"News and views as the Tigers and Yankees settle first-round playoff matters:

News: Justin Verlander is dialing down his fastball in the early innings.

Views: And opposing hitters have been dialing up their swings.

You can understand the strategy here. Getting to Verlander isn't easy when his fastball is running at 94 mph. But it's easier than when he's throwing 100, which is what Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson decided in the first inning of Monday night's Game 3 at Comerica Park.

Jeter went after Verlander's first pitch of the game — a 94-mph fastball — and ripped it up the middle for a single. One batter later, Granderson teed off on a 96-mph heater and drove it over Austin Jackson's head for a triple that helped the Yankees to a pair of quick runs."