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Topic Started: Apr 23 2014, 10:55 AM (7 Views)
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DETROIT -- Justin Verlander threw a fastball that caught a bit too much of the plate, allowing Oaklands Coco Crisp to lead off the game with a stunning home run. For the first few innings, Verlander laboured, his pitch count rising while his control deserted him. But the Athletics could manage only that one run, missing their best chance of the night to break through against Detroits hard-throwing ace. Verlander held Oakland scoreless after his early slip, and Alex Avila homered in the fifth inning to lift the Tigers over the Athletics 3-1 Saturday night in the opener of their best-of-five AL playoff. Verlander allowed three hits in seven innings and matched his post-season high with 11 strikeouts. "Early on was kind of a bit of a battle for me," Verlander said. "Just kind of found my rhythm a little bit and was able to hit my spots better, and I started throwing my breaking ball for strikes a little bit better too." As usual, he seemed stronger in the later innings, striking out the side in the sixth and the first two hitters of the seventh. "Early on, didnt have great control of any of my pitches," Verlander said. "But I was able to get myself out of jams that I created." Joaquin Benoit pitched the eighth and Jose Valverde struck out two in a perfect ninth for the save. Oaklands Jarrod Parker allowed two earned runs in 6 1-3 innings and took the loss. Game 2 is Sunday, with Doug Fister taking the mound for Detroit and left-hander Tommy Milone for Oakland. Then the series shifts to the West Coast. "Its always important to get Game 1. The way it is now, obviously, its nice starting here but to play the last three games in Oakland is definitely tough," Avila said. "Every games important, but it felt real good to get one out of the way." It was only the second victory for Detroit in its last seven post-season series openers. The Tigers lost Game 1 to the Yankees in the division series last year before winning in five. Detroit then lost the opener of the AL championship series to Texas. After winning their final six games to take the AL West in shocking fashion, the As made their presence felt right away in Detroit. The home crowd at Comerica Park greeted Verlander with a roar and a sea of twirling white towels when he popped out of the dugout and headed to the mound to start the game, but Crisp was unfazed. He pulled Verlanders two-strike pitch just inside the pole in right field to put Oakland on top. "He made a mistake to the first batter of the game, and then he didnt make another one all night," As first baseman Brandon Moss said, exaggerating only slightly. Verlander had two starts cut short early by bad weather in last years post-season. It was 49 degrees -- but dry -- at game time Saturday. The AL Central-champion Tigers, in consecutive postseasons for the first time since 1934-35, tied it in their half of the first. Austin Jacksons hard-hit ball deflected off diving shortstop Stephen Drew and into short left field. The Detroit leadoff man ended up with a double and went to third when Quintin Berry slapped a single to third off Josh Donaldson, who also could only get a piece of the ball while diving for it. Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, who went 0 for 3 with a walk, grounded into a double play, but Jackson came home to make it 1-all. Drew finally made a diving play in the second, sprawling to his right on Delmon Youngs grounder and then throwing to first for the out. At the plate, the As made Verlander work, forcing him to throw 61 pitches in the first three innings. Verlander struck out Moss to end the Oakland third with a 99 mph fastball -- but Verlander was having to reach back for extra velocity early. "Most good starters, you try to get to them before they get into their rhythm," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "He got better as the game went along. A lot of times your best opportunity is early in the game." The Athletics tied a post-season record by starting four rookies -- Parker, Donaldson, Yoenis Cespedes and Derek Norris. Parker looked sharp early but allowed another run in the third because of a fielding mishap. With two out and a man on second, Berry chopped a soft grounder to the right side. Parker came off the mound to field it, but with the speedy Berry hustling to first, Parker lost control of the ball while scooping at it with his glove for an error that allowed Omar Infante to score. "He wasnt trying to flip it, because he was closer to the bag than I was," first baseman Brandon Moss said. "He was just trying to grab it and it came out of his glove." Avilas solo shot made it 3-1, and the As couldnt take advantage of Verlanders rising pitch count. "In the post-season you dont go out there and think about pitch count and keeping it low," Verlander said. "Im just going to be aggressive, try to find the strike zone and throw quality strikes, and the pitch count will take care of itself." Verlander led the majors in strikeouts for the second straight year, and Oakland was baseballs most strikeout-prone team. It showed toward the end of Verlanders outing. After taking a called third strike for the third out of the sixth -- Verlanders fourth strikeout in a five-hitter span -- Donaldson chirped a bit at plate umpire Jim Reynolds. Verlander was done after one more inning, finishing with 121 pitches and his fourth career post-season win. Verlander walked four. "We battled him hard, but it doesnt even seem to matter how many pitches that guy throws," Oakland outfielder Josh Reddick said. "He just keeps coming after you with all of those pitches." Benoit allowed a single in the eighth, followed by a flyout by Moss that Andy Dirks caught at the wall in right field. "I didnt think it was gone," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I thought he just missed it. And he did just miss it." Oakland right-hander Pat Neshek, whose newborn son died 23 hours after his birth, came on to relieve Parker in the seventh. He entered with two on and one out but got out of the inning without any scoring. Oakland wore patches with the initials GJN. Nesheks sons name was Gehrig John Neshek. "It was really tough warming up, and I thought about him the entire time. I said yesterday that baseball would be a way to clear my mind, but that didnt happen. He was always there," Neshek said. "I know it is a cliche, but I really felt like I had someone watching me and helping with that last pitch. That was my best slider of the year." NOTES: Parker allowed seven hits. He struck out five and walked one. ... Crisp was 8 for 22 off Verlander entering but with no homers. ... Cabrera received chants of "MVP" from the fans when he was announced before the game. Oakland 3B Brandon Inge -- a former Tiger -- was also cheered. ... Moss struck out three times. ... Arizona started four rookies three times in the 2007 post-season, according to STATS, LLC. ... Verlander also struck out 11 against the Yankees in last years division series. xingfantrade . But a six-run third inning off Randy Wolf proved to be plenty Friday night, and the Pirates pounded the Brewers 8-2. "I think it has a lot to do with how the games have gone here in the past," Correia said. "A five-run lead doesnt feel like much here. Wholesale Jerseys . The 20-year-old Tomic dominated the first set, but the big-serving Anderson won 24 of 26 points on his serve in the second and played more aggressively than his opponent as he tried to get back into the match. http://www.xingfantrade.com/ . They didnt have to. After grinding out its third straight win with a 2-1 victory against Denmark on Sunday, Germany finished top of a group that didnt end up being as dangerous as it looked on paper. Cheap NFL Jerseys . The Eastern Conference Finals shift to Boston tonight for Game 3, with Rondo and his Celtics staring glumly at an 0-2 hole after a 115-111 overtime loss in Game 2. cheap jerseys from china . Mike McCoy never knows how much hell need, or for how long hell be gone. The life of a utility player doesnt allow for much certainty. He understands his role and knows the Toronto Blue Jays will use him as they see fit. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The price tag for Mat Latos was daunting. The Cincinnati Reds were willing to pay it. The Reds addressed their biggest off-season need on Saturday, acquiring the right-handed starter from San Diego for a package of four players that includes two top prospects. Cincinnati gave up infielder Yonder Alonso and catcher Yasmani Grandal -- both first-round picks -- along with starting pitcher Edinson Volquez to get the 24-year-old Latos, who initially will move into the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind Johnny Cueto. Latos went 9-14 with a 3.47 earned-run average for the Padres last season, finishing among the NL leaders in ERA and strikeouts. The trade surprised Latos, who said the Padres had indicated to him that he wouldnt be going anywhere. "A little bit of shock and a little bit of excitement," Latos said, describing his reaction. "Shock because literally I wake up and Im traded. Excitement because Im excited to join a club thats got a lot of talent and a lot of potential. Im excited for new scenery." The Reds wanted him so badly that they were willing to give up a lot. "To acquire a pitcher who is ready to fit into the top of a rotation, you have to give up talent," general manager Walt Jocketty said. Latos joins a rotation that includes Cueto, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake and Homer Bailey. The rotation was a problem last season, with Cueto opening the season on the disabled list and Arroyo struggling with mononucleosis that he contracted during spring training. Heading into the off-season, the Reds needed to get another top starter and a closer to replace departed Francisco Cordero. They think theyve filled their first need. "When we have Cueto and Latos at the top of our rotation, I think people are going to take notice," Jocketty said. Latos tied a major league record by allowing two or fewer runs in 15 consecutive starts in 2010. Last season, he held right-handed batters to a .204 average and made 20 quality starts, tied for most on the Padres, who like their pitching depth. "Mat, with all his success, I think grew up in a hurry in the big leagues and is probably going to do very well in Cincinnati," Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said. "We do have a good group of pitchers. We have a very good group in Double-A coming up behind him. It was a tough trade to make, but .dddddddddddd.. we have a huge chunk of talent we have put in the system the last couple of years and ultimately I think thats our best path to success." Alonso, the seventh overall pick in 2008, didnt have a place to play with Joey Votto of Toronto a mainstay at first base. The Reds moved him to left field briefly last season, but he struggled defensively. The 24-year-old Alonso batted .330 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 47 games. Byrnes said hell be a leading contender for the starting job. Volquez was coming off a disappointing season, going 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA. The Reds got him from Texas in the trade for Josh Hamilton in December 2007. Volquez went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA in 2008, when both he and Hamilton made the All-Star teams. Volquez needed reconstructive elbow surgery the following year and has never gotten back into form. Grandal, the 12th overall pick in 2010, batted .305 with 14 homers and 68 RBIs at Class A, Double-A and Triple-A last season, making a quick rise through the farm system. He was slotted behind catcher Devin Mesoraco, a first-round pick in 2007 who made it to the majors last season and played in 18 games. Jocketty said Reds were willing to trade Alonso and Grandal because they were stuck behind other players at their positions. The Reds also gave up right-handed reliever Brad Boxberger, who went 2-4 with 11 saves and a 2.03 ERA last season at double-A and triple-A. Jocketty said Boxberger was the final piece in finishing the deal. "It was very tough giving him up," Jocketty said. "We feel he was really starting to come into his own in the second half of the year. I dont think we would have been able to make the deal if he wasnt part of it." Latos moves from a pitcher-friendly ballpark to Great American Ball Park, one of the most homer-friendly in the majors. He said he learned during a rough patch early last season that he couldnt let a ballparks dimensions affect how he pitched. "Earlier I was trying to be too fine with my pitches instead of just attacking with my strengths," Latos said. "I learned to just trust myself and go after hitters regardless who it is or where we are. Cincinnati is said to be hitters park. Philly is the same way. That doesnt mean where youre at or the park youre in to change your pitching style." ' ' '
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