[Pujolsfan91]

maggs grounds out.. back to the hell that is the tigers bullpen.

[Pujolsfan91]

Cust grounds out and ellis strikes out 2 down.

[Pujolsfan91]

Kotsay flies out... bottom of 7th time.

[Pujolsfan91]

Oakland takes the first game of the series 16-10.

[Pujolsfan91]

Jack Cust hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs, and the Oakland Athletics rallied after blowing a seven-run lead to beat the reeling Detroit Tigers 16-10 on Friday night.

Travis Buck had four hits, scored three times and drove in three runs for Oakland. Donnie Murphy homered and drove in three runs as the A's handed Detroit its seventh loss in nine games. The Tigers are 11-18 since the All-Star break.

Detroit scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homer by Gary Sheffield and a grand slam by Marcus Thames, then took a 9-8 lead with three more in the fifth.

The Athletics, though, quickly restored the seven-run margin.

Macay McBride (0-1) retired the first hitter of the sixth, but hit Buck before walking the next two batters. Cust then hit a 429-foot line drive to center field to give Oakland a 12-9 lead.

ESPN - Cust's grand slam sends A's past Tigers - MLB

[Pujolsfan91]

Game 2 of the series tonight at 7:05 (changed from a day game)

Great Pitching Matchup today



Dan Haren
13-3, 2.46

Last appearance:
8/05 vs LAA
6.0 IP, 2 ER
Dec = ND




Justin Verlander
11-4, 3.60

Last appearance:
8/06 vs TAM
6.0 IP, 4 ER
Dec = ND

Dan Haren got the nod over Justin Verlander to start the AL All-Star game. Now he hopes to get the better of him for the second time in less than two weeks.

With two of baseball's best young right-handers squaring off again, this game is not expected to be anything like the slugfest seen in the series opener as the Oakland Athletics and the Detroit Tigers (63-52) meet Saturday afternoon.

Friday's opener of this three-game set was anything but a pitchers' duel, with Detroit starter Jordan Tata lasting only two innings and Oakland's Joe Blanton pitching four. The Athletics (56-60) blew a seven-run lead before matching a season high with eight runs in the sixth inning en route to a 16-10 victory.

"This was a crazy game," said Oakland's Jack Cust, who had a grand slam and seven RBIs. "Detroit's offense is fun to watch, and they scored a lot of runs tonight. Luckily, so did we."

The clubs totaled just 22 runs in a three-game set from July 30-Aug. 1, with Oakland's two wins including Haren (13-3, 2.46 ERA) beating Verlander (11-4, 3.60) in the middle game. That matchup came exactly three weeks after they were All-Star teammates as each allowed a run and two hits -- Haren started and went two innings while Verlander pitched an inning of relief.

When the hurlers met on July 31, Haren gave up three runs in six innings as Oakland won 7-3. Verlander yielded four runs and seven hits with four walks in 5 1-3 innings.

ESPN - Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers Preview, August 11 2007 - MLB

[Pujolsfan91]

Tigers lineup

Name AVG HR RBI SB
1. C Granderson, CF .300 16 54 14
2. P Polanco, 2B .347 7 51 4
3. G Sheffield, DH .291 24 69 18
4. M Ordonez, RF .351 18 96 2
5. C Guillen, SS .310 14 74 10
6. I Rodriguez, C .277 9 50 0
7. S Casey, 1B .290 3 44 2
8. M Thames, LF .259 12 36 2
9. B Inge, 3B .242 12 51 6

A's lineup
Name AVG HR RBI SB
1. T Buck, RF .288 7 34 3
2. S Stewart, LF .299 9 35 10
3. N Swisher, 1B .249 14 57 2
4. J Cust, DH .265 18 59 0
5. M Ellis, 2B .266 15 52 7
6. M Scutaro, 3B .241 5 25 1
7. M Kotsay, CF .222 1 20 1
8. D Murphy, SS .250 3 12 1
9. K Suzuki, C .235 2 11 0

[Pujolsfan91]

Buck gets a leadoff walk..

stewart flies out.. 1 out..

Crazy play...Guillen misses the bag on a double play ball. 1st and 2nd 1 out.

[Pujolsfan91]

Cust strikes out 2 down.

[Pujolsfan91]

Verlander strikes out ellis.. into the bottom of the 1st.