ALCS Game 5 - Tigers Turn The Tide

Justin Verlander waves as he leaves game 5

This 2011 ALCS is the most exciting series I have ever been truly emotionally invested in.

Every game has been right to the wire – regardless of the final score.

Every game has tested every facet of each component of both teams.

And as this ALCS series between the Tigers and the Texas Rangers sits 2-3 in favor of the lone star men, I think it interesting that Justin Verlander pitches a good game, but there were other heros that changed the momentum of the series back to the favor of the Tigers.

Yep.

So far, the two biggest key points that have allowed Texas to squeak out one win more than the Detroiters has been one extra hit and a bit more depth in the bullpen.

Unfortunately that one extra bat of Texas has only recently been countered by Alex Avila – at when Alex hit a two run shot in Game 5 last night.

But not by Austin Jackson who just seems overwhelmed by the whole experience.

Jackson has just had a horrible series to date – with two errors that were costly fumbles on what seemed to be very makeable plays – standard fare for a major league centerfielder and surely for a player like Jackson who stunned us over and over again this season with over the shoulder basket catches at the wall time and time again.

As for Alex Avila, who continues to catch with excellence and throwing darts to second base to catch almost all runners – Alex is just plain wore out. Alex caught 141 regular season games this year, and the all star game, as well as a brutally tough ALDS series with the Yankees.

There was no break for Avila. He has been our iron horse.

Avila is spent and battered and bruised, like no other player on the squad.

Clearly the public perception is that Saturday night’s game 6 back in Arlington will be no more than a formality to usher the Rangers into the World Series at home.

But I have this feeling.

I have this feeling that during the course of the Tigers win in Game five, that the tides of momentum switched to our favor.

A natural cycle in the same inning – the sixth inning – the score then tied 2-2. The single by Raburn. The Double by Cabrera. The triple by Martinez. And the home run by Delmon Young.

Young raked two dingers for the night despite suffering an injury to his right oblique.

Cabrera’s shot hit third base on the second bounce to skip ever so prettily over Texas three bagger Adrian Beltre and gingerly rolling around in the left field corner. Beltre had shown up Cabrera in Game four by moonwalking his way backwards to third base for force on Cabrera as Miguel stood there stunned watching the idiocy.

And Martinez’s triple down the right field line was just as beautiful seeing the Texan right fielder Nelson Cruz – who had been knighted “Tiger Killer” in the ALCS so far - dive only to miss the ball which disappeared in the right field corner.

Each hit in the cycle was as meaningful as it was memorable.

Meaningful as life filled what was looking to be a dead dugout.

Meanwhile Texas looked … surprised … and worried.

So Tigers winning game six – Max Scherzer starting for the Tigers – winning is not unreasonable. Certainly it’s feasible.

It’s do or die and the rest of the baseball world has counted the Tigers out. So there is no pressure on the Tigers. Instead the pressure is now on Texas, who needs that one final win to seal this deal. The last win can be the hardest. And Texas knows that if they let this series get to a game seven – all bets are off.

Fister would then be on the mound for Detroit.

Texas would then press. Press at the plate. Press on the mound. Press in the field.

And the mere fact that Texas feels that pressure will indeed relax the Tigers.

Anything can still happen. This series is far from over. This series is not a done deal. Do not stick a fork in the Tigers, they aren’t done yet.

As I watched that third base shot hit by Miguel Cabrera bounce over the head of Beltre and into the left field corner, I felt reassured – like a signal that the storm beating down on the Tigers in this ALCS was now over.

I heard a voice in my head say “It will be alright”.

And you know what? I believe it.

ALCS Game 1 - Up To The Eye Of The Beholder

It is the best of times, and the worst of times.

Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, it’s really only the best of times for Detroit Tiger fans this postseason.

But these close postseason games are killer on the emotional psyche.  We’re not even halfway through this run to winning the World Series and this fan is emotionally drained.

It’s easy to think that everyone is against us.

The weather.

The umpires.

The national media.

But it’s not really the case.

Weather does what weather does – seemingly following the Tigers from stadium to park to stadium.

Umpires simply do what umpires do. Their human eyes make mistakes.

And the National Media has been pretty kind to the Detroiters – despite the fact it’s a no-brainer that Fox television ratings would be higher if the Yankees were still in the postseason.

That’s why suddenly you see Terry Francona in the Fox Sports broadcaster’s box next to Joe Buck.

But the cards are not falling in perfect position for the Tiger’s “perfect storm” scenario this year.

Rain totally messed up the rotation of the ALDS with New York, cancelling out Verlander’s first appearance and leaving the weight of the series on Scherzer and Fister who both tackled the daunting challenge by holding off the Bronx Bombers with nail biting victories.

Home plate umpire Tim Welke seemingly having some yet undiagnosed issue with his right eye’s ability to judge a ball against the right side border of the strike zone – which seemingly cleared up between innings when the J.C. Wilson took the mound and pounded the same spot against Tiger batters. It kept coming back though as the Tigers took the field.

Perhaps it’s payback of some sort.

But that’s not really the case. I’m sure Welke was convinced at the time he made all those bad calls that they were pin point accurate.

But when Fox Sports broadcaster Joe Buck makes a point over and over again to point out that the little graphic of squares they show in the bottom corner of the screen charting where the pitch was in relation to the strike zone is only a best approximation – even though it uses the same technology of trianglulation from three different points to determine where the ball crosses the front of the plate exactly as is used in tennis to determine where the the ball lands on the base line down to the most minute speck of fibre spinning off the felted cover.

It would have been interesting to have heard Bud Selig’s call to the director of Major League Baseball’s broadcasting team.

“Uhh … you know that little pitch-tracker square you guys show on TV?”

“Yeah, it’s accurate to within a millimeter – amazing eh?”

“Yeah, right – shut that thing off”

“We paid a lot of money for that thinga-ma-jiggy, Bud!” would say the director. “We got advertisers tag lines and everything for it – it makes us big money”

“Well, the umpires are complaining it’s showing them up”

“Oh yeah? Well we have contractual commitments to use it”.

“Okay – then just say it’s unreliable”.

“Like a human is actually pointing to where the ball lands?”

“Yeah, like that – say it’s just an approximation”

“Like an umpires vision?”

“Yeah, like that”.

“Okay, you’re the boss, Bud. You got it”.

And the email was then sent to all broadcasters.

Did you notice how I digressed? I think I am suffering some post traumatic stress disorder after that amazing Game 5 of the ALDS. My right eyelid won’t stop twitching.

Add to this the offensive lack of confidence flaring out of control in both catcher Alex Avila’s and center fielder Austin Jackson. Avila is still catching a great game behind the plate. But Jackson’s now dropping easy catches in centerfield. Both are in need a good Dr. Phil session in the clubhouse to talk about their feelings and get their head straight at the plate. Both are great players who were huge parts of the Tigers getting to the post season. And both need to get it back into their heads that they are still great.

And it goes without saying this Tigers batting order only lines up well with Delmon Young in the two hole of the order.

The Tigers are limping a bit now. And down 0-1 to Texas after losing THE game that they were supposed to win on the road with Verlander pitching.

But for some reason I still feel good about our chances. I know we have at least four more games to be played. At least two in Detroit at Comerica.

It is indeed the best of times for Tigers fans. But the thought of the heartbreak to be felt should we not get to the World Series seems to cancel out all the enjoyment. The frustration of the bad breaks.

But I for one have to take a deep breath – and not wish this experience away.

We have to savor every moment of this great post season.

Because really, it just doesn’t get any better than this.