5 BOROUGH SPORTS

Cano's Grand Slam in Game One was Overshadowed by an Impressive Detroit Victory in Game Two

After a dominating Game One followed by a disappointing second game, the Yankees have found themselves in a must win game tonight in Detroit. Obviously if the Yanks lose Game Three they aren’t eliminated, but I still believe they have to win this game in order to win this series. The reason: A.J. Burnett. A little over a month ago, I told you guys that I lost all confidence in AJ. Nothing has changed since, even though he had a solid start against the Red Sox at the end of the year. Girardi is taking the biggest risk of the season by announcing Burnett as the Game Three starter. If the Yankees lose tonight, the season is in AJ’s hands. Yes, the AJ who had an 11.91 ERA in the month of August. The AJ who has a 1-2 record with a 5.67 ERA in six postseason starts with the Yankees. The most overpaid Yankees pitcher since the great Carl Pavano in 2006.

The Yanks have their hands full tonight since they’re facing Justin Verlander, the best pitcher in the league. After coming a Game Two victory and coming home to Comerica Park, the Tigers have the momentum. But I remember the last time these two teams faced off in the playoffs back in 2006. The series was tied 1-1 and was headed to Detroit. The Yankees had their ace Randy Johnson face the suspect Tigers’ starter Kenny Rogers. The Big Unit was shelled while Rogers threw a gem. Can the Yankees pull off a similar upset this year and get to Verlander early? We will find out tonight.

In 2011 against the Yankees, Verlander had a 4.50 ERA with 16 strikeouts in Two Starts

This entry was posted on October 3, 2011 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Yankees. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.