three from the Orioles.
Greene hit a two-run homer with two outs in the third off Cade Povich (2-9) and a solo drive in the eighth against Gregory Soto. Greene leads the Tigers with 23 homers. He hit both homers off left-handers after entering the day batting .203 with four homers against lefties.
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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich throws against the Detroit Tigers in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith hits an RBI single, scoring Matt Vierling, in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch watches from the dugout in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, left, and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, right, watch from the dugout in the third inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tyler Holton throws against the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers third base coach Joey Cora, left, watches as Matt Vierling, right, runs to score on an RBI single by Colt Keith against the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich throws against Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene reacts after hitting a two-run home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene, right, is congratulated by Andy Ibáñez after hitting a two-run home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit (77-73) remained 2 1/2 games behind Minnesota (79-70) for the last AL wild card, has won six of eight.
“That's a really, really good team over there,” Greene said. “We just keep putting our ourselves in good positions to get a possible win. Our goal is just to win every single game we can.”
Baltimore (84-64) dropped its second straight series and scored just six runs in the three games. The Orioles, who have lost six of eight, fell three games back of the AL East-leading Yankees but are in position for the top AL wild card.
“Our pitching's been really good,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We're giving ourselves a chance to win almost every single night out. We're playing pretty good defense. We're just not getting enough baserunners and when we do, we're not getting them home.”
Keider Montero (6-6) gave up five hits in five innings and Jason Foley got four straight outs for his 23rd save in 26 chances.
"Having control of the zone, that was the key for sure," Montero said through an interpreter.
Povich allowed two runs, two hits and two walks in five innings while striking out eight.
Colt Keith boosted the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single in the sixth against right-hander Jacob Webb.
Adley Rutschman hit a two-run homer in the eighth against Will Vest, Rutschman’s 19th homer this season but first since Aug. 18.
“We've just got to get going offensively,” Hyde said. “We had the two-run homer later in the game but we're not stringing together many hits. When we have opportunities, we're not cashing them in.”
Soto has allowed 30 home runs in his big league career but Greene's was just the fifth by a left-handed batter.
Soto is an ex-Tiger, and that familiarity was somewhat helpful for Greene.
“I know he's got that sinker and slider. It's still not a comfortable at-bat because he's really good,” Greene said. “Just trying to put the barrel on the ball.”
Baltimore outfielder Heston Kjerstad was activated from the 10-day injured list after recovering from a concussion and went 0 for 2 and Webb was reinstated from the 15-day IL following a bout of right elbow inflammation. Left-hander Cole Irvin and infielder Nick Maton were designated for assignment.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Albert Suárez (8-5, 3.39 ERA) will start the opener of a three-game home series against San Francisco on Tuesday night.
Tigers: RHP Seth Lugo (16-8, 2.94) starts for Kansas City on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series against visiting Detroit.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich throws against the Detroit Tigers in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith hits an RBI single, scoring Matt Vierling, in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch watches from the dugout in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, left, and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, right, watch from the dugout in the third inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tyler Holton throws against the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers third base coach Joey Cora, left, watches as Matt Vierling, right, runs to score on an RBI single by Colt Keith against the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich throws against Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene reacts after hitting a two-run home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene, right, is congratulated by Andy Ibáñez after hitting a two-run home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the shootdown underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become over the ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite U.S. and European military coalitions patrolling the area.
The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.
The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, but hadn't specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
From the military's description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
It wasn't immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.
However, Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.
Since the Truman's arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.
On Saturday night and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes conducted airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen that the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as targeting a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” without elaborating.
Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without offering any casualty or damage information. In Sanaa, strikes appeared particularly targeted at a mountainside known to be home to military installations. The Houthis later acknowledged the aircraft being shot down in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.
Israel’s grinding offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The tally doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 15, 2025. (Kaitlin Young/U.S. Navy via AP)
FILE - Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is moored near Split, Croatia, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
FILE - A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)