ALDS GAME FOUR/Recap

Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Athletics 6, Tigers 8 FINAL

WP: Max Scherzer (2-0, 3.00 ERA)
LP: Sean Doolittle (0-1, 5.40 ERA)

GAME NOTES:

Down 3-0, Jhonny Peralta hit a three-run homer to tie the game 
in the 5th inning.

Victor Martinez homered in the 7th. The ball was touched 
by a fan leaning over the fence. Umpires ruled it a homerun
after video review.

Max Scherzer relieved starter Doug Fister
in the 7th inning.

Austin Jackson's bat picks up. He hit an RBI single in 
the 7th to score pinch runner Andy Dirks.

Scherzer got out of a no out, bases loaded jam in the 8th
inning.

Jhonny Peralta 2-for-3, 3 RBIs.

Coco Crisp went 4-for-5, tripled, 1 RBI, scored three runs.
Jed Lowrie had 3 RBIs.

Yoenis Cespedes had two RBIs.

Oakland HR: Jed Lowrie (5th INN)

Detroit HR: Jhonny Peralta (5th INN)
            Victor Martinez (7th INN)

ATTENDANCE: 43,958
WEATHER: Sunny, 66 degrees
TIME: 3:25

UMPIRES: Home - Jim Reynolds
         First Base - Tom Hallion
         Second Base - Mike DiMuro
         Third Base - Mark Wegner
         Left Field - CB Bucknor
         Right Field - Gary Darling

SERIES IS TIED, 2-2. 

Tigers win game four to stay alive

The Detroit Tigers proved once again that it isn’t over until it’s over!

Facing elimination in the playoffs, the Tigers beat the Athletics, 8-4, and send the series back to Oakland for game five on Thursday.

Down 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Jhonny Peralta belted a three run homer to tie the ballgame. The homer began a back and forth changing of the lead through the eighth inning. Oakland bounced back with a run to take the lead in the top of the seventh, 4-3.  In the bottom of the frame Victor Martinez homered to knot it, 4-4. The ball appeared to be touched by fans leaning over the fence. The home run was reviewed by the umpires who let it stand based on the trajectory of the ball. If the fan hadn’t reached his hand out to catch it, the ball appeared to be headed over the yellow marker line.

“It was clear he was not going to catch the ball, so it was clearly going to be a home run,” said Gary Darling, the crew chief and right-field umpire. “There wasn’t any other evidence on replay to turn it another way.”

The next batter, Jhonny Peralta doubled. He was lifted for pinch runner Andy Dirks. A few batters later, Austin Jackson singled in Dirks to put the Tigers ahead – again – 5-4. They added three more runs in the eighth to extend their lead over the Athletics, 8-4.

With Joaquin Benoit pitching, Oakland rallied in the ninth, adding two more runs. But that was all the damage they could do as Seth Smith struck out.

Tensions were high in the eighth inning when the Athletics, up by a run, got two men on. Then Seth Smith was walked intentionally – loading the bases with no outs. Max Scherzer deftly worked his way through the remainder of the Oakland order. Josh Reddick and Stephen Vogt struck out back-to-back, and then pinch hitter Alberto Callaspo lined out to Jackson in center, ending the threat and the inning.

Scherzer picked up the win. It was his first win in a relief role.

BIG PERFORMANCE BY PERALTA

Manager Jim Leyland put Jhonny Peralta in the lineup for Monday’s game in hopes he would hit and provide some spark to a slumbering offense.

He was back in the lineup tonight.

Peralta showed Leyland and the fans at Comerica Park his gratitude for giving him a second chance with a 2-for-3 performance. He belted a three-run homer out to left in the fifth inning to tie the game. He also had a double in the seventh inning, but was lifted for pinch runner, Andy Dirks, who scored on an Austin Jackson single to right.

ON DECK

The ALDS best of five is now tied, 2-2.

The series will shift back to Oakland on Thursday. Justin Verlander will get the start for the Tigers. He pitched a complete game shut out against the Athletics in game five of the ALDS last year. He allowed only four hits and struck out 11 batters.

On Wednesday, Oakland announced that Sonny Gray would be their starter against Verlander.

The game will be televised on TBS starting at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

As Always,

Go Get ‘Em Tigers!

~ Skip