With one team facing elimination and the other staring down a 3-1 series deficit, the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers rallied to stay alive in the League Championship Series. For the Tigers, it took a little luck and an epic pitching performance from ace Justin Verlander. For the Brewers, it took finally shutting down the high-powered Cardinals offense.
Trailing three games to one in the series and facing elimination, the Tigers needed a win to stay alive. Leading 3-2 in the top of the sixth, the Texas Rangers were rallying yet again. Just like the big innings they put together in each of their wins, including two straight extra-innings victories, it appeared they were on their way to reclaiming the lead. With the bases loaded, though, Verlander induced Ian Kinsler to ground into a double play to get out of the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers offense exploded. For the first time in postseason history, a team hit for a natural cycle, with a single, double, triple and home run in order on four straight at bats. Doing so took a lucky bounce when Miguel Cabrera hit a ground ball that bounced off of the third base bag for a double and a ball sneaking under Nelson Cruz’s glove and to the wall as he dove in an attempt to rob Victor Martinez. The four-run sixth inning, along with Verlander’s 133-pitch performance, was enough to lead the Tigers to a 7-5 victory. The series now moves back to Texas for game six and a possible game seven.
In St. Louis, the Cardinals came into the game leading the series 2-1 and with all of the momentum, having won the last two games. They also got off to a good start, with solo home runs in the second and third and solid pitching by Kyle Lohse leading to a 2-0 lead. Combine that with the fact that the Brewers had lost eight consecutive road playoff games, and things looked grim for Milwaukee.
Then in the fourth inning, Lohse’s control slipped and he left some pitches over the middle of the plate. The Brewers scored twice, capped by Jerry Hairston sliding to the plate (shown in a great photo from Yahoo News) and narrowly avoiding Yadier Molina’s tag. Pitcher Randy Wolf then settled down and shut out St. Louis for the rest of the game. The Brewers added single runs in the fifth and sixth, leading to a 4-2 win. Game five will be played in St. Louis Friday night, followed by game six and (if necessary) game seven at Texas.
Going into the postseason, St. Louis had 6/1 odds of winning the NL pennant, with Milwaukee having 10/1 odds. Odds makers gave Texas 9/1 odds of winning the AL, followed by Detroit at 10/1.
Comments