In the top of the first inning, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees was able to hit his first home run of the season against Mike Pelfrey of the Detroit Tigers. Cessa was acquired by the Tigers last July from the New York Mets as part of the deal that sent Yoenis Cespedes to Queens. Mike Pelfrey’s was anything but that, 24 hours later.
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Pelfrey (0-1) fed Rodriguez a fat 3-and-2 fastball with two out in the first and the NY designated hitter did what he has been doing to those pitches for years – hitting them for home runs. Sabathia pitched to one batter in the seventh, allowing a single before being taken out of the game at 90 pitches. Zimmermann wasn’t wearing a long-sleeve shirt under his Tigers uniform, but as a native of Wisconsin who pitched collegiately at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, it wasn’t like pitching in the cold was new to him.
In the fourth, McCann drew a walk and Carlos Beltran singled to the opposite field to beat the shift. Martinez, again loading the bases for the Yankees.
Ronald Torreyes, who won a utility infield job in spring training and started for Chase Headley at third, went 3-for-4.
Didi Gregorius hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded earlier in the four-run frame. The Tigers’ J.D. Martinez will be another important cog in the machine during 2016, and he logged two hits with a run on Friday. Sabathia loaded the bases on walks in the bottom of the inning and gave up James McCann’s two-run single – the first Detroit hit.
At the plate, the Yankees boast a very formidable-if aging-assortment of bats. Aviles advanced to third, later scoring on an Ian Kinsler ground out.
Then, Ellsbury rocketed a three-RBI triple to deep right, ending Pelfreys’ afternoon with a 6-0 Yankees advantage.
Tanaka’s ERA is 20th in baseball since the start of 2014 (minimum 20 starts) but only three pitchers have a lower WHIP than his 1.02 mark (Clayton Kershaw, Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke). That man being CC Sabathia against one of the most potent offenses in the American League.
Iglesias singled in the first of two Detroit runs in the fourth.
REDS 5, PIRATES 1: Eugenio Suarez drove in three runs with a single and a homer, and ace-by-default Raisel Iglesias made another solid start as Cincinnati handed Pittsburgh its firt loss.
That’s 1,000 career hits for Starlin Castro!
Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton Jr. homered as the Padres broke loose after they were the first team in big league history to be shut out in its first three games.
For now, they’ve gotta hope that the issues Saturday were indeed more weather-related than Palfrey wanted to admit, and that he’ll at least give them a chance as the fourth or fifth starter.
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When outhit, both the Tigers and the Yankees have records of 0-1. Derek Jeter who was 26 years and 94 days old. Detroit did not score in the sixth. Dellin Betances fanned three of the four hitters he faced in the eighth and Andrew Miller worked a scoreless ninth. According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Detroit is favored at home, as the Tigers are getting odds of -120 to win, while the Yankees are getting a money line of +110 to win. On Sunday night, the Yankees look to win their second series of the season in their rubber match with the Tigers.
