Tigers Have A’s Almost Out Cold

Anyone have a cell number for St. Jude? At this point, only the patron saint of lost causes might be able to save the Oakland Athletics, who are in danger of being blown out of the American League Championship Series.

With the game-time temperature in Comerica Park dipping to 42 degrees, veteran left-hander Kenny Rogers put the A’s in a deep freeze, giving up two hits in 7 1/3 scoreless innings to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 Game 3 victory and a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven ALCS.

The Tigers, who got a run-scoring single from Placido Polanco and a run-scoring groundout from Magglio Ordonez in the first inning and a solo home run from Craig Monroe in the fifth, can clinch their first World Series berth since 1984 with a victory today in Game 4.

For the A’s to advance, they’ll have to pull a Dave Roberts out of their hat. And hope Roberts is attached to a David Ortiz, a Manny Ramirez, a Johnny Damon, a Curt Schilling and a few more members of the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

Of the 28 previous major league teams to lose the first three games of a best-of-seven series, only the 2004 Red Sox have pulled off the miracle of winning four straight, stunning the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS en route to their World Series title.

“But they had a lot more punch than we do,” Oakland right fielder Milton Bradley said of that Red Sox team. “Hopefully, we can scrap it out like we have been all year. You know it’s been done, so you know it can be accomplished, but it’s a mighty task.”

The A’s daunting deficit filled their clubhouse with a mixture of frustration and resignation. They have been out-pitched, out-hit, out-defended and out-managed in this series. Their two top run-producers, Frank Thomas and Nick Swisher, are hitless with nine strikeouts in 17 at-bats.

Oakland mustered two hits Friday, and only one runner reached second base, when Jason Kendall opened the game with a single and advanced when Thomas was hit by a pitch.

Rogers retired nine in a row from the second to fifth innings, reliever Fernando Rodney got a double-play grounder to end the eighth, and closer Todd Jones retired the side in order in the ninth for the save.

“We’re running into a better team,” A’s third baseman Eric Chavez said of the Tigers, who have won six postseason games in a row. “Their manager is doing a good job, their bullpen is doing a great job, they have good speed ... they have no weaknesses. You’d like to think we can put up a fight, have some pride, come out tomorrow and play hard, but at this point, you just tip your cap.”

Bradley was ready to do more than tip his cap to Rogers, the 41-year-old who struck out six, walked two, threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of 26 batters and duplicated his magnificent division series Game 3 effort, when he shut out the Yankees for 7 2/3 innings of a 6-0 victory.

Rogers left to a thunderous ovation from a towel-waving crowd of 41,669, doing a 360-degree turn while doffing his cap in front of the dugout. After the game, the crowd chanted, “Kenny! Kenny! Kenny!” Bradley almost joined them.

“I don’t know if it would be disrespectful or something, but I almost felt like going over there and giving him a high-five,” Bradley said of Rogers. “He was that good.”

Rogers wasn’t overpowering -- his fastball rarely topped 89 mph -- but, as Oakland Manager Ken Macha said, “When you can throw any of your pitches at any time for strikes, and you’re throwing them with sink on the fastball and good bite on your curve and slider, and great arm action on your changeup, it makes it difficult for the hitters.”

Rogers had 12 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings of his final six regular-season starts. He has 14 strikeouts in 15 innings in two playoff starts.

“Kenny was mad because when he beat the Yankees, everyone said he pitched the game of his life,” Jones said. “So I guess now, in back-to-back starts, he’s pitched the games of his life.”

Rogers seemed to bottle up the emotions that bubbled to the surface against the Yankees -- he did not stalk around the mound Friday, curse to himself or pound the ball in his glove between pitches -- but the intensity was still there.

“I’m really trying to use that emotion and use that aggressiveness and feed off it,” Rogers said, “and it’s making me a better pitcher.”

The A’s will have to get better -- quickly -- in virtually every facet of the game if they are to challenge the Tigers.

“You get yourself hyped up for a big series, it doesn’t turn out your way, and it’s frustrating,” Swisher said. “But this series is not over. No one in this locker room thinks that, and no one in their locker room thinks that.... We’ve dug ourselves a hole right now. We need to find a way to battle back.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com