A-Rod Provides A-Win

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Detroit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		1	6	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	X		2	7	0

WP - Sabathia (9-6) SV - Rivera (25) LP - Verlander (10-5)

The Yankees and the Detroit Tigers were locked into the expected pitcher’s duel between CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander Saturday afternoon. Then came the biggest at-bat of the day, a power vs. power showdown between Verlander and Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod and the Yankees won out when the 3rd baseman lined a 97-mph fastball into the right field seats for a 1-0 lead. The Yankees went on to win their second game in a row, 2-1, and moved to within 2 games of Boston in the AL East, the Red Sox having lost 6-2 to the Blue Jays.

CC Sabathia struggled with his control, but battled his way through 7 scoreless innings and 116 pitches to earn his 9th win of the season. The Tigers’ lone run came in the 8th when Marcus Thames belted a solo home run off of Al Aceves. But Mariano Rivera retired the side in order in the 9th for his 25th save in 26 tries.

Read the rest of my recap on Baseball Digest Online.