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Yankees pound Tigers

Jun 2, 2012 - 5:24 AM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Curtis Granderson hit a grand slam and the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-4, in the opener of a three-game series.

Alex Rodriguez added a two-run homer for the Yankees, who improved to 5-2 on a nine-game road trip. Chris Stewart, Derek Jeter and Andruw Jones had an RBI apiece.

CC Sabathia (7-2) allowed three runs on eight hits over seven innings to pick up the win. He struck out five and walked two while improving to 17-12 lifetime against Detroit in 34 starts. In addition, Sabathia is now 1-3 in the regular season at Comerica Park since joining the Yankees.

Ramon Santiago hit a solo homer for the Tigers, who have lost four of five. Jhonny Peralta, Danny Worth and Prince Fielder each knocked in a run.

Casey Crosby (0-1) struggled in his MLB debut, giving up six runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings. The left-hander walked four and struck out three.

"I was getting too excited. One walk led to two walks and I could never really get my composure back," said Crosby.

The Tigers got on the board in the first inning. Quintin Berry tripled to right-center field and crossed the plate on Worth's single to right.

But New York responded with five runs in the second. Crosby walked Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher and Jayson Nix to load the bases with one out. After Stewart flied out, Jeter walked to force in a run. Granderson followed with his fourth career grand slam, making it a 5-1 game.

"He's been really important for us. He's been a great player," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said about Granderson.

Detroit managed to get two runs back in the third. Santiago led off with a homer to left. Berry doubled to left-center field, moved to third on Worth's groundout and scored on Fielder's single to center.

The Yankees tacked on another run in the fourth. Nix hit a one-out double down the right-field line, stole third and crossed the plate on Stewart's single up the middle. Luis Marte came in from the bullpen and retired the next two batters to keep it a 6-3 contest.

New York added a run in the eighth to make it 7-3. Brayan Villarreal walked Swisher with two outs and Jones followed with an RBI double.

But the Tigers got the run back in the bottom half of the frame on pinch- hitter Peralta's sacrifice fly.

Rodriguez's homer off Octavio Dotel in the ninth made it a 9-4 game.

The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but Rafael Soriano got Miguel Cabrera to ground into a double play.

Game Notes

New York took two of three from the Tigers earlier in the season...Crosby had been 4-2 with a 4.26 ERA in nine starts with Triple-A Toledo...The Tigers started a six-game homestand on Friday...Fielder extended his hitting streak to nine games...The Yankees faced a Detroit pitcher making his MLB debut for the first time since defeating Beiker Graterol on April 9, 1999 at Yankee Stadium...Cabrera went 1-for-5 and has now hit safely in 32 of his 34 games during his career against the Yankees...Berry went 3-for-5 with two runs scored...Gerald Laird of the Tigers left the game in the sixth inning after beating out an infield single. Laird slid head-first into first base and immediately came up limping. Laird left the game with what the Tigers called right hamstring tightness.