12/21/24
October 09, 2011
Rangers Win Rainy ALCS Opener: The Texas Rangers beat Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in a rain-interrupted opening game of the American League Championship Series. A Nelson Cruz homer provided the margin of victory. Rangers relievers held the Tigers scoreless over the final 4 1-3 innings.
Young's oblique is apparently worse than initially thought. Leyland played the extent of the injury as close to game time as possible as no question that Young being out of the lineup is going to hurt the Tigers.
I wonder if Leyland should have kept him on the roster just in case he'd be able to come back.
I suppose an argument can be made either way to keep him on the roster to make it look like he could play later or get somebody else on the roster that might be able to fill the whole as much as possible.
Whatever, it did not help last night.
posted by roberts at 10:18 AM on October 09, 2011
I take solace in the fact that this is how our series with the Yankees started...
posted by MeatSaber at 02:04 PM on October 09, 2011
Magglio is out for the postseason now, in addition to Young being gone for the series. With Austin Jackson being unable to hit a beach ball at the plate the Tiger's outfield looks ready to provide anemic production.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:00 PM on October 09, 2011
I went to the game last night and what I saw besides a lot of rain was a Rangers team that looks awfully tough with a bullpen that is nuclear. The Rangers addressed their biggest need before the trade deadline and that was their bullpen. It was on display last night. Nelson Cruz hitting a home run off of Verlander could be bad news for Detroit. Cruz has been in a big slump since coming back from his injury and he's the type of player when he gets hot can carry the Rangers. Add him to their many other weapons and I can't see them not beating Detroit especially with Detroit now being without Magglio Ordonez and Young.
posted by poytor at 09:40 PM on October 09, 2011
The Rangers bullpen is in beast mode right now. By the end of the ALDS, despair settled in on the Rays as they came up to bat against them. Evan Longoria looked like he'd never gotten a clutch hit in his life.
Having Delmon Young out the entire series is huge. I wonder if Leyland should have kept him on the roster just in case he'd be able to come back.
When did Fox dump its epic baseball music in favor of the football horns? The game started last night and I was hoping the Rangers would put a helmet on somebody.