BALTIMORE — Miguel Cabrera moved within touching distance of MLB’s 500-homer club, driving No. 499 off of Orioles starter Matt Harvey in the fifth inning of the Tigers’ 5-2 victory on Wednesday night at Camden Yards.
The next one will make Cabrera the 28th player in Major League history — and the first from Venezuela or to play for the Tigers — to reach the benchmark.
The future Hall of Famer also lined a sacrifice fly to right in the sixth to complete a three-hit, two-RBI game at a ballpark that has often felt like a second home. Cabrera now has 12 homers and 41 RBIs in 40 games played in Baltimore after taking a 1-2 curveball from Harvey (6-11) and pulling it over the left-center-field wall into the Orioles’ bullpen.
Cabrera might not play a 41st in the series finale. Detroit begins a six-game homestand on Friday, with three against Cleveland providing an ample window for Cabrera to hit No. 500 in front of a home crowd if manager A.J. Hinch rests the 38-year-old on Thursday.
Tarik Skubal (8-10) struck out six over six innings, posting back-to-back scoreless outings after working five clean frames in an 8-1 win against Boston on Thursday.
Niko Goodrum belted a two-run double in the fifth inning before leaving with a strained left groin following the play. Jonathan Schoop also scored on a wild pitch in the sixth.