Atlanta Braves (3) at Los Angeles Dodgers (4) – Dodgers win series 3-1
- Uribe couldn’t lay down a sac bunt during the at-bat which ended with his homer.
- Clayton Kershaw was a late decision to start over Ricky Nolasco on three days’ rest. He did the job – 6 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 R (both unearned) and 6 K.
- Atlanta’s Freddy Garcia kept his team in the game scattering eight hits and allowing two earned runs across six innings.
- Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig hit .500 and .471 respectively for the series.
- The Dodgers mashed 18 extra-base hits in the series.
- David Carpenter, the Braves’ eight inning setup man had a tough series – 2.2 IP, 4 ER & 2 HR allowed.
- Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez allowed 3 home runs in six innings yesterday – he had given up just nine homers through the entire regular season (182 IP).
- Seth Smith, who has great numbers against Sanchez, rocked a two-run homer giving the A’s a 6-3 lead and knocked the Tigers’ righty from the game.
- The Tigers have yet to homer in the series and own a .515 team OPS.
- Benches cleared in the bottom of the ninth as A’s closer Grant Balfour jawed with Tigers DH Victor Martinez, exchanging expletives about what each of them was staring at…
Athletics – Dan Straily (12-9, 3.94 ERA)
Tigers – Doug Fister (14-9, 3.67 ERA)
St. Louis Cardinals (2) at Pittsburgh Pirates (1) – Series tied 2-2
- Michael Wacha tossed 7.1 innings of one-run ball and flirted with a no-hitter. He struck out nine batters.
- Trevor Rosenthal earned the save, getting Andrew McCutchen to pop out as the Pirates outfielder represented the winning run with two out in the ninth.
- Wacha (22 years old), Rosenthal (22) and Carlos Martinez (23), the Cardinals pitchers in Game 4, are all rookies by definition.
- Pedro Alvarez hit his third home run of the series for the Pirates.
- The series shifts back to St. Louis where Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has a decision to make about his starting pitcher. Adam Wainwright will start for the Redbirds.
- Evan Longoria, who turned 28 Monday, launched a game-tying three-run home run off Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz in the bottom half of the fifth which energized the Rays.
- Fernando Rodney, making his first appearance in the series, blew the save opportunity in the ninth.
- Rays catcher Jose Lobaton took the virtually invincible Red Sox closer Koji Uehara deep for a two-out game-ending home run.
- Alex Cobb, who also celebrated his birthday yesterday (he’s 26), worked five innings allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out five.
- Jacoby Ellsbury is 8-for-14 with six runs scored and three stolen bases in the series.
- Tampa Bay is 4-0 in elimination games this season.
Red Sox – Jake Peavy (12-5, 4.17 ERA)
Rays – Jeremy Hellickson (12-10, 5.17 ERA)
Can the Tigers and Rays extend their series or will there be more champagne celebrations tonight?
Dodgers logo courtesy of sportslogos.net.