Game 6 Preview

New York Yankees (1-4) vs. Detroit Tigers (3-2)

Time: 1:10 EST, Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (TBS/Fox Sports Detroit, Tigers Radio Network)

Pitching Matchup: C.C. Sabathia (0-1, 7.20 ERA)

                                        vs.

                               Justin Verlander (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

     It will be a match up between two of the best pitchers in baseball this afternoon at Comerica Park as the Yankees take on the Tigers looking to salvage a game in the series, avoiding a sweep. Sabathia was roughed up pretty good by the Red Sox in his opening day start earlier this week at Yankee Stadium, and maybe even more concerning for Yankees fans showed a fastball that only topped out at 91 MPH. Sabathia sat around 88-90 most of the day with the fastball, and it really limited the effectiveness of his off speed arsenal as they didn't have enough of a velocity differential. 

     Verlander was very effective in his opening day start in Minnesota, but not efficient at all. A lot of that had to do with the fact that he couldn't feel the ball as it was 30 degrees. It is imperative for him to pitch deep into this game as no starter through the first five games has made it past the sixth inning and the bullpen is pretty depleted. Look for Verlander to go deep into the game this afternoon against a roughshod Yankee lineup and be every bit you expect JV to be.

Lineup Notes:

     Matt Tuiasosopo will be getting his first Tigers start in left field today as the Yankees throw a lefty on the hill for today's game. Brayan Pena will also be getting his first appearance for the Tigers as he starts behind the dish. Don Kelly will be today's backup/emergency catcher as Alex Avila's wife gave birth to a daughter last night and won't be attending the game. (Congrats, Alex!) Also, Santiago will again get the start but today at shortstop as Peralta will have the day off and Infante returns to second base. The rumor is that Santiago is getting his weekend tryout and that if he shows nothing, the Tigers will likely release him and call up Danny Worth to fill that role. That will be something to keep an eye on today and going forward. 

Outlook:

     It's not a surprise Jim Leyland is rolling out his second tier lineup today as that appears to be his favorite thing to do on Sundays (besides smoking of course). However, with JV on the hill Tigers fans should feel pretty confident today. Tigers hitters have always had pretty good success against Sabathia and if his fastball velocity is down, look for the club to rack up a lot of hits again today. I'm pretty comfortable in predicting a Tigers win and sweep over the Yankees today. 

     Side note: GO BLUE!