Nelson Cruz and the Orioles bats proved to be too much for the Tigers. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
DETROIT — It was surprising, yet in a way it was not that stunning that the Baltimore Orioles swept the Detroit Tigers out of the American League Division Series in the minimum three games.
Baltimore edged Detroit 2-1 on Sunday to complete its three-game sweep to advance to the AL Championship series.
The Orioles did it by pounding the Tigers bullpen in the first two games for 12-3 and 7-6 victories and then outpitching Detroit in Sunday’s clincher.
“I don’t know that there is a ton we could have done differently,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “Quite frankly I think Game 2 was probably the game that hurt us the most. Having a lead going into the eighth inning.”
The inconsistency that marked Detroit’s bullpen all season showed up as a glaring weakness in the three-game series. Setup man right-hander Joba Chamberlain got one out in two games and ended with a 108.0 ERA.
Right-hander Joakim Soria, acquired from Texas to shore up the back end of the bullpen, was not sharp at all coming back from his oblique strain and his pitches had no bite in the playoffs.
Right-hander Joe Nathan, the closer, saw his only action in the top of the ninth of the third game, with his team trailing 2-0.
“It’s disappointing,” Ausmus said of his rookie managerial season coming to an end. “You feel like you let the fans down, the organization down and the Ilitch’s (owner Mike and family) down.
“It was kind of an up and down year. We started hot and got extremely cold. Seemed to be a bumpy road after the All-Star break and really we weren’t even in first place, I believe, going into September. But the resiliency was always there.”
The Tigers got punch from the middle of their lineup the last month of the season and in the first two games against the Orioles. The 3-4-5 hitters produced four home runs between them in those two games and Victor and J.D Martinez banged back-to-back doubles in the ninth Sunday to give Detroit its only run.
“It’s disappointing, no question,” Ausmus said. “But there is nothing we can do about it now.”
