BOSTON – They brought their bats out early, setting the tone in this nationally televised, prime-time series finale and then squeezed them half to death with their first chance at a knock-out punch.
The Detroit Tigers have been hitting the ball. They just haven’t been hitting the ball in timely situations.
And so, after squandering a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation in the top of the fourth inning against the Red Sox Sunday night, Justin Upton came to the plate in a similar situation an inning later. Upton, who extended a hitting streak to 10 games in the first inning, had struggled in such situations this season: He was 2-for-9 in scoring a runner on third base with less than one out this season.