The Magic Carpet

By Matthew Storey

Detroit Tigers - 4 (11-8)
New York Yankees - 2 (9-10)

Winning Pitcher: Verlander (1-2)
Losing Pitcher: Sabathia (1-2)

HR: Ordonez (2)

Yankees may have set a MLB record in their Monday night game in Detroit, although we have no way to check on it, by losing their 2nd successive game to a starting pitcher named 'Justin' (which was always sort of a weenie name for mouseketeers, until one of them grew up to be 'America's sexiest' and date a succession of hottie starlets, now Justin's are ruling the Earth!).

Ahem...sorry, the BASEBALL game was a real treat for MLB fans, after the ugliness of Saturday in Fenway Park when the delicious pitchers duel between Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett degenerated into one of the ugliest, slo-pitch Softball sorts of games you'll ever suffer through (16-11). This time, the marquee matchup lived up to its billing as CC Sabathia, gave the Yankees all they need with 8 innings of complete game to give the Bullpen it's 2nd night off, striking out 7 and walking Z-E-R-O (the big number), CC was throwing darts all night and closed out the the heaving 96mph - so there is no worry there.

Unfortunately for CC, the struggling Verlander, who came into the game with a surrealistic 9.00 ERA (what is the deal with the former studs of the AL Pitching corps so far this season? Wang, Beckett, CC, Verlander...taking time to get things going). From the first moment, this was the Verlander of two season ago, throwing strike after strike, focused, working quickly and featuring that ridiculous stuff that only Joba can match. Like Joba now, Verlander mysteriously dipped down last year from near 100 MPH to a pedestrian 92-93 and got smacked, on Monday night, the gas was at 99 and the curve was criminal, the hot Yankee bats managed to hang in an get a decent number of Hits, but they were purely of the 1B variety and there never was a real threat of scoring until they got into the bullpen late and put on a mild comeback in the 9th, which died when Jorge Posada, hit into a Double Play with 2-on and none out. If Verlander is back to this form, he goes right back to his accustomed spot as Cy Young capable and the Tigers may be ready to have the season they planned on having LAST year.

Robinson Cano continued his sick hitting with another 2 hits, and Melky got another start and hit (the final one off Verlander) to continue strengthening his hold on the CF job he lost in Spring to Brett Gardner. Gardner has a role to play, with his solid Defense and breathtaking speed, but he simply cannot supply ANY thump in the batter's box (2 of his 3 extra base hits, in EIGHTEEN games, came in successive at-bats against Tampa Bay when Crawford and Upton dared him to hit it over their heads and he hit modest fly-balls that would have been easy outs with normal positioning).

Damon hurt his chronic left shoulder, foolishly running into the Green Monster chasing Papi's game-turning 2B on Sunday night. He is moments away from the DL or the bench, and Gardner is likely to play in his place (unless they call up Austin Jackson!), so both Yankee kids will continue to get chances, but this is the Melky we saw LAST April, playing shutdown CF, making laser throws and stroking it, with power from both sides of the plate. With Melky in the lineup, Yankees have a fantastic F-O-U-R Switch-Hitters in the everyday lineup, all of whom have power from both sides of the dish.

Kudos are due to Jose Molina, who struggled mightily at Bat, when asked to be the regular catcher last year upon Posada's injury. While he led MLB in runners thrown-out with a sick 50%, he just didn't give them ANYTHING offensively. This year, returned to a backup role, he has been getting his hits and holding up the bottom of the order better (.280), if he can continue that, Yankees will have best Catching duo in AL, outside of Cleveland (Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach both RAKE).

Tough Edwin Jackson (easily the worst trade of the offseason by Tampa Bay) goes for Les Tigres tonight and will face 22 year old, Phil Hughes, returning to the Yankees to cover Wang's spot while he heals. Hughes looked strong last September in his return to MLB, pitched well in Arizona fall league, well in Spring Training and dominated in AAA. He belongs, needs to stay calm, and deliver a 6 inning outing to give the bullpen more rest. Anything outside of that is gravy, Jackson can, and has, shut down the Yankees before, making his ouster from the Rays all the curiouser.

Perhaps, after the bitter disappointment of '08, the Tigers were simply due for something to go their way.