12:45pm Arizona time, TBS, Orioles lead 2-0
Hey, Detroit? Need some relievers? That's the likely mantra after the first two games in this series, which have seen the Tigers concede a total of seven runs over the first seven innings combined - and then twelve in the eighth. There hasn't been a ninth inning for them to work, as a result. The Orioles have feasted in general, hitting .309 over the first two games, led by Nelson Cruz (4-for-8) and Nick Markakis (3-for-8), each man having a homer and three RBI. The Tigers, led by Miguel Cabrera (4-for-7), watched a three-run lead evaporate in the eighth inning of Game 2, and despite their hyped pitching rotation, now find themselves staring down the barrel of elimination.
4:37pm Arizona time, TBS, Royals lead 2-0
If results in the series above were somewhat surprising, this has to be considered a real shock. The Royals, having survived an extra-inning play-in game, went to Anaheim and took the first two contests in the same manner, beating the Angels twice in 11 innings. This has been a match-up dominated by pitching, with the sides combining to hit barely a buck fifty so far (.152, 22-for-145). That's surprising, as Anaheim led the majors in scoring, with an average of 4.77 runs per game: here, they've been held to just three runs over 22 innings, and now need to win consecutive games on the road, simply to get back home for Game 5. Waking up their offense would be a start.
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