Detroit, MI. When you have a target on your back, you become the hunted. And even though you won the series against a team you clearly owned last year in the playoffs, Sunday afternoon was totally inexcusable. Justin Verlander was on the mound, so you felt good about sweeping the evil empire, but he kept giving the Yankees balls up around the eyes, which is 35’s fault. He kept struggling with his command, which you don’t see out of the Virginia native, who has signed a brand new seven year deal to be in the English D for the rest of his career. There are several questions about the 2013 Tigers that are yet to be answered. Are they going to be this year’s doormats of the American League? Or, will they find their groove later on in the summer and become the kings of the American League as we know them? And is this Jim Leyland’s swan song in the Tigers dugout? If Sunday afternoon was the beginning of the lifeless Tigers, we did not like what we saw. Because every time 35 threw the ball, the Yankees were able to hit him, which is something you should not be able to do against Verlander. I know they’re only 3-3, but still when you have the Yankees which are a lifeless team without the Kalamazoo native Derek Jeter, you should have been able to hit baseballs and tattoo Sabathia. Maybe this is not the way they are going to play in the summer months. One would hope not. I’m not making excuses. If you get paid big money, you should be able to tear the cover off the baseball, and extend your arms hit home runs, and help your ace out.
