Kuzul

For all intents and purposes, the World Series ended on Miguel Cabrera’s pop-up in the fifth inning of Game 3. It was the symbolic play of the 2012 Fall Classic: The Giants have maximized their opportunities, and the Tigers have not. More than any one play, that pop-up summed up why San Francisco has a 3-0 lead and could very well end the series Sunday night.

But Saturday night, Detroit lost a second straight 2-0 game and joined the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers with the dubious distinction of being shut out in back-to-back World Series games. A pair of runs scored by the Giants in the second inning might as well have been 20, because the toothless Tigers simply could not generate offense against Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum and Sergio Romo.

The shame of it is that Anibal Sanchez pitched well tonight for the second time this postseason, only to lose. Like his first loss against the Oakland A’s, Sanchez was more than good enough to win. His final line was very good: Seven innings, six hits, two runs and eight strikeouts. But like that start in Oakland a couple weeks ago, there was no offense to be found.

Who would have thought that Justin Verlander would potentially have the worst start of the World Series for the Tigers? It is certainly starting to look that way as Doug Fister and Sanchez were largely brilliant. Over 13 innings, they allowed a mere 10 hits and three earned runs, but are 0-2 combined. Under most circumstances, a total ERA of 2.07 would be enough to win at least one game. 

Instead, the Tigers are staring at a history that now officially seems impossible: No team has ever overcome an 0-3 deficit to win the World Series. To make matters worse, no team has even won a game down 0-3 since the 1970 Cincinnati Reds. The only other team in history to do so was the 1937 Giants. The New York Giants.

So when it comes time to ask, “what went wrong,” there will be plenty of goats to choose from for Detroit. But there is no way you can point the finger at the starting pitching. Even as Verlander was getting hit in Game 1, the offense did not break through until the sixth inning, two innings after Verlander exited.

This three-game deficit is clearly about the punchless lineup Detroit has had. I targeted a trio of players that would be key to Game 3: Andy Dirks, Prince Fielder and Sanchez. Only the starting pitcher held up his end. Fielder, who is now 1-for-10 in the series (including 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position), continued to fail in big spots behind Miguel Cabrera. 

Dirks was 0-for-3 with a walk, but was largely part and parcel of the whole for Detroit’s inability to score. Too much red ink at the plate has the San Francisco Giants on the verge of ecstasy and the Tigers agonizing over another World Series meltdown offensively. In 2006, the Tigers hit .199 in the World Series. This year, they are hitting .165 overall.

Give some credit to the Giants and their tremendous pitching. But Detroit has had chances and had their big guns up. And like that Cabrera pop-up, they have often been meek and underwhelming in big spots. Now, it looks as if the Tigers’ arms will have to be perfect, or they’ll watch San Francisco celebrate a championship at their expense. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After watching the San Francisco Giants do a little bit of everything and a lot well to take a 2-0 series lead, the Detroit Tigers take solace in returning to their home field. Though history suggests a comeback is not in the offing, the club remains confident. 

To win the vital Game 3 though, Detroit has to improve in a few vital areas. First and foremost, they aren’t hitting. Give the Giants credit, they have played brilliantly at times. But the vital organs of their potentially explosive offense have not been functioning. Hitting just .167 in the series so far, Detroit must start producing at the plate or the Major League Baseball season could be done before the weekend ends. 

But in all fairness, the problems have not just been limited to the Tigers’ woes at the plate. With an ERA of 5.63 thus far, the pitching hasn’t been playoff-caliber either. And for once, the blame can’t all be heaped on Jose Valverde. So here are my three key players that have to deliver for the Tigers to get back into this series.

Begin Slideshow

According to a report from MLBTradeRumors.com and breaking news from AzCentral.com, the Oakland A’s have acquired Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Chris Young and cash in a trade that sends Cliff Pennington and disgruntled closer Heath Bell to Arizona by way of the Miami Marlins. 

Young posted a disappointing slash line of .231/.311/.434 in 101 games in 2012 for Arizona. The 2010 All-Star was slowed by a shoulder injury he sustained slamming into the left field wall at Chase Field. The injury ruined a hot start that saw him hit five home runs and register a 1.397 OPS in the first 11 games. On the year, Young wound up with 14 home runs and 41 RBI.

The trade brings Pennington’s five-year career with Oakland to an end. A career .249 hitter, Pennington struggled for much of 2012, hitting a career-low .215 with six home runs and 28 RBI. His versatility came in handy after Oakland acquired Stephen Drew from Arizona as he moved from shortstop to second base. 

Bell, who grew disenchanted with his role in Miami, likely will get another chance to close in Arizona. The former All-Star struggled in his only year with the Marlins, posting a 5.09 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 73 appearances. In return, the Marlins will receive A’s infield prospect Yordy Cabrera, who was initially dealt to Arizona in the Young trade.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This looks, well it looks far too easy. Justin Verlander was dominant again this postseason, going the 8 1/3 innings of three hit ball for his third victory in these playoffs, as the Detroit Tigers defeated the New York Yankees 2-1.

With the win, the Tigers moved to within one game of a stunning sweep and their second World Series berth since 2006.

Delmon Young’s second solo-blast of the series, making it 1-0 off Phil Hughes in the fourth inning, gave Verlander all he would need for eight innings. 

Hughes would depart shortly thereafter with a back injury. And while the Yankee bullpen was solid the rest of the night (5 IP, 4 hits, 2 walks, one unearned run), it ultimately did not matter because Verlander stymied New York’s offense.

As a matter of fact, the only hitter to reach base until the ninth inning was Ichiro Suzuki, who went 2 for 3 with a pair of harmless singles.  Eduardo Nunez hit a solo home-run to left field in the top of the ninth to cut the deficit to one.

Verlander only struck out three, but in many ways was more dominant against a more balanced Yankees lineup than the one he overpowered in Oakland six nights ago. Mixing his fastball with a change-up all night, the Yankee hitters simply could not square up the ball for the first eight innings. 

The insurance for Detroit came by way of MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera, whose double in the fifth plated Quintin Berry.

Berry reached to start the inning on an error by third baseman Eric Chavez, who was playing for the benched Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Nick Swisher were benched by New York manager Joe Girardi in an obvious move to get some production out of those spots in the order.

It obviously did not work.

Having extended Detroit’s starting pitchers scoreless innings streak to an incredible 30 1/3 innings before letting up a home-run to Nunez, Verlander managed to retire Brett Gardner on a tapper back towards the mound to get out number one. 

Detroit manager Jim Leyland then removed him after his 132nd and final pitch.  Phil Coke then retired Suzuki and gave up a pair of singles to Mark Teixiera and Robinson Cano (snapping his 0 for 29 slump in the postseason).

But with the tying run in scoring position, Coke bounced back and struck out Raul Ibanez on a 3-2 slider to end the game.

Ho-hum.

With the win, Detroit is in position to sweep its way into the World Series for the second time in seven years.To do so, they will have to beat Yankees ace CC Sabathia.

The Tigers will counter with Max Scherzer as they attempt to win the American League pennant.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On the heels of an emotional, gutty come-from-behind Game 5 victory over the Washington Nationals, the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals find themselves back in the National League Championship Series.

Waiting for them are the 2010 World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants. On paper, this appears to be a pretty even matchup, with both teams filled with players from their respective title teams. The regular-season bore that out as the teams split their six games with three wins apiece. 

Ultimately though, I have pinpointed five keys to this series for St. Louis to repeat as National League champions and defend its title in the Fall Classic. Here they are, starting with No. 5.

Begin Slideshow

The bottom line of Game One in Detroit: Justin Verlander continued his dominance of the A’s offense.

The Tigers won 3-1, largely on Verlander’s powerful right arm. But in a series that could very well be a matter of Oakland needing to win the three games he doesn’t start, there was a positive to take away—the poise of rookie starter Jarrod Parker.

The overall line won’t blow you away: 6 1/3 innings, seven hits, three runs (two earned) with a walk and five strikeouts. But it was not the numbers as much as how well Parker managed to limit Detroit that gives Oakland hope for tomorrow’s matinee.

Early on, the Tigers had a chance at a big inning. First and third with no one out and the Triple Crown winning Miguel Cabrera at the plate. Yet Parker promptly induced a double play to limit the damage. Though he rarely had a clean inning (only going 1-2-3 in the second and sixth innings), Parker made high quality pitches time and time again. 

And with a big assist from the inspirational Pat Neshek, the A’s very nearly kept themselves in the game long enough. In the bottom of the eighth, Brandon Moss hit a moonshot that off his bat seemed like it may have tied the game. Instead, the ball died at the base of the right field wall and the A’s best chance was gone.

So give credit where credit is due. The Tigers held their home field, powered by their ace, a potential back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. And yet, the A’s where close to tying the game late.

Now the onus shifts to Tom Milone, who has not performed well on the road this season. His last start in Detroit was a poor outing, taking the loss while allowing three runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

For the A’s, the hope is that Milone can look more like the guy who kept Texas at bay in his last road start (September 25th). Better yet, the pitcher who beat Detroit on May 11th, going seven strong innings.

It’s the biggest start of the year, but today’s effort showed it won’t be about the A’s youth as much as their ability to simply execute. 

Tomorrow is another gut check for the Oakland A’s. Something tells me they will respond once again.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When people mention the name of Oakland A’s general manager, Billy Beane, many adjectives follow: Overrated, brilliant, shrewd and ring-less are a few. And while there are those who may never give Beane the credit he deserves for having built a solid small-market playoff contender during the 2000s, the job he has done in 2012 simply cannot be overstated.

Understand, the A’s were simply supposed to be a bad rebuilding team working towards a new stadium in Oakland or elsewhere. It was expected that their nucleus would not be solidified until at least 2014, and this was supposed to be the year when the bottom finally fell out completely to allow the A’s to reload through the MLB Draft like the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays.

Instead, the Oakland A’s sit on top of the American League Wild Card and a mere four games from the top of the AL West standings. Much has been made of this story, but considering that Beane made moves that all seemed to shake in Oakland’s favor, it is high time he is given the credit due for turning this team into a mostly unlikely playoff contender.

The moves Beane made have turned a middling franchise into the talk of baseball. And here are his best of 2012 and why he should be Executive of the Year.

Begin Slideshow

Do not be fooled by the logjam in the American League Wild Card standings.

Although there are five teams within 2.5 games of each other for that Wild Card play in game, in reality this is about three teams: the Detroit Tigers, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Tampa Bay Rays.

That is all you see on the sports networks; that is all you hear on the radio. 

Except there are still 38 games to play for the surprising Oakland A’s, who have managed to win in ways that would surprise even the most faithful fan, still just 0.5 games out of those standings. Like the other surprise team in this picture (Baltimore), the A’s face a daunting September schedule that looms as a potential derailment on the playoff train.

That said, the A’s fortunes will largely hinge on how much of a cushion they can give themselves as they embark on the next 16 games of their season.

Starting tonight against the Kansas City Royals, the A’s play four teams with a combined record of 30 games under .500 in 2012. Even though 10 of the 16 are away from the Coliseum, the A’s will have to win in double figures to position themselves for the playoffs.

Let’s start with the Royals.

At 49-65, it has been another long year for Kansas City. Some of their young talent in the field has not lived up to the hype (namely Eric Hosmer). But despite their record, they have played the A’s tough, splitting six games so far this year. With Jarrod Parker’s elongated rest between starts, Brandon McCarthy and Dan Straily pitching, the A’s have to get at least two in this series.

From Kansas City, Oakland comes home to face the slumping Cleveland Indians.

A surprise team earlier in the year, the Indians have faded quickly. Posting a record of 10-21 since the All-Star break, Cleveland has been relegated to playing out the string in 2012. The A’s play the Indians seven times between Aug. 17 and Aug. 30. The aim should be to win five games against a team that has sunk down the stretch.

The A’s host the Minnesota Twins from Aug. 20 to Aug. 22 in Oakland.

In many ways, the Twins were the team that jump started Oakland into postseason contention, as the A’s swept them at Target Field to begin the second half of 2012. That series was in stark contrast to the three-game sweep Minnesota gave the A’s during their nine game losing streak in late May.

The one constant between the two teams has been that Josh Willingham has bashed the A’s. So far, Willingham has hit five home runs in six games against his former team. Keeping him (somewhat) in check and getting to Minnesota’s weak starting rotation will be key. Two out of three games here should be a minimum, with a sweep being the ultimate aim.

Finally, the A’s will travel to St. Petersburg from Aug. 23 to Aug. 25 in a big three-game series against current Wild Card leader Tampa Bay.

The Rays took two of three from the A’s in Oakland as its starting pitching allowed a measly five runs in three games. The series is even at three games apiece, but Oakland will need to play well at Tropicana Field as that set sandwiches series between Cleveland and Minnesota. 

Ultimately, I feel the A’s will have to win 89 games to qualify for the postseason. I project that based on the number of teams still playing, the schedules of the other contenders and, ultimately, the schedule that awaits Oakland.

With that said, to have a reasonable chance to get to that figure, the A’s will have to win 11 of the next 16 games, thus putting their record at 72-58 going towards September.

While the team does have the benefit of playing every other contender, Oakland’s schedule is fourth toughest (.507 opponents win percentage), and they play 27 of the final 48 games on the road.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Ryan Cook allowed a ninth-inning game-tying home run for the second straight game. Toronto scored twice in the 11th inning to stun the Oakland A’s 3-1 Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum.

David Cooper blasted Cook’s 1-1 fastball to right center field to tie the game at one. The A’s had a chance to win in the 10th inning, but Josh Reddick struck out looking with the bases loaded. 

Oakland got a great performance from their bullpen until the ninth inning, as starter A.J. Griffin left after just 1.2 innings with tightness in his right shoulder.

Jordan Norberto was fantastic, going 3.2 shutout innings. The A’s scored their only run in the second inning after a Brandon Inge walk and wild pitch. Derek Norris hit an opposite-field slicing double to right field to make it 1-0.

With great relief from Norberto, Pat Neshek and Grant Balfour, it appeared the one run would hold up. But Cook could not hold the lead, blowing his seventh save in 18 chances.

Jerry Blevins took the tough loss, giving up two runs in the top of the 11th inning.

The A’s appeared to have a chance to escape damage, as Blevins struck out Jeff Mathis swinging with runners on first and second.

However, the throw by George Kottaras to third base was wild, allowing the running Edwin Encarnacion to score. On the next pitch, Moises Sierra doubled to left field, plating the final run of the game.

The loss drops the A’s to 58-49 and Oakland will try to win the series Sunday afternoon. Tom Milone looks for his 10th win and to bounce back from a rough start last weekend against the Blue Jays.

He will be opposed by fellow southpaw Aaron Laffey.

First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It was if they were waiting for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to sound last call before winning. Either way, the Oakland A’s won their second 15-inning game this week, using a Coco Crisp sacrifice fly to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 at the Coliseum. The win moved the A’s to 58-48, a game-and-a-half ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the first AL Wild Card.

The game went on for so long that many had long since forgot about the solid debut of super prospect Dan Straily, who went six innings allowing only one run on five hits and striking out five. The A’s used single runs in the second through fifth innings to give Straily a 4-1 lead. That score would remain the same through the seventh and eighth thanks to a fantastic appearance by Grant Balfour, who struck out three in two perfect innings.

But Ryan Cook could not hold the lead in the ninth. After two quick strikeouts, Cook allowed singles to David Cooper and Rajai Davis. Against Jeff Mathis, Cook jumped to an 0-2 count before throwing a tailing fastball that Mathis hit just over the jagged wall in left center field to tie the score at four. Cook did finish the ninth without allowing any more runs, but the damage had been done. 

From the 10th inning on, both teams had opportunities to score. In the bottom of the 10th, Oakland loaded the bases with one out, but Josh Reddick struck out looking on an inside curveball and Brandon Moss grounded out to end the threat.

Toronto’s best chance to score was in the 12th. After a one out single by Omar Vizquel, Colby Rasmus hit an opposite-field double into the left field corner. Moss appeared to have a little trouble with it, but threw a bullet that Brandon Inge relayed to home plate gunning down Vizquel at the plate. 

In the top of the 15th, the Blue Jays put runners on first and second with two outs. Yan Gomes hit a ball that looked like an infield single at worst, but Eric Sogard made a great ranging play to snare the ball and then force out Edwin Encarnacion at third, setting the stage for Crisp’s heroics.

Each team will have to bounce back quickly as Saturday afternoon’s game has a 1:05 p.m. local start. The A’s will send A.J. Griffin to the mound to face Toronto’s Ricky Romero. 

Notes: Brandon Inge extended his career-high hitting streak to 13 games with an RBI single in the second inning. Yoenis Cespedes left the game after the top of the eighth inning with a sprained right wrist. Newly acquired reliever Pat Neshek made his Oakland debut, going 1.1 scoreless innings and striking out three. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com