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Huston Street picks up the save, and Johnny Giovatella delivered the big blow, a two-run infield single to drive home the game-winning runs.
Joe Smith is the winner with one inning of relief. David Price is the loser after he pitched a gem for seven innings.
The Angels have completed the four-game sweep with a 4-2 win tonight.
STRIKE THREE, BALL GAME OVER!
Anthony Gose is the Tigers' last chance.
Fly ball to left center, and Nieuwenhuis is there again for Out #2!
Nick Castellanos pinch hits for Romine.
Fly ball to left, and Nieuwenhuis is there for the first out. 1 down, 2 to go. The Angels are looking for the four-game sweep.
Jose Iglesias leads off the ninth.
Huston Street is in for the save attempt. He has a 92% success rate since 2000.
Angels changes: Nieuwenhuis in left, Taylor Featherston at third (Freese out), Efran Navarro takes over at first base.
The two runs are charged to Price, so he has allowed all four runs in his 7 2/3 innings.
Aybar grounds to Chamberlain, who fields it and take the out himself at first to retire the side. Two runs for L.A. gives the Angels a 4-2 lead heading into the top of the ninth.
Kinsler fielded the ball and flipped to second but late. Two runs score. Nieuwenhuis and Ianetta each crossed the plate.
Line drive base hit into center field. Two runs will score! 4-2 Angels!!!
Chamberlain will face Johnny Giovatella with the bases loaded and two outs.
Price: 7 2/3 IP, 8 H, 2 ER (so far), 4 BB, 6 K. He is responsible for all three base runners.
Price is done after 7 2/3. He leaves with the bases loaded. Here comes Joba Chamberlain.
POPPED straight up to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. 2 away.
David Price has thrown 117 pitches. This shuold be his last hitter regardless of what happens.
Pinch hitter: Carlos Perez will hit for Alfredo Marte.
Price stays in to face Marte. Chamberlain would likely have gotten Matt Joyce.
Grant Green will have a huge opportunity, but he will receive an intentional walk. Alfredo Marte is up next.
Sacrifice bunt right down the third-base line. Calhoun is out at first, but he moves both runners up 90 fett. 1 away.
Credit Ianetta a base hit. Price will stay in for at least one more. Cole Calhoun, the lefty steps in.
Ianetta chops it to third, and Romine's throw pulls Cabrera off the bag. All runners are safe, putting runners at first and second with nobody out.
With the count 2-0 on Ianetta, pitching coach Jeff Jones visits Price on the mound.
Pinch runner: Kirk Nieuwenhuis for Freese.
Price will stay in to face Chris Ianetta. (correction)
Ball four puts Freese aboard to open the eighth.
Joba Chamberlain is up in the bullpen for Detroit. Huston Street is standing up but not yet throwing for L.A.
Price is still on the mound after a low-pitch seventh. He pitched 248 1/3 innings last season.
Freese (1 for 3), Ianetta (1 for 2), and Calhoun (0 for 2) will step in for Los Angeles in the bottom of the eighth.
Squibber to the right side of the mound, and Smith picks it up and beats McCann to the bag for the unusual 1U to retire the side. Bottom of the 8th coming up, and it is still tied at 2.
James McCann has an RBI sac fly in the second.
Strike three called on Collins for the second out. Great breaking ball froze the left-handed hitter.
Tyler Collins is 1 for 3.
Bedrosian: 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB
Ground ball to short. Easy play for Aybar. 1 away.
J.D. Martinez is 1 for 2, R. Joe Smith is on the mound for Los Angeles.
Top 8: Tigers have Martinez, Collins, and McCann due up.
Ground ball to Kinsler on the left side of the bag thanks to the shift. Three up, three down for the Angels. We go to the eithh still tied at 2.
Albert Pujols is 0 for 3 and hitting .246. He has homered in each of the first three games of the series.
Lined right at Price. Not as hard as last time but still hard. Two down.
Trout had an RBI single his last time up.
High fly to right center, and Gose is right there for the easy out.
Erick Aybar (1 for 3, RBI) leads off the bottom of the seventh.
Top of the order for the Angels in the seventh: Aybar, Trout, and Pujols. Can they break it open off Price?
Popped up into right field for the easy third out. Calhoun puts it away. Still tied at 2 in the bottom of the seventh!
Ball four to Cabrera loads the bases for Yoenis Cespedes. Miggy wanted to hit!
Ball four to Kinsler brings up Cabrera with two men on.
Ian Kinsler is 1 for 3 and is hitting .271. Miggy waits on deck.
Hot shot to third. Freese looks Iglesias back and gets Gose at first for Out #2.
Romine lays down an excellent sacrifice bunt. Bedrosian gets the out at first. Iglesias advances to second.
Line drive into right; base hit for Iglesias. The Tigers get the lead-off man aboard.
Iglesias (0 for 1, BB) leads off the seventh.
Top 7: Tigers have Iglesias, Romine, and Gose coming up.
LINED RIGHT AT PRICE who gets his glove up in front of his face just in time and makes the grab. What a vicious shot from Giovatella. That retires the side, thankfully for Price, who now gets to rest after that shot at his head. 2-2 after six!
Giovatella is 1 for 2 (2B) with a run scored.
Brad Ausmus will head to the mound, but no one is ready. It is just a meeting on the mound. Price stays in.
And there it is! A line shot into left field. Ianetta stops at second.
Alfredo Marte is 0 for 3. He is still looking for his first hit of the season.
Green swings and misses for strike three and Out #2.
Grant Green is 1 for 2 with a run scored.
Fly ball down the left-field line and into the stands, but Cespedes reaches in and makes the grab!!! 1 away.
Ball four to Ianetta to open the sixth. One on, nobody out for Cole Calhoun.
David Price is still going string for the Tigers. He faces Ianetta to lead off the bottom of the sixth.
Bottom 6: Due up for the Angels are Ianetta, Calhoun, and Green.
McCann grounds it hard to Freese at third. He gets the final out at first. We are tied at 2 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
Ramos retires the only batter he faces: 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0R.
2-2, Tigers batting in the top of the sixth. Cespedes is at second base with James McCann coming to the dish.
Pitching change: Cam Berdosian will replace Ramos.
Long, deep fly ball to the center field warning track. Trout makes the ctach backing up, and Cespedes tags and takes second base. Nice base running to recognize that he ocould take the bag.
Shoemaker: 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, responsible for one runner on base
Tyler Collins is 1 for 2.
PITCHING CHANGE: Cesar Ramos will replace Shoemaker. With one out in the sixth, we are tied at 2.
Grounded up the middle and fielded by Giovatella.... WHO THROWS IT AWAY! Cabrera scores, and we are tied at 2.
Martinez pops to right, and Calhoun gets it for the easy first out.
Grounded up the middle and fielded by Giovatella.... WHO THROWS IT AWAY! Cabrera scores, and we are tied at 2.
Very long at bat full of foul balls.
Passed ball allows Cabrera to advance to second. Cespedes is up.
Line shot into right field for a lead-off single. Cespedes comes up.
Top 6: Detroit has Cabrera, Cespedes, and Martinez due up.
Freese swings and misses to end the inning. The Angels get two on RBI hits from Aybar and Trout. After five, 2-1 Angels.
David Freese is 1 for 2.
High pop fly to shallow right center. Gose camps under it. 2 down.
Albert Pujols is 0 for 2.
Mike Trout rips it into left for a hit. Giovatella scores, and the Angles lead 2-1. Aybar stops at second. RBI for Trout.
The ball dropped just a foot or so in front of Martinez, who got it in quickly to hold Giovatella at third, saving a run for now.
Erick Aybar (0 for 2) flares the first pitch into right field for a base hit. Green scores, and Giovatella stops at third. We are tied a 1.
Poked down the right-field line, and it one-hops the wall. Green rounds third, but he holds up, forcing Giovatella back to second. It's a double, and the Amgels have runners at second and third.
Giovatella struck out his first time up.
Marte hits it well -- fly ball to right but right at J.D. Martinez for Out #1.
Grant Green leads off the bottom of the fifth with an infield hit between third and short. Iglesias fielded, but he could not get the throw over in time.
Bottom 5: Angels have Green, Marte, and Giovatella coming to the plate.
Kinsler lofts it to shallow center field. Trout comes in to make the catch and end the inning. We go to the bottom of the fifth. 1-0 Tigers.
Gose draws the two-out walk.
Romine is off on the pitch. The throw down.... GETS HIM! Ianetta throws out Andrew Romine attempting to steal. 1 Out.
Anthony Gose is 0 for 2.
Andrew Romine draws a lead-off walk.
Iglesias lines to left fielder Alfredo Marte for Out #1
Top of the 5th: Due for Detroit are Iglesias Romine, Gose, and Kinsler
POPPED up. Andrew Romine takes it in foul territory in fromt of the bag. Side retired. Two hits, no runs. After four, Detroit leads 1-0.
Cole Calhoun walked his first time up. He is hitting .371 with runners in scoring position.
Ground ball into left field for a base hit. That was a classic seeing-eye single for Ianetta. Two on, two outs.
Man at first with two outs for Chris Ianetta.
David Freese lineds the first Angels hit into center field for a single.
High fly to right. Martinez drifts back, back, and he makes the catch on the warning track. 2 down.
Pujols is 0 for 1. The Tigers shift, placing Kinsler on the left side of the second base bag.
Trout slaps the first pitch, a liner to third, and Romine is standing right there for the first out.
Trout, Pujols, and Freese are due up in the bottom of the fourth.
McCann grounds hard to Freese at third. Over to first to retire the side. After 3 1/2, it is still Detroit 1, L.A. 0.
Martinez advanced to second on the play for James McCann.
SMASHED off the glove of Johnny Giovatella. He picks it up and gets Collins at first. That was a ROPE!
Check swing, but it is called ball four. Martinez walks. 1 on, 2 out for Tyler Collins (1 for 1, 2B).
Martinez singled and scored his first time up.
Cespedes strikes out on three pitches. 1 away for J.D. Martinez.
Yoenis Cespedes leads off the fourth.
Top of the fourth, and Detroit will send up Cespedes, Martinez, and Collins.
High, deep fly ball to right field, but J.D. Martinez gets it at the base of the warning track. 3 up, 3 down go the Angels. We go to the fourth with Detroit leading 1-0.
Erick Aybar is 0 for 1.
Strike three swinging for Out #2.
David Price averages 25 seconds between pitches -- he highest rate among all MLB starters.
Giovatella: .265, 1 HR, 15 RBI.
Alfredo Marte: .000. He bounces to first for the easy out, Cabrera unassisted. Marte just came up to the Majors on Thursday.
Bottom 3: Alfredo Marte, Johnny Giovatella, and Erick Aybar are due up for L.A.
1 hit, no one left because of the pickoff. We go to the bottom of the third with the Tigers leading 1-0.
Cabrera strikes out swinging. Cabrera claims he foul tipped the ball, but the umpire says no. The ball bounced into the mitt for strike three.
Kinsler was a little too far off the bag. Not a good thing with Miggy at the plate.
PICK OFF! Shoemaker catches Ian Kinsler off first base -- no challenge. 2 down
Kinsler lines it into left field for a base hit. Runner at first and 1 out for Miguel Cabrera.
High, lazy fly ball to center. Trout makes the very easy catch for Out #1,
Top 3: Top of the order -- Gose, Kinsler, Cabrera
Green strikes out swinging at an offspeed pitch just out of the zone. No runs, one man left. After 2, Detroit leads 1-0.
Grant Green: .200, 0 HR, 1 RBI. He is more of a utillity man -- playing first base tonight.
Calhoun takes ball four inside to get on base with two outs.
That brings up Cole Calhoun: .281, 5 HR, 24 RBI.
Ianetta strikes out swinging for Out #2.
Chris Ianetta: .173, 3 HR, 13 RBI.
Slow roller to short, but Iglesias charges and gets the out at first. 1 down.
David Freese: .228, 8 HR 28 RBI
Bottom 2: Due up for L.A. are Freese, Ianetta, and Calhoun.
Bottom 2: Due up for L.A. are Freese, Ianetta, and Calhoun.
Romine swings and misses for strike three. The Tigers get a run and lead 1-0 heading to the bottom of the second.
Chopper just foul. Green could not handle it, but the umpire called it foul. Both Green and Romine get another chance.
Romine is hitting .351 as he steps up with two on and two out.
Jose Iglesias: .338. He will draw the intentional pass to bring up Andrew Romine.
Jose Iglesias: .338. He will draw the intentional pass to bring up Andrew Romine.
Fly ball to left center. Trout makes the catch, and J.D. Martinez tags and scores. Credit McCann with the sac fly RBI. 1-0 Tigers.
Second and third, one out for James McCann: .286, 2 HR, 11 RBI.
Lined shot down the right-field line -- fair ball. Martinez to third, and Collins pulls in to second with a double!
J.D. Martinez hits the first pitch up the middle and beats the throw from Johnny Giovatella from behind the second-base bag. Infield hit for Martinez. 1 on, 1 out for Tyler Collins.
Swing and a miss for strike three. He chased a high fastball above the shoulders for the first out.
Cespedes: .284, 7 HR, 28 RBI
Top of the 2nd,and the Tigers will send up Cespedes, J.D. Martinez, and Tyler Collins.
Lofted into left center field, and Yoenis Cespedes makes the shoestring catch on the run. 1-2-3. Nothing across. After 1, no score.
Albert Pujols .250, 11 HR, 23 RBI and a HR in each game of the series. He is the DH tonight with Grant Green playing first base.
Strike three right down the middle, and Trout let it go by. 1 down. That was a very hittable fastball, but Trout may have benn looking offspeed.
Here is Mike Trout: .296, 12 HR, 26 RBI.
Hard grounder, and a very nice snag from Andrew Romine reaching to his left. He gets the out at first. 1 away.
Erick Aybar leads it off for Los Angeles. David Price (4-1, 2.96 ERA) is the Tigers starter.
Bottom 1: Due up for the Angels: Erick Aybar, Mike Trout, and Albert Pujols.
Hard bouncer to third, and Freese again makes the easy play to end the inning. Nothing doing for Detroit in the first. Bott of the first cominup, no score.
Miguel Cabrera: .333, 11 HR, 34 RBI
Ground ball to third. Freese makes the easy play for the second out. Cabrera coming up.
Ian Kinsler hit his first home run of the season last night. He is hitting .270. He was 1 for 30 before that home run last night.
Gose chases a ball in the dirt for strike three. 1 away. Matt Shoemaker is pitching for L.A.
Anthony Gose (.322) steps in to get us started.
Due up in the top of the first for the Tigers: Gose, Kinsler, Cabrera.
8:05 p.m. EDT first pitch. The teams are on the field ready to begin.
Keys to the game: Scoring runs early will determine who wins this game. Both starting pitchers are capable of going deep into games, and having a lead will boost their chances of doing so. It is even more imperative for Los Angeles to give Shoemaker the run support he needs early so he can focus on just getting hitters out. If the Tigers give Price the early lead, then he could go the distance and seal the win for Detroit.
The Angels’ starting lineup:
1. Erick Aybar, SS
2. Mike Trout, CF
3. Albert Pujols, DH
4. David Freese, 3B
5. Chris Iannetta, C
6. Cole Calhoun, RF
7. Grant Green, 1B
8. Alfredo Marte, LF
9. Johnny Giavotella, 2B
The Tigers’ starting lineup:
1. Anthony Gose, CF
2. Ian Kinsler, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Yoenis Cespedes, LF
5. J.D. Martinez, RF
6. Tyler Collins, DH
7. James McCann, C
8. Jose Iglesias, SS
9. Andrew Romine, 3B
Tigers’ starting pitcher
The Tigers will send David Price (4-1, 2.97) to the mound. The left-hander has pitched just as well as expected when they picked him up last season at the trade deadline. Price has allowed 22 earned runs on 66 2/3 innings in 10 starts. He has allowed six home runs and compiled a solid 1.17 WHIP. His last time out, Price pitched seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball to defeat the Oakland Athletics on May 26.
Angels’ starting pitcher
Matt Shoemaker (3-4, 5.44 ERA) has not pitched as well overall so far this season as he did last year when he won 16 games. He has made nine starts so far, allowing 31 earned runs in 51 1/3 innings while compiling a very good 1.17 WHIP. He struggled on May 21 (seven runs in six innings), but he sandwiched that between two very good outing. In his last start, Shoemaker pitched seven scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres on May 26.
The Tigers have dropped to ninth in the American League in runs scored (212), but do not blame Miguel Cabrera (34 RBI) or Yoenis Cespedes (28). The Tigers lead the league in on-base percentage (.339), but they leave many base runner stranded as their ninth-place ranking in runs batted in would indicate.
Detroit starters are ninth in the American League with a 4.30. Justin Verlander begins a Minor League rehab assignment Sunday, and his return to the Tigers’ rotation is not far off. The bullpen has pitched far better this year (2.91, third in the league), and Joakim Soria has soared as the new closer, saving 15 games in 16 chances.
As play began on May 17, The Angels pitching staff is fourth in the American League in ERA at 3.64, trails the league-leading Royals by less than half a run. Starters have a 3.57 combined ERA, and the bullpen is at 3.79, which ranks 10th in the league. Closer Huston Street has a 2.57 ERA and is 16 for 18 in save opportunities.
Following this four-game series, which concludes tonight, the Angels will host the Tampa Bay Rays for three games Monday through Wednesday. Detroit will return home to host the Oakland Athletics. The Angels and Tigers will meet again in Detroit from August 25-27. That series could become huge for both teams as they prepare for their stretch run in September.
Los Angeles looks for the sweep tonight. They won Friday’s match-up 2-0 on the strength of Hector Santiago’s three-hit, 7 1/3-inning performance and Albert Pujols's 10th home run. On Saturday, the Angels slugged five home runs and outlasted Detroit 8-6. All three Angels outfielders went deep in addition to Pujols and Carlos Perez.
Entering play on Sunday, May 31, the Detroit Tigers (28-23) trail the Kansas City Royals (29-18) by three games with the Minnesota Twins (29-19) just a half game behind. Los Angeles (26-24) has a powerful offense that has awakened. The find themselves five games behind Houston (31-19), but they have enough fire power and pitching to overcome that deficit if the youthful Astros show any signs of weakness as the season progresses.
The Major League Baseball is fast approaching the 1/3 mark, and all three American League divisions have tight races with the A.L. East having all five teams within four games of first place entering play on May 31. In the West, the Houston Astros have a little breathing room, but the second-place Los Angeles Angels look to repeat their phenomenal comeback they made last year. In the Central, the Detroit Tigers are in third but they are well within striking distance. Any team can get hot at any time, and these two are poised to make a strong run soon