Notes: Avila exits Game 3 with head injury, expects to return in 2015
DETROIT -- Alex Avila can't buy a break.
In what is getting to be an all-too-common occurence, Avila had to leave Game 3 of the ALDS Sunday after taking a foul tip directly off his mask. The shot, which came off the bat of Baltimore's Steve Pearce, knocked Avila down, and his knee buckled on his first attempt to stand up.
Brad Ausmus and Tigers trainer Kevin Rand came out to check on Avila, who left the game after a short discussion. He was replaced by Bryan Holaday.
Avila has already been sidelined twice by brain injuries this season, and had suffered several concussions in previous seasons. He hasn't played more than 124 games since his All-Star season in 2011, and has expressed concerns that head injuries could shorten his career.
After the game, Avila said he expects to be back on the field next year.
"Well that's always been in the back of my mind but I'll take it one day at a time," Avila said. "Tomorrow I'll go through all the tests, they'll put me through X-rays of my neck, CT scans, MRIs, make sure I'm ok.
"See what the doctors say, but I fully expect to be playing next year so that's what I expect and I'm going to play as long as I can."
PRICE STRONG IN GAME 3 LOSS
David Price did exactly what the Tigers brought him to Detroit for on Sunday.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.
Price pitched eight strong innings, delivering 112 pitches -- 73 for strikes -- while striking out six. He only gave up five hits and two runs, but Detroit's bats couldn't back up his performance.
"I thought he pitched great," said catcher Alex Avila. "He's a bulldog, he pitched great, kept us right there and gave us an opportunity. That's all you can ask for."
CRUZ CONTINUES TO HAUNT TIGERS
There's something about Nelson Cruz and the Detroit Tigers.
In Game 3 of the ALDS, Cruz smacked a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning. The homer marked Cruz's 16th of the postseason, tying Carlos Beltran for ninth place all-time.
Eight of those 16 home runs have come at the hands of the Tigers.
In Game 1, Cruz hit a two-run homer off starter Max Scherzer in the first inning. He also added an RBI single in the eighth.
DIFFICULT SPORTS DAY IN DETROIT
It was a disappointing day for Detroit sports fans, as both the Lions and Tigers lost.
The last time both teams lost on the same day in the month of October was on Oct. 5, 1968. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Tigers 10-1 in Game 4 of the World Series, while the Lions lost on the road to the Minnesota Vikings 24-10.
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