An improbable escape, a grand slam, a blowout, and a farewell to Tito

Albert Pujols admires his first of four extra-base hits in Game 2, a two-run shot in the opening inning. (Photo: Reuters/Jim Young)

Monday’s ALCS and NLCS Game 2′s were far from dull and on opposite ends of the spectrum–one a nail-biting thriller, the other a blowout. It was just another day of postseason baseball, full of excitement, jubilant screams, let-downs, and, thanks to Terry Francona, laughter.

Redemption in Texas

The Detroit Tigers were clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning when manager Jim Leyland decided to put faith in his starting pitcher. Max Scherzer had just worked his way out of a jam in the sixth, retiring three of Texas’s best hitters after allowing the first two batters to reach. He was at 91 pitches entering the seventh, and the bottom of the Rangers order was due up. Taking into account his pitch count and how well he was pitching, he should be left in, right?

Against many lineups, Leyland’s decision my have been the correct one. This was no ordinary bottom of a lineup, however. Nelson Cruz, who hit a homer in the first game, was in the seven-hole, while solid hitters David Murphy and Mitch Moreland were due up after. Exemplifying Texas’s depth, the dangerous Cruz didn’t wait long to send Scherzer to the showers. The pitcher’s appearance in the inning would be a short, deflating one, as Cruz crushed a 1-2 fastball into the left-field seats. In the blink of an eye, the game was tied and Leyland was out of the dugout motioning for reliever Joaquin Benoit.

The game remained tied at 3 entering the bottom of the ninth, as Victor Martinez’s two-out, bases-loaded pop-up was barely held onto by Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. It appeared not taking advantage would immediately prove costly for Detroit. Texas exploited Jose Valverde’s 6.29 ERA this season in non-save situations, loading the bases with nobody out. The Rangers ballpark was rocking. Everyone was on their feet, ready to celebrate, while Detroit hoped for a miracle.

Amazingly, their hopes were answered. Adrian Beltre, who started the threat with a first-pitch double, wasn’t sent on a shallow flyball caught by left-fielder Ryan Raburn, which was a very surprising move. What happened next was also surprising. Detroit got the groundball they were looking for, and Beltre was gunned out at home and Moreland at first. Double-play, and fist-pumps all around for Detroit.

The escape was incredible, stunning, and hard to believe. Texas had that game in their back pocket. So many different scenarios could have scored a run, but everything went Detroit’s way. Some die-hard Detroit fans may have thought this to be a sign. The Tigers would definitely be fueled by this and break through, right?

Instead, it delayed a scene of redemption. In the 11th inning, the Rangers had the bases loaded once more with nobody out. This time, they would emphatically take advantage. The fourth pitch to right-handed hitting Nelson Cruz from reliever Ryan Perry was thrown towards the outside corner of the plate. A split-second later it was headed for the left-field seats for a game-ending grand-slam, the first of its kind in postseason history.

“It was amazing,” Cruz said, as documented by The Dallas Morning News. “First two pitches, I was too aggressive. I hit the ball — foul ball, foul ball. So after that, I told myself just slow down and try to hit a fly ball to the outfield.” He did that and more.

Now, the Tigers go home for three games trying to work their way out of a hole.

“We ain’t got much to lose right now,” said Raburn. “We’re down 2-0, so we’re going to come out and play hard. We’ve got a great team. It’s going to be another battle again. Just come out and play hard and see what happens.”

Brilliant Francona has too short a stay in booth

Fresh of resigning as the manager of the Boston Red Sox,  Francona joined Fox to call the first two games of the series between the Tigers and Rangers. He was paired up with Joe Buck, and who knew how he would perform in his new role. He didn’t disappoint. As Francona kept relaying in-depth analysis I didn’t want him to stop talking. He was that good.

He had a sense of humor, dissected why some relievers weren’t used in certain situations, explained why a runner on first should be started in certain counts, and expressed his displeasure with the useless Fox Trax graphic, which is designed to show whether a pitch is a strike or not.

He said he was nervous before Game 1, his first appearance, but it didn’t show in his performance. He was as smooth as can be, and that continued in Game 2, with a pleasing voice and a pleasing attitude. He was dripping knowledge–talking about players and their tendencies, why some decisions were great and some were not. He wouldn’t overdue a topic, primarily choosing to utter one-sentence tidbits that were very informative, then move on. He was far and away more interesting and entertaining than Tim McCarver, Buck’s usual partner, and many other announcers in the game. He didn’t try to be over the top. He didn’t yell. He wasn’t obnoxious. He wasn’t egotistical. He was easy-going, just shooting the breeze, and having fun.

Taking the place of the injured Magglio Ordonez on the roster, Delmon Young, himself injured, didn’t swing at the first pitch in the first inning. Francona said something must be really wrong with him if the usually aggressive Young does that. It was instances like this that made the game enjoyable to watch and him enjoyable to listen to. His presence in the booth will be missed.

Francona wants to manage next season, and he is undoubtedly qualified to do so, but if he doesn’t, announcing is a solid Plan B.

Pujols, Cardinals silence Brewers, take advantage back to St. Louis

Just as he had plenty of praise for Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre, Francona would have gushed similarly about Albert Pujols had he called the NLDS as well. Pujols destroyed Milwaukee early and often, hitting a two-run moonshot in the first inning and a two-run double in the third. He added two more two-baggers, tying the postseason record with four extra-base hits.

His friends helped him lower the boom on Milwaukee, a team that took celebrating to an extreme in Game 1 victory with their over the top “Beastmode” celebration. After the Brewers scored in that comeback win, it was as if they were basking in victory, pointing at the crowd and throwing fake punches at each other as part of a rehearsed routine. The Cardinals, who have expressed their displeasure with their NL Central opponent all season long, came out angry in Game 2, ultimately scoring 12 runs on 17 hits.

Pujols struggled in Game 1, going 1-4, but when asked at the plate after Sunday night’s loss, he said, “Tomorrow I can come and blow it out, and what are you going to say tomorrow?”. He knew he was due for a big day, and driving in five runs qualifies as one.

“Sometimes when they come, they come in a bunch,” Pujols said after Game 2. And it they keep coming, Milwaukee is in serious trouble.

Due to his outburst and that of his teammates, the Brewers lost home-field advantage in the series, as it is tied at 1 with the next three games in St. Louis. And now they have to deal with a locked in Albert Pujols, not to mention a pitcher, Chris Carpenter, who is coming off a three-hit shutout. Good luck.