by Jerry Feitelberg
Division Series – Oakland Athletics v Detroit Tigers – Game Four
October 08, 2013
Division Series – Oakland Athletics v Detroit Tigers – Game Four
October 08, 2013
Tigers Rally to Even Series
The A’s missed a golden opportunity to advance to the American League Championship Series
as the Detroit Tigers rallied to beat the A’s 8-6 and even the Series at 2 games apiece. The
deciding game of the best of five series will be played Thursday night in Oakland.
The A’s led at one point 3-0 but the Tigers rallied to tie it 3 in the bottom of the fifth.
The A’s took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh but the bullpen imploded and the
Tigers went ahead 5-4 in the seventh and added three more in the eighth. The A’s
rallied for two in the ninth but fell short. Dan Straily started for the A’s and
he was opposed by Detroit’s Doug Fister. Straily pitched no hit ball for four innings but
the Tigers got to him in the fifth. Fister went six innings and was relieved by Tigers’ ace, Max Scherzer.
The A’s got the scoring going in the first inning. Coco Crisp blasted a triple to start the game. Crisp scored on a Jed Lowrie single. Jed Lowrie hit a two run homer in the top of the fifth to put the A’s
ahead 3-0. Looked like Lowrie was going to be the star of the game. However, The Tigers rallied to put
three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Straily gave up singles to Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez.
Jhonny Peralta then put a Dan Straily fastball over the left field wall to tie the game at 3.
The A’s came back and scored a run in the seventh. Steven Vogt singled and advanced to second on a ground out. Coco singled to drive in Vogt and the A’s had a short-lived 4-3 lead. A’s Manager, Bob Melvin, went to his bullpen and brought in Sean Doolittle to pitch. He Tigers scored two runs to put them ahead 5-4 at the end of seven. Melvin had Ryan Cook pitch the eighth but the Tigers got to him and scored three more times and the increased their lead to 8-4. The A’s didn’t give up as they scored two in the top of the ninth but it wasn’t enough and they wound up on the short end of the score 8-6.
Notes- The A’s had a chance to get back into the game in the top of the eighth. The A’s loaded the bases with no out. Scherzer struck out Josh Reddick for out number one. He got Steven Vogt to strike out for out number two. Melvin sent Alberto Callaspo in to pinch hit but Callaspo lined out to center field to end the threat.
Since 1990, the ‘s are 1-11 in potential clinch games. The game will be played at 6pm PDT at the Coliseum. If the Red Sox eliminate Tampa Bay, the game time will be moved to 5pm PDT.
The Tigers will send Justin Verlander to pitch and he will be opposed by the A’s Bartolo Colon.
Verlander pitched extremely well last Saturday night allowing no runs in seven innings of work.
Colon gave up three runs in the first inning in Game One.
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