A.J. Burnett wasn't even supposed to pitch in this series, but through three innings he had no-hit the Tigers. Rick Porcello was scheduled to pitch all along and he currently finds himself behind.
In the 4th inning, the reason Burnett wasn't originally slated to pitch this series started to rear its pretty little head. After Rick Porcello struck out the final two Yankees for a scoreless top half of the fourth, A.J. Burnett fell behind the first batter, Victor Martinez, 3-0, and ultimately paid the price.
On 3-1, Burnett left an already fat fastball up in the zone and Martinez showed him row 20 in right field, cutting the Yankees two-run lead in half. Peralta then laced a double with one out, but bad Burnett (for the Tigers) came back and struck out Alex Avila and Wilson Betemit to end the inning.
In the 5th inning, Rick Porcello gave up a run for each 0-2 mistake he made. With two on and one out, Porcello left a pitch intended to be up-and-in over the heart of the plate and Curtis Granderson doubled off the wall in right field. After an intentional walk to Robinson Cano, Porcello then threw another meatball to Alex Rodriguez on 0-2, but luckily it resulted in only a sacrifice fly and nothing worse. Porcello struck out Mark Teixeira for his 5th strikeout of the game to end the frame with the Tigers trailing 4-1.
Tigers got the leadoff man on in the bottom of the 5th thanks to a single by Austin Jackson, but Ramon Santiago immediately erased it with a first pitch swing into a double play. Burnett then retired Delmon Young on a soft tapper bak to the mound. Yes, Burnett successfully through five innings, up 4-1.
Porcello followed up his two-run 5th with exactly what the Tigers needed, a 1-2-3 heading into what would likely be Burnett's last inning.
In the bottom of the 6th, after Burnett retired Miguel Cabrera on the hardest hit out I've ever seen and Martinez grounded out, Kelly finally chased Burnett for Rafael Soriano. Soriano's first pitch was hit to left center, but Granderson made a spectacular diving catch to end the inning. That one hurt my heart a little.