The Tigers put up a fight tonight, something they didn’t do in the first three games. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough. The San Francisco Giants were just the better team.
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The Tigers put up a fight tonight, something they didn’t do in the first three games. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough. The San Francisco Giants were just the better team.
The lack of clutch hitting was not there all series and the Tigers went down in order in the tenth inning.
The Tigers will be back in contention in 2013, and this time they should have Victor Martinez hitting behind Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.
An ALCS championship is something to celebrate, but it’s going to be a long winter when the Tigers think back on Games 1 through 3 of the World Series. They’ll be able to live with the Game 4 loss because they were competitive, but losing when you’re so close to the summit is always a tough pill to swallow.
Thanks for following along with me during the playoffs. Congratulations to the Giants and also to the Tigers for making it this far.
Ryan Theriot led off the tenth inning with a single and was sacrificed to second base by Brandon Crawford. Phil Coke struck out Angel Pagan, but he allowed Marco Scutaro to hit a single to center field. Austin Jackson had no chance to throw Theriot out at home.
The Tigers season comes down to the bottom of this tenth inning. Austin Jackson, Avisail Garcia and Miguel Cabrera are due up.
Phil Coke kept the Giants off the board in the 9th, but gave up a run in the 10th allowing San Francisco to go ahead. (David J. Phillip / Associated Press).
Jhonny Peralta nearly hit a walk-off home run with one out in the ninth inning. He also missed a long ball by just a few feet earlier in the game. With two outs, Omar Infante got hit by a pitch on his left hand and came out of the game. Danny Worth pinch ran, but it didn’t matter as Gerald Laird grounded out to end the inning. The Giants relief pitching got the job done (barely) and the teams are heading to extra innings at Comerica Park.
If the Giants plan on celebrating tonight, they’re going to have to earn it. I expect to see Phil Coke back on the mound in the tenth inning after he struck out the side in the ninth.
If the Tigers lose this series, you can’t blame it on Phil Coke. The Tigers left-hander has struck out all seven batters he’s faced in the World Series, including striking out the side in a crucial ninth inning tonight.
Andy Dirks, Jhonny Peralta and Omar Infante are due up for the Tigers in the ninth. One swing of the bat can send us to a Game 5 tomorrow night at Comerica Park.
Prince Fielder remains hitless in the game, with a World Series batting average nearing .070. (Elizabeth Conley / The Detroit News)
Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Delmon Young couldn’t get anything done against Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt, who carved up the middle of the order with ease.
It’s nail biting time, folks. The Giants can win a World Series title in this ninth inning. It’s up to the Tigers to delay the celebration.
Octavio Dotel came in and walked the first batter he faced on four straight pitches, but then he got Pablo Sandoval to ground into a double play. He finished off the inning by striking out Buster Posey.
Nice job by Dotel going through the three best hitters on the Giants roster. If the Tigers can manage a run in the bottom of the frame, things will be looking good for a Game 5 tomorrow in Detroit.
The Tigers bats couldn’t get anything done in the seventh inning against Giants starter Matt Cain, who continues to battle despite not having his best stuff tonight.
The three straight outs by the Tigers mean Quintin Berry, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are due up for the when the bottom of the eighth inning rolls around.
This game has officially entered crunch time. Can the Giants put the Tigers away or will the boys from Detroit make a stand and send this series to a Game 5?
Max Scherzer turned in a solid performance and is done for the night after giving up a single and getting one out in the seventh inning. He gave up three runs on seven hits while striking out eight and walking one.
While Scherzer’s pitch count wasn’t ridiculously high (90), it did look like he was laboring a bit. The Tigers have been careful with Scherzer since he missed a start with shoulder fatigue near the end of the regular season.
Drew Smyly entered the game with a man on second and one out. He got Brandon Crawford to fly out to center field.
Octavio Dotel came in and got Angel Pagan to ground out to second base for the third and final out.
Delmon Young blasts a solo home run in the sixth inning to tie the game at 3 apiece, as the Detroit Tigers host the San Francisco Giants in game 4 of the World Series. (Robin Buckson / The Detroit News)
Delmon Young took a cue from Miguel Cabrera, going the opposite way with a blast to right field. Young’s shot went much further the Cabrera’s and was a no-doubter right off the bat.
Jhonny Peralta gave one a ride to left field but it came up just short and was caught on the warning track to end the inning.
There is still some life in this team. Let’s hope someone else runs into one and gives the Tigers the lead because they are just not doing a good job working the bases in this series.
Buster Posey took Max Scherzer for a ride to give the Giants a 3-2 lead and take his team a step closer to a world championship.
That’s a big shot for the Giants as Scherzer had shut them down in the last few innings but made a mistake to Posey with one out and a man on base.
Time for the Tigers bats to get back to work. I said earlier that two runs were probably not going to win this game. If the Giants end this game with three runs and the Tigers lose, the blame is still on the hitting.
Omar Infante singled and Gerald Laird tried to bunt him over to second base but popped up the ball right to first baseman Brandon Belt. The ball was bunted with such force that if Belt had dropped it, the Giants may have turned a double play. Austin Jackson followed with a fly out and Quintin Berry hit a soft grounder that he almost beat out.
If Berry had gotten to first, Miguel Cabrera would have come to bat with two men on base and that would have been huge for the Tigers. He’ll have to settle for leading off the bottom of the sixth inning.
Max Scherzer continues to get it done with a workmanlike effort. The Tigers pitcher has six strikeouts, one walk and has given up just four hits and one run in five innings. He’s thrown just 67 pitches.
Scherzer looks like he’ll be able to go at least seven, maybe eight innings tonight. That would be huge for the Tigers, especially if he continues to dominate the Giants lineup like he has in the last two innings.
Max Scherzer picked up two strikeouts and worked around a one-out walk to get out of the fourth inning.
After walking Brandon Belt on four straight pitches, Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones came out to the mound to talk with Scherzer. Whatever he said worked. Scherzer struck out Gregor Blanco and Gerald Laird threw out Belt as he was trying to steal second.
Scherzer’s pitch count is in pretty decent shape (54) and he’s keeping the ball down, which prevents the Giants from doing what Cabrera did by taking advantage of the wind blowing out to right field.
Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder celebrate Cabrera’s third inning home run as the Detroit Tigers host the San Francisco Giants in game 4 of the World Series at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday night. (Robin Buckson / Detroit News)
Austin Jackson worked a one-out walk, making it on base for the seventh time this series. Quintin Berry laid down a bunt and Jackson moved up to second as Berry was thrown out. Miguel Cabrera came up and willed a home run over the right field wall to give the Tigers their first lead of the series and end a 20 inning scoreless stretch.
Cabrera coming through is something Tigers fans have been waiting for this whole series. They have to keep at it, though, as two runs usually doesn’t win you a ball game.
Detroit Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder strikes out in the first inning. (Elizabeth Conley / The Detroit News)
Delmon Young led the inning off with a single up the middle, but the Tigers could do nothing with the man on base as the next three hitters went down in order.
Once again the Tigers bats are silent. Even when they do get men on base, they can’t build on it to get anything done.
The scoreless innings streak for the Tigers has now reached 20.
San Francisco Giants’ Hunter Pence reacts in the dugout after scoring a run during the second inning of Game 4. (David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
Max Scherzer struck out the first batter of the inning, but that’s where the good news ends. Hunter Pence hit a ground-rule double and Brandon Belt tripled to right field for the first run of the game.
Scherzer got Gregor Blanco to ground out to Omar Infante, who was playing in to prevent the runner from coming home. Ryan Theriot put a charge into a Scherzer pitch, but Andy Dirks was able to make the play.
This is not a good sign for a team that hasn’t scored a run in 19 innings.
The Tigers bats picked up right where they left off as they were able to do nothing in the first inning against Giants ace Matt Cain. Miguel Cabrera walked with two outs but Prince Fielder struck out to end the inning.
Fielder is now 1-for-11 in the World Series, and quite frankly, that’s just not going to cut it.
Detroit Tigers’ Max Scherzer throws during the first inning of Game 4. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)
Max Scherzer set the Giants down in order, picking up two strikeouts and throwing just ten pitches.
This is exactly how the Tigers needed to start this game. Now that Scherzer has come out firing, it’s up to the bats to get going. Some runs, or even just one, in the first inning might get this team going.
The Tigers enter tonight’s game desperate to stay alive in this series. They are on the verge of being swept and have not scored a run in their last two games.
In fact, the Tigers have scored in just two out of the 27 innings played in this World Series. And while it would be nice for an unlikely hero to step up, reality says the big boys need to put this team on their back and carry them to a Game 5 tomorrow night.
Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder have disappeared in this series. Both had chances to drive in runs last night, but neither delivered. October is supposed to be when legends are born, and Cabrera and Fielder are fading under the bright lights.
Max Scherzer gets his first start of the series, and he’ll have to be great tonight. He’s been good this postseason, but Scherzer is a strikeout pitcher who piles up his pitch count and typically doesn’t give the team much more than six innings.
The Giants counter with Matt Cain, their ace. It’s amazing to think this team is up 3-0 in the World Series and their best pitcher hasn’t even stepped on a mound yet. Hopefully he has an off night, otherwise the Giants are going to be celebrating a championship at Comerica Park.
If the Tigers can somehow win this game, they get Justin Verlander tomorrow night. Verlander has been unbelievable at home and it’s hard to imagine him having two consecutive bad starts. But first things first, the Tigers must win tonight to keep their season alive.
First pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for shortly after 8:00 on Fox.
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