The New York Yankees will look to hold off elimination on Thursday afternoon as the Detroit Tigers host Game 4 of the ALCS. The game is scheduled for an 4:07 pm EST start time and it will be televised nationally on TBS. Currently the odds for the game have the Yankees as small favorites to keep the series going.
The ALCS was supposed to be played on Wednesday night, however, a massive storm cell making its way to the Motor City caused Major League Baseball to call the game. However, it never rained in Detroit until well after midnight, as fans and members of the media questioned why officials didn't try and at least start the game. Many believe the game could have been played in its entirety, but it doesn't really matter now.
Detroit is looking to send the Yankees back home without winning a single game in the American League Championship Series. However, the Yankees will turn to their ace in CC Sabathia to try and avoid elimination by the Tigers for the second straight post season. Sabathia didn't get the nod to throw on Tuesday night against Justin Verlander and the Tigers were able to hang on and pick up a 2-1 win and put themselves just 27 outs away from the World Series.
Max Scherzer, who was second in the American League in strikeouts this season behind Verlander, will get the ball for Detroit. If New York loses tonight, it will be the first postseason sweep of the Yankees in 32 years. Sabathia was 3-0 against the Tigers this season and struck out 20 hitters in 21 2/3 innings. He did win both of his starts at Comerica Park this season but did have an ERA of 3.95. Scherzer had a 5.79 ERA against the Yankees this season, but only threw in 4 2/3 innings.
During the post season Sabathia sports a record of 2-0, 1.53 ERA in a handful of starts. The big guy for the Yankees has come through in the post season in his career. Since signing the craziest deal ever for a pitcher in 2012, Sabathia has gone 7-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 13 games in New York. However, when facing the Tigers last season's division series, Sabathia gave up six runs and walked eight hitters in just 8 2/3 innings. In his three starts against the Tigers this season, the Yankees scored an average of 8.7 runs per game. That's pretty good. Prior to Scherzer's struggle against the Yankees in his start earlier this season, he had been 4-0 with a 2.39 ERA in his previous five games against them.
"We put ourselves in a decent position, but that's all we have done," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said.
The Yankees are hitting .200 in the MLB playoffs so far and .158 in the ALCS against Detroit. The Tigers have been hitting well. Delmon Young is 4 for 13 with two home runs and five RBIs in this series. Miguel Cabrera is 4 for 11 in this series and is batting .361 with six homers and 15 RBIs during his record 16-game hitting streak in ALCS play, going back to last season.
New York is in a really bad spot. In fact, only one team has advanced to the World Series when in an 0-3 hole in the post season. Only the 2004 Boston Red Sox — against the Yankees — have overcome a 3-0 deficit in a postseason series.
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