Joba Chamberlain gives fans what they want . . . Orioles fans

To infinity and beyond: the story of Joba Chamberlain's 2014 postseason. We're still another game or two from writing the ending, but the Tigers, down 0-2 in this ALDS, are finished. And a very big, bearded reason for that is Chamberlain, the former Yankee who again is doing a swan dive on the October stage, this year for Detroit.

Chamberlain carried a sideways 8 - the symbol for infinity -- as his ERA after pitching to two batters and failing to record an out during an eight-run eighth inning by the Orioles in Game 1 on Thursday.

But that didn't feel nearly as bad as what happened in Game 2, when Chamberlain lit the match for a bullpen meltdown so complete, we seriously doubt the Tigers can extinguish the blaze in time to salvage this series.

Called on to start the eighth with a 6-3 lead, Chamberlain entered to enthusiastic cheers from the other team's fans at Camden Yards -- and proceeded to give them exactly what they wanted. He surrendered Steve Pearce's RBI single and left two Orioles on base for Joakim Soria, who allowed a walk and torched the game by serving up pinch hitter Delmon Young's three-run double.

"This one's on me," said Chamberlain, who trimmed his ERA from infinity to 108.00. "If I don't put us in that situation, Soria doesn't have to come into it. This one's on me and I'll wear it."

Bravo to Joba for taking responsibility. But that's of little consolation to the rest of the Tigers, who were six outs away from tying this series with the next two games scheduled for Comerica Park.

Now manager Brad Ausmus faces an elimination game Sunday with a bullpen that has been ripped apart; the Orioles have scored 12 runs in a pair of eighth innings. David Price certainly is capable of going the distance, but Ausmus will settle for eight -- enough to skip right to closer Joe Nathan.

"If we have a lead in the eighth inning," Ausmus said, "we're going to have to find somebody."

Before Friday's first pitch was thrown just after noon, Chamberlain carried out the lineup card to home plate as sort of a good-luck gesture the Tigers employed periodically during the regular season. The Tigers reeled off as many as seven straight wins with Joba toting the card, so Ausmus must have been hoping to revive some of that good karma.

For seven innings, it worked. The Tigers built a 6-3 lead, and then -- with reliever Anibal Sanchez close to his 35-pitch ceiling -- Ausmus had no choice but to go back to Chamberlain.

After Thursday's unsettling events, he probably wasn't thrilled to have to make that move. But the 48,058 orange towel-waving crazies absolutely loved it. The Camden Yards fans, still tingly over Thursday's electrifying win, roared in approval when they saw Chamberlain. The decibel level of his ovation rivaled any of those received by the Orioles' players.

At that point, during his warm-up, Chamberlain went to his cap, which he later said was not an effort to acknowledge the cheers. Knowing Joba, ever the showman, we think otherwise.

"I just adjusted my hat," Chamberlain said.

Whatever the reason, it did seem as if he had his head on straight. He retired the first batter, Alejandro De Aza, on a harmless bouncer to second. A chance to exhale. Maybe this day would be different. It had to be, right?

Then everything fell apart. Chamberlain tried to go inside to Adam Jones and hit him with his second pitch. Nelson Cruz singled and Pearce chased Chamberlain with a line-drive RBI single to right.

After coming off the field, Chamberlain went directly into the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. No sympathetic pats on the back. This October, the Cleveland midges have been replaced by orange towels. Or the ghosts of postseasons past.

"This isn't the first time I've done this," Chamberlain said. "Nothing's going to catch me off guard in this game, I can promise you that."

But this was the chance at redemption. Now it already might be too late.