GDT6: 4/07/13 - DET (3-2) VS NYY (1-4) - 1:08 p.m. ET

Tigers: RHP Justin Verlander (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

For all the great things Verlander has done in his career, he has never started a season 2-0. He earned his first career Opening Day victory in six tries on Monday after five shutout innings against the Twins at Target Field.



Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia (0-1, 7.20 ERA)

Sabathia will try to bounce back after taking the loss on Opening Day, allowing four runs in five innings to the Red Sox. The ace is a notorious slow starter, owning a 4.18 career ERA in April, his highest of any month.







Yankees ask CC for A-plus effort vs. Verlander
With rotation continuing to struggle, New York off to worst start since '06

By Jason Mastrodonato / MLB.com | 4/6/2013 9:00 PM ET

At 1-4 and off to their worst start since 2006, the Yankees will send their ace to the mound for Sunday's series finale at Comerica Park.

After their poor start in '06, the Yankees quickly turned it around and went on to win 97 games as they cruised to the American League East title.

CC Sabathia will try to turn the ship in the right direction against Justin Verlander and the surging Tigers.

The concerns surrounding Sabathia after his first start, in which he took the loss against the Red Sox after allowing four runs on four walks and eight hits in five innings, centered on his stumbling fastball velocity, which sat in the high-80s for most of Opening Day.

The 6-foot-7, 290-pound left-hander has typically started the season with slower velocity before speeding up with warmer weather, but even in the past two seasons, that early-season speed hung around 93 mph. Sabathia had elbow surgery in the offseason to remove bone chips.

Manager Joe Girardi said he isn't concerned.

The Yankees could use some consistency in their rotation. Their starters entered Saturday with the worst ERA (5.21) among all rotations in the AL. Phil Hughes tossed four-plus innings Saturday, allowing three earned runs.

"We have not pitched great," Girardi said before Saturday's game. "We had a starter [Hiroki Kuroda] get knocked out in the second inning with a finger. Our bullpen has struggled a little bit. Those are big parts. If we want to go far, that's what we need. We need our starting rotation and we need our bullpen. It's a little surprising."

Verlander, who picked up his first Opening Day win in six tries on Monday, has never begun a season 2-0.

The sturdy right-hander looked sharp in his first start, allowing no runs on two walks and three hits while striking out seven.

He's 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA in 13 career starts against the Yankees.

"I think from a competitor's standpoint, you want to face the best," said Yankees outfielder Vernon Wells. "If we don't want to get swept, we've got to beat the best. I think everybody in this clubhouse is looking forward to that challenge, and you know what you're going to get from him."

Yankees: Finding a shortstop
With Derek Jeter taking ground balls in Florida, still nursing his injured ankle, and Eduardo Nunez on the bench with a bruised biceps, Jayson Nix got the nod at shortstop on Saturday.

Nix botched a routine grounder and went 0-for-3 at the plate out of the No. 9 spot. He made just one error in 134 innings at shortstop for the Yankees last season.

Nunez could be ready as soon as Sunday.

"I'm lucky," Nunez said. "I was thinking I broke my arm, seriously. I never feel so much pain before."

Tigers: A unique lineup to face Sabathia
The Tigers plan to roll out a different version of their starting lineup for Sunday's game against the left-handed Sabathia, plugging in Ramon Santiago at shortstop for Jhonny Peralta (1-for-17 lifetime against the southpaw), Matt Tuiasosopo in left field for Andy Dirks and catcher Brayan Pena for Alex Avila (1-for-7 vs. Sabathia).

Pena, who spent the last four seasons with the Royals, is excited to catch Verlander for the first time.

"He really identifies himself with the Detroit fans," Pena said. "You don't see that a lot. It's something I can appreciate watching him. It's amazing how people respond to him, and that means a lot."

Worth noting
• After allowing 10 earned runs in 14 innings over the first four games, the Tigers' bullpen shut the door on Saturday. Al Alburquerque, Darin Downs and Joaquin Benoit combined for four shutout innings.

• Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are a combined 14-for-37 against Sabathia, with three homers and 15 RBIs.

• Robinson Cano and Kevin Youkilis, the Yankees' second and third hitters in Saturday's lineup, are each batting .226 or lower in 30-plus at-bats against Verlander.

Jason Mastrodonato is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.







INJURY UPDATE:

• RF Avisail Garcia (Right heel contusion, 15-day DL retroactive to March 22, 2013).







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• MON, April 08:
OFF DAY


• TUE, April 09:
TIGERS: (RHP Anibal Sanchez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)) VS
BLUE JAYS: (RHP Brandon Morrow (0-0, 1.50 ERA))
1:08 p.m. ET (FS-D / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)


• WED, April 10:
TIGERS: (RHP Rick Porcello (0-1, 5.06 ERA)) VS
BLUE JAYS: (LHP Mark Buehrle (0-0, 10.13 ERA))
1:08 p.m. ET (FS-D / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)


• THU, April 11:
TIGERS: (RHP Doug Fister (1-0, 5.40 ERA)) VS
BLUE JAYS: (RHP Josh Johnson (0-0, 4.50 ERA))
1:08 p.m. ET (FS-D / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)

STARTING LINEUPS:

TIGERS

Austin Jackson, CF (6-for-26, HR, 2 RBIs, 13 K’s vs. Sabathia)
Torii Hunter, RF (21-for-79, 8 doubles, 3 HR, 17 RBIs, 9, walks, 19 K’s vs. Sabathia)
Miguel Cabrera, 3B (11-for-31, 3 HR, 14 RBIs, 8 walks vs. Sabathia)
Prince Fielder, 1B (6-for-14, HR, 3 RBIs vs. Sabathia)
Victor Martinez, DH (7-for-30, 2 HR, 4 RBIs vs. Sabathia)
Matt Tuiasosopo, LF (0-for-3, walk, 2 K’s vs. Sabathia)
Brayan Pena, C (0-for-3 vs. Sabathia)
Omar Infante, 2B (8-for-32, HR, 10 K’s vs. Sabathia)
Ramon Santiago, SS (10-for-36, HR vs. Sabathia)

P: Justin Verlander


YANKEES

Brett Gardner, CF (5-for-15, 3 walks, 3 K’s vs. Verlander)
Robinson Cano, 2B (7-for-41, 2 walks, 8 K’s vs. Verlander)
Kevin Youkilis, 3B (7-for-31, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 8 K’s vs. Verlander)
Travis Hafner, DH (13-for-47, 3 HR, 11 RBIs, 9 walks, 13 K’s vs. Verlander)
Vernon Wells, LF (8-for-23 vs. Verlander)
Ichiro Suzuki, RF (19-for-58, double, triple, HR vs. Verlander)
Francisco Cervelli, C
Lyle Overbay, 1B (3-for-12 vs. Verlander)
Jayson Nix, SS (1-for-11, 2 walks, 5 K’s vs. Verlander)

P: CC Sabathia

NYY - Top 1st
B:0 S:1 O:1
Brett Gardner flies out to right fielder Torii Hunter.

B:1 S:2 O:2
Robinson Cano flies out to left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo in foul territory.

B:1 S:1 O:2
Kevin Youkilis doubles (4) on a fly ball to center fielder Austin Jackson.

B:3 S:3 O:3
Travis Hafner strikes out on a foul tip.


DET - Bot 1st
B:2 S:1 O:1
Austin Jackson flies out to center fielder Brett Gardner.

B:2 S:1 O:1
Torii Hunter singles on a line drive to left fielder Vernon Wells.

B:0 S:2 O:2
Miguel Cabrera lines out sharply to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

B:0 S:3 O:3
Prince Fielder strikes out swinging.

0-0 AFTER 1 INNING

NYY - Top 2nd
B:4 S:2 O:0
Vernon Wells walks.

B:0 S:2 O:1
Ichiro Suzuki grounds into a force out, shortstop Ramon Santiago to second baseman Omar Infante. Vernon Wells out at 2nd. Ichiro Suzuki to 1st.

B:1 S:0 O:1
Francisco Cervelli doubles (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo. Ichiro Suzuki scores.
NYY 1 - 0

B:1 S:2 O:2
Lyle Overbay flies out to left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo.

B:2 S:1 O:2
Jayson Nix homers (1) on a fly ball to left field. Francisco Cervelli scores.
NYY 3 - 0

B:0 S:2 O:3
Brett Gardner grounds out, third baseman Miguel Cabrera to first baseman Prince Fielder.


DET - Bot 2nd
B:0 S:2 O:1
Victor Martinez flies out to left fielder Vernon Wells.

B:1 S:2 O:1
Matt Tuiasosopo singles on a line drive to left fielder Vernon Wells.

B:3 S:2 O:2
Brayan Pena grounds into a force out, second baseman Robinson Cano to shortstop Jayson Nix. Matt Tuiasosopo out at 2nd. Brayan Pena to 1st.

B:3 S:3 O:3
Omar Infante strikes out swinging.

NYY 3 - 0 AFTER 2 INNINGS

NYY - Top 3rd
B:0 S:2 O:1
Robinson Cano grounds out, shortstop Ramon Santiago to first baseman Prince Fielder.

B:4 S:2 O:1
Kevin Youkilis walks.

B:1 S:1 O:1
Travis Hafner singles on a line drive to right fielder Torii Hunter. Kevin Youkilis to 2nd.

B:2 S:2 O:2
Vernon Wells pops out to third baseman Miguel Cabrera on the infield fly rule.

B:0 S:2 O:3
Ichiro Suzuki flies out sharply to right fielder Torii Hunter.


DET - Bot 3rd
B:1 S:2 O:1
Ramon Santiago lines out to left fielder Vernon Wells.

B:4 S:1 O:1
Austin Jackson walks.

B:2 S:2 O:2
Torii Hunter grounds into a force out, shortstop Jayson Nix to second baseman Robinson Cano. Austin Jackson out at 2nd. Torii Hunter to 1st.

B:0 S:0 O:3
Miguel Cabrera grounds into a force out, second baseman Robinson Cano to shortstop Jayson Nix. Torii Hunter out at 2nd.

NYY 3 - 0 AFTER 3 INNINGS

NYY - Top 4th
B:0 S:0 O:1
Francisco Cervelli flies out to right fielder Torii Hunter.

B:1 S:3 O:2
Lyle Overbay strikes out swinging.

B:1 S:1 O:3
Jayson Nix flies out to right fielder Torii Hunter.


DET - Bot 4th
B:2 S:3 O:1
Prince Fielder strikes out swinging.

B:3 S:1 O:2
Victor Martinez flies out to center fielder Brett Gardner.

B:4 S:2 O:2
Matt Tuiasosopo walks.

B:2 S:2 O:2
Brayan Pena singles on a ground ball to shortstop Jayson Nix. Matt Tuiasosopo to 2nd.

B:3 S:2 O:3
Omar Infante flies out to left fielder Vernon Wells.

NYY 3 - 0 AFTER 4 INNINGS

NYY - Top 5th
B:3 S:2 O:1
Brett Gardner pops out to shortstop Ramon Santiago.

B:0 S:0 O:1
Robinson Cano singles on a line drive to right fielder Torii Hunter.

B:0 S:2 O:2
Kevin Youkilis flies out to right fielder Torii Hunter.

B:0 S:3 O:3
Travis Hafner strikes out swinging.


DET - Bot 5th
B:1 S:0 O:1
Ramon Santiago flies out to center fielder Brett Gardner.

B:4 S:2 O:1
Austin Jackson walks.

B:0 S:1 O:2
Torii Hunter flies out to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

B:0 S:0 O:3
Miguel Cabrera grounds out, second baseman Robinson Cano to first baseman Lyle Overbay.

NYY 3 - 0 AFTER 5 INNINGS

NYY - Top 6th
B:1 S:3 O:1
Vernon Wells strikes out swinging.

B:0 S:1 O:1
Ichiro Suzuki singles on a ground ball to shortstop Ramon Santiago.

B:0 S:2 O:2
Francisco Cervelli grounds out to pitcher Justin Verlander. Ichiro Suzuki to 2nd.

B:0 S:0 O:3
Lyle Overbay grounds out, second baseman Omar Infante to first baseman Prince Fielder.


DET - Bot 6th
B:1 S:1 O:1
Prince Fielder grounds out, second baseman Robinson Cano to first baseman Lyle Overbay.

B:0 S:1 O:2
Victor Martinez lines out to third baseman Kevin Youkilis.

B:0 S:1 O:2
Matt Tuiasosopo singles on a line drive to center fielder Brett Gardner.

B:1 S:1 O:3
Brayan Pena pops out to first baseman Lyle Overbay in foul territory.

NYY 3 - 0 AFTER 6 INNINGS

NYY - Top 7th
B:1 S:2 O:0
Jayson Nix singles on a ground ball to center fielder Austin Jackson.

B:2 S:2 O:1
Brett Gardner flies out to center fielder Austin Jackson.

B:2 S:1 O:3
Robinson Cano grounds into a double play, second baseman Omar Infante to shortstop Ramon Santiago to first baseman Prince Fielder. Jayson Nix out at 2nd.


DET - Bot 7th
B:1 S:2 O:1
Omar Infante pops out to shortstop Jayson Nix.

B:3 S:2 O:2
Ramon Santiago grounds out, third baseman Kevin Youkilis to first baseman Lyle Overbay.

B:3 S:3 O:3
Austin Jackson strikes out swinging.

NYY 3 - 0 AFTER 7 INNINGS

NYY - Top 8th
B:1 S:1 O:1
Kevin Youkilis grounds out, third baseman Miguel Cabrera to first baseman Prince Fielder.

Coaching visit to mound.

Pitching Change: Phil Coke replaces Justin Verlander.

B:0 S:0 O:1
Travis Hafner singles on a line drive to right fielder Torii Hunter.

B:2 S:2 O:1
Vernon Wells hits a ground-rule double (1) on a ground ball down the left-field line, on fan interference. Travis Hafner to 3rd.

Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Eduardo Nunez replaces Travis Hafner.

B:3 S:1 O:2
Ichiro Suzuki out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Torii Hunter. Eduardo Nunez scores. Vernon Wells to 3rd.
NYY 4 - 0

B:0 S:0 O:2
Francisco Cervelli singles on a line drive to center fielder Austin Jackson. Vernon Wells scores.
NYY 5 - 0

B:1 S:2 O:3
Lyle Overbay flies out to center fielder Austin Jackson.


DET - Bot 8th
Eduardo Nunez remains in the game as the designated hitter.

Pitching Change: David Robertson replaces CC Sabathia.

B:1 S:2 O:0
Torii Hunter singles on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Vernon Wells, deflected by third baseman Kevin Youkilis.

B:0 S:3 O:1
Miguel Cabrera strikes out swinging.

B:0 S:2 O:1
Prince Fielder singles on a soft fly ball to center fielder Brett Gardner. Torii Hunter to 3rd.

B:2 S:2 O:2
Victor Martinez flies out to center fielder Brett Gardner.

B:0 S:3 O:3
Matt Tuiasosopo strikes out swinging.

NYY 5 - 0 AFTER 8 INNINGS

NYY - Top 9th
Pitching Change: Octavio Dotel replaces Phil Coke.

B:0 S:1 O:0
Jayson Nix singles on a line drive to center fielder Austin Jackson.

B:1 S:0 O:0
Brett Gardner singles on a ground ball to center fielder Austin Jackson. Jayson Nix to 3rd.

B:0 S:1 O:1
Robinson Cano grounds out, shortstop Ramon Santiago to first baseman Prince Fielder. Brett Gardner to 2nd.

B:1 S:2 O:1
Kevin Youkilis singles on a line drive to left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo. Jayson Nix scores. Brett Gardner scores.
NYY 7 - 0

Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Brennan Boesch replaces Eduardo Nunez.

B:3 S:2 O:2
Brennan Boesch pops out to second baseman Omar Infante.

B:4 S:2 O:2
Vernon Wells walks. Kevin Youkilis to 2nd.

B:1 S:2 O:3
Ichiro Suzuki flies out to left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo.


DET - Bot 9th
Brennan Boesch remains in the game as the designated hitter.

Pitching Change: Mariano Rivera replaces David Robertson.

B:0 S:1 O:1
Brayan Pena grounds out, second baseman Robinson Cano to first baseman Lyle Overbay.

B:2 S:1 O:1
Omar Infante singles on a soft fly ball to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

B:1 S:2 O:1
Ramon Santiago singles on a soft fly ball to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki. Omar Infante to 2nd.

B:3 S:2 O:2
Austin Jackson flies out to center fielder Brett Gardner. Omar Infante to 3rd.

B:0 S:3 O:3
Torii Hunter strikes out swinging.

TIGERS LOSE 0-7

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE

• W: Sabathia
  
• L: Verlander
  

Game Info

Pitches-strikes: Sabathia 114-68, Robertson 20-17, Rivera, Ma 21-15, Verlander 111-79, Coke 16-10, Dotel 31-21.
Groundouts-flyouts: Sabathia 6-6, Robertson 0-1, Rivera, Ma 1-1, Verlander 7-8, Coke 0-2, Dotel 1-1.
Batters faced: Sabathia 28, Robertson 5, Rivera, Ma 5, Verlander 30, Coke 5, Dotel 7.
Umpires: HP: Brian O'Nora. 1B: Hunter Wendelstedt. 2B: Alan Porter. 3B: Jerry Layne.
Weather: 53 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 17 mph, Out to LF.
T: 3:21.
Att: 39,829.

Game 6: Leyland looks to sort out bullpen
BECK'S BLOG
Posted on April 8, 2013 at 12:40 am

One of the things about a bullpen by committee with few (if any) set roles is that if a reliever can’t retire a hitter he is supposed to retire, his struggles tend to put the rest of the bullpen order out of whack. Left-handed pitchers who can get right-handed hitters out make a world of difference. A left-handed pitcher giving out a hit to a left-handed hitter, while inevitable, tends to have a bigger effect.

Phil Coke’s struggles against right-handed hitters are well-known, and Jim Leyland admitted said Sunday’s game that he left Coke in to finish out the eighth inning to give him a chance against some right-handed hitters. The results were a Vernon Wells double and a Francisco Cervelli RBI single.

For all practical purposes, though, the inning began to fall apart with a left-handed hitter. Travis Hafner greeted Coke with a first-pitch single to right on an elevated breaking ball, putting a runner on ahead of Wells’ double. That meant Ichiro’s fly ball to right, instead of the third out to strand a runner on second, was a sacrifice fly for the second out before Cervelli’s two-out single.

Hafner was 1-for-6 with two strikeouts against Coke heading into the day.

That said, Leyland didn’t diminish the importance of Coke retiring right-handed hitters.

“We’ve got to get Cokey, Dotel and these guys going,” Leyland said. “That’s why I let him pitch to the right-handers. But he’s going to have to get these guys out.”

As you might remember, right-handed hitters went 40-for-101 against Coke last year. They’re 4-for-5 off him so far this year. The one out was pretty notable, as it came from switch-hitting Ryan Doumit for the final out on Opening Day at Minnesota.

According to STATS, Coke threw fastballs with 69 percent of his pitches to right-handed hitters last year, with just 19 percent changeups and 12 percent breaking balls. Against left-handed batters, he threw close to an even split of fastballs and breaking balls.

Coke’s percentage of fastballs to right-handed hitters was even higher in 2011 at 72.5 percent. But then, so was his fastball percentage to left-handers that year.

“It’s just puzzling to me with Coke because he has the repertoire that he has,” Leyland said. “If you’re a one-pitch pitcher or something like that, or one pitch with just a mediocre second pitch, OK, I can figure that out.”

At that point, it was a 5-0 game, and Dotel needed to pitch. He began the ninth inning against right-handed hitting Jayson Nix and gave up a leadoff single, Nix’s third hit of the day. After a single from left-handed hitting Brett Gardner and a groundout from lefty-hitting Robinson Cano, he gave up a two-run single to right-handed hitting Kevin Youkilis.

It was just Dotel’s second outing of the regular season. He faced two batters Thursday against the Twins.

“We’ve got to get Dotel going,” Leyland said. “He hadn’t really pitched much in Spring Training. He needs to get out there and throw some pitches.”

Play of the game: As mentioned in the game story, Jayson Nix was 1-for-11 with five strikeouts off Justin Verlander before he got a hanging changeup and sent it out to left for a two-run homer in the second inning and a 3-0 Yankees lead. It was a pitch selection Leyland questioned, and one that Brayan Pena regretted.

Biggest out: The Yankees shut out the Tigers offense by holding the middle of the order — Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez — to a 1-for-12 performance on the game between CC Sabathia’s seven shutout innings and David Robertson’s inning of relief. One of the outs was Robertson’s strikeout of Miguel Cabrera on a check swing following Torii Hunter’s leadoff single. It didn’t stop the rally, because Fielder singled a few pitches later, but is slowed the momentum and kept the Tigers from putting something serious together.

Strategy: Matt Tuiasosopo made the Opening Day roster to serve as the left fielder against tough lefties, and he filled that role admirably with two singles and a walk against CC Sabathia. So why did Leyland keep Tuiasosopo in the game to bat against the right-handed Robertson? Long short story, Leyland was looking for a three-run homer to get them back in the game, and a right-handed pull hitter getting a ball up in a wind blowing out to left was what he saw as his best chance.

“In case you’re wondering, I left him in there that inning because the ball was [carrying] to left and it wasn’t going anywhere to right,” Leyland said. “And I was just hoping with two guys on, he might run into one and get one up in the wind. That’s why I left him in there. He’s got the capability of hitting a home run, so you’re trying to get a quick three there.”

Robertson struck out Tuiasosopo on three pitches.

Line of the day: Jayson Nix went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored.

Stat of the day: 1 — Run allowed against the Tigers by Mariano Rivera since 2000. It was a Curtis Granderson home run in an 8-6 Tigers loss at Comerica Park on April 29, 2009.

Print it: “I think CC’s actually better as a pitcher. He’s a pitcher now, and not a thrower.” — Torii Hunter