Sports

Update: Tigers Win 2nd Game of 'Colossal,' 'Massive' Series

September 20, 2014, 4:41 PM

Update, 4:37 p.m.: The Tigers won by 3-2 in Kansas City. Joe Nathan came in to close the ninth inning, which got tense as the Royals loaded two bases before the final out on a ground ball.

Detroit now leads the Royals by 2.5 games in the American League Central Division with eight games left in the regular season.

"The win was a big one," longtime beat writer Tom Gage says in his opening line at The Detroit News.

Max Scherzer (17-5) was the winning pitcher. Joe Nathan earned his 33rd save, again in dramatic fashion.

Sunday's last game against the Royals starts at 2:10 p.m. on Fox. 


Original article, Saturday morning:

The nationally televised games Saturday and Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, which come before the regular season's final week, are this important:

"Detroit guarantees themselves a share of the AL Central if they can manage just one more win against the team they've managed to beat 12 times this year," Nick Bond posts today at the SB Nation blog.

At Sports Illustrated's site, Albert Chen frames the games as "a colossal series." Max DeMara of Sports Media 101 calls it "a massive series."

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Today's game has "the best pitching matchup of the series, Max Scherzer vs. James Shields," Chen writes. On Sunday afternoon, Rick Porcello faces Jeremy Guthrie. "The Royals still have a chance to win the AL Central. But time is quickly running out," adds the SI.com writer.

"To control their own destiny the Royals need to win on Saturday and Sunday," columnist Lee Judge writes in The Kansas City Star. "If they don’t, they’ll have to depend on other teams — the White Sox and Twins — to beat the Tigers, while the Royals will need to take care of business against the Indians and White Sox."

Other sportswriters have this to say about the rest of a series that began with a 10-1 Tigers' win Friday:

• "The game to watch:" These next days could make or break Detroit's chances. . . . Game 2 is likely the game to watch in this series. [Kansas City] considers Saturday's matchup a must-win game. -- Derick Hutchinson, WDIV web producer

"Explosive offense:" The Detroit Tigers still have the most explosive offense in baseball. . . . On Friday the Tigers reminded us why, despite their obvious flaws, we should take them seriously as World Series contenders: They can rake. Detroit leads the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and is second to the Angels in runs scored. -- Albert Chen, SI.com

• "Experience counts:" It's not winner take all territory yet, but the winner could end up taking most, or at least positioning themselves best for the final week of the regular season. . . . Detroit's big final series against the Royals provides all [players] a chance to shine, and prove why experience still counts for something in baseball. -- Max DeMara of Sports Media 101

• "A huge weapon:" With Anibal Sanchez set to return just before the season ends, he could be a huge weapon for the Tigers if they end up in the playoffs.f. . . If the Tigers make the move of putting Sanchez [in the bullpen], it could possibly become the strength they need to win the World Series this season. -- Ryan Dunne, iSportsWeb

Here's what happens after Sunday for the Central Division leaders, as Hutchinson lays out at WDIV's site:

The Royals will complete a suspended game against the Indians on Sept. 22, and they trail by two runs in the 10th inning. If that score holds, the Tigers would remain tied with KC, even with a 2-1 series loss.

After the head-to-head series and the suspended game, the two teams will finish with schedules that look like this:

Detroit:
• 3 home games vs. Chicago White Sox
• 4 home games vs. Minnesota Twins

Kansas City:
• 3 road games vs. Cleveland Indians
• 4 road games vs. Chicago White Sox

-- Alan Stamm



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