Slip Slidin' Away

Nelson Cruz's long home run in the top of the 11th, which put the seal on their victory, wasn't the critical play he made in the game. That came in the bottom of the eights, when he caught Delmon Young's fly ball and the gunned the ball to the plate to nail, by ten feet, a charging Miguel Cabrera to end the inning and snuff out the Tigers' last scoring chance.

Third-base coach Gene Lamont isn't to be faulted for sending Cabrera, who is not exactly speedy, and even though Cruz has one of the best arms in baseball. Cabrera was on because Rangers' manager Ron Washington gave him a free pass with no one on base, a testament to Cabrera, but the Tigers had had so few scoring chances that Lamont certainly figured that the ball may go wide or that Cabrera, a bullish 270 pounds, could knock it out of catcher Mike Napoli's hands. Napoli held on, though, and the Tigers are one game away from their season ending.

It's a shame, because they got such a great start from Rick Porcello. He baffled Ranger hitters for four innings, and the Tigers had a 2-0 lead thanks to Cabrera's booming double off the wall. I felt good until Porcello ran out of magic in the fifth, allowing three runs and surrendering the lead. With the Rangers bullpen set up and rested, it didn't look good.

But then Brandon Inge came up in the seventh. Inge is the only player left from the 119-loss season in 2003, and had a nightmarish season, spending time in the minors after being an all-star two years ago. He had only three home runs all season, and hit .179. With an 0-2 count, he pounced on Alex Ogando's pitch and put it in the leftfield seats, tying the game. Certainly this was his biggest hit as a Tiger.

But the Tigers couldn't score in the eighth, and into extra innings it went. Joaquin Benoit, who has thrown a lot of innings, got through his two frames, and it was time for Jose Valverde, perfect in save situations but mysteriously ineffective in non-saving situations. He got through his first inning of work in eight pitches, but in the 11th he was greeted by a Josh Hamilton double. Then came Cruz's long home run, and the Tigers face the end of their season.

At least they go with their ace, Justin Verlander, who may have to be given a new nickname, the "Rainmaker." Twice this year he's had starts interrupted by rain, and there's rain in the forecast today (last night there was a 2:13 rain delay with Verlander safely in the dugout). It's one game at a time now, and we start with Verlander.