Cruz Missile Puts Texas In Command

Written by: Drew Sarver on 11th October 2011

Cruz Missile Puts Texas In Command | read this item

The baseball post-season is all about do-overs. You can have a rotten regular season and then become a hero in October. You can also wear goat horns in in one series and be the guy who comes through with the big hit in the next clash. Nelson Cruz knows what it feels like. Though his Texas Rangers won their AL division series, Cruz played no offensive role in advancing to the next round. He was just 1-15 and struck out five times against the Tampa Bay Rays. All that changed on Monday though when Cruz, who had homered in Game 1, smacked two more to give his Texas Rangers a commanding two games to none lead over the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.

Tigers’ starter Max Scherzer had given up a pair of early runs, but held a 3-2 lead entering the 7th inning, thanks to a Ryan Rayburn 3-run home run off of Rangers’ starter Derek Holland. That’s when Cruz played the hero for the first time, tying the game against Scherzer with a solo blast in the 7th inning. Then Cruz put his name in the record books when he became the first player in League Championship Series to hit a walk off grand slam. It came in the 11th inning after Ryan Perry had allowed three straight singles, and gave the Rangers a 7-3 victory. It was a home run that fit the moment; a majestic shot that simply had to stay fair, which it did.

The series resumes in Detroit this evening (Tuesday) with the Tigers sending Doug Fister up against the Rangers’ Colby Lewis. Fister took the loss in Game 1 of the ALDS, but escaped a number of jams in a five inning appearance to pick up the victory in the decisive fifth game against the New York Yankees. He’s 2-3 in six career starts against the Rangers, with a 4.38 ERA. Cruz could find himself continuing to have a hot hand since he’s 7-14 lifetime against Fister with a home run. Also of note is David Murphy’s 6-16 (.375) performance with a pair of home runs.

Though he won’t discuss it, Lewis has been bothered by a bad hip for much of the season. It didn’t stop him from pitching six innings of one hit ball in a Game 2 win against the Rays in the ALDS. Lewis hasn’t had much success against the Tigers though, posting a 7.48 ERA in five career starts and one relief appearance. He’s managed a 2-2 record despite having allowed 40 hits in just 27.2 innings pitched.

Alex Avila (3-9, 1 HR), Austin Jackson (6-15, 1 HR), Miguel Cabrera (5-12, 3 RBI), and Victor Martinez (5-11, 2 RBI) have all enjoyed enormous success against the 32-yr old right-hander. With Delmon Young bothered by a sore oblique, Don Kelly should get the start in left field. He had two hits in Game 2 after entering the ball game as a defensive replacement and hit the ball well in the ALDS.

Tigers Have Work Cut Out For Them

Only three teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit in the league championship series- the 1985 Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, and the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

If the Tigers are to become the fourth team they need to start coming up with hits in the clutch. They were just 1-12 on Monday with runners in scoring position. They also need to a better job of getting on base. Ramon Santiago is the only player with more than two hits (5) in the series.

Rangers’ Pen Mightier Than The Sword

The key to Texas’ Game 2 victory was the tremendous job their bullpen turned in after manager Ron Washington pulled starter Derek Holland after just 2.2 innings. Scott Feldman, in particular, stood out with 4.1 scoreless innings of relief. Overall, the Rangers pen has allowed just five hits in 12.2 innings and has not allowed a run. They have also walked just three hitters and struck out 16.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer for BaseballDigest.com. You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Share on Tumblr

Topics: Alcs, Alds, Colby, Cruz Missile, Derek Holland, Detroit Tigers, Division Series, Fifth Game, Game 1, Goat Horns, Grand Slam, League Championship Series, Max Scherzer, Nelson Cruz, New York Yankees, Record Books, Ryan Rayburn, Solo Blast, Straight Singles, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers