Tigers thrilling win in the rain sets up dueling aces in Detroit

It was far from easy, but Miguel Cabrera, left, Jose Valverde, and the Tigers won in the Bronx. (Reuters/Ray Stubblebine)

In a must-win game for the Detroit Tigers, Max Scherzer allowed just two hits over six-plus innings, hitting 94-96 mph regularly on the gun while creating a lot of weak contact with his changeup. He no-hit the New York Yankees dangerous lineup over the first 5 1/3, tying the longest such streak in Yankee postseason history, and his offense rewarded him, scoring four runs on two two-run homers. Come the ninth, with a lead intact, it was Jose Valverde’s job to close the door and send the series back to the Motor City deadlocked at one.

A downpour centered over Yankees Stadium turned the basepaths to mud. The wind was a factor, too. The announcers said any ball hit in play could be an adventure, and they were right.

Valverde, as it turned out, was an adventure all by himself. Given he was in a none-save situation, this wasn’t altogether surprising. This season, the fiery, entertaining Tigers closer had an incredible 0.55 ERA in save opportunities, and he entered play with a record 52 consecutive saves. Yet, in none-save opportunities, the ERA skyrocketed to a horrendous 5.79. Considering the advantage wasn’t one, two, or three runs, summoning him was a questionable decision by manager Jim Leyland.

Valverde sure made Leyland uneasy. The first pitch he threw, a fastball full of life but grooved over the heart of the plate, was crushed by Nick Swisher into the right-field seats. Before that blast, Valverde hadn’t allowed a homer to the previous 97 hitters he faced. This was just the beginning. Jorge Posada of all Yankees legged out a triple. Then the rain really picked up, and so did the inning’s intensity.

Valverde threw a lot of pitches, battling with every hitter by trying to blow them away with fastballs. He used his splitter rarely, pumped up on adrenaline and missing his location as a result. He lost Russell Martin, walking him after Posada’s triple, and, following a sacrifice fly, engaged in a long chess-match with Yankee captain Derek Jeter.

The rain was at its worst during this at-bat. Jeter was constantly wiping his helmet and squinting through the raindrops. The conditions were deplorable, fans went for cover, and Valverde wasn’t hitting the outside corner. His location was off just enough to make every pitch far more interesting and captivating than usual.

He was laboring, but found a way to fire 96 right by Jeter’s bat for a big strikeout. Then it appeared the game would end on a pop-up in foul territory. Curtis Granderson hit it, but catcher Alex Avila, who slipped on the drenched on-deck circle, couldn’t corral what would have been a sure-out under any other weather conditions. This meant Valverde wasn’t out of the woods yet. And, fittingly, he proceeded to make his Tigers and their fans nervous by walking the MVP candidate.

Robinson Cano, New York’s best hitter, strode to the plate looking to take advantage of the rain-induced gift and Valverde’s wildness. Rain continued to fall, and Cano, who hit a grand slam in Game 1, could put Detroit in a 2-0 hole with another mighty swing of the bat.

Instead, Valverde put the Yankees at a disadvantage heading into Game 3. Cano grounded out on the closer’s 34th pitch, and New York is now faced with the task of solving 24-game winner Justin Verlander to avoid trailing in the five-game series.

“That was our No. 1 goal, to come here and split,” Scherzer said, as documented by Mlive.com. “If you’re able to do that, the way the situation happened with the rain, now we’re able to give Verlander the ball for Game 3. We have to like where we’re sitting.”

Detroit will have their hands full too, taking on ace CC Sabathia. Even with the potency of both team’s offenses, it is expected to be a captivating pitchers duel.  And if the more publicized of the two can pitch as well as or better than Scherzer did, the Yankees season may rely on the right arm of A.J. Burnett in Game 4.

And, as ESPN’s David Shoenfield points out, that is an unsettling possibility in New York: “No matter how well he pitched against the Red Sox in his final start of the season, the words ‘A.J. Burnett’ and ‘playoff start’ have Yankee fans already taking Tylenol.”

Detroit’s fan base, on the other hand, is currently downing happy pills in droves. They know who takes the hill tomorrow and has a chance to create an increase in Tylenol’s sales. Valverde couldn’t be more thrilled it’s the ace of aces.

“I have the best guy going tomorrow,” he said, as documented by The New York Daily News. “This is the guy you want. He fights all the time. He competes. He has 24 wins. And I’ll be there too.”

Two aces will be on the mound facing intimidating lineups, and the enigmatic Valverde is antsy. A rain-free, series-changing Game 3 in Detroit is just around the corner.