Through three games, the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers have combined to score 13 runs – not exactly the offensive juggernauts we expected, especially considering 11 of those runs were scored in one game.
That’s not to say we didn’t expect elite pitching from both squads, but that’s what we’ve seen as the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers again engaged in quite the pitchers duel come Game 3.
For Boston, starter John Lackey was marvelous as he tossed 6.2 innings of shutout ball. The same could be said for Detroit’s Justin Verlander who nearly matched him pitch-for-pitch, throwing eight innings of four hit ball himself. Both starters looked completely unaffected by a second inning delay which was caused due to a power outage from a substation across the street, resulting in a seventeen minute break in action. Lackey could be seen clearly upset in the Red Sox dugout over the delay, mouthing obscenities but he returned to the mound as if he never left.
As for Verlander, he too looked as spectacular as he has all postseason, striking out ten though it was a seventh inning mistake that finally broke the 0-0 tie as the powerful Mike Napoli yanked a Verlander pitch over the left center field wall, giving Boston a 1-0 lead.
Detroit did eventually chase Lackey from the game, much to the disappointment of the pitcher who could be seen mouthing ‘c’mon, man’ (among other choice words) to Red Sox manager John Farrell who removed him in the seventh inning with a runner on first. Craig Breslow, who took over for Lackey promptly walked the first batter he faced before getting Omar Infante to ground out, ending the threat.
That’s where the score would remain until the bottom of the ninth where the Tigers, grasping for life, lead off the inning with a single. But just moments later, Jhonny Peralta hit a double play, ending the rally, allowing Koji Uehara to finish off the high pressure save just one batter later.
The Red Sox will attempt to stretch their series lead to 3-1 Wednesday evening while the Tigers will do their best to keep it tied up at 2-2.