Game 19 vs. Detroit

Welcome to September baseball. In years past this would have been our golden opportunity to watch the Omaha Storm Chasers take the field as Bob Boone or Tony Muser got an early start on setting lineups for the start of spring training next year. Now of course it’s Ned Yost getting an early start on setting lineups for the postseason this year. Thus I was quite glad the iScore app did most of the work of keeping track of all the comings and goings.

It was a strange game even aside from the substitutions. Yordano Ventura hit Ian Kinsler with a pitch in the top of the first. Apparently Detroit thought hitting Sal Perez in the bottom of the second would be a good way to get payback for that. It was the first time in my recent memory when I’ve seen an umpire issue a warning to both benches.

Then in the top of the fourth Miguel Cabrera really let his temper get the better of him. After looking at strike three, he took considerable umbrage with the home plate umpire. Getting nowhere there, he ambled down the third base line (bat in hand) to take the matter up with the crew chief. Who promptly ejected him.

And then of all the crazy things, Cheslor Cuthbert ended up being player of the game. He was subbing for Mike Moustakas at third, where he made a couple of really solid plays (to the good-hearted cheer of “not-mooooooose!”). And in the fifth he hit his first major league home run. Of course at that point it was icing on an already substantial lead, but it was still a good moment for him.

I should also mention at this point that the Royals have a magic number for the first time since 1985. I remember back then that the Star would print it at the top of the front page every morning. Thirty years later of course one finds it in one’s Twitter feed mere moments after the games end. Still, it’s quite a feeling. Wonderful but disorienting, sort of like the postseason last year.

TIGERS (1) AT ROYALS (12)

TIGERS               AB  R  H BI  ROYALS               AB  R  H BI
Anthony Gose          4  1  1  0  Alcides Escobar       4  0  1  1  
Ian Kinsler           2  0  0  1   Christian Colon      1  0  0  0  
 Rajai Davis          1  0  0  0  Ben Zobrist           2  2  1  1  
Miguel Cabrera        2  0  1  0   Omar Infante         2  0  0  0  
 Andrew Romine        2  0  0  0  Lorenzo Cain          3  2  2  3  
J.D. Martinez         3  0  1  0   Jarrod Dyson         2  0  1  0  
 Bryan Holaday        1  0  0  0  Eric Hosmer           3  1  1  0  
Victor Martinez       4  0  0  0   Drew Butera          1  0  0  0  
Nick Castellanos      3  0  0  0  Kendrys Morales       5  2  2  3  
Tyler Collins         3  0  1  0  Jonny Gomes           2  1  1  0  
Jose Iglesias         3  0  1  0   Terrance Gore        1  0  0  0  
Alex Avila            3  0  0  0  Salvador Perez        2  1  0  0  
                                  Cheslor Cuthbert      3  1  2  4  
                                  Paulo Orlando         4  2  3  0  
TOTALS               31  1  5  1  TOTALS               35 12 14 12

TIGERS                        000 001 000 -- 1  
ROYALS                        121 530 00x -- 12 

LOB--TIGERS 5, ROYALS 5. 2B--J.D. Martinez, Jonny Gomes,
Lorenzo Cain, Paulo Orlando (2). 3B--Anthony Gose, Paulo
Orlando. HR--Kendrys Morales, Ben Zobrist, Lorenzo Cain,
Cheslor Cuthbert. HBP--Ian Kinsler, Salvador Perez.

 TIGERS                          IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Randy Wolf                     3.67    8    8    8    3    2    2
Guido Knudson                  0.33    4    4    4    1    1    2
Buck Farmer                    3.00    2    0    0    1    1    0
Tom Gorzelanny                 1.00    0    0    0    0    2    0
 ROYALS                     
Yordano Ventura                7.00    5    1    1    1   11    0
Franklin Morales               1.00    0    0    0    0    0    0
Scott Alexander                1.00    0    0    0    0    1    0

WP--Randy Wolf, Yordano Ventura. SO--Ian Kinsler, Miguel
Cabrera, Alex Avila (3), J.D. Martinez, Anthony Gose (2),
Nick Castellanos (3), Tyler Collins, Kendrys Morales, Jonny
Gomes, Drew Butera, Cheslor Cuthbert, Terrance Gore, Paulo
Orlando. BB--Nick Castellanos, Ben Zobrist, Jonny Gomes,
Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, Cheslor Cuthbert.