Verlander Shuts Down Yankees, While Teammates Pound Mussina
DETROIT — Justin Verlander shut down the Yankees while the Detroit Tigers roughed up Mike Mussina and a couple of relievers in their highest-scoring game this the season.
Verlander gave up just three hits and Placido Polanco was one of three Tigers with at least three hits, including his homer after Mussina was chased, to lead Detroit to a 16–0 win over New York on Monday night.
The Tigers, who outhit the Yankees 20–3, took three of the four games and won a series for the first time since sweeping Minnesota from July 17–19. Detroit didn't make up any ground in the AL Central because the Cleveland Indians also won to maintain a 2 1/2 -game lead.
Detroit scored its most runs since beating Baltimore 17-2 last Sept. 15. It was the highest-scoring shutout victory for the Tigers since they won 17-0 at Kansas City on July. 19, 1991, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
New York, meanwhile, has lost five of seven games and fallen eight games behind AL East-leading Boston. The Yankees, who had closed within four games of the Red Sox when the trip started, host Boston in a three-game set starting Tuesday night.
Detroit turned a rout into a laugher with a six-run seventh.
Verlander (14-5) struck out six and walked two over seven innings in his best start since throwing a no-hitter on June 12 against Milwaukee. He has won three of his last four starts.
Mussina might've pitched himself out of the rotation, lasting just three innings and giving up six runs, nine hits and a walk. And it could have been worse — center fielder Melky Cabrera made a running catch with his back to the plate near the 420-foot sign on Placido Polanco's bases-loaded drive in the first, turning a three-run hit into a sacrifice fly.
For the first time in Mussina's 17 seasons, he has allowed at least six earned runs in three straight starts and lasted three innings or fewer in back-to-back outings. Mussina has allowed 19 earned runs in 9.2 innings — an ERA of 17.69 — in his last three starts, his season ERA rising from 4.50 to 5.53.
The Yankees yanked Mussina after three innings, then Edwar Ramirez and Sean Henn didn't fare much better.
They combined for their worst performance since the Los Angeles Angels beat them 18-9 on August 21 — Mussina's previous start.
Polanco, the first to face Ramirez, led off the fourth with a 392-foot shot to left.
Sean Casey led off the fifth with his first triple since 2004 off Henn, then the next six Tigers combined to score three runs on two singles, a double, two walks and an RBI groundout.
When Ryan Raburn's RBI single went over Derek Jeter's head, the star shortstop slumped his shoulders with emotions many of his teammates probably shared at that moment as the Tigers went ahead 8-0.
