Tigers Vs. Yankees, Game 3: Highlights From The Live Blog

The Tigers took Game 3 of their ALDS matchup with the Yankees, winning 5-4. The game was billed as a pitcher's duel between Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia -- a pairing that was supposed to take place in Game 1 before that game was suspended due to rain. The Yankees got to Verlander early, scoring twice in the first inning, but Detroit's patience ultimately took its toll on Sabathia, who threw 106 pitches while laboring through 5 1/3 innings. Delmon Young's seventh-inning solo home run was ultimately the difference, though Jose Valverde certainly made things interesting in the final frame.

While the Tigers and Yankees were battling on the field, Baseball Nation's writers were analyzing the action. Here are the highlights from their Game 3 live blog:

• The Yankees' lineup has remained consistent in this series, but Jim Leyland made one change from the lineup he used in Game 1, the last time he prepared his team to face Sabathia: instead of Ryan Raburn starting at second base, Ramon Santiago got the nod. Why? Jeff Sullivan explained (emphasis mine):

Santiago is starting ahead of Ryan Raburn, and he's starting because he's 7-for-24 against Sabathia in his career, while Raburn is 4-for-24. Of course, Santiago is 7-for-24 with zero walks and one extra-base hit (a double), and of course this matchup data has been shown to be of negligible value in the past, but there's your explanation, and anything can happen over a one-game sample.

 Leyland's hunch worked: Santiago proceeded to pick up two hits and drive in two runs with Sabathia in the game. But we're getting ahead of ourselves!  

• Ex-Tiger Curtis Granderson, who knows a thing or two about hitting triples in Comerica Park, gave the Yankees the lead in the first inning, as Sullivan noted:

His first pitch of the game was a high fastball that Derek Jeter grounded right back up the middle for a base hit. That ended the no-hitter before it began, and then Curtis Granderson followed by preventing the shutout as well. In a 1-and-2 count, Verlander gave Granderson a high-away fastball that Granderson plastered into left-center for an RBI triple.

• Sabathia struggled with his control early, to say the least. From Rob Neyer:

CC Sabathia walked four Tigers in the first two innings. Thanks to two double plays, he didn't give up any runs. It also helped a lot that the walks weren't accompanied by any hits.

After giving up a leadoff double to Brandon Inge in the third, Sabathia made it five walks when Austin Jackson drew a free pass after he failed to lay down a bunt.

In case you're wondering, Sabathia had not walked more than four hitters in a game in nearly two full seasons; on the 22nd of April in 2010, Sabathia walked six Athletics.

• Speaking of double plays, five consecutive half-innings had one. Fortunately for Detroit, that didn't stop them from tying the game. From Sullivan:

In the bottom of the third, Sabathia had the bases loaded and nobody out with the heart of the Tigers order coming up, but Cabrera's double play kicked the rally in the throat. Victor Martinez then grounded out to finish the frame.

The good news for Detroit is that Cabrera's double play scored the tying run, and we're even at 2-2 in the fourth. But Sabathia has been on the ropes, and the Tigers have let him off easy.

• The Tigers eventually took a 3-2 lead, and forced Sabathia out of the game. That made Grant Brisbee wonder, did Sabathia just throw his last pitch as a Yankee? 

A lot would have to fall into place, so this isn't necessarily a "Fare thee well, CC!" update. The Yankees would have to lose the series, for one. And then Sabathia would need to opt out of his contract, which he can do after this season. He's due $92 million after this year, and he could want to see if he can get a little more guaranteed money as he advances in age. And then the Yankees would have to not be the team who gives him that money. It's unlikely we just watched Sabathia's last game as a Yankee.

You think the Red Sox might throw some money at Sabathia if he hits the market? How is this even a question?

•  Verlander continued doing what Verlander does, namely strike guys out. In the sixth inning, Alex Rodriguez could only stand and watch:

• In the top of the seventh, the Yankees scraped together a couple of runs to tie the game at 4-4, but then Delmon Young swung for the fences and put the final run of the game on the board.

During the regular season, Delmon Young hit 12 home runs, and not a one of them flew out to right field. You could argue that not a one of them even truly flew out to center field, either.

During the postseason, Delmon Young has hit two home runs, and both of them have flown out to right field. He hit the first in the first inning of the first game, in Yankee Stadium. He hit the second just a few minutes ago, and it was a big one.

Verlander finished the game by throwing 120 pitches over eight innings, eventually giving way to Jose Valverde in the ninth. Valverde picked up the final three outs, but not before walking Jorge Posada and Brett Gardner and nearly sending all of southeastern Michigan into cardiac arrest. Derek Jeter ended the game with a swinging strikeout, which prompted Papa Grande's surprisingly tame celebration:

Justin Verlander Good, Delmon Young Heroic, And Detroit Takes ALDS Lead

Justin Verlander wasn't the best he's ever been, but still he worked eight strong innings, and he got just enough support for the Tigers to pull ahead of the Yankees 2-1 in their playoff best-of-five.

Tigers Beat Yankees, 5-4, Take Series Lead

Everyone was looking for a great game. Everyone got a great game. It just went a little differently than everyone expected. The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees on Monday, 5-4, taking a 2-1 lead in their American League Division Series.

The Yankees got on the board early with Curtis Granderson tripling home Derek Jeter in the first inning, followed by an RBI grounder from Alex Rodriguez to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. CC Sabathia allowed all sorts of runners over the first three innings, but he didn't give up a run until the third, when Ramon Santiago singled home Brandon Inge.

The Tigers threatened to blow the game open with the bases loaded and no one out, but Miguel Cabrera grounded into an inning-ending double play -- the third induced by Sabathia in the first three innings.

The Inge/Santiago combo struck again in the fifth -- party like it's 2002, people -- with Santiago doubling home Inge to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. An RBI double from Jhonny Peralta in the sixth stretched the lead to 4-2, and with a dominant Verlander on the mound, the game was over.

That is, until Justin Verlander, with two outs in the seventh, walked Jorge Posada and hit Russell Martin. Brett Gardner laced a double into the gap on a full count, and both runners scored easily to tie the game.

In the bottom of the seventh, though, Delmon Young hit the game-deciding home run off Yankee reliever Rafael Soriano. How predictable. The homer gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Verlander went eight strong innings, walking three and striking out 11 hitters. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth inning for AN EXTREMELY STRESSFUL AND INTENSE save, and the Tigers can eliminate the Yankees Tuesday night in Detroit.

Will Jim Leyland Let Justin Verlander Finish Up?

Will Jim Leyland let his Cy Young starting pitcher attempt to finish this game?

Or will Leyland call upon his closer, who has converted 50 of 50 save opportunities in 2011?

Through eight innings, Justin Verlander has thrown 120 pitches, and he threw harder in the eighth than he did in the first (which is truly hard, indeed).

Verlander's season high in pitches was 132, against the Red Sox in late May. On five other occasions, he threw at last 125 pitches.

Complicating matters? Detroit's two best relief pitchers worked hard in Sunday night's Game 2 victory. Joaquin Benoit threw two innings (but needed only 23 pitches). Closer Jose Valverde threw just one inning, but got into a big jam and needed 34 pitches to escape it.

If Verlander hadn't walked Alex Rodriguez in the eighth, Leyland might have been awfully tempted to stick with him. But 120 pitches after a six-month season and 251 innings?

Leyland will go with Papa Grande, and hope he's sharper than he was last night. He'll be facing the bottom of the Yankees' lineup, which might help a little.

Yankees vs. Tigers: Delmon Young Home Run Gives Lead Back To Detroit

During the regular season, Delmon Young hit 12 home runs, and not a one of them flew out to right field. You could argue that not a one of them even truly flew out to center field, either.

During the postseason, Delmon Young has hit two home runs, and both of them have flown out to right field. He hit the first in the first inning of the first game, in Yankee Stadium. He hit the second just a few minutes ago, and it was a big one.

In the top of the seventh, the Yankees staged a two-out rally against Justin Verlander to erase a deficit and even the score 4-4. That took a lot of the wind out of the Comerica crowd's collective sail, but then in the bottom half, Young batted against Rafael Soriano with one out and rode a first-pitch fastball the other way. He hit the ball just deep enough - it escaped the yard by a row or two - but a short home run and a long home run all count the same, and so Young put the Tigers right back ahead.

No more damage was done, but now we're into the eighth, and the Yankees have to rally once more. How quickly things can turn. How frequently things can turn.

Yankees vs. Tigers: Justin Verlander Not Dominant, But Delmon Young Takes Back Lead

Well, that changes things.

The internet love for Justin Verlander was absolute after his last inning.

As it should have been. Verlander was looking like the best pitcher in the world in some sort of ethereal best-pitcher groove. He started the seventh inning by striking out Mark Teixeira and getting Nick Swisher to fly out. 

Then he walked Jorge Posada who, I'll guess without checking, hasn't hit a ball out of the infield this season. Then Verlander hit Russell Martin with a 100-mph fastball. Sure, I'd give a kidney to do that, but not in the middle of a close playoff game, dang it. 

Then on a 3-2 count, Brett Gardner roped a double off a 100-mph fastball, and with both runners on the move, the game was tied easily. 

So in the seventh inning, the game starts anew. It's a 4-4 game. Well, until Delmon Young hit a home run just then.

This game is crazy.

Yankees vs. Tigers: Justin Verlander Dominant, And Detroit Extends Lead

The Tigers took a 3-2 lead over the Yankees into the top of the sixth. Leading off the top of the sixth, Derek Jeter knocked a Justin Verlander curveball into center field for a base hit. So maybe Verlander wasn't dominant dominant. But Jeter hit a good pitch, and Verlander was pretty dominant.

He followed by whiffing Curtis Granderson on five pitches. Robinson Cano then hit a can of corn to left, which brought Alex Rodriguez to the plate. After a pair of strikes, here were the following two pitches:

Just perfect, and the second one got the job done. Nothing A-Rod could've done, and so Verlander's up to eight strikeouts.

To the bottom half we went, and the Tigers quickly struck again against a shaky CC Sabathia. Don Kelly led off with a bunt right by the mound, and he scored when Jhonny Peralta pulled a double off the left field wall two pitches later. After a sac bunt, Sabathia was removed, having thrown 106 pitches over 5⅓ innings. With six walks, three strikeouts, and four runs, he didn't have the outing anyone expected from him. He didn't even have the outing anyone would expect from A.J. Burnett. By the way, Burnett goes tomorrow!

The Tigers wouldn't score again in the inning, but now they're up 4-2, and the Yankees have only nine eight seven outs remaining. Verlander did some more dominant things in the seventh while I was writing this.

The End Of The Sabathia Era?

That could have been CC Sabathia's last game as a Yankee.

A lot would have to fall into place, so this isn't necessarily a "Fare thee well, CC!" update. The Yankees would have to lose the series, for one. And then Sabathia would need to opt out of his contract, which he can do after this season. He's due $92 million after this year, and he could want to see if he can get a little more guaranteed money as he advances in age. And then the Yankees would have to not be the team who gives him that money. It's unlikely we just watched Sabathia's last game as a Yankee.

But it could have been his last game. Weirder offseason things have happened, and there's another rich AL East team that might be in the market for an expensive starting pitcher that can double as a poke in the eye. Just throwing that out there, mostly to make Yankees fans gag a little bit.

If it is Sabathia's last start as a Yankee, what a weird finale. He couldn't throw strikes in the early going, but he was bailed out with an inning-ending double play in each of his first three innings. In the end, though, Brandon Inge and Ramon Santiago were too much for CC Sabathia. Read that last sentence back a few times. It makes you feel like you drank six wine coolers through your nose.

John Smoltz On Justin Verlander

John Smoltz on Justin Verlander:

You're seeing a guy who knows his mechanics, and has perfected it. I mean, you don't have a 24-win campaign just 'cause you've got great stuff. You've got to, time and time again, deliver at the right spot.

Bonus points for using the word "campaign" for Smoltz ... Who, I'm sure completely coincidentally, just happens to be the last pitcher who won 24 games in one season. Fifteen years ago, Smoltz went 24-8.

Now, I don't doubt that Smoltz had perfected his mechanics, or that he didn't deliver, time and time again, his pitches to the right spot.

Smoltz did have great stuff, though. And the year before he won 24 games, he won 12; the year after, he won 15.

Verlander's a great pitcher, as was Smoltz. But to win 24 games, you need a lot of luck, too.

Yankees vs. Tigers: Tigers Take 3-2 Lead In The Pitching Duel That Wasn't

The CC Sabathia/Justin Verlander match-up wasn't overhyped -- it was properly hyped. These were two of the best pitchers in baseball matching up in the playoffs. That's sort of what makes baseball tick. If there were billboards every half-mile with a 60'x80' billboard that featured nothing but Sabathia's face, followed by a similar billboard every other half-mile for Verlander, this game wouldn't have been overhyped.

Then the dang thing started, and there were walks and triples and walks.

Starting in the bottom of the fourth inning, though, everything was as it should be. Sabathia got his first 1-2-3 inning of the night, striking out Alex Avila to end the inning. And in the top of the fifth, Verlander was in Cy Young -- dare we say, MVP? -- form, as he struck out the side to the delight of a raucous crowd.

Aces! Doing ace things! Oh, how we missed that.

And then in the bottom of the fifth, CC Sabathia gave up a single after throwing eight pitches to some September call-up named Brandon Inge. Back in the stretch for you, CC! That was followed by a bunt -- always a great idea with no outs and a struggling starter on the mound -- and Ramon Santiago roped an RBI double into the gap.

With two outs and Santiago on second, Sabathia walked Miguel Cabrera intentionally to get to Victor Martinez, but Martinez grounded out to third to end the threat.

Should Jim Leyland Have Benched Alex Avila Against Sabathia?

For a left-handed-hitting catcher, Alex Avila has fared decently enough against left-handed pitchers, with a .263/.344/.409 career line against southpaws.

But counting tonight, he's faced CC Sabathia 10 times, and struck out six times.

And tonight, anyway, he's looked completely overmatched while striking out twice.

Jim Leyland has stacked his lineup with right-handed hitters against Sabathia, with Avila the only lefty swinger in the bunch. But Leyland could have gone all the way, playing Brandon Inge behind the plate instead of Avila, with switch-hitting Wilson Betemit playing third base instead of Inge.

I'm not saying Leyland should have done that. Avila might come up big against Sabathia, later.

But he could have done that.

Mea Culpa: I wasn't smart to remember (or check) Inge's recent history; he hasn't caught a game since 2008, so was hardly an option to replace Avila. The Tigers' lone backup catcher throughout the postseason is apparently Omir Santos, who played in only 11 games with Detroit all season, and can't hit at all. So it's Avila or bust.

Yankees vs. Tigers: Double Plays Helping, Killing Both Sides

Through three innings of baseball in Detroit, we've already seen 12 runners reach base. However, we've seen just four runners come home. Why? I think this kind of explains it:

- R. Santiago grounded into double play third to second to first, A. Jackson out at second

- R. Martin grounded into double play shortstop to second to first, J. Posada out at second

- J. Peralta grounded into double play shortstop to second to first, M. Ordonez out at second

- D. Jeter grounded into double play first to shortstop to first, B. Gardner out at second

- M. Cabrera grounded into double play shortstop to second to first, A. Jackson scored, R. Santiago to third, D. Young out at second

There have been double plays in five consecutive half-innings, with three of them bailing out a struggling CC Sabathia. In the bottom of the third, Sabathia had the bases loaded and nobody out with the heart of the Tigers order coming up, but Cabrera's double play kicked the rally in the throat. Victor Martinez then grounded out to finish the frame.

The good news for Detroit is that Cabrera's double play scored the tying run, and we're even at 2-2 in the fourth. But Sabathia has been on the ropes, and the Tigers have let him off easy.

CC Sabathia's Walked 2011-Most Five Tigers Already

CC Sabathia walked four Tigers in the first two innings. Thanks to two double plays, he didn't give up any runs. It also helped a lot that the walks weren't accompanied by any hits.

After giving up a leadoff double to Brandon Inge in the third, Sabathia made it five walks when Austin Jackson drew a free pass after he failed to lay down a bunt.

In case you're wondering, Sabathia had not walked more than four hitters in a game in nearly two full seasons; on the 22nd of April in 2010, Sabathia walked six Athletics. He lost that game, but did pitch a complete game, going eight innings in the Yankees' 4-2 loss.

He's definitely heading for six, and he's also thrown a lot of pitches already. The last of them (so far) resulted in an RBI single for Ramon Santiago after he failed to lay down a sacrifice bunt.

Neither Sabathia nor Verlander have been sharp in the early going, and you have to wonder if the disruption to their routines -- both pitched briefly in the rain-suspended Game 1 -- is playing a role in these strange doings.

Yankees 2, Tigers 1 with nobody out in the bottom of the third.

Yankees vs. Tigers: CC Sabathia Escapes First-Inning Jam

CC Sabathia's season-high for walks in a game is four. He's done it five times, most recently on September 16.

In the first inning Monday night, CC Sabathia walked three Tigers. Austin Jackson, Delmon Young and Miguel Cabrera all reached on free passes.

And yet Sabathia emerged without having allowed a run. How? Well, for one thing, he struck out Victor Martinez with a slider in the dirt. And for another, there was this:

That looks worse now than it did at the time, but Ramon Santiago swung at a first-pitch ball against a pitcher having all kinds of control problems, and grounded into a double play. That's a good way to stifle a rally.

The good news for the Tigers is that, even though they're losing 2-0, they got Sabathia's pitch count up to 28. But then, Sabathia can handle a high pitch count, and he's probably not going to struggle to find his spots for long. Chalk that half-inning up as a missed opportunity.

Yankees vs. Tigers: Curtis Granderson, New York Waste No Time In Pulling Ahead

Last Friday night was supposed to bring us a pitchers' duel for the ages, with Justin Verlander going up against CC Sabathia in Game 1 of the Yankees/Tigers ALDS. It didn't go quite as planned, as each pitcher allowed a first inning run, but no matter - the game was soon thereafter suspended by rain, and Verlander and Sabathia had a chance to start fresh in Monday's Game 3.

Well, we haven't seen Sabathia yet, but Verlander didn't get off to the start he wanted. His first pitch of the game was a high fastball that Derek Jeter grounded right back up the middle for a base hit. That ended the no-hitter before it began, and then Curtis Granderson followed by preventing the shutout as well. In a 1-and-2 count, Verlander gave Granderson a high-away fastball that Granderson plastered into left-center for an RBI triple.

Lord only knows how he hit this, and hit it so hard:

That put the Yankees in front 1-0, and they extended their lead to 2-0 when Granderson scored on Alex Rodriguez's slow grounder to short. Verlander did strike out both Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira in the inning and it's not like his stuff is below the norm, but he got hit a little bit, and now Sabathia has been given a lead to protect before he even set foot on the mound.

Ramon Santiago Earns Way Into Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 3 Starting Lineup

Ramon Santiago wasn't included in Jim Leyland's Game 1 starting lineup, when the Tigers were preparing to face CC Sabathia. But now for Game 3, Santiago isn't just starting - he's batting second. The full order:

Austin Jackson, CF
Ramon Santiago, 2B
Delmon Young, LF
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
Magglio Ordonez, RF
Jhonny Peralta, SS
Alex Avila, C
Brandon Inge, 3B

Santiago is starting ahead of Ryan Raburn, and he's starting because he's 7-for-24 against Sabathia in his career, while Raburn is 4-for-24. Of course, Santiago is 7-for-24 with zero walks and one extra-base hit (a double), and of course this matchup data has been shown to be of negligible value in the past, but there's your explanation, and anything can happen over a one-game sample.

As for the rest of the lineup, Avila drops to eighth because he's a left-handed hitter against a dominant left-handed starter. Righty Inge is in for the switch-hitting Wilson Betemit. Sabathia will face eight guys hitting from the right side, and even though Sabathia is still quite good against righties, he's worse than he is against lefties, so the Tigers just might score a few times. And that just might be enough for Justin Verlander.

Or it might not! Watch the game, and let's find out together!

Joe Girardi Keeps Yankees Lineup The Same For ALDS Game 3

Having to write about each day's starting lineups gets decidedly less interesting when the manager leaves things the same. What you're about to see is the New York Yankees' lineup for Game 3 of the ALDS, which is the same as their Game 2 lineup, which was the same as their Game 1 lineup.

Derek Jeter, SS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Nick Swisher, RF
Jorge Posada, DH
Russell Martin, C
Brett Gardner, LF

It's not like Girardi has much reason to make a change. This is the lineup that he wants against a right-handed starter, and the Tigers don't have any left-handed starters. Additionally, of course the Game 3 lineup is the same as the Game 1 lineup - both were drawn up to face Justin Verlander. It just so happened that the Game 1 lineup didn't face Verlander for very long.

Girardi will have his usual good flexibility available on the bench, with Jesus Montero, Eric Chavez, Andruw Jones, Chris Dickerson, and Eduardo Nunez. So far, though, he's pinch-hit just once - with Chavez, for Gardner, against Joaquin Benoit.

I could go through some of the personal histories against Verlander here if I wanted to, but I don't want to, because that data is worthless.

Yankees Vs. Tigers, ALDS Game 3 Preview: Time, TV Schedule And More

C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander return to the mound for Game 3 of the 2011 ALDS after rain cut their starts short in Game 1