Max Scherzer takes Game 1 start and turns it into work of art - CBSSports.com

Max Scherzer justified Detroit’s faith in him with a brilliant outing in Game 1. (USATSI)

OAKLAND – Strangest sight of the postseason so far? Not David Price celebrating with Silly String. Not Wil Myers dropping a routine fly ball or Dusty Baker getting canned. And nope, not even the cartoonish shrubbery obscuring Brian Wilson’s face.

Try the

handing the Tigers Game 1 ball to Max Scherzer.

Time to panic? Down 1-0, A’s have a major uphill battle

Yes, he’s had a fantastic 2013, started the All-Star Game is going to win a Cy Young award and blah, blah, blah. All of Those Things. Effective goal the past FEW years, still … Scherzer over as Game 1 starter Justin Verlander

“I do not think there was too much surprise, Given some of Justin’s Struggles and Given Max’s dominance this year,” Tigers catcher Alex Avila was saying Effective Scherzer stuffed the A’s 3-2. “We feel like We Have No. 1 starters Throughout the rotation. Have our guys that good stuff.

“We’ve been pitching that Way all year long.”

Friday night Close your eyes, and you Could have sworn That Was Verlander, circa 2011, out there throwing the lighting bolts.

Close your eyes Saturday night, and who knows? Verlander on the mound, maybe you’ll see Scherzer from the night before.

Only time

Scherzer Looked even remotely vulnerable to the A’s was in the seventh, When Yoenis Cespedes smashed a two-run homer to trim the Tigers’ 3-0 lead and Briefly give the sellout crowd of 48,401 – large largest at O.co Coliseum since June 27, 2004, hope.

But even at

That. …

“Whatever Scherzer’s game was up, he Executed it to a T,” A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson raved. “Even on the Cespedes homer, it was a 96 mile-an-hour heater down in the zone. That’s a strong fellow. “

And

Scherzer was a steely presence.

No question, starting him was the right thing to do.

GradesPunchless A’s can not get going against Tigers

But had it blown up in manager Jim Leyland’s face … can you imagine the debate That Would Be raging today over talk radio and Twitter and probably even Instagram

Now, the A’s are Already in a hole and must take down Verlander in Game 2 just to pull even.

“He was awfully Determined,” Leyland said of Scherzer. “He was thrilled to get Game 1. I think it Meant a lot to him, even though he said it did not matter All which game he pitched. “

That the Tigers Could even consider shoving Verlander back to Game 2, let alone do it Actually, emphasizes Both the staggering strength and depth of Their rotation.

Even with groin strain hobbling Miguel Cabrera, Tigers are legit thesis terrorism threats to win Their first World Series title since 1984. Just Understand, the degree of difficulty is Greater than it was a month ago, Because poor Hardly Cabrera can move.

Though he drilled a sharp RBI single on the first pitch he saw in the first inning Friday, times like that belie the fact That he’s just a shell of what he was Earlier this season. He’s got no foundation underneath him with the groin injury, All which saps power and His was the overriding reason why he HAD just one home run in 86 plate appearances in September.

“A guy going out and doing That with a nagging injury, that’s pretty impressive,” center fielder Austin Jackson said of Cabrera’s putting Detroit on the board just three batters into the game against Bartolo Colon. “He’s definitely seeing the ball.”

But not thumping the ball.

Quick

HitsScherzer Was not perfect but he was still the hero

So what you’ve got is the baseball equivalent of an automobile (Motown license plates, incidentally) roaring down the freeway with the “check engine” light blinking. It is painful watching Cabrera attempt to run, aim with this pitching, the Tigers can still get to Their exit.

Looked for Verlander

Spent much of this season, as if He Had thrown way too many pitches over the past FEW seasons. Goal then came September, When he posted a 2.27 ERA with 48 strikeouts over six starts.

Leyland Admitted That this week he and his coaches secretly discussing Have Been (agonizing?) over how to slot Scherzer, Verlander and the rest since before They even clinched.

Scherzer made ‘em look like a group of baseball Einsteins. He absolutely overwhelmed the A’s brilliant through six innings, before Cespedes beat him on His one misplaced pitch in the seventh. His fastball popped into the high 90s, he struck out 11 over seven innings and Generally Had the A’s eating out Time of the Old hands like friendly horses in a pasture.

He fanned

Brandon Moss to start the second by going up the ladder with His fastball, 93 then 94 and, finally, 96. Two batters later, he blew a 98 m.p.h. fastball past Josh Reddick, and then he hit 99 one batter later, just before Stephen Vogt said “uncle” with a liner to first.

Over the fourth and fifth innings, Scherzer fanned four in a row and five out of six hitters. In this, His second time through the order, he dialed things back, fanning four of five hitters thesis on changeups betweens 84 and 87 mph

“That was exactly the plan” Avila said. “With Max, you always want to Establish His fastball, make sour he’s in a good groove.”

Then, out comes the slider, curve and changeup All which, as dissects Avila, are ble to “lengthen out the game for him.”

Scherzer is a cerebral pitcher who goes into game EACH – EACH inning – with a map and factotum believes Strongly That The last 15 pitches a starter throws are the key to the whole deal

.

To That end, When things got dicey Especially Effective Cespedes ‘home run, Following Brandon Moss’ leadoff single in the seventh, made it 3-2 … Scherzer regrouped and got Reddick to fly to left and Vogt to pop to short before striking out Daric Barton. To Those three hitters, the final Scherzer threw 118 pitches Time of the Old 13.

“The last 15 pitches indicato how your outing goes, and the wheels Could have come flying off,” he said. “I thought I kept my composure and was … ble to continue and execute curveballs and changeups To Those three left-handed hitters.”

This side of a no-hitter or perfect game, it was as full and a dominant pitching performance as you’ll see. It was a clinic.

And now the A’s get Verlander, Who Was not exactly pouting while Scherzer was dealing.

“Justin handled it beautifully,” Leyland said the other day. “You could not handle it any better.”

Said Verlander: “The four guys we’re throwing out there are four of the best pitchers in the league. And We Were all year. “

He’s right. And if Oakland Does not Prove him wrong over next Few Days thesis, then this Division Series Will it end the same way About did last October, covered in Tiger stripes.

Scott Miller HAS covered major league baseball for 26 years and was named as one of the country’s top five sports columnists for 2012 by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He Has served on the national board of directors of the Baseball Writers’ Association the. of America and as the chairman of the Twin Cities and San Diego chapters.