Granderson is a left-handed hitter who is especially good against righties. The 28-year-old hit .249 last season with 30 homers, 71 RBIs, 91 runs and 20 stolen bases. While he set a career-high in homers, his batting average was a bit of a disappointment. The previous two seasons, Granderson hit .280 and .302, respectively.

With the Yankees, Granderson will likely hit second against righties and ninth against lefties. His speed and athleticism will provide the team a nice boost considering how old the roster was before the move.

In the deal, the Tigers received Austin Jackson and Phil Coke from the Yankees in addition to Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson were sent to the Diamondbacks to complete the trade.

Curtis Granderson traded to the Yankees (Image: Zuma Press)

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According to reports, Cabrera was drunk and got into a fight with his wife over the weekend. His wife called 911 and he was taken to a police station. While there, Cabrera registered a 0.26 blood alcohol level — more than three times the legal driving limit of 0.08 in Michigan.

Dave Dombrowski, the general manager of the Tigers, picked up Cabrera at the police station. With Detroit desperately needing a win in their three-game series against the Chicago White Sox, Cabrera responded by going 0-for-11.

On Monday, a day before the Tigers play the Minnesota Twins in a tiebreaker game for the AL Central, Cabrera released a statement.

“I am sorry this has become a distraction, and I apologize to the Tigers, my teammates, and all of the fans. I would appreciate it if you would respect my family’s privacy as I prepare for our next game.”

If Cabrera doesn’t produce in the tiebreaker game against the Twins, Tigers fans will have a difficult time forgiving the team’s superstar slugger.

Miguel Cabrera was drunk and fighting his wife (Image: Zuma Press)

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On Tuesday, they were officially eliminated after losing to the Los Angeles Angels by a final count of 5-2. Bobby Abreu homered in the first inning and the Angels never trailed again. Angels starter Sean O’Sullivan pitched five innings to improve his record on the season to 4-2.

With the Rangers out of the picture, that means that the Boston Red Sox have clinched the wild card. With a record of 91-66, the Red Sox are considered by many to be the favorite in the American League — even though they will be the wild card.

The only race in the American League that is still up for grabs is the AL Central. Currently, the Detroit Tigers lead the Minnesota Twins by two games.

There will be no playoffs for Josh Hamilton and the Rangers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Trailing 2-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Twins got hot. Jason Kubel hit a two-run single to give the Twins the lead. Then Michael Cuddyer put the game away with a three run homer as Minnesota beat Detroit by a final count of 6-2.

With the win, the Twins are 76-72 and just two games behind the 78-70 Tigers in the AL Central. The Tigers have lost three straight games and nine of their last 12 contests.

The AL Central race promises to be a fun one to watch down the stretch. On Sunday, the two teams play once again. Then between September 28th and October 1st, thhe wto teams play four more times. Get ready for a photo finish!

Michael Cuddyer and Joe Mauer Celebrate (Image: Zuma Press)

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With Morneau out for the season, don’t expect the Twins to make the 2009 baseball playoffs. They are 5.5 games out with a record of 72-72. Save for a monumental collapse by the Tigers, the Twins will have to wait another season to make postseason noise.

On the season, Morneau finished with 30 homers, 100 RBIs and a batting average of .274. The 28-year-old from Canada finished with at least 20 homers and 100 RBIs for the fourth consecutive season.

Morneau, who won the American League MVP in 2006, should be healthy by spring training. No surgery is planned at this point.

Said Morneau: “I’m being shut down for three months but it’s also something that should heal on its own.”

Justin Morneau - Minnesota Twins (Image: Zuma Press)

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In a pitching duel against Justin Verlander, Sabathia was simply better and helped the Yankees win by a final score of 2-1. Sabathia pitched seven innings and gave up five hits and three walks while striking out four batters. His record on the season is now 9-6 and he lowered his ERA to 3.66.

Verlander was really good himself. In seven innings, he gave up seven hits, one walk and two earned runs. With the loss, he’s now 10-5 with a 3.34 ERA on the season.

The big hit of the game was authored by Alex Rodriguez. His solo homer in the seventh inning broke a scoreless tie and the Yankees never trailed again.

With the win, the Yankees are now 53-37. The Tigers dropped to 48-41 with the loss.

CC Sabathia - New York Yankees (Image: Zuma Press)

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Dontrelle Willis Anxiety Disorder (Image: Newscom)

This is yet another setback for a 27-year-old pitcher who was once considered one of the best pitchers in the majors. In his second start this year, he threw 6.1 shutout innings in which he gave up only one hit. But that momentum was short lived.

On the season, Willis now has a 7.49 ERA and a record of 1-4. Considering that his ERA last year was 9.39, this poor pitching seems like it may be a pattern.

He’s making $10 million this season, so the Tigers would undoubtedly love to see him figure things out. But Willis’ apparent anxiety disorder is getting in the way.

The next step may be for the Tigers to release Willis. He has no trade value and previous comments indicate that he doesn’t think he has an anxiety disorder. Hopefully Willis can turn it around and fix whatever is ailing him.

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The former pitching phenom went 6.1 innings against the Texas Rangers and gave up only one hit and two walks while giving up no runs and striking out five batters. He threw exactly 100 pitches in his second start of the season. When he was replaced, Willis was greeted with a loud ovation for the fans in Detroit.

Said Willis: “I appreciate it. Now that I feel healthy and strong, I think I can start building some trust out there.”

With help from Willis’ mastery on the mound, the Tigers were able to hold on for a 6-0 victory over the Rangers. The victory lifted the Tigers to 21-16, while the Rangers dropped to 23-15 with the loss.

Dontrelle Willis, Detroit Tigers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Mark Fidrych, Detroit Tigers (Image: Newscom)

Fidrych, who was 54 years old at the time of his death, played in an All-Star game for the Detroit Tigers and his eccentric ways immediately made him a fan favorite. Known for his curly hair and unique delivery, Fidrych took the league by storm as a rookie in 1976. Winning Rookie of the Year, the Tigers pitcher finished the season with a 2.34 ERA and a record of 19-9.

Shortly after he rose to fame, a string of injuries caused his career to end prematurely. When he retired, he had a career ERA of 3.10 and a record of 29-19. He attempted to break back into the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox in the early 1980s, however he could never regain his big league form and struggled on the minor league level.

According to accounts at the scene, Fidrych was found underneath a dump truck. He was currently working for a company that did road construction. The man who found him, Joseph Amorello, says that it appears as if Fidrych was working on the dump truck at the time of the accident.

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Lyon’s contract calls for him to earn a base of $4.25 million with performance bonuses potentially bumping it up to around $5 million. The deal makes sense for both sides. If Lyon is able to win the closer role, he could become a free agent next offseason and cash in. For the Tigers, they are getting a solid reliever for a relatively low investment.

Last season, Lyon wasn’t at his best. The 29-year-old had an ERA of 4.70 and a record of 3-5 to go along with his 26 saves. In 2007, Lyon was much better — sporting a 2.68 ERA as he pitched in the setup role.

In 2009, expect Lyon to battle Fernando Rodney to see which pitcher will become Detroit’s closer. Considering that Rodney is coming off of a shaky season that saw him have an ERA near five, Lyon definitely has a shot to win the gig.

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