Red Sox prevail in pitching duel
John Lackey edged Justin Verlander in the latest duel of these pitching-rich playoffs as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 1-0 on Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.
Mike Napoli homered in the seventh inning off Verlander, and Detroit's attempt at a rally fell short in the eighth when Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder struck out with men on base.
"The runs are pretty stingy," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "This is what it's about in postseason, good pitching."
Despite three straight gems by their starting pitchers, the Tigers suddenly trail in a best-of-seven series they seemed to have complete control of only two days ago. Game 4 is Wednesday at Comerica Park, with Jake Peavy scheduled to start for the Red Sox against Doug Fister.
Lackey allowed four hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight without a walk in a game that was delayed 17 minutes in the second inning because the stadium lights went out.
"I think that little time off gave him a chance to slow down a little bit. He was excited and pumped that first inning," Boston catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said.
"He was kind of getting excited with his slider, throwing a little too hard and leaving it over the middle, but he was still pretty effective."
It was the second 1-0 game in this matchup between the highest-scoring teams in the majors. That's been the theme throughout these playoffs, which have included four 1-0 scores and seven shutouts in the first 26 games.
The Tigers had a chance for a comeback in the eighth when Austin Jackson drew a one-out walk and Torii Hunter followed with a single.
But Cabrera, who failed to reach base for the first time in 32 postseason games for the Tigers, never looked comfortable against Junichi Tazawa, swinging and missing at the first two offerings and eventually chasing an outside pitch for strike three.
Fielder was even more overmatched against Koji Uehara, striking out on three pitches. Uehara also pitched the ninth for a save, ensuring Lackey's fine performance wouldn't go to waste.
Napoli's homer was the first run allowed by Verlander since Sept 18. He pitched six scoreless innings in each of his last two starts in the regular season before blanking the opposition for 21 innings in the playoffs.
(China Daily 10/17/2013 page24)
