Tigers Hit Four Home Runs, Send ALCS Back To Texas With 7-5 Win

The Detroit Tigers are still alive after staving off elimination in Game 5 of the ALCS, preventing the Texas Rangers from booking a World Series ticket, at least for the moment. The Rangers still hold a 3-2 series advantage, and now head back to Texas with two chances to close out the ALCS and earn a trip back to the World Series for the second-straight year.

Over at Bless You Boys, the mood following the game was optimistic. A Game 5 win kept the Tigers alive, and gives them a chance as the series heads back to Texas.

In the bottom of the sixth, with the score tied at two in Game 5 of the ALCS, Miguel Cabrera put a ball in play toward the bag at third, only to see it hit the base and bounce over Adrian Beltre’s head for a double. What could have been a double-play became a go-ahead RBI double, and sparked an offensive outburst that propelled the Detroit Tigers to a 7-5 win over the Texas Rangers.

Think that lucky bounce and the base Cabrera hit have any significance for the Tigers? Of course it does, manager Jim Leyland said after the game.

The Tigers still have a long way to go. If they want to get to the World Series, they’ll have to win two straight games in Texas, where the Rangers haven’t lost two straight in a couple of months.

But the ball hit the bag and popped three feet over Beltre’s head. Would it have been a double play? It was Cabrera running, mind you, and he runs like he’s trying to shoplift an anvil. It almost certainly would have been no one on and two outs. Instead the hit went for a double to score Rayburn, break a 2-2 tie, and put a runner in scoring position with no one out. What should have been rallycide was instead hot rally action.

Today, he threw 133 pitches.

His 133rd pitch was 100 miles an hour. Nelson Cruz’s fifth postseason home run went the other direction, even harder.

Ground balls to third base.

Usually, that means a ground ball to the third baseman.

Hamilton turned the fastball around for a solid single, tying the game at 2-2. So Verlander isn’t invincible.

But he should be, dang it. How do you hit a 99-m.p.h. fastball? How do you hit one of those, especially when he throws a plus-curve and plus-change too? How can you make the decision to swing and execute a good swing in the split-second it takes for a pitch to go from Verlander’s hand to the time you’ve committed to a swing?

Whenever that ring finger becomes involved, then that means change-up. Ring fingers are for rings. And for shaking hands. And for change-ups.

I don’t even know what that means. Usually, I can at least guess.

Or the general manager of the Twins?

Or a passionate fan of the Twins?

Buster Olney just tweeted thus:

First thought: Nah.

Wilson, who gave up way too many home runs in Game 1 of the Division Series and way too many walks in Game 1 of the League Championship Series, had given up nothing today in Game 5.

This was a redemptive blow for Avila, who entered Game 5 with two hits, both of them singles, in 33 postseason at-bats. Tim McCarver says Avila’s tired, and maybe he is. Jim Leyland doesn’t like any of his other options behind the plate, so it’s been Avila or bust.

McCarver, when talking about Wilson, said it was good to see his velocity up (it’s been between 91 and 94 so far) from his last start, and that it was probably because of the adrenaline that comes with the clinching game of the ALCS.

You know, as opposed to the first game of the ALCS.

Last four: 1-1, 5.85 ERA, .241 opponents’ batting average

Previous four: 4-0, 1.59 ERA, .190

Ah, television: Never one to let misleading statistics pass without comment...

What sort of small-sample nonsense will we hear today?

Wow, it looks like Miguel Cabrera hits Wilson pretty well. Who’d’ve thunk it? Ryan Raburn has video game numbers against Wilson, so expect that to continue in the exact same way. And poor, hitless Avila. He strikes out in exactly 50% of his plate appearances against Wilson. This doesn’t bode well.

Benoit has also thrown in the same three games and threw 34 pitches Wednesday night. He kept the Tigers in the game, only to see Valverde lose it.

Here’s how Leyland intends to win Game 5:

Game Date/Time: October 13, 4:19 p.m. EDT

Stadium: Comerica Park, Detroit, Mich.