JV came through.
Justin Verlander pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowed 8 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks and struck out 8 Texas batters.
The Tigers beat the Rangers 7-5.
Yesterday, I was lamenting the lack of hitting by the Detroit lineup...on Thursday night, the Tigers racked-up 10 hits. Ryan Raburn, Delmon Young and, even,
Alex Avila went DEEP! Young hit two!! Detroit was hitting so well that, in the 6th inning, they cranked a single, double, triple and homer - in order! It was the 1st time four consecutive batters on one team hit for a "natural" cycle in a postseason game!! How's that for HOT bats!!!
With Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit unavailable, Leyland used Phil Coke as his closer. Coke got his first career postseason save.
It was a HUGE win for Detroit.
The one dark spot was they, again, refused to intentionally walk Nelson Cruz???
The result - Cruz hit his 5th home run of the series!!!!
The Tigers stay alive and head back to Texas.
Game 6: Max Scherzer vs Derek Holland at 8:05 PM on Saturday.
Guess who was the first guy to the top of the dugout steps, after Alex Avila hit a home run?
The Texas Rangers lead the ALCS 3-1.
The reason: Detroit's NOT hitting.
The Tigers are getting great pitching. On Monday, Max Scherzer went 6 innings. The game was tied 3-3 until Nelson Cruz hit a grand slam in the 11th inning.
On Tuesday, Doug Fister pitched a 7 1/3 inning gem and kept the Rangers potent lineup in the dirt all night. The Tigers won 5-2...because their hitters couldn't do anything with Fister's sinkers. On Wednesday night, Rick Porcello went 6 2/3 innings and the score was, once again, tied 3-3 until Nelson Cruz cranked a 3-run homer to give the Rangers a 7-3 lead.
Verlander keeps getting rained on - so he can't get a quality start.
So, Detroit starters went 6, 7 1/3 and 6 2/3 innings over the last 3 games and allowed a total of 7 earned runs. Over those last 3 games, Texas starters went
2 2/3, 5 2/3 and 5 innings and allowed 9 earned runs.
Clearly, the Tigers' starters are kicking ass!
So, Detroit has the better pitching.
Over the past 4 games the Tigers have accumulated 28 hits...the Rangers have put up 39 hits!
Last night, the ONLY dude in the Rangers' lineup without a hit was Adrian Beltre - and he's got a legitimate excuse since his legs are black & blue from Fister's bullets fouling off his stems!! Last night, Austin Jackson, Delmon Young,
Don Kelly, Alex Avila, Jhonny Peralta and Ramon Santiago put up ZEROS!!
When half of your lineup goes hitless, you're not going to win a playoff game.
The Detroit bats need to wake-up.
...and you can't blame the losses on Leyland because he's made some remarkable decisions. Most managers wouldn't even have put Brandon Inge on the playoff roster after the anemic season he endured. Last night, Inge went YARD to keep the Tigers in it through extra innings! Leyland also stuck with Al Alburquerque, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 7th inning!!
Detroit MUST win their next 3 games - or their season is over.
This afternoon: Justin Verlander vs C.J. Wilson
They're going NUTS in Boston over the state of the Boston Red Sox!
Francona's gone. Now, Boston GM, Theo Epstein, is packing his bags to guide the Chicago Cubs. New reports claim that Red Sox starters Josh Beckett,
Jon Lester, and John Lackey sat in the clubhouse drinking beer, eating fast-food fried chicken, and playing video games while their teammates tried to salvage their season in September!!
It gets worse - Francona lost control of the club. He was living in a hotel after his 30-year marriage collapsed. And now...David Ortiz is talking about leaving Boston to play for the Yankees!!!
Oh, how I wish I was at the Roisin Dubh (The Black Rose) in Boston, sitting at the bar with a pint, wallowing in the cries of anguish...
Today we've got a faceless RACK-OFF!
The RACK belongs to Adrianne Curry. You kids remember her? She was the first winner of America's Next Top Model and she WAS married to Peter Brady (Christopher Knight) from The Brady Bunch.
Adrianne is very fond of sending pics of her rackage via TWITTER.
Here's her latest - it's Laptop Rackage...
...vs Beach Bikini Rackage...
Geez, low voter turnout for RACK-OFF! last week!
Also, the voting ended in a dead heat - a tie between the always-popular
self-portrait...
...and the pose-for-the-sneaky-boyfriend...
How about Dougie Fister?
7 1/3 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs, no walks and 3 Ks for a 5-2 Tigers win.
Fister was pounding the strike zone with sinkers all night long. Adrian Beltre, in particular, took a beating because he kept fouling Fister's pitches off his legs. Beltre took one off the shin, thigh and knee - he got beat-up!
Austin Jackson went 3-for-5. Miguel Cabrera, Jhonny Peralta and Victor Marinez hit homers.
V-Mart strained his ribcage(oblique?) after going DEEP and it was evident when he, gingerly, rounded the bases.
Game 4: Today at 4:19 PM - Rick Porcello vs Matt Harrison.
At the HBWHOF it's Recycle Day, so to celebrate here's Claudia Verela...
