Walk-Off Finish and an Ortiz Show

Hey! It's my 100th post on this blog. Thanks to everyone who has been reading it all the way through. If this is your first time reading, feel free to look at other posts like this in the tabs on your right. Once again, thanks for keeping up, and there will be much more on its way!

I’ll be honest. When I saw that a rookie by the name of Sonnie Gray was going up against Justin Verlander, I thought it was going to be rough. After seeing the Tigers ram past Bartolo Colon in the first inning last night, I thought this would be much worse.

Turns out I was dead wrong, which I am glad about. We got to see one of the best pitching duels in postseason baseball. Justin Verlander was back to the Justin Verlander that we were used to seeing. After going just 13-12 with a 3.46 ERA (which isn’t terrible but it’s not Justin Verlander worthy. He still put up a solid 4.6 WAR), Verlander was magic, getting out of tough situations and striking out 11, the fourth time he’s done that in the postseason, tying Randy Johnson in that number. 

He was pumped, too. After getting out of a tough jam in the 7^th inning, which would be the last inning he pitched, Verlander was more pumped than I’ve ever seen him. He wanted to win that game bad.

Unfortunately for him, the rookie was much better. Great move by Bob Melvin and the coaching staff to start Gray in Game 2. Gray, 23, went 5-3 with a 2.67 ERA in 10 starts this year for Oakland, striking out 67. Although he threw only 65 strikes in 111 pitches, Gray was able to give up only four hits while walking two and striking out nine in eight innings pitched. 

He, like Verlander, was magic. 

Both bullpens did pretty well, too. Al Alburquerque would end up getting the lost after giving up two hits and intentionally walking Josh Reddick to load the bases with no outs. But he struck out two batters in the 8^th inning to get out of a jam. Grant Balfour, the closer for the A’s, got the win after pitching a scoreless 9^th. 

Nothing was sparking with the Tigers offense. Austin Jackson, the lead-off man, struck out all four times last night. Miguel Cabrera would get one hit, and the heart of the order would wind up going 1-for-16. The A’s offense was not much better. They left 10 runners on base, and went 1-for-8 with RISP. 

Steven Vogt, the rookie catcher, had three chances to take the lead, but decided that he would wait until the 9^th to do that. With the bases loaded, Vogt lines one just past SS Jose Iglesias to win the game. After what would be like a rough night for Vogt, he kept going and won the game.

The Series is now tied 1-1, and Game 3 will be on Monday in Detroit. It will be Jarrod Parker (12-8, 3.97 ERA) facing Cy Young candidate Anibal Sanchez (14-8, 2.57 ERA). 

If you missed the Oakland-Detroit game, please tell me you watched the Red Sox-Rays game, right? This was another great game that the Red Sox had from the start. This was not a pitching duel whatsoever, as the final score ended up being 7-4, but it was an offensive show by both teams that was great to watch.

The big hitter was David Ortiz, who cracked two home runs off David Price, hist first multi homer game in the postseason, including one that he crushed down the first-base line that everybody knew was out. 

David Price and John Lackey have seen better days. For some reason, and I can’t figure this out, David Price went seven innings, including starting off the 8^th, before getting pulled. He gave up seven runs on nine hits. I guess Joe Maddon wanted to keep hit bullpen for Game 3, but they have such a great bullpen anyways so it shouldn’t be that difficult to put them in.

Lackey was better, but still gave up four runs on seven hits in five-and-a-third innings pitched. It was the bullpen that got it done for the Red Sox. Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa both got out of jams by forcing double-plays, and Koji Uehara was one strike away from a perfect nine-pitch 9^th, but Wil Myers somehow got a piece of the ball and would ground out. Uehara struck out two in 11 pitches, all strikes, to save the game (best reliever this year? Come on, that’s not even a question anymore). 

Hi fives for all in Boston!

 The Red Sox wound up with seven runs on eleven hits and no errors, while the Rays finished with four runs on eight hits and two errors. Boston is now up 2-0, and it looks like they will be able to sweep in Tampa Bay. It will be Clay Buchholz (12-1, 1.74 ERA) against Alex Cobb (11-3, 2.76 ERA). Both have had their injuries this year, but since returning from those injuries, they have put up great numbers.

Later today, the Pirates and the Cardinals will square off for Game 3 in Pittsburgh, and tonight will be Game 3 for Atlanta and Los Angeles (Dodgers). Both series are tied 1-1. For the Cards and Bucs, it’ll be Joe Kelly (10-5, 2.69 ERA) against Francisco Liriano (16-8, 3.02 ERA). Though both are great pitchers, I have a feeling that will be an offensive powered game, and I’ll take the Pirates winning Game 3. 

Atlanta-Los Angeles will be a rookie game, as the Braves are putting up rookie pitcher Julio Teheran (14-8, 3.20 ERA) against Hyun-Jin Ryu (14-8, 3.00 ERA). That will be a great one to watch as well.

Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd