Tigers still up 2-0 after seven innings behind Doug Fister’s brilliance

Doug Fister's spent half of Game 1 in trouble, and now he's finally out of the game.

After a shaky sixth in which he gave up a couple of runs, Andy Pettitte came out for the seventh and retired the first two batters he faced. But after he walked Omar Infante with his 107th pitch, Pettitte was removed in favor of veteran sinker-baller Derek Lowe.

Lowe struck out Miguel Cabrera with three pitches.

Fister came out for the bottom of the seventh, and struck out Derek Jeter; it was Fister's fourth strikeout in his last five batters, after striking out just one Yankee in the game's first five innings.

Bu when Ichiro Suzuki drove Fister's 106th pitch into left field for a base hit, Fister was finished. Jim Leyland summoned lefty Phil Coke to face Robinson Canó, who took a strike, then fouled off six straight offerings before tapping a weak grounder that catcher Gerald Laird handled. And the threat ended -- yes, another threat ended -- when Mark Teixeira hit a comebacker to Coke.

So here we go, heading to the eighth and it's still Tigers 2, Yankees 0. Take heart, though, Yankees fans ... Jose Valverde will probably show up before too long.