Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Game of the Day (4/8/14)

Yesterday's MLB action included some very good 9-inning games, but no great ones. It also included an extra-inning game. Shockingly, the WPL system selected... Dodgers 3, Tigers 2 (10).

LA's Dan Haren allowed a leadoff single to Rajai Davis, who immediately stole second and moved to third on a groundout before another pair of groundouts kept him from scoring. Max Scherzer started for Detroit and opened the game by allowing a homer to Dodger leadoff man Dee Gordon (career MLB slugging percentage: .322.) Carl Crawford followed with a single, but was thrown out trying to steal while Hanley Ramirez struck out. Adrian Gonzalez's two-out double thus failed to result in any additional scoring. Austin Jackson launched a game-tying homer in the top of the second, and the game then settled in as a pitcher's duel.

Scherzer allowed a hit to Juan Uribe in the second, and another to Gordon in the third. Haren, meanwhile, kept the bases clear of Tigers in both the third and fourth innings, with Scherzer matching his effort in the latter frame. Haren walked Andrew Romine in the top of the fifth, but stranded him at second; Tim Federowicz hit a one-out double in the bottom of the inning and took third on a grounder before being left on as well. Crawford singled and stole second in the bottom of the sixth, but the game still remained deadlocked at 1 when the inning ended.

Chris Withrow replaced Haren in the top of the seventh and set the Tigers down in order. In the bottom of the inning, Matt Kemp walked, and Uribe doubled him to third. Scherzer whiffed Federowicz, but pinch hitter Justin Turner lifted a fly ball to center that allowed Kemp to come in with the go-ahead run. Chris Perez walked Romine in the eighth, but a double play ball off the bat of Davis ended that threat. Ian Krol worked around a Ramirez double in the bottom of the inning to keep his team close.

Facing Kenley Jansen in the ninth, Ian Kinsler led off with a double. Jansen got Don Kelly to ground to third and struck out Miguel Cabrera, putting his team one out from victory, but Victor Martinez rifled a 1-0 pitch into center for a game-tying RBI single. Joba Chamberlain struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to force extras.

JP Howell retired the Tigers in order in the top of the tenth, and Chone Figgins drew a pinch walk against Chamberlain to start the bottom of the inning. Phil Coke relieved and got Gordon to pop up a bunt attempt, but Crawford followed with a line drive base hit to left that Davis couldn't quite cut off, allowing Figgins to scamper around with the winning run.

A pitcher's duel involving one of last year's Cy Young winners, followed by a last-chance rally to force extras and a walkoff in the tenth? Yeah, I figure the fans mostly went home happy from this one, no matter how few serious scoring chances there were in the middle innings.

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