Listen to the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics Game 4 as it could be the series finisher on Tuesday evening. ESPN will provide free radio coverage of this game as Tigers fans could listen to their team in action for the last time in 2013.
The fate of the Tigers depends on what hurler Doug Fister brings to the table. At 14-9 with a 3.67 ERA, he was pretty reliable throughout the season. However, the A's had his number in their only meeting in 2013. Jim Leyland will not panic, but he has back up in case the A's decide to light up the board and smack home runs all over the place.
In this series, the A's are finally seeing the fruits of Moneyball. They have won during the regular season, but now, they are running into the long ball more often and outscoring their opponents, explaining their 2-1 series lead. On Monday, they hit three home runs as Brandon Moss, Josh Reddick and Seth Smith all went deep, winning 6-3. That gives them four home runs in the series; two solo shots and a pair of two-run shots. They struck out 12 times on Monday, but they had 13 base runners on.
Another young pitcher will take the mound for them on Tuesday. So far, it's been their young pitching that has carried them in this series. Jarrod Parker pitched good enough to earn the win and the A's bullpen continued to pitch shutout ball. Today, Dan Straily, a 24-year-old, takes the ball and will try to close out the series. He beat Fister back in August, going six innings and allowing just one earned run. The Tigers had eight hits in that meeting, but they could nto get the big hit to drive in the run.
So what if Fister runs in trouble? Leyland will have Scherzer ready in the bullpen. There is no point in saving him for a Game 5 if the Tigers fall behind early, that's why the Tigers have Justin Verlander on short rest.
Should Leyland have started Scherzer instead? We shall find out soon. A problem young teams have always had in the playoffs is closing out a series. Do the A's have what it takes to rise up and finally advance to the ALCS? They are just one win away from accomplish a goal that has alluded them for over a decade.
Click here for ESPN Radio's live stream of the A's vs. Tigers from Comerica Park.
