Yankees 8, Tigers 4
DETROIT -- Veterans Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez hit home runs worth three runs while aging CC Sabathia crafted his way through six-plus innings Saturday to help the New York Yankees chill Detroit, 8-4, ending the Tigers' season-starting winning streak at three games.
Sabathia left the bases loaded in his one dangerous inning, the fourth, and was removed from freezing weather after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh. The game started one degree below-freezing and ended at 32 degrees with fluffy snowflakes occasionally floating down.
Detroit brought it to 8-4 after Kirby Yates took over for Sabathia. Yates gave up a single and both runners advanced on an error. A wild pitch and groundout to second by Ian Kinsler scored each runner.
Chasen Shreve got the last out of the seventh for the Yankees, Dellin Betances worked the eighth and Andrew Miller the ninth.
The scoreboard operator was consistently mislabeling Sabathia's 86-87 mph fastball as a changeup and his 77 mph changeup as a slider but the large-sized left-hander moved the ball around the fringes of the strike zone masterfully to keep Detroit batters off balance one time through the lineup.
Sabathia (1-0) walked three straight Tigers in the fourth after retiring the first nine he faced and James McCann lined a two-out, two-run single to left for Detroit's first hit. Sabathia gave up a single to reload the bases before getting the third out.
He ended having allowed four hits and three runs with four walks and three strikeouts on 90 pitches.
Beltran tagged Tigers' reliever Buck Farmer for a two-run shot in the fifth to make it 8-2.
New York chased Detroit starter Mike Pelfrey with a four-run fourth that featured a three-run triple by Jacoby Ellsbury to give the Yankees a 6-0 lead. Didi Gregorius had hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded earlier in the four-run frame.
Pelfrey (0-1) fed Alex Rodriguez a fat 3-2 fastball with two out in the first and the New York designated hitter did what he has been doing to those pitches for years -- hitting them for home runs. It was his first of this season and the 688th of his career.
The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the second on a two-out RBI single by Gregorius. Brian McCann singled leading off and was wild-pitched to second.
Pelfrey, a free agent signing from Minnesota, was hit hard in his 3 2/3 innings. He allowed eight hits, walked one and struck out three.
NOTES: Yankees manager Joe Girardi is angry about the new rules concerning second base slides. He called Joe Torre after watching another game decided by a call on a runner sliding into second on Friday night. "I'm not sure they (middle infielders) aren't in more danger now," Girardi said. "Because now they have to stay on the bag." ... 1B/OF/DH Nick Swisher worked out at the Yankees' minor league complex Saturday morning and signed a minor league deal with the club. He was cut by Atlanta during spring training. ... Tigers 3B Nick Castellanos was not in the lineup Saturday after getting four hits the day before. His replacement, utility player Mike Aviles, took a 9-for-25 career mark against New York LHP CC Sabathia into the game. ... 3B Chase Headley was given a day off and replaced by Ronald Torreyes.