New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers struggling offensively – MLB Update
Both Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees have struggled to convert scoring opportunities in the best of seven American League Championship Series. Tigers certainly have more depth and variety in their pitching attack.
In Justin Verlander, they have one of the best pitchers in the Major League Baseball. The hard throwing ace gave up just three hits and one run in eight plus solid innings on Tuesday evening to help his team claim a commanding 3-0 series lead.
In the opener, Doug Fister produced a match winning performance as he pitched seven scoreless innings to give Tigers complete control of the situation. Anibal Sanchez kept Yankees on the defensive with a heroic effort in Game 2.
Yankees scored only four runs in first two games of the series, thanks to Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez who hit back-to-back two run home-runs in the ninth inning against Jose Valverde in series opener.
"He's our No. 1 guy," Yankees’ second baseman Robinson Cano said of C.C. Sabathia, who will start Game 4 for New York on Thursday evening. "He knows how to pitch in these games. We have to back him up with some runs."
"We need Cano to come back hot [in Game 4]," Nunez said. "I talk with him a lot, and he told me he was seeing the ball better, feeling better. He's had some bad luck, but I think he's coming back tomorrow with a great game."
Tigers, on the other hand, have also struggled to put enough runs on the board. They scored only 11 runs in three games with a poor .259 batting average. Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder have been mostly kept quiet by the Yankees.
However, the Tigers have found a new hero in Delmon Young, who now has six post-season home-runs against the Yankees. On Tuesday evening, he homered to break the deadlock.
Cabrera has certainly performed below par. He is hitting .364 in the series with an RBI double in Game 3. Surely, he will be looking to find his lost form to end the season on a bright note.
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