Gutshot
| Game 38: May 15, 2007 | |||
 Tigers |
7 | W: Justin Verlander (4-1) | 24-14, 1 game winning streak 8-2-3 series record |
| Red Sox | 2 | L: Tim Wakefield (4-4) | 26-12, 1 game losing streak 10-2-2 series record |
| Highlights: Despite the loss, the Red Sox defense had two dazzlers. In the fourth, Manny Ramirez hosed Ivan Rodriguez at home to end the inning. Doug Mirabelli deftly handled a pop fly in foul territory off the bat of Gary Sheffield, bare-handing the ball after it sprang out of his glove while avoiding the equipment on-deck. | |||
Last night in the poker match between the two top teams in the American League, Jim Leyland saw Terry Francona’s ante of a rookie pitcher turning in a notable performance and raised him a former Jackie Robinson Award winner hurling a dominant seven and two-thirds innings. Justin Verlander matched Daisuke Matsuzaka’s feat of not permitting any free passes. Unlike Matsuzaka, the Tiger sophomore had paint all night, striking out seven.
The Red Sox lineup could only muster two runs against Verlander. The first run came in the first inning: Kevin Youkilis singled up the middle and advanced on Manny Ramirez’s single to the opposite field. J.D. Drew lined to left and DeMarlo Hale took the risk of sending Youkilis home from second as Craig Monroe foundered in the outfield. Youkilis did touch home and even in retrospect the risky all-in move by Hale this early in the game was a smart move.
Youkilis also posted the only other run with his two-out homer in the eighth. It sent Verlander packing, but he left with a sizable lead that Fernando Rodney did not relinquish.
In four of the innings Verlander pitched he sat down the side in order. The only weak hand he showed was Mike Lowell limping in on the turn with a single but he was still unable to cash in on the river. David Ortiz had a high pair after the flop but Verlander raised the stakes on fourth and fifth street, the pitcher sucking out the hand by striking out Ramirez and inducing a fly out from Drew.
Tim Wakefield wasn’t aided by the elements; Jerry Remy continually mentioned the strong summer breeze to left that lent some loft to the two gopher balls the knuckleballer gave up. The veteran persisted for seven innings, sparing the bullpen of undue stress but not without causing suffering to others. The tater he tossed to Brandon Inge in the third was the same air ball that Drew pursued with reckless abandon. The left fielder crashed into the bullpen wall and crumpled in front of it after impact. To his credit and in contrast to his reputation, Drew stayed in the game until the eighth inning.
Brendan Donnelly has hit a cold streak; his last time out he didn’t secure an out and last night he allowed three RBI shots in the eighth. Kyle Snyder was summoned and he stumped the remaining Detroit hitters with near perfection, allowing just one base on balls in one and two-thirds innings of work.
A disappointing loss in light of the heroics of the past two games, but the odds have a way of evening out if you have an ace like Verlander in your hand. Tonight I’ll be at Fenway to see the showdown between Mike Maroth and Julian Tavarez. Perhaps Tavarez can bluff his way to his second win of the season.
