Game 121: Tigers at Yankees
Posted by: - Posted in Misc on Aug 16, 2007 
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Here is the lineup:
YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Giambi 1B
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Mussina RHP
UPDATE, 8:15 p.m.: Here is what Jason Giambi has to say about not being suspended by Bud Selig:
“It’s over and done with. I’m thrilled with it. He did what he needed to do – now I can go forward. I can go forward and not hurt the ballclub with a suspension.”
I don’t know anybody who actually thought he was getting suspended. Meanwhile I see this game was a mess early. Mussina needs to give them 5-6 innings to save the bullpen. The Yankees don’t have a day off until Thursday.
…Then I shall patiently await said line ups.
Jeff thanks for filling in for Pete. It is appreciated.
Please, no rain, no rain! I’m going tonight!
I think Duncan should bat 1 through 9 tonight. Would that be wrong?
wood is good: I’m in North Jersey right now, and it’s sunny, if hot as hell. I think you should luck out; there’s nothing showing on the radar right now…
Does anyone have Sterling’s call on Shelley’s Home run?
F5 F5 F5 F5 F5
Lineups aren’t really posted until 2 hours before game time, max. Refreshing won’t do much.
…Thought it was a little early.
It’s okay though. I can still wait. And I imagine Sterling’s call was something like ‘It is high, it is far, it is gone…’
You better get your game on,
‘Cause the eyes of Verlander are upon you,
Any mistake you do, he’s gonna see…
and strike you out.
This post is very informative. We won’t miss that Peter character one bit.
Rebecca,
No, if its fair its gone… its gone!
Ah, whaddo I know? I watched it on tv
I have a good feeling that Mussina will dot Sheffield tonight. Nobody makes those comments about Torre without Moose getting his last 2 cents added.
To anyone that frequents Yankee games, I’m trying to buy tickets to sundays game on stubhub but i’m not sure where to sit. I don’t want to do the bleacher thing because from my understanding they dont let you drink out there. Anyway, I’m trying to find good (decent) seats that arent going to be retardedly expensive. Any suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks!
Since lineups aren’t posted, what are YFs feelings on Sheffield, will he get cheered or jeered tonight?
I know he made some comments about Torre but from what I remember he was quite liked across New York.
I have a good feeling that Mussina will dot Sheffield tonight. Nobody makes those comments about Torre without Moose getting his last 2 cents added.
unlikely – moose never throws at ANYONE. hes too “classy” i guess
i say boo the bejesus out of the guy. I appreciated him when he played here: great bat, fearsome in the lineup and willing to play through injuries, but at the same time I just never liked his attitude much. And now that’s he running his mouth off? boo him.
YanksSox–I’m pretty sure they’ll boo him.
I totally would.
it’s not about class or whatever with moose- he got hurt when he was a young pitcher because he threw at somebody and that somebody busted up his shoulder. so he understandably avoids it now.
Boo the hell outta Sheff.
Sheffield wil get totaly booed tonight. Nobody does that to Joe and the fans will make him pay for it. But I hope he doesnt get nailed – just play the game.
keithny:
my personal recommendation (if you can get them), would be for tier reserved seats behind homeplate (sections 1-6 are best). tier reserved are as high up as the seats go (so they’re the cheapest second to the bleachers), but i think that if you are behind home plate and high up, you will have a much better view of the whole game, than if you are closer to the field but, say, down the 1st or 3rd baseline. these have always been my favorites. also, you can usually move down lower for the last few innings unless the game is a real nailbiter.
Sheff will get more boos than cheers, which is a shame because if he hadn’t said those things I think he would have gotten a warm reception. And Moose won’t hit him.
This Jeff guy is the Man!!!!
Speaking for myself, I truly enjoyed Sheffield’s stay with the Yankees. I dismissed his occasional rants, because more times than not the first things out of his mouth come without much though, but if you follow the situation through, things usually got watered down and sorted out; in any event, he performed well, so you could ignore lots. And he seemed always to be willing to be interviewed after a game (not always controversial, btw).
However, since he’s left, he’s just been making a nuisance of himself with negative comments that leave me (and I daresay many other Yankees fans) scratching their heads and worse. I suspect he’ll get booed, and I suspect it will have everything to do with charging Joe Torre with treating him and other players differently because they are black. It was like (no, it was) a personal attack, and that is what I think changed the attitude of even the people who appreciated Gary Sheffield. He’s definitely burned some bridges here.
Giambi at first? If we lose the game because of a defensive miscue at first, I’ll be upset.
The line up makes me thing Torre’s looking for an offensive explosion. I hope he’s right.
Just ignore Sheffield, don`t get him P`od
I like Giambi at First for at least 6 innings.
I’m thinking, good lineup, because it’s an offensive one. (Tho that doesn’t sound right, does it?) In view of the past 2 games, where the offense has been subdued, is it okay to downplay defense to add a little punch? Especially with Moose going? Well, I guess Phillips can always be put in for defensive purposes later in the game.
I like this lineup. We need some runs after the last 2 games. I hope Moose has good stuff tonight. Where is the Tigers lineup?
Bob –
I agree with you. The worst thing anyone can do is give Sheffield something (extra) to be po’d about. And he puts that attitude right into his bat. No, we don’t want that at all!
1) Boo Sheff. It is unbelievable how much trash comes out of his mouth, and it always has to do with him not getting a fair shot, or with him “proving to people” how talented he is. There’s a reason that he’s an All-Star who has been traded to and from pretty much every team in the league..he’s a whiny baby who demands 100x the amount of respect that he gives others.
2) I’ve noticed a trend around here, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s just something interesting to note..
Did you ever notice that before the game, people are high on the team, excited for the game to begin and for the Yankees to start/continue another win streak..However, if the Yankees begin to lose, a ton of people show up just to bash whoever may not be producing that particular night? This happens a LOT to Phillips and Damon, and the bloggers demand them to be replaced or killed.
I know that if the team is losing, you aren’t very keen on talking about the positives, but people here begin to go ape-shizat crazy if the Yankees miss a beat.
Those are also the same people who seem to magically appear when we’re winning a blowout. No talk about Giambi’s steroid use or Damon’s porcelain structure come into play during wins, but if the team hits a rough spot, a lot of people here don’t let them forget it.
As far as I can see we’ve only faced Verlander once and smacked him around good (6 ER in 5 IP). Giambi was 2 for 3 with a HR.
If Giambi could play first base without hurting himself, or the team, this really is the best lineup for the rest of the year.
In hitting him 7th, when you need to remove him for defensive purposes, you don’t hurt the middle of the lineup with a weaker bat.
You can interchange Damon and Matsui in the DH/LF role.
Let’s hope Jason can hold up physically because if he can, it will make the Yankees much more dangerous down the stretch.
You would think Duncan would get another chance to start today, but Joe has a short term memmory. I hope he remembers Edwar from yesterday too, as he was great.
Mo is probably off tonight no matter what. Joba & Viz for 3 innings combined if we can get 6 innings from Moose.
This is the best lineup Torre can play at this point. What’s the point in Giambi losing weight and getting in shape for first base if he’s not going to play there? It’s just first base, and he’s good at scooping throws. His offense over Phillips more than makes up for defensive shortcomings. At least, I think so.
Great lineup tonight. Having Giambi’s offense in the lineup far outweighs what Andy’s provides defensively.
posada catching mussina?
Are the Tigers and their starter still sick ?
Giambi at first eh? This is a hell of a lineup if we can get some 1/2way decent defense outta him.
I do remember, though, that a commenter on this blog threatened to vomit or something if Giambi got time at first…
colangelo – i have to agree with you on that one.
InsertNewSN, point 2 has been quite well noticed around here
).
And, like a lot of others, I agree with point one. I think he was/is a good player, but to always play the race card, accuse Torre, pull Jeter in the mix… That was just classless. This is a guy who played badly to get traded when he was in Milwaukee. Feel free to boo the living daylights out of him.
“In view of the past 2 games, where the offense has been subdued, is it okay to downplay defense to add a little punch?”
Never downplay defense, although it is the most readily overlooked aspect of the game by fans. Without defense, we wouldn’t even have won a single game against Baltimore, let alone make a second game close.
Good pitching stops good hitting as we have seen, and to have any legitimate shot of winning in the playoffs and beyond, you must have good defense.
You can outclobber substandard teams, but when you are fighting guys like Bedard, Bonderman and Verlander, who you put the glove at first is almost as important as who is on the mound.
I feel extremely uncomfortable with Giambi playing first. I understand what Joe is trying to do here, but it is a huge defensive liability.
While the Yanks have certainly been hitting well, their most significant improvement since earlier in the season has been on defense, something 99% of fans will disagree and overlook. With Philips in the lineup you have an entire infield composed of gold glove caliber players. With Cabrera anchoring center and Abreu’s arm, it is very difficult to score on us.
The Damon left field experiment has failed miserably in my mind, and Giambi at first is a terrible experiment that might sabotage the game.
BJ
Giambi’s offense > Phillips’ Defense && Melky Rocks my socks.
^ Mathematical equation. Tested and works.
Marc-
Verlander is a RHP, thus you would want a left handed bat for DH tonight and keep Shelly on the bench to PH later. But I do expect to see Duncan in there tomorrow when we face the left handed Robertson.
From the Detroit Tigers’ site:
“Pitching matchup
DET: RHP Justin Verlander (12-4, 3.58 ERA)
Verlander was the first to fall to the flu bug that is making its way around the Tigers’ roster now. He was stuck in bed a day after his last start, but is expected to be ready to go for his return to the site where he pitched Game 2 of the Division Series. He’s coming off his strongest outing since the All-Star break on Saturday, when he held the A’s to two runs over six-plus innings while striking out seven.
NYY: RHP Mike Mussina (8-7, 4.50 ERA)
Mussina tossed what Torre called “probably” his finest start of the year on Saturday in Cleveland. In picking up his fourth straight win, the right-hander allowed just two runs on eight hits over 7 2/3 innings. His efficiency and command were what most impressed, as Moose threw 69 of his 89 pitches for strikes. This remarkable economy was helped by a curveball that had the Tribe’s hitters either flailing or turning into easy outs. In 29 career starts against the Tigers, Mussina is 17-5 with a 2.50 ERA.
Player to watch
At this rate, anybody without flu-like symptoms could be worth a mention on the Tigers, but Magglio Ordonez is a respectable 10-for-35 (.286) lifetime off Mussina with two doubles, a home run and seven RBIs.
“
mr. updater of lineups while peters outttttt!
real men of genius salutes you!
“If Giambi could play first base without hurting himself, or the team, this really is the best lineup for the rest of the year.”
I think we all know that Giambi’s better days at first are behind him, and at this point, hoping he can ‘play first’ is grasping at straws. Joe has no intention of playing him there “the rest of the year”. This is merely a way to get some more guys some time. Giambi shouldn’t be platooning like this. He should be the everyday DH. Putting one of our worst fielders in such a pivotal defensive position is a critical liability, something that can sabotage the entire game in one instant.
BJ
Giambi at 1st base?! How long will that last 2 innings? He gets hurt every single time he plays the field. Damon should be a bench player as long as Giambi hits, Damon can not play LF. He has already misplayed 3 balls in the last 3 games that he played there.
Big Johnson, how has the Damon left-field experiment failed miserably? There have definitely been at least 5 well-hit balls that Damon’s speed has allowed him to catch up to that Matsui (god bless his japanese soul) would never have come close to catching. His arm sucks no matter where you put him, but the throw from a left-fielder is easier than from center.
He’s still an amazing defensive outfielder with a sub-sub-sub-par arm.
It sounds like your argument is more based around the fact that you don’t like Damon in the outfield period, rather than left field being his super-weakness. If you had to play him AND Melky in the outfield, where would you RATHER have him?
This lineup is the best hitting lineup we can possibly create at this point in the season. We still have Betemit, Duncan, Phillips, and Molina on the bench, and we can interchange those guys in the field every few days just to keep everyone fresh, and it won’t hurt our overall offense OR defense.
This truly is a great lineup.
BJ –
Same here. Understand why Giambi’s in there; not too sure how I feel about it overall. The Yankees have been playing very good defense, if not excellent defense, during this winning stretch of games and I do agree it’s often underrated, or at least under-appreciated.
Regarding Damon in left field, I wouldn’t say it’s a failed experiment, at least not yet, but I would say that the results have been uneven and inconsistent. He’s made some good plays out there, and then he’s misjudged a couple, too. But I like him leading off, and I supposed Matsui deserves a night off from the field every now and then.
I don’t want to take any game or any team for granted, but in the past the Yankees have done well playing Detroit, and Mussina’s been doing well. Let’s just say I’m hopeful. I never want to get too excited before a game! Cautiously optimistic. That’s me.
Guys, give me a break. Giambi is playing first base tonight, probably for only 6 or 7 innings until Phillips replaces him. He’s played first base before, you know, its not like it’ll be his first time out there. He can scoop the ball well and catch what’s thrown to him. He’s not Phillips, granted, but geez you people make it sound like we’re putting a lawn chair out there. Torre’s not sabotaging the game.
**but geez you people make it sound like we’re putting a lawn chair out there.
LOL!
I guess I agree with you Doreen..
But I think that it’s completely unfair to throw Damon into left-field and expect him to play gold-glove defense from the very first time you put him out there (which is also the first time he’s played left field since his days with the Royals!)..Announcers have always said that it’s a feel position and that it’s hard to judge the balls that are coming right at you, which are the ones that Damon has misplayed..Give him a chance. You still have Matsui’s bat in the lineup, so I would definitely take Damon’s defense over Matsui’s anyday. Everyone forgets that the Yankees brought Damon over from Beantown because he was a great defensive outfielder with a nice bat. He hasn’t done that this year, but whatever the reason for that may be, he has proven in the past that he is a superb outfielder. That doesn’t change today.
In Oakland: Piazza hit a leadoff triple, the A’s couldn’t bring him in. Just a little reference when people say we’re the ONLY team that lacks such fundamental hitting…The air always fills with hyperbole here, and it’s nice to remember a counterexample
).
You’re right Designated Blogger..
Giambi > Lawnchair
DesignatedBlogger – “but geez you people make it sound like we’re putting a lawn chair out there.”
Lawn Chair = Sheffield at 1B
“He’s still an amazing defensive outfielder with a sub-sub-sub-par arm.”
Hi Insertnews. I don’t disagree with this statement. The problem is that left field is not his natural position. If you watch him closely, he has misjudged many many balls. He has trouble run towards the track at an angle, and lets plenty of balls go over his head.
These plays wont show up in the box scores because technically they aren’t errors, but an above average natural left fielder would make them. He simply isn’t reliable in left for a stretch run. Perhaps he can work on it in the offseason, but he clearly hasn’t been successful this year. A couple of brilliant plays in left doesn’t negate the many more balls he has let go over his head.
“t sounds like your argument is more based around the fact that you don’t like Damon in the outfield period, rather than left field being his super-weakness.”
Not at all. He plays decent center, but we have a top 5 fielding centerfielder who is hitting better than him. Thats what happens in the bigz, especially on the yanks. Heck, we have one of the top 5 most productive bats in all of baseball sitting on the bench. I don’t want Damon in left because at this point he hasn’t been able to play it competently. That doesn’t mean he wont be able to learn, just not now in a playoff push.
“This truly is a great lineup.”
Agreed. But it exposes the second most important defensive positioins to extreme liability. Its easy to look past brilliant defensive plays, as they don’t make headlines the same way the 500th home run does. But they are every bit as important if not more. More so when you are playing a team that can pitch.
Look at what happened against Baltimore for example. Do you really believe that this lineup that had scored 7 or more runs since the break just went to sleep? We faced terrific pitching period. Great pitching beats great hitting. The difference in games like that is defense. Giambi is clearly a liability and should play, but as a DH instead.
BJ
guys, Phillips is just not a good player. i’m sorry. i wish he was. but he isn’t.
the Yankees need to find out if Giambi can handle 1B.
b/c if he can, that means they can play both Damon and Giambi in the lineup.
despite Damon’s struggles, that is still their best lineup and probably the best lineup in baseball.
Damon
Jeter
Abreu
A-Rod
Matsui
Posada
Giambi
Cano
Cabrera
if Giambi can’t handle 1B, then you make an adjustment. but let’s find out if he can.
Giambi is > a lawn chair because he can hold TWO beer cans.
Damon in left at Yankee Stadium doesn’t bother me too much; he’s shown he can play that field well, even if he doesn’t throw well.
I’m just a little nervous about Giambi at first. Obviously, he’s better than a lawn chair, but if it’s a tie game in the 9th, I want Phillips playing defense. You can pinch hit with Betemit if you must…or Shelley…
Yea, I’d use Shelley in a flash…
what do the yankees need to find out about giambis first bace butchering sessions that hasent been displayed in the last couple years?
Look, this is a good day for Giambi. He gets cleared of any possible suspension for actually being honest enough to tell the trugh, something most athletes in this day and age won’t do. Sure, he messed up in his past, but he admitted to it and he’s moving on.
I hope he plays a solid 1b tonight. I’m pulling for him because I know what his bat can do at any time in a game. He still has his power stroke and he still has one of the best eyes in baseball so if he can just make the plays at 1b for 7 innings a night, he will help this team immensely.
Phillips pulled a Cairo and came out of nowhere to do an amazing job at 1b for short stint, but his offensive problems are starting to mount and he looks lost at the plate right now. Maybe he was playing above his head, but he’s still valuable to this team and will still play.
At the heart of it we are a better offensive team with Giambi and Damon (or Shelley at DH) in the lineup and against the better pitching teams, we need every gun we have.
I hope the announcement from Selig eases Giambi’s mind and he goes out and plays a great game.
great point 38…Giambi is the ultimate butcher.
Torre is hurting the team by changing the line-ups on a daily basis again… Andy Phillips is the 1B with or without a good bat…
sheff will get booed tonight, no doubt. loften was booed in cleveland for agreeing with sheff.
i have no problems with the line-ups/positions for tonight.
and here’s to hoping detroit leaves some of the flu in the visitors clubhouse!
Big Johnson,
Good points. I kind of get where you’re going now..
I completely understand that good defense is an oft-overlooked part of the game, but I’ve watched every game (alright maybe I missed a couple), and Damon really hasn’t butchered LF. You definitely don’t get that “Ohhh no, not HIM again” feeling when he’s playing left as you do when Farnsworth begins to warm up. He hasn’t made all that many mistakes. It doesn’t really help his cause to say that the mistakes he made were in blowouts, but..well..they were! So far, his mistakes haven’t cost the Yankees a single game, and it’s that type of experience in left field that will prevent him from making them in the future. Especially if you take into consideration that Damon in left also allows Giambi to play first. If that’s the case, then so be it. It gives more speed on the basepaths with Damon playing, it keeps Matsui protecting A-Rod, and allows Giambi’s recently-refurbished homerun swing to come into the game as well.
joe im pretty sure giambi has been made aware of selig’s decision long before today, i doubt the comish is just gonna let giambi find out about all this on sportscenter.
“what do the yankees need to find out about giambis first bace butchering sessions that hasent been displayed in the last couple years?”
they need to find out if he can stand out there and not come up with sore knees of a sore foot.
Let’s just chill out, everybody, and see how Giambi actually performs in his first first base assignment in quite some time before we freak out (much like Peter did at me on the Springsteen post earlier today).
“Andy Phillips is the 1B with or without a good bat…”
apparently he isn’t.
“With Philips in the lineup you have an entire infield composed of gold glove caliber players.”
No, No, No and No
Cano, not a gold glover
Jeter, has won the gold glove, but not a gold glover
Arod, not a gold glover
Andy, not a gold glover
“Cano, not a gold glover
Jeter, has won the gold glove, but not a gold glover
Arod, not a gold glover
Andy, not a gold glover”
i’m not sure what you mean.
A-Rod and Cano are both playing Gold Glove level defense this year.
Are we ready for another round of the Yankees First Base Drinking Game? I’m not.
Yeah Scott Duncan, you got PWNed earlier. Funny.
sheff deserves to be boo-ed for his comments about the organization and torre.
“Gold Glove CALIBER players”
That doesn’t mean they’ve won gold gloves, that just means they are good defensive infielders. There is nothing wrong with complimenting the Yanks’ infield in that way, because they’ve all been very impressive and have improved massively from last year.
As for Giambi, if you throw the ball in his general direction, he will generally turn it into an out. As long as he doesn’t have to throw the ball, I’m comfortable having him at first base.
I’m always up for a drinking game.
I mean, I love being a good kid.
I think Joe should stick with this group of guys for the time being (against righties) and alternate Giambi and Damon at 1B to see who’s more comfortable there. Giambi has the experience there, but Damon is a better athlete.
Great. Lose the last two games/ play 4-3 ball in the last 7 then weaken 1B defense (Giambi) against a team better than the Orioles. Damon isn’t all that in LF.
I want to see Brett Gardner called up for the series in Detroit so he can play LF there, I’m not kidding. He could bat ninth protected by switch-hitter Melky. You need range in LF at Comerica and no way Damon covers the ground Gardner does. If Gardner hits well, start him vs. Boston 8/28-30 & Tampa Bay 8/31-9/2 then he stays on the roster through the rest of the year since the rosters expand in Sept.
It’s time Matsui bought a 1B glove and attended the Don Mattingly School For First Basemen in spring training next year.
Cano’s playing excellent defense. His one flaw on defense is that sometimes he overthrows first. He’s still young; I imagine he’ll only get better from here.
boo sheffield. I hate him. He is dumb as a brick and plays the race card to no end. it is pathetic.
“Black people can’t be racist”
“Joe Torre is racist”
“There are less black players because they stand up for themselves, but it’s just because they’re real men and Latin American players aren’t”
Cano is 8th (out of 13) in fielding for 2baseman, he has commited 10 errors, only two 2baseman have more than him. If that is gold glove caliber, than I am mistaken
Hopefully Giambi can play 1st base a couple of times a week and the other days Betemit should play there. Phillips will come in for defense later on. Phillips was great at the plate for a few weeks but recently he looks completely lost. It seems like when Cairo and Myers were released he really started to press thinking he could be out the door also. He hits the ball in the air to CF way to much, he doesnt have the power to get it over the CF head in dead center. He is clearly not the answer in the future.
I really don’t understand how first base has become “one of the most critical defensive positions on the field” on this blog lately. If nobody noticed guys who field about as good as barn doors have been tucked away at first base (or in left field) for years. All those baseball minds are obviously confused and should have been putting those bricks at SS and 2B because 1B is really where it happens. If a guy can catch he can play first. Yes an exceptional first baseman stands out, but when it really comes down to it catching the ball is the primary job of the 1st baseman and Giambi has been proven over a long career to have “soft hands”. No, I don’t want to see any attempts at a 3-6-3 tonight, but if he catches what is thrown at him I’ll be happy enough. Phelps was a real butcher, Giambi is head and shoulder above that.
moose needs to keep the good pitching going tonight. our bats will eventually get to verlander as long as we’re not down by 8 runs. go moose!!!
Minnesota Twins claimed Basak off of waivers.
Joe’s back to his old tricks – gotta play Damon and Giambi. Fine, just remember that we’ve lost the last two games -
Migames:
Cano has improved a lot since he first came up. He’s not the best yet, but he’s made some great plays and really does have talent. If he learns not to overthrow the ball, as he does, he will be gold glove caliber.
I think. I’ve been wrong before, though…
hey gang, rebecca… no. while cano appears to be playing quote unquote “excelent defense” i see mediocre decision making and sluggish form.
he is still young but soon… he wont be and by the time the yankees realize it, he will not have blossomed into that premier second baseman yankee fans hope for.
to those of you scared of giambi at 1B:
i think the liability with giambi in the field has to do with his inability to throw the ball much more so than his glove (which i think is adequate). this affects the team when you have a team that bunts a lot and runs all over the basepads. luckily, joe’s putting giambi in the field four days before we meet the angels. if we were playing the angels right now, i’d be terrified of giambi at 1B.
i guess we are arguing semantics. so I will drop it.
“Phelps was a real butcher, Giambi is head and shoulder above that.”
now you did it. i should hide under my desk now.
Migames: Don’t worry about it!
I have a mouth full of novacaine, my mind’s probably a little addled
Smart move by Mr. Jeff Marx by the way. Pete will ask him how the game thread went, and Jeff will be able to reply “oh great, new record for comments”, thanks to the early opening of this post
).
It’s appreciated Jeff!
Mussina Vs Verlander. Total Mismatch on paper, hopefully the offense wakes up against the fire baller or it could be 3 losses in a row……at home.
Joe Torre: How can I repeat the same mistakes as last year’s division series, and put my defensively least effective and offensively least flexible lineup against the team that eliminated us last year?
Joe Torre (answering himself): I know…I’ll put Damon in LF and Giambi at 1B.
Brett Gardner is hitting .167 in AAA since his return from the DL.
Someone wants him in LF for the Tigers series? Wow. Not much more to add than that.
The Yankees are 30-12 since July 2. Obviously, the lineups must be working.
Let Torre stick to filling out the lineups and we will root for them to do well.
Guys,I keep reading how its good that Giambi is playing first base because it gives us a more powerful offense. We are leading the league in offense and even if phillips isnt hitting he still more than makes up for it on the field. Lets stop thinking that Giambi is Mattingly out there he doesnt cover any ground and all he does desent is scoup balls. We are winning games because of offense but also much improved defense.
Giambi needs to stay as a dh and a pinch hitter. No more bats and no gloves needed.
Wouter you are catching on to my master plan
it’s not a “total mismatch” GW. Over the last 7 games, Moose’s ERA is actually lower than Verlander’s.
“Cano is 8th (out of 13) in fielding for 2baseman, he has commited 10 errors, only two 2baseman have more than him. If that is gold glove caliber, than I am mistaken”
by what measure? please don’t say fielding %.
he’s #3 in the majors in ZR.
he’s excellent.
you know those plays when he goes all the way behind second base and throws across his body for the out? that’s called “range”.
he has more errors b/c he gets to more balls.
At least ARod’s not batting 8th.
3 loses in a row and steve blues clues phillips gets a smug look of satisfaction on his mug for a week. WIN YANKEES!
Luckily the game isn’t played on paper.
Joe Torre: How do I squeeze as many effective lefty bats into the lineup as I can against a tough right handed pitcher when I really need a win?
Joe Torre (answering himself): I know…I’ll put Damon in LF and Giambi at 1B.
“The Yankees are 30-12 since July 2. Obviously, the lineups must be working.
Let Torre stick to filling out the lineups and we will root for them to do well.”
Agreed. But at some point you have to acknowledged that he has done this effectively for 7 years +, and ineffectively in the playoffs those 7 years.
Could something have been done to change our 7 year drought. Is it fair to look towards the playoffs and realize that our strategem against that caliber team might need to molded from out-clobbering to scintillating defense?
Making the playoffs will count for nothing, even after what this team has gone through, if we are eliminated again in the first round. World series ring or bust. Defense and pitching has to be the emphasis for that to happen. Giambi at first wont get it done.
BJ
This really is a brilliant lineup. Lefty stacked against a Right handed throwing arm.
People whining about defense? Why? Mussina is a fly ball pitcher. It’s not like Wang is pitching today.
We don’t need more defense for today, let’s be frank our offense is going to win *todays* game not our pitching(Mussina). Mike at his best will hold the Tigers great offense to 3,4 runs through 5 or 6. We will need to get to Verlander for the W and Giambi over Phillips(Righty) is a no brainer.
Boo Sheffield, I cannot WAIT to do so when I go on Sunday!!
I never even much liked him when he was in NY anyway. The recent comments about Torre and Jeter have only intensified my beef with him. But does anyone remember in the summer of 2005 when he gave that interview about how “I’m the true leader of this team, not Jeter or A-Rod.” Pfft whatever….he is an attention ho of the worst and I hope he gets what’s coming to him these next few days. I wouldn’t want anyone to actually bean him cause we don’t need another suspension…unless it’s Farnsworth, that would be CLASSIC. But a brushback or 2 to remind him of his place may not be such a bad idea…
oh, but if we were the ones to hit him before any of our guys got hit, then none of our pitchers would get suspended for a DET pitcher retaliating…
Giambi playing an occasional 1st base shouldn’t be an issue. If the Yankees are holding a good lead in the 7th inning, Phillips handles the bag.
Clearly, the gold glove means something as Rafael Palmeiro won it playing 24 games a few years ago.
We lead the majors in virtually every important offensive category, without the help of this particular lineup
I criticize Torre a lot, but this is a smart lineup. I would be thrilled if Giambi could play adequate 1B every so often so we keep the best bats in the lineup.
Sorry, 28.
Oh and Moose is actually generating more GBs than flyballs, including 15 gidp’s.
hmmmm, you are right with zone rating.
I am extremely excited to see Giambi at 1st. This makes our lineup very potent. This is about as good offensive and defensive as we can possibly be. I suppose if Matsui were in left and Duncan as DH, you could make a case for that. It is possible to see Duncan PH for Damon later in the game.
Duncan has finally proven to me that he can do it in the majors in tight spots. As much as I love Johnny Damon’s excitement in the lineup and field, Duncan showed us all what he can do last night. His throw was great, too.
On another note, I really hope Giambi does well at 1st tonight. Even if he does I still wouldn’t play him there regularly b/c of health concerns – which is my major issue with him playing in the field, more so than defense – but if he can prove tonight that they CAN occasionally have both him and Damon in the lineup when they need the extra offense, that would be a great thing.
BJ
In the 96 World Series Torre elected to start Cecil Fielder at First Base 3 games in a row in Atlanta. As you would obviously know they won all 3 games with the sluggish Fielder at 1st.
First Base Defense is overrated. Giambi can’t throw for his life, but he’s no butcher with the glove. Pitching and timely hitting is what gets you through the playoffs, not First Base defense.
I’m not saying start Giambi at First Base every game but let’s not act like it’s the end of the world when Torre starts the Lefty Bat in Giambi against a tough RHP.
Whoever said that Moose will hit Sheffield is wrong. Atleast not on purpose. Unfortunately, Mussina doesn’t have the balls to do it.
As for Gold Gloves, if they actually meant anything Moose would win one every year..
“who you put the glove at first is almost as important as who is on the mound. ”
That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever read.
As for our infield D, if you look at UZR or FRAA Cano is among the best in the league at ANY position, A Rod is among the leaders for 3B. Jeter is near the bottom of the league, Phillips is average.
Anecdotally, Jeter can’t go to his left, Cano and A Rod have been fantastic, and Phillips has been really solid. BUT he is a bad hitter. A very bad hitter. A replacement level, AAAA hitter, end of story.
Giambi is not a terrible fielder, or isn’t when he is healthy. His problem is throwing to 2nd or to home, and these occassions are rare.
Just look at WARP3, that takes into account offense and defense, Giambi blows Phillips out of the water (had to use Giambi last year to get a sample size).
This is the best line up in baseball, and if Giambi can play 1B without hurting himself, we need to go with it (obviously Damon and Giambi can’t play in the field everyday, so Duncan and Betemit and Matsui need to be rotated in).
I think the only pitcher with the balls to hit Sheff would be Roger, or maybe Zambrano
The main problem with starting Giambi at first has always been Giambi’s health, not his fielding ability. If we could know with certainty that Giambi would stay healthy playing first base the rest of the season, keeping him there would be a no-brainer.
Historically he has also been a much superior hitter when playing 1B as opposed to DHing.
if we are worried about defense, we should try to convince jeter to play some other position. Then we would have better defensive team.
Let’s not make too much of this “drought”. Every year is different.
There are teams in MLB who would KILL for this kind of “drought” the Yankees currently are in.
This team was DEAD in Mid-June. DEAD. Coming off a 1-7 road disaster in Denver, SF, and Baltimore, they have risen from the dead and are right in the thick of things.
In fact, they have been the best team in baseball since Late-June.
In the meantime, they have been able to get younger, improve the bench and the bullpen, and are now better than they have been all year.
Every night the lineup is posted here. Every night, the same people #$#% about it. Its like clockwork.
They complain about Joe “changing the lineup too much”. But, in the same breath, they want guys from AAA (who have never played in the majors) in the starting lineup, Matsui to play first, and the list goes on and on.
30-12 since July 2. That’s the best in baseball. So far, Torre has been able to successfully work guys in the lineup and keep veterans who are used to playing everyday, happy (and productive) on the bench. That is no small feat (see Gary Sheffield last year).
At some point, second guessing every single move he makes gets old because, all too often, folks never give the guy credit when he pushes the right buttons.
You can’t go 30-12 without doing a good job with the lineups.
They have scored 3 runs in the last 19 innings. The offense needs a boost. Its the logical move to sit Phillips (3 for his last 27) tonight for Giambi. Phillips can come in later in the game for defense if they have the lead.
Let’s see how it all plays out. So far, he’s had the magic touch with the lineups. Hopefully, it keeps up.
Jeter at 3B and A Rod at SS would be a huge upgrade over the current situation.
Could something have been done to change our 7 year drought. Is it fair to look towards the playoffs and realize that our strategem against that caliber team might need to molded from out-clobbering to scintillating defense?
Making the playoffs will count for nothing, even after what this team has gone through, if we are eliminated again in the first round. World series ring or bust. Defense and pitching has to be the emphasis for that to happen. Giambi at first wont get it done.
not for nothing, but the yankees had 2 incredible defensive 1Bman in Tony Clark and John Olerud in 2004.
in 2002 and 2003, they had Nick Johnson.
in 2001 and 2005, they had Tino Martinez.
actually in 2005, the 2 games they won Giambi played 1B and the in 2 of the 3 they lost, Tino played 1B.
so the Yankees have had great fielding 1Bman in the playoffs every single year except last year.
blaming their failures on 1B defense is just not supported by facts.
even Keith Hernandez can’t catch HRs, and poor pitching has really been the Yankees’ downfall in the postseason since 2004. it’s that simple. bad pitching.
The best stretch for the Yanks came with Giambi on the DL. (May 30th – August). The Yanks played their worst baseball when Giambi was on the team. Now he is back on the team and I don’t have a very good feeling abt the stretch from now on as long as Giambi is on the team.
We need to stop with the whole to-hit-sheff-or-not-to-hit.
Yea, he was an @$$, but hitting him won’t accomplish much. It won’t make us win the game. Now, if Moose strikes him out four times, well, you’ll see a giant smile creep across my face…
Defense and pitching doesn’t become magically more valuable in the postseason. Front line pitchers (because they pitch on less rest) and front line relief pitchers (who also pitch more often) become more valuable, but pitching as a whole does not. To say that offense suddenly becomes less important is absolutely retarded.
It’s the same game in the playoffs, score more runs than the other team in order to win. It’s simple.
Bob: Retarded? Really? Is that the word you want to use?
I’m with Phil on that…
I actually typed it, deleted it, then re-typed it; people are too sensitive. It’s a baseball blog.
He meant mentally challenged.
That’s no excuse, Bob. Can we use the n-word to refer to African-Americans because “people are too sensitive” and “it’s a baseball blog???”
“Bob: Retarded? Really? Is that the word you want to use?”
I see the PC police have arrived.
“so the Yankees have had great fielding 1Bman in the playoffs every single year except last year.
blaming their failures on 1B defense is just not supported by facts.”
Hi Hmmm,
I never said that it was sufficient to win the world series. I could give you a hundred examples of teams with terrific first basemen that didn’t make it too. You are making a point against something I never said.
I could also make a lot of conclusions just based on what St. Louis did last year. A one year aberration does not make the point.
A century of baseball will show you that the overwhelming majority of World series winners had terrific gloves at first.
I should add that I’m not saying its impossible to win with Giambi gloving first, just less likely. A century plus of baseball supports this assertion compellingly.
BJ
How can you not love that line-up? If that line-up can’t score atleast 5 runs tonight there is something wrong.
“if Giambi can’t handle 1B, then you make an adjustment. but let’s find out if he can.”
giambi will get probably get hurt playing in the field ,but it’s worth playng him as long as you can because of his bat. damon can dh if giambi gets hurt. there’s no reason to handle giambi carefully with the logjam at dh. roll the dice .maybe he’ll get hot and carry the team .he has the potential.
No? Relax.
“The best stretch for the Yanks came with Giambi on the DL. (May 30th – August). The Yanks played their worst baseball when Giambi was on the team. Now he is back on the team and I don’t have a very good feeling abt the stretch from now on as long as Giambi is on the team.”
in 2003, after Jeter had his shoulder dislocated the Yankees went 25-11 while he was out.
after he came back, they went 3-10.
guess they shouldn’t have had him come back since they won all those games b/c he wasn’t there and lost all those games b/c he came back.
oh wait, are you saying that baseball depends on a million other factors too? interesting.
“Defense and pitching doesn’t become magically more valuable in the postseason.”
It most certainly does assuming that playoff caliber teams indeed make the playoffs.
“To say that offense suddenly becomes less important is absolutely retarded.”
Thanks for the prose, but I certainly never made this statement. Offense IS important. There I said it.
But defense and pitching win World series rings. Nine times out of ten, great pitching and defense will shut down great hitting. Just look at what we have done to teams like Seattle and Texas. The annals of baseball history are replete with examples of this.
BJ
BJ, you’re an idiot.
“I never said that it was sufficient to win the world series. I could give you a hundred examples of teams with terrific first basemen that didn’t make it too. You are making a point against something I never said. ”
ok, if i misunderstood, i apologize.
“guess they shouldn’t have had him come back since they won all those games b/c he wasn’t there and lost all those games b/c he came back.”
I don’t agree with the above posters who think Jason should sit. He should play as he still possesses a top ten bat in all of baseball likely. At the same time, he also possesses a bottom ten glove.
Solution: DH everyday.
BJ
It’s just so stupid it’s mind boggling. You win games by scoring more runs than the other team scores. You put the team on the field that maximizes (expected runs scored – expected runs allowed). The value of the difference between Giambi’s offense and Phillip’s offense far outweighs the value of the difference between their defensive abilities…this is proven by statistics.
“It most certainly does assuming that playoff caliber teams indeed make the playoffs.”
What? How does pitching and defense become more valuable? That makes NO SENSE.
“Thanks for the prose, but I certainly never made this statement. Offense IS important. There I said it.”
Yes you did, by saying defense and pitching become more valuable by definition you also are saying offense becomes less valuable. This is wrong.
“At some point, second guessing every single move he makes gets old because, all too often, folks never give the guy credit when he pushes the right buttons.”
Thats part of the fun of debating stuff like this on an internet forum. I enjoy spirited, well substantiated debate about baseball moves and hope you can tolerate my antics.
Hopefully Pete can keep the trolls at bay so we can all continue to enjoy this nice place he set up for us.
Torre has pushed the right buttons in season’s past too. I’m not willing to settle for an early playoff exit again this year, making a deeper examination of his subterfuge applicable. I don’t believe Giambi at first or Damon in left makes us as competitive as we can be once October rolls around.
I think you know by now, I tend to be someone who looks beyond what is happening right now. When everyone wanted Cano shipped I defended him aggressively. When people were clamoring to chain Abreu up and drop in the ocean, I defended him. I will continue to defend Rivera. This kind of comprehensive evaluation means you look beyond both failure and success to gauge where this team really is, and where they are going.
BJ
hmmm,
You said that we had Clark and Oelerud and still didnt win it. In 2004 I believe Oelerud got hurt and couldnt play when boston made there comeback. I believe that series would have been different with him healthy.
As far as Giambi’s defense, its not just his arm its his range. Phillips gets to balls that Giambi would only be able to stare at.
Its like saying Melky’s defense is irrelevent and Damon is just as good in center.
Offense and defense are equally as important.
Gaimbi was brought in to dh this year for a reason.
…guess everyone must be eating dinner or something.
This thread’s suddenly gone dead!
Bah, I’m horrible!
“I’m not saying start Giambi at First Base every game but let’s not act like it’s the end of the world when Torre starts the Lefty Bat in Giambi against a tough RHP.”
Hi Global,
I’m not ‘overreacting’ I assure you and playing Jason there one day certainly wont concern me. I guess I haven’t made my point clearly.
I believe the Yanks will make the playoffs no matter what Joe does at this point. Its almost as if wearing the pinstripes has magical power. 26 rings lends credence to that notion. Everyone has contributed on this run even guys like Betemit who caught fire the minute he came over, Duncan the minute he came up, and Jason the minute he came back.
What concerns me isn’t Jason playing first on any given day, but rather, the trend of using the inferior or inexperienced glove at first over gold glove caliber defense. I have watched Andy very closely and he really is that good at first. Further, he makes AROD and Jete that much better, as they can throw at him with impunity. We saw what guys like Phelps did for the error count on our other infielders. You simply handicap yourself unnecessarily in the playoffs by not using your best glove.
If Andy isn’t the option, expect to see Minky there once he gets back.
BJ
“Offense and defense are equally as important.”
I will go on record as saying I firmly believe defense is MORE important. That doesn’t mean I don’t think offense isn’t important. It is incredibly important. Did I emphasize that enough?
But Pitching and defense with a good helping of offense are what win championships.
BJ
u killed the thread rebecca! its all your fault! everyone around you is dyyyyyyinggggg! /scary movie 3
“You simply handicap yourself unnecessarily in the playoffs by not using your best glove. ”
At 1B, you handicap yourself unnecessarily by playing an inferior bat for 6 or 7 innings.
FIrst of all, Jason scoops the ball very well. His weak points are throwing, fielding bunts, and hot shots to 1B. Those are relatively few and far between.
If he can stay healthy, he should really be playing 1B for 6-7 innings every day. The health thing is the only thing we should really be debating.
“Its like saying Melky’s defense is irrelevent and Damon is just as good in center.”
Equating defense in center and defense at 1B? You CAN’T be serious. There are SO many more tough plays to be made in center, and a good arm there prevents many guys from taking extra bases and scoring from second. A poor arm at first matters on 3-6-3 double plays. That’s about it. Also squeeze bunts. How often do those things happen?
A poor arm at first matters on 3-6-3 double plays. That’s about it. Also squeeze bunts. How often do those things happen?
How about those grounders to the right and left side that end up being base hits?
Jason is a decent 1B. Having his and Damon’s bat in the lineup is worth the slight decrease in 1B defense. Giambi scoops balls with the best of them. His range is a little lower, but he certainly has the ability to field anything hit his way. He’s not been known as a poor fielding 1B. The only reason he’s been a DH is due to his tendency to get injured while in the field.
If his offense will get better in the field, i’m all for it. Don’t forget, Giambi dropped about 10 pounds while rehabbing and is in excellent shape.
“He’s not been known as a poor fielding 1B.”
I dunno about that. Maybe in his oakland days he wasn’t. He’s always been known to be afraid of throwing the ball. I don’t think he has a “bad arm” so much as he psyches himself out and messes up. Either way, he’s been known not to throw the ball much and, when he does, he has a rep for blowing it. Then again, Andy’s messed up a couple of plays where a guy gets picked off but makes it to 2nd on the throw from first.
Insert News – umm…Pete embarassed himself and that was that. Try to keep up, k?
Isn’t the lineup above pretty much the same cast of characters we saw that worked so well in the first half of the year?
Aren’t we slowly reverting back to the “big bat” theory once again.
How quickly they forget that doesn’t work. Sure Giambi will hit and help them to win tonight but long term, this ain’t good.
Phillipsfan: It’s a little different.
Instead of Josh Phelps, Wil Nieves and Miguel Cairo on the bench, we have Jose Molina, Wilson Betemit and Shelley Duncan.
Instead of Scott Proctor, Brian Bruney and Mike Myers in the ‘pen, we have a healthy Viz and Joba, and we don’t need to rely on Farnsie.
There are a lot more options this time around.
BOOOOOO Sheff!
The problem in the first half wasn’t big bats Philipsfan. It was big bats not producing. Damon, Cano, Abreu all weren’t hitting.
YEEAAAHHHH!!!!!
Are you ready for some Yankees baseball!!!!
Where is Sheff batting. I hope 3rd, so we can hear him be booed in the top of the first.
Look out Sheff! We’re gonna eat you tonight….RARRGGHGHGH!!!!!
Just saw 3rd. They better BOOOOOO him. The creatures better not cheer him! He dissed this team!
Get the A1 Steak Sauce ready!!!! Gonna need it!!!
What about the Saffron Risotto?
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
It was a mix more BOOOOOOO’s than cheers. Many more BOOOS
Booooooo
I hope Moose strikes this ungrateful guy out.
Justin Verlander vs. New York Yankees on August 16:
IP H R ER HR BB K
9. 0 0 00 00 1. 10
Or GIDP would be good too.
It’s funny to hear Michael Kay be diplomatic about this…
That should have been a GIDP
AH Alex should have had that. Probably a dp.
Gold Glove Caliber infield
That was a strike on 1-1
Right now Moose doesn’t seem to be very in control. For the love of all that’s holy, I hope that changes.
sample size alert migames…
I hope we see the good moose again today….
oh boy, base loaded 1 out.
Give Alex another ground ball. He’ll get it this time.
that A-Rod error has to be int he back of Moose’s head.
Okay that was outside.
I am really starting to hate Mussina and his nibbling, taking forever, staring into the umpire ways. Almost getting as annoying as El Duque was.
Just got in. What happened on the error? Is it affecting Moose?
gah, just turned on the game, and bases are juiced with 1 out. c’mon moose.
hearing leiter talk about managing a lineup cracks me up
@#$*#@$*& !@*$(!*@$& !@$*(!@$&*
GOD MIKE!! That isn’t what we needed.
Thanks moose. A caribou would’ve done better.
Adios to this game.
BK, 1st Isnt a “pivotal” position. I can think of 6 positions that are far more important. 7 if you wana argue LF. I can live with Giambi at 1st and a “productive” Damon at DH. Giambis production at 1st can be matched by very few men. Yanks are far better with Damon, Melky, Matsui and Giambi all in the lineup.
Ouch already.
Ouch ouch ouch.
Is it just me or do our pitching staff seem to struggle in the first inning?
DAMMIT MOOSE NOT A GOOD FFFGFING TIME NOT A GOOD TIME. oh yea and shef sucks
Wow, that A-Rod error REALLY hurt…
The way Moose is pitching, I’ll be glad if he gets out of the @$@#% inning…
Wow.
Sam August 16th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Adios to this game.\
dumbest post ever ^
Damit MIKE!!! You already dug us a huge hole against Justin.
BJ, 1st Isnt a “pivotal” position. I can think of 6 positions that are far more important. 7 if you wana argue LF. I can live with Giambi at 1st and a “productive” Damon at DH. Giambis production at 1st can be matched by very few men. Yanks are far better with Damon, Melky, Matsui and Giambi all in the lineup.
So, now you strike him out? Nice.
I hope the Yanks won’t make the playoffs. It is just too depressing to see them get crushed by other high caliber *true* playoff teams.
I will never understand the logic of setting up down and in to a left hander – especially with the bases loaded and a short porch in right. All you have to do is get the bat head through the zone and it’s out.
I sincerely hope we hit Verlander silly today.
Yeah that helps, Al; “the match up was good”. does this console anyone? Shut the F Up, Al!
We need to pick up that half game on Boston! Good news is this half inning is very long. So hopefully Justin can’t get lose again.
And I wish they’d stop saying how so and so hasn’t hit him, it’s a good matchup. It always comes back to bite us in the Ass.
With the way the offense is performing, and the way Verlander is performing, ADIOS TO THIS GAME is not “dumb.”
BTW, anyone ever notice that whenever A-Rod has an error in a game pitched by Mussina, he never picks him up? No, he just gives up the big inning.
Well, we’ve got the offensive lineup in there – we’re gonna need it.
let’s see, an error, a couple of borderline calls, and a 4-0 hole before the offense gets a shot.
yup, mike mussina’s on the mound.
The last 2 outs came 2 at-bats too late…
At least he seems to have recovered.
LET’S GO YANKEES
30 pitches…. another grand slam… how depressing
Errors have killed us… yesterday could have been a game if Hughes doesn’t make his, and this one leads to a grand slam after. It seems like all our mistakes end up in disasters, instead of just a run or something
These Detroit pussydolls probably have the best lineup in history of any sport.
I cant stand Moose he can never just throw the ball he always has to dance around the plate. And gets in bad counts and throws slop over the plate. If the the yanks dont score him a bunch of runs early he pitches like a puss especially vs a good team.
Giambi really should’ve caught that drive by Guillen ;o).
This game is not over yet people, we haven’t even come to bat yet…
Did Justin just sneeze in his glove. EWWW
Third time this week Posada has called for a changeup to a lefthanded hitter with RISP. The result? 3 home runs, 10 RBI.
Horrible pitch selection by Posada. Did it with Wang (to Patterson) Karstens (to Huff) and Mussina (to Guillen).
Makes no sense to call that pitch in that situation. Especially when you have gotten burned by it all week.
Jorge’s biggest weakness is he is a terrible caller of games. Its reared its ugly head this week.
Third time this homestand starting pitching, and horrible gamecalling, puts the team in a huge hole early in the game.
Looks like another 3 inning start for Moose since he is already over 30 pitches. Not exactly what the bullpen needs tonight. It would be nice though if he sucks it up and gives them some innings. Its the least he can do.
At least Mo, Chamberlain and Vizcaino will get their rest.
Only silver lining on another blowout game.
That Jeter, man…
How can Al Leiter say the Yanks faced “three quality pitchers” in Guthrie, Cabrera, Bedard….I understand Bedard, but the other two are quality losers.
Wow, it has to be tough on fielders when Mussina is pitching. Everytime there is an error or what he thinks is a lack of effort, he gives up big runs.
Okay Justin won’t pitch a perfect game, or a no hitter.
The game’s certainly not over, but I’d rather be up 4-0 than down 4-0.
With this line up, we should hope that we can score at least four runs, but the nerves I was getting watching every pitch Mussina was pitching…not very good.
Here’s hoping the bats can do some serious damage.
Couple runs this inning might be a good thing…
I wonder who/what Mussina will b*tch about after tonight’s game. The umps? The defense? The barometric pressure?
I do have a legit question though. Did the Yankees really only sign 6 of the seemingly 700 guys they drafted this year???? Is that common? Did they do that because of all the latin players they signed a month after the draft? And has anyone read Brad Suttle’s scouting report and think that anything that was said warranted a $1.3M signing bonus? I’m confused by this whole draft process now.
Now gameday is f*ing with me. It says “in play- out(s)” Derek jeter singles to center
Verlander is the type of pitcher the Yankees can hit. Mussina has to stop Detroit now. If not the Yankees are sunk tonight.
…
Wow, ouch.
Bobby.
On days like today, Mussina wants to be back in the clubhouse showering. The puss will go back out there and give up some more runs.
Alex will hit one out and cut the lead in half.
“BTW, anyone ever notice that whenever A-Rod has an error in a game pitched by Mussina, he never picks him up? No, he just gives up the big inning.”
Arod has two errors in games pitched by mussina, last game, and mussian won that game. And today…
Ouch! This does not look good tonight.
Ugh, Verlander is dealing. Not 100mph, but the fastball is tailing beautifully.
sam saying ANY game is done in the first inning doesnt show much baseball insight
Nice, time for Verlander to start struggling
super nice start to the game, huh ? this sucks !
“How can Al Leiter say the Yanks faced “three quality pitchersâ€? in Guthrie, Cabrera, Bedard….I understand Bedard, but the other two are quality losers.”
Guthrie has a 3.50 ERA over 138 Innings Pitched. That’s arguably better than all of our starters, think before you type.
“Arod has two errors in games pitched by mussina, last game, and mussian won that game. And today…”
I’m talking about last year, too. And it’s not just A-Rod really, it’s any error…which is what makes him such a puss.
Throw at Sheff, Moose. Make yourself useful.
Or not. damit!!!
So manybe Mats will do it, and make it 4-3
Come on, Matsui, slam one here and make this a one run game.
I wonder if he will give that 1-0 pitch to mike too?
Moose, you’d better knock someone down next inning.
okay this guy has no control. bull durhamesque. HIT THE MASCOT
NICE SAVE guy in blue shirt!
Dude, that Fan completley took the out away from Verlander, and I thus love that Fan.
Nice play by the fan.
SJ44
August 16th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Third time this week Posada has called for a changeup to a lefthanded hitter with RISP. The result? 3 home runs, 10 RBI.
Horrible pitch selection by Posada. Did it with Wang (to Patterson) Karstens (to Huff) and Mussina (to Guillen).
Makes no sense to call that pitch in that situation. Especially when you have gotten burned by it all week.
Jorge’s biggest weakness is he is a terrible caller of games. Its reared its ugly head this week.
Third time this homestand starting pitching, and horrible gamecalling, puts the team in a huge hole early in the game.
Looks like another 3 inning start for Moose since he is already over 30 pitches. Not exactly what the bullpen needs tonight. It would be nice though if he sucks it up and gives them some innings. Its the least he can do.
At least Mo, Chamberlain and Vizcaino will get their rest.
Only silver lining on another blowout game.
NICE TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE SO READY TO JUST GIVE UP AFTER ONE INNING….and YOU are supposed to be the VOICE of REASON ?…what a joke ! Although it SUCKS to be down 4 runs…it’s NOT OVER !
BASE HIT!!
YES! The anti-Bartman!
yeah Matsui!!!!
Guy in blue shirt gets an assist!!! got us a run!
Matsui!!! Clutch
yea sam this game is definitely over
Good job Gozilla.
There’s one run back!!
“Matsui!!! Clutch”
Explain to me what was “clutch” about that, please.
Let’s go TEAM…nice hit Matsui..only down 3…let’s get ANOTHER back right now….IT’S GAME TIME !!!
Justin has no control tonight. He is hittable. Jorge better do damange.
Okay they got one back. Torre has to have a short leash on Mussina.
“I’m talking about last year, too. And it’s not just A-Rod really, it’s any error…which is what makes him such a puss.”
I dont understand, Mussina has 59 r 58 have been er
Beautiful hit by Matsui. It’s been a while since Hideki had an RBI, right?
Ever notice how much better Matsui is as a hitter when he doesn’t try to pull everything. Can’t believe that he is not more aware of this.
Funny, that the necessary results..
I’ll be happy if I’m wrong, Boston Yankee.
Why is Justin taking 10 minutes between pitches?
“At least Mo, Chamberlain and Vizcaino will get their rest.
Only silver lining on another blowout game.”
You are correct about the pitch selection, but this this sounds like your giving up already? 4-0 in the first inning with this lineup?
The story on this game is far from over. Lets all get a grip.
BJ
Sam: 2 outs, RISP, and did he have two strikes on him?
Verlander’s control is off tonight. If the Yankees can stay patient, it may be a portent of good things to come, but we have to hope that Moose can stop the damage.
Damn you Jorge!!
Where’s the love for the guy in the blue shirt! He got us back in the game!
Yes, down 4 runs.
At least Verlander’s pitch count is up. Hopefully get rid of him after 4 or 5 innings.
sam: in the end thats all that matters
Bah, that ends the rally.
At least we made Verlander throw 30 pitches as well. Let’s wear him out.
Well Moose needs to step it up now. Keep it to 4
Verlander 30 pitches thrown, Moose 29. This game will come down to the pens
Exactly Big Johson
remember this is the team which gave up 8 runs in a inning and came straight back and squared the game.
C’mon Moose, hold down the fort.
Sam, with 8 innings to go… So, whenever they’re down 4 runs, you just want them to roll over?
Is there any word on what the Yankees are doing for Phil. I read that they are speaking with the family they would like to hold some sort of public memorial for him.
we ARE coming back to win this game…MOOSE IS gonna suck it up and get back out there and get AT IT. Verlander does NOT have good stuff and has already been gassed to the tune of 30 pitches in the 1st inning. We WILL stay patient, and clobber HIM and any other CLOWN they want to toe the rubber….GO FREAKIN’ YANKEES !!! …..WHO’S WITH ME ???
Down four runs with Moose on the mound, yes…
Note to Moose
Your team got one back. Here’s what you need to do:
1) quit making childish faces at the ump on balls and strikes…it is what it is. Deal with it.
2) Pitch. Don’t try to outthink the hitter. Let them guess on you…you don’t need to guess on them.
I am no Moose fan but, the first inning is on Posada. Can’t call that pitch in that situation and keep getting burned by it.
Moose may have some downer tendencies when errors occur behind him but, its hard to blame him for that inning.
Is it over? They have only come back three times this year when trailing by 3 or more runs. It may not be over but, its certainly an uphill battle.
If Moose can’t put up some zeroes, and eat some innings, we have to hope the offense is really on today.
So far, it looks like Moose is doing his best to make it a short evening. Let’s hope he can pick it up.
DVB: i am one hundred percent. GAME TIME
Great location by Moose…gave up a hit to Ryan Raburn.
I don’t like the way Moose is pitching right now. I know the Yankee bats can score some serious runs, but it won’t do much good if Moose can’t get some outs.
Another rip shot, let’s just write this off to Jorge’s game-calling.
A leadoff double is not holding down the fort!
It’s so painful to watch Moose try to will that ball over the plate…
Mussina looks awful again.
is mike mussina the fifth best starter on the yankees to you guys too?
why can moose just throw the ball over the plate,he cant hit a corner and he just gets in bad counts
Mike will be hitting the showers early. Now they are hitting everyone he is throwing. How do you give up a rocket like that to a 9 hitter.
This sucks, what is the playoffs?
offense gets a run, so what happens? falls behind the #8 hitter, gives up a leadoff double, follows that up with an RBI single to the #9 hitter.
yup, must be a mike mussina night.
First inning was on Posada, this inning is on Moose.
Score aside, he needs to eat innings tonight. He can’t wuss out because he is getting his butt handed to him. He has to think about the other 3 games in this series.
Come on Moose, suck it up and at least go 5, regardless of how much you give up.
Well way to give that run back Moose.
Ok, this game is not lost yet, but if Mussina pitches like this and into the 5 inning, it will be over. Yanks might be screwed tonight.
sam… MUSSINA IS MISSING THE SPOTS… why do you guys always blame the wrong people
Mussina will take himself out of the game. He’s a loser.
Mussina is brutal. I really wish they could make him compete for a rotation spot next year, rather than just giving it to him. It’s not as though he deserves it.
Its all Giambi’s fault. What was he thinking, playing 1st base
I think it’s a bit unfair to jump on Moose because of his bad early season outings, he turned it around quite nicely since then.
However, he’s not looking good today, and he needs to get ahead more.
I know it’s a bit ironic I’m saying this today, but it seems that the first impression of this season (when Moose suuuuucked) still sticks with many of them.
Also, is Posada throwing out a lot less runners this year? How come?
You can’t be SURE the first inning is on Posada. Moose is known for calling his own game. Ultimately, it is his responsibility.
And it looks like it’ll probably be at least 6-1 before the bottom of the second.
If someone would like to calm me down, and talk to me rationally about how this game’s not over yet, I’d appreciate it. Thanks.
Why can’t Mussina pitch effectively to the bottom of the order? Ever notice that guys batting .250 or lower just kill him.
abreu has a gun but his aim sucks
Mike has pitched well of late, how are you killing him. Yeah he is pitching like crap but come on!
Are the Yankees really ready to play this game? Inge steals second.Give them another run.We are not playing the Kansas City Royals here.
Sorry Rebecca, game is over.
HAHA SHeff thought he’d be cheered for all he did in NY. Well what a shock sheff you’re not being cheered.
Now he’ll go off on us (Yankee fans) night after the game.
I will say, though, that for the most part, Moose is becoming the Randy Johnson of the 2007 Yankees…what a freakin’ joke with his hot and cold pitching…You can flip a coin to see which Moose you’re gonna get on any given night…tonight we got El Stinko !
Gary Sheffield will work for Baseball Tonight when he retires. Thats how much ESPN sucks
Moose has been inconsistent at best, bad at worst. He’s a below-average nibbler that’s stubborn as a mule and infuriating to watch when everything isn’t going exactly the way its supposed to. Good pitchers can win without their best stuff. Moose just gets lit up like a Christmas tree.
he needs the olddd yankee staduim to pitch well,when center was like 450+ away
what sheffield didnt realize is that people love him more than joe torre. or maybe he doesnt realize that people who arent racist dont take being called racist lightly
Moose, Moose, Moose…you are REALLY killin’ us here, buddy !
Glad to see the effort of Mike Mussina…doesn’t even jump to try and get the ball up the middle by Ordonez.
He’ll probably call the people who boo’d him racists.
dear Moose:
It is generally advisable to get three outs before giving up runs. This is how you win baseball games.
Sincerely,
Me
PS: You were so wonderful when I saw you pitch against KC on the fifth. If you could do something like that again, it’d be so totally awesome.
OK let’s get BOTH of those DAMN runs back RIGHT NOW….and THEN SOME !!!!!!!!!
So what’s his excuse today? Mound at the wrong angle? Too many bullpen pitches? Bad salad? Mercury and Neptune aren’t aligned properly?
Mussina will throw A-Rod under a bus if we lose.
mussina has just been dropped from my fantasy teams. hopefully he proves me wrong
Kay just mentioned that Lofton had said in Cleveland that Torre hadn’t treated him unfairly, but that he (Lofton) just stunk. Is that true, have I missed this story? I knew the part about Lofton defending Sheffield, but I hadn’t heard this.
“I think it’s a bit unfair to jump on Moose because of his bad early season outings, he turned it around quite nicely since then.
However, he’s not looking good today, and he needs to get ahead more.
I know it’s a bit ironic I’m saying this today, but it seems that the first impression of this season (when Moose suuuuucked) still sticks with many of them.”
Bingo.
Under the proverbial bus? Or literally under a random bus?
Wouter it is true
Bloomberg looks like he’s sleeping.
Until the Yanks actually manage to get on base, I’m tempted to do the same thing.
I really hope the Yankees tell Moose to retire and they’ll just give him the money for next year. He is horrendous. Let’s start next year with Wang, Pettitte, Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy or anyone else we can scare up. Moose is not fit for prime time anymore.
al lieter is a republican
“Is it over? They have only come back three times this year when trailing by 3 or more runs. It may not be over but, its certainly an uphill battle.”
If you look at the entire season I suppose this is true. This also takes into account that for a good part of the season our bench consisted of Cairo, Thompson, and Nieves, so not a completely fair statement, although it is technically true.
Since the break, the opportunity to come from behind has been few and far between. Mainly because they have been clobbering the ball. They even scored 8 runs in one innning, averaged close to 7 runs a game. Completely different team I think we would both agree.
Game is far from over, but I agree, Moose needs to keep things where they are to give us our best chance. Verlander has already thrown a bunch of pitches and looks very hittable tonight. I expect some great things.
BJ
Does it really matter what his excuse is? He is what he is.
Just have to hope Pettitte does a better job tomorrow, especially in the early innings.
Four games on this homestand so far and starters have put the team in a huge hole three times in the first two innings. That’s not going to get you too far.
They just have to pitch better. Moose is what he is. At this point, I would love to see him eat some innings so the bullpen isn’t dead on its feet this week.
Unfortunately, he seems to really want out of this game and that ticks me off more than his performance.
Can’t be lights out every outing. But, you can help your team by eating some innings so they don’t have to blow out the bullpen. Not too much to ask.
2 innings, 5 hits, 6 runs, When did Farnsworth become a starter?
This is just embarassing on so many levels but first and foremost because that putz Steve Phillips looks like he is right but second, because this will be a 3 game losing streak and the Yankees are teetering on extending it to 4 or 5 games. That would be devastating to the Wild Card run,all but eliminating any shot at Boston.
It will be hard to get back in this game. Good teams with five run leads are hard to catch up to.
that’s it…make this jerk work !
Rebecca I was going to say the same thing
).
Well, I actually am going to bed, the clock has hit 2 AM… Surprise me in the morning Yanks!
Is Moose pitching on extra days rest? Just trying to figure out what his excuse will be this time!
me neither wouter. but a guy saying hes misquoted isnt a story so they wont report on that
Nice at bat by Melky.
Funny how Kay keeps mentioning Verlander’s pitch count. But it doesn’t matter if he is at 80 pitches now, with slow pitch Mussina giving away runs like a soup kitchen, there is no advantage.
Mussina needs to man up and spin some zeros. We can do some damage against a very poor Tigers relief corps.
I think we should start a collection and pay the yankees to not bring back Moose and Farnsworth
What did Bob Uecker used to say? “A couple of grand slams and we’re right back in this one.”
atleast verlanders count is up too
BENCH. JOHNNY. DAMON.
PLAY. SOMEBODY. ELSE.
It’s not that friggin’ complicated. Damon’s SLG is lower than his OBP. That’s beyond brutal. That Farnsworthlessnessish. He has no business being a DH or a left fielder with that little power.
surprise surprise, damon hits a weak fly ball
Wouter: juuuuuuuust a bit outside
weak, Johhny…real weak…that’s OK…Verlander at 51 pitches through 2 innings…maybe their manager has the same propensity to leave out his starter all the way until he completely loses the lead he has been staked to !
If all we have for relief today is Villone and Farnsie, it’s not a good sign. Villone can be okay, but only when he’s starting an ining.
What’ll really upset me about tonight if the Yanks lose is that Seattle and Boston aren’t playing, so the Yanks will lose ground, which they really can’t afford to do right now.
Ivan Rodriguez has an obp of .288, PATHETIC
That’s just it, there is no long man who is fresh. Moose has to take one for the team today, eat some innings, ERA be damned.
Each game bleeds into the next day. I’d rather have a fresh bullpen tomorrow for Andy and the rest of this series, than needed to use it for 5-6 innings today.
Come on Moose, suck it up and help the team for the rest of the weekend.
Nice touch by Damon thanking the fans for not interfering with his catch.
Ivan Rodriguez sucks at baseball. He started the All-Star game.
Therefore, the people voting for the All-Star game are mostly idiots.
Michael Kay hates Pudge Rodriguez
So, was it still a good idea for Torre to pull Karstens after the fourth? He couldn’t have been any worse than Brower, who could have been used after he reached 125 pitches or his arm feel off. They could have saved Villone. Torre didn’t.
Nice quick inning for mike.
We need a couple more of those from Moose.
Holy Crap, just turned the game on here…Moose must have been terrible eh?
Wait, so now you have a 1-2-3?
Right. Okay.
Glad to see you magically read my letter, at any rate.
Dear Yankees bats:
Please get on base, and work your way around the bases to home plate before making three outs.
Please don’t swing at everything Verlander’s throwing. He’s not got great control
Thank you,
Me.
PS: It’s been a while since you’ve have a big offensive mashing. One of those would be totally cool tonight.
Well this blows….
As bad as Moose has struggled though, I am upset that the defense let him down again. I’m not mad at A-Rod or anything, he has played an excellent 3b this year so I’m certainly not going to jump down his throat for one of very FEW errors he has made. But I guess it just bums me out in general to see Moose having to get extra outs on errors since it happened so much last year.
He sure hasn’t really helped himself thus far either, hopefully he can buckle down and hold the line. By all rights this game SHOULD be over yet for some reason I don’t feel like it is… I guess maybe cause Verlander has thrown a lot of pitches and we all know the 411 on their bullpen. Pretty big hole to climb out of, but you never know…
Anyway, I am not gonna post much for the rest of the game because I can’t handle the ledge jumpers. I saw where someone wrote the Yanks are about to extend losing streak to 4 or 5 games…um, what?! How do you know?? Games 4 and 5 haven’t even been played yet and we’re only a couple innings into 3! Is there a clause I don’t know about somewhere in the MLB rulebook that says if you lose 2-3 in a row you automatically double your WC deficit? Cmon guys, get a grip…IT’S ONE GAME.
And I’m sure the Moose-hating will reach levels of near-toxicity on the blog if it hasn’t already…sorry but I’m just not gonna bash the guy given how well he has pitched recently…everybody has a bad start. For those that cant handle it maybe you shouldnt be watching competitive sports…
alright, lets get some runs
Jeter 2-2. Good to see him having (so far) a good game. He hasn’t had one of those in a while.
Haha, Kay was just saying how Sean Casey never stops talking, and all the while, Sean is just chewing gum and NOT talking.
michael kay sucks at life
Bobby stole Shelley’s pumpkin juice.
Or something like that, anyway.
Cut in half. Chip chip chip.
No question, next year Moose needs to fade out into the Sunset…also, during the Postseason, if he starts ONE game, Torre needs to be fitted for a brain…
he gone!
Yes!!!!! Thank you Bobby!
Bobby has hit a bunch to the black seats this season, huh?
Wooooot BOBBY!!! Chippin’ away at that lead!!!
Verlander …I LOVE YOU, MAN !!!
All right Bobby!!!!!
For those who care to sign
http://www.legacy.com/GB/Guest.....d=92629486
For Phil
Who’s blogging tonight? Nice mail in job filling in for Pete
That is why small ball lovers are full of $$it. The long ball gets you back into games baby!
if only a decent pitcher was pitching. come on there it is mike. prove me wrong
Bah, Jorge’s still due.
Oh, and that wasn’t the third out like I thought it was. Sweet.
jorge is in some kind of slump unless its my imagination
Anyone have a SOPCAST channel for the Yankee game?
Ive been thinkin its a good thing Verlander’s count was up so we could soon get stuck into their pen, but I’m beginning to wonder if we really want him out of the game.
Does Thames think you get extra outs for degree of difficulty. What’s with the unnecessary slide?
rebecca: finding out there are more outs is like finding money in your pants
Reads like SJ44 is filling in for Pete tonight.
Ah, well, we got two runs. As long as we hold it, we’ll keep giving ourselves a chance…
Since Pete is gone can we swear like drunken pirates?
Imperative here for Mussina to post another zero.
dontfirecash: drunken pirates dont swear. all you see is bubbles my friend
Hmm..over under on the batters before Mussina gives back the two runs?
Missed the first three innings… what sort of reaction did Sheff get?
No one lucky enough with a Sopcast channel? I don’t want to watch it in Taiwanese.
Rebecca, I’d say about 2 seconds, and I’m taking the under.
4.5
Boos. The sort of boos that make you want to hide in a bush.
I am now calling for a quick 1-2-3 from MM so that we can get right back at Verlander. He had the flu yesterday and must be somehwat gassed.
afflac triva answer: Dave Righetti
Bobby Abreu as sweet as candy?
Thanks Becky
Please don’t call me Becky. I completed the sixth grade in 1998, thanks
(You’re welcome, no problem!)
Eeeek, both Moose and Verlander have thrown a ton of pitches thus far. I hate the idea of blowing out our bullpen…but I love the idea of blowing out theirs! Especially cause it sucks!
Seriously we think we have pen problems…they have worse ones.
do people only call others becky in 6th grade?
(and we all said Giambi couldn’t play defense…)
6th grade in 1998?
Yikes. I graduated from college in 1999.
Boston Yankee: I guess not, I just really hate it. Becca, Reb, anything else is probably okay. Clueless schmuck even. But not Becky.
Viper: I’m a young un, I guess…my older brother graduated high school in ’98…
“Only the racist Yankee fans booed me.” – Sheffield in tomorrow’s papers
Now, if only Moose had innings like that in the first two…
But we are very, very much in this game.
Rebecca thanks for making me feel old. I was out of high school by 98.
haha cool i graduated 6th in 2001 so were like twins
Pshh! You’re not old, I’m just like a baby.
I’m 21 and I was told that I look like I’m 17! Baby! Waa waa goo goo glub glub (thumbsuck)
“haha cool i graduated 6th in 2001″
OK, if the comment about being in 6th grade in ’98 didn’t make me feel old, this one definitely does!! lol
jennifer i just graduated hs this year… its not that youre old were just young
Feel young again Jennifer. I was out of college by 1998.
Nice job, whoever guessed Righetti.
BBB that def makes me feel old. UGH
Thanks Josh
called it
hah, whaddya know, Johnny Damon has a base hit!
finally johnny YOU SUCK ; )
How is Det. pen? We will be in it next inning.
Their ‘pen is supposed to be horrible.
not alot of us were here during the stump merrill days
bbb im wicked sorry maybe you should get an older bf so you look younger. or hang out with older people to look younger. ORR if you want to FEEL younger ill drive down to ny and you can buy me a yanks ticket and we can act young together
Damn you INGE!! I HATE YOU!
…That should have been 3-3 for Jeter.
Ah well, we’ll get ehm next inning.
Yeah I am excited to get to their pen…I hope Jason Grilli pitches, he is supposed to be pretty bad…
Yanks will win this game. 9-6
We have Arod.
LOL Boston Yank, I was throwing out my fake ID in 2001 …ok now I’m waiting for someone to tell me they were finishing their law degree or celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in ’01 so I can feel young too!
David: Sopcast 6003
My astute analysis of this game: Mike Mussina blows.
youre like 9 years older than me… thats not old.
BBB: My dad turned 50 in 2000? Does that help?
For those interested Igawa is getting killed in AAA
6 imp 7h 5 runs 5 er 1 bb 7 so 2 hr era 4.13
im am praying to the god of the double play
This would be a great time for a DP.
let’s go MOOSE,,,get this SLUG to GIDP….GO GO GO !
…That wasn’t what we needed to do.
@#%$%
FUDGE !
III DEFYYYYY YOU STAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRS
Boston Yankee (fire Michael Kay and Jon Sterling)
August 16th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
im am praying to the god of the double play
…he must have been gettin’ a beer !
dvb: is that you kaj cause thats A BORING POST
OK if we are “aging ourselves”, I’ll play. The first World Series I remember is the 79 Yanks getting swept by the Big Red Machine, despite Thurman Munson playing his heart out. Then they wwon the next two, and I thought it would be like that every year. But then,
Forward to the 1996 World Series and I was excited to be sitting on the rail, Tier level first base side for the first Yankees World Series game in 15 years. Soon to be dashed by a horrid Pettitte outing and 2 HRs from a 19 year-old Andruw Jones.
But then, I scored tix 8 rows behind the visitors dugout to watch Charlie Hayes squeeze the last out. I still remember when Joe Girardi hit that triple off of Greg Maddux. It is still the loudest I have ever heard the stadium, including teh comeback wins in the WS in 2001. I was at Game 5 when where Scotty B hit that ninth inning dinger to bring us back from the brink. Random note on that series, but do people realize that Clay Bellinger actually got 2 ABs in that World Series (and 4 in 2000)?
He was watching his new short stop play.
typo- that was supposed to be 76 series
If Mike can keep it here, we can still come back.
Now I feel old when people don’t remember the Stump Merrill days. That’s why there’s a lot of spoild/entitled Yankee fans on this blog.
Man – It was dark and hell was hot in the early 90′s. Pat Kelly. Bam Bam Muelens. Kevin Maas. I remember when the Yanks had three rookies in their rotation – Wade Taylor, Jeff Johnson, and Sam Militello (not exactly Hughes, Chamberlain, and Kennedy).
Pascual Perez was a nightmare. Melido Perez a bad dream (he gave up 3-4 runs early and settled down… but it happened all the time).
For those of you who think Torre abuses his bullpen – you should’ve watched how Stump Merrill used John Habyn – pretty much blew the guy’s arm out. In comparison – Torre used kid gloves on Proctor.
Mel Hall, Barfield,… Danny Tartabull – I just vomited. Luis Polonia – back when he slept with minors. Matt Nokes was a god awful .220 hitting catcher who either struck out or homered. Struck out a lot more.
I think Steve Farr was the closer, and Cadaret and Gutterman were in the bullpen. So was Rich Monteleone a little later.
It was pretty much Donnie Baseball, Bobby Kelly and don’t look.
Andy Hawkins threw a no-hitter… and lost 4-0!
It makes you appreciate what happened after so much more!
Nothing irritates at this time of year any more than the SOB’ing loss column.
Well, you all got the double play,….not sure it’s what you all had in mind, but I’ll take it.
Now we come back!
Rebecca: yeah, that does help a bit! Thank your dad for me!
Also, I may be old but I still use emoticons like I’m 15, haha.
Oooohhh nice throw Jorge! Way to show Pudge the washed up roid head who the true best all-around C in the league is there!
Wow that movie Superbad, looks Superbad.
Anyone remember this promo…. think it goes something like this… used to be on MSG…
“You remember the unrelenting disabled list. Down six in game four… and you began to question whether they had anything left… but watched in awe as they ran on legs that screamed for mercy (shot of Girardi “chugging for three” – fans remember the Buck call) But that’s why they are who they are… your world champion Yankees”
… that ran through the 1997 season…
uhh Jorge Posada has never been considered “good” behind the plate(except for last year)
Beaten by another bad changeup in the middle of the plate.
I guess he just likes getting beat with his third best pitch.
He’s thrown it five times tonight, all to lefthanded hitters (idiot pitching at its finest). It has been put into play 4 times for hits and 5 RBI. The fifth time was taken for a ball.
Garbage start #14 for Moose this year. Five innings, 7 runs, and he puts the team in a huge hole five hitters into the game.
Fortunately, the Yankees have the edge in the pitching matchups the rest of the weekend. They just have to pitch better than we have seen from the starters on this homestand to date.
Its time for Pettitte, Clemens and Wang to eat innings and pitch like they are the top three starters for a playoff team.
Be that all as it may, as far as their all-around games are concerned, Posada pisses on Pudge.
Behind the plate Jorge can’t hold Pudge’s jock…offensively it is a different story.
bbb if you call yourself old one more time ill be pissed!
bbb: staight up pisses like a night after a frat party pissing
SAFE!
lol yea i know sam i was giving you some support
So my theory about the Yankees scoring @#$@#$loads of runs when Farnsworth’s up just went down the drain.
we need some serious offense…
Al,
Ah the memories. I grew up in the 80′s scarred by the Mets success. 1982 is the first baseball season I really remember.
Sam Militello actually was a good pitcher who blew out his arm and was never the same. He had a few good outings before getting hurt.
What we need is for Moose to stop pitching like a 59 year old woman. And some runs, that would be cool.
rebecca i too came up with that theory thats why torre is a genius. when he warmed up farns the other day the yanks came up with the runs
Well, looks like Torre and co just pissed this one away…
youre kidding
Beaning the 9th hitter, good thinking Farns.
I missed that HBP – was it retaliation? If so GOOD FOR HIM!! About time he make himself useful in some capacity!
Should have saved it for Sheffield though…
No way Kyle intentionally hit him…If Kyle tried to hit somebody it would end up in the stands.
At least Sheffield is the only one with out a hit
bbb: at this point it isnt smart. but yea he throws hard so its good for him to plunk him
I would not be shocked if Sheff hit a HR here.
Farnsie, this is the guy you wanted to hit…
Time for Kyle Farnsworth to work his way back to being a (semi) functional pitcher again. Tonights game is the perfect time to do it.
When you have Mike Mussina and Kyle Farnsworth pitching in the first 6 innings of a game, you know its trouble.
Hopefully, the offense can get hot late. But, I have more hope for the next 3 games than I did coming into tonight’s game.
My confidence in Mussina hovers at basically a 1% level. At this stage of his career, if you get 10 good starts a year out of him, you take it. Its all he has left in the tank.
hit shef. let shef and kyle fight. its a win win
“let shef and kyle fight. its a win win”
LOL this is what I’m sayin’! Farns would WHOOP him!
he didnt do it pretty but he got it done
What is this? Farnsie has a shut out inning and the Yankees could still theoretically tie the game with one swing? STOP THE PRESSES!
I mean, really, come on.
Hey, if the Yanks put up a five spot, maybe we see Joba…
I don’t know, that would be one hell of a fight.
You know people don’t hesitate to call Mussina names but here you have a guy in Farns who can’t go 2 innings or back to back days.
That’s pretty pathetic for a 31 year old Relief Pitcher who throws 98.
Let’s just hope for a run or two at a time.
Rebecca: Theoretically, yes, they could. And if they did it in the bottom half of this inning, Farns would be the WP. I dunno about anyone else but to me that seems like the sort of irony that the baseball gods would just LOVE! I mean look at all those times Myers won…
uuuugh MORE Verlander? Where is the bullpen?!?
I would just burn out farnsworth in zero leverage situations until he hits the DL.
once again jorge is in some kind of slump
He has thrown 112 pitches ? Someone better start MASHIN’ this guy !
how was that not a strike… ill take that
We need to be able to make this close. Todd Jones is not a lights out closer. But if we can’t keep it close, then it doesn’t even matter.
Verlander doesn’t even have his best stuff and we only have 3 runs off of him. He’s still in there at 110 pitches, if that’s not an ACE I don’t know what is.
there ya go !!!
BBB–That would be crazy. But I’d take it. Oh bananas would I take it!
Giambi is back on the cycle baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
boy is it great to have giambi back
As a part 2, they said Verlander had some flu-like symptoms and he’s thrown over 100 pitches. How is he still standing?
rebecca after using that word i have to call you becky i just have to!
Look at THIS Dork ( on GameDay )… he’s givin’ Karstens a run for his money !!!
It’s not my fault this thing censors the words I’d more like to use…
C’mon! Rally cap time! We have 11 outs and the best lineup in baseball
I’m not saying he’s favored either team, but this umpire has had a really inconsistent strike zone tonight.
BAD BAD BAD CALL
got MELK ?
second that……ugly calls both ways for blue
SHELLEY! C’mon!
giambi only got to second. i suppose ordonez has a good arm but really?
Just put Melk in my 5
Tonight was the 9th start Moose has made this season against an AL team with an above .500 record at the time he faced them.
Here are his numbers: 45 IP (5 innings per start. Awful), 55 hits (Igawa-like), 28 runs allowed, 9 BB, 25 k’s. He has allowed 6 home runs in those starts.
If this score doesn’t change, his record would fall to 2-7 in those outings. Just not acceptable if this team has playoff aspirations.
He either has to pick it up or they need to think about making a change down the stretch.
Can’t keep pitching like that against good teams and expect the manager (or the team) to have much confidence in you.
When you look down that lineup at the averages it does look pretty mean I have to say. Bottom 3 are Giambi, Cano and Melky. Ouch.
pinch hit Duncan for Damon here !
oh…now THAT is eerie…I called for something and it HAPPENED….. HOME RUN DUNCAN HERE !!!!
I’m rockin the Boss (springsteen not Steinbrenner) as a sort of rally monkey type thing
shelley gets a little cardboard sign… thats all he gets. are you kidding me!
SJ,
You still want him to start in the playoffs? Haha, just giving you a hard time, plus before today it probably would have been the right call.
Like the title of the last post:
Have a little faith, there’s magic in the night!
Take away the GS, make it 2 runs, since bases were juiced, figuring a single, and the Yakees are 2 runs down…More managable than 4.
Shelley needs to keep his head. Base hit will do the job, walk would be acceptable, double would be great….make contact but don’t leave the men hanging.
I’d like to see this team get to the playoffs first. Once you get in, then you think about the rotation.
At this point, I’d just like to see a starter keep them in the game in the early innings. So far this week, it hasn’t happened.
Can’t expect miracle comebacks all the time. At some point, you have to pitch and their starters have been awful on this homestand.
Just get on base
Fear ‘da Shelley, Leland – Fear ‘da Dunkster
There is an argument for starting Muss in that Hughes would have better stuff out of the pen, and you have to assume that Wang, Clemens and Pettitee are starters. But I dont think anyone wants to see Muss start in the post season. Just have to hope the starters can go deep and Joba, Viz and Mo can pitch all other innings.
I wouldn’t want to be the one to break it to Muss though.
Yeah, terrible week for yankee starting pitching.
Weird move by Torre there
Could this pitcher take any longer?
BAH!
Okay lets hold it. It is only 4 runs! We can come back!
Awwww Shelley…it’s ok, we still love you!!!
thud
Who is coming in to pitch the top of the 7th
I don’t mind the move. Then again, I am not Johnny Damon, who I am sure is seething.
He’s trying to get it all back with one swing because he has no confidence the bullpen can hold the Tigers down.
What can you do? You roll the dice and take a shot. Can’t kill him for that.
Its not like he is pinch hitting for a guy who is swinging the bat that well.
Brian,
Can you imagine Moose’s reaction to that? God, I would pay money to see that.
Villone
MUSH-INA
time to hang them up you hack
bring up Kennedy!!
I guess Joe learned that Villone can only start innings.
Villone in…Farns only threw what, 12 pitches? They couldn’t pitch him for another inning? Man, for a guy who could kick Sheffield’s ass, he is really delicate in some ways!
Although maybe it only would have been a matter of time before he’d imploded and we’re better off…
how do these umps get away with calling these crappy calls on our players like Cano takes it 4 inches off the plate but its a strike. I just don’t get it. Monday agaisnt the O’s was probably the worse game I’ve seen, ump wise.
I like that Farns hit a batter. I would have liked it better if it was Sheff. But i’ll take it. You don’t hit our best player and get away with it.
I think Clemens should retire too right now. Because of that start against the White Sox 2 weeks ago.
Way to hold the lead. A homerun to Pudge off roids. Thats not good.
–Maybe Farnsie should have stayed in?–
It seems like Vilone reassumed the role of being Torre’s whiping boy.
That last 3 games have just been utterly poor performances. Hard to watch.
Villone should be DF’A, and Britton brought up.
Villone is crap.
Why is Villone on the team? Chris Britton would be more useful than him, IMO.
You gotta love Kay. “That run (the HR by Pudge) just deflats everybody”.
Wrong, Michael. When your starting pitcher gives up a grand slam in the first inning, and two more in the second, putting you 5 runs down, I think that’s a little more deflating than a middle reliever giving up a meaningless HR at this point in the game.
Best franchise in sports, worst announcers in sports. Brutal.
A co-worker of mine went to yesterdays game. He was watching Duncan warm up with the ball boy. Said he couldn’t throw anything on the fly to him, everything was taking 1-2 bounces before it reached him. thats what makes Duncans throw out at home even more interesting to me. Shows the energy that he has, that he reared back and threw a strike to Jorge.
Okay, well, five runs in three innings.
It’s not undoable.
Right?
Some things just never change like Moose in a big game like our bullpen holding down an opponent and like our hitting all of a sudden disappears too.
Makes you long for and appreciate Phil.
“deflates”, sorry. We need an edit button next year!!!
The Tiger bullpen can definetly be scored on but with our hitting in big spots hmmmmm….
Why is a game against the Indians not a big game, but a game against the Tigers is? Moose pitches a gem against the Indians and that’s forgettable, but he gets knocked around against a very good team and he’s worse than Kei Igawa.
We will tie it up this inning. You know why. The Pirates just tied the game up on the Mets. It seems so the Yankees go, the Mets go opposite. When we are on a hot streak, they are losing. And when they get good, we get cold. So we will tie it this inning.
…Do I even want to know how the Cardinals are right now only 2.5 back?!?!
WOW.
The Indians offense hasn’t been spectacular lately and they were without their best hitter, Hafner. Look at what SJ posted earlier about Moose against good teams…not pretty.
Good question Carmen. He won 4 in a row and has had 11 out of 12 quality starts. But that is all forgotten with one crappy game.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....yerId=2557
The Tigers are a good team. Their best starter went against the Yankees worst starter today. They had the pitching advantage tonight.
The next 3 games, the Yankees have the pitching advantage. They just have to pitch better.
The starters have been awful this week. Hard to blame the offense when they are 3-4 runs down by the second inning every day.
The only way this team is going to the playoffs is its starters have to step up and get the job done. That’s how they got back in the race.
This homestand, its been the April-June version of their starters.
When you face Guthrie, Cabrera (when he gets 12 runs), Bedard and Verlander, that’s a pretty tough quartet of pitchers. Those guys have outpitched the Yankees on this homestand.
Its up to Pettitte, Clemens and Wang to pick up the slack. If they do, they will be fine in this series. If they don’t, they will get smoked. Just the way it is.
The Indians have been miserable of late. The Tigers haven’t been much better, but they have a stronger offense. And Mussina needed to come out and be strong after the heartbreaker yesterday. Instead, he lost the game in the first two innings.
Utterly pathetic, and equally unacceptable.
Yeah, but a lot of that was earlier this year when every team was hitting Moose hard, even the bad teams. His first half vs. his second half is staunchly different period.
He’s worse then Kei Igawa because you expect more from him.
The Indians where ice called when we played them and we did what we where supposed to do to them sweap them.
Look at Moose’s numbers against above .500 AL teams this year. Yes, he pitched well against the Indians. He is 1-7 (if this score holds up) in his other 8 starts against good AL teams.
That’s awful. He has to be better down the stretch. Its that simple.
If he keeps pitching like this against good teams the rest of the way, they aren’t making the playoffs.
Hopefully distracting reader poll on who is the dumbest ignorant sports announcer (and why):
Michael Kay
Mike Francesca
Steve Phillips
This is not a trick question!
Yeah, but who have the Yankees played in the second half that is good(besides Cleveland and Detroit and maybe Toronto, though good may be too nice a word for them).
Yankee Boy you need to add John Sterling to that.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think Mussina’s our ace. He’s our #4 guy at this point(I think Hughes is too inexperienced to put past #5 yet). He’s been decent enough. I don’t think his spot in the rotation should be called into question because of one start. And it won’t be.
Cash it doesn’t matter you play who is on your schedule.
Nah. Add Suszyn Waldman. I kinda actually like John Sterling.
Yes, I am weird.
hey jennifer just cause you arent so young doesnt mean you can call me boy!!! lol jk you are young
I’m not calling for him to lose his spot in the rotation…I just want him to pitch better. Though imagine a conversation between Moose and Joe where Joe tells him they are moving him to the bullpen….That would be priceless.
Kay is not so dumb as just plain annoying.
There are all of you happy
Yankee Boy,
Realistically it’s Steve Phillips but right now I am so down on Mike Francesa. He was killing Hughes yesterday saying since he’s up here and a phenom he can’t be treated like a typical rookie. Hello, the fact is he is a rookie and coming off a long layoff and can’t be expected to be the savior. He’s the best option but Mike was just so annoying with Sweeny.
Boston Yankee Thanks
Okay maybe the Yankees thought I meant they’d tie it up in the 8th.
Damn that was a good pitch.
Jennifer,
Agreed, but don’t you think there might be correlation between the quality of teams that Moose is facing and his pitching line?
I know its sac relegious to bash Arod in 2007 but in the biggest series of the year, to date, he starts out going 0 for 3 with a big, big error.
Mid august. good time to run off a little 3, 4, maybe 5 game losing streak, right. could this team be more predictable?
Should I start wishing it was tomorrow yet?
Right now, we’re about to play sub .500 ball on our homestand…
By the way, how’s the chemistry on this team right now?
I don’t hear anyone talking about how great the chemistry is so I thought I’d ask.
I’m not going to throw in the towel by any means and I believe they will make the post-season.
But, I’ve said it a thousand times:
Winning = Chemistry
Well, I hope Torre has to have the problem of deciding whether to use Mussina in the playoff rotation or not.
As a sidenote, does anyone know where all the Tiger fans come from in Yankee Stadium? I’ve noticed them at games before and you can hear them on TV. Does New York just have a lot of displace Detroit….ers or do Tiger fans invade other stadiums?
Sweeny I guess you missed yesterdays game when he went 4-4. You can’t expect him to do it everyday.
What happend to the cliche` that the leadoff walk allways scores. I guess its only with Yankee relievers on the mound.
^^^^ Loves John Sterling.
I am actually having chest pains.
Yeah, but I dont think making the obvious defensive play is a lot to ask for.
We really just need to get a few across in the 8th to make it a save situation. Todd Jones has Joe Borowski syndrome and is prone to giving up 3-4 runs.
ok, big inning time.
“I know its sac relegious to bash Arod in 2007 but in the biggest series of the year”
Why do series only become “the biggest series of the year” when we’re losing?
Why did some expect the Yanks to keep up their blistering pace all season? You had to know they were going to struggle sometime right? Just be glad that Detroit’s best pitcher (who was not all that good tonight) is already out of the way and the next 3 days look more favorable…
Hey Kasey,
Could _you_ be any more predictable?
I would like to get a few runs just to boost confidence for tomorrows game. It seems that we lost some confidence offensively after being shut down by Bedard and Cabrrerra.
Mussina keeps pitching like this down the stretch, especially when the roster expand on September 1, he is in trouble.
If Joe Torre is pinch hitting a rookie for Johnny Damon in the 6th inning of games, relegating Kyle Farnsworth to a mop up role, replacing him with a kid with 5 ML innings under his belt, and sitting veteran players on the bench for younger options, no veteran is safe. Not even Mussina.
He could have rigged the rotation to skip Hughes to start Game 1 of the Indians series and go with the veteran (Moose) pitcher. He chose not to. That shows how much confidence he has in Hughes.
Ironically, Hughes has pitched the best of the starters this week.
Torre is managing for a new contract and he isn’t getting one unless they get in the playoffs.
Mike Mussina has pitched like garbage in just about every big game he’s had to pitch this year. His next 3-4 starts will be against above .500 teams. 2-7 is not getting it done against good teams. They can use Matt DeSalvo and get those results.
If he has 3-4 more outings like this, he won’t be in the rotation after 9/1, when they call up Ian Kennedy. You can’t concede ANY start right now because you have a guy who is channelling Kei Igawa in big games.
One thing you can’t accuse the Yankees of doing this year and that’s not sitting veterans for rookies. That’s how they got back into this thing.
If Moose can’t pitch better than this, he’s got big problems sticking it out in the rotation the rest of the way, IMO.
I remind myself before every inning that we’ve scored 8 runs off Jon Garland in 1 inning.
Yeah tough a 4.60 era. We better hit him
I think the blame for today’s debacle lies solely on the shoulders of Moose. I’ll excuse the 4 run 1st inning, but not shutting them down in the 2nd inning just is inexcuseable.
Okay, now bring Jorge around to score…
And so it starts.
This home plate umpires strike zone tonight is baffling.
i could go for some stolichnya right now
Maybe tim donaghy is calling the game.
striking out, of course, such a wonderful way to bring a runner like Jorge home…
Boston Yank,
we don’t condone underage drinking here on the blog.
I don’t think there is a problem with chemistry on the team, effort, or Arod. Its pitching. Starting pitching, more precisely.
You have to pitch better than they have the last 4 games when you are facing good teams/good starters. They simply haven’t measured up so far this week.
Pettitte-Clemens-Wang are pitching the next 3 days. I expect we will see better performances. If not, then this team has issues.
Its all about pitching. Always has been, always will be.
yankee josh how bout i beat you punk
I’m gonna learn to throw a 4-seamer using one finger and magic.
Right, c’mon Leche!
Someone call ANDREA A MEDIC!
dontfirecash: teen drinking is very bad
Wow Can one be anymore stupid. Kay can’t figure out why Zumya can’t pitch with a strained middle finger.
I had tendionitis of my thumb. I coudn’t pick up objects because if it. It hurt like hell. And we are talking about a middle finger, where a pitcher uses it to throw many pitches.
I think Vlad Guerrero is the umpire behind home plate tonight.
Wow this ump is terrible. The umping for the past few years it just terrible. I think they need to send them all to get lasic.
And do it ends
The tendon in Zumaya’s middle finger literally exploded..I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same, but what do I know?
He called a pitch a strike on Leche that was a ball for Cano.
What the @#%@#$?
I’m shocked he didn’t call that a strike!
Zumaya used to be a starter, no? In the minors.
That pitch to Cabrera was almost two feet out of the zone. Man, that’s brutal.
A guy gets that call, it changes the whole AB.
Okay our come back is in the 9th.
Best solution, Francesa eats Phillips…Now that would be good radio.
he had to strike out. nobody gets a hit after a bad call
pathetic
This ump is a dirty commie $#%&. Shelley Duncan WILL be waiting for him in the parking lot after the game.
So now Wilson plays left?
Dear BBB. Taking in to account that we where embaressed last year by the Tigers and we are chasing them in the WC (Allthough we lead now in the race I’m sure the lead will change a couple of more times til October)right now plus the fact there are a lot of Yankke doubters who say that the Yankees only fatend up on sub par teams and are not as good and can’t compete with the upper echelon teams like the Red Sox Angels Tigers and Indians. I would think for all of the above reasons that will make the players want to beat the Tigers even more then just for the simple win and lost record. In other words that gives this series more juice and it gives it more of a playoff’s atmosphere the the other series’s we played in the last 6 weeks. I was just making the point of how Arod has responded to the added presure. Dont get me wrong Arod has had a marvelous season and it would be very foolish of Cashman and CO.not to resign him but I still think I’m allowed to make the point about his play in a seemingly big game/series. For all I know he’ll go out tomorrow and have a great game I just felt the need to make this point a bout todays game.
okay my names getting a little long
Hey sweeeny I guess you missed our sweeps of the indians.
Good to know the crowd is still booing Sheff. I’d really like to know what he has to say about it.
get them jennifer. BBB finish him off
That’s now 20 K’s with RISP on this homestand to date.
Good pitching shuts down good hitting everytime.
The Yankees pitching doesn’t pick up (especially the starters), and quickly, this team will lose a lot of games the next two weeks. They aren’t scoring 10 runs a game against Detroit, Anaheim and Boston in the next couple of weeks.
We need Andy to shut this team down in the early going tomorrow night so the hitters aren’t so desperate when they come to the plate.
Tough to expect guys to get it done when they are 3-5 runs down early every night. That’s what killed them earlier this year.
The offense may be scuffling a bit but, the pitching has been pathetic. That’s really hurting them right now.
I didnt know Betemit was an outfielder too or is this just his first start there?
Sweeny, but we have already won series against the Red Sox, Angels and Indians
Gosh the swinging of the bat is the most annoying thing.
I would like to see the Viz drill Sheff.
What is the solution to this pitching staff? Mussina is not dependable, Wang has been shakey, Mo has dead arm. Things don’t look good.
That said, if the Yanks can get a split here, take 2-3 from the Angels, and no less than a split in Detroit, they would have weathered the so called storm and be in a good position for the WC.
Good Night ALL, I cants take no more !
god the women on this board will eat you up and chew you out
If Rivera is being rested for the next 2-3 days, why is Viz in there ?????? Come on Joe
Pepper Brooks
But it might be better television. Love the YES simulcast!
dude you cant fire harold reynolds hes my boy!
Minor bump in the road…tomorrow starts the 10 game win streak….
Hmmm the comp cut off the rest of my post.. I was saying that this is about the 8th time this season I have heard a series called “the biggest of the year.” They can’t ALL be the biggest can they? And ARod in particular has played very well in big moments, remember the homer of Crapelbon? I love Moose and all, and I feel very bad for him that errors have been made behind him frequently the past 2 seasons but I can’t rage against anything Alex has done this year when you consider where we’d be w/o him…
Boston Yank, you don’t really want Erin Andrews to get fired from ESPN do you?
Yes,so she can pull an Amanda Beard and show up at Heff’s next party.
joba warming, why?
operation grand SHLAM
Okay what happened to Joba rules? If he’s up he’s in the game. The only way that happens is if we score 5 runs. I guess Joe thinks that will happen. Otherwise he is in trouble.
erin andrews! HOLY JESUS. my roomate has a picture of jenna jameson and put erins head on it in his room. it actually lines up well its great
I’m not bashing him yet I’m just pointing out what should be monitored in the next couple of days.
everyone criticism leyland he’s using his closer in a five run game
uh oh im playing my jock jams PUMP UP THE JAM PUMP IT UP!
dude have you seen Jenna jameson lately? She looks like she would blow away in a strong wind..not hot.
No offense Sweeni but ARod carried this team the better of the season. Lets not continue with the Arod bashing.
Viz hasn’t pitched that much lately. He has to pitch.
The solution? Simple, starters have to go deeper and more effectively into games.
This team looks great when their starters go 7, handoff to Joba/Viz in the 8th, and Mariano in the 9th. Everything clicks when that happens.
They look like crap when they give up 3-5 runs by the second inning of every game (which they did for most of the first two months of the season and (so far) this entire homestand) and you have to juggle the bullpen to finish games.
If Andy gives them 7 strong tomorrow, they will win.
Its all about pitching. I expect Pettitte, Clemens, and Wang to come up big the rest of this series. I had zero hope for Moose tonight. I know he can’t pitch against good team with much effectiveness anymore so, its not shocking he came up small again in a big spot. Its what he is at this point in his career. The numbers don’t lie.
Jennifer we sweapt the Indians with out there best pitcher (Sebathia) and best hitter(Pronk). We won series against Boston and the Angels, true, but we werent contenders then. Now we are.
dontfirecash: this was back in the day her body is finely groomed. albeit a lot of work. but still
This is depressing. Lose one, you can brush it off. Lose two, you can come up with an excuse, but when it starts to get three, four games in a row, at a critical point in the season, it toys with emotions.
I don’t like that so much.
okay if pump up the jam cant work… WHAT CAN
“we sweapt the Indians with out there best pitcher (Sebathia) and best hitter(Pronk). ”
What about the other time we swept them? They got beat by Kei Igawa and Chase Wright!
I hate Todd Jones’ ‘stache. I’m trying to figure out what/who it reminds me of…
dont get ahead of yourself rebecca its still only 3… you dont worry until 5
Boston Yank: Iron Maiden?
bbb: he reminds me of aj pierzinsky if you put a mustache on him
or teddy roosevelt mixed with thurmon munson
I do =P
One run down, four to go…
bbb: not a fan of iron maiden.
Rebecca: don’t despair. I mean, I’m sad too. But on the bright side, at least we didn’t lose much ground through this little scuffle.. 1.5 in the division, .5 in the WC. The fact that this happened when Seattle was also losing rather than when they were winning just shows me that the baseball gods are still on our side!
At least, I hope so and am trying to believe so. LET’S GO YANKEES!!!
They beat Carmona. No small order. Let’s not minimize the wins.
You don’t win 30 of 42 going into tonight without playing very well.
Their pitching has been awful on this homestand so far. That’s why they have hit the skids.
If the pitching bounces back, they will be fine.
Joba is probably throwing a bullpen since he hasn’t worked in a few days. Not unusual.
Three to go…
Oh man, now the bats come alive…
BBB, Johnycackes from The Sopranoes maybee?
I think the Yankees are, though…fans of Iron Maiden that is…they always seem to get all riled up when I listen to them, lol.
okay we can do this… get some men on keep stringing the singles. entourage can wait
no homers no homers homers kill rallys
gah!
Bah.
umm.
At least we didn’t go quietly?
I’m trying to be positive, but I may emptied the positive tank after yesterday.
That was a good inning. Bad at bat by Giambi, but a good inning.
Good comeback in the 9th. The offense still scored 5 tonight. The starter just stunk.
Time for Andy to end the losing streak tomorrow.
okay im gunna go watch entourage. later allllll. thanks for playing along
sigh, way to end it…Jason “OBP” Giambi K’s on 3 pitches?
Oh well at least we put a lil scare into them though…good way to go into tomorrow!
And Sweeny, I think you might have something with Johnnycakes…maybe a cross between that and someone in the movie Fargo, though I can’t remember who…
Note to joe: do not start Giambi, he is a monster off the bench. If he doens’t liek coming off the bench tell him to please return the $22 million Steinbrenner gave him and go play on the Devilrays.
For all of those who still think Mussina gets a Post season start….Enough said….He’s done……
I think Giambi was trying to do too much. He’s undervaluing his own ability to get on base.
Anyway, goodnight everyone. For those of us who truly believed through the whole game that we could come back and win, maybe (hopefully) the Yanks will reward us tomorrow for our patience. Until then, shine on you crazy diamonds…
3 game losing streak in the middle of august sucks, but we do have the edge in the next 3 pitching matchups. that doesn’t necesarily mean we’ll win, but I’d like to think we’ll take at least two of those…maybe all three. We’re still right in this thing…stay positive.
Mussina won’t get a post season start because we won’t make it to the postseason. And even if we did,we’d get dominated by another team with power pitching like we’ve done the last four seasons. This is an all or nothing team.
*August 15th, 2007 at 7:14 pm*
“Detroit will take 3 out 4. Mussina will have a bad game since he had a good outing the last time out. The only win will be by Wang.”
Wise words from The prophet.
Tough loss now we have to win 3 in a row, against a good team, to get us back to where we were after the first game against the O’s. Good night.
Mussinas usual act got old a long time ago!!! It is always the same #### with him!!! Someone makes an error, he gets mad at the umpire, starts nibbling and there goes the game. I am sure Torre and Mussina will say it was one bad pitch that cost him, give me a break already. This was a big series and he gave them absolutely nothing. I dont think he has ever gotten out of an inning without giving up runs after a bad call or an error. He is awful and I cant believe we have to watch him do this for another year because Cashman for some stupid reason give a 38 year old pitcher 2 years when he only had to give him 1. This is the exact, nibbling, not a big game pitcher Mussina, that will show up in the play offs. Bring up Kennedy.
There’s a bright side to this three-game losing streak:
The Yanks lost only a half-game on Seattle.
The Yanks gain a half-game lead for the wildcard if they win and Seattle loses tomorrow night.
This team is not a championship team. It really is not a good team. They dont do anything that constitutes trying to win games. In my opinion, the Yankees resources are why they are not a championship team. They have too much money to spend. They go out and get guys who are home run hitters and that is their problem. The homerun hitters on this team mostly beat up on bad pitching. A-Rod hits more homeruns off of mop up relievers than anyone I have ever seen before. Abreu and Giambi typically dont hit great pitching either. Also Damon doesnt hit good pitchers. This team beats up on no name pitchers with extra base hits and just smoking the ball all over the stadium. They jhave had games against Tampa where they score 20 runs. Thats all good. Then guys like Verlander and the Tigers insane pen (when healthy) show up in October. This lineup gets completely shutdown and this puts extreme pressure on the starting pitchers. They rely on extra-basehits and homeruns so much that they rarely play real baseball.(see Tigers) They steal plenty of bases and do hit and runs often. Leyland goes for double steals and other risky plays. They get a few singles and they can put guys in motion and it turns into runs. Meanwhile, the Yankees are sitting back and waiting for the homerun ball. We let up a couple of runs and we are finished because it is rare that you get to a very good pitcher like Verlander. Im not saying the Yankees are incapable of playing smallball but their mindset is to wait for homeruns. It just doesnt work against playoff pitchers. If they want to win, they are gonn have to change their style. Part of this lays on the manager. Unless they change their methods and mindsets, this team is not going to win a World Series anytime soon.
This is why the new contract that Mussina got himself is wrong and why Cashman has his critics. You go 1 year with a team option for year #2.
Cashman knew he had a nice stable of pitchers in the making.
Next season most of the rotation will be homegrown.
Wang, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy.
He got Igawa as the 5th starter, so why ever would you sign and old man in a decline to a 2 year guaranteed?
Does Mussina’s new contract have a no trade clause?
If Pettite comes back then is there really room for Mussina?
I would much rather see Pettite, Wang, Joba, Kennedy, Hughes. Mussina would never go into the bullpen.
I’m scared that Mussina will be a starter if the Yanke get into the playoffs and he will as Torre values experience over actual pitching quality.
I could be in the majors for 20 years, not pitch well and he would pick me over Joba or Hughes. Who cares that my ERA is over 10.
Mussina lost us this game. A-Rod didn’t help with his error.
Mussina isn’t consistent anymore and a crap shoot evertime he comes up. If it weren’t for that grand slam, we would have won.
Mussina never picks up his teammates after they make errors
Bad night. Bad couple nights. But the notion that the Yankees aren’t a championship team is inane on the face of it. First, compared to whom? Second, check out their Pythagorean numbers this year. Among the best in the game. Also, the idea that steals and hits and run win ballgames more efficiently than home runs?
Yikes. What is it, 1910?
What bugs me about tonight’s game was that it was very, very winnable. We weren’t facing Bedard, we were facing a Verlander who was off his game.
We couldn’t bring home RISP except in the 9th when it was too little too late, but more importantly, we gave up a GS in the first inning.
That’s one of the surest ways to take a team out of a game early. A team like the Yankees is never really truly out of the game, at least talent wise–we did score five runs, which is more than four–but it demoralizes a team.
Moose isn’t at fault for Arod’s error, but he is at fault for a very poorly pitched first and second. The umpire was incredibly inconsistent, but we can’t blame the umpire for everything, either. Moose was ahead on very few batters…we were lucky he did go five, and we burned Farnsie and Villone, only, and saved Henn, Edwar and Joba.
Having Joba throw was probably just to have him throw, I expect he’s available for tomorrow.
Go NYR, isn’t actually paying attention to the team that is out there right now. He is still stuck in 2003 and 2004.
Yankees don’t actually have a lot of power hitters anymore. They have guys that get on base and run.
Giambi is a power hitter and all he is.
A-Rod gets a lot more doubles than HR’s. He moves people along as why he has as many RBI’s as he does.
Damon, Jeter, Posada, Abreu, Cano, Melky, Phillips are not HR hitters. They are guys that get on base. Yanks scored enough runs in this game to win. Mussina blew it.
You just need a team that has balance.
Yankees are almost there.
way to pick up the team moose. Mr. almost strikes again.
You don’t win 30 of 42 going into tonight without playing very well.
Sure you do. You get to play KC, Tampa, and the rest of the toilet for a month straight. Then, when even moderately decent teams come in, well, you’ve heard the whole water finds it’s level thing. Listen, Verlander is good, and Moose is not. That’s all there is to it. If we don’t match good pitchers, which we don’t very often, we’re finished.
I’ve tried to say that good pitching wins, but I’m killed on here every single time. Bedard and Verlander showed us what playoff pitching is going to be like, and likewise we showed them how inferior we are against them.
“A-Rod gets a lot more doubles than HR’s.”
You might want to check the stats before you say something like that. A Rod has 39 homeruns this season and 26 doubles.
“Yankees don’t actually have a lot of power hitters anymore”
Tell me you are not serious. The Yankees lead the league in slugging perentage, on-base percentage, and therefore OPS.
Yeah, but they aren’t a team that waits for the HR’s anymore. They get on base and get hits. They don’t just slug homers to win games like they used to.
Those stats have nothing to do with what I said. You don’t need power to hit a double or get on base.
You might try and say they don’t hit a lot of home runs, but you would wrong again. They lead the AL in Home runs with 149.
“You don’t need power to hit a double”
That could qualify as the dumbest thing I’ve heard in awhile. And I think the stats have everything to do with what you said. You said the Yankees don’t have a lot of power hitters, which is crazy. Guess what, slugging percentage is a measure of power and the Yankees lead the league in it.
Folks, complaining about Cashman’s decision to sign Moose to an extension is not useful. Blame is not useful. Cashman is human, and there are going to be some unforeseeable mistakes.
For everything he gets wrong, something goes right. Sure, Moose doesn’t look real good and probably won’t, at least with any consistency, ever again. But tell me, who would you have gotten or put in there to replace him within say the past two years? There’s been virtually nothing in the way of free agents and the mandate now is to rebuild from within. Brightness on the horizon with Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy. Cabrera in center is a good thing. If they can hang on to Rodriguez and Abreu for another few years, I think this team will have more than one run in them for the World Series.
Not this year though. At leas I am not expecting it. But the team and the organization got glimpses of what’s to come, similar to 1995.
I love this team, and the way they’ve grinded throughout the year. It’s a good season, regardless of whether or not they make the playoffs.
You should probably stop talking, because you are looking real stupid right now.
Hawk, the pitching didn’t win the games for the Orioles or the Tigers. The offense did. You need offense to win games backed up by slightly above average pitching.
A lot of teams, like the A’s and Twins who have amazing pitching and rank right at the top have .500 records and that’s cause they don’t have the offense to win games.
Pitching won’t win you games any way you look at it. Runs win games.
Yankees win 12 of the next 14 games, 80-55 at the end of the night on August 31st…It IS gonna happen…you gotta BELIEVE !
Yankees are 3rd overall in HR’s behind the Brewers and the Reds. Are both those teams power hitting teams? Remember A-Rod bumps up the HR stat a lot by what he does.
Yankees are 5th in doubles. 7th in triples.
1st in hits. 2nd are the Tigers.
1st in RBI’s 1st in runs.
They have good offense. Cano, Melky, Damon, Posada, Jeter, Phillips, Abreu are not power hitters. Abreu used to be.
They hit the ball and get on base.
Giambi and Ortiz are good examples of power hitters.
Cool it with the insults.
Yes, the Brewers and Reds are power hitting teams. First in slugging percentage is the only thing that pertains to your argument. I would say that being first in slugging percentage definitevly qualifies you as a power hitting team. And I wouldn’t insult you if you didn’t say stupid things.
Robbie Cano is slugging .497. That means he’s a power hitter. Posada is slugging .533, same deal. Bobby Abreu is slugging .600 his last 30 days..power hitter. The melkman is slugging .593 his last 30 days…power hitting.
_This is why the new contract that Mussina got himself is wrong and why Cashman has his critics. You go 1 year with a team option for year #2.
Cashman knew he had a nice stable of pitchers in the making.
Next season most of the rotation will be homegrown.
Wang, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy.
He got Igawa as the 5th starter, so why ever would you sign and old man in a decline to a 2 year guaranteed?_
This is why sniffing glue is never a good idea.
How soon we forget that Moose was coming off a very good season in 2006 and was 4th in the AL in ERA.
He got a reasonable 2-year contract because the market was extremely thin in starting pitching. Moose is also a 10-5 guy, so his NTC is automatic.
How soon do we also forget that Andy Pettitte was not even on the radar at the time of Moose’s signing and most people in the organization and the Yankee fan base didn’t think Pettitte was coming back to NY.
Hughes wasn’t supposed to be in the rotation in 2007 until the All-Star Break, but was forced into it because of so many injuries in April.
Both Kennedy and Chamberlain were the Yankees top picks just last season. They both started 2007 in Class-A. Most people on these boards had ever heard of either of them until May or June.
There is NO WAY that Cashman could have anticipated that both of his top picks from just last season were going to blow through the minors this season and be ready for the big show so soon. That huge jump in one season is very rare.
Moose was signed because he was a short term stop gap until the young kids were ready. The same can be said for Pettitte.
Maybe if you checked the facts instead of engaging in such ridiculous hyperbole, you would realize that Cashman did what he had to do under the circumstances until the Yanks could implement the younger talent.
The toughest thing in the world to do is rebuild your team while being a perennial playoff contender at the same time.
Right, runs win games. Scoring them and preventing them.
But I’m guessing, by the same logic that it doesn’t take power to get extra base hits, it doesn’t take pitching to prevent runs?
Oh and one more thing: Andy Phillips doesn’t hit the ball OR get on base.
Viper, this is why you go for a 1 year with a 2nd year option. You have the safety net there while not being tied into something. With a 38 year old pitcher, you need to understand that pitchers decline regardless of if 3.55ERA was 4th in 2006. 2006 is not 2007 or 2008. Being how Mussina is pitching this season, my idea doesn’t seem that bad, now does it?
dontfirecash, we obviously have a different definition of power hitters. Obviously anyone who can hit consistently is a power hitter to you.
“Obviously anyone who can hit is a power hitter to you”
Thats pretty funny. Do you even know what slugging percentage is?
Andy Phillips – 49 games and 42 hits.
OBP – .313 BA – .273
He does what he does and gets hits. He does more in defense and saves runs from scoring in that role. He is certainly better than Giambi at 1st and he is certainly better than Mienky at 1st, with offense.
You are wrong on both. He hits the ball and gets on base. Unless those stats are ones you are going to ignore.
I can’t stand pretencious people.
uhhh, .313 is a terrible OBP.
Yeah, AB’s / 1b 2b 3b hr and provides an average of bases reached. 4.000 would be the highest possible.
Like I said, my definition is different from yours. You can call Melky a power hitter all you want, but you would look silly in doing so. He is just a consistent hitter. Hitting a double doesn’t take power.
You know, cause speed also plays a role in which base you get to.
The same hit landing in the same spot could be a single for Giambi and a double for Melky. Are you going to tell me that Melky is a power hitter and Giambi is not?
These comments make me sick. How the hell do you guys call yourselves fans if you suddenly give up when we lose 3 games. It’s three freaking games. We had just won 9 of 10. The world is suddenly ending when, only 3 games ago, we were the most amazing team ever. Nobody could stop us. All of a sudden we lose a couple tough games against some tough pitchers with some of our poorer or younger pitchers pitching and the season is over. Come on guys, reality check. This is a really good team with really big potential. Just because we lost to Bedard and Verlander doesn’t mean we won’t make the playoffs.
uhh 1.0 would be the highest possible, nice try though.
ooops i sound like an idiot on that one, 4.0 is the highest you are right.
His OBP averages out to getting on base 1 out of 3 times.
It isn’t that bad. It isn’t the best or All Star quality, but it isn’t terrible. It’s average. Point is, he gets on base and gets hits as I showed you. If you want to ignore numbers and just going on with being combative, go for it. The numbers show that you are wrong and look very silly.
If you are just here to start trouble, then I feel pity for you as you are a coward.
Dude hitting a double does take power though. Doubles are balls hit down the line and the gap. And Melky has been a power hitter since the All star break.
Perfect slugging percentage
The maximum numerically possible slugging percentage is 4.000
trust me, .313 is a bad OBP
Yeah let’s argue of our 1B when the team LEADS BASEBALL IN RUNS. brain surgeons the pitching is the issue morons..
looks like some losers are getting off the bandwagon, it isover they are 1/2 a game out…
We could be Brewers fans right now. That has to be tough. They had a comfortable lead in the central early in the year. Then the Cubs came on strong, but went cold at the same time as the Brewers and now the Cardinals have crept in and are 2.5 out. Plus they’ve been celebrating their 1982 world series loss all week. Sad times in Milwaukee.
_Viper, this is why you go for a 1 year with a 2nd year option. You have the safety net there while not being tied into something. With a 38 year old pitcher, you need to understand that pitchers decline regardless of if 3.55ERA was 4th in 2006. 2006 is not 2007 or 2008. Being how Mussina is pitching this season, my idea doesn’t seem that bad, now does it?_
For the same reason nobody could have anticipated Joba and Kennedy blowing through the minors this season, very few would have thought Moose would have such a down season after a good 2006.
No GM has a crystal ball in front of him when it comes to signing free agents or anticipate the development of a youngster.
People are only concerned about the age of a pitcher when he’s not pitching well. Any other time, nobody cares.
It’s easy to come up with your idea in 20/20 hindsight, but there weren’t many Yankee fans on this board opposed to Moose’s signing and contract last November.
We can always go back to the LoHud archives to prove it.
I doubt it is average for a major league 1B. And his WARP is 0, which means he is worth zero wins to the yankees above a replacement player.
Can somebody please tell this guy that the Yankees are a power hitting team. It is absurd that we are even debating it.
I’d think leading your league in homeruns constitutes being a power hitting team. But I think it was a good point in that they’re not exclusively a power hitting team. A-Rod and Matsui account for over 1/3 of the team’s homeruns. It’s hard to think positive on a three game losing streak, but with guys like Jeter, Cano, and Cabrera, the Yankees are definitely not a team that only scores on the long ball. So, you’re both right.
Everyone is talking like Verlander pitched an amazing ball game. “Verlander showed us what playoff pitching is going to be like.” Well 5.1 innings of 3 run ball isn’t exactly stellar. He battled, threw a lot of pitches and had his team in the lead which is solid. But, it’s really no different then what hughes did yesterday and everyone was flippin out about how he is not the guy he was hyped to be, which is also a ludicrous statement after 5 starts for a 21 y.o.
And if you still think .313 is a good OBP you’ll be happy to know that it places Andy Phillips 40th place out 50 first baseman. And since you know what slugging % is, you should know that when you lead the league in it, it means you are displaying a lot of power. And since you don’t seem to believe me I copied this right of Wikipdia: “in baseball statistics, slugging percentage (abbreviated SLG) is the most popular measure of the power of a hitter.”
Melky is 62nd in the AL for doubles.
OBP of .350 and a SLG of .444 resulting in a OPS of .794 putting him in 40th place for OPS.
He is a consistent hitter with good speed as why he can get the doubles and triples he gets. He isn’t a power hitter. No way you can say Giambi and Ortiz are power hitters and then say Melky is right there with them.
He gets on base and he runs. A lot more to getting a double than just hitting it with power. It works for some, others do it with speed. Melky has 7 triples cause he has power or is it cause he hustles?
Hitters get to third from power or speed? One would think a power hitter hitting the ball would make it tough for them to get a triple taking into account how quick the ball would get into the outfield.
I am getting to the point that I just think you don’t really understand how the game works.
As for the Moose signing, not many players would be thrilled with a one year deal followed by a club option. Especially since Moose was signing at a much lower salary over his previous contract after the Yankees declined their club option there. The agreement they settled on was a 2-year deal. Maybe Mussina would’ve walked if they offered him a 1-year deal with a club option for 08. I imagine he asked for the 2 years. And, as always, hindsight is 20/20, but it definitely was a good idea to retain him when he did.
I gave Melky’s stats for the last 30 days and I specifically said since the all star break he’s been a power hitter. Hitting doubles is a measure of power, belive it or not.
He gets doubles because he hits balls to the gap…anytime you hit the ball into the gap you are going to get a double/triple, even if you are as slow as Jason Giambi.
I’m really bored and not feeling well so I have nothing to do, so I’m addressing everything. I don’t think there’s any point in defending Andy Phillips’ bat. He’s come through every now and again, but he’s on the team because he’s a solid fielder and if the Yankees had landed Teixeira(purely hypothetical) or had some other good fielding/good hitting first baseman, I doubt Phillips would be on the team. I think if Doug comes back for September, Joe’s gonna have a decision to make if we make it to the playoffs. Doug’s clearly the better first baseman(not that that’s an insult to Andy), but he has to decide who has the better bat. If Doug hits well at all in September(I’m not even sure when/if he’s coming back), I doubt Phillips would make the playoff roster.
.593 slugging. since the all star break. Guess what your great example of a power hitter, David Ortiz is slugging since the break. .509.
Melky is 39th overall in the AL right behind Eric Chavez… a real power hitter right? ERIC CHAVEZ IS A POWER HITTER according to Dontfirecash. Who cares that his BA is .240 and OBP is barely touching .300. Why even get into his speed at all. It’s all power. He is the Jason Giambi of the A’s, right sparky?
I said .313 is average and proves your statement wrong. If you want to put words in my mouth and change what I said, go for it. Luckily it’s all written for all to see. You said he didn’t hit and I showed you that he did. You said .313 is terrible and it isn’t. It’s average as I said.
I know you can’t really admit when you are wrong, but you don’t need to change my words around to give you some credibility. If you don’t know how to discuss in a civil manner, then so be it. I could care less. You wanna be all agressive.. grrrrr, go for it. Shows you to be the fool.
I’m done as next you’ll tell me that the sky is red just to be all cool and macho like you are.
David Ortiz is not hitting for power as why he only has 17 homeruns for the season.
Jesus Christ are you a daft one.
Did I say he wasn’t hitting for power? You have to stop putting words in my mouth. I said Melky Cabrera has a higher slugging % than him since the break, which means SINCE THE ALL STAR BREAK, he’s been hitting for more power than Ortiz. And Eric Chavez is 39th in what?
Just to insert into this heated discussion: I think there’s a difference between homerun power and gap power. Melky has gap power and will probably never hit 30 homeruns a year, but can get a lot of doubles and triples. Slugging percentage measures both types of power, favoring homeruns the most obviously.
A good example is the potential Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome. In 8 years from 1999-2006, he’s averaged about 22 homeruns a season which is decent power, but definitely not an elite homerun hitter. But, combining that with his average of about 30 doubles and 4 triples a season over that stretch gives him a very respectable .545 slugging percentage. And actually, the scouting report on him that I read is that he probably won’t hit a lot of homeruns in the United States, but has good gap power.
I apologize for being mean. We obviously don’t see eye to eye on this matter.
Carmine, I agree, there is definitely a difference and I am by no means suggesting that Melky has prodigious HR power.
Oh, I know. I was just trying to insert that in case that fact was being overlooked.
I just think it is kind of crazy to say that the Yanks aren’t a power hitting team…Maybe that is just me, I don’t know.
I was just trying to say that I think guys we don’t normally call power hitters sometimes have good power to the gaps. Possibly based on a number of factors such as the kind of stroke they have. Curtis Granderson is a great example too. He hits a decent amount of homeruns, but an absurd amount of triples. His speed has something to do with it, but I think most agree Jose Reyes is one of the fastest in baseball, yet has about half as many triples. Granderson has much more gap power. The speed helps too, of course.
^The above stats are based on this year.
100% agree on that one. I guess some people might determine who’s a power hitter by the number of home runs they hit, which IMO is not the best way to determine such a thing. If you are slugging .500, in my mind, you are a power hitter.
Rougly 33% of the Yanks hits this season have been for extra bases. I would think that would be a clear display of power.
I would say my final take on this whole thing is the Yankees are definitely a team with a lot of power. Melky Cabrera is definitely not a traditional power hitter, but has good power to the gaps.
Don’t know if you’ll sit, but I truly apologize Marius…I’m not usually so mean, but it is late at night and the Yanks are sucking it up lately, so what can I say.
see it*
The Yankees losing puts me in a bad mood too usually. That’s why I did all this stat research tonight. Looking at baseball in general takes my mind off just the Yankees. Kind of sad how attached I get to a bunch of millionaires playing a game.
haha, you aren’t the only one. It is funny how seriously we take sports though, just as a culture in general.
horrible officiating yesterday by the home plate guy. i swear these guys like to stick it to Mike just because.