Decisive game 5 today for Orioles-Yanks and Nats-Cards
NEW YORK (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are going the distance to see who plays Detroit in the AL Championship Series.
J.J. Hardy’s RBI double in the 13th inning drove in the go-ahead run in the Orioles’ 2-1 win over the Yankees. That scored rookie Manny Machado, who opened the inning with a double. Nate McLouth’s leadoff homer in the fifth was the other Baltimore run.
Jim Johnson, the major league leader in saves with 51 in the regular season who coughed up a game-tying ninth-inning home run the night before to Game 3 Yankee hero Raul Ibanez, erased some demons with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 13th.
The Orioles and Yankees have split 22 games this year.
The sets up the decisive Game 5 Friday afternoon in the Bronx. Yankee ace CC Sabathia is Joe Girardi’s choice. The Orioles are going with Jason Hammel.
NEW YORK (AP) —The Yankees held a moment of silence before the game in honor of Yankee manager Joe Girardi’s father, Jerry, who died Saturday in Illinois at 81.
For five days, Girardi did not disclose his dad’s death to his players, preferring not to talk about it and not wanting to distract his team. Jerry Girardi will be buried in Tampico, Ill., next Monday — an off day in the AL championship series.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Detroit Tigers are going to the AL Championship Series against the Orioles-Yankees Game 5 winner. It’s the third time in seven seasons the Tigers have reached the ALCS.
Justin Verlander hurled a four-hit shutout and the Tigers beat Oakland 6-0 to win the decisive fifth game in that AL Division Series. Verlander struck out 11 in posting his seventh complete game this season. He struck out the first two batters he faced, got the Oakland crowd out of the game early and put it in cruise control. Verlander also won the opener of this series. He set a record with 22 strikeouts in the division series.
It’s the Tigers’ first complete game in the postseason since Jack Morris in the 1984 World Series.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jayson Werth fought off pitch after pitch. Then finally on the 13th pitch thrown by reliever Lance Lynn, Werth delivered the most important hit in the seven-year history of the Washington Nationals.
Werth lined a fastball over the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth to give the Nats a dramatic 2-1 victory over St. Louis to extend their season for at least one more day. Earlier, Adam LaRoche hit his second homer of the postseason.
Washington starter Ross Detwiler and St. Louis right-hander Kyle Lohse hooked up in an old fashioned pitchers’ duel in the nation’s capital. After Detwiler’s six strong innings, the Nats bullpen was superb. In three innings, relievers Jordan Zimmermann, Tyler Clippard and winner Drew Storen struck out eight out of nine outs.
The Nationals and Cardinals will decide this NL Division Series Friday night in Washington. The Nationals go with their 21-game winner Gio (JEE’-oh) Gonzalez against Adam Wainwright for the defending World Series champion Cardinals.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Buster Posey had a grand slam as San Francisco completed its startling comeback by holding off the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 in the decisive Game 5 of the NL division series. After dropping the first two games at home, the Giants bounced back with three straight wins at Cincinnati to move into the NL championship series.
The Giants are the first NL team to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the division series, which began in 1995
Ahead 6-0, San Francisco saw the Reds rally throughout the late innings. Cincinnati scored once in the ninth before Sergio Romo struck out Scott Rolen with two runners on base to end it.
The Giants await the Washington-St. Louis victor.
Upset in Music City
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rob Bironas kicked his fourth field goal, a 40-yarder as time expired, and the Tennessee Titans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-23 on Thursday night to snap a two-game skid.
Matt Hasselbeck threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt with 4:19 left to tie it at 23 as the 2-4 Titans snapped a three-game losing streak against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh is 2-3 after losing its third straight road game this season and for the fifth time in six games dating to last season despite Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 363 yards and becoming the Steelers’ career passing leader.
Chiefs QB out with concussion
UNDATED (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel has been ruled out for Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay with a concussion. The club has announced that Brady Quinn will start an NFL game for the first time since the 2009 season. Cassell was hurt in the fourth quarter of a 9-6 loss to Baltimore last Sunday.
In other NFL news:
— Nose tackle Kenrick Ellis of the Jets will be sidelined four to six weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He was injured in the Jets 23-17 loss to Houston on Monday night.
Biffle on the pole in Charlotte
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Greg Biffle won the pole for Saturday night’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the first NASCAR Cup race without an Earnhardt in 33 years.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sit out the next two races after sustaining his second concussion this year during a 25-car car pileup Sunday at Talladega. Regan Smith, who’ll drive Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet, qualified 26th.
By sitting out the next two races, Little E most certainly will finish last in the 12-driver Chase race.
NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger will race this weekend for the first time since his July drug suspension.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 2 N-Y Yankees 1, 13 Innings
Detroit 6 Oakland 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco 6 Cincinnati 4
Washington 2 St. Louis 1
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Tennessee 26 Pittsburgh 23
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Miami 94 L-A Clippers 80
New York 108 Washington 101
Philadelphia 102 Orlando 95
New Orleans 90 Charlotte 87