Tigers nearly stay on the field and give O’s a 4th out

Baltimore — It’s hard enough to get 27 outs from a lineup as tough as the Baltimore Orioles throw at you. But trying to give them an extra one? What was going on with the Tigers in the third inning Friday?

Let's count the outs:

One: Justin Verlander got Craig Gentry to ground out to start the inning.

Two: He struck out Adam Jones.

Interlude: Verlander left a 96-mph fastball over the plate to Manny Machado, who whacked it into the seats in right field, one of the two solo homers Verlander allowed in the Tigers’ 5-2 win.

Three: Verlander struck out Jonathan Schoop with a nasty slider.

More: Just grand: Upton's dramatic slam backs Verlander in Tigers' win

As he started walking off the mound, he noticed nobody was coming with him.

“Mac (catcher James McCann) said, ‘You were the only one walking off the field,’ ” Verlander said. “Usually, if it’s not the third out, I will take a quick left and circle around the mound. But I was walking toward the dugout.

“I noticed Mac throwing it around, then I see Nick (Castellanos) throw it around. And I was like, ‘All right.’ And I walked back to the mound.”

The next hitter, Chris Davis, was already in the batter’s box when the shouts of the Tigers’ coaching staff finally were heard by home plate umpire Doug Eddings.

“Brad (Ausmus) and them were yelling, ‘Um, I think that’s three!” Verlander said. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, me too!’ ”

It was that kind of night.

Twitter.com: @cmccosky