DETROIT — When the ball hit the third-base bag and hopped over Adrian Beltre’s head in the sixth inning and umpire Larry Vanover signaled fair, Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson threw his hands over his head.
It was an “Are you kidding me?” reaction.
Things were only going to get worse for Wilson, likely Future Yankee. Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera wound up with a go-ahead RBI double. Then the real carnage started.
If Wilson is going to be the answer to the Yankees pitching prayers as a free agent, what’s the question? Can C.J. be better than A.J.?
Wilson must pick up his postseason performance. The wheels came off in that inning as he gave up a “cycle” to the first four Tigers hitters. Detroit scored four times in the frame on the way to an ALCS-saving 7-5 victory over Texas at Comerica Park.
The left-hander had the chance to close out the series, but now it’s back to Arlington with the Rangers holding a 3-2 lead after Wilson gave up six runs over six innings.
“That’s actually the second time that’s happened to me this year,” Wilson said. “A guy hit a ground ball up the middle in Seattle and it hit the second base bag and turned into a double.
“This was literally a bad bounce, but even with that play it’s 3-2, we’re in the game and I didn’t make the right pitches to get out of the inning in time and that’s all there is to it.”
Wilson had the misfortune of running into Justin Verlander, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth by getting Ian Kinsler to hit into a double play, but Wilson gave up three home runs, one to Alex Avilla, who had been 2-for-33 in the postseason. Wilson had surrendered only three home runs to lefties all year.
After Cabrera’s double, Victor Martinez tripled to right and Delmon Young blasted his second home run of the game off Wilson. Ryan Raburn started the inning with a single, so in the space of four batters Wilson gave up a single, double, triple and home run, a baseball rarity. It was that kind of day.
Of the sixth-inning home run to Young, Wilson said it was a “chase pitch and he hit it out, it was a very painful lesson.”
Postseason lessons have been painful for Wilson.
He is 1-4 over seven career postseason starts. He is 0-2 in three starts this year. In 15 2/3 innings he has surrendered 21 hits, 17 runs, 16 earned and six home runs. This marked the second straight October he has lost Game 5 of the ALCS. He was beaten 7-2 by the Yankees and CC Sabathia in Game 5 last season in the Bronx.
Wilson labeled this postseason a frustrating one on a personal level.
“You always want to do better,” he said.
He’s cost himself some free agency millions, but he said he’s not looking that far ahead. If the Rangers can win one of the next two games, Wilson gets another crack in the World Series.
“There’s been some weird stuff that has happened,” he said. “Whoever has got the rabbit’s foot that day gets the bounce.”
The poor performance from Wilson prompted Doc Gooden to Tweet: “I understand Yanks say they r going after pitching but I wouldn’t over pay 4 C.J Wilson cause every game n the Bronx is like the post season.”
When Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was asked what the most appealing thing about Wilson from a GM’s perspective, he said: “He wants to stay out there,”
“For a guy to finish with [223 1/3] innings in our ballpark in the American League in the hottest summer on record in a long time, you got to give him a lot of credit,” Daniels said. “How he conditions himself. How he prepares himself for that is pretty impressive.”
If the Tigers win both games in Texas, this is the end of the postseason road for Wilson.
His next October redemption start could be in Pinstripes.