You just saw it getting away tonight. Sheff receiving all the boos he deserved, grounding out to third…and reaching on A-Rod’s error. Mike Mussina walking his first batter in 22.1 innings while facing the dangerous Magglio Ordonez…setting the scene that would end this one before it started. It was Carlos Guillen stepping in next to take Moose deep…and that really was that in the Tigers 8-5 win over the Yankees.

Justin Verlander finally won since the All-Star break and the Yankees now look mortal for the first time since then. It was inevitable that they would cool down and start losing a few, particularly with the junior varsity teams off the schedule. So now it’s Sox by 5.5 and Seattle by a half game. There’s plenty of baseball left for the Yanks to survive a short skid…that is, of course, as long as the skid is short…

On a side note, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give props to the fan who reached into Brandon Inge’s glove and yanked out Hideki Matsui’s foul ball in the first inning…it was a legit play that any home fan should have made and it allowed Matsui to single home Derek Jeter one pitch later. This is what home field advantage is all about. Kudos, brother.