Nightengale: Yanks flail, continue to fail vs. Verlander

• The Yankees trail the Tigers 3-0 in the ALCS
• New York has failed to score in 28 or 30 innings in the series
• "Nothing has come easy to us this year," manager Joe Girardi said

DETROIT -- What's Justin Verlander going to do next, spike the Halloween candy for the kiddies? Rob sleeping bags from the homeless?

Set A-Rod up with a free dating service?

It was almost inhumane what Verlander did Tuesday night to the New York Yankees, in the Detroit Tigers' 2-1 victory.

It was a slow, painful, excruciating execution for the baseball world to watch.

And now, for the first time since the 1976 World Series, the Yankees are on the verge of losing a best-of-seven series in fewer than six games.

They trail the Tigers 3-0 in the American League Championship Series, and of course, the only time anyone in baseball history ever pulled off that kind of comeback was personally witnessed by the Yankees, when the Boston Red Sox pulled off the feat in 2004.

But the Red Sox could actually hit.

The Yankees have scored in only two of 30 innings this series, both of those being tthe ninth inning. They are hitting just .200 this entire postseason, and unless they go on a barrage tonight, they will finish with the worst batting average in a postseason in franchise history, eclipsing their .207 average in the 1921 World Series.

The only time they ever show signs of life these days is in the ninth inning. This time, they even were able to do it against someone not named Jose Valverde.

Eduardo Nunez, Derek Jeter's replacement, led off the ninth with a homer on a marvelous eight-pitch at-bat. One batter and one out later, Verlander was gone, and the Tigers had to trust their bullpen.

"I guess you don't take Secretariat out in the final furlong,'' Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, "but that was it for him."

Phil Coke, the Tigers' new closer, retired Ichiro Suzuki, who had produced the Yankees only two hits until the ninth. But then came Mark Teixeira with a single. Robinson Cano actually got a hit, too, snapping his 29-at-bat hitless skein, the longest in postseason history.

All of a sudden, the Yankees had their first rally in three days, and Comerica Park suddenly went silent. Yet, just when the Yankees looked like this might be one of those magical nights, Coke struck out Raul Ibanez on a curveball -- the best he has thrown all season, Leyland said.

It left Yankees manager Joe Girardi once again scratching his head, wondering how he can magically come up with a lineup that can actually hit.

"I can't hit,'' Girardi said. "I wouldn't want to face Verlander, not at my age. You keep encouraging the guys.

"They overcome a lot this year, and nothing has come easy to us.''

The biggest surprise of the night was that Verlander struck out only three batters. Verlander blamed his command, saying he was forced at times to throw pitches right down the middle of the plate. Of course, it didn't matter, the Yankees couldn't hit those, either.

Now, facing elimination, the Yankees are going with their ace, CC Sabathia, who may plead with Girardi to scrap the DH position, and just let him hit for himself.

Does anyone think the Yankees have a prayer now? Anyone?

"You can never take anything for granted,'' Verlander said. "We have seen some crazy things happen in this game.''

Yeah, including the bizarre Yankees' lineup each evening, with $50 million worth of players either benched or demoted this night.

Alex Rodriguez, the highest-paid player in baseball history, had the best-priced ticket in the house, watching from the bench. He was again kept out of the lineup, with Girardi figuring that if A-Rod was hitless in 18 at-bats with 12 strikeouts against right-handers not named Verlander this postseason, how fair would it be watching him try to make contact this night?

If nothing else, A-Rod had the entire game to, you know, check out the action in the stands.

Certainly, playing the entire game would have put a crimp into A-Rod's love life. The New York Post reported that Rodriguez was openly flirting with two blonde women sitting near the Yankees dugout during Game 1 at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night, seeking their phone numbers by having autographed baseballs sent to them in the stands.

Rodriguez brushed past reporters and didn't comment before the game, and Girardi wouldn't talk about it.

"I'm not going to comment on that," Girardi said, looking like a guy who can't believe the Yankees will be paying Rodriguez $114 million over the next five years.

The Yankees' offense has been so putrid that Girardi started Brett Gardner and batted him leadoff. It's the first time he's been in the starting lineup in six months. Right fielder Nick Swisher and his $10.2 million salary was benched too. Nunez started at shortstop for injured Derek Jeter. And Curtis Granderson, and his $10 million salary, was batting eighth.

Girardi dropped no hints about making out perhaps his final lineup of the season, but A-Rod has to be in there. If nothing else, it'll give scouts one last chance to see him. If you can't win a World Series, a beautiful consolation prize might be finding someone who'll trade for him.

Anyone?