The Yankees will look to get back in the win column Saturday afternoon after dropping the first game of the Detroit series yesterday, 4-0. All eyes will be focused on CC Sabathia as the big lefty makes his 2016 debut. Sabathia posted a 4.73 ERA and 4.84 DRA in 167 1/3 innings last year, though he was markedly better down the stretch.
Of note early on in Saturday’s contest will be whether or not CC can stagnate his early-season fastball velocity trend, which has sloped downward for each of the past five seasons.
| Year | Fourseam Fastball Velocity in April |
| 2011 | 93.9 mph |
| 2012 | 92.7 mph |
| 2013 | 91.2 mph |
| 2014 | 90.4 mph |
| 2015 | 90.0 mph |
While Sabathia has been able to increase his velocity in the summer months, April has proved to be an issue for him over the past few years. Doing him no favors will be a Detroit lineup that boasts some of the most dangerous right-handed hitting in the league.
- Ian Kinsler, R
- Justin Upton, R
- Miguel Cabrera, R
- Victor Martinez, S
- J.D. Martinez, R
- James McCann, R
- Jose Iglesias, R
- Mike Aviles, R
- Anthony Gose, L
Sabathia will likely rely heavily on a fourseam-sinker-changeup combination to combat the Tiger righties and attempt to keep as many balls on the ground as possible. Here’s how that combo fared against right-handed batters in 2015:
| Pitch | Usage | Whiff% | GB% |
| Fourseam Fastball | 29% | 9.2% | 10.1% |
| Sinker | 31% | 7.00% | 10.5% |
| Changeup | 23% | 16.0% | 10.3% |
| Slider | 17% | 9.9% | 5.5% |
Notes:
-Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann return to the lineup after receiving a day off Friday. Ronald Torreyes earns the start at third base for the resting Chase Headley.
- Jacoby Ellsbury, L
- Brett Gardner, L
- Alex Rodriguez, R
- Mark Teixeira, S
- Brian McCann, L
- Carlos Beltran, S
- Starlin Castro, R
- Didi Gregorius, L
- Ronald Torreyes, R
-Right-hander Mike Pelfrey is making his Tigers-debut after signing a two-year, $16 million contract with Detroit this winter. He owned a 4.26 ERA and 4.56 DRA in 164 2/3 innings last year with the Twins.
-It will be another uncomfortably cold game in the Yankees’ young season, as the game time forecast calls for 32 degrees, 15 mph winds and possible light snow showers at Comerica Park.
Lead photo: Adam Hunger / USA Today Sports