Game 140: Mariners at Yankees
-
- September
- 5
Here is the lineup:
YANKEES
Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Rodriguez 3B
Posada DH
Duncan RF
Cano 2B
Betemit 1B
Molina C
Hughes RHP (2-3, 5.65)
UPDATE, 6:23 p.m.: Here is the new lineup:
Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Rodriguez DH
Cano 2B
Duncan RF
Giambi 1B
Betemit 3B
Molina C
Hughes RHP (2-3, 5.65)
Pregame chatter: Yanks are facing LHP Jarrod Washburn (9-12, 4.37). … A-Rod went for an MRI before the game but is going to play. … Thanks to Mike Dougherty for sending in the lineup as I am off tonight.
UPDATE, 6:25 p.m.: Quite a bit of news happening … Luis Vizcaino has a shoulder issue (shocking, I know) and will be shut down until at least the Toronto series. … Chien-Ming Wang will start on Sunday in Kansas City on regular rest. That will keep him off the carpet in Toronto. … Roger Clemens had his shot in Houston and the hope is he will pitch at some point on the road trip.
It seems A-Rod was not pleased that he was sent for an MRI. But it’s hard to blame the Yankees for being careful with the best player in the game.
UPDATE, 6:50 p.m.: The Yankees are making a very smart move by using Wang on Sunday instead of Tuesday. Consider these stats:
Wang is 1-2 with a 9.00 ERA this season on turf and 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA against Toronto. He gave up eight runs in 2.2 innings against the Jays on Aug. 8.
He is 2-0, 3.46 against Kansas City this season.
It’s well worth manipulating the rotation with the days off to put him in a good position to win. This also lines him up to make an extra start on Sept. 29. Starting him on Tuesday would have cost him a start at the end of the season.
UPDATE, 8:38 p.m.: Phil Hughes has done his job, holding Seattle to two runs over six innings. Big start for him. Now the Yankees have to pick the kid up and score a couple of runs. Then it’s Joba and Mo time.
UPDATE, 9:10 p.m.: I would be a lousy manager, I guess, because I would never ask a slugger like Shelley Duncan to put down a bunt. But he got it done.
A-Rod is now tied with Mel Ott for 19th place in history with 511 homers. It’s amazing how many guys he has blown by this season. At this point, the MVP race is over. Magglio Ordonez is having a heck of a season but not like A-Rod.
UPDATE, 9:27 p.m.: A-Rod will get the Willis Reed treatment and Joba will be celebrated for his first win and continued domination. The offense went off again, etc.
But for me, the most important part of this game was the performance of Phil Hughes. He’s 21 and has had a turbulent season. Bad spring training, brief AAA stint, rushed to the majors, a near no-hitter, two serious injuries, a dominant rehab stint and then struggling for the first time in his career. Tonight just may have been the most important start of his career and he delivered.
Hughes will get lost in the shuffle tonight, that’s just how it is. But as the Yankees move forward, what he did tonight was huge.
UPDATE, 9:36 p.m.: Somebody tell the Mariners that just because they have all those pitchers doesn’t mean they have to use them.
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on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 6:18 pm by Peter Abraham.
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okay, going home now
Good to see A-Rod in the lineup and in the field.
Betemit hitting righty + Duncan gives us a better chance than Matsui and Giambi hitting Washburn? Sit Matsui against KC.
I’m not a fan of this lineup at all. This game could destroy the M’s chances.
Whoo, this is more like it!
Okay, guys, gals, undecideds, whose with me on trying the whole optimism thing again?
It worked last night, it’s going to work again tonight!
Here’s to Phil Hughes’ best start yet!
Here’s to Shelley going YARD!
Here’s to 47 from ARod!
Here’s to clutch RISP hitting from Cano, Leche, and everyone else!
Here’s to great defense!
We’re going to do this! The game is OURS!
Good vibes…
from the last thread,
Rather than having Moose pitch sunday,I say use our 40 man roster to the fullest. Each bullpen guy goes an inning. Yes at the least 9 relievers. I would bet they would allow less runs than Moose would allow in his 3 innings 6+ runs.
We’re already off to a good start! Oakland beat the Angels!
NJ Star Ledger blog is reporting Wang is pitching Sunday. Moose is not scheduled to start, yet.
what’s with the hate wooly? Positivity rules!!!
im with you rebecca…so is the squirrel
Well if Rebecca says it works - I might as well give it a try!
Here’s to #9 winning the Powerball lottery!
Here’s To Jessica Simpson falling head over heals for #9!
Here’s to #9 drinking as much as he can without experiencing a massive hangover the next morning!
Here’s to #9 eating as much as he wants without gaining weight or having to exercise!
Cross your fingers!
Scooter is my hero….hopefully he shows up tonight!
hey someone deleted the troll comment.. sweet! Love this blog!
wooly—–>he gone
Maybe Joe is looking at Washburns splits this year. He has been brutally effective against lefties, who have an OPS of under .600 and both on-base and slugging against of under .300. And righties are .797 OPS against.
His three year splits aren’t nearly as pronounced, but he is definitely tough on lefties this year. And he has a very low BB rate aginst lefties over the past three years, which negates almost all of Giambi’s value.
here is to wooly, for being on this blog for a total of 5 minutes
we need the Viz or we are in trouble.
Rebecca - Just curious…Why is it such a big deal that the A’s beat the Angels? The Angels have the division wrapped up…All they’re playing for now is homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. So, am I missing something?
Armand and Migames: Whoo! Yea, that’s like it!
#9: Hahaha! Good luck with all of that! If you can will it to happen, it’ll happen!
why is A-Rod mad about the MRI, Pete?
I am pumped for a big time Phil Hughes performance!!!!!!
Chi Dave: If the Indians have a better record than the Angels, then we’d most likely play the Indians first round, which is a helluva lot nicer than the Angels!
Ouch…Would have like to see Jorge stay in the DH spot.
One game ahead vs. three games ahead. What a huge swing. I want this win!
Here’s hoping Guidry and Eiland got Hughes’ mechanics fixed.
Rebecca - OK, I see…although I don’t honestly see the Indians ending up with a better record than the Halos…However, it’s all about the power of positive thinking, right?!!!
I thought Posada might have an outside shot at starting at 1B with the new line-up.
Is it just me, or is Kim Jones looking sort of cute tonight?
For the most part, Seattle is a free-swinging team. That should help Hughes a bit…
Chi Dave–Yep, you got it!
Cano hitting 5th!!!!!
Interesting…
We need 7 runs today, please..
New lineup: Posada getting the entire day off is NICE, especially with the off day tomorrow.
Better to see A-Rod at DH, better to protect his ankle. Hope Giambi does all right and Duncan is way high up in the line up!
Phil Hughes vs. The Seattle Mariners on September 5:
IP H R ER BB K HR
5.1 9 5 4 5. 3. 1.
Phil Hughes is due for a monster game.
again the yanks need to bring up 1 more catcher for the 40th man….
it allows much more flexibility….
It’s a shame Abreu isn’t in there. Yes, I know Washburn is death on lefties, but Abreu is always good for working a count and taking pitches, which, in turn, seems to have a very positive effect on A-Rod behind him. Oh well, hopefully A-Rod gets a base knock or two, regardless…
*Yankees win 9-4*…..NINE to FOUR !!!….write it down…meditate on it…and MAKE IT HAPPEN….LAA and CLE already lost ( SWEET ) Yankees win and Boston loses….ALL AS I FORETOLD !!! ( eerie sound here ) LOL
Here’s to migames for liking men.
So we have given the squirrel the name of scooter….alright!
here you all go, enjoy:
http://migames.wordpress.com/2007/09/05/lucky-squirrel-from-the-foul-pole-is-named-scooter/
Don Vito - Are you channeling the spirit of the Squirrel?!
Don Vito: Yes! Work your magic ;)!
I’ve been predicting that Hughes will get stronger as the year goes on. I think that by the end of this year people will look forward to his postseason start, not dreading it.
Stuart,
Why exactly do we need another catcher? Sorry if I don’t ever want to see Will Nieves in pinstripes again.
So we are supposed to be happy about having to face Sabathia and Carmona twice in a 5 games series? I don’t like it. Don’t believe me ask Rob Neyer.
Yes, if a pitcher was ever “due,” then Hughes is absolutely “due” tonight! Come on, Phil!!!
Glad they are pitching Wanger in KC. The rest day allows them to skip Clemens’ spot without adjusting the rotation.
CLE now only 1 game back of LAA for the #2 seed….GO INDIANS…..( Indian Whoops here )
dontfirecash,
Did you see my comment about Verducci’s article? It’s in the “Today in the Journal” thread about 1:00.
Don, pretty sure Cleveland won. Carmona pitched well.
How come no one is talking about Vizcaino’s responsibility to be honest with the team if he’s sore? If he told Guidry or Torre he wasn’t feeling 100% does anyone think he would have pitched?
And, people wonder why Joba’s Rules had to be imposed. Torre would’ve already burned him out. Matsui’s looked terrible lately. Needs a day off.
Yah I’m glad Wang is pitching in KC on normal rest. That’s a plus.
Wang is amazing, and yet who outside of Yankeedom knows him?
Yankees beat Carmona and swept the Indians. Anyway, we play the Indians I get a bit of ‘98 nostalgia…
ESPN just did a top 10 squirrel special on sports center because what happened yesterday. Thought it was funny =P
Give me anaheim rather than the two headed monsters of clevelands pitching staff. Dont forget we worked detroit last year and got our butts handed to us in the playoffs.
Shelly D will go yard tonight
Ivan: I saw that, it was great!
ESPN has awarded the squirrel as whats “now”
Yes just showed the 1995 playoff loss to the M’s.
Not a good omen for tonight. What are they thinking?
Here’s to a great game for Phil tonight!
Count me in for the optimism and good vibes crew!
Let’s Go Yankees!!!
I’m really thinking Phil is going to be Philthy!! come one Phil!! Do us 21 year olds proud!! make up for me being a bum right now. haha..
“Give me anaheim rather than the two headed monsters of clevelands pitching staff. Dont forget we worked detroit last year and got our butts handed to us in the playoffs.”
And the Angels don’t have good pitching? They have 3 top flight pitchers compared to Clevelands 2. It’s not even close who I’d rather face.
“Yankees beat Carmona and swept the Indians. Anyway, we play the Indians I get a bit of ‘98 nostalgia…”
Ah, 1998. The good old days.
Ivan: The squirrel in the race track was scary.. like whoa.. but it was a funny salute to squirrels!
I’m hoping this is the ‘turn the corner’ game for Hughes. I think unfortunately he has been forced to build back his stamina and strength during such important games, but I think he’s almost there.
I’ll join in the optimism party.. I am a bit worried about A-Rod though
My predictions have been good lately so here goes: I think ARod will hit 47 tonight, and Phil will pitch a 6 inning, 3 run effort.
why is torre resting both abreu, posada and matsui tonight in such an inmportant game? if he wants to rest posada, i think he should try to keep the other two in the line-up.
we need another catcher so Posada can pinch hit and not have to get behind the plate. so we can pitch hit for jose, and can save Jorge in blowouts…
I do not know why the yanks are so concerned about all 40 of the spots…
Rob–Cos lefties don’t hit Washburn.
I like Duncan in the lineup tonight. The Yanks need some enthusiasm. Here’s hoping he hits a gapper or scores from second so we can see him barrel towards the next base. 3rd. Who in their right mind wants to get in front of him??
95 playoffs that was great TV~!!!!
I was in Seattle in June (unfortunately, the Mariners were out of town). I took the Safeco Field tour. All the tour guide talked about was the 1995 series.
here we go
1995 playoffs….still stings…i think edgar martinez just got another hit
I’ve seen Washburn baffle the Yanks in the past, truth be told he worries me.
The reason I want Torre fired is because he kills veteran relievers and usually under uses kids not named Joba.
Viz is yet another in a long line of Torre victims.
C’mon guys, optimism! It’s game time! We’re going to win tonight!
So the squirrels name is Scooter? Are you implying it is the spirit of the late great Phil Rizzuto or is the name just a coincidence?
after the great phil
I was in Seattle earlier in the season (unfortunately, the Mariners were out of town). I took the Safeco Field tour. All the tour guide talked about was the 1995 series.
Jeff: Rizzuto was rather squirrel like, wasn’t he?
Washburn seemed like he was much better with the Halos, I think he has stunk in Seattle. Any help we can get from the lefty latinos and Hideki-san would be greatly appreciated.
And Phil is definitely due for an improvement
Sorry, I posted my above comment twice.
hey Phil’s got some cheese today.. hopefully his velocity picks up some more and his curve has bite
GREAT PLAY!
Phil Hughes’ best start since that game at Texas!
That’s tonight baby!
Two out, one more to go!
you know what great plays in early inning mean….i wont say it
That 95 series was my all time favorite. I met Leyritz last year and told him his HR in game 2 was the culmination of my all time favorite Yankee game, at least to that point.
Anyway this game is huge. We need to see some of the #1 prospect Phil Hughes tonight, not the one coming back from a hammy and ankle injuries.
Nice play to get Speedy Gonzalez. Ichiro has a girly stance at the plate, no?
Welp, thats not good. But its not bad either.
joba and the pink bag…..nice
Joba is the man!
91 on the gun… Is that better then what hes been the last couple starts?
C’mon Phil! You can do it!
Ahhh come on, relax Phil. Shake that off.
ugh
hbp, bb…not the kind of start we wanted
nice changeup there!
He’s got a nice, tight spin on his breaking ball.
garbage, he went
93 FB
93 on the GUN! give us more of that Phil!!
93 and hit molina’s spot
WHOO! Great fastball by Phil!
C’mon Yankee bats! Let’s get Phil a lead early!
There you go Phil! The fastball is showing some life. Guess Dave Eiland is helping out.
sit down seattle - it’s our turn!
Guess it would’ve been to obvious to hit Beltre, huh?
Baby steps, Phil. Just get the game to Joba!
93. Very nice. Very nice.
That last fastball was pre-injury Hughes
only thing i like about this washburn guy is that he works fast.. so hopefully we’ll win fast..
Nice try Melky
C’mon Jeter! Get a hit!
Hughes threw two changeups, as far as I could tell. One went for a strike, the other a ball. He really needs the changeup if he is going to be an effective pitcher the second and third trips through the lineup.
The Yankees lately have won against good pitchers.
Jarrod Washburn is a good pitcher.
By the transitive property, the Yankees will win tonight.
are you kidding me!?!? we didn’t get that exact same pitch last inning!!!
We get to see both Arod and Duncan next inning! Awesome!
wow he works fast. did phil even get a drink of water?!
Wow…
Ford commercial: Jeter in Blazing Copper?
Just some initial thoughts on the young Mr. Phil Hughes
Downside: 93 on the Fastball “only”. Not 95+.
Upside:1) Seems like there is more movement on the FB.
2) More change-ups.
Things can work out pretty well if he mixes up all his pitches with that kind of late movement.
where is scooter the squirrel?
Damn that was a quick inning
Mel, it’s not Ichiro’s stance that I think looks that off. It’s the fact that he wears his pants nerd-style, half way to his chest. And the ‘95 playoff series was a classic. Got me back to being a Yanks fan after all those years of garbage (not including Donnie Baseball) on the field.
So Hughes for 6, Joba for 2 and Mo for 1 tonight?
Play his enterance music he’ll be back.
NUYS!!
Nasssssty curve
Mel,
I’m not finding any comments at the end of Verducci’s article. I assume it was a good laptop joke though.
Hughsie looks like he has gooooood stuff tonight. Keep it up Phranchise!
great curveball
Nasty curve there. Hughes is on so far. He tends to have quick meltdowns. Torre should challenge someone’s bat composition if two guys get on in a row. That was the turning point in Ian’s game last week.
What was that pitch he just threw 79? Was that a slider?
C’mon Phil, you’ve got great control, let’s use it!
hes got good stuff but hes wild
2 walks.. Hmmm
I hate this ump.
Great play by Betemit!
good job wilson!
WHOO!
Phil, the Squirrel is with you!
if he’s wild, then he’s effectively wild. I like what I see so far.
The BB’s and HBP aren’t so great, but it’s encouraging to see so many swings and misses by the M’s.
Very nice inning.
hes got 36 pitches…..take it easy fanchise
Did everyone see Joba going to the pen with a pink backpack. LOL
Good job Phil!!
4 more just like those 2, is that too much to ask
Nice Job Phil!
hes slightly wild but the fact that the ump cant make any good calls isnt helping…..but phil is looking like phill of pre injury…cmon offense
C’mon A-rod! Let’s go Offense!
Whoo! Way to work the lead off walk!
nice AB MVP
way to keep the line moving!! go Arod!!
funny picture
http://tinyurl.com/2ofk4d
we need more abs like that
Great, the Yankees.com GameCast is stuck in the bottom of the first. It’s amazing that I can get more up-to-date on the game here than from the MLB.
Anyone have any good ideas how to woo the Yankees to send the YES network to Comcast?
Haha anyone see washburn’s 104 mph (yes network gun) slider? Pure heat
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Washburn’s move to first isn’t as good as Pettitte’s.
What did Beckett do to warrent that sn?
icky thump in da house!! go Shelley!!
this ump is calling in favor of seatle
Okay, Shelley’s mad he didn’t hit it out last night, so he’s totally going YARD tonight.
You heard it here first.
Duncan is winking in his mugshot for MLB.com! He kind of reminds me of Sloth from The Goonies.
Beckett - my gameday is accurate
what’s up umpire!??! wth!?!?
not another pitiful ump… ugh
I’m trying to be as optimistic as possible….
…the umpire obviously disagrees.
That was a ball
omg this ump suckss
This ump is terrible!! That pitch was in the other batters box. Come on give Phil that zone!
These calls are brutal. Phil hasn’t gotten any of those.
I guess the umps want Seattle to stay in the wild card race.
That ball was in the other batting box!
Wow, Shelley just got jobbed on that last pitch.
jennifer - beckett in general is an ahole. he also had some choice words for joba when he threw over youkilis. but beckett = biggest jerk in mlb
crap
great AB shelly…man he looked overmatched
Can we create a petition to have the umpire removed?
Being optimistic here!
nate c. - overmatched by the ump?
i feel bad for that ump….u cant run or hide from shelly
Rebecca - where do i sign?
AH okay thanks Chicago. I thought I missed something else.
I having a feeling Joe or, Gator or someone will get thrown out.
Is it just me, or do the Yankees never score any early runs for Hughes?
did you see that laser from shelley???
good play by duncan!!
Boston Dave–After the game, should this continue, I’ll make the appropriate post on my blog, and you can sign
Shelley’s got a CRAZY arm.
Shelley looks like a deer in headlights.
So far, the story of the game is Larry Vanover, the home plate umpire.
To put it charitably, he’s awful. By my count, he has already missed 14 pitches.
Quite a lot for only two innings.
No idea what his strikezone is but, its certainly not logical.
Its a shame. Big series and MLB assigns one of its crapiest crews to work it. A crew, BTW, that already cost the Yankees a game this year against the Mariners with a blown call.
Boston Dave - Must be on my end then.
Jennifer - Check out this YouTube of the last game of the Sox series last week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzlcHGQAN_Q
At about 3:15, you can read Beckett’s lips very easily.
oh yeah!!! we touched you there ichi-boy
Rebecca, while I wouldnt mind seeing your blog… the ump better not continue with this crap.
nice throw Jorgy!!
It doesn’t help when the ump gives wasburn the zone that a truck can drive thru.
shut up ichrio. you were OUT!
DUDE! MOLINA! GUN!
Oh, that was GREAT!
i mean jose
What a throw!
Molina’s a beast.
WOW! Molina had Ichiro my a mile.
mike, lmoa
Beckett - is gameday still not working? it never seems to work for me during day games but its definitely alright now. maybe close and reopen.
It is payback. Man that is awesome. Jeter never touched him.
Another ump too lazy to get into position. But the throw did beat Ichiro by about 2 feet, despite DJ’s horrible tag.
SIT DOWN
Yeah, the home plate ump is BRUTAL
The Yanks offense is taking a holiday again.
6 - 2 mariners — My prediction for tonight.
His mother should wash his mouth out with drano. That was nasty!
At least the 2b umpire likes us! =D
Gerry Davis just made up for the call he blew on Bloomquist the last time these teams played at the Stadium.
Now the Mariners know how it feels to have a crappy umpire working a big series.
hey, Jeter’s tag was in the neighborhood and that was a fantastic throw from Molina. That call was just a reward for all the optimism pouring out of this board.
Yep, that is payback for the horrible strike call on shelley.
Too bad that blown call probably won’t be as important to the game as the one with Mike Blowers.
Its obviously early, but if Hughes can pitch like this the rest of the way (and it seems like this is the real Hughes)… look out.
Boston Dave - I got it working again, closed out Firefox and things are dandy. I do need to change my name though, I kind of feel dirty when people call me Beckett.
Wow…retro moment for me. I meant Bloomquist.
Wang on Sunday is brilliant…Hopefully this means Moose does NOT get another start as Clemens comes back for his spot on the 15th at Boston…..That series would line up to be Wang, Clemens, Hughes….I like THAT !…Oh…and the Yankees owe me 9 more runs…( I could care less if the Marooners score the 4 I predicted LOL )
I was never a boyscout, so somebody help me out-
is:
-. . –. .- - .. …- .. - -.– / .-. ..- .-.. . …
Morse code for Mariner troll?
See? Optimism works!
hopefully Phil really mixes it up today.. maybe even a slider here or there.. and an occasional changeup.. could have used a changeup in that AB with guillen
Ensuring CMW avoids TOR is a great move. Interesting that it now lines him up to pitch the last day of the season…if the yanks need that game who else would you want starting?
Beckett - yeah a change might be good. I dont even like thinking about that loser. i will not be pleased if he wins the cy young.
Phil has a nice moving fastball working, but if he can’t get another pitch over for a strike he is going to get in trouble. 0-2 on Beltre and couldn’t even throw one close enough to induce a chase swing, evn with the umps wide zone.
Wow that was out like a shot.
Hmmm 88 on that last pitch
55 pitches into the 3rd… i guess joba;s coming in for 2 tonight
see… changeup man.. we need these hitters to not be able to time his fastball.. come on Phil!!! You can do better!! POSITIVITY!!!
Ach, one mistake. It’s early. We’ll get over it. Anyway, per Don Vito’s prediction, Seattle’s gotta score four…
Jeter never risks getting his pants dirty on a defensive play.
ughhhhhhh
jeezus - ibanez?? krist
Way to go Phil. How about not throwing a 91 mph fastball right down the middle.
Hughes is looking sharp, i like what i see.
no big deal…. 9-4 Yankees…If you WILL IT, it will come !!!
FUkccc
Damn, well he was. this is still a good outing nonetheless.
definitely a mistake to throw that pitch down the middle but Hughes still looks good. The offense is due…
Come on we have to score on this bum!! LETS GO!!! Where is the squirrel?
So one mistake.
We’ll come back. The Yankees have seen that the HP Umpire can’t make a call to save his life, and they’ll adjust accordingly!
cmon phill bounce back
Damn HR’S… Welp, at least it was a 2 run shot and not a 3 run
Too early. No point is getting rattled. Washburn’s turn for damage.
that would have been nice a batter ago phil
Another rookie mistake by Hughes. You have Guillen 0-2, get too cute and throw curveballs instead of finishing him off, and he loses him.
He then throwing yet another BP fastball after falling behind 0-2 on Ibanez and he puts his team in a 2 run hole early again.
A lot of potential but, the more you see him, the more its clear he needs a full year of AAA baseball.
This kid has no business pitching right now but, they are stuck because they have nobody else.
Tough to watch and you hope his confidence dosen’t erode.
However, when you are 0-for your career at home, and make the same mistakes every single start, you aren’t ready for primetime.
Predictable Count + 2 Pitch Pitcher = Ibanez HR.
What is with Phil? He threw a 2 seam FB, slider(much more in 05) and change in the minors, not much mind you but he still featured them.
Fastball, Curve, Fastball, Curve, Fastball Curve.
That being said, he does look better than previous starts and that’s a plus.
any squirrel sightings?
Hughes looks good tonight, made a bad pitch to Ibanez, which he shouldn’t have had to do in the first place. Jeets should have gotten that grounder to get out of the inning. That was a gimme.
That is OK, kid….Yankees Bats’ will get you back BOTH of those runs RIGHT NOW !!!
58 pitches for innings…
back on the horse- time to get those runs back
Ibanez has 87 RBI’s an OPS of about .800. Definitely not a guy to make a mistake with.
SJ44 - one bad pitch. dont ruin the optimism in here!!!!
Doesn’t help that Hughes was 2-0 on Ibanez on two pitches that were arguably strikes.
Rebecca-
I like the optimism, but its not “one mistake”. The mistake is taht he can’t throw his curve or change for a strike and even with a lively fastball that is eventually going to happen. There were 6 mistakes in a row, all the 2 striek pitches to Beltre, and the 2 balls and meatball to Ibanez. And Seattle is not that good or patience, he only needs to be close to the zone with the offspeed stuff.
Hughes needs to get more efficient and stop painting corners. His pitch per inning is too high.
A year in AAA baseball would be a waste. He wouldn’t learn a single thing down there, he’d dominate the minors, come back up to the Majors and your back to square one.
It’s called a rookie pitcher going through growing pains. It happens, though it’s extremely magnified when your a rookie pitching for the Yankees in the middle of a pennant race.
OMG!! Sweetness!!
Yeah Jose!!
Mike T - he has thrown his curve and change for strikes tonight. his pitches are just off and not getting the close calls. he looks good.
and jose molina goes DEEEEEP!!!
JOOOOSSSEEEEE Jose Jose Jose JOOOSSSSEEEE JOOOOSSSEEEE Jose Jose Jose JOOOOOOOSEEEE
wow - i didn’t know molina had power???
Molina!
thats-a-ONE !!!
hhahah molina of all people todays mvp soo far
Nice! C’mon guys - - - Washburn has just about nothing, we really should be able to handle him!
Shelley Duncanstein is going to get that jack tonight that he was supposed to have last night.
WHOA! Molina goes yard! Woo-hooo!!!
Nieves misses that pitch by 2 feet and screws himself into the dirt of the batters box… LOL
Yank - Just look at Molina’s size… of course he got power!
c’mon damon - work the guy… work your magic
Hip-hip…Jo-se…..no? Ah, c’mon
dammit
I’m with Rebecca and Wolf - Duncan is going deep tonight.
I am coming around to Sj’s line of thinking on Hughes. As much as we want him to be ready to contribute he isn’t. Even with Joba’s fastball, he can’t cut it as a starter in a big league pennant race with no confidence in a 2nd picth. He was supposed to have 2 others.
The only reason he doesn’t look even worse is we are benchmarking him against the Mussina/Karstens/Igawa standard of getting blown out in 3 innings. But we aren’t going to win many games against playoff caliber teams where Phil walks a guy every other inning and gives up 2 bombs in 5 innings. That is a recipe for lots of crooked numbers.
once again, melky cannot take a pitch…
If Jose Molina goes yard we should win the game. Betemit needs to log some long hours with Donnie and Kevin Long. So much potential and so little reward.Come Phil Baby!!
I am positive that WHEN this team starts NOT SWINGING on first pitches ( like NEXT INNING ) that we ALL will be in better moods…..POSITIVE…POSITIVE…POSITIVE…
The Yanks can’t get down by 3 or more runs. Once that happends, game over.
The Chi Sox is up 1-0 on the Tigers…
we were soo positive yesterday what happened?
PETER
HOW DO YOU CONSTANTLY STICK UP FOR DAMON? HE IS SO SHOT.
HOW MANY GAMES HAS HE LED OFF WITH A WEAK POP UP IN OR BARELY OUT OF THE INFIELD?? THE YANKS GOT RIPPED BAD.
A LEAD OFF BATTER WITH SUCH A LOW ON BASE IS A JOKE.
HE TAKES HALF ASSED SWINGS.
JUST TIRED OF HIS ACT. HE IS HARD TO TAKE IN INTERVIEWS, HE SOUNDS LIKE HE IS VERY SLOW.
SURE HE WILL GO 4 FOR 5 THEN THE NEXT 4 GAMES HE WILL BE LUCKY TO GET 3 HITS.
Unfortunately, I think the reason why it’s hard to sit Damon is that Melky’s not yet a viable leadoff option for just that reason: he really doesn’t work the count. And we really don’t have anyone else.
for anyone who thinks the viz was not unnecessarily overused by torre, he has pitched in 8 games since july 25th where the yankees were ahead or behind by 5 or more runs:
7/25 - ahead 6
8/1 - ahead 6
8/3 - ahead 5
8/4 - ahead 9
8/11 - ahead 8
8/14 - down 12
8/21 - down 13
9/4 - ahead 10
Mike T - what would you do then? send him to AAA and start DeSalvo? Hughes has good stuff but definitely will have to learn and make some mistakes on the job. He clearly wasn’t the same when he got back from the DL so it’s not unreasonable to think he’s going to get better the rest of the way. You are acting like he’s expected to be a dominant #1 right now.
Boston Dave-
Are you watching the same game? Phils thrown 35 strikes and 25 balls. That ratio is not going to cut it. And I’ll bet that most of the strikes are the old number 1.
giving the run back, right Phil?
pete’s comments on wang starting on Saturday doesnt make sense to me… If Wang cannot fare well against Tornoto, do the yanks think hughes, kennedy and mussina are going to do any better?? Yanks can win a game by letting cano pitch for 3 innings against KC.. Only reasoning could be that they dont want him to start on the turf.. not because he is 0-2 against them…
Are you kidding me global? This kid NEEDS AAA. He can’t throw strike one, can’t minimize damage and, frankly can’t win games here right now.
That’s what AAA is for…..to learn all the things we see he can’t do right now.
The more you watch him, the more its clear, he is overmatched here.
We all want to see him do well but, 9 starts and he hasn’t been good in 7 of them.
He’s not getting better getting beat in the majors. He needs more minor league innings. Hopefully, the Yankees feel the same way because they aren’t doing this kid any favors keeping him in the rotation when he isn’t ready to be a contributor.
Hey Pete
A few weeks ago you had mis-typed Pettitte in at 1B when you posted the lineups. Of course we all busted your stones a little for that one. But with Phillips out and Eye Chart not back yet, do you think that could become an option instead of the Giambi experiment? What would base runners do to protect against his pickoff move then? Spoon the base?
C’mon, stay positive! There’s one out! Have to get one before two or three…
The reason people benchmark Hughes against Moose, Karstens and Igawa is that those are the other options. Unless Ron Guidry wants to make a comeback any other way of looking at it might be interesting, but not informative.
Hughes will hopefully learn and get better under the high pressure of a play-off race. Not ideal, but necessary given where we are now. Hopefully he gets more arm strength as he seems more recovered from his injuries of the mid-season.
HUGE Strikeout!
One more out Phil! C’mon, you can do it!
the amount of K’s from Hughes is very satisfying that there is something there that we were constantly told about…
Good K - just get Betancourt out so we don’t see Ichiro in this inning…
Hughes could definitely have used more Triple A. Before his rehab, he’d only had several starts there. And bear in mind, he was drafted out of high school, so he wasn’t as far along when drafted as Kennedy or Chamberlain.
SJ44 and Mike T - thankfully the Yankees disagree with you. To no surprise, as usual, you don’t have an alternative. It’s just negative post after negative post.
Boston Dave - Yep, looks like a nice Gehrig tribute name is in order. Also Wang should have a shot at the Cy, if he hadn’t been hurt earlier in the year he could be at 20 by now.
Is that minimizing the damage!
WHOO! Yah Phil!
Okay, c’mon Yankees! You can do it! THE POWER OF SQUIRREL COMPELS YOU!
Who else is there to take Hughes’s slot in the rotation? There don’t seem to be any better options right now. Hughes is having his growing pains, and it seems the team has to live with it.
Boston Dave-
I’d keep running him out there, but wish we didn’t have too.
I was an advocate of bringing him up this year, even while Pete Abe was whining that he only got hurt because he was in the bigs.
But at this point I do fear that his long term development is at risk, which would be a shame because I see lots of talent and tenacity there. And we haven’t had that from one of our owns since Pettitte and Rivera.
blackaccord,
I think the key to pete’s comment was in giving Wanger an extra start at the end of the month. Also, why not set him up to win by avoid a historically problematic team. He’s a ground ball pitcher and the rug up in Toronto doesn’t slow it down and give the fielder that extra .5 of a second to make a play.
Attaboy Hughsie, good way to salvage the inning.
Exactly done as ordered… but Phil’s at 71 pitches…
70 pitches after 4… he’s still dabbling. 17.5 pitches per inning won’t get you very far… He needs to find a way to get more efficient with his pitches.
I think he just minimized damage and threw strikes.
He’s green but he is going to be here for the stretch run. Accept it, Embrace it, Love it!
He did a better job working out of trouble this inning.
But, let’s be honest, he’s here because they have nobody else, not because he is “ready”.
He lost a season this year with the injuries and the lack of innings really show.
There are fundamental problems with the way he pitches. Namely, he can’t throw first pitch strikes too often.
Its not a coincidence Dave Eiland is here working with him.
Unfortunately, he has the white hot glare of a pennant race to deal with, as well as learning how to pitch at the big league level.
Its why, IMO, if the Yankees are smart, regardless of how he does in the spring, he has to spend more time in AAA.
If not a full season, at least half a season. He needs a lot of work.
Does anyone else think Phil Hughes is capable of being a *great* October Relief Pitcher this season?
With only 2 good pitches, I think that role would fit him well. Would mask his undeveloped pitching arsenal which he can fine tune next year.
If Phillip can get a quality start(TM) out of this, I’d be happy.
Michael T - I am not worried about his long term development. He was dominating AAA and seemed to have great command. I think SJ is right in wondering where the control went and where his confidence went in his other pitches. However, I don’t think it was a complete miss by all the scouts in baseball that this kid is good. He may need to learn by his mistakes but unless NY has a better alternative, he belongs in the big leagues. He has the stuff to succeed for sure.
C’mon A-Rod! Let’s go Yankees! Let’s get us some runs!
Boston Dave - Looks like it’s time for a nice Gehrig tribute name.
And yeah I agree, I don’t want to see him win it, I want to see Wang finally get one. I think Wang has a shot, especially if he can be the shut down ace he’s been and keep a hot streak going into the end of the month. If he hadn’t been hurt earlier in the season he might be at 20 by now.
Before we ship Phil back to AAA, can we let him finish this start and see how it turns out?
Tonight, Phil has the best fastball he’s shown since his return from the DL, and we should be happy with the improvement. His command is not there yet, but it will come eventually. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone to replace him, so we have no choice but to watch him learn on the job.
I agree Hughes could have used more AAA ball, especially after his rehab. But IMO all the other options are worse for the stretch run than a green Hughes. As long as his arm isn’t jeapordized, he fills the gap as well as whatever else is available and he has the potential to go on a little hot streak. He’s not doing it yet, but ..
Anyways, as long as there are no better alternatives and no injuries come from it, the experience could make him better a couple years down the line.
Does anyone else think Phil Hughes is capable of being a great October Relief Pitcher this season?
Yeah, if Kennedy or Mussina can step up and be that 4th starter Hughes and Chamberlain would be a good combination.
is anyone watching the game? Is arod’s swing altered because of his sore ankle? Can anyone tell?
darn.. my sister want to watch the US Open.. keep me up to speed peeps! positivity!!
C’mon Robbie - one bomb please…
all u guys knocken hughes, dont kno what ur talking about……sj, u realy think ur sooo smart and better then every one, but time after time u make these asinine statements that hold no water…when hughes starts pithing good u will be the first to jump on his ban wagon…lets just enjoy this game and stay positive and sj and all u other “educated” idiots shut the F up…
once again, the yankees are stifled by a crappy pitcher
How hard is Phil throwing tonight?
Power of the squirrel … Rebeccca you SLAY me.
Right, Yankees Offense, C’mon! You can do it! You can score more than one run!
This inning wasn’t for you, but you know you’ve got it in you! You can do it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2mxUFZZXQ0 totally crazy fight at a philly game.
SJ44,
I agree with half your comments. Hughes is here out of necessity not luxury. However, sending him down next year is absurd. The training is on-the-job from this point forward. We all have to live with the ebbs to get to the eventual flows. Hughes has it and will develop. Fact of the matter is that both he and Joba are here to stay in one role or another. Kennedy and the others (will we ever see TClip, Chase Wright, Matt deSalvo ever again?) are TBD.
fastball tops out at around 91 -
curve hit’s the low 70’s.
slider in the high 80’s
Can we start bemoaning the gazillion dollar offense that isn’t producing rather than the 21 year-old rookie who is battling out there?
donde está Jorge ??
SJ44,
How do you know Hughes needs a full year at AAA? Some time, maybe. Eventually though, sometimes the best way for a pitcher to learn is getting knocked around a bit in the Majors. I know he hasn’t had many AAA starts but when there he looked great. Maybe the way for him to learn is struggling here in the bronx.
The way I see it is his control isn’t accurate right now and his stuff isn’t 100%.
Most of his games, the opponents aren’t hitting Hughes much. His flaws are that he walks too many and has a penchant for giving up home runs. One walk and one blast makes it 2-0. We’ve seen this consistently for most of his recent starts except last Friday when he did get shelled.
Hughes has to learn better control and find a way to minimize the long ball. I’m not sure he can do that against the mediocrity that is AAA. Just watching him pitch you see the potential is there.
the yanks always seem to have a hard time with washburn