The MLB Playoff Standings are closer to having a team advance to the World Series. Both road teams picked up wins as home teams could not use their field to their advantage. The Boston Red Sox once again played in a one-run game against the Detroit Tigers, while the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers final scored six runs combined in their game. (Yes, it's a big deal.) Here are the results and standings after Wednesday's ALCS Game 3 and NLCS Game 4.
Red Sox Hide Socks
The Red Sox defeated the Tigers 1-0 after another pitchers' duel in the ALCS. This time, it was the Red Sox completely shutting down the Tigers, getting payback for their shutout loss in Game 1.
Mike Napoli provided the pop and boom, smacking a solo home run off of Justin Verlander in the top of the seventh inning. It was disappointing to see Verlander get no run support once again. The Tigers simply forgot to show up on offense in Game 2 of the ALDS. Now, in a huge Game 3 that could have possibly cost the Tigers the series, the Tigers offense could not get a run across.
Their biggest threat came in the top of the first. With runners on first and third and two outs, Victor Martinez, who was red hot during the ALDS, could not come up with the big hit. Martinez flew out to centerfield to end the threat.
John Lackey matched Verlander's effort almost pitch by pitch. He went 6.2 innings, allowing just four hits on no walks, striking out eight Tigers. Verlander, whose stats have been outstanding in the playoffs, went eight innings, allowing one earned run on four hits and striking out 10 Red Sox in the ball game.
The difference maker seemed to be Napoli's socks. After struggling in the first two games and striking out twice against Verlander, he rolled down his pants and smacked the game-winning shot.
Next up, the Tigers will depend on Doug Fister to keep them from falling behind 1-3 in the series. The Red Sox's midseason acquisition, Jake Peavy takes the ball and he will try sending the series the other way and give his new socks the 3-1 series lead.
Cards Kicking and Cooking
The Dodgers are down to just one game after losing Game 4 of the NLCS. As the standings show and baseball playoff logic proves, if the Cardinals win one more game, they are into the Fall Classic. They never trailed in this game and they surprisingly used the long ball to win on Tuesday.
The Cardinals took the lead in the third inning, opening the scoring in Game 4. Matt Carpenter smacked a double to left field, scoring Daniel Descalso. A few hitters later, Matt Holliday hit a bomb to left field that is probably still landing at these moments. They took a 3-0 lead they would never relinquish, though the Dodgers rallied and almost completed a comeback.
Yasiel Puig, who went 2-3 with two singles, a walk and RBI, drove in the Dodgers' first run of the game. A.J. Ellis eventually followed and smacked a single up the middle, scoring Andre Ethier to make it a one-run ball game.
Once the Dodgers saw they had a chance, starter Ricky Nolasco was removed from the game and the Dodgers bullpen attempted to shut down the Cardinals' lineup. However, the Cardinals added insurance as Shane Robinson hit a rare home run, giving St. Louis a 4-2 lead.
The Cardinals' bullpen backed up Lance Lynn, who pitched 5.1 solid innings, striking out five, while allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks. It was a better outing than his first in Pittsburgh in the NLCS. The Cardinals' bullpen has combined for 15 innings of one-run baseball in this series.
The Cardinals now lead the series 3-1, one game away from going to the 2013 World Series. However, as the media keeps reminding fans, the Cardinals were up 3-1 on the San Francisco Giants last year and they could not close the door. The Dodgers have a great chance of getting back into this series as Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw take the ball in the next two games of the series.
Here are the standings entering Thursday morning
MLB Playoff Standings:
Boston Red Sox 2
Detroit Tigers 1
Game 4: Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Dodgers 1
St. Louis Cardinals 3
Game 5: Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
