DETROIT — There on one of the flat screens in the Yankees’ clubhouse at Comerica Park before yesterday’s brutal 8-4 loss to the Tigers played the movie: “The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.”
Kind of fitting, considering the state of the 1-4 Yankees.
The Yankees rerouted Phil Hughes from a minor league start to stop the bleeding, his first start of the season after battling back problems in spring training. Hughes pitched well for four innings, but manager Joe Girardi stayed with him in the fifth and paid the price as the Tigers broke a 1-1 tie with four runs. The inning also featured another stink-o performance by lefty Boone Logan.
After the Yankees came back with three in the sixth to make it 5-4, the bullpen gave two runs right back on a day the Tigers collected 17 hits.
Life doesn’t get any easier as the Yankees wrap up the three-game series today with CC Sabathia, who has yet to find his fastball, going up against ace of aces Justin Verlander.
The Tigers are showing the kind of beast they can be with their 8-3 win Friday and putting up another eight runs yesterday; their lineup features a tremendous top five in Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez. Detroit’s first three hitters were 10-for-14 yesterday. The Yankees’ first three hitters were 1-for-10.
“The capabilities of this lineup are really impressive,’’ Hunter told The Post on the day the Tigers received their AL pennant rings. “The Four Tops sang the national anthem on Opening Day, but we’ve got the five tops at the top of our lineup. I love this lineup. It can be so explosive.’’
Hunter had three hits and has multiple-hit games in four of the first five games. He’s batting .391 after signing with the Tigers as a free agent. The Yankees’ right-fielder, Ichiro Suzuki, struck out as a pinch-hitter yesterday and is batting .071.
The Yankees have not been getting the kind of pitching they thought they would be getting over the first five games of the season. They went into the day with the second-worst ERA in the majors at 6.43 and that jumped to 6.49. Only the Phillies have a higher ERA than the Yankees.
Hunter said one of the huge perks of coming to the Detroit is he has protection in the lineup and that makes such a big difference for a hitter.
“Last year was the first time I had kind of my protection in the lineup with Albert Pujols hitting behind me and this year I have so much protection with guys like Prince, Cabrera and Martinez hitting behind me.’’
Hunter admitted it is “weird’’ to see the Yankees without Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez.
“Jeter is the face of that franchise and you talk about Teixeira, Granderson and A-Rod, these guys are big name guys and they are out, it’s kind of weird.
“It’s going to be a test for them,’’ Hunter added, “but let me tell you something about the Yankees, they always find a way.’’
These Yankees are going to have to find a new way.
They can no longer rely on the home run and they really need the pitching to improve, but there is much more that is wrong. Robinson Cano does not have the kind of lineup protection the Tigers’ big hitters enjoy and he is batting .111.
Pitching has Girardi most concerned.
“We have not pitched great,’’ Girardi admitted of failures by both the starters and the bullpen. “Those are big parts if we want to go far. I’m a little surprised.’’
Shortstop Jayson Nix, subbing for the injured (bruised biceps) Eduardo Nunez — who is subbing for Jeter — made an error on the first Tigers batter of the game and is 0-for-7.
“It’s just a rough start,’’ Girardi said of his team. “We’ve got to get it turned around. It doesn’t get any easier with Verlander.’’
Just more bad news for these Bad News Yankees.