The Clincher

Sorry for not updating the blog after the Tigers game one win over the Oakland A's earlier this week. I have had a few busy days here; but I am now fitting in some time to preview game four of the ALCS. As you can see, I have been doing a better job of updating this new blog more than old one. You can be sure more blog postings will come during the next few weeks. This, being my fifth blog posting, is the most I've ever written in a month! So that is definitely a good sign.

For those who have been watching the ALCS, how can you not gloat about the Tigers and their awesome pitching staff? It's no wonder the team is in the position that it's in. I thought game one was a lot closer than the score indicated. Nate Robertson's pitching was somewhat erratic at times and he was losing control of some of his pitches. The A's managed to get people on base during most of the game; yet the Tigers kept the A's off the board until late. The final score, Detroit 5 - Athletics 1. Brandon Inge was the true hero of the game with some significant base hits after he had slumped during the ALDS. Nate Robertson had a key inning where runners were on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Jim Leyland came to the mound and had a talk with Nate. He then proceeded to strike out the side. Like I said, his pitching performance wasn't stellar, but he did just enough to win the game for the team. That, and his teammates really supported his case.

Game two produced the most offense of the series, thus far. Detroit's ace and rookie pitcher Justin Verlander took the mound. Just as with Robertson, Verlander did not have his best stuff. His pitching command was off and he was not getting the ball in its proper places. Verlander paid a few times, especially with Milton Bradley who hit one of two home runs against Verlander (Bradley's other home run came against Ledezma). In fact, after Bradley's first home run, the Tigers found themselves behind, 3-1. But just as in the Yankees series (game two, to be exact), the Tigers came roaring back. Their offense really stepped up with Verlander struggling a bit. Todd Jones lived up to his nickname (rollercoaster) in the ninth inning after getting two outs and loading the bases. "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas came to bat and flied out to center, ending the game for the A's. Final score; Detroit 8, A's 5.

After a day off, game three took place in Detroit with the starting time changed to 4:30 PM because, according to Major League Baseball, a concern regarding the weather. Temperatures were in the middle 40's with brisk winds, causing wind chills to dip in the 20's. Fans and players alike bundled up in the cold and enjoyed an afternoon game of October baseball. Once again, Kenny Rogers was dominant on the mound, pitching a two-hit shutout against the A's. The Tigers scored three runs; two in the first and the third later in the game from a home run by Craig Monroe. Fernando Rodney has been absolutely lights-out in his relief appearances in the playoffs thus far. He came into the game during the eight and helped produce a double play that helped ended the scoring threat of the A's. Todd Jones came in the ninth and helped stymie the A's offense. Final score; Detroit 3 - A's 0.

Game four gets underway in a little less than 20 minutes. Jeremy Bonderman pitches for Detroit; and they are looking for him to have another brilliant outing in a playoff clinching game. Expect to see Bonderman give up a few runs, but Detroit's offense really comes alive. I expect a big game from Pudge Rodriguez and Carlos Guillen; who have basically been non-existent in this series. I predict the Tigers scoring over five runs in this game and sweeping the A's to give them their first World Series birth and AL Pennant since 1984. Before the series started, I predicted the Tigers winning the series in six, but that would mean them having to travel back to Oakland in order for that to occur. Let's not let that happen! It sounds to me as if Oakland has already conceeded the series to the Tigers, anyways. GO TIGERS! :-D