Inge Completes Sweep for Tigers, Lester Steps Up for Red Sox
Clutch grand slam
Detroit is streaking as they picked up their 6th straight win and have opened up a 7 game lead over the Twins in the AL Central. Things are really clicking in the Motor City. On the other hand, there are the Rays. After a disappointing series at home against the Red Sox earlier in the week, they did not show up against the Tigers. Their bullpen, which was the best in their team’s history last year, has blown leads in all these games. I hate to say this, but the Rays are DONE.
In Tampa Bay, the Rays had the game on their finger tips and the Tigers bounced back for a 5-3 win. Tigers 3B Brandon Inge struck out in his first three at-bats, but baseball is a game of redemption, and redeem he did. Inge hit a grand slam to erase a two-run deficit to put the Tigers in position for the sweep. The grand slam was the 5th of Inge’s career and his 27th homerun tied his career-high. The Tigers were able to complete the road sweep as Brandon Lyon picked up his third save of the season. Despite the Rays struggles, the Tigers scored the winning run in each of the three games in this series in the 8th inning or later. That’s some awesome resiliency for the first-place Tigers.
- Ball game.
In Chicago, the Red Sox got back on the winning track with a 6-1 win over the surging White Sox. After the way Boston lost the first two games of this series, this win was much needed. Red Sox SP Jon Lester pitched 7 shutout innings and struck out eight on the day. Lester (12-7) now has over 200 strikeouts on the season; quite an accomplishment for the young hurler who will continue to produce that kind of totals each year. Boston’s offense was led by 3B Mike Lowell and C Victor Martinez, who each homered in the win. The win, combined with a Rangers loss at Baltimore, extended the Red Sox lead in the AL wild card to 3 games. They have to be ecstatic to still be leading by 3 games with the Rangers playing the Orioles and with being embarrassed in the first two games of this series. The series wraps up tomorrow afternoon with Josh Beckett facing Mark Buehrle.
Leave your response!