Game 34 Recap

1. On the very first pitch of the game, Derek Jeter poked a ball between third and short that went for an infield hit. Brett Garnder chopped into a fielder's choice and began doing what he does best: pestering the pitcher. Verlander threw over to first twice, and the second one got past Miguel Cabrera, allowing Gardner to advance to second. Mark Teixeira struck out swinging and A-Rod and popped out to first to strand the runner.

2. The Tigers got on the board in the third. Brennan Boesch ripped a double into the gap. Gerald Laird hit a check swing flare into extremely shallow right to put the Tigers up 1-0. Ken Singleton said it was either lucky or the best piece of hitting he's ever seen (it was lucky).

3. Despite that one cheap run, Sabathia was in control through the first three innings, having throwing just 28 pitches. He lost his grip in the fourth inning briefly, however. Miguel Cabrera took a knee high two-seamer over the right field wall. Then, Boesch (damn I've typed his name a lot over the past few days) roped a 1-2 slider down the right field line that just cleared the wall and stayed fair by about fifteen feet. The two solo shots put the Tigers ahead 3-0.

4. The game really got away from CC in the sixth. Damon and Ordonez led off with back to back singles and Miguel Cabrera smashed one off the wall in center field that missed being a home run by about a foot. Still, it ended up as a two RBI double and extended the Tigers' lead to five. Gerald Laird got another soft, two out hit, this time over Jeter's head that made it 6-0 Tigers.

5. Facing Joel Zumaya in the top of the 8th, the Yanks put two men on with one out via a walk by Robinson Cano and an error on a grounder by Jorge Posada. With two outs, Randy Winn sliced one deep into left field but Don Kelly made a running catch up against the wall to rob him of an extra base hit and at least one RBI. That was about as close as they came to scoring all game and they got blanked again in Detroit six to zip.

IFs, ANDs & BUTs

• If they didn't before, I bet the Yanks are wishing it rained now. However, the game went off on time and finished without so much as a spatter from the sky.
  
  
• Sabathia just didn't quite have it today. He struck out four and didn't walk anyone, but the Tigers just had his number, knocking nine hits - five of them for extra bases. He was efficient, throwing 80 pitches through six innings (55 for strikes), and didn't seem like he was missing his spots too badly. It was just one of those days when the hitters were putting the bat on the ball and the ball was finding places that the fielders weren't.
  
  
• Verlander was the opposite, not efficient but effective. He needed 118 pitches to get through 6 2/3, but didn't allow a run. The Yanks did work four walks but had just four hits, and the only one that went for extra bases was Posada's double in the sixth. Verlander had four K's and 10 outs on the ground.
  
  
• The game was another fairly quick one, wrapping up in just 2:39.
  
  
• I know it might have disrupted the crisp pace of play and Justin Verlander is tough, but would it have killed the Yankees to score some damn runs? I'm kidding, mostly. During this series, the Yankees' injures really caught up to them. The bench wasn't going to keep producing at an above average clip forever and they were dipping deeper into their reserves than ever.
  
  
• Coming into yesterday, the Yankees hand't been held to less than two runs all year. Now they've been blanked twice in two days.
  
  
• In the top of the second we got a glimpse of why Greg Golson might not be a Major League caliber hitter. Justin Verlander threw him three straight curveballs. The first two made him flinch badly and he grounded the third one to short.
  
  
• Jeter got hit right on the hand in the fifth inning. The contact was so hard that the ball deflected and went all the way into the Yankee dugout. He's day-to-day.
  
  
• Jorge Posada hit a ball over Austin Jackson's head in center during the sixth inning that rolled all the way to the wall. If anyone else on the team had hit it, it would have been a triple but Jorge was only able to trot into second. He may never hit a triple again.
  
  
• Ivan Nova made his Major League debut in the seventh inning. He pitched well, throwing two scoreless innings and allowing two hits while striking out one.
  
  
• On the broadcast, it was said that Dave Eiland and Joba Chamberlain thought the firmness of the mound was the reason for the high pitch velocities.
  
  
• Michael Kay was telling a story about how Justin Verlander sold 1% of his signing bonus when he was in 10th grade for a chocolate milk. Verlander's bonus was $3.125M, however, Kay claimed that his buddy's share was about $3K. Try $30K, Kay!

The Yanks dropped three out of four this series and have now lost four of their last five. It happens and hopefully they'll find their groove when they come back to the Bronx to face the Twins tomorrow night.