New York @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( May 10, 2010 ) NY Yankees 4, Detroit 5
Rick Porcello didn't pitch like a rookie last season.
The Detroit Tigers right-hander, looking like a seasoned veteran, finished 14-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 31 starts.
Porcello, who was 20 years old the entire season, led all American League rookies in wins.
The early portion of this season has produced an entirely different story for Porcello, who makes his seventh start today against the New York Yankees.
A look at the numbers shows why the Tigers have won only two of his six starts to date. Porcello has allowed 46 hits in only 30 innings and opposing batters are hitting .354 against him.
Porcello has lost three of his last four starts and has failed to get through the sixth inning in any of them. He has allowed six earned runs twice and five earned runs once in the stretch.
The only win for Porcello came on April 30 over the Los Angeles, and he needed a big offensive game from his teammates. He allowed five runs in 5 1-3 innings, but the Tigers offense hit its way to a 10-6 victory.
Porcello dropped his most recent start to Minnesota on Tuesday. He gave up five runs, five hits and four walks in 5 1-3 innings.
The good news is that Porcello will be pitching at Comerica Park, where he has picked up both his wins, beating Cleveland and Los Angeles.
It would be difficult for Yankees starter Javier Vazquez to pitch worse than he has in his first five starts. The veteran right-hander has been roughed up for 25 earned runs in 23 innings. He has given up 32 hits, including eight home runs, and walked 15.
Opposing hitters are batting .337 against Vazquez. The Yankees skipped his turn in the rotation after allowing five runs, seven hits and four walks in three innings against the Chicago White Sox on May 1
The teams combined to use 10 pitchers in the Tigers' 5-4 win Monday night, but Tuesday’s postponement gave their relievers an extra day of rest.
Sergio Mitre, taking Andy Pettitte's turn in the rotation, pitched 4 1-3 innings in his first start of the season Monday. Mitre, the losing pitcher, was the first of four pitchers used by manager Joe Girardi.
Detroit manager Jim Leyland used six pitchers after starter Dontrelle Willis was scratched because of the flu. Brad Thomas came out of the bullpen and pitched three innings before five other relievers worked the final six innings. Eddie Bonine pitched 2 1-3 scoreless innings for the win while Jose Valverde struck out the side in the ninth for his ninth save.
Johnny Damon homered in his first game against the Yankees this season while Brennan Boesch drove in three runs.
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is in a 4-for-31 slump. He was 0-for-5 with a strikeout Monday.