Yanks Go Yard Series Preview Show: Yankees at Tigers (4/5-4/7)

The 2013 season is underway and the start for the New York Yankees has not been as pleasant as everyone expected. Even though the Bombers salvaged the series Thursday thanks to a vintage start from Andy Pettitte,  The Bronx Bombers’ bats have not been explosive. Plus,  the starting pitching took a minor scare with the injury to Hiroki Kuroda‘s bruised right finger during the 2nd inning of Wednesday night’s game. The Yankee news gets better each day off-the-field with Robinson Cano‘s new agency and the likely return of Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira on May 1st. However, fans hope the on-field product begins to take better shape. The Yankees will hit the road for their next seven games, beginning with the reigning American League Champion Detroit Tigers.

Reigning Triple Crown winner

will try to start the 2013 home campaign strong for Detroit vs. the Yankees. (Photo Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)

The Tigers have become the consensus pick by experts to win their second straight American League pennant this year. They brought back the same team as last year with two additions to their lineup. They signed former Angels’ outfielder Torii Hunter to protect reigning triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera and first baseman Prince Fielder. Also, they get back Victor Martinez, who missed all of last year with an ACL injury.

With a rotation led by Justin Verlander (pitches Sunday), this team will be a tough one to overthrow in the AL Central. I am sure Yankees’ fans will see a lot of flashbacks this weekend to the 2011 ALDS and the 2012 ALCS when the Tigers ended the Yankees’ seasons both years.

For this episode of the Yanks Go Yard show (recorded live Wednesday), I spoke with Matt Snyder from MotorCityBengals.com to talk about Detroit’s expectations for 2013 as well as some of the issues the team have. Mainly, we discussed Detroit’s closer-by-committee status now that Jose Valverde is back with the team on a minor league deal. Plus, which team poses the biggest threat to the Tigers winning the AL Central for the 3rd straight year?

Also, I discuss Kuroda’s injury, Robinson Cano‘s new agent, and much more. In turn, I returned the favor to Motor City Bengals by recording a spot on their podcast, which you can find on their website.

Reminder: The Yanks Go Yard Show will air Sunday night at 8 PM ET on Blog Talk Radio as I preview the Yankees’ upcoming series with the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field!

CLICK HERE FOR THE YANKEES-TIGERS SERIES PREVIEW SHOW!!!