Leadoff single only hit for Tigers in 3-0 loss to Orioles

DETROIT (AP) -- With their ace on the mound and pitching well, what looked like a nice opportunity turned into another setback for the Detroit Tigers.

Ian Kinsler led off the bottom of the first with a single, but that was Detroit's only hit in a 3-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night. David Price struck out 12 in seven innings for the Tigers, but ended up with a hard-luck loss.

"David deserved to win that game, and we didn't produce for him," Detroit's J.D. Martinez said.

Kinsler cleanly singled to right-center field in the first. Victor Martinez walked later that inning, but Detroit didn't manage a single baserunner after that.

Chris Tillman (7-7) retired the last 23 hitters he faced and struck out eight overall. Zach Britton pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 25 chances.

Manny Machado homered off Price (9-3). The Detroit lefty allowed a run and six hits with a walk in his 200th career start.

"For the most part, I'm focused on the lineup, and not so much the other pitcher," Tillman said. "But watching Price pitch is fun. He's one of the best in the game. Any time you get a chance to beat a guy like that, it's good."

The Orioles pulled within four games of the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East, while Detroit fell 9 1/2 behind Kansas City in the Central. The Orioles and Tigers are both 45-45 and are 3 1/2 games behind the second wild card.

Detroit's bid for a fifth straight division title is in serious trouble. The Tigers won their first game after the All-Star break Friday night and had a chance to build on that with Price starting a day later. Price did his part, but Detroit's offense -- which has actually been pretty productive despite Miguel Cabrera's calf injury -- went quiet.

The biggest highlight for Tigers fans might have been a nice catch by a Comerica Park spectator, who reached over a railing in a front corner of the upper deck to snag a foul ball in his glove in the third.

That same inning, Machado went deep for his 20th homer of the season.

Tillman won 13 games last year and 16 in 2013, logging over 200 innings each season. Even after Saturday's win, he has a 4.96 ERA, but he has allowed only four runs over his last four starts.

The Tigers had men on first and third with one out in the first, but the right-hander got J.D. Martinez to pop out and worked out of the jam.

"He hit his spots and he never made any mistakes over the middle of the plate," J.D. Martinez said. "Every inning, he was hitting corners -- in and out, up and down. He changes speed on everything and his fastball has enough life on it that you have to respect it."

COMING THROUGH

The Orioles went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position on the night and are now 3 for 57 over their last eight games, but Caleb Joseph singled home two runs in the ninth. Center fielder Anthony Gose got a late break on his two-out liner and was unable to make a diving catch.

PITCH COUNTS

Price struck out 10 in the first four innings, but that came with a cost -- a pitch count that was climbing pretty high in the middle innings. He finished with 113.

"I was getting behind too many guys early in the game, and that's why my pitch count got up," Price said.

Tillman was lifted after 106 pitches.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: 2B Jonathan Schoop, who missed most of the first half with a knee injury, looked good while making a leaping catch on James McCann's line drive in the eighth.

Tigers: LHP Kyle Lobstein (left shoulder) threw off flat ground Friday and reported no pain.

UP NEXT

The Tigers send Justin Verlander (0-2) to the mound Sunday against Miguel Gonzalez (7-6) of the Orioles.