Gammons On Toucher & Rich: Pitching Shuts Down Offense In Game 3
The Red Sox got an outstanding outing from their pitchers last night at Comerica Park in Detroit.
John Lackey gave the Sox 6.2 shutout innings in the Game 3 win and gave Boston the 2-1 series lead. Mike Napoli scored the only run of the game on a homer in the top of the seventh off of Justin Verlander.
Baseball expert Peter Gammons joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich to discuss the pitching performances by both teams and hitters not being able to put bats on balls.
In the bottom of the eighth inning Miguel Cabrera was up facing Junichi Tazawa with two on and just one out. The Sox righty got Cabrera swinging on four pitches on a pitch outside of the zone. Fred wondered how a player like Cabrera couldn't at least put a ball in play to score a run that would have tied the game at one.
The guys also discussed how the Detroit pitchers have all but shutdown Boston's offense through these first three games. Why did Tigers manager Jim Leyland let Joaquin Benoit pitch to David Ortiz with the bases loaded, two out, and the Tigers ahead, 5-1 in Game 2.
Should Leyland have told his pitcher to just walk Ortiz? It would have walked in a run for the Sox but it takes the power bat out of the situation.
Plus, if there is such a thing as momentum in a series like this, do the Red Sox have control?
Gammons On Toucher & Rich: Pitching Shuts Down Offense In Game 3
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