New York @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Mar 27, 2010 ) NY Yankees 2, Detroit 1
The New York Yankees will look for a boost from an unexpected source on Monday in the opener of a four-game series at Comerica Park.
Sergio Mitre, who is taking the spot in the rotation usually held by Andy Pettitte, makes his first start against the Detroit Tigers after five relief appearances. Pettitte has been pushed back to Saturday because of a sore left elbow.
The Yankees will try to get Mitre as deep into the game as possible. A rain delay of over an hour and an injury to Alfredo Aceves forced manager Joe Girardi to use five relievers in Saturday's 14-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. With the bullpen a little taxed, the Yankees need Mitre to get through the fifth inning at the very least.
Mitre's longest outing this season has been three innings on May 1 against the Chicago White Sox. The right-hander's last start came on Aug. 29, 2009 when he pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 10-0 win - which also came over the White Sox.
Starting isn't completely foreign to Mitre. He started 27 games with the Florida Marlins in 2007, finishing 5-8 with a 4.65 ERA. Mitre missed all of the 2008 season following Tommy John surgery.
Mitre will be making his first career appearance against the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera, who leads the league in RBIs, and Adam Everett are the only Detroit hitters he has faced. Cabrera has one hit, an RBI and two strikeouts in five at-bats while Everett has two hits and two strikeouts in five at-bats.
The Yankees had their typical interesting weekend in Fenway Park. New York won the first two games by a combined 24-6 count, but dropped a 9-3 decision in Sunday's finale.
Mark Teixeira belted three home runs Saturday. Alex Rodriguez hit his 586th career home run off Boston's Jon Lester in Sunday's loss. The homer moved him into a tie with Frank Robinson for seventh place on baseball's all-time list.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi was ejected from Sunday's game in the fourth inning by plate umpire Tim McClelland. It was his first ejection of the season.
Dontrelle Willis' last two starts have been against the Minnesota Twins. He picked up his only win on April 29 with six shutout innings at Comerica Park. The left-hander allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start on Tuesday.
Willis will be pitching against the Yankees for the first time since 2006. As is usually the case, it's difficult to predict what will happens when he takes the mound.
Thanks to his inability to throw strikes at times, his pitch count consistently reaches the 90- to 100-pitch mark. If that doesn't happen until the sixth or seventh inning, the Tigers will be satisfied. If it happens before that, especially against a Yankees lineup that features patient hitters up and down the order, it probably means Detroit is looking at a large deficit.
The Tigers took two of three from the Cleveland Indians this past weekend.
Rodriguez is hitless in three career at-bats with a strikeout and a walk against Willis.