Granderson's slam lifts Yankees, 9-4

DETROIT -- Curtis Granderson routinely insists he's not a home run hitter, though he has continued to do a fair impression of one for well over a year now.

Granderson hit his 17th home run of the season Friday night, this one a grand slam that keyed the Yankees' 9-4 victory over the Tigers in front of 41,831 at Comerica Park.

"He's going to hit a lot of home runs for a guy not being a home run hitter,'' Joe Girardi said. Girardi, who had 36 career homers, laughed. "I was not a home run hitter,'' he said.

CC Sabathia (7-2) overcame a ragged start to pitch seven solid innings. Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the ninth to give the Yankees a five-run lead.

With the tying run in the on-deck circle, Rafael Soriano relieved Clay Rapada with the bases loaded in the ninth and got Miguel Cabrera to hit into a 5-4-3 double play to go to 7-for-7 in save opportunities. The Yankees (28-23) improved to 5-2 on this three-city, nine-game trip that concludes here Sunday.

Throughout last season, as his homer total grew to a career-best 41, Granderson gave similar answers when it came to his power numbers. "I really don't consider myself a home run hitter,'' he said more than once.

He looked like one in Friday's five-run second, clobbering one of the few strikes Tigers lefthander Casey Crosby -- who made his first major-league start -- threw in the inning.

Crosby walked four in the inning, including a bases-loaded pass to Derek Jeter (two hits) that tied it at 1-1. Granderson then laid into a 1-and-1 pitch and drove it to rightfield for his sixth homer off a lefthander in 63 at-bats this year, ending the Yankees' 0-for-16 skid with the bases loaded. He led the majors with 16 homers off lefties last season.

"He came after me the first at-bat with fastballs and I wasn't able to catch up to it, so I figured he's probably going to stay with it,'' said Granderson, who struck out in the first. "Just wanted to be ready to hit so I wouldn't miss it if he did it again.''

The shot gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead, and though Sabathia gave two of those runs back, he was happy for the cushion.

"It's huge, especially against a good team like this,'' he said. "You feel you can go out and attack these guys after that.''

Before Wednesday night, Granderson had only 26 RBIs despite hitting 15 homers, but in the last two games, he has a three-run homer and a grand slam to make it 33 and 17.

The Tigers (24-28) jumped ahead in the first. Quentin Berry, who made his major-league debut May 23 in Cleveland, led off by driving Sabathia's 0-and-1 pitch into the gap in right-center for a triple. Danny Worth's single to right made it 1-0.

After the five-run eruption, Sabathia gave two runs back in a 39-pitch third that left him at 71 pitches.

At that point Girardi said he was "hoping for six'' innings out of Sabathia, who instead settled down and gave him seven.

"Just the fastball command got a little better, and everything I throw comes after that,'' Sabathia said. "You have to go out and battle, and I felt like that's what it was today -- it was a battle.''

Even with his own battles, Sabathia wasn't unaware of the night's biggest story -- the one that occurred in Flushing.

"That was awesome,'' he said of Johan Santana's no-hitter. "I didn't watch but had it on my phone, the last couple outs. I'm happy for him.''