A day after they both seemed to be on the verge of elimination, the Dodgers and Tigers finally started hitting. The Dodgers got four home runs, and a great pitching performance from Zack Greinke, and they beat the Cardinals 6-4 in Game Five of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. So that series goes back to Busch Stadium, with the Cardinals still holding a 3-2 lead. But Cardinal fans will recall that they were up 3-1 on Atlanta in the 1996 NLCS, and up 3-1 on the Giants last year, and that they lost both of those series. Meanwhile, Dodger fans will be reveling in their first Game Six of any kind since they went seven games with the Mets back in the 1988 NLCS.
In the nightcap, Detroit reorganized its lineup, which had been struggling in large part due to troubles with leadoff hitter Austin Jackson. So Jackson was dropped down to 8th in the batting order, and responded with two singles and two walks. The rest of the Tigers also hit pretty well, and the Tigers picked up a surprisingly easy 7-3 win. That series is now tied 2-2, and the Tigers have their three aces -- Anabel Sanchez, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander -- lined up to pitch the next three games. Boston went 2-1 against those guys in the first three games, however, and they could do so again.
National League Championship Series (Best of Seven):
St. Louis leads Los Angeles 3-2
American League Championship Series (Best of Seven):
Boston and Detroit are tied 2-2
Tonight's Game:
Boston at Detroit (7:07 Central on FOX)
In Detroit, Miguel Cabrera was thrown out at home in the bottom of the first after he ran through a stop sign from the third base coach. (It wasn't a close play). Then in the top of the 2d, Mike Napoli whacked his second homer of the series over the center field wall to put Boston up 1-0.
ReplyDeleteAnd now the Bosox have scored again. Johnny Gomes reached an error from the obviously-hurt Cabrera, Xavier Bogaerts doubled to left, putting runners on second and third, and then David Ross hit another double, scoring Gomes and sending Bogaerts to third. Jacoby Ellsbury whacks an liner off Sanchez's glove for an infield single, scoring Bogaerts and putting runners on first and third. Ellsbury then steals second.
ReplyDeleteDetroit finally gets the second out of the inning when Shane Victorino grounds to second, and Ross is thrown out at the plate. But Ross hammered Detroit's catcher, and the game is stopped while he recovers.
Pedroia grounds into a force out, and the inning is over. But Boston has seized the lead in a big way:
ReplyDeleteAfter 1 1/2: Boston 3, Detroit 0
In the top of the 3d, Mike Napoli hits a ground-rule double, advances to third on a ground out, and comes home on a wild pitch. Nothing is going right for Detroit.
ReplyDeleteAfter 2 1/2: Boston 4, Detroit 0
Meanwhile, in A's news, M.C. Hammer is "Safe & Blessed" after a Thursday-night scare.
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