Yankees vs Tigers Game 3 MLB Playoffs 2011 Odds: With things knotted up at one win apiece, this best-of-five, 2011 American League Divisional Series will shift to Comerica Park for the next two games. Thanks to a great pitching performance by started Max Scherzer (1-0, 0.00 ERA on 6.0 IP, 2 H), the (1-1) Detroit Tigers [-130] were able to even thing up with the MLB Odds underdogs in Game 3, the (1-1) New York Yankees [+120].
First pitch of this great matchup is scheduled to get underway this evening, beginning at 8:30 PM ET on TBS Sports following Game 3 of the Rangers vs Rays. On the hill tonight will be a redo of Game 1, as LHP CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.00 ERA) takes on RHP Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40). As a result of this awesome pitching matchup, MLB Odds makers have set their OVER/UNDER mark between the Yanks and Tigers at a combined total of 7 runs scored.
Sabathia and Verlander were supposed to kick this series off with fireworks in Game 1. However, deteriorating weather conditions in the Bronx, NY, did not permit for this to happen. But CC and Verlander gave us a small preview of what we can expect when they rendezvous this evening. That night, Sabathia tossed two innings and Verlander one.
For the Yankees’ big lefty, he allowed just one hit, on a Delmon Young homerun, didn’t walk a single feline and punched out 4 batters. Funny enough, Sabathia’s ERA in the 2011 ALDS is currently at 4.50. Nevertheless, when looking at his real numbers since his arrival in New York, one can see that Sabathia is one of the best clutch performers in the game today.
Going into tonight, CC has a 5-1 record and a 3.15 ERA during the postseason while wearing pinstripes. After finishing the 2011 campaign on a bit of a sour note, Sabathia felt much better about the control of his 4-seamer in his short outing in the 2011 ALDS opener. The big fella is going to need his entire arsenal tonight — 4-seam fastball, sweeping slider, change-up and sinker — in order to beat a guy on a tear like the one Verlander has been on this season.
“That's something I've been struggling with the last month of the season,” Sabathia said of his fastball. “It was only two innings, but it was definitely a lot better than it had been.”
My Game 3 MLB Playoffs 2011 Picks: New York Yankees [+1½].
