As I type these words, with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Rick Porcello's on the mound for Detroit while lefty Phil Coke and righty Ryan Perry get loose in the bullpen.
Who?
No, I know who those guys are. I'm just a little surprised that we might see them in the middle of a one-run game in October, because neither of them pitched particularly well during the regular season.
Coke finished with a 4.47 earned-run average, Perry 5.45.
But wait, maybe they weren't really that bad.
Coke actually started 14 games this season, and went 1-7 with a 4.82 ERA. As a reliever, his ERA was 3.71 and (more to the point) he struck out three times more batters than he walked. He might be starter material, but he's generally been a reliable reliever and he's been real tough on left-handed hitters.
One can't write such glowing things about Perry. But after returning from the minors in June, he did pitch reasonably well; most notably, he didn't allow a single home run in 26-2/3 innings.
Porcello did finish the sixth in good order, and with a couple of left-handed hitters coming up in the bottom of the seventh, it looks like Coke will be in the game shortly. Meanwhile, Alexi Ogando's still out there for the Rangers in the top of the seventh, and it's still Rangers 3, Tigers 2.