MLB

Inside pitch

Game 2: Tigers 3, Yankees 0

HERO

Detroit’s Anibal Sanchez became the latest starting pitcher to look like an ace against the once-mighty Yankee lineup, despite coming into the game with a non-descript resume. He pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up just three hits as he outdueled Hiroki Kuroda to give the Tigers a 2-0 series lead as they head home and give the ball to their true ace, Justin Verlander, tomorrow.

ZERO

As bad as second base umpire Jeff Nelson was, the Yankees offense was even worse. It once again wasted a terrific performance by a starting pitcher. This time, they made Sanchez look unbeatable, while Kuroda’s outing on short rest was squandered — with the help of Nelson who blew a call at second base in the eighth inning, leading to two insurance runs.

KEY MOMENT

Robinson Cano wasn’t able to make the exchange on a potential double-play ball that would have ended the seventh inning. Delmon Young may still have beaten Cano’s throw on the chopper to short, which came after a fan got in Mark Teixeira’s way as the first baseman tried to catch a pop-up in the stands down the first base line.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

“This is the best of seven, not the best of three. We won [95] games for a reason.”

­— Alex Rodriguez on the Yankees’ chances heading to Detroit down 2-0