Carpenter hammers Tigers, who face uphill battle against red-hot St. Louis
It's cold and getting colder. It's late and getting later. Sometime soon, very soon, like tonight, the Tigers better find a way to heat up their bats and rustle up some runs, or this danger will mount dramatically.
After two days of shrieking, everyone finally shut up about the great smudge debate. But it brought no lasting relief to the Tigers, who suddenly have far more immediate concerns.
In Game 3 of the World Series at Busch Stadium, the Tigers ran smack into the most-unsettling question in sports: What do you do when the other team can do what you do, and do it just as well?
Tigers fans remained glued to the TV screens at the Detroit Beer Co. on Broadway until nearly midnight -- including Matt Bates, 23, a Wayne State University Law School student, who donned one of his favorite Tigers caps.
Though he had hoped for a win Tuesday night, Bates says he won't miss the next game. He has no doubts the Tigers could emerge victorious.
"This could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing," he said.
Once again, the eyes of the national media are on Detroit. Once again, some have been kind and some not so much.
Becoming the only city since 1998 besides San Diego to host both a Super Bowl and the World Series in one year, Detroit is taking its second turn in the international spotlight in just eight months. Both events have translated into coverage from about 4,500 media representatives from across the globe.
Around here, they call it "baseball heaven" -- kind of like Detroit calling itself "Hockeytown."
The Cardinals returned to one of the best -- if not thebest -- baseball cities in America for Game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday night against the Tigers at the new Busch Stadium.
These loyal fans rarely boo. They rode reliever Jason Isringhausen earlier in the season, but that's unusual.
Q & A with Scott Reid, director of Tigers major league scouting
Scott Reid, director of Tigers major league scouting, talks with Lynn Henning
Q . You and your team (Scott Bream, Dick Egan, Al Hargesheimer, Mike Russell, and Greg Smith) have been intensely involved in this whole playoff and preplayoff process. How has it worked for you and your staff?
A . The best time for us were five days in mid-September (12th-16th) when we brought everybody into Detroit and had 'em just sit and watch our guys for five days.
Basically, we had everybody file an individual report: How would you pitch our guys? How would you approach (Jeremy) Bonderman? Kenny (Rogers)? If we can help Jimmy (Leyland, manager) in any way with any little item, that's what we're here to do.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland was one hitter away from making his first major National League-specific move of this World Series during the fifth inning Tuesday night.
With two out and the Tigers trailing by two runs, Sean Casey singled into left-centerfield. That brought up the No. 8 hitter, Brandon Inge, as the tying run. Left-hander Nate Robertson waited on deck with his jacket on.
Leyland was surely thinking ahead: What would he do if Inge reached safely?
Journeyman starter Suppan has been solid for St. Louis
If one player epitomizes the Cardinals' postseason run, it is the man who will take the mound in tonight's Game 4.
The Cardinals were 83-78 in the regular season, hardly a record that would indicate they might win the World Series. Tonight's starter, Jeff Suppan, is 106-101 with a 4.60 earned-run average in his career. But like his team, Suppan has improved dramatically in the postseason.
Jim Leyland attaches no unusual significance to Game 3 of a World Series.
It's not a make-or-break game that some believe it is, the Tigers manager said.
Of course, it serves Leyland's purposes to say that after the Tigers were drubbed, 5-0, Tuesday night by the Cardinals, who now lead the World Series, 2 -1.
"Everybody has their different philosophies on that," Leyland said. "I've seen where somebody said if you win Game 1, they'll win most of the time, that percentage.
Detroit Tigers news 10/25
Detroit Tigers news 10/25
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