The Tigers evened up their best of 5 series against the Oakland As at two wins apiece. Now it goes back to the Bay area for a deciding finale. I watched that game, and it seemed the Tigers were in anti-Murphy's law mode. Everything that could go right -- did. And everything that should have gone wrong -- didn't.
The Tigers had a couple bloop pop flies that fell in for hits, and some seeing-eye ground balls that somehow found their way into the outfield. These seemed to have a way of turning into runs when....
Jhonny Peralta, fresh off a 50 game suspension for violating the league drug policy, cracked a 3-run homer -- which was barely out of the reach of the A's left fielder.
And Victor Martinez. The same hot-head who charged the mound screaming profanities in the previous game, which resulted in both benches and bullpens emptying. All this because evidently the Oakland pitcher looked at him the wrong way. He hit a homer too, but upon seeing the replays -- it shouldn't have been a homer, due to fan interference. It was obvious that fan reached over the yellow line that is there to determine homer or no homer, and prevented the Oakland right fielder from making the catch. But Martinez had already circled the bases, the runs were on the scoreboard, and this game was played in Detroit. The home fans had worked themselves into a fever pitch. Even after reviewing it -- no way were the umps going to reverse that call, though it should have been.
Tiger manager Jim Leyland, aka the Marlboro Man, has been known for making some strange game decisions in the past -- but likely none stranger than the one he did late in this game.
With the game still very much in doubt in the 8th inning, and a full complement of 7-8 ready to go relief pitchers in the bullpen -- Leyland pulled another jaw-dropper. He brought in starting pitcher Max Scherzer on "short rest" as a relief pitcher. Yes, the same Scherzer that was 21-4 throughout the regular season and will likely win the American League Cy Young award. So Mad Max is definitely out for the deciding game 5 in Oakland. Instead, Justin Verlander will take the mound. Despite his great season last year, a Cy Young winner himself, the fastball flakes man has struggled to merely stay above the .500 pitching mark in 2013.
Sure, the Tiger faithful will say that Verlander is as good as ever, but just hasn't got much run support from his slugging teammates on the days he pitched. Excuse me, but I'm not drinking that koolaid. Over the course of a 7 month 162 game regular season, a 13-12 record speaks for itself. His eye-popping contract notwithstanding, Verlander has been a decidedly average pitcher in 2013. It is what it is.
That begs a couple questions. If Leyland didn't have enough faith in anybody in his bullpen to come into a crucial game to get a few outs, then what good are they anyway?
And if Verlander's supposedly still all that -- why not put HIM into the game on short rest and save your ace (Scherzer), who would have had his proper rest for the deciding Game 5?
Between 21-3 and 13-12, I know who I'd rather have pitching for my team in a winner move on, loser go home contest.
Leyland better hope this works out and the Tigers prevail over the As in the deciding Game 5 to move on to face the bearded Red Sox who await the winner.
Because if it goes wrong and Verlander loses another one when Scherzer could have been available -- even the anti-Murphy rule won't bail him out.
The press will eat him alive, and rightly so.
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