The Dodgers and Tigers opened up the season as the favorites in their respective leagues to make it to the World Series. Some of that may be coming from the high pay rolls, but also from the talent and depth that both teams have on their staffs and in their lineups.
Hyun-Jin Ryu took his place on the mound in Detroit for the opening game of a two game set with the Tigers, facing off against Justin Verlander. Ryu found himself with a big cushion after a five run first inning for the Dodgers, but quickly saw that disappear when the Tigers answered with 14 straight runs, 7 of which came off of Ryu. The Tigers won the game 14-5. Ryu didn’t make it out of the third inning with the explosion of offense from Detroit.
The trouble began in the second inning when Torii Hunter sent a ball to Yasiel Puig in right field with no outs. Puig fielded the ball and roped a throw to second base where Hunter was ruled out. After review, the umpire overturned the call because the tag was late and the Tigers had their first runner on base. That hit eventually turned into a five run second inning that tied the game.
The Dodgers began the game torching Justin Verlander in his first career start against the boys in blue. Adrian Gonzalez recorded his 20th double of the season to score Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez. Gonzalez was later ejected from the game by the home plate umpire after arguing a called strike that appeared to be low. Matt Kemp followed with a single to drive in Gonzalez and take the early 3-0 lead. Juan Uribe capped off the five run burst with a two run home run.
The Dodgers have now scored five runs in an inning for the fourth straight game. Kemp finished the night 3-4 and 7 for his last 9. Uribe was the only other Dodger with a multi-hit game, going 2-4 with two RBI’s.
The Dodgers end the series in Detroit tomorrow morning with Zack Greinke heading to the mound, looking for the split with the Tigers. Josh Beckett was placed on the 15 day DL list with a left hip impingement and Los Angeles recalled Pedro Baez to replace him.