DETROIT -- Grayson Rodriguez got the first of what the Orioles hope will be many wins in an ultra-promising career on Saturday evening. The club’s top prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 5 in MLB threw five shutout innings and helped Baltimore beat the Tigers, 6-4, at Comerica Park.

He didn’t have the game ball for victory No. 1 postgame yet, but he said it’s going to his father, Gilbert Rodriguez.

"My dad likes to write on them," Rodriguez said. "I was a hitter first until high school, but the velocity was really there for me as a senior. That set me on the pitching path, but I was always bigger than everybody else and hit home runs.

"I have every home run ball that I ever hit since I was little -- 140-something [of them]. My dad kept and wrote on all of them: the scores, [and] the date. And he will write on this ball now."

The 23-year-old right-hander saw to it that the Orioles avoided a doubleheader sweep after losing the opener, 7-4.

Rodriguez struck out a career-high nine and limited Detroit to two hits -- retiring 14 consecutive batters at one point.

His changeup -- rated the best among MLB prospects in 2022 and '23 -- was the pitch that got him seven of those strikeouts. The 6-foot-5 rookie kept the Tigers off-balance with a sharp fastball in the 96-97 mph range and had them swinging at off-speed pitches in the dirt.

"It’s a plus pitch," said Orioles catcher James McCann. "The changeup is a pitch he can use at any time, in an at-bat, and it’s a pitch that puts hitters away. He has a great feel for it and good arm action.

"Then you have a plus heater like he does, and good breaking balls to go with it. And it’s unusual to have a young pitcher with such a good feel for his changeup."

Tigers hitters couldn’t get comfortable in the batter’s box and seldom made hard contact during his 91-pitch outing.

"I was really impressed," said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde. "Had all his pitches going today. Loved the changeup, was really good. Dropped some curveballs in there, a cutter, the slider was really good today, and he had a good fastball. Really kept them off-balance and cruised through five.

"He’s got great stuff, and showed it today. He’s got a really good changeup, there’s no doubt. I wouldn’t say it’s consistent, but it’s a plus pitch and is only going to get better."

"It’s hard to rattle him because he continues to come after you with his best stuff," Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. "So, I see why he’s famous."

Rodriguez said the first time he threw his changeup in a game was in the Minors in 2019 at age 19.

"The changeup is something the Orioles helped me develop," he said. "They have a bunch of different pitching instruments that we have to use, and I’m not going to give them all away."

Rodriguez has now dominated the Tigers in consecutive starts -- pitching 10 innings and allowing zero runs on seven hits with 15 strikeouts and four walks. He is 1-0 with a 4.07 ERA after bouncing back from allowing nine runs in a combined 9 1/3 innings against the A’s and White Sox.

The Orioles selected Rodriguez with the 11th overall pick (first round) of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas.

He led that school to the 3A state championship as a junior and was something of a Shohei Ohtani, going 14-1 with a 0.38 ERA and 178 strikeouts while also batting .511 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs.

The Tigers appeared glad to see Rodriguez exit after five innings. Reliever Keegan Akin came in and allowed a walk and a single before typically sure-handed shortstop Jorge Mateo allowed a run to score on an error. Then pinch-hitter Tyler Nevin blasted a three-run homer off new reliever Mike Baumann to make a game of it with a four-run sixth inning.

However, the Tigers didn't score again and Rodriguez claimed his first win.

He said teammates doused him with so much mustard and ketchup in the clubhouse that he couldn’t get it all off of him.

"It was something I’d never experienced before," he said. "A lot of mustard and ketchup. I don’t think I’ll be getting it out for a few days."