New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers: ALDS Game 2 – MLB Post Game Analysis
The Detroit Tigers came roaring back in the second game of the American League Divisional Series to defeat the New York Yankees 5-3 on Sunday, October 2 after having lost the first game 6-11 on Saturday, October 1 at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Jose Valverde seemed to be out of groove in the last inning for the Tigers and nearly lost his footing before re-emerging strongly to safely see the Tigers home. With the series now level at one-each and the 24-win Justin Verlander geared-up to start Game
three at Comerica Park on Monday, October 3, the advantage is definitely with the Tigers.
After having initially been scheduled for Game one, postponement due to rain scratched his start and now he will be up against CC Sabathia in what will be a rematch of the first game. The fire throwers of American League will take on each other and the team
which prevails in the game will likely be the favourites to qualify for the Championship series.
The Tigers had lost their offensive as well as defensive strength in the first game, but a two-run first inning was enough to reinvest confidence in the American League Central Champions. Miguel Cabrera smashed a 337 feet two-run home-run towards right-field,
allowing Magglio Ordonez a run upfront. Cabrera was the highlight of the night for the Tigers, going 3-for-4 and driving in three runs to improve his post-season batting average to .429 for the season.
The other batters in the line-up did not have much to offer, most of them even failing to connect even once. Delmon Young was praised for his batting abilities but a 0-for-5 in the game did not help his cause. Victor Martinez and Don Kelly were the only
other batters to connect at least once for the Tigers, raising questions on their offensive ability against even a decent pitching side. With CC Sabathia scheduled to start on October 3, things might get complicated for the Tigers unless they aggressively
tackle the Yankees’ ace.
Tigers’ catcher Alex Avila and manager Jim Leyland were not satisfied with the win but were content that they were able to level the series. With the next two games scheduled to be played in Detroit’s ballpark, the Tigers will be positive to seal a result
before the fifth game, which is scheduled to be held in Yankee Stadium.
Avila said, "It's tough to win games here, especially in the playoffs. You get what you can and get ready for the next game and that's all you can think about."
If Leyland’s strategy of starting Verlander in the third game pays off, the Tigers will surely gain an upper-hand in the ALDS. However, the Yankees plan to start A.J. Burnett in Game four and even if they prevail against Verlander, their chances in game
four remain to be on the lower side.
The Yankees needed three runs in the last inning to draw level with the Tigers and with Valverde on the mound, a win seemed inevitable for the visitors. However, Nick Swisher homered towards right-field and Jorge Posada scored on Andruw Jones’ sacrifice
fly to bring the home team just two runs shy of Detroit’s total. Valverde, however, was quick to find his footing and safely saw the Tigers through.
Alex Rodriguez failed in his three at-bats by manager Joe Girardi emphasised that he will not make any decisions on the basis of these two games.
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