Tigers vs. Orioles: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 MLB Playoffs

The Detroit Tigers' second bullpen implosion in as many days has the Baltimore Orioles one win away from the American League Championship Series. 

After trailing most of the game, the Orioles exploded in the bottom of the eighth inning with four runs to take a 7-6 lead. A pinch-hit three-run double by Delmon Young wound up being the difference. 

For a long time the Tigers looked like they were going to even this series up. A bad fourth inning from starter Wei-Yin Chen in which he gave up five runs and back-to-back homers by J.D. Martinez and Nick Castellanos gave Detroit a 5-2 lead. 

Joba Chamberlain allowed two hits and was charged with three of the four runs in the eighth inning. Joakim Soria relieved Chamberlain, walked J.J. Hardy and gave up the double to Young. 

We've got a recap of the action from Camden Yards, including the final score and reaction from around the Internet:

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Final
Tigers	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	1	0	6
Orioles	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	4	-	7

The big question coming into Game 2 was whether Tigers manager Brad Ausmus was making a mistake by starting Justin Verlander over David Price, especially with the Orioles winning Game 1 and having a chance to head to Detroit with a 2-0 series advantage. 

Ausmus liked his chances with Verlander on the mound, telling Adam Berry of MLB.com that "he's the type of guy, the bigger the stage, the brighter the lights, the better he's going to perform."

Ultimately, Ausmus' decision wasn't a bad one, but he wasn't exactly proven right, as Verlander in the postseason still looks like the guy who had a 4.54 ERA and struggled for most of the regular season. He allowed three runs on six hits with four strikeouts in five innings. 

Control was a problem throughout the day for Verlander, as Chris Iott of MLive.com noted he was frequently putting Orioles hitters in favorable counts to start innings:

Verlander never fell apart in the game, despite allowing a two-run homer to Nick Markakis, and the offense provided plenty of support. Martinez continues to be one of the best bargains in baseball this season, hitting his second homer in as many days. 

The blast put Detroit ahead by two runs and made him the 15th player in history with homers in his first two playoff games, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The other Martinez, Victor, also had a nice game with two hits and a double. There's only so much you can do, though, when your bullpen gives up 11 runs in the eighth inning across two games. 

Chamberlain's postseason ERA after Friday sits at 108. By comparison, Soria's 45.00 looks Clayton Kershaw-esque. 

Of course, these struggles are nothing new. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick noted that Chamberlain's splits this season are alarming:

Baltimore's heroes for the day were Young, who got the big hit, and Kevin Gausman. The rookie right-hander came on in relief of Chen and allowed one run on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts in 3.2 innings. 

Gausman's five strikeouts are notable for being the second-most by an Orioles reliever in the playoffs, via Ace of MLB Stats:

Young may not be anyone's favorite player, but CBS Sports' Eye On Baseball tweeted out how prolific he has been under the bright October lights:

In case you are wondering, Young's postseason slugging percentage is .551 after his double today. He only appeared in 83 games during the regular season but hit well with a .302/.337/.442 line with 19 extra-base hits. 

The Orioles have been underestimated all season because of the division they play in, the loss of Manny Machado and Matt Wieters to season-ending injuries, and not having the kind of playoff rotation that usually wins. 

What they do have is a deep bullpen, which we have seen in the first two games; an outstanding manager in Buck Showalter, who knows how to deploy strategy; and a powerful, potent lineup capable of putting up a lot of runs at any given moment. 

All of that has combined to put the Orioles one win away from the franchise's first ALCS appearance since 1997. 

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