A Capsule Look At Tigers-Yankees Playoff Series
A look at the best-of-five American League division series between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees:
Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at New York (8:37 p.m.); Game 2, Saturday, at New York (8:37 p.m.); Game 3, Monday, at Detroit (8:37 p.m.); x-Game 4, Tuesday, at Detroit (TBA); x-Game 5, Thursday, at New York (TBA). (All games on TBS).
x-if necessary.
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Season Series: Tigers won 4-3.
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Projected Lineups:
Tigers: CF Austin Jackson (.249, 10 HRs, 45 RBIs, 11 triples, 22 SBs), RF Magglio Ordonez (.255, 5, 32), LF Delmon Young (.268, 12, 64 with Twins and Tigers), 1B Miguel Cabrera (AL-leading .344, 30, 105, 48 doubles, 111 runs, 108 BBs), DH Victor Martinez (.330, 12, 103, 40 doubles), C Alex Avila (.295, 19, 82), SS Jhonny Peralta (.299, 21, 86), 2B Ryan Raburn (.256, 14, 49), 3B Wilson Betemit (.285, 8, 46 with Royals and Tigers).
Yankees: SS Derek Jeter (.297, 6, 61), CF Curtis Granderson (.262, 41, AL-high 119 RBIs, AL-high 136 runs, 10 triples, 25 SBs, 169 Ks), 1B Mark Teixeira (.248, 39, 111), 3B Alex Rodriguez (.276, 16, 62), 2B Robinson Cano (.302, 28, 118, 46 doubles, 104 runs), RF Nick Swisher (.260, 23, 85), DH Jorge Posada (.235, 14, 44) or Jesus Montero (.328, 4, 12 in 61 ABs), C Russell Martin (.237, 18, 65), LF Brett Gardner (.259, 7, 36, 49 SBs, 87 runs).
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Projected Rotations:
Tigers: RH Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250 Ks, 251 IP), RH Doug Fister (11-13, 2.83 with Mariners and Tigers), RH Max Scherzer (15-9, 4.43), RH Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.75).
Yankees: LH CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.00, 230 Ks, 237 1-3 IP), RH Ivan Nova (16-4, 3.70), RH Freddy Garcia (12-8, 3.62).
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Relievers:
Tigers: RH Jose Valverde (2-4, 2.24, 49/49 saves, 69 Ks, 72 1-3 IP), RH Joaquin Benoit (4-3, 2.95, 2 saves, 63 Ks, 61 IP), RH Al Alburquerque (6-1, 1.87, 67 Ks, 43 1-3 IP), LH Phil Coke (3-9, 4.47, 1 save in 48 games, 14 starts), RH Ryan Perry (2-0, 5.35), LH Daniel Schlereth (2-2, 3.49).
Yankees: RH Mariano Rivera (1-2, 1.91, 44/49 saves, 60 Ks, 8 BBs, 61 1-3 IP), RH David Robertson (4-0, 1.08, 1 save, 100 Ks, 35 BBs, 1 HR, 70 games, 66 2-3 IP), RH Rafael Soriano (2-3, 4.12, 2 saves), LH Boone Logan (5-3, 3.46, 64 games), RH Cory Wade (6-1, 2.04), RH Luis Ayala (2-2, 2.09), RH Phil Hughes (5-5, 5.79 in 17 games, 14 starts), RH A.J. Burnett (11-11, 5.15 in 33 games, 32 starts), RH Bartolo Colon (8-10, 4.00 in 29 games, 26 starts).
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Matchups:
The Yankees acquired Granderson from Detroit in a big three-team trade after the 2009 season. The Tigers received Jackson and Coke from New York, and Scherzer and Schlereth from Arizona. Those five players could all play a major role in this series. ... Detroit was the wild card when it stunned the heavily favored Yankees in four games in the first round of the 2006 playoffs. Verlander, the AL Rookie of the Year that season, lasted 5 1-3 innings and got a no-decision in his only start of the series. Granderson hit .294 with 2 homers and 5 RBIs. ... Lefties have hit .321 against Porcello, which could be an issue against a New York lineup that features Granderson and Cano. ... The Yankees hosted Detroit on opening day and took two of three in that series. The Tigers won three of four at home against New York in early May. ... Verlander started twice against the Yankees this season, allowing three runs in six innings each time and ending up with 2 no-decisions. New York won both games. ... Teixeira and Cano could flip-flop in the lineup in an effort to get Cano more protection and pitches to hit. ... The 40-year-old Posada, still dangerous from the left side of the plate, might platoon at DH with Montero, 21, a prized prospect who flashed impressive power in September. ... The Yankees are expected to be without backup catcher Francisco Cervelli because of concussion symptoms, leaving a rusty Posada and an inexperienced Montero as the options behind Martin.
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Big Picture:
Tigers: Riding a pair of MVP candidates in Verlander and Cabrera, the Tigers (95-67) dusted the Indians and White Sox in the second half to win the AL Central for the first time. It was their first division crown since 1987, when they played in the AL East. And with Verlander at the top of the rotation, this team looks like a potential World Series contender. ... Verlander won the pitching version of the Triple Crown, leading the AL in wins, ERA and strikeouts - not to mention innings. He threw a no-hitter and came close a couple of other times. ... Jim Leyland managed 14 seasons in the National League, and it shows. Whether he's shuttling in defensive replacements late in a game or giving spot starts to his backups, he's been willing to go deep into his roster of position players. Expect to see 3B Brandon Inge against left-handers, and 2B Ramon Santiago (hitting .294 since Aug. 14) could play quite a bit as well. Ordonez is often the first candidate to come out for defense if the Tigers have a lead, and utilityman Don Kelly can play just about anywhere. ... Verlander and Fister have combined to go 14-0 with a 1.61 ERA since Aug. 16. ... The Tigers won 30 of their final 39 games to finish the regular season. ... Cabrera hit .391 after July 19 and finished the regular season on a 15-for-26 run with four homers. ... Raburn hit .213 before the All-Star break and .341 afterward. ... Alburquerque was hit in the head with a ball during batting practice Aug. 12 and had a concussion. He's struck out 10 batters in 6 1-3 innings since returning. ... Benoit has a 1.36 ERA since May 20. ... Coke began the year in the starting rotation, but since moving back to the bullpen, he's 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA. ... Detroit went 46-24 after the All-Star break. The Tigers hadn't had a winning record after the break since 2000. ... Fister went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA after being acquired in a trade from Seattle. ... Young hit 8 home runs in 40 games with the Tigers after hitting four in 84 games for Minnesota.
Yankees: Despite going 6-12 against the rival Red Sox this season, New York (97-65) pulled away to win the AL East as Boston collapsed in September and missed the playoffs entirely. It is the Yankees' 16th playoff berth in 17 years. They clinched home-field advantage through the AL championship series with days to spare, giving manager Joe Girardi a chance to rest his aging stars and key relievers. But the Yankees played hard against Boston and Tampa Bay during the final week, going deep into the night for a couple of extra-inning thrillers. Still, they lost their last four games. Now the Yankees get set to make a run at their 28th World Series title. Much of this group was around for the last one in 2009, though there have been several significant changes. New York was eliminated by Texas in the ALCS last year. ... The rotation was a major question mark coming into the year, but it held up OK thanks in large part to a couple of bargain-priced veterans in Garcia and Colon. Burnett was a bust but Nova turned into one of the league's top rookies and Robertson emerged as a dominant setup man for Rivera, helping to offset a season-ending elbow injury to Joba Chamberlain. New York is expected to start Sabathia on three days' rest if the series goes four games. ... The season got off to a rocky start with Jeter struggling at the plate and Posada getting into a brief spat with the team when he was dropped to ninth in the batting order. But by the summer, things began to turn and several celebrations followed. When some thought he was on his last legs, the 37-year-old Jeter reached 3,000 hits with a home run in a 5-for-5 performance July 9 that included the decisive single. Healthy again after a calf injury landed him on the disabled list, he used that memorable day as a springboard to a splendid second half. Rivera racked up his 600th save, then set the major league record with No. 602. And even Posada, benched during a trying season, had a couple of feel-good moments down the stretch. He had a grand slam and six RBI s in an August win against the Rays, then came off the pine to deliver the division-clinching hit in September. Major production from Granderson and Cano helped the Yankees score 867 runs, second in the majors to Boston (875). Teixeira's average dipped, however, and Rodriguez's numbers were way down during an injury-plagued season. The bullpen is deep, at least from the right side, and the bench boasts playoff-proven experience in Andruw Jones and Eric Chavez.
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Watch For:
- Valverde's Streak. Detroit's closer converted all 49 of his save opportunities during the regular season, although his strikeout rate has actually declined the last few years. The last reliever on a run like this was Brad Lidge in 2008 with Philadelphia, and he kept it up through the playoffs to help the Phillies win the World Series.
- A-Rod Again. Rodriguez was a perennial bust in October until coming through with one clutch hit after another in 2009 to carry the Yankees to a title. Sidelined by knee surgery during the summer, he's been hampered by nagging injuries to his thumb and hip as well. Can the Yankees count on the 36-year-old slugger to provide production from the cleanup spot?
- Action Jackson. The Detroit leadoff hitter hasn't had a great year offensively, but he's of tremendous importance in center field, especially at spacious Comerica Park. Jackson's range enables Leyland to play less mobile fielders in left and right, and if his bat shows up for a playoff series or two, it will make the Tigers that much tougher to beat.
- Super Nova. The rookie right-hander has been a revelation for the Yankees, winning his last 12 big league decisions. That stretch was interrupted by a month in the minors even though he was 8-4 when he got demoted. Plucked by the Padres in the 2008 Rule 5 draft only to be returned the following March, Nova could end up starting twice in the series, including a deciding Game 5. It will be interesting to see how he handles his first postseason.
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