Zumaya cannot finish what Bonderman starts
Zumaya cannot finish what Bonderman starts
Vartan Kupelian / The Detroit News
ST. LOUIS - The World Series experience has been tough on Joel Zumaya.
What Jeremy Bonderman started Thursday night, Zumaya didn’t come close to finishing and the Tigers lost, 5-4, to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals lead the World Series, 3 games to 1.
“They’ve got to win four games, not three,” Carlos Guillen said.
The Tigers squandered a three-run lead and Zumaya got tagged with the loss when he gave up a double to David Eckstein, which scored Aaron Miles with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Zumaya took the blame for the defeat but, like Guillen, vowed the Tigers aren’t done.
“It’s not over,” Zumaya said. “Just some things happened.”
Bad things happened, including a couple of fly balls that eluded Curtis Granderson and Craig Monroe and swiped a victory away from the Tigers.
“Curtis wasn’t a mistake,” Zumaya said. “Craig tried his heart out. He had it and it bounced out of his glove. That wasn’t a mistake.
“I walked the leadoff guy (Aaron Miles). That’s a mistake. I was up in the zone with Eckstein. That was a mistake.”
Bonderman didn’t make any mistakes serious enough to cost the Tigers the game. The Tigers’ right-hander doesn’t deal with what ifs and what nots. When Bonderman took the mound for Game 4, he wasn’t worried about having had a long layoff or making his World Series debut or having to bat in the National League city. His focus was squarely on what he needed to do to get the Cardinals’ hitters out, especially Albert Pujols.
“I thought Bonderman did a good job,” manager Jim Leyland said.
Bonderman, a 14-game winner during the regular season, did exactly that. He allowed six hits in five-plus innings and left with the Tigers leading, 3-2. He was relieved by Fernando Rodney with two runners on in the fifth. Rodney retired the side.
It was a respectable outing for Bonderman in an hostile environment with so much at stake.
Bonderman coasted through two scoreless innings. After giving up a leadoff single to Eckstein, he retired six in a row. Eckstein had four hits.
The Tigers staked Bonderman to a 3-0 lead with a single run in the second and two more in the third.
Miles, back in the lineup to give the Cards another left-handed bat, singled to center with one out in the third. Miles stole second and scored on Eckstein’s double to leflt-center. Bonderman walked Duncan to put two runners on with the dangerous Albert Pujols coming to the plate. Bonderman got him to ground out meekly to Brandon Inge at third base.
Bonderman had a game plan for Pujols, the National League’s most fearsome hitter who came into Game 4 hitting just .200 with two hits.
“The way I pitch, I’m going to go inside, I’m going to throw breaking balls, elevate it,” Bonderman said. “I’m going to do what I can to keep him off balance and not let him sit with one.”
The Cards added another run off Bonderman in the fourth inning. Scott Rolen doubled and scored on Yadier Molina’s double.
Bonderman didn’t mess with Pujols in the fifth inning. With two out and nobody on, Bonderman walked the slugger. That was in the game plan, too.
“If I have a base open, I’m not going to be afraid to walk him,” Bonderman said in the build-up to Game 4. “But if the situation calls for it, I will pitch to him and I won’t be scared to do it.”
Bonderman, who was 2-0 in the postseason with victories over the Yankees and the A’s, struck out Jim Edmonds swinging to end the fifth inning. It was his 85th pitch, and the Tigers’ bullpen began to stir.
Bonderman did not make it through the sixth inning. A double by Rolen, followed by a sacrifice and a walk to Molina, put runners at first and third with one out and Rodney was summoned from the bullpen. Rodney struck out Miles and pinch-hitter John Rodriguez to end the threat