We were promised a pitcher’s duel for this series finale against the Tigers, and that’s exactly what we got.
Advertisement
It was Justin Verlander vs.
Once again, Verlander’s team got the best of Sale’s.
The game started 35 minutes later than expected due to a rain delay.
“The one thing that hasn’t emerged was anyone talking about any excuses”, manager John Farrell said.
The bottom of the lineup held up their end of the bargain this afternoon against the Red Sox.
Righty Joe Kelly walked James McCann to load the bases before losing Jones on a full-count pitch.
“Oh, I knew exactly that he was going to do that”. The inning then ended with red-hot catcher Sandy Leon lining out to third.
Meanwhile, Sale just kept doing Sale things.
Whether it was planned or a necessary switch as the game moved on, his mid-game adjustment to lean on his curveball more is a major reason why the Tigers were able to stay in the game and ultimately cap off a series win over another AL playoff contender. And he was in control after that, putting down 11 straight Red Sox hitters.
It felt even better when he was able to make Sale pay for wanting to face him. “This one got away from us”. It seemed to fire up the Tiger’s ace, and he let the umpire know it. Paxton (1-0) was a big reason why, keeping Houston’s offense silent long enough for Seattle’s bats to wake up and finally convert with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox will start Rick Porcello against Detroit’s Daniel Norris. It’s not likely the next time they match up Sale will be thinking the same way.
Romine’s second double, over and off the glove of a sprawling Holt with two outs in the eighth, gave Kinsler a chance play the hero again, but Sale, whose fastball still touched 98 miles per hour in the at-bat, walked him.
The Red Sox squared the score, 1-1, in the second on a two-out line RBI single to left by Hernandez.
He will be making his third career start against the Tigers. It didn’t work out that way on Monday, though.
Justin Wilson got the win for Detroit with a scoreless eighth and Francisco Rodriguez notched his second save of the season.
“Look for a strike, swing hard, hit a ball hard”, Castellanos said of his approach versus Sale.
The Red Sox tied it again in the seventh on an RBI single by Andrew Benintendi.
Detroit Tigers’ Ian Kinsler celebrates his solo home run against the Boston Red Sox with a bat boy in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Monday, April 10, 2017. “It was great, I had a fun time doing that and hopefully I can get in more situations like that”. “We dramatically come back and take (the lead with) a big five-run eighth”.
If the second was one turning point, the other came in the fourth.
The Red Sox couldn’t pull off another comeback in the ninth.
Advertisement
The bases were loaded with nobody out in the second inning. Sale, so spectacular, took the loss. He walked three and struck out six over seven innings. Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts didn’t play Saturday. Eventually, Sale is going to get the run support he deserves.
