NEW YORK -- Jose Valverde is still considered the team's closer. But he will not be used in that role in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series.

In fact, how long he will be out of that role is indefinite, Tigers manager Jim Leyland told a small group of Tigers beat writers in his office early this afternoon.

"I think the best way to put this across to you right now is, I still consider Jose Valverde the closer, but I probably would not close with him today," Leyland said. "It's very unlikely he will close today. But that's not to say he won't close or that I don't consider him the closer."

Leyland said pitching coach Jeff Jones will work with Valverde.

"There are definitely some flaws in his delivery," Leyland said. "It's too slow."

One thing Valverde is not lacking in is confidence. But Leyland said he sees something in Valverde's body language that says he is struggling with that right now.

"It looks to me like he's kind of waiting for something bad to happen right now," Leyland said.

Leyland said after the game Saturday night that he needed to discuss the situation with his coaching staff before discussing it further publicly.

"I am not ducking anything right now," he said. "We need to sit down and talk. There's no question about that. It is a very legitimate question, but I just don't have an answer for you at this time."

Leyland said Sunday that he and his coaching staff and members of the front office met for a long time after the game and did not return to the team hotel until 2:45 a.m.

Valverde allowed a pair of two-run home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night as the Yankees erased a 4-0 deficit to force extra innings. The Tigers eventually rallied for a 6-4 victory.

Valverde blew a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Oakland A's. The A's pulled out a 4-3 victory to force a winner-takes-all Game 5 in that series.

Leyland said Sunday that the team will not have a temporary full-time closer and will decide based on the situation.

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