Detroit Tigers looking strong for ALDS Game 3 against New York Yankees – MLB Update
With the American League Division Series between New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers tied at one-game each after the first two games, the Tigers will now have home-advantage for the next two games.
The Yankees failed to cash in on their advantage, splitting the two games played at Yankee Stadium. Pitching failure was central to Yankees’ loss in the second game after Ivan Nova and their offence helped them to a comprehensive win in the opening game.
Yankees lack depth in their bull-pen and Detroit’s manager Jim Leyland is well aware of this fact. With Justin Verlander starting for the Tigers, Joe Girardi had no other choice but to start with ace CC Sabathia, even though he was not comfortable with this
idea initially. Sabathia’s loss to the top-contender of the AL Cy Young Award will virtually send the East division champions reeling out of the playoffs.
Sabathia, commenting on the rescheduling of the games and a subsequent shuffling of the rotation expressed that he was disappointed, especially after having tossed two pitches in the first game. Verlander, on the contrary, remained calm and stated that he
was indifferent on the way things have changed.
"Hopefully, I'm able to keep it like my routine, I guess," Verlander said. "Kind of treat that as a pretty intense bullpen session and go about my business as normal.”
Statistically analysing, the Tigers have an upper-hand over the Yankees in the playoff games at Comerica Park. In 2006, after splitting the first two games at the Bronx, the Tigers annihilated the Yankees in game three and four of the ALDS. With a similar
situation looming the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez remained confident and said, "The road to a championship is never easy and we don't expect it to be."
However, Rodriguez will have to do more than just being confident. After failing in his three at-bats in game two, a lot is due from the star slugger at Comerica Park.
In ten career starts against the Yankees, Verlander has a decent 4-3 record. Sabathia, on the contrary, has lost four starts in as many appearances playing in Detroit and it will be vital to see if the ace can break this deadlock this time.
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