AL Playoff Matchup

[Guest d'Kong76]

Guess I could have stayed up a little longer!

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Royals, their eyes stinging from the champagne, their throats burning from screaming, kept trying to make sense of it all.

They know they somehow won this crazy game, one that was already being declared as the most exhilarating postseason victory in franchise history.

But they still can't find the words.

"It was the craziest game I've ever been part of, in all my life,'' Royals left fielder Alex Gordon says. "It didn't look good there for a while, but we just kept battling and battling. It's like we weren't ready to go home.

"And then we won. Please don't ask me how.''

The Royals pulled out a stunning 9-8, 12-inning victory over the Oakland A's, refusing to quit when it would be so easy to do so.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Detroit at Baltimore
When: 5:30 PM ET, Thursday, October 2, 2014
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
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The Detroit Tigers are enjoying their fourth straight American League Central Division crown but are still looking for their first World Series title since 1984. The Baltimore Orioles, who host Tigers in Game 1 of the AL Division Series on Thursday, are appearing in the postseason for the second time in three years after a drought of 15 seasons. The AL East champion Orioles battled into the last week for the best record in the AL after running away with the division.

Detroit has been in postseason mode for the last month while fighting off the Kansas City Royals in the Central and appear primed for the series with Justin Verlander coming around to solidify the rotation. The question with the Tigers has always been the bullpen, but closer Joe Nathan did manage to put together four straight scoreless appearances to close the regular season and Anibal Sanchez has been added to the setup mix. Baltimore does not have the big-name starters like Detroit but overcame the loss of Manny Machado and Chris Davis on offense thanks in part to a bullpen that ranked third in the AL with a 3.10 ERA.

TV:
5:37 p.m. ET, TBS

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Tigers RH Max Scherzer (18-5, 3.15 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (13-6, 3.34)

Scherzer is set to make a killing in free agency this winter and can only increase his market value with another successful postseason. The reigning Cy Young Award winner appeared in four playoff games last fall and went 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 22 1/3 total innings. Scherzer has not faced Baltimore since a pair of starts in 2013, when he allowed four runs in 14 innings.

Tillman had a string of 20 straight starts allowing three or fewer earned runs come to an end in his final regular-season turn at Toronto on Friday, when he was reached for four runs and 11 hits in six frames. The 26-year-old did not walk a batter in that start and has issued two or fewer free passes in each of his last five outings. Tillman last faced the Tigers in Detroit on April 6 and held them to one run on five hits in 8 1/3 innings to pick up the win.

WALK-OFFS:
1. The Tigers took five of six in the regular-season series, though all six contests happened before mid-May.
2. Orioles 1B Steve Pearce (wrist) missed five of the final nine games, but will be in Thursday's lineup.
3. Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera went 10-for-25 with a pair of home runs and nine RBIs in the six meetings with Baltimore and finished the season strong with a 1.118 OPS in September.
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Kansas City at LA Angels
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, October 2, 2014
Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
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Jered Weaver will try to cool down Kansas City when the Los Angeles Angels host the revved-up Royals in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Thursday. Kansas City recorded a wild 9-8, 12-inning victory over the Oakland Athletics in Tuesday�s wild-card game, stealing seven bases to match a postseason record and scoring twice in the bottom of the 12th for the win. The Angels led the AL with 98 victories and won the AL West by 10 games.

There was a lot of chatter about Garrett Richards supplanting Weaver as Los Angeles� ace until Richards suffered a season-ending knee injury. Weaver ended up tied for AL lead in victories and he is being counted on to step up in a postseason in which Los Angeles expects to reach the World Series. The Royals, who displayed big-time resilience in the wild-card victory, will start Jason Vargas � Weaver�s former college teammate at Long Beach State.

TV:
9:07 p.m. ET, TBS

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Royals LH Jason Vargas (11-10, 3.71 ERA) vs. Angels RH Jered Weaver (18-9, 3.59)

Vargas had a rough September, going 1-3 with a 6.57 ERA in five outings. He had a 6.10 ERA in two no-decisions against Los Angeles this season and is 5-4 with a 3.02 ERA in 15 career appearances (14 starts) against the Angels. Vargas went 9-8 with a 4.02 ERA for Los Angeles in 2013 before leaving as a free agent and signing with Kansas City.

Weaver didn�t face the Royals this season and is 7-4 with a 2.21 ERA in 12 career starts. This will be his fourth career postseason start and he is 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA in six appearances (three starts). Weaver went 3-2 with a 3.66 ERA in five September starts and gave up three homers while losing to Seattle in his final regular-season start.

WALK-OFFS:
1. The teams split six regular-season meetings this season.
2. Los Angeles LF Josh Hamilton (shoulder) pronounced himself ready after missing 22 of the final 23 regular-season contests.
3. Kansas City DH Raul Ibanez is 15-for-36 with four homers against Weaver, while LF Alex Gordon is 4-for-20 with nine strikeouts.

[bmfc1]

Raise a Natty Boh and go O's!

[Frayed Knot]

Tigers have tried four or five different guys at SS and have had trouble there all year long.

[Frayed Knot]

Joba Chamberlain in for Detroit

[Lefty Specialist]

Ha. Joba still sucks.

[Frayed Knot]

From the 'Rooting Interest' thread

Frayed Knot wrote: Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: How about a little love for Motown and the Detroit Tigers! The Mets won a World Series more recently, with Tigers not winning a World Series since the Bless You Boys team of 1984. It's our turn!! Now all they need is a closer and a SS

I believe I had that one.

[Edgy MD]

Birdland is rocking tonight.

[Lefty Specialist]

So is the downtown residential population of Kansas City.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Tigers have tried four or five different guys at SS and have had trouble there all year long.

They should try Mickey Stanley.

[Edgy MD]

The Aoki Strategy: Run back and forth in confusion and then make a last-second stab. How long is that gonna work?

[Guest d'Kong76]

Detroit at Baltimore
When: 12:00 PM ET, Friday, October 3, 2014
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
SportsDirect Inc.

Nelson Cruz settled for a one-year, $8 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason and has already proved to be a great bargain. Cruz will look to continue his postseason dominance when the Orioles host the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of their American League Division Series on Friday. Cruz hit a two-run homer in Thursday�s Game 1 victory and has 15 home runs in 35 career postseason games while being a particular pest to the Tigers.

Cruz homered six times in a six-game series win over Detroit when he was with the Texas Rangers in 2011 and picked up right where he left off with a first-inning blast Thursday as the Orioles went on to grab a 12-3 victory. There were five home runs in total in Game 1, with the Tigers managing three solo blasts and nothing else. The big question surrounding Detroit coming into the series was in the bullpen, and the team did little to answer those concerns as Joba Chamberlain, Joakim Soria and Phil Coke combined to give up seven runs while recording two outs in the eighth inning.

TV:
12:07 p.m. ET, TBS

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Tigers RH Justin Verlander (15-12, 4.54 ERA) vs. Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (16-6, 3.54)

Verlander seemed like a candidate for the bullpen in the postseason until turning things around over the final two weeks with back-to-back strong outings. The former MVP allowed a total of two runs and 14 hits in 15 1/3 innings to earn wins over Kansas City and Chicago. Verlander is 9-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 15 career starts against Baltimore but was knocked around for five runs in six innings at Orioles Park at Camden Yards on May 14.

Chen allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last five starts but took the loss in the last two. The Taiwan native issued only 35 walks in 185 2/3 innings in 2014 and yielded just one home run in those five September outings. Chen missed Detroit earlier this season and is 1-0 with six runs allowed in 11 total innings over two starts in his career against the Tigers.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Cruz has 16 RBIs in seven career postseason games against the Tigers.
2. Detroit OF Rajai Davis (sprained pelvic ligament) was removed from Game 1 and is day-to-day.
3. Baltimore LHP Zach Britton was used for only five pitches in Game 1 while LHP Andrew Miller used 32 pitches over 1 2/3 hitless innings.
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Kansas City at LA Angels
When: 9:30 PM ET, Friday, October 3, 2014
Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
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Matt Shoemaker recovered from an oblique injury and draws the start for Game 2 when the host Los Angeles Angels try to even their American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Shoemaker suffered the injury against Seattle on Sept. 15 and was pronounced fit after a bullpen session. �That was the most encouraging thing in coming out of the bullpen,� Shoemaker said at his Thursday press conference. �It felt like I just played a few days before that instead of being off two weeks.�

The Royals won Thursday�s opener 3-2 as Mike Moustakas hit the game-winning homer in the 11th inning, his first blast since Aug. 25. Rookie Yordano Ventura receives the ball for Kansas City just three days after experiencing a rough relief outing and allowing a three-run homer to Oakland�s Brandon Moss in the AL wild-card game. �I learned that things do happen very quickly, and that I got myself into trouble in that situation,� Ventura said at his press conference. �Even though I don�t treat it as a different game, it is a different game.�

TV:
9:37 p.m. ET, TBS

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Royals RH Yordano Ventura (14-10, 3.20 ERA) vs. Angels RH Matt Shoemaker (16-4, 3.04)

Ventura won five of his last six regular-season decisions to cap off an impressive rookie season. Despite his lack of experience, Ventura was picked as the No. 2 starter despite the presence of tough left-hander Danny Duffy and veteran righty Jeremy Guthrie. �Well, if you watched this kid pitch all summer long, he�s got great composure for a young guy,� Kansas City manager Ned Yost said in his press conference.

Shoemaker is 0-1 with a 10.00 ERA in two 2014 starts against the Royals and was roughed up for eight runs and 11 hits in four innings in the second outing. �That was probably his worst start of the season,� Angels manager Mike Scioscia said in his press conference. �If you look at Matt when he�s thrown the ball well and probably his last eight starts, arguably he was our best pitcher.� Shoemaker won seven consecutive decisions to end the regular season.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Both teams had just four hits in the opener with Los Angeles going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
2. Kansas City RHP Greg Holland picked up the save Thursday and has converted 21 straight opportunities dating back to July 24.
3. The Angels� 2-3-4 trio of CF Mike Trout, 1B Albert Pujols and 2B Howie Kendrick were a combined 0-for-13 in Game 1.

[Frayed Knot]

Tigers get 5 off of Chen and the O's but Verlander, w/a high-pitch count, can't get out of the 6th.

5-3 Detroit but with those dreaded words for Tiger fans: it's now a battle of bullpens

[Gwreck]

Tigers have elected to forego using their regular relievers for a while and instead used starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez (came off the DL about a week before the playoffs) in relief of Verlander.

Tigers got an extra insurance run on a Victor Martinez double in the top of the 8th.

[HahnSolo]

And Joba the Fatt allows two baserunners in the 8th bringing the tying run to the plate.

[Zvon]

Bases Baltimored, 1 out, 6-4 Tiggers in the 8th.

[HahnSolo]

RBI hit by Pearce off Joba, then Soria walks Hardy to load the bases.

Never mind the Tiger bullpen being ineffective, can they get anybody out?

[HahnSolo]

DELMON YOUNG! is alive and well.

In the two 8th innings of this series, the O's have scored 12 runs in an inning and a third.

[Zvon]

Wow. 7-6 Birds. What a sap of a pitch to Young.

On review it wasn't that bad a pitch.

[Edgy MD]

God bless the eighth.

[Zvon]

Whats more embarrassing for the Oriole leftfielder. The bobble, or the shot of him picking his nose and wiping it on his uniform?

[Zvon]

Orioles win. Impressive comeback.

[Lefty Specialist]

What a concept. A team down 6-3 in the 8th inning comes back to win. Be nice to see that at a Met game occasionally.

Oh, and Joba still sucks.

[HahnSolo]

I know they "take it one game at a time" blah blah blah, but this is an awful tough loss to bounce back from.

I don't know how Ausmus has any confidence going to his pen at this point. Hope Price and Porcello can go 9, I guess.

[Edgy MD]

Or shorten the rotation and tell Porcello he's now a reliever.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

I was early to an event today so I grabbed a table at a McDonald's to grab a bite and use the wifi. Not far away was a table of older guys nursing their coffee and solving all the world's problems.

Then, I heard one of them say, "That Joba Chamberlain, he looks like a terrorist!"

[Gwreck]

Another extra inning homer for the Royals. About to take a 2-0 lead on the Angels before the series heads back to Kansas City.

[Edgy MD]

[Guest d'Kong76]

Thundersticked!
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[Edgy MD]

Who doesn't want to hit that kid? He's straight from Central Casting for the role of "Big-mouthed pipsqueak that gets a beating he's totally asking for."