Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 10-4-11
--RHP Justin Verlander definitely was keyed in for his second shot at the New York Yankees. Verlander generally has started games this season throwing in the low 90s, then kicking it up to the high 90s and triple-digits with his fastball about the seventh. In Game 3 of the AL Division series he hit 100 in the first inning and was regularly clocking 100 or 101 in the sixth, seventh and eighth. "He had to amp up much too early," manager Jim Leyland said. "I was concerned about that, but he got through it." Verlander gave up two runs in the first and needed 22 pitches to get through the inning. He was at 76 in the seventh, though, and finished eight innings having thrown 120. Leyland said he's finished for this series. "I would say so, yes," he said. "I wouldn't do anything foolish."
--LF Delmon Young hit his second home run of the divisional round of the playoffs, another opposite-field blow. Young's seventh-inning home run broke a 4-4 tie and gave Detroit its 5-4 win. Young said he felt a lot of emotions rounding the bases, and one of them was knowing "I had (RHP Justin) Verlander coming out for eighth and (RHP Jose) Valverde ninth. Those are two of the best pitchers in baseball."
--RHP Jose Valverde, who said "that's it" after Detroit won Sunday, did his part to make his words come true by getting his 50th save this year. Valverde gave up two walks in the ninth but fanned SS Derek Jeter on a high 2-2 fastball to finish the game. "He's done it all year," RHP Justin Verlander said. "Sometimes it's three up, three down. Sometimes you get a man on second. He always finds a way to get it done."
--2B Ramon Santiago entered with some modest career success against LHP CC Sabathia and rewarded his manager for putting him second in the batting order. Santiago hit into a first-pitch double play his first time up but came up in the third with runners on first and second to line an RBI single to left to chisel into an early 2-0 New York lead. Santiago was 7-for-24 off Sabathia at the start of the game and added an RBI double to left center in the fifth to break a 2-2 tie.
--RF Magglio Ordonez was dropped from his usual second in the batting order to sixth, ostensibly to bump down slumping C Alex Avila but just as likely because Ordonez had three hits Sunday. Ordonez walked leading off the second and hit a sharp groundout to third before being replaced by RF Don Kelly in the sixth.
--C Alex Avila was dropped from sixth to eighth in the batting order in hopes it would take some pressure off him. Avila is 0-for-9 in the series. He executed a sacrifice bunt in the sixth but might have jammed his left foot when he reached the base and came down solidly on 2B Robinson Cano's foot as he was taking the throw. Avila was seen shaking the foot and grimacing in the dugout but came out and caught the rest of the game without showing any effects.
--RHP Rick Porcello said he'll draw on pitching the 163rd game two years ago, the division title deciding game at Minnesota, to calm himself when he prepares to pitch Tuesday against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the AL Division Series. "Just kind of dealing with the atmosphere, remembering what that was like and my prep for the game," he said, "should help going into it. This time around it's on our home turf. I'll have that going for me." Manager Jim Leyland noted Porcello has had an up-and-down season but "what you have to remember is he's still a very young pitcher. He's 22 years old. He's still trying to figure out big-league hitters, figure out how to calm down. I guess he's a junior now. I always say you can't make a senior out of a freshman."
--RF Don Kelly made another key contribution to Detroit's win. Kelly, inserted to start the sixth as the defensive replacement for RF Magglio Ordonez, dragged a bunt past LHP CC Sabathia leading off the sixth and came around to score on a double by SS Jhonny Peralta. It gave Detroit a 4-2 lead at the time.
BY THE NUMBERS
5 -- Times a Detroit pitcher has struck out 10 or more batters in a postseason game after RHP Justin Verlander fanned 11 in eight innings of a 5-4 win over the New York Yankees. The club record for a postseason game is 14 by RHP Joe Coleman in the third game of the 1972 AL Championship Series against Oakland.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"This is the first time I've been in this situation. It felt good. In 2006 I was a rookie. I was pretty fatigued and worn out at the end of the year. It changed my career. Having gone through that, I realized how much hard work goes into pitching an entire season. I worked my tail off getting ready for October." -- RHP Justin Verlander on how pitching in the 2006 postseason contributed to his success.
Copyright (C) 2011 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
