A's fans react to Game 5 loss

The Oakland Athletics -- who were not expected contend at all this year, let alone win the AL West -- finally hit a wall they could not break through Thursday night. Their countless comeback victories and week-long winning streaks got them all the way to Game 5 of the ALDS, but they could not figure out Justin Verlander.

Verlander pitched his second game of the five-game series Thursday night, and managed to keep the Athletics' bats even quieter than they were in Game 1. The Tigers' ace right-hander pitched a shutout at Oakland Coliseum, quieting the hometown crowd by striking out 11 and putting an end to the A's magical season.

For A's blogger cuppingmaster at Athletics Nation, the loss was disappointing but it was also a good chance to put the team's unexpected season in perspective:

[Verlander]'s the planet's best pitcher, and he proved it tonight. A Herculean 122 pitch effort with 11 K's has propelled the Detroit Tigers into the ALCS...

Indeed, I don't want to focus on the negatives of this game. Jarrod Parker proved down the stretch that he is a money pitcher. There were 15 walkoff victories, none bigger than last night's. There was a 4-game home sweep of the Yankees, something that no Oakland A's team had ever acomplished. Despite the minute chances given to them at the beginning of the season, the A's will hang a 2012 AL West Banner at the Coliseum next year, and knocked off the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels to do it. Yoenis Cespedes proved to be the signing of the offseason, and is a legitimate five-tool player. Sean Doolittle emerged as one of the game's premier setup men, and one of the game's best stories, period.

Seriously, so many stories made this season great. And this was a great series, too.

Oakland ended their 2012 season with an AL West title and a thrilling Division Series, two things no one thought were possible for the club at the beginning of the year. The way this year panned out, it seems foolish to try to predict what is in store for Oakland in 2013.

Max Scherzer's most appropriate goggles

Tigers fans react to Game 5 victory over A's

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander held the Oakland Athletics at bay Thursday night, amassing 11 strikeouts in a 6-0 shutout that sent the Tigers to the ALCS for the second consecutive season. Verlander was at his best when it mattered most for the Tigers, scattering just four hits across his stellar nine innings of work.

For Al Beaton of Bless You Boys, Game 5 was a reminder that Tigers fans can always rely on Verlander when everything else seems to go wrong:

Can the Tigers bounce back from a heartbreaking, soul-crushing walk off loss? If Justin Verlander has anything to say about it, damn straight the Tigers can.

Doesn't the drama of the past 24 hours feel a tad unwarranted now? As a fan base, we need to remember 4 words: "In Verlander we trust."

Justin Verlander did what big game pitchers do. In a must win game, Verlander put the Tigers on his back and carried them to the ALCS.

Hell, I'm about out of superlatives, Verlander was that damn good.

The Tigers now move on to face the winner of Friday evening's matchup between the Orioles and Yankees. Game 1 of the ALCS is set for a yet-to-be-determined time Saturday. The location of the game will depend on who emerges victorious in Game 5 in New York; if the Yankees win, the ALCS will begin in New York. If the Orioles win, they'll travel to Detroit for Game 1.

Verlander spins shutout, Tigers advance to ALCS

Justin Verlander was magic, leading the Tigers to a 6-0 win over the A's and their second consecutive American League Championship Series.

Tigers pour it on, lead 6-0 in Game 5

The A's have faced tougher odds this season. Maybe. Okay, probably not. I'm not sure the exact odds of the comeback to win the West versus the odds of a three- four-, wait, five-run lead? Goodness. No, this is the biggest predicament in a season of predicaments for the A's.

Justin Verlander is at 88 pitches through six. So he's not a lock for a complete game. Then you figure in some wildness from Al Alburquerque, maybe some jitters from

Johnny Peralta led off the top of the seventh with a single, and he moved to third on an Omar Infante single just over the reach of Cliff Pennington.

Then the wheels fell off.

Jarrod Parker was lifted for Ryan Cook, who allowed a single to knock in a run, and he hit Miguel Cabrera with the bases loaded to drive in another. Jerry Blevins came in to face Prince Fielder, who hit a mighty pop-up that Coco Crisp broke back on before it fell in for a single. That made it 5-0.

Stephen Drew made an error, and ... look, I watched it so you didn't have to. It was ugly. In the end, the Tigers scored four times, took a 6-0 lead, and they get to send Justin Verlander back out.

If there's any magic left, Oakland, now's the time.

Parker looks good, but Verlander in control

Jarrod Parker has impressed me more than just about any A's acquisition of the offseason. Tommy Milone is a keeper, as is Derek Norris. Josh Reddick was a great return for an oft-injured closer. A.J. Cole and Brad Peacock could be huge assets soon.

But Parker is amazing, with a fastball/change combination beyond his years. It's not just a matter of the A's getting him for longer and cheaper than Trevor Cahill; I'd rather have him pitching for my team right now. What an amazing trade.

Justin Verlander, though, is kind of ridiculous. He's allowed three runners through five innings -- a walk and two hits -- while striking out seven. It was actually six when I started writing this, but I saw how Derek Norris was looking in his at-bat, changed it to "seven" and didn't look back.

Parker looks impressive. Verlander looks supernatural. Through five innings, the Tigers have a 2-0 lead. Verlander's thrown 72 pitches, by the way, so he should be okay to go the distance if the A's don't get to him first.

Tigers get on the board, lead 2-0

And there are Justin Verlander's runs. Ease up, fellas. He'll take it from here.

Except that's too glib by half. Because Jarod Parker is pitching almost as well as Verlander -- his change-up is filthy, and he's locating well. Pitchers throwing well can still get dinged. The A's can still get to Verlander.

All things being equal, though, being down 2-0 to Verlander in an elimination game is kind of messed up.

Omar Infante singled to open the inning, moving to second on a wild pitch. Austin Jackson doubled him home on a slider low in the zone for the Tigers' first run. With no one out, manager Jim Leyland had Quintin Berry bunt Jackson to third, which is just a terrible, horrible decision to, wait, hey, it worked. A wild pitch in front of Derek Norris brought home the second run of the inning.

Parker then got Miguel Cabrera to fly out, and he made Prince Fielder look like Emmanuel Burriss with a three-pitch strikeout, all change-ups. But the damage was done, and the Tigers hold a 2-0 lead that must seem more like a 4-0 lead with Verlander on the mound.

Alright, so I'm a Verlander fanboy. But, still.

A's, T'rs scoreless through first inning

Well, you should be able to abbreviate it T'rs.

With an imbalanced lineup like the Tigers' group, it's easy to get caught up in the players you don't expect a lot from. Sure, they have Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, but what about Quintin Berry and Delmon Young.

Problem with that is those guys occasionally get on in front of the big guys. And with one out in the top of the first, Berry roped a double past Coco Crisp in center, setting the table for the dual-headed monster in the middle of the lineup. But A's starter Jarrod Parker got both Cabrera and Fielder to ground out to the left side.

In the bottom half, things were mostly quiet. With two outs, Yoenis Cespedes slammed a double off Tigers starter Justin Verlander, but Seth Smith hit a comebacker on the first pitch he saw, ending the threat.

Parker threw 12 pitches in the inning, 10 for strikes, while Verlander threw 13 pitches, nine for strikes. It's been a crisp game on both sides, roped doubles notwithstanding.

Bob Melvin's Game 5 lineup

With the planet's best pitcher starting in Game 5 for the Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin has posted his lineup for Thursday night's winner-take-all contest:

Verlander vs. miracle A's: Immovable and unstoppable meet again

Justin Verlander is a titan. The A's are unbelievable. This is the showdown of the year.

Tigers vs. Athletics, 2012 ALDS Game 5: Time, TV schedule, starting pitchers and more

After an amazing ninth-inning comeback by the A's in Game 4, the Tigers will send ace Justin Verlander to the mound against rookie Jarrod Parker for Thursday night's deciding match.