Detroit Tigers 2012 regular season – MLB Review – Part 5
After taking an embarrassing 2-5 loss against the Chicago White Sox in the series opener, the Detroit Tigers were looking to put things back on track in Game 2. However, they were not as determined as the White Sox, who used their home conditions absolutely
brilliantly to claim an impassable 2-0 series lead.
Game 2 that was played at U.S. Cellular Field in Illinois, Chicago was played on a very competitive note as both teams fought for supremacy. The White Sox’s pitching rotation executed their game plan to perfection to create all sorts of problems for the
Tigers’ batting line-up.
White Sox’s starting pitcher Gavin Floyd produced a magical performance as he allowed just three hits in six solid innings. Striking-out batters at regular intervals, he did not let the Tigers settle down. Relief pitchers Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton also
made valuable contributions as Chicago restricted the Tigers to just one run.
"I thought he did a good job of taking advantage of our aggressiveness," Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland said of Floyd. "He got a lot of swings on balls, on bad pitches. It was a pretty good game plan on their part. We're an aggressive team and he took advantage
of that."
Floyd’s counterpart from Detroit, Adam Wilk also had a decent time on the mound as he gave up three hits and two runs in five sharp innings. However, the night belonged to the White Sox who secured a 5-1 run victory to wrap up an impressive series victory
against their American League Central Division rivals.
Tigers’ Manager Jim Leyland wanted his men to show their fighting skills in Game 3 to avoid a humiliating series sweep and that is exactly what the Tigers did in the finale, securing a comfortable 5-2 win to improve their record to 6-3.
Rick Porcello showed the stuff he is capable of as he gave up just five hits and one run in 7.2 innings. Relief pitchers Joaquin Benoit and closer Jose Valverde also displayed some top quality throwing skills as the Tigers successfully held off their opponents
to avoid a series sweep.
"I was keeping the ball down well and got a lot of groundballs and choppers," Porcello said. "Gerald called a good game back there. We were able to keep them off balance and it was a good win for us."
For the White Sox, starter Chris Sale allowed five hits and three runs in five innings. Gerald Laird homered to left in the third inning to break the deadlock and put Tigers on the board. Jhonny Peralta, Prince Fielder and Ramon Santiago made valuable contributions
to help the Tigers post a decent total.
The Tigers depth was showing their true strength as the team understands the importance of having top players to use in crunch situations.
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