By Tim Britton / MLB.com NEW YORK -- Ryan Raburn's two-run homer to left field in the second inning was all the offense Max Scherzer needed in the Tigers' 3-1 win at Yankee Stadium on Monday. For the second straight day, the Yankees faced a pitcher they had barely seen before, with their starting lineup boasting a total of four career at-bats against Scherzer. And for the second straight day, the Yankees' offense looked out of its depth at the plate. Scherzer shut out the Yankees over six innings, allowing only two hits while striking out six and walking two. Cabrera added a solo homer in the ninth inning for the final margin. The Yankees' best chance off Scherzer came in the third, when Curtis Granderson led off with a single and Brett Gardner walked. Derek Jeter hit into a 5-4-3 double play to promptly end the threat. New York had runners at second and third in the seventh with two outs following a Granderson double, but Francisco Cervelli grounded to short. Not helping the Yankees' offensive struggles were the loss of Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher. Rodriguez departed with a tight left calf and Swisher suffered a strained right forearm. Raburn's second-inning blast on a full-count curveball was the only actual damage in a laborious outing for Javier Vazquez. The right-hander threw 106 pitches in only four innings, yielding five hits and four walks while striking out six. Vazquez threw at least 23 pitches in each of his four innings, including 34 in the second, during which he faced eight batters. Furthermore, Vazquez's velocity was again down, as he hit 90 mph on the gun only four times in his four innings. He spent most of the game around 88 mph with his fastball, and it dipped as low as 86. Vazquez now hasn't won in his last four starts, and he hasn't completed the sixth inning in any of his last three. The loss drops him back to .500 on the season at 9-9. It is the third straight home series opener the Yankees have dropped, and seventh in their last nine.
