On Cruz control: Orioles take Game 1 of ALDS
BALTIMORE – Breaking down the AL Division Series Game 1 from Oriole Park at Camden Yards:
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State of the Series: The Orioles pulled away in the series opener by the winning formula they've used all season long: home runs and clutch pitching. Meanwhile, one of the Tigers' biggest weakness – their bullpen – was exposed as the game turned from a tense battle into a blowout.
Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer in the first and contributed an RBI single to an eight-run rally in the eighth as Baltimore beat Detroit for only the second time in seven meetings this season.
The Orioles will send left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (16-6, 3.54 ERA during the regular season) to the mound in Game 2, while the Tigers will counter with righty Justin Verlander (15-12, 4.54). Verlander, the 2011 AL MVP, struggled for much of the season before cruising through his final two starts, allowing two earned runs in 15 1/3 innings.
"Some of the adjustments I was trying to make early, they kinda wear you out because you're trying so hard to try and fix them," he said before Game 1. "Toward the end, it was just … let those adjustments take their course and don't worry about it anymore."
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Game 1 pivot point: The Orioles led the majors in home runs during the regular season and three of their first four four runs in the series opener scored via the long ball. Cruz – who led the majors with 40 homers this season -- set the tone with a booming two-run blast to right-center field.
But shortstop J.J. Hardy's solo shot in the seventh off Scherzer was the key blow. It gave the Orioles a 4-2 lead and some much-needed breathing room while the outcome was still in doubt. The extra run also proved valuable when Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer off Darren O'Day in the eighth to make it 4-3.
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Man of the moment: The starting pitching matchup seemed to favor the Tigers with reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer on the mound.
The Tigers made Orioles starter Chris Tillman work hard over his five innings. Leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler fouled off nine pitches in a 14-pitch at-bat in the third. In the fourth, he drew a nine-pitch walk to load the bases. In all, Kinsler saw 30 of Tillman's 105 pitches. Despite giving up back-to-back homers in the second, Tillman kept the Tigers offense in check the rest of the way and left with a 3-2 lead.
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Manager's special: Under former manager Jim Leyland, the Tigers rarely tried to steal bases. However Brad Ausmus has been more than willing to give his baserunners the green light.
The Tigers ranked fourth in the AL with 106 steals -- with Rajai Davis (36) and Kinsler (15) leading the way.
In the eighth inning, with the Tigers trailing by a run and Kinsler at first following a leadoff single, Torii Hunter smoked a line drive with Kinsler on the move on what looked like a hit-and-run play. However the ball went directly into Hardy's glove at shortstop. An easy catch and flip to first turned what could have been a big inning with Miguel Cabrera at the plate into a none-on, two-out situation.
"Ian was on his own there. It wouldn't be a hit-and-run situation," Ausmus said afterward. "The odds of a line drive going right at a guy are slim. It just so happened that it did."
It only made things much worse when Cabrera homered on the next pitch to make it 4-3.
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Needing a mulligan: Detroit's bullpen imploded during an eight-run Oriole uprising in the eighth. After Scherzer departed with one out in the inning, relievers Joba Chamberlain, Joakim Soria and Phil Coke allowed eight of the 10 batters they faced to reach base.
That turned what was one-run game into a blowout.
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What you missed on TV: The Orioles have been playing short-handed for a large chunk of the season with third baseman Manny Machado and catcher Matt Wieters injured.
But both made a triumphant return to Oriole Park before Game 1 with Machado throwing out the ceremonial first pitch -- with Wieters behind the plate.
Machado had his season end Aug. 11, undergoing knee surgery for the second year in a row. Wieters played only 26 games because of an elbow injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June. Both hope to be back to 100% in time for opening day 2015.