Justin Verlander told the press that his start against the Yankees was the worst he's felt as a professional on the mound. The Tigers didn't feel very comfortable at the plate, either.
Outside of a solo home run by Austin Jackson to lead off the game and a later solo shot by Brandon Inge in the seventh, there weren't a lot of good feelings to be had about the game.
Verlander lasted just five innings and 114 pitches. He gave up three runs but it definitely could have been worse.
The strain on the bullpen continued, unfortunately. They just can't get much of a break -- especially against the Yankees. Daniel Schlereth, fresh off of being called up Monday, gave up three runs in just over an inning of work. Robbie Weinhardt can't catch a break. Brad Thomas and Enrique Gonzalez kept it close anyway.
Meanwhile ex-Tiger Curtis Granderson seems to have woken up from a season-long slumber. He hit a home run and drew a walk today. Yesterday he went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. Dang. I mean, Dang. That's pretty good for a guy who came into the series with a .306 on-base percentage. Fortunately Marcus Thames harbors no such feelings of revenge. His first three at-bats resulted in a momentum-killing double play and pair of strikeouts.
We did get a slight update on Carlos Guillen, who was scratched with knee pain after being on the receiving end of a breakup slide yesterday. The MRI results came back showing no real damage, Freep's John Lowe reported. It looks like he'll just be resting it.
In more M*A*S*H* news, MLB.com's Jason Beck said a curveball blocked by Gerald Laird broke a blood vessel, so he came out of the game but should be OK.