DETROIT — CC Sabathia’s velocity is a work in progress but the Yankees’ ace’s pitching IQ is as high as ever.
“In the seasons he has been with us his velocity in April isn’t what it is in June, July and August,” Joe Girardi said of Sabathia’s lack of arm strength in spring training and during his first start of the year a week ago today. “That’s his DNA. I believe it will go up like last year. Because of what he went through last year (bone spur removed from left elbow) people are paying attention to it.”
Sabathia’s fastball averaged 93.22 mph and topped out at 94.89 on Opening Day last season against the Rays. This year those numbers dipped to 90.62 and 92.37 versus the Red Sox.
Today he was in the 89-91 ranged and topped at 92.
Mixing in breaking balls and change-ups, Sabathia hurled the Yankees to a much-needed 7-0 victory over the Tigers in front of 39,829 at Comerica Park.
Jayson Nix, who played short for the second straight game because Eduardo Nunez is out with a right biceps injury, crushed a two-run homer off Justin Verlander to highlight a three-run second inning in which Francisco Cervelli plated the other run.
Nix started the game hitting .190 (11-for-58) against Verlander.
Two runs off former Yankee Phil Coke in the eighth upped the lead to 5-0. Ichiro Suzuki drove in one run with a sacrifice fly and Cervelli’s two-out single plated the other. Kevin Youkilis had a two-run single in the ninth.
The Yankees won for the second time in six games and open a four-game series against the new-look, pitching poor Indians on Monday in Cleveland.
In his second start of the young season, Sabathia allowed four hits in seven frames. He only faced one batter with a runner in scoring position and retired Omar Infante on a fly to left with two on in the fourth.
David Robertson took over for Sabathia to start the eighth inning with a 5-0 lead. He gave up two singles but not a run.
Verlander, who signed a seven-year, $180 million extension late in spring training, worked 7 1/3 innings, allowed three runs and seven hits. Nix had two of the hits. Verlander is 1-1.
Working with a fastball in the 89- to 91-mph range and liberally changing speeds, Sabathia blanked arguably the best lineup in baseball through seven innings.
Sabathia’s first three innings weren’t clean but it wasn’t until the fourth that the Tigers put a runner in scoring position.
A two-out walk to Matt Tuiasosopo was followed by Brayan Pena’s single to deep short. Sabathia stranded the runners by getting Omar Infante, the No. 8 hitter, on a stress-free fly to left.
After not taking advantage of Kevin Youkilis’ two-out double off Verlander in the first, the Yankees scored three runs in the second and gave Sabathia an early 3-0 cushion.
Vernon Wells opened the second with a walk but was forced by Ichiro Suzuki at second. Cervelli, who started a second straight game, doubled to left-center to score Suzuki. Following Lyle Overbay’s lazy fly to left, Nix crushed a two-run homer that landed in the left-field seats.