MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits in Week-9
5. Brandon Dixon, 42 percent
Based purely on the standings, the Tigers-Orioles game played Wednesday in Baltimore was a throwaway. The two teams stood a combined 37-70, holding down fourth and fifth places in the AL Central and AL East respectively.
To the team involved, of course, it was a different and far more intense matter. The Orioles took an early 1-0 lead, Detroit tied the game in the top of the fourth, Baltimore moved back ahead in the bottom of that same inning, and the Tigers tied it again with a run in the eighth.
In the ninth, the outcome came down to the at-bat between Dixon and rookie Orioles pitcher Branden Kline. His debut season has been a struggle for Kline, operating with an ERA in excess of 5.00 through his first 11 appearances.
Second-year outfielder Dixon, obtained off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds last November, has been another matter entirely, something of a revelation in Detroit. Dixon is batting .312 with a .584 slugging average since winning a full-time spot in mid-April.
Nick Castellanos began the ninth by working Kline for a base on balls. But when Miguel Cabrera flew out, Dixon got his chance. He didn’t miss, driving Kline’s first pitch for a home run into the right-center field seats. When Shane Greene stifled a Baltimore threat in the bottom of the ninth, Dixon’s home run was a game-winner.