Baltimore @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2016 ) Baltimore 3, Detroit 4

Jordan Zimmermann has been a bystander for much of the last two-plus months but gets a chance to jump back into the pennant race when the Detroit Tigers continue their three-game series against the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. Zimmermann comes off the disabled list Saturday to make only his second start since June 30.

"It's probably the worst feeling ever, knowing you've wasted two or three months and weren't able to pitch and help this team," Zimmermann said of his first season in Detroit. Victor Martinez belted a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning of the series opener to lift the Tigers to a 4-3 victory and into a tie with Baltimore for the second wild card. Mark Trumbo, who leads the majors with 41 homers, is 1-for-12 over his last three games and has gone deep only once in the last 10 contests. Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run shot Friday to push the Orioles' major league-leading total to 220.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MASN2 (Baltimore), FSN Detroit

PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Ubaldo Jiménez (6-11, 6.19 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (9-5, 4.44)

Jimenez is trying to close what has been a trying season on a high note and is coming off his first complete game since 2011, limiting Tampa Bay to three runs on only two hits. It was the third consecutive quality start for Jimenez, who has been demoted from starter to reliever before being shifted back to the rotation. Martinez is 11-for-31 with four homers off Jimenez, who is 5-11 with a 5.68 ERA against Detroit.

Zimmermann is hoping for better results after his latest stint on the DL -- he lasted 1 2/3 innings after sitting out five weeks last time before going on the shelf again. Zimmermann won his first five starts of the season and was 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA on June 3, but he's made only six starts since and given up at least five runs in all but one of them. Steve Pearce is 4-for-11 with a pair of homers off Zimmermann.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tigers RF J.D. Martinez is 6-for-10 over his last three games, hiking his batting average to .325.

2. Orioles SS J.J. Hardy is 3-for-19 over his last five games.

3. Martinez has belted a go-ahead homer from the eighth inning on three times this season.

PREDICTION: Tigers 6, Orioles 4