Orioles vs. Tigers: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 MLB Playoffs

For the first time since 1997, the Baltimore Orioles are headed to the American League Championship Series.

A pitcher's duel between Baltimore's Bud Norris and Detroit's David Price was disrupted by a two-run sixth inning for the Orioles. In a quiet game that produced just nine hits between both teams, Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer and the O's overcame a furious late rally in the bottom of the ninth from the Tigers to pull out a 2-1 victory.    

Bleacher Report captured the result:

The Orioles botched a few chances to add insurance runs, but it didn't much matter. Behind their dominant bullpen that stiffened up at the right time, the Orioles silenced Detroit's star-studded lineup to secure the series victory. 

Take a look at the final inning-by-inning score line:

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Final
Baltimore	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Detroit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1

Cruz wasn't exactly expecting a three-game sweep of the AL Central champions per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com): "If you tell me before the series we're going to sweep, I don't believe it."

The O's pitching dominance began with the starter, Norris. In his 6.1 innings of work, he allowed just two hits, as only three Tigers batters reached scoring position throughout his performance.

Hopes were high for the Tigers despite a treacherous pair of games in Baltimore to open the series, as they aimed to even it up in their two-game homestand—a stand that ended in nine quick innings, much to the chagrin of the Comerica Park faithful.

USA TODAY Sports

Hours before, there was little doubt coming from the Tigers players despite plenty of reason for it. Relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain explained the mindset of the team entering the must-win affair.

"We know what we have in store and what we can do and what we're capable of," Chamberlain told MLive.com's Brendan Savage. "So it's another day. You would never know if we were down 0-2 just (by) everybody's attitude. That's the way our team is and the way we've been all year. Obviously it's a win or go home. That's what it is. There's no pressure."

Their starting pitcher certainly mirrored said mindset early on. In his first postseason start since joining the Tigers this trade deadline, Price dazzled early by only allowing two hits through his first five innings—both were singles, one being an infield single.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report touted Price's strong start:

But Norris wasn't intimidated by the hot start from the opposing ace, instead one-upping the competition.

Despite entering with a 0-2 record and 6.39 ERA against the Tigers in 2014, Norris was virtually unhittable Sunday. Even though Detroit put him in some tough situations, he showed resiliency by keeping the zeroes on the scoreboard, as Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com observed:

With Norris shutting down the Tigers' potent bats, it was only a matter of time until the Orioles got to Price and took a lead to put the pressure on Detroit.

That inevitable moment came in the sixth inning, and who else but Cruz delivered?

USA TODAY Sports

After notching a single on Price earlier in the game, Cruz stepped up to the plate with Adam Jones already on base and made no mistake of his intentions. He cranked one to right field for a two-run homer that put Baltimore up 2-0. 

In his ninth postseason appearance against the Tigers, Cruz continued dominating the opposition, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

The home run barely made it over the right field wall, and to no one's surprise, the Tigers fans didn't react too fondly to the ball, via MLB Fan Cave:

After his team gained a late lead, Norris handed the game over to his bullpen in position to notch the final eight outs and secure Baltimore's place in the ALCS. 

As ESPN's SportsCenter noted, the impending win would make it three straight over Cy Young winners Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Price:

With the bullpen emerging, the Tigers were unable to generate any success in the seventh and eighth innings on Andrew Miller. When Miguel Cabrera grounded out to end the eighth, the game and series appeared all but over.

But with the Tigers only sporting two hits through eight innings, they made their last push to the lead, and it was a furious one.

Zach Britton came into the game to close it out, and the Tigers quickly jumped on him with two doubles—the latter from J.D. Martinez scoring Victor Martinez to make it a 2-1 game:

The Tigers weren't done there, putting the tying run on base and giving Comerica Park a reason to believe. But just as it looked like Detroit would swing its way back into the series late, Baltimore forced a series-ending double play that sent Baltimore into jubilation.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports thinks the Orioles are serious contenders moving forward:

Once again, Detroit has suffered a distasteful defeat early in the postseason. Just a few short months ago, it was positioning itself toward a deep playoff run and making deadline moves to bolster its squad. Now, the Tigers are licking their wounds yet again.

But there's no doubt that Baltimore was the better team from the onset of this series, and it was proven when it mattered most. The Orioles overcame a tough environment and a late rally from one of baseball's best lineups to make it to the ALCS.

In hindsight, Baltimore might have preferred a longer series as Chris Davis still has five games left on his postseason suspension. At that rate, the O's won't be able to get him into the fold until Game 6 of the ALCS—which may not even come.

But you won't find any Orioles fans complaining about the series sweep over one of the AL World Series favorites. Now, the road to the World Series runs through Baltimore.