Game 138: Mariners at Yankees
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Sep 03, 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
Clemens RHP (6-5, 4.15)
Pregame chatter: Yanks are facing Felix Hernandez (10-7, 4.08). … No word yet on Andy Phillips. … Clemens is still a go but Mike Mussina will be out in the bullpen ready to warm up, just in case.
Speaking of the Moose, Torre told us they’re trying to figure out a game for him to start in the next week. To me, that indicates a few possibilities:
– They’re unsure about how viable Phil Hughes is as a starter at this point.
– They’re worried about Clemens.
– Or they want insurance in case Ian Kennedy isn’t consistently good (as was the case with DeSalvo, Clippard, etc.).
Mussina has good numbers against Kansas City and could be worked into that series. The issue is that the team has days off on Thursday and Monday, so scheduling is tricky. But it wouldn’t be the worse thing to get the regular starters an extra day of rest at this point in the season.
Meanwhile, it’s funny how some people are upset that Torre sent Andy Pettitte out for the seventh inning yesterday. Pettitte had allowed two runs in the first six innings and asked to go back out. Pettitte also finished with 119 pitches, the exact same number he threw against Boston on Tuesday. What was the big deal?
If Pettitte does the job and the Yankees rally to win, Torre is smart for showing faith in his guy. But because they lost, he’s an idiot.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * BREAKING NEWS * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
UPDATE, 12:05 p.m.: Andy Phillips told us that he has a fractured right wrist, the result of getting hit by a pitch yesterday. He is about to be examined by a specialist. He is likely to be out for the remainder of the season.
It has been a bad 18 months or so for Phillips with everything that has happened to him. “It’s frustrating, very frustrating,” he said. “Just disappointing with the timing of it.”
The Yankees now have Jason Giambi as their every day first baseman with Wilson Betemit, Shelley Duncan and Doug Mientkiewicz backing him up.
UPDATE, 1:24 p.m.: The Yankees have taken an aggressive approach against King Felix, stealing two bases in the first inning. One led to a run. That’s the tactic they have to take, I think.
The Yankees have been outscored 117-97 in their last 19 games. They could stand to be a little more proactive.
Meanwhile, a cynic would say that the Yankees are better off with Jason Giambi at first base than Andy Phillips and that his injury is no big deal. Perhaps. But it would be stunning if Giambi can survive 25 games at first base without breaking down.
Giambi played only 68 games at first all last season. Don’t forget, the Yankees started the season intending never to use Giambi at first base. There was a reason for that. If he’s healthy, Giambi will get on base and produce. But his staying healthy is never a given.
Phillips is not a classic slugging first baseman. But he was hitting OK and playing solid defense. The Yankees made their run with him playing every day. His loss isn’t devastating but it’s significant. Given your choice, you want him or Wilson Betemit out there?
Betemit has been overmatched in the AL of late. He’s 3 of his last 30 with 13 strikeouts.
UPDATE, 1:48 p.m.: That’s 200 hits and 98 runs scored for the great Ichiro. He, Wade Boggs and Willie Keeler are the only players in history to collect 200 hits in seven consecutive seasons.
Ichiro probably won’t have the career numbers of other Hall of Famers when he retires because his Japanese stats don’t count. But to me, he’s a Hall of Fame player and would get my vote.
UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: Mike Mussina is warming up. I think Clemens is done.
UPDATE, 2:15 p.m.: Here is some more information on Andy Phillips:
He has a fractured pisiform bone in his right wrist and will underdo surgery tomorrow. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, which is essentially the rest of the season.
UPDATE, 2:24 p.m.: This is the first regular-season relief appearance ever for Mike Mussina. He pitched in relief in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.
UPDATE, 3:14 p.m.: Robinson Cano’s GIDP in the second inning really changed the tenor of this game offensively for the Yankees. They have had one hit since.
I’m sure there will be panic in the streets (or on the blog) if they lose this game. But with 24 games remaining, it’s a little too early for that. They still lead the wild card. But they need Chien-Ming Wang to be sharp tomorrow, that is for sure.
It comes back to pitching every time. Here is the line since the Red Sox series: 34 47 29 27 15 29 and nine home runs. When you pitch to a 7.15 ERA, you aren’t going to win.
UPDATE, 3:51 p.m.: Check this excellent story by Dan Shaughnessy of the Globe on Terry Francona and how he handles the assorted nitwits Red Sox fans who give him a hard time.
I wouldn’t say Torre and Francona are best of friends by any means. But there’s a lot of mutual respect because each man deals with a lot of media and a hard-to-please fan base.
UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: The contest is over. The Dumbest Post Of The Day has been chosen. Here it is:
At this point we should just tank the rest of the season. Time to give up on the playoffs and start to worry about next year’s draft. We can not win with all these overpaid, underachievers. Our only hope is to retool like the Marlins and get younger in hopes of competiting a few years from now.
Exactly right. Never mind that the Yankees lead the wild card and have the fifth-most wins in baseball, let’s tank the rest of the season. Furthermore, they should be more like the Marlin, who are 60-77.
I didnt even know Clemens was hurt. What hppend to him?
Are we ever going to see Duncan again?
Hughes is not a viable starter at this point. He should be replaced with Karstens, not Mussina!
Blisters on the foot.
Clemens “problem” is that he is 45 years old and still pitching, period.
HELL no to Karstens…
Karstens, you thought Mike was bad. Did you forget how bad he was when he came off the dl?
Did you see Karstens numbers from his most recent start against Pawtucket? Check those out and then tell me how crappy he is…
P.S. – Here is a blurb on Karstens’ game against Pawtucket:
“Karstens worked seven innings and allowed no runs on five hits as the Yankees blanked the PawSox, 4-0.
Not only did Karstens (3-0) strike out a season-high 10 batters, but he also issued no walks, allowed only three PawSox to get into scoring position and threw 61 of 88 pitches for strikes.”
Abe, with all due respect, If you had seen Pettitte labor in the 6th inning, where he threw 29 pitches, he was done. Just because a pitcher wants to go back out for more, and they always do, does not mean the manager should abrogate his responsibilites.
I believe that Joes, strength as a manager, his relationship with the players, also cuts as his weakness. He caves to their wishes at the wrong times and it costs the team wins in critical games.
Well, I am quite upset to see that Torre sent out Betemit to pinch hit for injured Philips while Duncan was available. Given the small-sized sample, Duncan seems to have a greater power and better hitting potential than Betemit, who had been proved his previous team to be just a mediocre defensive player. Duncan deserves more at-bats, but not only pinch running opportunities. The Yankees needed more runs.
51yankees – Well, not every pitcher wants to go back out for more…What about Krazy Kyle, otherwise known as the reliever who refuses to pitch back-to-back days! HA!!!
(There’s always going to be an exception to the rule, right?!)
I was at the game, I was suprised that he sent Andy out for another inning. I would have though he’d take a chance and let Joba go out for 2 in hopes that we went ahead.
I’m curious if Pete has ever had or agreed with a serious criticism of Torre.
more run- I agree, He had 3 other better options that wilson. Jason, Duncan and Doug. I knew when Wilson was up with 2 on and 2 out that he would make out.
I’ve seen Pete take issue with many of Torre’s in-game moves over the course of this season… However, overall I think he’s a pretty staunch defender of the man.
Geez, i’m never home at this hour, and is there crap on tv or what?!
Betemit is a strikeout machine! I mean, I loved the guy for all the clutch hits he got when he first came here, but now he’s hopeless…
“Meanwhile, it’s funny how some people are upset that Torre sent Andy Pettitte out for the seventh inning yesterday. Pettitte had allowed two runs in the first six innings and asked to go back out. Pettitte also finished with 119 pitches, the exact same number he threw against Boston on Tuesday. What was the big deal?
If Pettitte does the job and the Yankees rally to win, Torre is smart for showing faith in his guy. But because they lost, he’s an idiot.”
No, Torre is an idiot for leaving in a starter who had already struggled in a few innings previously. Also, the leadoff line drive that Pettitte allowed should’ve been a clue.
Joba was available, as was Vizcaino.
All I know is, Torre went with your tactic Peter, and the Yankees lost.
Another thought on Wilson…Maybe he has been partying it up with Cano lately(?)
It was really a difficult problem about which pitcher to send to the mound in the 7th inning. The Yankees definitely shouldn’t send thier best relievers in the 7th as they were still trailing behind. That said, the problem simply turns to a choice between Pettitte, who had labored, or some other less experienced or inconsistent relievers. Hindsight is 20/20 and the was really a hard choice before the results revealed.
Frankly, who cares about the pitching situation in yesterday’s game? I mean, unless we tossed a shutout (just about), we weren’t going to win. We were too intent on making a terrible pitcher look like the second coming of Nolan Ryan. When the offense decides to take a vacation, the pitching might as well take a flyer as well.
Do the Yankees go out as a team and get hammered every time they have a huge victory? It seems like any time they muster up a big win, they follow it up with some of the most lethargic baseball playing I’ve seen. They make guys like Hammel look like viable Cy Young candidates.
“Meanwhile, it’s funny how some people are upset that Torre sent Andy Pettitte out for the seventh inning yesterday. Pettitte had allowed two runs in the first six innings and asked to go back out. Pettitte also finished with 119 pitches, the exact same number he threw against Boston on Tuesday. What was the big deal?”
It is a big deal that Torre does not manage well. No player wants to come out. It is the manager who should have pulse of the game situation and make decsions. Torre failed period. I rarely criticise Torre’s in game decisions each one of them. However, this blatant Torre support even when he stunk with his decision is unbeleivdable.
I go along with a lot of other people. If you want to send Pettitte out for the 7th, fine. But as soon as a guy got on base, he should have been pulled. Torre has done this for many pitchers along the way. Give him a chance but the leash has to be short.
If the Yankees had a TOUGH lefty in the pen, I don’t think Andy would have been sent back out there though.
Either way, the Yankees couldn’t score runs so it becomes a moot point.
Mussina gets another start? Why? Another example of Torre playing favorites to the dteriment of the ball club. Mussina is aweful. How many more times must we trot him out there? We are in a race for our play-off lives! Makes no sense!
Say what you want about Hughes, but he is keeping us in games for the most part. And his stuff is 10X better than Mustinka’s stuff.
I am aghast.
“Meanwhile, it’s funny how some people are upset that Torre sent Andy Pettitte out for the seventh inning yesterday. Pettitte had allowed two runs in the first six innings and asked to go back out. Pettitte also finished with 119 pitches, the exact same number he threw against Boston on Tuesday. What was the big deal?
If Pettitte does the job and the Yankees rally to win, Torre is smart for showing faith in his guy. But because they lost, he’s an idiot.”
BINGO…RIGHT ON THE NOSE….Pete, you have that 100% correct. Do you forget that although he got out of the bases loaded jam in the 6th…he definitely was showing signs of wearing down…and try this on for size…WE HAVE FRESEH ARMS in the BULLPEN ( have you heard of JOBA ? ) and the inmates do NOT run the asylum. SO WHAT if Andy asked to go out in the 7th…it IS NOT and SHOULD NOT BE his decision…..and now here’s a novel concept: It is JOE TORRE’S CALL and he gets the CRAP if he is wrong and gets the Kudos if he is right….This time he gets the CRAP !…and again, how about this for bullpen mismanagement…Andy snakes out of a bases loaded jam in the 6th, has a high pitch count ( regardless of any other games….the pitch count WAS HIGH ) and 2 out of the first 3 batters in the 7th, hit LINE DRIVE singles…..Can Torre not see the writing on the wall ?….He was out of gas, he gave up the back breaking 3 run home run, when he had no business being out there to start the inning in the first place, IMO, and CERTAINLY after those 2 line drive singles ( and yes I realize that the batter inbetween was called out on strikes…so what ! ) Andy needed to be yanked. He wasn’t…He gave up that 3 run homer and the rest is history…If Torre had lucked out and those 2 line drive singles happened to be hit right at someone, then Andy is off the hook, we see ( hopefully ) Joba in the 8th and the game MAY have ended differently. But we will never know that, because TORRE MADE THE WRONG CHOICE as evidenced by the RESULTS of that choice. End of story, period !
I didn’t disagree with Pettitte coming out in the seventh, but I was shocked to see nothing from Joe after that first hit the D-Rays got off of him. Although, the way the Yankees were playing yesterday, that one run deficit was never going to be overcome anyway. But that game killed my fantasy team. Oh well, bring on Seattle.
Let’s talk about the Yanks’ inability to hit with RISP and their propensity to swing-and-miss instead of Joe’s decision to leave Andy in…
BTW – How come the Sux trolls are never here for the pre-game festivities? They only seem to start showing up when the Yanks go behind in games, or, of course, once they’ve lost a game. Funny how that works, isn’t it?
I just do not see Yankees winning another WC with Torre at the help, especially given the direction in which the team is going with young players. Those of you who think that Torre has earned the right to continue as manager as long as he wants, please wake up. He did not win any thing in the playoffs in the last six years. In fact, Yanks lost or did not win win becasue of his bonehead moves. He won in the first five years and for that he was very well taken care of. He is paid 7 mil/year which is much higer than the next higher manager salary.
When Torre complains (softly) about Jobba rules to the media and Cashman says he does not want to discuss with media, unlike Torre, that should tell something that there is friction developing. Without Cashman’s support Torre is a certain goner.
Now, regarding Posada and Mo, if Torre is gone they will also go? Be realistic. They will go somewhere and will have Torre there to manage them? The bottom line is Yankees will probably offer them more money than any other team and that is what thier decisions will be based on. How Mattingly or Girardi will be less appealing to them than other managers of other teams who may be interested? Not only that, just like Torre, they were well taken care of by Yankess for many years. Loyalty goes both ways. Yankees will treat them with respect in thier offers. If they still want to go so be it.
I never liked the way Betemit hits, even when he drove in runs earlier. His record, as well as the way his previous team used him, indicates his limit and weakness – poor pitch selection and poor plate discipline. I’d like to see Duncan show up more, until he (Duncan) is proved to be not as good and hopefully this day wouldn’t come.
Yankees need to bring back Sean Henn, he can really light up the oppossition
Right now, I don’t care who pitches just as long as the Yankees win.
Let`s face it this Yankee team STINKS.
“Yankees need to bring back Sean Henn, he can really light up the oppossition”
I’m glad to see that Torre himself is posting.
I think we all know by now that Torre’s biggest weakness is his management of the bullpen. He over utilizes some while ignoring others. Also, he frequently mistimes his decision to replace his starters.
That is not to discount his ablity as a manager all together. He is a master at managing the clubhouse and the press which are far more important in NY. Simply it is his weakness and it costs the Yankees games. Does it cost them more games then he makes up for with his steady hand in face of the circus of NY? Probably Not.
Starting Mussina means an automatic loss. Doesn’t matter if it’s KC or Boston. May as well allow the BP pitcher to start.
Torre show loyalty to the veterans to a fault. it not for Cashman dictating, Mussina would never have been yanked from rotation. He’d keep pitching to an ERA of 17 through the month of September.
Bring on Girardi please.
With the way Hughes has been pitching there’s no choice but to keep Moose in the rotation. He has to get out of his funk, no doubt about it.
Their are two types of drivers in the world:
Idiots who drive slower than you;
Maniacs who drive faster than you.
In the same vein there are two types of people:
Idiots who don’t agree with you;
Geniuses who agree with you.
What is taking so long for an update on Phillips.
SCooter, Hughes has pitched 10X better than Mussina. And he is close to getting the kinks worked out.
Mussina sucks. Have you been watching?
Jennifer: The longer the update on Phillips takes, the more worried I get, because the longer it takes the more I feel they don’t want to tell us…and you only don’t want to tell something when it’s bad news!
If Andy has a serious injury, I’d feel bad for him, personally-speaking. However, in terms of its effect on the team, I think that would be negligible. After all, Minky is now back, and he is essentially the same as Phillips (both offensively and defensively).
I can’t seem to get a clear answer on this anywhere:
Is Ian Kennedy eligible for the postseason roster?
I agree
If everything was fine, they’d come right out and say that the mri was clear. I fear if it isn’t he is done for the season.
It’s quite reasonable to keep Mussina in the rotaion. It’s not because Mussina is an experienced veteran (although Torre might think in this way), but it’s based on the fact that Clemens’ health condition is uncertain, and Hughes has been shaky. At this point it is extremely important to have some other starting pitchers available, and before the end of regular season the Yankees have to figure out who are included in the rotation for the playoffs. Surely Mussina is a reasonable candidate but this is only given that he’s figured out what went wrong and worked to overcome the problem. Without giving Mussina one more chance to start, it’s almost impossible to make sure this.
Yes Kennedy is eligiable. I emailed Pete, he said he was because he is replacing say Pavano on the roster.
Question…If Hammels struck out, what was it yesterday, 7 Yankees, don’t you think Felix should strike out 17 today? Hope not, but I would’t be surprised with the way the offense has been playing lately…
Whether you like Andy Phillips at 1B for the Yanks or not, you have to feel for a guy who, by all accounts, is a class act and generous person. He’s gone through his wife’s medical problems, his mother’s medical problems, and been on the (then) Columbus shuttle before Cashman took control and started trusting the youngsters from the minors. Now, when he’s finally seized somewhat regular playing time, he gets injured.
“He is a master at managing the clubhouse and the press which are far more important in NY. Simply it is his weakness and it costs the Yankees games. Does it cost them more games then he makes up for with his steady hand in face of the circus of NY? Probably Not.”
1. No question (as Torre says in his answers in the postgame interviews), Torre is a very good clubhouse manager. The bottomline is it is not going to win championships if he stinks as game strategist. This clubhouse thing is overblown by Torre supporters. If they were to be believed, we would have never won in 1977 and 1978. Billy Martin did not give a hoot about this clubhouse thing. I agree it helps, but it is secondary.
2. Yes, he wins more games than he loses. But that is in the regular season. When it really counts in the playoffs, one bonehead move will cost the whole playoffs and elimination. Does any one remember Torre using Weaver aginst Marlins and turning around the whole series in the Marlins’ favor? There is a reason why we make it to the playoffs every year and get out in a hurry. We always get outmanaged or our manager self destructs the team’s chances with these crazy moves like calling Weaver at a very critical time.
BBFan,
I don’t think the Yankees lost the 2001 WS because of a Torre managerial blunder (the most you could argue is that maybe Ramiro Mendoza should have thrown some of the 8th inning of game 7 of the WS, so as to save Mariano for the 9th, but I don’t think you’ll find many takers there).
Other than perhaps leaving El Duque too long in game 2 of the 2002 ALDS, I’m not sure that Torre did much wrong in that series (the ANgels were kicking on all cylinders, and have since demonstrated that they have the Yankees number).
In re: the 2003 WS, I agree that Torre should not have brought in Jeff Weaver in extra innings or used Contreras when Wells came lame, but particularly in the latter case, Torre’s hand was forced.
In re: the 2004 ALCS, I’m not sure what Torre did that was wrong (in fact, I’ve long since thought that his decision to have Jeter bunt Cairo to 3rd with no outs in the top of the 8th inning of game 5 was the right decision, even though A-Rod and Sheffield failed to bring him home).
I can’t quite pinpoint to a specific thing in the 2005 ALDS that I was mad about.
In the 2006 ALDS, I probably would have replaced Mussina earlier in that game (game 2), since he was tiring and the whole Yankee pen was rested due to the rain delay between games 1 and 2.
Any other Torre playoff blunders anyone?
The Yankees always seem to pick it up when they need to. We need to take at least 2 of 3 if not sweep them.
IIRC, Ian is ok for the post season roster. He can take the place of somebody who is on the 40 man roster but out do to an injury.
Happy Labor Day to all lets hope that this week is better than the past weekend
“It’s quite reasonable to keep Mussina in the rotaion. It’s not because Mussina is an experienced veteran (although Torre might think in this way), but it’s based on the fact that Clemens’ health condition is uncertain, and Hughes has been shaky. At this point it is extremely important to have some other starting pitchers available, and before the end of regular season the Yankees have to figure out who are included in the rotation for the playoffs. Surely Mussina is a reasonable candidate but this is only given that he’s figured out what went wrong and worked to overcome the problem. Without giving Mussina one more chance to start, it’s almost impossible to make sure this.”
So it’s OK with you if we miss the play-offs by 1 game and Mussina gives up another 10 earned runs in his start against KC? Got it.
I am also worried about Philips, but think about it in this way: Maybe the medical staff are on Labor Day vacation.
Noooooooo! Man, I liked Phillips. I’m going to be nervous with Giambi, Duncan, Betemit, and Minky at first. I never wanted to see Minky again with hit no-hit bat.
Thanks Jennifer – that could end up being big if the Yanks make the playoffs; sad news about Andy Phillips – he had been great in his role since returning…
jennifer – If the Yanks can wake up and score some runs off of Felix today, then I will have hope that we can do well in the series. If Felix embarasses us, then I think we’re in danger of a sweep…
No Mustinka – I don’t want to see Mussina back either, but Hughes isn’t going to lead them to the playoffs with the games he has been throwing, that’s for sure.
While it has helped us that they lost 9 in a row, it scares me. You know they have to eventually get a win. Hopefully it won’t be until Thursday.
“Is Ian Kennedy eligible for the postseason roster?”
I believe Yes.
It is due to Pavano being on DL.
Team can substitute for any one on the DL.
The only doubt I have is did they activate him on Aug 31st. I beleive “Yes” as they made only one move (DFA Thompson) to bring both Kennedy and Menky to big club.
Stick with Hughes…He’s only going to get better as he gets stronger with work….Remember he missed 3 months….With Mussina we get a over the hill, washed up spent pitcher…..How rewarding to know that he has fared well vs. the Royals…So you stop the development of Hughes so Mussina can have a decent outing…Then what happens when it’s time to throw against a good team…We know the answer, he gets lite up…..Rather stay with the Boy Wonder and take my chances….He’s only going to get better , and he will I suspect anytime now…..As for Karstens, his ship has sailed….Maybe if there’s an injury, then you roll the dice with him…..He too has had a lost season with his multible injuries……Cashman has made the commitment to the young arms, you might as well stick it out with them for the time being….Besides most of the losses are on the offense, not the rotation……
Very sad news about Andy Phillips although I have to say there is certainly something circular about the first base position this year Andy got called up when Minky went out with a broken wrist now Minky should see some time I would think (with his defense) now that Andy is out. At least now we have much better options on the offensive side with Jason
Speaking of Kevin Thompson, he must be desperate for the Yanks to trade him right about now, don’t you think?
Regarding Pettitte: I was at the game yesterday, and even though he had only given up two runs up to that point, he didn’t look comfortable at all. I had seen him pitch against the Chisox on August 1 and he looked dominant, had great body language and worked quickly. Yesterday he didn’t have great stuff on his fastball and thought even though he seemed to have good control, he was hittable. EVERYONE in my section (well adults anyway, too many kids there yesterday) were scratching their heads when Andy came out in the 7th.
Then i figure, ok, you send Andy out there, if he gets in trouble, you pull him right? Joe had NO ONE warming in the pen, i don’t see the point in that – did he not want to warm anyone up because he wanted Andy to feel confidant? Seattle was already losing late in their game, we had a fairly rested bullpen, expanded rosters, and a good chance to come back and win with just 2 runs to go and 9 outs to work with.
I know he struck out Iwamura after Navarro got on – but after Navarro, having to face Iwamura and Pena, Joe should have gone to Edwar to show a different look. If he gets through that , it’d been tied up 2-2 by the 8th and you keep matching up with Viz or Veras or Farnsworth, even Joba (although i’d rather have Joba today vs seattle ). Putting ourselves 3 up on Seattle changes the entire scope of the series we’re about to play. They keep saying every game is a playoff game, we need to win every game – its frustrating to see stupid decisions (keeping Andy in with a very rested pen available, letting Betemit hit over Giambi in the 6th) contribute to a loss.
Personally, if Andy had come into the 7th and retired the side, i’d have felt more like we dodged a bullet, more proud of Andy for sure – but no way would i have said Joe was a genius for keeping him in. I don’t care whos out there, unless they’re dominating to the tune of a couple hits or if we’re winning by a comfortable margin, 100+ pitches is the end of the night. I guess my point is that it was a gamble, and there were some much better bets Joe could have made at that point.
I figure the offense should wake up today since we’re facing a nasty pitcher, apparently we only hit against Cy Young candidates cause it feels so damn good to show em up! Lets go Yankees!
andy out for season…that sucks, but things could defenitly be worse
Chicago Dave–That’s myt fear, too, and at this point, that could kill us.
Our saving grace is that Boston’s playing Toronto, and Toronto can actually win games on occasion!
UGH I’m am sick to my stomach. Poor Andy. He is the kind of guy you really pull for and because some pitcher doesn’t have good control, he is done for the year.
Andy doesn’t lean over the plate like other players.
My thoughts are with Phillips and his family.
Here’s to quick healing.
Pat M! Someone agrees with me! Brilliantly put! There is nothign I can add to the passage below. You are a smart person. No more Musinka! Hughes is only going to get better, no worse.
“Stick with Hughes…He’s only going to get better as he gets stronger with work….Remember he missed 3 months….With Mussina we get a over the hill, washed up spent pitcher…..How rewarding to know that he has fared well vs. the Royals…So you stop the development of Hughes so Mussina can have a decent outing…Then what happens when it’s time to throw against a good team…We know the answer, he gets lite up…..Rather stay with the Boy Wonder and take my chances….He’s only going to get better , and he will I suspect anytime now…..As for Karstens, his ship has sailed….Maybe if there’s an injury, then you roll the dice with him…..He too has had a lost season with his multible injuries……Cashman has made the commitment to the young arms, you might as well stick it out with them for the time being….Besides most of the losses are on the offense, not the rotation……”
I hate to say it, because I think Phillips is a nice guy and he has certainly faced a lot of adversity, but his injury really isn’t a blow for the team; now Joe can’t use him and his .700 OPS, which is beyond horrendous for an AL first baseman. I am excited to see Giambi out there as much as his health allows.
Sucks for Andy, definitely. The kid just can’t seem to catch a break (no pun intended!)!!
Also, any talk of removing Hughes is absurd, he will be just fine.
Don Vito,
youare right . The inmates should not run the asylum. Remenber Grady and Pedro Martinez back in 2003? Pedro asked to continue pitching. Boone took care of the asylum.
We better not see alot of Wilson out there.
“I didnt even know Clemens was hurt. What happend to him?”
He turned 45…
Hughes last “good” start was against the Indians. Has he improved since that start? Hell no! I say the Yanks thrust him back into the rotation too soon, and he will not be physically right again until a full offseason of rehab.
Again, I refer to the comments I made about Karstens (and his recent success at SWB) at the top of this thread. He deserves another shot…
that is terrible news about andy. really going to miss his bat and glove in the lineup
this is very bad news on Phillips. even though i have often argued that he shouldn’t be starting everyday, i do think he had a valuable role when spotted properly. i think he performs a similar job to Mientkiewicz but i would rather root for Phillips over Mientkiewicz.
Actually, Pedro didn’t ask to stay in for Grady. Grady came out to the mound and Pedro had a morbid look of death on his face. Grady asked him if he was ok and Pedro said yes. That’s a little different from asking to stay in.
“No Mustinka Please” said, “So it’s OK with you if we miss the play-offs by 1 game and Mussina gives up another 10 earned runs in his start against KC? Got it.”
Calm down. If you understand how a professional baseball team works you wouldn’t have said that.
Currently the Yankees only have three stable and consistent starting pitchers, among whom there is still uncertainty with Clemens’ physical condition. To play well in September you need 4 to 5 starting pitchers. Kennedy pitched well in his debut and he definitely deserves another start. However, his consistency is not proved yet. Moreover, sooner or later, you HAVE TO send some inconsistent pitchers on the mound. That could be Hughes, who never pitched well after he came back from the DL; that could be DeSalvo and Karstens, who are both relatively inexperienced and inconsistent. Compared to those alternatives, Mussina definitely could be a reasonable choice. I am not saying that Mussina is a must, but he is a candidate that we have to seriously consider.
Whenever you discuss about whom to play, you have to consider the alternatives. If we had four starting pitchers as solid as Wang, surely I’d never let Mussina play in the rest of the season.
OT: I’ve got my fantasy football draft tonight. Keepers league, I’ve got the fourth pick: Benson or Jones-Drew?
Regarding Kennedy’s eligibility for the playoffs:
I should have been more specific.
He need not be on the big club roster on 31st Aug.
He should be on the 40.
He was activated to the big club on 1st September, which is OK.
As Pavano is out for the season, any one from the 40 can be substituted for the playoffs.
The Red Sox will be facing three legit starters in the series against the Toronto Blue Jays that begins today:
Game 1: Jesse Litsch (5-6, 3.40) looks to help the Blue Jays win their fourth straight game for the first time since winning five in a row July 21-25 when he takes the hill Monday
Game 2: Roy Halladay – 14-6 3.87
Game 3: Shaun Marcum – 12-5 3.75
I know we’re 6 games back but a good chance to gain a few games if we can rebound against Seattle…
“Any other Torre playoff blunders anyone?”
Giambi out of the lineup and arod batting 8th in an elimination game.
We just have to hope that Doug is healthy. Andy had a nice glove at first and could turn the dp with the best of them. He will be missed more than some think. Wilson is a butcher our there. And I can’t help but wonder if Andy would have caught Andy’s throw to first, that starting the breakdown in the 7th. I was at the game so it was hard to get a good perspective if a better fb would have caught it.
Good news, I made the playoffs in my fantasy baseball league. I was finally able to pick up Kennedy it took them a long time to add him to the list of players available.
A-Rod batting eighth last year…that one, in all of Torre’s moves over the years…is a situation I’ll never fully understand. It is not just batting him eighth, because he was slumping badly and Torre has done it before with ‘name’ players: O’Neill comes to mind. But the odd part was Torre not telling A-Rod in advance and instead having him find out from reading the line-up card. That is not like Torre, who is usually good at communication.
Jen – you must have a league on yahoo. They didn’t add Kennedy until yesterday, after he had already pitched his game the other day.
Yep I’m in Yahoo, he is on waviers until Friday, the day he pitches, I just have to remember to add him to the active roster.
And I am so sick and tired of our players getting hit! How many players have to get hit on our team!! As the ump said who threw Joba out. If your up here you need to have better control.
That kid didn’t have good control. Andy doesn’t hang over the plate!
Excuse me, but I don’t remember Joe getting to hit against the Tigers in the playoffs last year. Seems to me it was the nine stiffs he sent out there to hit didn’t get the job done. Who cares how he shuffled those nine? They were the same nine most any manager would have played, and they stunk up the joint. A-Rod batting fourth instead of eighth would have made no difference whatsoever…No one (including A-Rod) hit for squat in that playoff series!
Chicago Dave, referencing Karstens AAA start against the mighty Pawtucket Sox is trivial. Who cares how he pitched at AAA? All those guys were pitching well in the minors when they ere brought up. Clippard, Wright, Karstens, DeSalvo etc. it meant and means, in the words of Jim Mora Sr. “diddly-poo”. Why not mention Igawa’s good starts at AAA and bring him up while your at it?
jennifer: You won’t see the pitcher that hit Phillips getting suspended!
Kim Jones just said it was a fractured wrist.
If Toronto keeps winning we may have to start worrying about them.
If you think Andy got a raw deal, what about Juan Encarnacion with the Cardinals? At least Andy’s wrist will likely heal up 100% and he’ll be back to playing next year. Encarnacion will be lucky if he ever gets his sight back in his one eye, nevermind play baseball again…and he is only 31 years old.
for some reason the yankees as a team are in a funk. torre has a difficult job with the bullpen because it’s a weak bullpen. wih everyone rested and available it’s ok. when used for a day for 3-4 innings the next day it’s depleted and weak. no one could do well consistently with the yankee bullpen.
this team has some strange dynamic to it that it can’t stay consistent. the only time it seems to play well is when it’s back is up against the wall. within the organization there needs to be a sense of urgency and edge that is always there and not just after the team gets 5-10 games behind every year out of spring training. my biggest criticism of cashman is as the executive leader of the team he seems to react to problems rather than prevent them in the first place. the team is constant;y having to put out fires. that’s an admiral trait, but having an organization that has an edge from spring training to the world series is really what you want.
if cashman can get rid of the dead wood and put in place people who wake up everyday ready to go, it’ll be a step in the right direction. right now maybe they’ll find out who these people are. they need wins and lots of them to see the playoffs.
Toronto has a better rotation, so you should probably start worrying now.
ND Yank – Well, I guess we don’t need the minor league system at all anymore then, do we? If minor league stats are as meaningless as you say, why bother with having minor leaguers?
Chicago Dave: Yea, I feel horrible for him, it’s really the last thing St. Louis needs this year…talk about adversity!
Phillips broken wrist, what a bummer. He’s played great defensively for us & hit well too, although without much power. He’s been a PLUS. Patience with Hughes. He just needs a little more time to lose the rust & regain the dominating command & sharp stuff he exibited in that no-no he was throwing till he went down,that was no fluke, he will be that kind of good, hopefully soon. Till Mussina can show he can throw a SHARP breaking curve down in the zone again, on the sidelines, that’s were he needs to be. I’d rather take my chances with a coming into form Hughes who at least can possibly get away with a mistake, whereas Mussina has ZERO chance unless he is perfect. This team has made some pretty mediocre pitchers this year look like Hall of Famers, don’t know why. JOBA MUST remain in the bullpen. Why are they intent on returning him to a starter next year. I don’t care how good he might be, An absolute shut down Riveraeske reliever is so much more valuable than any starter & can impact so many more games each year. Our dismal record in 1 run & close games this year illustrates that point.
Pettitte was done after 6 yesterday. Its not the number of pitches. All pitchers will tell you its the stress needed to make a certain number of pitches. He really had to grind to get out of the 6th. After 104 pitches, and battling his brains out, he never should have seen the 7th, IMO.
Torre can’t have it both ways. He can’t say, “its not important we don’t have a lefty out of the ‘pen (which he has said) because our righties can get lefties out”. Then, manage as if he is petrified to put in a righty to face the TB lefty hitters.
I emphasize this for effect; THE TAMPA BAY LEFTIES. We aren’t talking Big Papi here. This is a last place team.
He’s a great handler of people and an awful manager of a bullpen and pitching staff. There are so many examples of this, time keeps us from reciting them over and over.
But, that was yesterday. New day today.
When you look at the schedule, the Yankees have 15 road games remaining. They also have 9 with Tampa and Baltimore, two teams that, for whatever reason, they can’t seem to beat.
Given their poor road record and poor record against Tampa Bay and Balitmore, its imperative they win the remainder of their other series.
If they can’t, its going to be difficult to make the playoffs.
As far as the rotation, as I said last week, if Hughes keeps pitching poorly (which he has), he won’t be long for the rotation.
Mussina is going to get another start. Its just a matter of which of the young starters (Kennedy or Hughes) stink it up enough for them to get dropped a turn.
Only way Moose doesn’t get another start is if Kennedy and Hughes win their remaining starts.
Its about wins now. Nothing else. Whomever can win will pitch and whomever can’t, won’t. The future starts next year.
Right now, its all about the present.
Andy gone for the year. Get used to Big G, WB, Mighty Duncan and Minky.
zzzzzzz
Question: I just heard something on the radio about Pedro. Suzy said he is limited to no more than 35 pitches in an inning. So if he goes out and is nearing 35 in the first inning, they’ll pull him?
Just scrolled through some of the comments. Simply depressing!
1. Yankees will be just as desperate as the Mariners, who are running on fumes.
2. Yankees have and maintained the WC lead due to a very nice pitching collapse from the vaunted Detroit bullpen.
3. The Angels lost a series, gasp!, to a last place team, too. And in spectacular fashion with their vaunted bullpen.
4. Torre & the Gang have been doing this for 10 years, they know what they’re doing. Leyland & Co. have been doing this for 1 1/2 years. Seattle…
5. Ah crap, we have to play Giambi? Well, at least he can flash the leather now.
6. You guys are like Boston fans, waiting for doomsday. If you’re like this now, what will it be like if we actually lost the WC lead with only a week left.
7. If they go far in the playoffs, and if Posada & Mo want it to happen, Torre will be back for 1 year. There are some instances when he has set up his guys for failure, but mostly it’s been a failure to perform on the player’s part. He’s a HOF manager and would have a job the instant he’s no longer a Yankee. Rip Torre all you want, just be fair because all the losses aren’t him, like yesterday, when your team failed to get a hit with RISP and take advantage of a triple with less than two outs.
8. As for the 4th and 5th pitchers, &itch away all you want. 2 guys are going to have to step up and get it done. I have a feeling one will be very young and the other will be very Japanese.
9. Don’t worry, be happy! They guys will get it done. They’re trying to get it done, even though it doesn’t seem like it.
10. Sorry for the rant, just want to put the blog back on its axis.
FSNY said that yes, they’ll pull him if he gets to 35 in one inning.
Come on Dave, just because a guy has 1 good start at AAA you think it will translate to Major League success. Just wow. I prefer to look at how Karstens did this year with the big club, not so pretty. Remember that? The 11.20 ERA and the 2.42 WHIP.
Karstens? That’s a good one Dave.
Here’s the thing with Hughes…It is clear he is not 100% physically, and he won’t be for the rest of this year. In the meantime, Karstens is fully healthy again and he is back to pitching to the level he was at the end of last year, when he had more consistent success (at the major league level) than Hughes has shown thus far.
So, if you’re going to go with a rookie pitcher right now in “must win” games, I’d rather go with Karstens.
The Yankees have been hit 63 times this year. The league average is 49 with KC being hit the most (78) and the Angels the least (31)
Many of the Yankees hang over the plate, or very close to it. I hate them being hit but they are a bi-product of their location in the batter’s box.
My only request would be for the Yankee pitchers to hit someone after a Yankee is hit. That would get them hit less and allow the hitters to get better pitches to hit along the way.
IRVJ,
It is not just what Torre did, but what they did not do to adjust to opposition strategy matters a lot.
For example, last year during the Detroit series, every one (media, fans including me) were of the opinion that Yanks offense was one of the best in the history. But that was primarily because the line up showed trementdous patience and power. However, Detroit pitchers attacked the strike zone and before our batsmen knew they had two strikes because they were taking pitches. The series was over before our team adjusted to the Detroit startegy. Who should be responsible for this? Of course Torre, he is the leader of the coaches.
What about the Schilling bloody sock game? It was clear to most that they should have attempted bunt and see how Schill would react. Never happened. On YES, Girardi and Paul (not sure if it was Paul) were saysing again and again why they were not trying it. If Torre is a good game stategist, don’t you think it would have occured to him. If Zimmer was on the bench they would have certianly done that.
The bottomline is, now baseball is a business. Playoff success matters a lot for the teams like Yankess. In a buisness, the CEO gets walking papers if the results are not good for extended period. Torre’s situation is no different.
What’s the over/under on Clemens beaning Seattle’s 1B?
ND Yank – OK, you want some major league stats? Here are the stats for the first 8 major league appearances made by both Hughes and Karstens. Let’s see if you can guess who is who:
Pitcher # 1: 2W 1L 3.80ERA
Pitcher # 2: 2W 3L 5.65ERA
Here’s a little hint…Pitcher #1 is not Phil Hughes. Still think Karstens is a no-talent hack who we shouldn’t bother with? Please…
To truly compare two pitchers, wins and ERA are not the best indicators.
Rebecca,
Are you talking about Sexson? He’s out with a hamstring. Broussard’s at 1B
Phil – ERA is not a good indicator?! WHAT?!!!!!
For you minor league junkies…
Austin Jackson is in the Scranton lineup this afternoon. Batting second, and playing LF. Its his first AAA start.
Anthony Claggett, one of the pitchers acquired in the Sheffield trade, is making the start. Its also his first AAA game.
Can you look up how many times Yankee pitchers have hit batters compared to the red soxs?
Chicago Dave, read the whole sentence. I said wins and ERA are not the BEST indicators.
mel: Hah! I had no idea who Seattle’s 1B was…I thought Sexon was an outfielder!
SJ, can you keep us updated on Action Jackson?
All those stats for Karstens were last year Dave. He has shown nothing this year on the big league level before and after his injury. Were you not watching the games? Hughes was pitching great in the minors before he came back up, too. You see how that turned out so far.
I would use ERA+ and WHIP, if I were using stats to judge a pitcher.
Intersting tidbit on Jackson SJ. I knew he was brought up to Scranton, but was under the impression he wouldn’t see any time. It makes sense though, why promote him and not play him.
Yankee pitchers have hit 49 batters, league average. The RS have hit 54 batters. The RS have also been hit 55 times.
The most glaring problem here is that the Royals have been hit the most at 78 and have only hit 33 opposing players.
Where’s the protection??
Phil – OK, so I take it you dislike Karstens as well, then? I don’t get it…All this blind loyalty to keeping Hughes in the rotation right now when he is clearly not pitching effectively. So, Karstens has three bad starts at the beginning of this year, after being fantastic at the end of last year, and he should never be called up again. Meanwhile, Hughes needs to stay no matter how many mediocre (or flat-out bad) starts he has in a row. I just don’t get it at all…
SJ44, That’s a rather non-committal response especially for you…..Of course the present is paramount as the club is in position for postseason play…..However, Mussina has had 3 of the worst ( consectutive ) starts of any pitcher this season including Igawa…..Mussina’s issues are no longer mechanics, it’s a dead arm…..Hughes issues are just a tweak away….Besides he is a noncontact type pitcher…His problems have been an inning here and there that have hurt him….Other wise he simply overwhelms the oppostion…..I say you roll the dice with him, his arm is fresh and will only get stronger as he adds starts and innings…..Has everyone forgotten this kid is a stud, a horse that can be ridden down the wire….Don’t be shortsighted gentlemen, the success in October lies partly with Young Master Hughes….Don’t forget what he’s all about and what everyone here was saying about him…..Mussina is done guys. a fork was put in him quite some time ago…
Never mind found it.
yankees 49, Wang with the most at 7
Soxs 55, Dice with 12
Something i’ve always found interesting ortiz who lays on the plate has been hit 23 times in his career.
Jeter who also hangs over the plate has been hit 127 times.
It is really too bad about Andy Phillips. I know a lot of people feel he didnt bring a lot of offense but the Yankees were prepared to use Dougy in the hope he hit .250 and still would give them good defense. Andy did that and more. It’s just a shame. Giambi and Duncan should play more with Doug coming in for defense late in the game. His wrist cant be too great either. Notice how it took Matsui time to get his full strength back.
As for leaving Pettite in, I’d like to begin by saying that, on balance, taking Torre’s good points with the bad, I like Torre but disagree with the move yesterday. Andy clearly had a hard inning in the 6th and as Leiter says, its not the number of pitches but how much under stress the pitches were thrown. Andy should have been replaced even if Edwar came in and gave up the same runs.
I should add that I dont think much of Cashman. He’s not managing talent, he’s managing money. That’s why he chose the route of developing young pitchers (they cost far less than free agent pitchers whose cost is outsized relative to their worth). He is a terrible talent evaluator when it comes to free agents/trades.
Chicago Dave – where are you getting that I dislike Karstens? All I said was that I would use different stats to more accurately judge a pitcher’s performance or compare two pitchers. Relax. You are jumping to conclusions.
Micheal Kay’s announcing again.
It was fun, for a while, just to have Ken and Bobby….
BTW – Hughes is only here because of the stats he compiled in the minors. But those stats don’t count for Karstens? Again, I am profoundly befuddled by this pretzel logic…
For all his club house harmony prowess, Torre mishandled A-Rod, because he is not one of his pet people. He threw A-Rod under the bus with SI article (it is still mind boggling that Torrre did that) and then the “ha” thing when he goes public to the media with the private discussion he had with A-Rod. Glad that Big Stein made Torre appologise to A-Rod.
In spite of all this A-Rod showed tremendous class and never criticised Torre. A-Rod always used self-deprecation to address the issues with the media.
Ortiz doesn’t get hit a lot because of Manny behind him. Also, Ortiz is lefty and most of the pitchers are righty. If you’ve ever pitched, it’s pretty hard to hit lefty batters throwing righty. Not only do they see the ball better, balls coming in to them are easier to get the barrel out.
Okay, I know the males here probably won’t care, but WTF is Micheal Kay wearing?! It’s like he thinks it’s still 1950 or something…
He went with the old natty vest under his jacket.
Rebecca – Come on, you know you think Kay is a hottie!!!
Well, you gotta give it to Clemens for his heart…
Jackson’s first AAA AB, double on an 0-2 pitch, to set up second and third (Brett Gardner singled to start the game) and 0 outs.
They are playing Pawtucket (Red Sox AAA Team), and he is facing David Pauley, who pitched against the Yankees last year.
Very nice first AB for Austin. At 20 years old, he is the youngest player in the IL.
Poor Al Leiter has to work with Michael Kay on Labor Day.
I think we will see Mussina today, guaranteed.
wow another youth vs experience match-up. i feel this is gonna get nasty.
i spoke too soon – ichiro has a single already. argg…
Damn…Ichiro is one away from 200 hits on Sept 3rd.
Hello Folks, I’m back…..
it now seems like Seattle has lost 11 or 13 in a row but they are still only *1* back in the loss column. Teams and players always tend to come out of slumps against the Yankees, and i think that will happen today too. *Hurricane Felix* will blow that Old, Decrepit Rocket out of the Sky! Hey, *Hurrican Felix* could certainly fair better than Sonnanstine and Hammel.
Let’s go Mariners!
P.S. BTW, good blog, Peter. Nice job.
I think so too. (seeing Moose.)
LOVELY DP!
What was with that flip by Alex?
That was a nice play. Very slow in developing.
Very nice indeed! That’s the recipe for keeping Moose off the mound!!
Ortiz: gorilla as Jeter: monkey.
Who do you want to tangle with?
NYR: Alex thought he was playing SS
Queen Felix is gonna get rocked
Nice easy inning by Rog.
Nice inning by Clemens.
Rebecca- I guess, that was a play where you hold your breath.
Roger Clemens = Willis Reed?
Okay, Yankees, let’s go and try this run scoring thing, okay?
Like, you know, where the leadoff man gets on base, 2 hitter moves him over and 3rd hitter drives him in?
Yea, let’s try that!
I want to go on the record here and predict that we’ll have a much more potent offense today than we did yesterday. The key factor? Jeter will hit well after taking yesterday off. What? You say he played yesterday? Are you sure?
117 stolen bases vs. Yanks this season….Preventing Ichero to run wild will be a key today……Getting to Hernandez early would go a long way today…..
BBRef,
I actually am involved in a fairly similar discussion over at BTF.
What I wrote there is as follows:
“By now, Torre’s strengths (good people skills, very good handling of the NY media beast) are well known. So are his flaws (favoring specific players, usually veterans; riding certain relievers way too hard; not very good tactical decisions).
The way this season has progressed, I’m starting to think that the way to optimize Torre is to take away his safety blankets (Cairo, Miguel; Myers, Mike; Mienkiewitz, Doug – though Minky was due to injury; Sturtze, Tanyon) and give him some better pieces to work with.”
He is what he is. In a short series, the Yankees have to win somewhat in spite of Torre. However, the Yankees have been held together during the post-Dynasty years due to Torre (I strongly doubt that FAs, as up and down as they’ve been, would have come to the Yankees if we were back in the crazy years from 1981 to 1993).
Torre’s value to the Yankees will probably decrease after the 2007-2008 off-season (assuming the Yankees don’t win the WS. If they do, he’ll be untouchable), because once you ensure that A-Rod, Mariano, Posada and Pettitte are back for 2008 (even Clemens, if THAT were to happen), the die will be set for a very different team (with all the young guys on the team, especially once tons of money start coming off the books after 2008, namely, Mussina, Pavano, Farnsworth, Pettitte, most of Giambi’s money, Abreu if his option for 2008 is picked up, etc.).
Yea, Jeter decided to come play today.
Hurricane Felix blew Damon away!
1K, 19 more to go.
Nice piece of hitting there by the Captain.
Scouting report for Seattle’s pitcher: Respect your elders?
What does that mean, give up your seat to Clemens on the bus?
Jeter is alive!
Look at Felix with the 4.07ERA…Somebody has been hitting this guy!
SJ,
glad to hear about A-Jax. He and Horne are my two favorite Yankee prospect. What an amazing season for Austin…Charleston to Scranto. WOW!
What happened to Felix’s gut? Was that baby fat? Or is he on the same plan as Giambi?
Good steal by Jeter, Bobby had to swing at that pitch.
C’mon Arod, bring Jeter in!
scarletknight64
September 3rd, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I should add that I dont think much of Cashman. He’s not managing talent, he’s managing money. That’s why he chose the route of developing young pitchers (they cost far less than free agent pitchers whose cost is outsized relative to their worth). He is a terrible talent evaluator when it comes to free agents/trades.
Granted his luck with some pitchers has been bad, but they have also been stop gap selections – brown, johnson, etc. And who knows who “directed” him to make those trades.
But, managing talent is managing the money. Look at the waste of money by NOT going with talent – Johnson, Brown, Pavano, Wright, etc. In this case, he IS finally doing his job.
“He threw A-Rod under the bus with SI article (it is still mind boggling that Torrre did that”
Oh please.
Mel, He is on the seefood diet.
It seems like for whatever reason whenever Abreu gets in a full count he swings no matter what.
Damn, that was a hr swing, but the bat broke.
ok, so why is that little “deke play” funny but Arod yelling “ha!” worthy of a blood feud?
Hurricane Felix blew Abooboo away!
2K, 19 more to go.
A-Rod
Yes! Finally a hit with RISP!!! Hopefully this is a sign of more good things to come!
make that 18 more to go.
Nice steal!
Yanks score on a bleeder
All right, A-Rod!!
If you saw Felix last year, you’d never mistake him for being on Roids. He looked a lot like Bartolo Colon.
I thought he was gonna slide feet first?
That’s what I’m talkin’ about!! Way to strike first!! Nice baserunning by Jeter and Alex!
Seattle,
don’t you mean tropical depression Felix?
Way to go Batman & Robin!
Whoo, our offense decided to show up today!
Let’s hope Clemens puts a 0 up on the board!
i thought i’d help you out Seattle
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/
go post here and tell someone who cares what you think.
In Pawtucket…..Scranton scored 3 in the first and Claggett had a 1-2-3 inning in his first AAA start.
3-0 Scranton after 1.
Seattle – Don’t cry, but Felix won’t be getting the strikeout record today, OK?
I guess Alex already forgot about that.
Great job Alex…just what we need to start the game.
But, somebody PLEASE tell Arod to stop sliding head first. I’m tired of watching him grab his shoulder afterwards.
SJ: Thanks for the update!
Phil,
LOL. I meant weight loss program a’la Jenny Craig, not ‘roids withdrawal program a’la BALCO.
I was hoping Beltre didn’t make the trip.
I love how Kay says Phillips shattered his hand so dramatically. He makes it like his hand is broken in 34 places.
I still feel bad for Andy
SJ,
Any take on Clagget? He has been pitching very well for awhile now? I don’t really know much about him.
I’m amazed at the posters who are bemoaning Michael Kay working the game today after we had to suffer through a weekend of Bobby Murcer.
I know he was a Yankee and he had cancer and so on, but he’s a TERRIBLE broadcaster. Scooter was eccentric; Bobby is flat dumb. You can hear Singleton struggle with him sometimes when Bobby says something so breathtakingly stupid. A number of times I felt bad for Kenny.
Again, all love to Murcer the man, but I’d rather have Freddy of “Freddy Sez” as a broadcaster, seeing as he may have more of his mental faculties in place.
Didnt we get screwed vs Seattle last series here? I remember a stolen base where the guy was out by a mile. That was Seattle right?
Andy Phillips is like a one man St. Louis this year.
C’mon Clemens, let’s not do this whole walk thing, okay?
Control, Roger, control!!!
come on Roger
Double steal by Seattle here?
I just noticed Gerry Davis is the home plate umpire today.
IIRC, Davis was the umpire who blew the call on Bloomquist (when he was out by two feet on a SB attempt) the last time Seattle was in NY, costing the Yankees a game.
My question is, what is MLB thinking in assigning him to this series?
Yep it was against Seattle.
Go NYR- That was against Seattle the night after Clemens announced that he was coming back. In 20 years of watching baseball I think that might have been the worst call that I’ve ever seen. Bloomquist was out by a mile!
This umpire is puttin on a good squeeze job
Uh Oh. Seems like Roger doesn’t have his stuff today. Maybe the blisters are having an effect.
Wow, and we have the same ump again today? That seems strange!
But he admitted he blew the call didn’t he? Maybe he will make it up to us today!
Yep, we’ll be seeing Mussina real soon at this rate…
So in reality we should be 3 up on the Mariners
Blister talk. Yum.
MLB does the umpire assignments prior to the season starting.
Ugghhh….
Why does Kay automatically assume he’s hurt. Jesus.
Roger looked really athletic there.
AJAX struck out. This season he has really cut down on the k’s though which is something he obviously needed to do.
Does anyone else get frustrated watching Clemens labor through every game he pitches? It’s painful!!!
Doesn’t look like Pedro is doing well one out 2 in. First inning.
Is Pedro pitching for the Mutts today? Cincy scored 2 runs on him bottom 1st. They’re lucky they have El Duque!
He really showed his age on that one.
Yes, Pedro is pitching
TOUGH ALL DAY!
I’m glad Clemens wasn’t hurt on the play. He doesn’t look like he’s got his best stuff, but you can tell he wants to grind it out. He knows what awaits the Yankees if he doesn’t….
Phew, at least he’s out of it. Cmon Yankees, answer back!!
He’s only thrown 15 pitches and given up 2 runs.
Pedro isnt gonna last very long if he keeps this up. He can only throw 75 pitches.
I like that the Yanks aren’t trying to hit home runs with every pitch.
Giambino time
Me too. Just take what he gives you.
Good to see Jason working the count for once
Yanks need to keep having patient ABs against Felix. Make him throw a lot of pitches…Tire him out!!!
Looked inside on 3-1.
Who hit a homerun for the Mets?
Good walk.
Well because he got that strike call wrong, he made him throw another 4 pitches.
Now there’s the Giambi we know and love.
Alou
I’d like to see Robbie bunt here…
Looked safe to me
OH NO!!! I think Cano got down the line before he came down.
….I’ll give Seattle’s infield that one, Betancourt stole the base hit from Robbie.
C’mon Melky, bring in Jorge!
maybe not
“I would use ERA+ and WHIP, if I were using stats to judge a pitcher.”
ERA+, VORP, K/9, K to BB, BABIP…
Betancourt is a player.
the ball to giambi was a strike
Jackson’s second AB in the second….strikes out swinging.
Claggett had a scoreless second inning, after walking the second hitter in the inning.
3-0 Scranton in the third.
And that’s exactly why he should have bunted…
God, I could just wring Cano’s neck!!!
What is Melky swingin at. I think hes gonna come through
ChicagoDave, calm down bud. He got robbed of a hit.
that’s why you bunt there: three slow runners on the bases.
Yeah a bunt would have been nice.
Chicago Dave, how many times has Cano bunted this year? If it were Melky then sure.
Aww, that was too bad, but the double play really did kill the rally.
Still, top of the order coming up in the third.
Optimism people, optimism!
WILL CANO EVER USE PATIENCE AT THE PLATE? ONE PITCH AND HE FLIES OUT !!!!!
Dave- Cano cant really bunt. Why give up an out for something that isnt definite? Its the 2nd inning. You let him hit in that situation. If it were the 7 and we were playing for the lead, maybe, but not in the second.
For those that didn’t see it, this is the video of Juan getting hit. http://youtube.com/watch?v=ziYcG0CHVLg very scary!
That is a play that Jeter doesn’t even come close to getting a glove on, and we all bemoan how poorly Roger is pitching. For King Felix, its two outs and a man on third and for Clemens it would be a run in, not outs and a big number in the making.
That was not Cano and it was the 3rd pitch. Get your facts straight
Sometimes it pays to play small ball, and I think that inning was a perfect example. I know Robbie was “robbed,” but I still think the better play would have been to bunt. (And, yes, I know Robbie is probably not a great bunter, but you have to try sometimes!)
Great job Rocket!
Iciro hitting a homerun. Come on roger!
Ichiro= A big problem.
just f’in great
We might want to get someone up in the bullpen.
God, this could be the biggest waste of 18 million dollars ever.
Damn
One of the 6 times all year that bum got a hit that wasnt cheap…
Next time hit Ichiro in the legs.
200 hits in seven consecutive seasons…wow
For the record, I’d rather have Betemit than Phillips playing at 1B because, despite the last 30 AB’s, Betemit is, you know, a better player.
That bottom of the second is going to haunt us…
That’s one way from keeping Ichiro from running wild on the bases…..
Great play be Betancourt but, you would like to see some patience exhibited by Cano.
The gameplan has to be to work King Felix.
Once again, it looks like the April/June Yankees are back.
Can’t hit with RISP again, the walks and WP are piling up, giving back runs the half inning after they score. All the things that killed them the first 60 games of the season.
Now, an obviously laboring Rocket serves up a homer and they are behind again.
I suggest Joe Torre stop talking about his desire to manage this team next year and concentrate on right now.
This team is dead again and if he can’t get through September, he’s run out of lives and won’t be back.
Maybe its just me but, I’d prefer my manager get on his team for a horrific weekend of baseball against the worst team in the league, than talk about what HE wants for next year.
Chicago Dave – if you add up the fact that Cano can’t bunt, it was the 2nd inning, and they have been hitting Felix, I don’t think bunting is the best idea. It’s a shame that all players can’t bunt at this level but unless you are pretty sure he’ll get the job done, you let him swing away in that situation.
And at least half of them are cheap bloops every year, dontfirecash…god I hate Ichiro.
Roger doesn’t have jack today. Just what we needed to start a key series. I feel a blowout coming…
wow, Guillen was WAY out of the baseline
Wasnt close to the base
Are you kidding? have you seen Wilson at first? Andy is also hit almost .300. Wilcon is not a better option.
Great call by Lary. He was no where near second.
Hah! The umpires make a good call!
Optimism!
wow interference.
Lost in that play is ANOTHER fine pick by Giambi! I’m smelling defensive player of the month coming.
well, I can’t watch another crap fest, so have a great holiday everyone.
Peace out.
runner obstruction
That is the biggest offensive difference between the Angels and the Yankees. The Yankees hit away in situations like that. Every so often it leads to a big inning. Most of the time it doesn’t. The Angels would have bunted in a situation like that 80% of the time. They would have scored a run on a sacrifice fly, ground out,etc.
Does anyone know what the parameters are as far as possibly using Moose today? Meaning, if Roger pitches past a certain point, will they not use Moose?
Do all you small ball advocates really think playing for one run in the 2nd inning is winning baseball. Is Roger going to hang zeroes and turn it over to Joba in the 7th? Or is it morre like he labors through 5 innings, gives up four or 5 and we painfully figure out who can keep it there so that we can futiley hope for a rally. This team needs big innings to win. It has been the prerequisite all yera, but for the very few shut-down starts from Wang and Pettitte.
Torre didn’t bring up managing next year. The reporters kept asking about it. Plus, sitting in the dugout answering a question during an interview session doesn’t mean he’s not concentrating on today’s game.
does anybody know is there are any other Yankee blogs similar to this one where there are less pessimists? I can’t take this anymore.
Boston Dave – Yes, but this is an offense that couldn’t do anything against two very mediocre Tampa Bay starters. To me, if the offense has been hot then you let everyone swing away. However, I think we could all tell from the series with Tampa that the offense is not currently clicking. When a team is scuffling for runs, you give up the out in exchange for having two guys in scoring position with two outs left to go.
“I suggest Joe Torre stop talking about his desire to manage this team next year and concentrate on right now.
This team is dead again and if he can’t get through September, he’s run out of lives and won’t be back.
Maybe its just me but, I’d prefer my manager get on his team for a horrific weekend of baseball against the worst team in the league, than talk about what HE wants for next year.”
Seriously, how do you know he isn’t getting on the team? Are you in that clubhouse? Stop speaking like you are.
Just a bump in the road.
Moose+Rocket= A giant waste of $41 million.
Ok, leadoff man on again. How bout we avoid the DP–ANY sort of DP–and actually have a rally?
Need to put on a play here. Johnny needs to steal.
“Torre didn’t bring up managing next year. The reporters kept asking about it. Plus, sitting in the dugout answering a question during an interview session doesn’t mean he’s not concentrating on today’s game.”
Yeah, that’s a pretty ridiculous thing to suggest by that blogger.
Boston Dave: The pessimsm irks me too. I don’t know any other blogs so the only answer is for us optimists to drown out the Negative Nancies!
You’d think most of you are talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates… scroll up and read your posts. It’s sad. Does anyone in here actually like the Yankees and have optimism about this season? If not, why bother even watching the games if you “know” they have no chance?
…And so that’s exactly what the Yankees do.
I feel like such an idiot.
Leadoff guy on for the third inning in a row. They can’t keep wasting these opportunities…
So what happened to the play i was talking about? Jeter with another double play. And people were killing Jorge a few years ago.
I hate DPs.
Jeter is hurting. If he is healthy there is no way thats a DP.
How do they turn two on that grounder? Jeter must have slowed down a step or two. That ball wasnt even hit hard.
DPs used to be rare for Jeter, didn’t they? I don’t get why he is hitting into so many of them this year.
BBB – stop crapping on Ichiro. I don’t like the guy, but come on, be accurate about all the “cheap hits.”
In all seven of his years he will have 200+ hits, 100+ runs, plus 7 Gold Gloves and 7 All Star appearances. His .333 AVG makes him #1 among active players and #25 all-time.
Hate the guy all you want, but c’mon. He’s great.
I’m trying to be optimistic, really, I am,
But of the last eighteen innings, how many times have the yanks gotten the lead off man on and failed to score?
Can someone find out?
Because if they continue to play like that, I’ll be watching a lot of football in October.
Rebecca- Watch hockey.
every time the yankees drop a game or two, or are down by 1 run in the 3rd inning its seems like we are the worst team ever to wear a baseball uniform. THis blog is so good when they are winning and so pathetic when they are losing. Talk about monday evening quarterbacks, its more like instant double guessing. I hate this blog when the yankees are down by at least one run. sad
How is this for more optimism. Moose + Rocket + Pavano + Igawa + Farnsworth = $145 million well spent dollars.
Well, at least they’re getting some hits and seem to be able to steal bases at will. The offense already looks better than it did against the Rays. Gotta stay close…. the Mariners have been finding ways to lose games lately. No reason to give them credit until they put together a strong 9 innings and break their losing streak.
Another DP on a first pitch. Jeter now leads the league in GIDP.
Another impatient AB. Its why its tough to really believe in this team. More dumb baseball today and its been that way for the better part of two weeks. Except for 3, what we see now are, flukey days against Boston.
How about working counts? Hit and run? Bunt? Nope, just flail and bail.
Its why they got dominated by Tampa’s atarters and its why they are keeping King Felix in this game.
You watch this team play at times and you really wonder if these guys have any interest in playing winning baseball. A very, very frustrating team to watch.
dontfirecash – then dont watch the games and go do something else. i dont understand why you invest so much time in something you’re going to be so negative about.
Six hits in four innings. Not good.
You guys crack me up. When Torre bunts and gives up an out you complain and when he doesn’t bunt you complain. Funny stuff.
can anybody talk about jeter’s double play groundouts this season? or his stolen base percentage? or his lack of xbh’s and diminshed rbi production this season? why do people (media) ignore what’s right in front of their faces when it comes to jeter?
Well, let’s just say that his is a season that’s rewarded pessimism, but overall I’m still mostly optimistic that the Yankees will make the playoffs. Taking 2 games in this series would be a major first step.
I just read Pete’s post. IMO, Ichiro is a HOF lock.
Why should I be optimistic? Aside from a great run in July and early August this team has been pretty pathetic.
Roger is laboring today, could spell a short outing…..Seattle is throwing the leather around……
I just checked and so far this year, Jeter has grounded into 21 double plays(including that one). That’s a career high. His second closest was 19 in 2004 which was the year he started off hitting under .200 over the first 2 months. What’s especially alarming about this year is I feel like most of the double plays have come within the past few weeks as over the entire course of the season, he’s been having a great year: just look at his stats. I hope nothing’s wrong with him.
Rough inning for Claggett in the third. Gave up a 2 run HR to Junior Spivey but, got out of trouble after an error by Jackson.
Eric Duncan homered earlier so, its 4-2 Scranton after 3.
So at what point do some of the “tired” “hurting” vets take a day off because their presence is hurting the line up more than it is helping.
Don’t like to see people scuffeling but the fact that the line up is in the shape it is in is due to the hole dug from earlier in the year. Yankees need to change their approach and manufacture runs by trading outs for RISP. They have fallen on wanting the long ball to save them and that has not been a good formula at all.
DEREK JETER, IS IN A RUT WITH THESE FORCE OUTS AND OR DOUBLE PLAYS. I ALWAYS WANT THE PEOPLE BEFORE HIM TO BE ON 2ND OR 3RD BASE. HE WIPES YOU OUT IF NOT.
JOHNNY DAMON ISN’T THE LEAD OFF GUY HE WAS IN “BAWSTON.”
LOOK AT HOW MANY AT BATS HE HAS,TO NOT CONVERT THEM TO HITS !!!!
On the bright side, the Mariners have been finding ways to lose so the game is not completely over.
I like that shot of Moose and Jaba. Moose is teaching Jaba aboue crossword puzzles and Jaba is telling Moose how to pitch.
SJ44…That’s why it’s time for Torre to say goodbye and retire to Hawaii……They no longer play situational baseball……
“Why should I be optimistic? Aside from a great run in July and early August this team has been pretty pathetic”.
Yanks are over .600 from late May to now (early September). That’s the majority of the year.
Dontfire, the Yanks just swept the team with the best record in baseball. That’s pathetic? Yes, they lost a series against the Rays. Every team is going to lose a series to the Rays. From time to time we’re going to be in a one run hole in the 4th inning.
The Wild Card race is worth being optimistic about.
E. Duncan has been playing very well lately. I only hope that he has finally turned a corner.
dontfirecash – again, why invest so much time in something you are going to be so negative about?
CATYA Please lay off the caps.
Moose has been known to help out young pitchers. He did it extensively in Spring Training.
Catya, are you on medication?
I think small ball itself is pessimistic as an optimist swings away. And I don’t think it is being negative to realistically assess the likely pitching you’lee get, and adjust the game plan accordingly. Playing for one run the way Roger looks today is simply naive, and an emotional reaction to the frustration of DPs and wasted opps. We’ll be lucky to get 15 outs from him with under 5 runs. I’d take that right no from what I’ve seen, and we still have a chance to win if we can put together a couple big innings. But not if we give away outs against a solid starter that is nacked-up by a great bullpen.
“Why should I be optimistic? Aside from a great run in July and early August this team has been pretty pathetic.”
Yet they are 1st in the Wild Card stadnings….hmm.
Sorry for the negativity. I know that they have been good. Losing to TB jut pisses me off, and the Rockets inconsistency is very annoying.
Junior Spivey, didn’t know he was still playing ball…..
Great K. One more out and (hopefully) Clemens gets out of the inning without giving up a run.
I know Andy Phillips is a great guy because he’s been in our minor league system since cavemen discovered fire, but his .294 OBP isn’t going to break any records. I’ll take Giambi any day of the week, even on days that George Mitchell is raiding his locker.
bottom line – find a way to make the playoffs. if you told me the yanks would even have a legitimate chance at the playoffs a few months ago… I would have taken it in a heartbeat. I can’t tell you how happy I am that we are actually in the wildcard lead. that is reason to be optimistic. baseball is a tough, streaky game and hopefully the yankees can win the games they have to win.
A big inning offensively doesn’t always start with 0 or 1 out. Get that one run early every inning and then put together that big inning. This team should be geting at least 5 runs a game without a big inning. Just play smart baseball and give these Yankee pitchers a break. You don’t wins three game series in September scoring 24 runs, if 22 were in just one game. The 8 runs a game average is very deceiving.
Phillips isn’t a great guy because he’s been in our minor league system since cavemen discovered fire. He is a great guy because of his character and how he carries himself.
Ugh, every time I open my mouth something bad happens.
Maybe I should go hide.
Wouldn’t surprise me if we saw Mussina next inning, Clemens just doesn’t have it today.
bentencourt is killing us on both sides of the ball
Posada not throwing runners out is annoying.
THis is not good.
COME ON ROGER EARN THAT 28 MILLION,COWBOY UP !!!!!
That Damon throw was downright embarrassing. They don’t even try to score with another LF out there.
I’m getting tired of Clemens.
Dave,
Agreed. Again I apologize for the negativity..The regulars will tell you I am generally not so negative. I’ll stick to laptop jokes from here on out.
That stolen base wasn’t on Posada. It was on Clemens.
rebecca – clemens definitely doesnt have it today. he can always fall back on his injuries. maybe the bullpen can keep is in it. the offense is due.
I would say that this game is going as expected…
I think I was too optimistic in my assessment of Roger’s contribution today. No he has to go two more innings with no runs. I sesne some life in the bats, however and King Felix doesn’t look all that great today.
Catya, can you lay off the caps Please? It makes me think you’re a troll even if you’re not!
Exactly Boston Dave.
It’s a streaky game yet some people can’t understand that concept. No team in baseball is going to come out and look sharp every single day. It’s a grind, and so far in that grind the Yankees are in 1st place of the WC. Considering the early season troubles…
I’ll take it.
If Clemens was really hurt he shouldnt have started today. These games are too important to screw around with.
Rebecca,
Don’t be so hard on yourself. I was the idiot yesterday who proclaimed, “Edwar is dealing today” and we know how that turned out.
dontfirecash – didnt mean to single you out. there has just been a ton of negativity in here lately. i may be crazy but i am still excited about this team and will pull for em’ til the end.
of course they are not giving me reason to be excited today.
Here we go again with the same F’N BS!!!!! HIT THE F’N BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Britton?
next inning for the Yanks, im thinking DPs all around.
Here you have a team that wants it and a team that doesnt. Guess who’s who.
Yanks are now about to lose 8 of their last 14 games, and 3 of the last 4 series they’ve played. The offense is out to lunch and the pitching is breaking down. Those are the facts. There is good reason to have doubts about this team right now.
J-Dawg: But at least Edwar WAS at first!
And unless our offense decides to stop GIDPs, we’re not going to win this one.
I think catya is a troll of some sort. either a sox fan or just here to attempt to irritate people. great way to spend the holiday, eh?
You know the Yankees are playing lousy when a team comes in on a 9 game losing streak and has their way with the Yankees.
Take away the Red Sox series and it’s been a lousy couple weeks for the Yanks.
Should they pull Roger and put in Mike? Roger doesn’t have it today. And I think with the two off days they should give Roger an extra day off.
On the plus side, Damon did throw out Ichiro…in a round-about way.
Chicago Dave – are you kidding right now? did you just say the Yanks are about to lose this series? I hope the Yankees dont share your pessimism.
Beaten again by a #9 hitter. That’s been the Yankees season in a nutshell. Can’t get #9 hitters out and haven’t all year.
5-1 with a dead team and dead offense. This one is done.
Can’t use the excuse they were “looking ahead to this series”, as people tried to use to justify their putrid play against the DRays.
Bottom line, the April-June Yankees are back in full bloom. Now we see if they can dig themselves out of it.
Unfortunately for them, they don’t have a whole season to wake up.
Another awful performance as they just start piling up now.
Man, this is getting old. These guys need to step it up or we’re waiting another year.
The bats need to wake up and we have to start winning games. NOW.
everyone one of our starters arent reliable, and the way our offense has been playing,where done…
Not that there are always better options but one BIG fault of Torre’s… he sticks with vetrens that have helped in the past way to long and gives them way too much latitude.
Clemens should not be out there today.
4 runs is a lot to make up when you keep getting runners on and in scoring position but don’t score them.
Now Felix is getting aggressive. Hope he makes a few mistakes.
Mussina on.
Well Andy’s .294 OBP can’t carry this team, so I’m glad he can carry himself.
Bill-
Look at Yankees boxscores to see how they’ve led the league in runs this year. It’s many games where they ponly scored in 2 innings, but had big ones. I will challenge you to find more than a handfull of 6+ run games, where it was 0-0-1-2-0-1-1-1. More like 000051000. Its not just this team either, it is the nature of the game. The Yankees atually have a lot of stolen bases and with a pretty good success rate. My only beef really is all of DJ’s DPs and some guys that are pretty poor getting runners in from third with fewer than 2 outs. But if Jeter, the rightful MVP is reduced to sacrificing then we have bigger issues.
IF, ANDY AND ROGER ARE UNDER PAR,I’M NOT HITCHING MY WAGON TO MUSSINA. THAT A HEART ATTACK IN THE WAITING !!!!!
Claggett gave up another run in the 4th (Jackson walked in his 4 inning AB) so, its 4-3 Scranton after 4.
The bats aren’t going to wake up like that…UGH!
league leader in DPs batting second in the lineup! awesome! jeter should bat 9th where he belongs
Very disturbing. The Yankees over the past few days have reverted to their April/May form.
Today’s game look like another 12-2 loss.
Will you stop it with the CAPS!!
Wow, just ran to the store and this was NOT what I wanted to see when I came back. This game is not over though! All we need to do is run up Felix’s pitch count and get into the bullpen thats been overused all year and is exhausted. Maybe they should put Moose in though, I respect Roger tryna gut it out and all but it doesnt appear to be working so well.
Boston Dave – I said they have lost three of their last 4 series…That means the series vs. the Angels (1), the series against Detroit (2), and the series against Tampa Bay (3). I was not even counting this current series vs. Seattle.
My last post wasn’t pessimism, it was fact.
Wow. It does look like the 3 games against Boston were a fluke
If Mussina comes in and gives up his recently typical 6-7 ERs in 1 1/3 innings it will offcially be time to get the casket out for his baseball career.
The Rocket is not looking good today! Just hope the Yanks won’t lose their wild card lead after this series aginst the Mariners.
matsui is really a pathetic player. whens the last time this scrub got a hit? pathetic….. he and igawa should go back to japan
Roeger should be out of this game now. Does Torre have any sesne of urgency? The rosters have been expanded and we have an extra starter sitting on the bench so there is little risk to trying to catch a hot hand and keep us in this game. If it doesn’t work out, plaenty of guys who need some big league action.
COME ON BOMBERS MOUNT A DEFENSE. GIVE ROGER RUN SUPPORT.
VACTION IS OVER !!!!
Jeter doesn’t lead the majors in double plays….though he is tied for the AL lead….
baseballs gets the award for most ridiculous statement of the day: Jeter should bat ninth. Wow. If anything, the guy batting first should be willing to steal bases. Don’t know if Damon can do it at this point in the season.
This is depressing.
We might not even have to worry about Seattle, we need to start worrying about Detroit and Toronto!
Yes, Toronto.
Everyone should pitch in to buy Catya a new keyboard (so she will have a functioning caps lock key that can be turned off once again!).
chicago dave – my bad on that one. still, you can choose to say “we’ve lost 3 out of 4 series” OR you can say “we are 2 games up in the wildcard” even if the lead drops to 1 after today. if you want to make a friendly bet on who wins the wildcard, I’ll take the yanks.
They were not booing…they were saying, “Mooooooooooooose.”
lets go Moose! win back our trust!
Well, maybe I should go back to writing the baseball fiction I was writing…
Good luck to Mike.
Let’s go Moose!
Hey pete, after the game make sure to tell us everything that clemens brings to the team, stuff you can’t name, you know, beyond lasting 4 innings and giving up 5 runs.
Come on, Moose!!! Turn it around. Last time you relieved Clemens, you saved the game, the series, and the postseason for us.
Cmon Mooooooose!!
He’s trying to hit the corners, and missing.
F’N great!!!! Mussina is pitching now!!!!!! That’s it! It’s over!!!!!
Boston Dave – Hey, I want the Yanks to win the WC just like everyone else (except the Sux trolls) who post on this board. However, they’re really going to have to turn things around in a hurry in order to do that. No matter how optimistic you are, a win is a win and a loss is a loss, right? Too many losses and you’re out…and the Yanks have been piling up the losses lately.
jack – who would you start in clemens place who will do better than roger has done so far? not really an effective argument if you dont have a better alternative.
Come on Moose, this is a good opportunity for you to win back some trust!
The recipe for keeping the Yankees offense down is actually pretty simple- throw strikes, make plays and keep the ball in the yard. Seattle (at least with a couple of their starters) and LAA do this pretty well and that’s why they have decent success against us.
Meanwhile, maybe this is what MM needs to get back on track. Clemens really is a big wast of money this year. $1 million per start to “battle” through and seek moral victories like a journeyman 5th starter. Whoever said they are so sick of Clemens get in line. If he were at all concerned about his Yankee legacy, he should rebate back at least half his salary.
Clemens must have been in agony…
ya a leadoff hitter that averages 1 pitch per ab. good one scooter. got anymore jokes?
if im the other team i would always walk arod and pitch to matsui. am i the only one who notices matsui’s pathetic swing? hes always getting twisted around like a moron. sheesh what a crap player
heh, on the plus side, Yankees fans gets to see both Clemens and Moose for the price of one…
It’s an all or nothing offense….No situational game plan…..It’s been that way ever since 2001….
Jaba taught him how to do that.
Oh my god, how stupid is Kay. How much did Michael pay those people to post that picture.
Again, Phillips did not hit “OK”. He hit below replacement level. It’ll be tough keeping Giambi healthy, but him playing 1st base is the best possible move to maximize offense at the easiest defensive position on the field.
Well, this game sucks. Still more two games to win, though.
Jaba didn’t teach him how to do that.
chicago dave – agreed. they need to win their share of games and i think the playoffs will be an uphill battle. however, i still like there chances of getting there and then anything can happen. which team in the wildcard hunt is dominating right now? seattle is falling, detroit hasnt been great – the yanks will win their share and be fine.
Oh, how quickly Mike comes back to earth! (sigh…)
That was strike one!!
Just one more, Moose.
Curious. If everyone on this blog has been watching the Yankees play since the Boston series, sees that the team is not hitting, not pitching, and lacking fundamentally, why is there so much outrage when people make negative comments.
Most of what is being said is true of what should be seen if you are watching the game and not Gameday. Bottom line, we all want the Yankees to win and win every game but the fact is right now, they are not producing.
How many RISP have they left over the past 4 games? How many times has the lead off hitter been on base and failed to advance to 2nd, 3rd or score? How many times have hitters either ran the count 3-0 or 3-1 only to strike out or how many times have we seen hitters swing at the first pitch and make an out?
The season is not over by any means but this is not a good time to hit a slump. This is the time to earn the ridiculous salaries some of these guys are making and stop making excuses about injuries, fatigue, etc. This is your job and if you are really playing for the love of the game, as many say, then sack it up and play. Winners find ways to win, losers make excuses and get elected President of the USA.
if moose can give 4 innings and 2 runs, that would be a mini-victory.
HAVE YOU NOTICED…WE HAVEN’T WON A WORLD SERIES SINCE
“JUICED” GIAMBI JOINED THE TEAM? HE WAS BROUGHT HERE WITH HIS BARRY BONDS LIKE, MANUFACTURED RECORD.HE DOES CONTRIBUTE HERE AND THERE, BUT NOT LIKE WHEN ON THE JUICE !!
Pepper: HAHA! That last line is BRILLIANT!
At least Mussina has better velocity today. He’s actually gotten up to 90 on a couple of pitches!
I’M GONNA HAVE A HEART ATTACK ….OH LORD MUSSINA…TAKE ME NOW !!!1
Good inning by Moose. He actually hit 90 twice! Something to build on I guess.
oh great mike pussina. you dont ‘reinvent’ yourself in the AL, moron. goto the national league with the rest of the has beens. oh ya take clemens with you.
this team is doomed today. it doesnt matter if they have the bases loaded with no one out they will find a way to into a triple play (jeter or cano).
oh ya i forgot to mention cano. what a dumb player. he needs to learn to drive the ball and stop hitting it to the ground. i gave him a break yesterday but cmon enough is enough. wil nieves always hit the ball hard but right at people why? because hes a scrub, like cano is right now. please cano learn to drive the ball, dumb@ss.
mOoooOOOSSeeee
Nice inning for Mike. Hopefully an easy inning like that is all he needs.
God, I hate Michael K. Peter says Mussina works out (and I believe him), but K does not… Argh.
we got out of the inning without moose giving up a run.
If that’s not a mini victory I don’t know what is.
RALLY FARNSIE
RALLY SQUIRREL
C’MON YANKS!
Remember, the Yanks have come back from 9-0 before…you never know….
Thank ya’ ma’am.
Our starting pitching really is bad. Aside from Wang and Petite you really have no idea what you are going to get. If we can make the playoffs with three question marks in the rotation it would be pretty amazing.
Is it still a full moon? All the crazys coming out?
man, a long weekend and catya and baseballs have nothing better to do than post in here.
After seeing Moose dealing a mid-80s fastball, if Joba were to come in, the Mariners would think Joba is throwing 120.
“Oh my god, how stupid is Kay. How much did Michael pay those people to post that picture.”
Haha I needed that. Upside down Kay.
They better scratch out a run or two this inning and get a sense that their still in the game……
cmon yankees a 10 run inning
we already lost this game so y not build mooses confidence again…..our bats are sooo bad right now, most inconsistent hitting in all of baseball…(except the rangers 30 one day 0 the next)
Ahhh the Clinton years. At least the Yanks were winning then.
Need to chip away in this inning..
dontfirecash – most teams have question marks after their top 2 starters. cleveland, boston, detroit, etc… the yanks bullpen has been better and that will be a key if they are to do anything.
So true Phil.
I DON’T EVEN DRINK, ANDI NEED A DRINK,PAPA CAN YOU HEAR ME!!!
Mussina looked pretty solid that inning, despite a pretty tight zone that usually gives him fits.
We need to be patient, not like that
mike – if i thought the yanks already had lost this game, i prob would stop watching and do something else. no?
totally not the way to start a ten run inning.
What is this, four runs in three games? Horrible for a team averaging 7 runs after the ASB.
They should tell Cano for every bad pitch he swings at, he has to give Kim Jones one minute of interview time after the game.
stop swinign’ at junk robbie!!!
Can someone pass the memo to Cano Not to swing at pitches in his eyes! How many times do we have to see him strike out on those pitches.
jennifer- Its one thing if its a fastball but it a was an 84 mph slider way upstairs
Can we trade Cano to the Nationals for Zimmerman? that helps with our 3rd Base Vacancy after A Rod leaves and the fact we never have to see Cano swing at bad pitches again
Dude!
Micheal Kay: YOU DO NOT GIVE OUT THE AGE OF A WOMAN!
God, he has no manners!
Lets see if the “captain clutch” can make it a 5-3 game
I smell a double play here. Second out carries over to the next inning.
“jack – who would you start in clemens place who will do better than roger has done so far? not really an effective argument if you dont have a better alternative.”
I’m not arguing, and I don’t have an alternative. I just want pete to talk in regards to clemens to what we’re getting for 18 bazillion dollars. Instead of saying “he brings toughness to this team” or whatever else has been said in the past.
dave, im a yankee fan i watch through think and thin….im hoping they will win but realisticly with how there bats have been its unlikely……ur from boston? y u routing on the yanks?
Wow, 51 and she’s a runner…gotta start somewhere to get into the YES Business
Captain Clutch hasn’t been hitting much of late
I agree that Clemens has been a flop. For every good start he gives you, he comes out and sucks it up next start. Not sure who else the Yanks would have had out there, but I would guess somebody else could have given the Yanks a similar effort for a lot less money.
Cmon Bobby
King Felix is losing control!!
Two 2-out walks and a 3-run HR is the kind of Yankees small ball that makes me smile.
It’s a must to take advantage of this if they plan on winning this game
here is where the yankees should not try to do too much and get an unnecessary out.
This should have been three walks in the inning, if Cano doesn’t swing at pitches out of the zone
RUNS
mike – family is from NY/NY so ive always loved the yanks. its tough living in boston. i need to get outta here.
but do you really think they wont hit again? even the best offense in baseball has slumps (apparently) but they will hit. why is it unlikely that they will win some games? there arent really any dominant teams in mlb that cannot be beaten.
The Yanks are bringing $33 million of starting pitching, and nearly 600 wins into this game. And losing 5-1.
OOOOOOOh Bobby, pluhease get a hit
Did anyone else lose the sound on Yes?
This one is in the book
UGH!
That was our inning, and we missed it.
Wonderful, Yanks, guess you really don’t want to play in October, do you?
well it feels that way
Note to self: SHUT UP.
See ya! Not!
And the pattern continues.
Nothing better to cheer you up than a Giuseppe Franco commercial. He should be our mascot
Nothing better to cheer you up than a Giuseppe Franco commercial. He should be our mascot
“This one is in the book”
There is still 4/9 of the game left. Just under half.
read the follow up
on the bright side, the mariners bullpen has not been as good lately. i dont want to see putz in the 9th down by 3 runs but at least there’s a chance we can put up some runs. moose pitching well is the key.
Andy looks so sad
Yanks look lifeless.
how many pitches has the Queen thrown?
Positive thing: The Mariners may put in Rick White at some point. Hopefully!
Hey Pete I’m sittin in the loge. What type of status you got in the press box? Front row,back row, or middle?
if it wasnt for johnny damon and arod we would have gotton swept by drays and lost 2 games to boston….wang won us the last game vs boston…our bats are not clutch like yankee teams in the past…sooo agravaiting
king felix at 82 pitches.. if they can have one good patient inning in the 6th…. he will be out of there.
Ouch, could have taken Mikes head off.
Joe Torre is in training for his next job, a MORTICIAN, he`s the manager of a bunch of stiffs.
Man I get so sad just looking at Andy, I feel so bad for him.
Jamie is really bored.
85 pitches.. the Yanks need to hit, they cannot rely on there pitchingit is not real good..
at present no one is hitting; not matsui, abreu, cano, etc..
need to pick it up..
Who stole our team….where are the Bronx Bombers.Are we capable of small ball at all,or do we only go yard? Let’s manufacture some runs,with runners on base !!!!!! PLEASE!!
Nice fielding by Mussina.
GREAT DP!
2 on 2 outs and the mutant bobby abreu comes up and ruins the inning. i really dont want this guy back next year. hes a headcase and prone to slumps
oh great now we get to watch mike mussina ‘reinvent’ himself. hahaha what a joke!
thats the type of play that moose needs right now!!!
Nice double play!
Mussina is toast……He’s failed the audition, again
1-5-4, not something you see everyday.
Unfortunately, the bats are dead again.
They have to face two lefties the next two days. IMO, Shelley Duncan has to play.
You have to change something up. Nobody is hitting. The entire lineup is flat and lefty dominant. Put Duncan in there and see if he can capture some magic for a day or two.
They have to do something different. Status quo isn’t working.
They can’t keep squandering home games because they are an awful road team this year.
Every home game they lose means they have to win one more on the road. As we have seen this year, that hasn’t been easy.
You don’t have to be a pessimist to see this team is dead again. The question is, how long before they wake up?
They wait too long, September will be a meaningless month for them.
Claggett is done for the day. 5 IP, 3 runs, 5 hits, 1 BB, 1K. Big jump from A to AAA.
Eric Hacker, the other pitcher called up from Tampa is now in the game.
1-5-4, you really don’t see that much. Is it too much to ask that something like that creates a little momentum for the Yankee bats?
Um, I guess I meant momentum to get the 3rd out. Oops.
Mussina with a BP Fastball
2-out RBI’s…hmm…what team needs those lately…
Pete, how soon before this site requires registration? The negativity and trolls need to be filtered out.
Another hit by a #9 hitter. It just never stops.
This game is done and this team is in big, big, trouble.
If Wang and Hughes can’t pitch gems, they won’t be leading the WC at the start of the roadtrip.
Another awful game for the Yankees. They are becoming a daily thing.
Without that DP, three runs would have scored. Small blessing, maybe, but with the Yankee bats as they are it’s not going to matter.
clemens is pathetic, big waste of money he has been
4 hits?? That is horrible.
The Yanks must have the worst corner outfielders in the league. They can’t run down a ball to save their lives.
there ERA the last 4 games is over 7 for sure…
Wang needs to do his thing Tuesday..Ramirez does stink on the road…
I would play Duncan for ABreu either tues. or weds.
Moose is not fooling anyone and cannot put them away…
Either way were screwed, the bats seem to be on vacation. How a team can play this horribly when it matters most is just unbelieveable.
Betancourt might be a #9 hitter, but he’s no slouch. He’s a good hitter.
I CAN’T BREATH …MOOSE IS KILLING ME !!!!!
Okay pretty good inning. 1 run thru 2 for Mike.
Our bats need to wake up.
Two innings, only one run for Mussina, which I think is already better than his previous appearances.
Too bad the Yanks were already down 5-1.
There’s a lot of game left, yes, but we need to start doing the little things. Like, for instance, getting the lead off man on and then NOT GIDP!
But no one ever listens to me…
What positives can we draw today? I mean, come on, let’s be real.
This is now 3 losses in the last 4 games and they are looking worse by the day.
You want people to put on a happy face?
They got smoked by a last place team and are now getting killed by a team that has lost 9 in a row.
You want positivity? That’s great, but something POSITIVE has to happen for it to occur.
After today, they are tied in the loss column for the WC and look as dead as they did to start the season.
Its kind of hard to find the positives in that.
Anyone who has watched these last few home games live should be offered a refund, it’s been almost painful to watch lately.
The Fat lady is starting to sing!
Moose has really been pretty serviceable so far. Time to get the offense going, knock Felix out of the game w/a big inning!
CMON YANKEES 10 RUN INNING!
we dont even hit HRs any more…this team is soo bad, we need to do alot of changes next season
This is where the Manager (Torre)needs to manage. We all know he is not hitting or pitching BUT, he is NOT doing something right to create a spark.
Yanks do hit itnto a ton of DP’s.. Way to be patient alex.. they are struggling again..
OR swinging at the first pitch.
Phil- Pete cant block people for being realistic. He cant block us all for not having much hope for a win. Its not realistic. If he is gonna block anyone for being realistic, no one is gonna want to post here. Its not easy to think positively the way this team is playing right now. Is there a chance they will win? yes. Is it likely? no.
Sj, how is this game done? You’re ridiculous, bro. This game has plenty of time left for the Yanks to score some runs. Their offense is too potent to just lay down and die. Have some faith for once.
WTF A-Rod, you know better than to swing at the first pitch!
SJ44, Betancourt is a 290 hitter. Not your typical 9 hitter.
Pete – I agree with Phil… please help.
and 1st pitch swinging is not going to get it done.
Good to see Mike throw a few more pitches inside, in the Detroit game every pitch was on the outside half of the plate.
everyone write down what Al Leiter just said.
Well, after a guy walks 2 guys in the 5th, a good way to start the 6th is to make 2 outs on 3 pitches. That’s what I always say.
This is the best lineup the yankees have and all it can get against a good pitcher is 1 run and 4 hits? No way this team is getting past the 1st round of playoffs…if it gets there.
so many soft outs given away as of late. god it infuriates the hell out of me.
This is pathetic. Forget about the red sox sweep. We have been playing like garbage. More lows than highs with this team this season.
But Go Nyr. There are some they just post nonsense here and don’t contribute a thing! All they are is negative. i won’t name names but we all know who they are.
They need 2 runs here to make a come back possible
THE YANKEES SUCK SOOOOOOOO BAD ITS SAD TO WATCH….LOL
Positive:
Posada 2 for 2, thus far.
Today is a prime reason why the 2007 Yankees have no comeback in them. Just look at them -they look like they just want to get this game out of the way.
So Clemens spit the bit (5 ER in 4 IP). So what?!! You’re down 5-1 with 4 innings left to play. How is that insurmountable against a Jekyl And Hyde pitcher like Felix Hernandez? It’s not, it shouldn’t be.
Sometimes you have to pick up your starter when he tanks.
B.t.w. no Clemens next year, he’s been horrible this year considering who he is, what he’s done, his reputation, and what he was paid this year. He should hang it up after this year cuz he is no longer an above average starter i.e. he comes off like he is too prideful to hang on and be mediocre at best which he is now. No way he’s getting to #3 in wins all time esp. on a June on season schedule.
Oh yeah Mussina su cks as usual -another one who needs to go after this year. No way he gets a start.
The real issue really isn’t the pitching: it’s this team’s ability to come back when they’re down -they can’t. What they do is pounce on teams when they’re down and let down, that’s it.
Someone needs to tell the Yankees it’s still July. Or something.
The most frustrating thing is that we have gotten runners on base, but we’re not bringing them in. It’s like the Yankees are saying, I got on base, that should be good enough.
It’s not.
You gotta score.
Dioner Navarro and Josh Wilson aren’t .290 hitters. How did they do with them this past weekend?
6-1 with a dead offense, its over. I know folks like to believe in miracle comebacks but, I’m not seeing it.
Nobody is patient at the plate and nobody is hitting.
Unless they change the rules, the team with the fewest runs can’t win the game.
Also, everyone was singing the praises of this team 4 games ago. Teams hit bad stretches all the time. Relax.
Kay is acting like the Jersey shore is a million miles away. I’ve gone down to LBI and back in one day, and taht is 2 hours each way.
this NOT good….this is NOT the team to lose a series to…in fact, the Yankees can ill-afford to lose ANY more series for the rest of the year…..Clemens falters, then Mussina comes in ? YIKES…and double YIKES !
i think we should let bobby go and maybe go after andrew jones or someone…idk tho
Well, the one positive here. In my opinion, Felix Hernandez is the only good starter the Mariners have against us here. Washburn’s been pitching fairly well(though not great). Horacio Ramirez has been bad. Unfortunately for us, as Al Leiter rightly pointed out and our offense has defended recently, games are not played on paper, and Washburn and Ramirez have both shut us down this season.
I love Al. Knocking Kay cause he’s never eaten Catsup. Who hasn’t ever eaten it besides Kay? LOL
im outta here… too much negativity for my taste. i am as frustrated as everyone else when the yanks play badly but i am able to put it in perspective and hope the yanks can make the playoffs. you dont need to tell everyone that the yanks arent playing well “right now”. we all kmow that. whats important is that the yanks (like virtually EVERY other playoff team in baseball) play great sometimes and stink sometimes. gotta ride out the slumps and hope they can win enough games to get to the playoffs. go yanks!
Dioner Navarro may not be a .290 hitter, but he’s been hitting over .300 since the beginning of August. He’s been playing better than his season stats show. The Devil Rays lineup is definitely not their weakness. What is inexcusable was our inability to score or even hit against Sonnanstine and Hammel.
even if the yanks only win 1 game to seattle, they will still be up 1 game in the wild card. calm down people. they will win games.
it doesnt matter who is pitching against the yankees! tampa’s 7 era pitchers shut them down. this is a pathetic team
Jones come on. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....yerId=3520
He is batting .222, he has never had a high avg. He is making 14 million this year and Boras will command at least that. He will also want a long term deal for him. Do you want to pay someone 17 million for 5 years to hit under .250.
9 outs to get 5 runs? Possible? Yes. Likely? No. This team really needs a wakeup call. They all look dead. This team has lost 9 games in a row. That doesnt happen on accident. If they dont wake up, they are not goin to the playoffs. Plain and simple. They need some enthusiasm. If Torre doesnt give Duncan a game, he is crazy.
Bad inning for Eric Hacker in Pawtucket. Gave up 2 runs on 4 hits.
Now 5-4 PawSox in the 7th.
Austin Jackson, facing Craig Hansen, walks again. A double and two walks in 4 AB’s in his AAA debut.
Where does Jackson rank among our hitting prospects?
Call me delusional, but I for one still believe the team will wake up in time to make the playoffs. Hopefully, it starts today. If not…at least it’s Labor Day and we can drown our sorrows in the afternoon
Doesn’t Washburn own the Yankees. They better win tomorrow or they’re gonna get swept.
Well hopefully this at least puts to rest any thoughts Torre has of putting him back in the rotation.
BBB I still believe and anyone who doesn’t should check their hat at the door.
Ibanez swings at and misses two pitches from Mussina. Ouch.
Well, we beat Washburn in Yankee stadium and he shut us out for 8 in Seattle, so he’s 1-1 against the Yankees this year.
Good call, BBB. You can also call me a believer. I won’t give up on this team either. Things aren’t looking good today, but they are going to get better!
wow. 91/90 fb from mussina. swinging strike. TWICE. is this real?
i’m trying to hold on to whatever positive can come out of this.
Jackson just stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error, and scored on a ground out to tie the game at 5.
Quite a AAA debut for a 20 year old kid.
Started the year in Charleston and now is making plays in AAA. That’s impressive.
3 innings 1 run.
HERE COMES THE 10 RUN INNING
We better kill Ramirez tomorrow. He has an ERA over 9 on the road in 40+ innings.
This is a clear iluustration as to why the team will undergo a transformation this offseason….Gone will be Damon, Abreu, Mussina, Farnsworth, etc…There is no consistancy what so ever…..They’ll make the playoffs, and you knows what can happen….But this team is a dysfunctional group of individuals without any concept of team play….And SJ44 is correct about the bottom of the orders killing this team all season long…..They no longer know how to win games when the it’s all on the table….Witness the 1 run , 2 run game record…..I still think they could catch fire and be troublesome in the playoffs…But as we’ve seen not only this weekend, they can easliy turn to stone as well…….
Woo hoo, believers unite!
2 swings and misses from the Moose in that AB to Ibanez. Cmon Yankees…party like it’s 2003!
You want a positive? Mussina just pitched three innings and gave up one run.
When’s the last time he did that?
Btw, Gameday did show Mussina as throwing 2 fastballs at 90 and 89 mph.
These 3 innings Moose has pitched has to give him some confidence. He looked much better than he did his previous 3 starts.
At this point, when a Yankee starter only gives up 1 run in 3 innings, its cause for celebration.
If Roger is hurting, its probably a good idea to give Moose the next start in Rocket’s slot. Perhaps missing a start gives him a chance to feel better.
Its going to be interesting to see the lineup the next two days. The entire team is dead.
Mr. Energy, Shelley Duncan, is on the bench. You have to think he is in the lineup tomorrow. It would make the most sense. Especially with lefties going the next two days.
This team needs something. It seems to be a logical move to make, IMO.
I’m still believing. With the bombers lineup, we can always score 6 and come back for a win.
There’s still the two-game lead buffer, and I know my man Wanger will win it for us tomorrow now that he’s back in shape. He’s always owned Seattle. I’m now thanking Oakland for holding off the Tigers last night
26 > 6
how about that math?
This game was destined to be a loss. Seattle was due to win after losing 9 in a row, with Felix on the mound. Clemens is hurting.
It’s those 2 losses against TB that are still steaming me. That was ridiculous.
does giambi do anything other then strike out? Walk? or hit the occasional bomb?
Hey, get this…..Hansen just got thrown out of game in Pawtucket for hitting Eric Duncan with a pitch. Duncan homered his last time up.
The Red Sox still drill Yankee hitters. Even in the minors. At least this time, the umpire didn’t let them get away with it.
mathematician get a life…..
you clown or just a moron????
Oh and Moose has made a couple of good plays too. Didn’t one of the idiots on ESPN say during his last start that he was an old man who couldn’t field his position anymore? Whoever came out w/that nugget of idiocy should have their eyes gouged out with a spork! (OK thats a bit extreme, but you get my point.)
Whatever happens today I am proud of the Moose for coming in and getting the outs we need so far. He aint dead yet folks!
Good job, Rocco! No need to respond to Mathematician, though. We know who that really is.
I looked it up, lifetime against the Yankees here’s Washburn’s numbers:
2.48 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, .256 BAA in 69 IP
Plus, he’s pitching against Hughes and his 5+ ERA. We HAVE to win tomorrow or there goes our Wild Card lead.
The reason the Yankees haven’t been playing well is the absence of Shelley Duncan
Here’s a hit by Cano
Why is Kay yelling?
Just try to argue any of those. You know they’re ALL true.
“Why is Kay yelling?”
i was wondering the same thing…
I’ll stop feeding the trolls.
These Yankees are flat/lackluster/out of energy. Torre may have to tinker a little to get some new enthusiasm. The Captain, Jorge, and Hideki are just plain tired.
If I am Joe Torre, the first starter that simply “tips his hat” to felix has earned himslef a day off. I have watched this game and this is another medicore pitching performance, just like by the two DRay nobodies. Felix has also been squeezed a bit by the ump, and despite combining that with 2nd tier stuff they haven’t hit a ball hard since the first inning. Really feeble but fortunately this club that rolled over them today had lost nine in a row coming in, trying to hand us the Wildcard.
Kay’s angry about the 40-man roster. I don’t know. Al Leiter’s trying to calm him down. Al Leiter babysitting Michael Kay would be a good buddy comedy.
Betough, Melk!
Shelley is definitely the best answer to the lethargy we have seen from the lineup lately. We had better see him in there tomorrow!
So much for Giambi’s bating average being better when he plays 1st verses dhing still an out!!!!!
The Yankees have not come back by 5 runs late in the game all this year. No reason to expect they will here. By the way, once againg Pete just lumps any irrefutable criticism of Torre as Torre bashing. He is too close to the scene to report objectively. Needs access more than anything. His defense of Torre– being utterly general and not responding to any of the specific boneheaded moves he makes or doesn’t make, cannot be taken seriously. Is there a reason the bosox pennant is flying on this site?
rally caps on !!!,,,,chasing only 5 and 3 innings to get them….go yankees !!!!
I like Pete Abe’s logic of “we better not play Giambi because he might break down”. In which case, I guess we wouldn’t play him.
Oh and Rocco
The Greatest WS Win of All Time > 50 WS Wins
You can never have the greatest.
…ever
…and the Yankees losing a 3-0 lead was part of it
…that all must REALLY burn you : )
Rocco
“26 > 6
how about that math?”
You’re embarrassing yourself. Trying living in the present.
Did Al Leiter just say Alberto Gonzales? The former embattled Attorney General? Does he have good stuff?
Okay, here’s a crazy idea. For one day the Yankees have every starter be a guy from the minor leagues. Might not work but it would definitely send a message and would definitely be entertaining
…that all must REALLY burn you : )
Not really
Red Sox fans are a deluded breed aren’t they?
“The Yankees have not come back by 5 runs late in the game all this year.”
Really?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....=270407110
Is it just me or do the Yankees give up at this point in games like this? Some hardcore Yankee guys like Girardi questioned whether this team is really trying at time and I have to agree. When things don’t go their way, their sure lose their will to win real quick. This is pathetic!
so is there any reason valid enough to put a guy hitting .295 at the bottom of the order and who is your CF and has legs unlike the guy hitting leadoff now..and i won’t bring up his .257 stellar average and numbers??? ne one ?? i would like to know what JOE is smoking??
Did anyone find it rude when Kay said his runner was at a late age to be a runner? What dues did you pay in radio before you landed your Yankees radio gig, Kay?
Gee Kay, not all of us has a famous uncle (Danny Aiello) to get us into Fordham University then our foots in the door at a big N.Y. newspaper which led to everything else. I don’t want to hear “coincidence”. No Danny Aiello, no Michael Kay Yankee writing/ broadcasting career. Kay should check himself.
i would like to know what JOE is smoking??
Green tea
Giambi shouldn’t sit cause he might get hurt…..he should sit cause he is terrible. i would love to know their winning % without him as opposed to with him.
I go to Fordham. It’s really not that hard to get into, so if he needed his uncle to get him in, that says even less about him.
I can hardly wait for spring training 08′.
Mgr: anybody but Torre
1B: Phillips till Texieria avai. via FA
2B: Cano with more focus
3B: Arod unless he opts out and who doesn’t think he will
SS: Jeter
LF: Matsui
CF: Melky
RF: anybody but Abreu
C: Posada
DH: Giambi unless they can trade him
Damon will be traded.
SP’S Wang, Petite, Chamberlin, Kennedy, Hughes
BP: Riveria, and a casting call
This is in fact the present, not the 1920′s. I don’t see Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle on the Yankees. I see overpayed Prima Donna’s like A-Rod, Clemens, Mussina, Pavano, Farnsworth, Damon and Abreu.
Try to live in the present, where they Yankees are blowing their Wild Card lead and have no chance at the division.
Put Duncan at first for a few games.
I can do math too.
Wang > Matsuzaka
$300,000/yr any pitcher on MLB
ANother crazy idea with no facts to back it up. Pick the lineup out of a hat. Billy Martin stil!
To be honest I`m impressed by Mussina
Well, not really but he`s improved at least
That was weird. Some stuff got cut off. Meant to say
“$300,000 per year any pitcher on MLB”
Do Red Sox fans really think that 2004 was the “greatest world series win of all time”? That would be really odd, it was a standard 4-game sweep of the Cardinals. It makes sense to take lots of joy for a historic comeback in the ALCS against an arch-rival (just as we take joy in the many times we’ve eliminated Boston just in recent years), but that doesn’t make for a “greatest world series win”. Wouldn’t 1986, for example, be a greater WS win? Heck, what the Yankees did in 2001 was greater, and that wasn’t even a win. I guess if you only have one in anyone’s lifetime you kind of have to puff it up. You wouldn’t catch a Marlins fan doing that!
Ignore the math idiot. He’ll go away if you stop replying to him.
I am really excited about this team next year, but think the biggest thing we can do to bolster the pitching staff is get a defense-first SS. BY both statistic and empirical observation, he has been atrocious this year defensively and getting worse lately. 26 runs given up realtive to an average SS this year by one of the better stats I saw. Take that off of his offensive totals, and he is slightly better than Julio Lugo. And these measures don’t really take into account the extra pitches and pitchers required. The last thing a young staff needs is extra outs.
This kid Gonzales is supposed to be a defensive wizard. Play him, trade Damon and move Jeter to left field. Matsui should learn to play first or he will have to share DH time with Giambi. Sorry for the rant but watching the Mariners snuff three rallies today with great SS D really crystallized this for me.
I take that back
“This is in fact the present, not the 1920’s. I don’t see Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle on the Yankees. I see overpayed Prima Donna’s like A-Rod, Clemens, Mussina, Pavano, Farnsworth, Damon and Abreu.
Try to live in the present, where they Yankees are blowing their Wild Card lead and have no chance at the division.”
Ok lets look at the last 15 years. And you talk about the Yankees having overpaid Prima Donna’s like the Red Sox don’t have any.
I meant “our feet in the door” sorry ’bout that.
While I’m posting again, what do you all think about this 2008 Yankees rotation:
Wang/ Pettitte/ Chamberlain/ Hughes/ Kennedy
Clemens let go, Mussina and Igawa traded.
I figure Chamberlain, Hughes, and Kennedy make $400K each for $1.2M, Pettitte $16M (2008 player’s option), Wang $600K
for a rotation costing only $17.8M. ‘Gotta take care of Wang if he has another solid year next year, though. I’d lock him up now.
weird, kept getting cut off…
sooooooooo fed up with this team….ughhh
They keep scoring?
I… umm…. I’m injured, take me out! Just please don’t make me face any more batters. I’m getting paid $11 million, I don’t have to put up with this crap!
Guys you can’t look at the total score. Roger let 5 of those runs score.
Sorry, but I’ve seen nothing from Moose today that makes me think he should be on the mound in a meaningful situation again this year.
mike pussina was just getting lucky. now hes showing his real self! go mike pussina ‘reinvent’ yourself
The Yankees have to hope that they hit another hot streak towards mid-late Sept and hope that it isn’t too late.
Frankly, I think the best thing for this team is to hit the road and get out of this funk. I know they haven’t played well this season on the road, but I think they will play better on the road once this series with Seattle is over.
And speaking of over, that is the best way to describe Mike Mussina’s pitching career.
So much for guarding the line in the late innings
Guys don’t feed the trolls!
This kid Gonzales is supposed to be a defensive wizard. Play him, trade Damon and move Jeter to left field. Matsui should learn to play first or he will have to share DH time with Giambi. Sorry for the rant but watching the Mariners snuff three rallies today with great SS D really crystallized this for me.
I think Jeter in RF and Damon in LF makes more sense but I like it.
2 runs in 3 2/3. It is an improvment for Mike. A step in the right direction.
The Yanks only have 5 hits!!! Pathetic!!!!!!!!!!
2 hits per inning is not good.
And if there is ever evidence that signing veteran startes past their prime is a losing proposition look at this game. $33 million in salsries to Clenes and Mussina.
ALmost 600 career wins.
38 years of combined experience.
7-2/3 innings. 7 earned runs.
The commitment to developing young pitching is the future of this franchise for the next dynasty.
Pettitte, has earned a role imo for next year. But he was really from our own system anyway.
BBB what the heck is going on here today. We really need to get registration going, with an ignore feature. Right now i’d be ignoring half theses mopes.
im not worried about moose, im worried about our bats…..why is this lineup only scoring 1 a games, against felix its ok i guess, but against tampas bottom rotation pothetic
I’m starting to wonder if the Yankees will make the playoffs.
expectations have changed when Moose gives up 2 runs in 4 innings(less then) and he pitched well..
I always thought no runs were better then 2 in 3 2/3… Moose cannot get away with any mistakes.. his mistakes are turned into hits….
the yanks will win TUesday….there pitching stinks big time with no end in site. When they cannot hit like crazy they lose…
Joba has not pitched in 4 + days, Torre will not use him in games they are not winning….
Absolutely. Important outing for the Moose, hopefully it will get his confidence going again. Cause listening to some of his postgames after the 3 bad starts, it seemed like a lot of his problems were in his head. Hopefully today helps with that.
this ump has a tigh strike zone..
Ok Joe,
I hope the experiment is over musinna arm is shot!!!!bye bye
3.2 innings 7 hits allowed
Britton looks like he could swallow Ichiro whole, with a little soy sauce and wasabi. Oh yeah, don’t forget the Sapporo beer.
“is it me or do the Yankees give up at this point in games like this? Some hardcore Yankee guys like Girardi questioned whether this team is really trying at time and I have to agree. When things don’t go their way, their sure lose their will to win real quick. This is pathetic!”
I wonder if the Yankee hitters get demoralized by the crap job pitching, it must be tough to have your heart in the game if you feel the pitching doesn’t back up your efforts.
Britton’s going to be abig contributor next
Actually, on second thought, Britton looks more like a barbecue sauce and Pabst Blue Ribbon kind of guy. Good job by the Great Puffed One.
Moose does fit in on this team about a 5 ERA and cannot miss a bat..
he looks terrible but if some of you think this outing was great keep dreaming….
Was I watching a different game with Mike on the mound? I thought he looked pretty good.
Jennifer I wish we had an ignore feature! When I first started posting here during games we had so much fun on the blog, the trolls are sure trying their hardest to ruin that, but the only answer I have is to make sure us optimists and believers drown them out.
Yankees rotation next year.
Wang – reliable
Pettitte – 36 year old injury risk
Chamberlain – 5 inning minor league starter with no MLB starting experience
Hughes – should still be in AAA, he had no college experience and will probably take another 1-2 years to be major league ready… if he ever is
Kennedy – who knows? he has 1 major league start
Color me unexcited. You can’t trust the majority of that rotation. There’s a reason why serious contenders don’t have 2 rookies in their rotation. They’re unreliable and will go through growing pains. Also, they will tire at the end of the season. They’re not used to complete major league seasons.
The Yankees are just brutal to watch right now.
LMAO CYF. I wish Great Britton WOULD swallow Ichiro whole…good lord I cannot stand the guy!
A-Rod isn’t really overpaid.
Clemens is.
Was I watching a different game with Mike on the mound? I thought he looked pretty good.
I only saw his last inning. How was he before now?
And this blog is brutal to read with all the idiots running wild.
I thought he did pretty well. Not great, obviously an improvment over what he did his last 3 starts.
Ok, Green is in. Can we possibly get some hits now? Maybe even some runs?
Anyone else have a problwem with Joba sitting so long?
Man I just logged into the game cast, doesn’t look like things are going to hot today! Well at least Felix is out of the game and we can beat up on their bullpen for 2 innings.
We’re missing the playoffs. This team sucks, I give up watching them.
I think it takes Moose’s previous few outings to make this appearance look good, but at least he showed he can get a few batters out. So next we see if he can do it again.
NY Yankees AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Damon, LF 6 1 0 0 3 3 2 .257
Jeter, SS 8 1 1 0 1 3 5 .322
Abreu, RF 8 0 2 1 0 3 6 .283
Rodriguez, 3B 6 0 1 1 0 2 2 .306
Obviously pitching is a BIG reason for this slide but look at 1-4 the past two games.
Farnsworth next, this is turning into one of those….ugh… hope Wang brings is A game tomorrow, and Hughes gets a little something going on Wedn.
I wish i could retract my previous comment
BBB: I’m not sure if you’re serious or tongue-in-cheek. How is giving up 7 hits in 3.2 innings a “confidence booster?”
Mussina’s got nothing left. Sad but true. Sending Mussina out in a start is a suicide mission.
And this blog is brutal to read with all the idiots running wild.
Come on we have to run somewhere
I thought he did pretty well. Not great, obviously an improvment over what he did his last 3 starts.
Hard not to but I`ll take it. What the heck is the Mariners MGR doing? Its an 8 run game
So many are pleased with Mussina’s job today in a mopup role…..How many hits did he surrender ????
uuuuugh oh gawd, not George Sherrill! Noooo!
We need to counter this move. PH Duncan!
As a team, 16 lob past two games….
33 if you count individuals…
Bad. Just bad.
Clemens is certainly more overpayed than A-Rod. Clemens is the highest payed player on the team. He’s making at least $25 million this year and he’s not even a league average pitcher.
He doesn’t care if he can pitch anymore either. He knows the Yankees will always be stupid enough to overpay him by about $15-20 million a year.
matsui has been on 91 RBI’s for a while.
Next yrs. team will have the same question marks in pitching that this team has if not more.. clemens will me gone, Moose who knows, the kids are kids, Mariano will be a yr older so they have tons of question marks. the good news is jb cox, sanchez, and others will be back from injuries.. Rasner could be a long man also.
they will be a yr older in the field also…
Wang needs to probve he is really the ace of this staff tomorrow. HUGE game tomorrow, especially if they lose today
clemens is making $18 or so not $25 it is prorated…
And you wonder why people have a problem with our payroll. It’s not that we spend so much, it’s that we waste so much.
WE’RE PAYING $25 MILLION FOR HALF A SEASON OF BELOW LEAGUE AVERAGE PITCHING!
$25 MILLION! WE COULD FEED HALF OF AFRICA WITH THAT!
Darrin, how is a pitcher showing solid improvement since his last outing NOT a confidence booster?
they will be a yr older in the field also…
Which can be a good thing at second and CF.
Although I guess it is not much of a confidence booster if you consider Moose done. But I don’t, so there you have it.
Is it Labor Day or Memorial Day?
It’s Deja Vu all over again with this team.
That was NOT solid improvement. That’s a delusional thought if I’ve ever heard one…
The problem with all these theories are, at least this year, the Yankees haven’t lived up to any of them.
They can’t beat TB or Baltimore, can’t win on the road, and have gotten blown out of more games in one season than any season of the Torre Era.
Their pitching is awful. Let’s be honest. Its pathetic to see how many times they get blown out of games early. They just don’t pitch well.
While we can all pull out the stats at what a “great” offense it is, the numbers are misleading. They are an all or nothing offense. Its been that way for the last 5 years. When they are hot, they look great. Conversely, when they go cold, they ALL go cold.
There isn’t one guy in the lineup right now swinging the bat well. That’s pretty scary for the stretch run. Especially since the pitching is a mess again.
Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, one thing we have seen with this year’s Yankee team is, don’t look ahead at the schedule. Talking about the future, even 3 games down the road, is a risky proposition.
This team can go dead in a flash and stay that way for two weeks. Or, they can get hot and stay that way for two weeks.
What we don’t see is, consistent play. We haven’t seen it all year and we won’t see it in September.
They will either get red hot and bash their way into the playoffs. Or, they will play like they are now, and not make it.
Unfortunately, its a feast or famine team. How else do you explain the rationale of sweeping the Red Sox and not only lose 3 of the next 4 but, get blown out in each game?
Its mindboggling a team with this many veteran players can be so inconsistent.
Tell Kay it’s not a “six-nothing” lead.
That was NOT solid improvement. That’s a delusional thought if I’ve ever heard one…
Techincally it was but it would have been a feat for him to not improve
Bronx Blog how do you figure it’s not improvement? He couldnt get anyone out in his last 3 starts!
Nice at-bat Posada… This is why you guys have lost 3 out of 4 and are 1 game up in the WC.
Plate discipline has gone to sh*t
Seven hits and 1 K in 4 IP is not good.
Unfortunately, its a feast or famine team. How else do you explain the rationale of sweeping the Red Sox and not only lose 3 of the next 4 but, get blown out in each game?
That can be a good thing though if they can make the playoffs.
MIkeNYY it is a good thing at 2nd and CF but a bad thing at SS, catcher, 1B, etc…
this season has been a rollercoaster ride and will continue to the end.. to bad….
the Yanks are just not that good, thet are a 90 or so win team. to many holes.. bad starting pitching it is below league avg. Seattle starting pitching is worse BUT they have a much better pen.
we have one thing going for us the offense and when they slump you know what happens…
“if they lose this game”, Pete?
if? Boy, if i was a betting man…
With 2 on ,2 out. What’s this swing at first pitch stuff?
work the count jorge!!!!!
Not even 4 — 3.2.
time for it to get really ugly. Farnsworthless takes the mound.
Whatever happens, this season really has not been a whole lot of fun to watch.
Maybe we all see things differently…..However what I see, is that the calendar reads September 3rd, the rotation is still in a flux, the bullpen is hot or cold, and as far as the offense, you just never know which team is going to show up…..By far the streakiest team I’ve ever seen…..They’re either very good , then rather mediocre, & sometimes just flat bad…..Does anyone else see this…..
moose is as reliable option as; kyle, clemens, hughes, and the rest of them.
the yanks have 4 legit pitchers; joba, mariano, pettitte, and wang that really is it.. they ahve tried like 18 pitchers and have 4 relaible pitchers that is staggering……….
At this point we should just tank the rest of the season. Time to give up on the playoffs and start to worry about next year’s draft. We can not win with all these overpayed, underachievers. Our only hope is to retool like the Marlins and get younger in hopes of competiting a few years from now.
BBB: I guess it’s how you define improvement. If a hitter is in an 0-30 slump, I suppose you can call it an improvement if he then goes 1 for his next 30.
You cannot give up 7 hits in 3.2 innings (in a game you’re already trailing by several runs) and call it an improvement.
Believe me, Joe isn’t brimming with confidence after this outing.
Allie, go away. your comments are idiotic…
Am I wrong or did we not have the best record in baseball since the all star break? So we have a bad stretch and its over?
Yeah let’s decide to give up on the season 1 game up in the wildcard. Great idea! Jebus…
Comments like that make this blog really hard to read.
At the end of the day, we’re just hoping we get the chance to be bounced by the Angels again anyway. Seems pretty pointless really.
Yeah, this team getting older is NOT a good thing. They’re already one of the oldest teams in baseball and that’s WITH the Yankees setting records for the amount of rookies they’ve called up.
The stupidity that is going on here is unbearable. I’m out.
The Boss doesn’t get bent out of shape anymore but in the old days he would have been livid at the last 2 days of ugliness.
MIkeNYY it is a good thing at 2nd and CF but a bad thing at SS, catcher, 1B, etc…
Hey, I`m trying to be optimistic here
The bullpen should be much much better since I don’t see Rivera leaving and everywhere else will be improved. They`ll rpobably get an actual lefty reliever instead of the jokes they have now. Farnsworth could be gone and Edwar and Britton should improve. Kennedy, Hughes, and Chamberlain should all improve. Sure the offense will drop off. Probably significantly especially if A-Rod leaves (though I doubt it). Next year will if nothing else be interesting and could potentially be a great team
the mets have really sucked it up the last few games.. they have set themselves up well to win the division.
they are in the NL and I know it stinks but the mets have overcome alot of injuries.
if the Yanks were in the NL they would be the best team in the league..
At this point I’d trust Carl Pavano more than Clemens, Mussina or Hughes.
Maybe we’ll get the classic, “they’re pressing” comment today from Torre.
The crazy thing is if they only play .500 ball for the rest of the season (which frankly isn’t all that great) they will be in the wild card run right down to the end.
Michael Kay is a moron. He’s going on and on about all these holes in the Mariners and how inconsistent they are. But by bashing them so much he’s basically bashing the Yankees as well. Even with all those things, the Mariners are a game behind us in the WC. What’s that say about the Yankees?
Michael Kay sucks!
It`s all over but the Tears.
I know I’ll get burned for this, but I’m going to say it.
Robinson Cano is my LEAST favorite Yankee. To me, he has no heart. He is lazy. He doesn’t hustle. He lacks plate discipline. If he broke his wrist, was traded, DFA’ed, I would not miss him in the least.
Thank you.
I hear ya Darrin but I am looking not just at the results but the fact that his command was better, he actually missed bats a few times, etc. I agree that it’s nowhere near time to pump your fist in the air and declare Moose is back, but it is a step in the right direction, IMO. It is a sign that he’s not completely shot and he can get right.
I am the kind of fan who tries to find the positives – there weren’t many in this game, but that was one, and I’ll take what I can get today!
Ohlendorf, cox, melancon, whelan, and many others will give t hem variety in the pen.. Britton is a prospect and so is Edwar(they are both still young enough)..
Maybe Miranda will get a chance at 1B and don’t laguh Eric Duncan is having a very good 2nd half(power up a lot) and he is still only 23..
this team is very frustrating. I did not expect them to catch boston but hoped they would widen the WC some but they cannot seem to do anything right..
Yes Jennifer. It’s over.
Uh oh, Farnsworth just earned another 8th inning meltdown from Torre.
You think I’m kidding?
Don`t whine, drink some wine.
Who call recall the last time of a good come-from-behind win to pull a game out ?
Wow! 7-1 lead and the pitching selection by the mariners against a team that is having issues scoring runs is interesting. I don’t see the need to waste your bullpen when you have a schedule like they do.
Interesting.
I’ve only been frequenting this blog for a short time, so I don’t know how the general pessimism today compares with the mood during earlier valleys in the season. But after the TB series and this game, it’s not all that shocking.
After a deep breath, we still have two games left with Seattle and one of our two most consistent pitchers on the mound tomorrow night. If we lost that one and/or the next one, well, that would be dire. But we have to win one of two to keep the wild card lead. I’m not giving up.
I expect we will score a few runs this inning leading into positive momentum for tomorrow. The Yankees will then win the next 2. Keep the faith people. Ok now back to my fantasy football draft preparation.
Allie, you can hear Kay? I can’t make out a word he says with Steinbrenner’s c*ck so far down his throat.
Wow, why would the Mariners use their closer with a 6 run lead? And they wonder why he has been less effective lately, well how many times has he pitched in a situation like this? It adds up..
Jennifer,
A lot of the stupidity is coming from your posts
Maybe the yanks should move Farnsworth to the rotaion to shake things up a bit. He’s more reliable than Clemens and Mussina put together. I know he’s F’d up many times this year, however, he’s been pitching good the last few games. If he’s moved to the rotation, he might even get a boost of confidence and be lights out. What do you guys think?
tons of weak pop fly today..
BAD BAD day..
Yeah, Cano’s a bum. He’s got all the talent in the world but when all is said and done he plays like half the player Pedroia is.
they are pressing
Bronx Dave, you’re no genius yourself. You don’t have anything to be bragging about, even if Jennifer doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
Ugly weekend.
With the exception of Kennedy, I’d rather forget it.
see you all tomorrow night then.
BBB, you’re an idiot. They haven’t won in 9 games. How many chances do you think they had to use their closer?
They can’t go 10 games without using him.
I ,
just hope with Andy,Roger, and Musinna going down in flames, it hasn’t spooked CMW, tomorrow. Someone has to stop this runaway train wreck and fast !!!
Nice efforts this weekend guys. Way to step it up. Should all be proud of yourselves.
“At this point I’d trust Carl Pavano more than Clemens, Mussina or Hughes.”
its official this blog is in the toilet.
NYC22,
I didn’t leave the blog in a snit like Jennifer did.
I don’t have numbers in front of me but somehow I would doubt that Putz hadn’t pitched in 9 games, especially when some of them were close losses. He is used frequently in non-save situations.
BBB: I really don’t consider myself a fan that finds either positives or negatives. I just call it as I see it.
The Yankees are who they are. If they are still around the wild card lead come 9/20 and play crazy great like they did post-ASB they can make the playoffs and run the table. If they play like pre-ASB, they will miss out on the playoffs entirely.
I don’t like teams like this year’s Yanks. I like teams that play level, consistent ball. Just like SJ wrote, I never remember a Yankee team that gets blown out so much.
Don`t jump off the Geo Washington, there is always tomorrow.
Cano, I think, is a good player. His only problem is that he gets his head in the clouds for a few stretches a year. If he could learn to focus all the time, he would be the .340, 25 HR guy that we think he could be. And he could avoid those lackadaisal lapses in the field. But, again, it’s his bubble-headedness….. Maybe the team can send him to a zen temple over the winter to learn some focus or something. What a crap loss today, ugh.
allie Putz pitched a couple of days ago..
I would have used him also he has only pitched 3 times in about 10 days..
the trolls and loser come to the site during losses like flys to sh t. they seem to stay away durning wins..
Wang will win Tuesday book it and the Yanks will win Weds also…
Seattle is done, Detroit and TOronto are my concerns…
BBB, you don’t have to spin EVERYTHING the Yankees way. At some point you have to suck it up, stop being a homer and admit they suck.
Jennifer has been posting here alot longer than most of you clowns, who show no ability to grasp the idea that a long season has peaks and valleys.
`
And, indeed, this blog is in the toilet and has been for a few days now. The level of discourse around here always plummets when the Yanks have a bad stretch. Hopefully, this changes tomorrow!
Annoyingly, this is the 2nd year in a row, I believe, where we’ve faced Seattle when they were on a long losing streak and they’ve broken it against us. Law of the averages, they can’t lose all the time.
Conversely, our guys can’t fail to get the get the big hit and/or have big innings all the time either. Keep the faith they’ll break through in time! Play Shelley, rally the troops, turn the page!
Hey look who Detroit gets to play starting tomorrow….those hard fighting Chicago White Sox!
If the Yankees have to start worrying about the Toronto Blue Jays they are *really* in trouble.
And I agree with the Red Sox troll — division is gone. They need to concentrate on winning one of the next two and hope to sneak in on the wild card.
Johnny, you say they suck, I say they’re in a bad stretch. Like Mo, the poster below you, said, peaks and valleys. Did you all really think that the entire season was gonna be one big July?
magic number is 19 ohhh whatever, im chillen and getting laid any f**kin way
They played .750 for a couple months. That’s the only reason they’re still in contention for anything. Now we see the real team again and they’re tried and true bums.
The Chicago Pantyhose, the cure for any team’s wavering playoff hopes (except maybe ours, with the way our Yanks play against the crap teams). Wang, please, please do your thing tomorrow.
And people were upset that Mo came in in the 8th inning the other day.
Doesn’t look like so awful a move given how they’ve played the past 2 days now does it?
It’s true the team is in a bad stretch, but we have the personnel and the heart to turn things around. If the season ended today we would still be in the playoffs, which is the same spot we’ll be when the regular season ends. I’m not delusional, I’m stating facts. It ain’t some “prayer to the baseball gods” like some of the bloggers call it. I’m with Jennifer and BBB on this one, we’ll turn it around!! So long and I’ll be back tomorrow when our ace shuts down the Mariners.
I still think the Yank will make it to the playoffs, but have no cofidence that they can go far. Neither the pitching nor the offense is consistent enough.
Allie,
Retool? who would we trade? Jeter? fat chance… A-Rod? he will be a free agent… Cano? He’s 24… Matsui? no trade clause…Abreu? for what?…Posada? free agent…Giambi? nobody wants him…Ditto for Damon and Moose…To retool you need trade chips…To retool by trading the prospects doesn’t make any sense…This team will make the play-offs in spite of Torre and probably get knocked out by the Angels. Next year they start Wang, Pettite, Joba, Kennedy, and a healthy Hughes. I’ll take my chances…The Line-up will be fine with or without A-Rod. The Bullpen will be fine when Torre’s gone. The prospects at the lower levels will keep injecting youth,talent and energy. Is there a team any of you would rather be rooting for? The Mets? My god no, their Older than most senior softball league teams and have a very overrated farm system. The Bosox? come on they win every 80 years or so. Put the rest in a box shake it and dump it and they all come out the same…That is they will all make a run sooner or later and fade the next year. Yankee fans have it made…We can all enjoy this Team and next and the next and so on because they will be in it forever. They always have been, as their 40 trips to the WS in the last 80 plus years will attest.
Maybe I’m alone in this but I was curious if Posada infuriated anybody else with the way he catches a game.
I think he does a decent, not great, job of calling a game but he does little things that bother me. For example:
He often lets pitches that are tailing away bring his glove off the plate. Other catchers have the ability to re-direct their glove back toward the plate.
He comes out to talk to the pitcher after something positive, which has the effect of breaking momentum. Today, after Clemens got Jojima on 3 pitches in the 4th (w/Beltre standing on third) he went out to talk to him. What more could Clemens have done? Is there some new 2 strike strike-out rule I missed? What followed — hit batter, double, single, and game basically over. It’s not Posada’s fault that Clemens got hit, but I just can’t help but wonder what might happen if you let the pitcher get into a rhythm.
He’s never blocked the plate so I just bite my tongue on that one.
I know he can hit like hell, and I’d rather have him than let him go, but these little things just bug me.
With the pitchers giving up runs in the early innings this team is in a mess of trouble if they cannot score at least 6 runs and even then it sometimes isn’t enough. The Yankees are going to make the playoffs if their pitching comes around and the starters can, at the least, go into the sixth inning with a tie or a lead.
Look no further than the pitching mound to see whether the Yankees are a playoff team.
Then I guess they aren’t. In the first half with all the replacement starters, the Yankees had a better ERA than they’ve had since the All-Star break. They’d be better off with Rasner and Karstens in the rotation than they would be with Clemens and Hughes.
curious thought.. what’s the yankee record since giambi came back (even better, whats the record when he actually starts). I don’t remember the last hit he had… he just feels like an all or nothing guy now a days.. id rather see shelly duncan play.
andy going down is going to hurt alot more then people think in my opinion. he was getting some good hits, maybe not the pop you want from a 1b, but he get rallies going and saved alot more games with his defense then giambi has won with his offense.
Pete, can you give us an update on Roger’s MRI results tonight if you learn what they are?
I always love these comments like, “They had better focus on winning the Wild Card,” as if that somehow changes your approach to each game. With the exception of late season games for a team that has clinched or a team that is completely retooling, the point is to win every game that you play. Can someone explain to me how a team focuses on the Wild Card instead of winning the Division and what that team might do differently on a day-to-day basis? Thanks in advance.
It could be a lot worse. You could live in Boston or Massa-two-shyts and someday tell the grandkids that you can remember when the Socks won a championship way back in 2004 and haven’t won one since.
It’s a rite of passage up there. Little area + poor history = delusional thinking.
wow the posts today are moronic. really trolls why can’t you go put on th edisney channel and leave us alone???
Peter you need to register people this is ridiculous.. the nonsense and morons on the site are ruining it for us fans…
thanks..
Dayne Perry of FoxSports reported thst Clemens has elbow inflamation and blisters on his throwing hand. John d
Donovan of SI also reports elbow inflamation.
What’s up? What are the Yankees reporting? We’ll trade you Gagne for Clemens, as long as you eat some salary. (You can have J.D. Drew as a pot sweetener.)
is it over yet ??/ LOL
Well, at least we know that Bianna (Red Sox Fan) is just like most of the Yankee fans on this site – bandwagon. It’s nice to know that that very shallow love for a team goes beyond the confines of NY. You would trade Gagne and Drew (both very good players in bad years) for the Bottle Rocket. Good Fan. Read Shaughnessy much? Is that where your a$$hole “Ill be nice to them, and they will like me” schtick comes from?
Dude, we don’t like you. Go the heck away, and take the rest of your troll friends with you. You are a waste of life, that really, I’m upset that I have to share oxygen with you.
Also, Eric: You’re an idiot too. Boston, and Massachusetts as a whole, are very nice. Excellent part of this country’s history, culture, and educational backbone, so clearly, you think that the better place is the rat-infested, treeless, smog-riddled, over-hyped piece of dirt called NYC? The ONLY good thing about NYC is how easy is it to get through and into NJ. Upstate is awesome. The city is a $hithole.
I don’t get it when people say that Seattle is done, to worry about Detroit and Cleveland..
Well seeing how we’ve played, I think we definitely have to worry now especially if Wang has one of his close brushes with danger and doesn’t pitch out of it. I am confident in him to get the win tomorrow, he’s most reliable.
Hawk –
You’re doing more damage to yourself than your intended targets. Consider sensitivity training. No doubt your dunce cap is super glued to your empty head.
Try taking a simple test for yourself:
http://www.elks590.org/main/cooltest.htm
Pete – you can’t compare Pettit’s game against the Red Sox with Sat against the mariner’s — he labor and gave up shots the entire game Sat and the pitch count isn’t the best arbiter — he was laboring and he was done in the 6th and Joba was ready in a 2-1 game — JT has to go he has been a great people manger and a poor tactical manager forever — he is done
Bart
Try this rule: if a batter is injured by a pitched ball & is put on the DL the pitcher must miss the same amount of time. Try this & watch the decrease in Yankees hit by pitch!