by ldh2013 » Tue Jun 21, 2016 8:08 am
DETROIT – The American League Championship Series shifts to Comerica Park for Game 3, a matinee, 4pm et/1pm pt start. . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. “Well, I think its pretty simple,” said Leyland. “We let one get away. Theres no secret to that. I think the way you have to look at it in my opinion is we probably should be 1-1 and thats what we are. Theyre probably scratching their head trying to figure out how they didnt win the first game and were scratching our head saying how we let one get away (Sunday) night.” It would be premature to suggest Tuesdays is the pivotal game of the series. One team will go up 2-1 and it will be incumbent upon Tuesdays loser to bounce back on Wednesday evening. Game 3 Preview PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RHP John Lackey (Regular season: 10-13, 3.52, 1.157 WHIP; Playoffs: 1-0, 6.75, 1.875 WHIP in 5.1IP) 2013 vs. Detroit: 0-1, 3.14, 1.116 WHIP, no home runs allowed in 14 1/3 innings pitched. Toughest matchup: DH Victor Martinez and SS Jhonny Peralta hit Lackey well but neither has shown any power against him. Martinez: 11-29, .379/.471/.414, 1 2B, 4 BB. Peralta: 11-31, .355/.364/.387, 1 2B, 4 RBI. Torii Hunter has two career home runs off Lester, Miguel Cabrera and Ramon Santiago has one each. Interesting note: Lackeys last playoff win, prior to his Game 2 victory over Tampa Bay in the ALDS, came as a member of the Angels, against the Red Sox, in the 2009 ALDS. Lackeys Angels swept that series, 3-0. --- Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (Regular season: 13-12, 3.46, 1.315 WHIP; Playoffs: 1-0, 0.0, 0.553 WHIP in 15IP) Did not face Boston in 2013. Toughest matchup: Verlander is typically overpowering but David Ortiz has hit him hard over the years. Ortiz: 10-27, .370/.433/.741, 2 HR, 4 2B, 4 RBI. Mike Napoli: 7-23, .304/.429/.435, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 BB. Verlander wasnt at Fenway Park for his teams late meltdown in Game 2. Hed already flown back to Detroit in anticipation of getting good rest prior to Tuesdays start. It was a good thing he did; the Tigers didnt arrive home until 5am et Monday morning. Verlander on the Game 2 loss: “In my opinion these are the two best teams in the American League. Weve made it to this point. When we play each other during the regular season it was a dogfight. At this point in the season nobody is going to give in. Nobody is going to give an inch, even down 5-1. Those guys battled. It was a heck of a ballgame. Obviously it sucks to let it slip away. This is baseball, youve got to reset and come ready to play the next game.” Red Sox manager John Farrell on momentum, whether it exists in baseball and if it does, whether his team has it following its late win on Sunday night: “You know, I think we certainly gained some confidence in the last couple of innings (Sunday) night, particularly how the first 14 or 15 innings of this series has gone. Much like we talked about coming into yesterdays game and putting Game 1 behind us, in my mind and in our clubhouse, Game 2 is behind us as well. Its been the beauty of this team all year long is to focus on tonights or todays game, and almost be a little bit singular in mind and not be living in the past by any means.” LINEUP CONSIDERATIONS: Andy Dirks will get the start for the Tigers in left field. Jhonny Peralta will play shortstop. Dirks, a left-handed hitter, is 2-5 in his career against Lackey, including a triple. Hes also taken a walk. Dirks is the third starting left fielder for the Tigers in as many games. Peralta (Game 1) and Don Kelly (Game 2) are the others. Mike Napoli will draw back into the starting lineup for the Red Sox, playing first base. GAME THREE PREDICTION: Whats that saying about momentum being the next days starting pitcher? Verlander continues to roll, the Tigers get to Lackey and take a 2-1 lead in the series, winning Tuesdays game 6-2. . -- Canadian mens rugby coach Kieran Crowley has made four changes to his starting roster for Saturdays Pacific Nations Cup clash against the United States. .It will be carried by 3,000 people during its 41-day journey to the Games, and astronaut Chris Hadfield has been named as the first honorary torchbearer.What a thrill, Hadfield told a cheering crowd that included Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Olympic athletes and officials from the Games organizing committee. . -- Canadian mens rugby coach Kieran Crowley has made four changes to his starting roster for Saturdays Pacific Nations Cup clash against the United States.SYDNEY, N.S. -- Anthony Mantha scored two goals and added two assists as the Vald-Or Foreurs crushed the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 7-3 on Sunday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play. Mantha, a prospect of the Detroit Red Wings, leads the QMJHL in scoring with 18 goals and 33 points in 12 contests. Anthony Richard also scored twice for the Foreurs (8-6-0) while Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a goal and two assists. Pierre-Maxime Poudrier and Louick Marcotte rounded out Val-dOrs offence. Clark Bishop scored two goals for the Screaming Eagles (6-6-2), who are winless in three games, and Timothe Simard had the other. Val-dOrs Francois Tremblay made 21 saves for the win as Cape Bretons Alex Bureau turned away 26 shots in defeat. The Foreurs went 1 for 3 on the power play while the Screaming Eagles scored once on four chances with the man advantage. --- TITAN 5 REMPARTS 4 (OT) QUEBEC CITY -- Alex Pisarik scored the shootout winner as Acadie-Bathurst held on to defeat the Remparts. Raphael Lafontaine, Christophe Boivin, Joel Blanchard and Adam Chapman put the Titan (6-7-2) ahead 4-0 before Quebec City battled back to force overtime. Brent Turnbull scored twice for the Remparts (6-5-4), who had their five-game win streak snapped, while Anthony Duclair and Jason Houde had a goal apiece. Acadie-Bathursts Jacob Brennan only had to make two saves to record the victory after replacing starter Mason McDonald, who stopped 23-of-27 shots. Quebecs Francois Brassard made 36 saves in defeat. --- SAGUENEENS 2 SEA DOGS 1 SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- Jeremy Bouchard scored the eventual winner at 14:15 of the second period as Chicoutimi edged the Sea Dogs. Laurent Dauphin also scored for the Sagueneens (8-8-0), who won for the first time in three outings. Spencer Smallman scored the lone goal for Saint John (5-8-1), which is winless in five contests. Julio Billia made 33 saves for Chicoutimi while Sebastien Auger turned away 31 shots in net for the Sea Dogs. --- WILDCATS 3 HUSKIES 2 MONCTON, N.B. -- Alex Dubeau stopped 36 shots as the Wildcats slipped past Rouyn-Noranda. Will Smith scored the eventual winner shorthanded for Moncton (7-9-0) and Conor Garland and Christophe Lalonde had the others. Mathieu Lemay and Jean-Sebastien Dea supplied the scoring for the Huskies (7-5-2). . Rouyn-Norandas Carl Hozjan made 18 saves in a losing cause. --- ARMADA 2 OCEANIC 1 BOISBRIAND, Que. -- The Armada took advantage of special teams, scoring twice on the power play, to defeat Rimouski. Antoine Dufort-Plante and Nikita Jevpalovs scored for Blainville-Boisbriand (11-1-1), which went 2 for 4 with the man advantage. Nicolas Hebert scored for Rimouski (8-5-2), which led after 20 minutes of play. Etienne Marcoux made 28 saves for the Armada while Philippe Desrosiers stopped 27 shots for the Oceanic. --- OLYMPIQUES 5 VOLTIGEURS 4 (SO) GATINEAU, Que. -- Vincent Dunn scored once in regulation, then added the shootout winner, as the Olympiques beat Drummondville. Martin Reway, Jonathan Bourcier and Mickael Beauregard also scored for Gatineau (10-5-0) while Emile Poirier had two assists. Jerome Verrier led the Voltigeurs (7-6-1) with two goals and Christophe Lalancette scored once and set up two more, including Matthew Boudens goal. Robert Steeves made 24 saves for the Olympiques. Joe Fleschler stopped 19 shots for Drummondville. --- DRAKKAR 5 CATARACTES 1 SHAWINIGAN, Que. -- Alexandre Ranger and Denis Gorbunov each scored twice as Baie-Comeau cruised past the Cataractes. Felix Girard also scored for the Drakkar (10-4-2) while Valentin Zykov tacked on three assists. Shawingan (1-10-2) got its lone goal from Dylan Labbe. Philippe Cadorette made 25 saves for Baie-Comeau as Cataractes netminder Marvin Cupper allowed five goals on 32 shots in defeat. --- PHOENIX 8 TIGRES 6 VICTORIAVILLE, Que. -- Daniele Audette had two goals and three assists and Dominic Talbot-Tassi scored twice and had four points as Sherbrooke toppled the Tigres. Alexandre Sills, Tim Wieser, Jean-Francois Plante and Jeremy Roy also scored for the Phoenix (4-9-2) and Carl Neill chipped in with two assists. Philippe Hudon scored twice for Victoriaville (8-5-1), Angelo Micelli had a goal and two assists, while Nick Marois, Alex Filatrault and Ross Johnston added the others. Sherbrookes Francis Desrosiers made 27 saves for the win as Brandon Whitney stopped 26-of-33 shots in a losing cause. ' ' '
