8-4

Wasn't a bad game.  A few bad bounces cost the Tigers dearly.  This is not to say that they pitched well by any means, but a couple bounces put the Tigers down 5-0 early and they couldn't recover.

Johnny Damon led of the third with a nubber toward Robertson.  He awkwardly tried to field it, but it missed his glove (and then his bare hand) and Damon ended up on first.  The next batter, Derek Jeter lined a shot that would have been right at Carlos Guillen, but since Damon was running on the play, Guillen moved to his left to cover second, and Jeter ended up hitting it in the gap.  Instead of having two outs and no one on, the Yankees were on their way to a five-run inning.

The Tigers tried to come back, but could never get the big hit.  Ordonez struck out as the tying run once.  Pudge just missed a pitch that would have mad it 7-6 later.  For an 8-4 loss, the Yankees seemed to get all the bounces and the Tigers did not.  That's baseball, but when a team is as overmatched at the plate as the Tigers are, they have to get their share of those lucky rolls to win this series.

Jim Leyland said he'd be second guessed a lot at the end of this series, and he already is.  With first and second and no one out, he put on a hit and run where Pudge swung and missed.  Pudge looked awful in his first two at bats, unable to figure out that inside sinker.  Then, when he moved back in the box a bit, Wang worked him on the outside corner and Pudge couldn't reach it. 

He started to get his timing down later in the game, and was about an inch down the bat of homering later (or at least hitting it over Matsui's head), but that was his last at bat of the game, and the Tigers, though threatening often, couldn't push enough runs across as the Yankees kept adding them.

Robertson pitched okay.  He made a couple mistakes that I'm sure he'd like to have back, especially if he could have gotten out of the sixth without giving up those two runs, but he never really shut down the Yankee offense.  Robertson used to be more of a strikeout guy a couple years ago.  He should be willing to go back to that in certain situations. 

Tonight it is Verlander vs Mussina.  Mussina shut down the Tigers earlier this year and was an A-Rod error away from shutting the Tigers out.  If the Tigers don't figure him out tonight, they will be playing Friday with one foot in the grave.  Here's hoping that Verlander's extra rest helps him.  He looked rusty the other two times he skipped a start this year.  If he can keep the ball down and control the tough Yankee lineup, the Tigers have a chance, but if the Tigers win, it is looking like a 2-1 game, which will be hard to come up with at the house that Ruth built.