Yankees at Tigers
The New York Yankees are in great shape as they attempt to secure their first American League East crown since 2012, but they still have plenty of work to do in order to secure home-field advantage in the postseason. The Yankees continue their quest to do just that on Tuesday, when they visit the Detroit Tigers for the opener of their three-game series.
New York (95-50) posted its third straight victory and 11th in 14 contests on Monday as it cruised to a 5-0 triumph in Boston, ending the Red Sox's three-year reign atop the division and extending its lead in the East to nine games over idle Tampa Bay with 17 contests remaining for both clubs. One day after breaking the franchise record for most homers in a season it set just last year, the Yankees hit two more on Monday to increase their season total to 270 and remain tied with Houston for the best record in the majors. On the other end of the spectrum are the Tigers (42-100), who have lost 100 games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1953-54. Detroit is a major league-worst 18-50 at home, where it has dropped 10 of its last 12 contests.
TV: 6:40 p.m. ET, YES (New York), FS Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees TBD vs. Tigers RH Edwin Jackson (3-9, 9.16 ERA)
New York has yet to announce a starting pitcher for Tuesday's contest, making it likely the team will use an opener to fill the spot vacated by CC Sabathia's knee injury. One candidate is Luis Cessa (2-1, 3.82 ERA), who has yet to make a start in 2019 but owns a 45-41 record with a 3.55 ERA in 133 minor-league appearances (121 starts). The 27-year-old has made at least five starts in each of the previous three seasons, going 1-4 with a 6.50 ERA in five turns last year.
Jackson began his second stint with Detroit last month with a pair of victories, but he is 0-4 with a 10.39 ERA in his last four starts. The 36-year-old journeyman is coming off arguably his best outing during the losing streak, a five-inning performance at Kansas City on Wednesday in which he yielded four runs. DJ LeMahieu (5-for-11, double) is among several Yankees who have fared well versus Jackson, who was tagged for six runs - two earned - over 3 1/3 frames in a loss to New York on June 6.
WALK-OFFS
1. Yankees 2B Gleyber Torres has gone 7-for-14 over his last three games, notching at least two hits in each contest.
2. Detroit 1B-DH Miguel Cabrera is batting .462 with five multi-hit efforts during his seven-game hitting streak.
3. New York went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Monday to finish its four-game series with Boston batting .353 in such situations.