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Cabrera, Boesch help Tigers avoid sweep in the Bronx

Apr 3, 2011 - 10:44 PM Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Miguel Cabrera belted a pair of two-run homers and Brennan Boesch went 4-for-4 with a two-run shot, four runs batted in and four runs scored, as the Detroit Tigers salvaged the finale of their season- opening series at Yankee Stadium with a 10-7 victory over New York.

Ramon Santiago and Ryan Raburn each finished with two hits and an RBI for the Tigers, who were beaten 6-3 and 10-6 in the first two games of the series.

Max Scherzer went the requisite five innings for the victory. Scherzer (1-0) was tagged for six runs on nine hits, four of which were homers, and two walks with six strikeouts. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his first save.

Mark Teixeira continued his surprisingly strong start for New York with his third home run in as many games. He became the first Yankee to homer in each of the season's first three games since Dave Winfield in 1983.

Jorge Posada clubbed a pair of two-run homers in defeat and Robinson Cano also homered. Nick Swisher contributed three hits with an RBI double and two runs scored for New York, while Russell Martin also chipped in with three hits.

Yankee starter Phil Hughes (0-1), coming off a 18-win season, went just four innings in defeat. He was roughed up for five runs on five hits and two walks with one strikeout.

"Location was big. Obviously my velocity wasn't what I'd like it to be at this stage of the season," Hughes said. "When I'm not hitting my spots and my velocity's a little bit down, it's not going to be a very good outcome."

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Boesch stroked a two-out single and Cabrera followed with a drive into the left field seats for his first home run of the game.

New York tied it in the second on a two-run blast by Posada, but Detroit regained the lead with three more in the third. Austin Jackson drew a leadoff walk, stole second with one out and scored on a bloop single to center by Boesch. Cabrera then deposited a 1-1 pitch into the left field bleachers for another homer to make it 5-2.

The Yankees answered with a pair of solo homers in the home third and had a chance for more. Teixeira found the right field seats with one out and Cano lifted a shot just over the wall down the right field line for his first of the year. After Swisher singled with two outs, he raced to third when Raburn dropped Posada's line drive to left field for a two-base error but Curtis Granderson left both stranded with a fly ball to right.

New York threatened again in the fourth with two on and one out. Teixeira, though, lofted a fly ball to deep right field and Alex Rodriguez also flied to warning track in right.

The Tigers then tacked on two more in the fifth against Bartolo Colon in his Yankee debut. Santiago greeted the veteran right-hander with a base hit and Boesch followed with his first home run of the year for a 7-4 advantage.

Again the Yankees rallied in the bottom of the inning. Swisher walked with one out and Posada followed with a shot over the right field wall to again make it a one-run game.

Detroit, however, continued to pound New York pitching and scored two in the sixth. Santiago doubled home a run and Boesch lined out to left to plate another for a 9-6 lead.

The Yankees got one back in the seventh when Swisher doubled home Cano, but Phil Coke got Posada on a fly ball to left and Jackson made a running catch in deep center on a ball hit by Granderson. Coke had surrendered the go-ahead homer to Granderson in Thursday's opener.

"It wasn't necessarily stop the bleeding, it was go out there and assert yourself," Coke said. "You've got to go out there and impose your will and not let them impose their will on you."

Detroit added an insurance run in the ninth against Joba Chamberlain when Boesch led off with a single and eventually scored on a two-out double by Raburn.

Game Notes

Cabrera, who recorded his 19th career multi-homer game, has six homers in his last seven games at Yankee Stadium. He is 7-for-14 with three homers lifetime against Hughes...Teixeira, a notoriously slow starter, didn't hit his third home run of the season last year until May 8...Posada notched his 17th career multi-homer game and first since 2009...The Tigers gave outfielder Magglio Ordonez the day off because of a sore right ankle. He broke his ankle last July and missed the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery...Detroit will continue its season-opening road trip on Monday in Baltimore to start a three-game series before playing its home opener next Friday against Kansas City...The Yankees will next play four games against Minnesota, starting Monday night in the Bronx.