Delmon Young Homers Twice in Tiger Game five Win; Brewers Tie NLCS with Cardinals as Randy Wolf Goes Seven

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 13, 2011

American League


Tigers 7 Rangers 5

Young: 2 HR, 3 RBI

Delmon Young socked a pair of homers off Texas starter C.J. Wilson, to lead the Tigers to a game five victory, staving off elimination and closing the gap to a 3-2 Texas lead in the best-of-seven AL championship series.

Young stroked his first homer in the 4th inning, a two-out, solo shot that put the Tigers on top, 2-1. Catcher Alex Avila's solo homer in the 3rd had tied the game after Texas scored the opening salvo in the first inning. Texas tied the game up at 2-all in the top of the 5th, and an inning later the Tigers responded with a four-run 6th inning, punctuated by Young's second homer of the game, a two-run blast to left-center that put the Tigers ahead for good.

The Rangers made a game of it scoring two runs in the 8th and another in the 9th, but they could not break through for more runs off Tiger starter Justin Verlander, who worked 7 1/3 innings and took the win, and Phil Coke, who got the final five outs, allowing two hits and an earned run for the save.

The series takes a day's respite as the teams return to Texas for game six and a possible game seven. Max Scherzer goes to the mound for the Tigers on Saturday, facing Ranger starter Derek Holland. Game time is 8:05 pm EDT. If a game seven is necessary, Doug Fister will start for Detroit against the Rangers' Colby Lewis.

National League

Brewers 4 Cardinals 2

Wolf: 7 IP, 2 ER

The Milwaukee Brewers tied the NLCS at two games apiece as Randy Wolf stymied the St. Louis Cardinals over seven innings, allowing just two runs on six hits for the win.

Wolf, 13-10, through the end of the regular season, picked up his first victory of the playoffs, fanning six and issuing only one walk. The two Cardinal runs came via the long ball. Matt Holliday and Allen Craig each took Wolf deep in the early innings. Holliday's solo homer came in the second inning, and Craig followed with a bases-empty job in the third, but the Brewers quickly responded with two runs in the 4th and single runs in the 5th and 6th innings to complete the scoring.

The series stays in St. Louis for game five, matching game one starters, Zack Greinke and Jaime García on Friday, at 8:05 pm EDT.