DETROIT -- Say what you want about Joe Girardi, the man knows baseball. He studies his team, his opponents and the game. He also knows that the 27-time world champion New York Yankees don't do moral victories.
He must know that with the roster he has, with as much age as it has talent, he has the slimmest margins to make the playoffs. So winnable games, even in April against the team with baseball's best record, must be won.
After CC Sabathia made his best start of the season against the Detroit Tigers, showing the most tangible signs yet that there might be life in that left arm, going eight innings and allowing just two runs on seven hits against arguably baseball's best lineup, Girardi was in no mood to try to find solace for Sabathia after a 2-1 loss.
"Probably frustration," Girardi said when asked what Sabathia should take away from this start, his best one of the three he has made in his comeback from knee surgery. The big man lowered his ERA from 5.68 to 4.35.
After a game that lasted a mere 2 hours and 20 minutes, Girardi was not ready to celebrate Sabathia's best outing. Girardi's frustration showed that all that really mattered to him was the Yankees' three-game winning streak was over and they still had three more to play in Detroit.
The manager knows they can't let games like this slip way, and the man who for a night again looked like an ace knows it too.
Sabathia pitched like his good buddy Andy Pettite, whom Sabathia has talked about emulating, by escaping trouble with three double plays, including two against Miguel Cabrera. But in the seventh, the Tigers' lineup -- which is reminiscent of the 2009 Yankees' lineup that seemingly never ended -- finally got to Sabathia for two runs, leaving him to echo his manager.
"It's frustrating," Sabathia said.
Sabathia has had two poor seasons, but he still has the pride of an ace. The Yankees are 6-7 and he is 0-3, so pitching well, even against a lineup so good he said it should be "illegal," is no solace.
Sabathia got some help from his defense with two glorious plays by Brett Gardner and an even better one by Jacoby Ellsbury, but -- truth be told, and the manager did eventually mention it -- Sabathia did offer some encouraging signs.
His change-up was very good, displaying the same arm speed and delivery point as his fastball (which was in the 90-92 range), and was hard for the Tigers' hitters to pick up.
Over the first six innings, Sabathia faced the minimum 18 batters, despite allowing three hits and a walk. With Mark Teixeira's second-inning solo shot the only Yankees run, Sabathia needed to keep the tough Tigers off the board.
In the seventh, Rajai Davis reached second, setting up Cabrera. But Sabathia was up to the task and nearly got Cabrera to hit into an unconventional 6-4-3 double play.
Didi Gregorius made a stop and smartly threw to second, just as Davis scurried back to the base safely. Stephen Drew's relay to first got a jogging Cabrera, but it left the Tigers with the one remaining out they needed.
Having seen Victor Martinez drill the ball all night -- he had been robbed once by Gardner and once by Ellsbury -- Girardi decided to put the go-ahead run at first. It is not a move that Girardi likes to make, but he thought it was the right one in this case.
J.D. Martinez followed and hit a hard shot to Gregorius' right. Gregorius dove, reached the ball with his glove, but could not make the play as the tying run scored. It was rightly ruled a single.
Next, Yoenis Cespedes shot a clean single up the middle. Ellsbury was in center. Besides having no RBIs this season, Ellsbury still doesn't have much of an arm. Though Victor Martinez, who was on second, does not run well, Ellsbury and Girardi felt the Yankees had no play at the plate. Ellsbury threw to third, ending the inning, but not before Martinez crossed the plate for what would be the winning run.
In the eighth, Gregroius nearly had his first really strong Yankee moment. With Chase Headley on second, Gregorius hit a one-out single. At third base, Joe Espada held Headley. In center, Davis bobbled the ball, but after Espada had made his decision.
"That's not something you can predict," Girardi said.
With Ellsbury, the Yankees' $153 million man, up next, it was understandable to pass the baton. For that type of dough, you expect some big moments. Ellsbury faced old buddy Joba Chamberlain and hit the ball hard, but right at second baseman Ian Kinsler, who turned it into a double play.
Ellsbury later said that was the only way he could be doubled up. He was and, with the end of the eighth, the game was effectively over.
Afterward, Girardi knew how close the Yankees were. Sabathia threw well, but if they want to leave Michigan with at least a split of this four-gamer, Girardi had to know that Monday was one they probably needed.