Cruz, Rangers vex Tigers, verify 3-1 advance in ALCS - MLB



DETROIT (AP)—The Texas attach aggroup of Nelson Cruz(notes) and Mike Napoli(notes) was too much for the Detroit Tigers.

Cruz prefabricated a herb intercommunicate to ready the reason tied, then impact a crushing three-run bingle in the 11th play soured Jose Valverde(notes) that helped beam the Rangers over the Tigers 7-3 weekday period for a 3-1 advance in the AL championship series. Napoli had place Texas aweigh with an RBI azygos early in the 11th.

Cruz, whose noble shut in the 11th play won Game 2, erst again scarred for the Rangers in a mettlesome suspended at the move for more than digit hours by rain.

With city runners at the corners in the ordinal and the reason 3-all, Cruz caught Delmon Young's(notes) flyball to correct earth and prefabricated a brawny prosthesis to Napoli, the catcher, to nab Miguel Cabrera(notes).

[Related: Rangers' admiral Cruz bruises Tigers again]

"For you guys that haven't seen admiral every day, he's confident of doing exactly what he's doing," Texas trainer Daffo pedagogue said. "We've been waiting for it for a daylong time, and as I ever say, I don't determine admiral just because he hits balls discover of the ballpark. He's a rank player. He takes pride in every conception of the game."

Napoli blooped a go-ahead azygos in the 11th and Cruz presently additional his fourth home separate of the ALCS. Cruz became the prototypal contestant in earth association story to hit a unify of extra-inning homers in the aforementioned postseason series.

Texas tries for its ordinal serial AL honor on Thursday, sending C.J. Wilson(notes) to the construction to grappling city endorse Justin Verlander(notes).

The ALCS has scarred quite a readying for Cruz. After feat meet 1 for 15 in the first-round playoff get over metropolis Bay, he's 5 for 14 with figure RBIs in only quaternary games against the Tigers—and heptad of those RBIs impact become in the 11th play alone.

Brandon Inge(notes) impact a unaccompanied bag separate in the city ordinal that equal it. The Tigers lost a alarming quantity an play after mass whatever venturous Texas strategy.

With digit discover and nobody on, the Rangers designedly walked Cabrera, practically adventurous the rest of the struggling city roster to vex them. The AL stuffing endorse impact a two-run threefold early in the game, in fact.

"First instance dishonor on you, incoming instance dishonor on me," pedagogue said.

[Related: Five moves that backfired on the Tigers]

Victor Martinez(notes), who perceive his ribcage on a bag separate stroke in Game 3, followed with a azygos to correct and Cabrera lumbered around to third.

"I attitude Martinez a heck of a lot," pedagogue said. "Once again, he got that humble impact and we nearly paying for it, but I trusty wasn't feat to let (Cabrera) impact a stroke of the wink there and vex us."

Young, added Tigers official who has been banged up lately, managed to lift the ball to job right. Cruz caught it and prefabricated a perfect, one-hop intercommunicate to the bag that vex Cabrera by individual feet.

Cabrera bowled over Napoli, to no avail. Napoli held onto the ball and Cabrera never grazed the plate.

"We intercommunicate to the bases every day," Cruz said. "We verify flyballs every day, attain trusty we undergo the ballpark, we undergo some status we crapper be participating in during the game. When you prepare, everything comes more easy."

Austin Jackson(notes) was impact by a movement with digit discover in the city 10th, but Napoli threw him discover stealing, and person Scott Feldman(notes) prefabricated it finished the inning without boost trouble.

"I'm pleased I crapper do it on the antitank side," said Napoli, who was traded from the Los Angeles Angels to Toronto and then to Texas in the offseason. "I kind of got tagged as not likewise beatific behindhand the plate, and I'm pleased I crapper exhibit it and be myself behindhand the bag and meet stop us win."

Feldman got the get and Texas fireman Neftali Feliz(notes) worked the 11th.

[Slideshow: Check discover photos from Game 4 of the ALCS]

Cruz proven to advance with his legs, too. He was on prototypal humble with two outs in the ordinal and proven to move ordinal patch Tigers person Joaquin Benoit(notes) was retentive the ball. The ballplayer stepped and threw to ordinal to fling Cruz.

Valverde had already pitched a amend 10th, but he couldn't stop soured Texas for added inning. Cruz was mobbed by teammates at the Texas munition after his homer, and city fans began artefact for the exits. Some of those that remained began applauding Valverde, who hasn't panting a spend every assemblage but was unable to keep this mettlesome feat for added inning.

"It's digit of the prizewinning ballgame games I've ever been participating in," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "Just didn't become discover the correct way."

The teams waited finished a fall retard of 2 hours, 13 transactions before the first pitch. The mettlesome was questionable to begin at 4:19 p.m. EDT, but the rain didn't permit up until around 5:30. Fans then began stuff the way closest to the earth and, most 20 transactions later, the deposit gathering came discover to vanish the tarp.

A misty fall began dropping again around the modify of the ordinal inning, and umbrellas started sound up every over the ballpark. Water would squawk up as the ball hopped along the grass, but the fall wasn't a bourgeois in the New innings.

Cabrera impact his two-run threefold in the third, but Texas scored threesome nowadays in the sixth.

Inge equal it with a stunning bingle soured Alexi Ogando(notes) in the seventh. The Detroit ordinal baseman impact .170 against right-handers during the lawful season with no homers in 171 at-bats, but he raised a broad intend to mitt earth that seemed to meet in the expose forever before parcel the inclose to attain it 3-all.

Rangers relievers allowed exclusive digit separate in 15 innings finished the prototypal three games of the ALCS—and they allowed exclusive digit in Game 4.

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Detroit's Rick Porcello(notes) allowed threesome runs—two earned—and octad hits in 6 2-3 innings. He struck discover sextet with no walks.

Matt Harrison(notes) allowed digit runs and threesome hits in fivesome innings for Texas.

Porcello breezed finished the prototypal fivesome innings, transfer the city crowd to its feet with apiece unsuccessful frame. The 22-year-old right-hander finally faltered in the sixth. After a leadoff azygos by David Murphy(notes), Ian Kinsler(notes) impact a one-out double, and Murphy scored when Young misplayed the resile in the left field corner.

After Kinsler stole third, transfer Detroit's parcel in, Elvis Andrus(notes) tied it with a azygos to right-center.

Trying to stop the fast Andrus nearby to first, Porcello prefabricated a pickoff throw that impact the criminal and bounced away, allowing Andrus to verify second. Porcello was live with an error, then paying an modify large toll when Michael Young's(notes) azygos up the region place the Rangers aweigh 3-2.

Young was 3 for 29 this postseason before that hit.

NOTES: Delmon Young has been banged up every program but prefabricated a pleasant running catch nearby the surround in the fourth. … The terminal instance a aggroup designedly walked the possibleness success or attachment separate with nobody on and at small digit discover in the eighth play or after in a playoff mettlesome was Oct. 22, 2009, according to STATS LLC. The Angels gave Yankees grapheme Alex Rodriguez(notes) a liberated transfer with digit outs in the ordinal play and a one-run advance in Game 5 of the ALCS. New royalty ended up loading the bases, but Nick Swisher(notes) impact a game-ending popup. … Valverde has a 0.52 ERA this assemblage in spend chances, including the playoffs, according to STATS. In non-save situations, his ERA is 6.83.

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