Game 150: Orioles at Yankees
-
- September
- 17
Here is the lineup:
YANKEES
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Posada C
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Mientkiewicz 1B
Hughes RHP (3-3, 4.91)
Pregame chatter: Yanks are facing RHP Daniel Cabrera (9-16, 5.37). …
Check out the blog WFAN’s Sweeny Murti did on his weekend in Boston. For a radio guy, that Murti can write. The benefits of a Penn State education, I guess.
UPDATE, 7:14 p.m.: The Yankees are 1-4 in games following a series against the Red Sox. The Red Sox are 1-4 in those games as well. The Yankees have been outscored 36-29 in those five games, the Red Sox have been outscored 32-29.
That should tell you something about the emotion the teams put into the games each other. Meanwhile, I’m listening to the radio and John and Suzyn seem personally offended that Phil Hughes gave up two runs. “And there’s not an out in the Baltimore lineup!” Sterling said. Well, there must me an out or two someplace. They’re 64-84
I’m giving baseball a break tonight and going for a walk with my iPod then to a movie. Enjoy the game.
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on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 4:58 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Hope we see Bad Daniel today. Ejected in the Boston game, no suspension?
He was suspeneded 6 games if I recall.
Ever wonder how the Yankees get so much young talent? Here’s how they do it, and how the Red Sox counter.
http://octobersox.blogspot.com/
Okay guys:
Don’t worry, I’ve seen squirrels today!
Anyway:
We need to pick a player to rag on!
Seriously. It worked with Giambi, Matsui and the Mient Man…
Very nice.
He is appealing a 6 game suspension. That’s why he is available tonight.
Tonight is the night the bats need to come alive again. Except for two 8th innings (Friday and last night), the bats were quiet all last week.
The way you beat the bad teams is to pound them and pound them early.
At this stage of the year, you get an early 4-5 run lead against teams that have nothing to play for, they go quietly into the night.
The Yankees inability to beat the Orioles this season is what’s keeping them out of first place. Time to change the karma and tonight is the perfect time to do it.
Thanks, all.
It seems that Damon throw harder in left than in center. Is that an optical illusion or what?
re-sign doug m. for next year. His glove is still great for a late inning defensive replacement. Who knows how Phillips wrist turns out.
I mentioned this a couple days ago and after watching this series I have to mention it again. Lowell at first next year? The guy kills us everytime we play them. He is probably the m.v.p. for boston this year. Besides supposidly being a good clubhouse guy.
Good lineup for tonight. The glove of Mientkiewicz came up big yesterday and he could surprise with a couple of key hits against the O’s.
look alikes
elsbury=beltron
I’m leaving for the game soon. I’ll say hello to the squirrel!
SOS,
Lowell’s having a great contract year. He’s already said that the Yankees are near the top of his list.
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1031666
And as a bonus, there’s a picture of Papelbon that sort of reminds you of Shill.
Is Farnsworth available.. Has not pitched in 7 starts and the pen seems weak with no Chamberlain?
Man I hate Lowell… I can’t stand him and Youkilis, I hope I never see any of those guys on pinstripes…
Why isn’t Melky playing?? Hurt or benched (day off) because he looks like he’s lunging at every pitch? Let’s hope Matsui gets on a roll after his day off.
Come on, Franchise!!!
mel,
Thats a great picture of puckerbon,but the bent over schill after the homerun shot yesterday trumps that.
Lowell’s o.k., but he sure seems stiff over there in Boston. He looks so sad all the time and much older than his 33 years. Maybe he’s still a Yankee at heart because he’s very reserved.
If Alex opts out, Lowell may become a very rich man. Boston might go through the roof to keep the Yankees from snatching him up. That seems to be their m.o. nowadays ala Matsuzaka and Gagne.
If Alex hits the market, will he look to be playing 3B or SS?
And yes to whoever asked, Ellsbury does look like a very young Beltran. As soon as I thought that he looked Hispanic the announcers said he was Navajo. He’ll probably be their Jeter in the future. Scrappy Doo’s (Pedroia) alright but he doesn’t have that aura and he looks so eager.
Mike Lowell is a good guy and a damn good ballplayer. That said, picking up somebody from the RS is never a good idea, especially when he is going to want BIG money based on this year’s stats. Let the RS re-sign Lowell for the BIG $$ and hope his stats fall back to where an aging veteran stats are.(see Varitek)
LOL if Lowell won’t be third base for us. Because AROD is staying. (unless they move the banged up Jeter away from SS, and Arod back to his old place, then that’s a different thing)
Melky needs a day off anyway. Hopefully JT tells him he is benched tonight for sliding into first.
Guys! C’mon! We need to rag on someone!
Rebecca – I missed something – what’s the “ragging on someone” thing and how does that mesh with optimism??
Sweeney usually does have something interesting to say—whether you agree with him or not.
He’s a Big Ten rival for me because I graduated from Purdue.
Sherri: The past few games we’ve done the following:
Against Toronto, we ragged on Giambi pregame, and Giambi had a grand slam.
Next night we ragged on Matsui, and he had a 2 run single.
Last night we ragged on Mient, and his defense saved the game.
Guiseppe,
I thought you graduated from the Hollywood School of Cosmetology?
Ethan Foxx they get young talent by drafting better in recent drafts and making wiser international fa signings.
Minky was great last night!
Matsui might still need a little ragging…
Do pitchers count? If we rag on Hughes, maybe he can do a job on the O’s!
Well, I don’t think Hughes needs it…
Matsui it is!
“Last night we ragged on Mient, and his defense saved the game.”
There were a lot of heroes last night. In my opinion Minky was the MVP of that game. Without his scintillating defense, the game gets out of hand early and Clemens gem becomes rubble, and Chamberlain and Rivera never get into the game.
This is why I have been so adamant about defense. Philips or Minky need to start at first. With Giambi there, we lose one of the biggest games of the year without question. You simply do not sacrifice defense for a big hitter. If you have two equally competent players at first, than sure take the hitter. The Sabremetric nazis will never be able to account for this kind of play in their dizzying maze of statistics.
Hopefully last night was enough to convince Torre of how defense at first is so much more important than anything on offense. Then again Igawa was warming late tied at one.
BJ
Becca-
Melky and Matsui deserve our ragging the most. Here are their Sept. BA/OBP/SLG:
Melky .190/.242/.241
Matsui .125/.308/.200
That is brutal, and Melky’s season line is down to .336/.408/.744. Those numbers would be barely acceptable, IF he played gold golce caliber centerfield defense. And I have seen no evidence in statistical results or by viewing to support the notion that he does. Not to mention, he simply LOOKS terrible lately.
What more can I say about Matsui but that the Yanks simply need him to get in going by the post season.
I fear “ragging” on those two will be lost. So how about this: “What have you done for us lately, ARod”! A weak overall series in Boston and an ugly line of .125/.308/.125 over the past week. With only one RBI and nary an extra base hit since you dominated in KC.
Sure you can hit the weak Central teams, but to become a True Yankee™ you need to get it done against the AL East! In September.
BJ:
The very very very first thing I was ever taught about baseball was courtesy of my older brother: A good defense will ALWAYS beat a good offense.
I agree. Giambi should never be used as anything but a DH and late game post hitter. That is where is value is at its highest.
pinch hitter
Micheal T:
Well, A-Rod is WAY WAY WAY overdue to hit one out.
Melky’s slump I think has been overshadowed because of his defensive play, because Matsui and Giambi were slumping and because while Matsui hits behind A-Rod, Melky hits 9th.
As I said before, I don’t like Damon in CF, but Melky needs the day off.
It’s getting tiring seeing that false science “sliding headfirst doesn’t get you there any faster” and intellectually-challenged “otherwise olympic runners would do it” stupidity passed around as truth on every blog. For the nth time, olympic runners don’t do it because…well, sliding on rubberized latex probably will break something, esp with 9 others huge, muscular guys running at over 20mph right behind you. DUH. Nothing to do with getting there faster/slower.
Now if they want to get on Melky for sliding feet first, that’s fine, yes that indeed slows you down
Meanwhile, sliding head first (and executing it well) indeed gets you there faster, at some expense of injury risk.
What Melky did the other night was stupid, not because he slid, but because he slid feet first.
We do not need Melky to be red hot to win in the postseason, but we do need him to be productive at the plate. Need to get him going again in the next 2 weeks.
That seasonline for Mleky is OBP/SLG/OPS
Minky or Phillips at first – agreed!!!
Sweeney is a fellow PSU alum?
roar, lions, roar.
Mike S.
Class of 1983
AD:
Maybe Melky isn’t playing because his average, near .300 not long ago, is now .282. Hopefully a day off helps. With his speed, he really should try a drag bunt sometime….and no sliding into first when he does it!
This amused me:
“Boston Red Sox
Coco Crisp: He didn’t really used the “P” word after Friday night’s loss to the Yankees, did he? Even as a negative. He said, “It’s not the time to panic.” It wasn’t the time to drop that word into a conversation.”
LET’S GO YANKEES!
Yeah, that is great writing from Murti. Are f’en kidding me. Kiss ass much, Pete?
“What Melky did the other night was stupid, not because he slid, but because he slid feet first.”
i’m saying asking this totally to cause trouble. if running through a base is faster on offense, then why did mientkiewicz dive for the bag last night and tag it with his glove? was that stupid? should he have ran through the base tagging it with his foot. he does get his side of the base so he could have done that.
i think maybe it’s faster to dive for the bag on defense ,but not on offense. just kidding.
...and then clemens slid feet first into first to make an out. there sure is a whole lot of diving and sliding going on at first base. just saying.
skinny mike and bj,
agreed, defense wins championships. We have enough hitters to score some runs. Look at the 2001 team. They were possibly one of the worse hitting teams we had and were one inning away from being crowned.
Giambi pinch hitter. If Sierra,Strawberry,Fielder could do it and accept it why wouldnt he.
Time to grind out some wins. Playoffs are not blowouts. Its more of the tight scoring games, pitchers battling and timely hitting that get you over.
GAME TIME NOTES
· Dice-L next start has been pushed to Saturday, giving him 7-days off.
· Bostons arrived in Toronto at 4:00 AM
· Sox are complaining about the Toronto’s “cold” 60° weather
· Best reaction to ShelleyGate by Matt Schweber: Sometimes, it’s necessary to express the truth, no matter how vulgar, unseemly, or even obscene it may appear. I commend Shelley Duncan for the courage of his conviction and the valor to convey the truth.”
· In a classy move, 36,533 fans at Fenway chanted “yankees suck” after Cano went deep.
· Boston Hearld says the Soxs are in a “dumpster of denial”
· Bernie Williams will be performing with Jose Feliciano at the Utopia Paradise Theater this Saturday night
I looked it up. Melky is 1 for his last 31.
Yanks seem to have a trend of let downs after many of their exhausting Boston series. Last time was Tampa … remember that disaster of a series?
Daniel Cabrera is only 9-16. He’s big and can throw hard, but he’s erratic & inconsistent, and occasionally he’s shown really good stuff. I saw NY face him at the stadium on a night when NY could only muster a weak hit or two against him.
After this Boston series NY better not be complacent or take for granted they’ll beat him just because he’s 9-16 and playing for Baltimore. If NY goes in with that frame of mind instead of going out and playing good ball, Cabrera could pitch well enough to capitalize.
randy L:
It’s not a dumb question, there are actually some physics behind slinding (in theory). See the wiki link below. To me, the issu is that it makes sense for a fielder to dive because: a) you have to catch the ball with your mitt, not your foot, and b) if you are diving to the bag (Like minky di last night), they aren’t usually runnign full speed and it is much easier to “time” the dive correctly so that you land exactly on the bag. If Melky could do this running to first, he might get there a little faster ,, putting aside injury risk. But he can’t, and you can verify this by watching his slides/dives where he wither takles 3 stutter steps to slow down, or hits the dirt 5 feet in front of th bag and slows donw quickly.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_sliding_into_a_base_make_you_reach_base_faster
1 for last 27. Sorry. Still….
Lowell ? For the right $$$ and a sincere desire to play in the Bronx opposed to silly Boston, I’d consider him for a 2-year deal with A-Rod moving to SS and Captain Jetes prolonging his career by shifting to 1st base. It could be a good move for all concerned but that’s for offseason discussion.
Dr. A—60 as cold?!
I would think Boston has thicker skin than that! Heck, when it’s 60 in Syracuse it’s time to break out the bikini!
...Okay, maybe not right now, but in April when we’ve got that first warm day after MONTHS of 10 F weather…
There is only one reason to dive or slide into first base: to prevent a collision. The batter has the right of way and should always run through the bag unless he is going to be tagged while the 1B is away from the bag and the runner is trying to avoid the tag.
The reason defenders dive is because they cannot overrun the base for fear of colliding with the runner. The runner has the right to the bag and the line through the bag. The reason Rocket and Minky dove was to be able to take a direct route to the bag and to not run through it and get nailed by the runner.
Okay…
sliding into first no matter the slide does in fact slow you down. You begin decelerating the moment you leave the ground so running hard all the way through the bag is your best bet.
Sliding into second/third is quicker because the impact with the ground decelerates you faster and more adequately than running standing in. By lowering your center mass it is MUCH less likely your inertia will carry you off the bag as it would if you tried to come to a halt standing up. This is also ignoring the obvious notion of becoming a harder target to tag…
Olympic runners don’t dive because they are afraid of getting hurt…If they had to stop exactly on the line at the end of the race I garuntee you they’d all be diving at the end….
woops…i meant “olympic runners don’t dive NOT because they are afraid of getting hurt”
Putting Jeter at first is a good idea,but I dont think hes ready to hang em up at short yet. I expect him to come out next year and play gold glove caliber defense, being the proud competitor that he is.
A-rod is to big now to play short. I think he is comfortable playing third(from what iv heard).
If Jeter were to go to first than there would be no use for Lowell unless we lost A-rod to free agency.
Again, if all stays the same for next year. I would enjoy watching Lowell play first base in a Yankee uniform. GOOD GLOVE,BAT AND ATTITUDE.
Regarding whether a head-first plunge to first base gets you to your destination faster than running through, it does.
So why don’t Olympic sprinters do it? Because they’d tear half their bare skin off every time when they land, and probably get injured with a variety of other performance-hindering bumps and bruises too. Often, they’re racing in qualifying heats and need to run again (usually needing to go even faster) soon after a race. If they’re running multiple events they may have to rave a qualifying heat the same day or the day after a final.
It’s actually better for their bodies to gradually decelerate after a race rather than stopping abruptly in any way, which is why you often see them coasting 40-50 meters into the turn after finish line of a 100m race.
So, they could steal an occasional race but they don’t do it because they can get injured. Same applies to baseball players. Baseball players are at less risk of injury because they dive onto dirt rather than a track, they’re wearing thicker & more skin-covering clothes than lightweight lycra shorts, many are wearing gloves, some are wearing pads, and they’re all wearing jock cups. Yes, that cup DOES make a difference in diving if you’ve ever tried it with or without.
that’s not cold, but I don’t like it when temperatures drop so quickly – four weeks ago it was a nice 80 degrees.
I dont know if this question has been asked but if you slide head first,would that get you their quicker. I saw Ricky Henderson and Vince Coleman do it with the notion that it did. Not sure.
Sorry,
Ranting guy you answered my question.
Need to refresh more often.
SOS – it does get you there quicker if you don’t dive too early or too late.
I like Damon in CF, Melky has been abysmal with the bat.
With Doug M at 1B, it’s a good balance between hitting and defense.
This lineup and Matsui DH/Damon LF/Melky CF/Giambi 1B look to be our Playoff lineups. Sort of a 1A and 1B, depending on who you play and who is pitching. If we are matched up against the Angels, then you will probably be seeing Alphabet Soup at 1B for the majority which is the right thing to do.
SOS27-
I like defense as much as the next guy, but it really isn’t as simple as “defense wins championships”. What wins championships is consistently scoring more runs than your opponents. Usually, but not always, this is a combination of good pitching and hitting, with defense and potentially speed on top of that. But pitching is much more important in preventing runs than defense. 2001 was a great example of balance by the Yankees, 3rd in league ERA and 5th in runs scored. I don’t have any team defense stats handy, but really doubt that was an above average defensive team with Jeter at SS, Sori at 2B, Bernie in CF and Kobby in left.
For fun, here are how the Yankees in the last run “did” or didn’t do it it. ERA Rank/Runs Scored Rank:
1995: 7th ERA/6th RS
1996: 2/9
1997: 2/2
1998: 1/1
1999: 2/3
2000: 6/6
2001: 3/5
2002: 4/1
2003: 3/3
2004: 6/2
2005: 9/2
2006: 6/1
Of the “Ring: teams, we had 1 that was a result of great pitching and timely hitting in the post season with a medicore offense (1996), 1 that was simply dominant in all facets of the game (1998), one thas was great and well-balanced between pitching and hitting (1999) and one that was simply lucky/intangibles/”knows how to win” (2000).
Of the teams that didnt win, the 1997 club was claerly the best but just had bad innopportune luck in the short series, with an untimely gopher ball by Mo. The 2003 club also had good enough pitching and hitting but ran into som hot young arms.
Since 2003, they simply haven’t had pitching good enough to win series in the post season as the elite teams cool off the great offense.
Sos … Me too sorry
And i know the decelerationg from the .002 seconds you’re in the air is nothing major…but I’d have to see video evidence of being able to bend and explode off your legs with a perfect dive (avoid ground friction) while mainting constant velocity…to me I don’t see that happening.
There are way to many variables in this to come to a definite conclusion sitting at a chair. Live testing is needed for this to really be settled. Mythbusters did it if I’m correct and found out that you are slower sliding…
I was thinking about Lowell as a possible 1st baseman. And we would fit our need for a right-handed bat.
Yes, my son always gets very frustrated with me when he comes at me with, “Do you know why the other team won??” And I always say, “Yes, they scored more points.”
Please allow me to give you some empirical (sp?) evidence:
I coach high school baseball and every once in awhile, one of the kids pulls a Melky. To stop them of the bad habit, I have him run three times sliding into first base…then have him sprint through first base three times. I time all of their runs. I always have them do the slide runs first while they are fresher. Guess what always happens?
That’s right…running through the bag always gets you to the bag faster.
Having said that, I think it takes a balance of offense and defense. You can’t win without having the most points, and you can’t have the most points without having good defense (usually).
By the way, big props for Roger Clemens last night, what a performance by the old timer.
I wonder if Michael Johnson could run as fast in sweats, batting gloves and a jock cup, would the world record for 200m be less than 19 seconds instead of 19.32?
Yes, Roger really impressed last night. Thankfully, more so than 38complaints.com impressed.
Yes, the ROCKET was TOUGH ALL DAY!! Did you hear the announcers saying that Joba has been hanging out with him, and has told Rocket when he does certain things, “You’re doing it this way, but you told me to do it this way…” and Rocket told Joba to “do what I say, not what I do.”
If you have the most points, you’ll never win. If you have the most runs, you’ll always win.
Michael T,
Great stats. But doesnt great pitching and great defense go hand in hand. Perfect example, yesterdays game Doug saved a couple of runs for Clemens. So it will show Clemens pitching a shutout but in reality if it was any other first baseman their,it would have hiked up his e.r.a.
Phil – point taken!
One last thing, I’m hoping we don’t face a typical post Red Sox Series let down here at Game 1 against the Orioles.
That would be disappointing.
I ran track for 7 years (many moons ago) and in track you learn that a well-timed lean (or lunge if you’re either desparate or dramatic) will get you there sooner, and an I’ll-timed lean/lunge will not.
Same goes for a dive which is not worth it because it’s just asking for an injury anyways. If you don’t time it right you won’t get there sooner. You could, but unless you’ve practice it once in a while, you probably won’t.
Dr. A—Eh, when you’re sitting in an attic apartment and it’s 95 F outside and you have no air conditioning, 60 F looks pretty damned good!
Sherri,
That’s great to hear. “Do as I say, not as I do” is the the Golden Rule of Parenting.
Mel – don’t I know it! I think that what Clemens brings to the clubhouse with the younger guys is of immeasurable worth.
It would be nice to give some of the old timers some needed rest before October if we can clinch the wild card with still some season left. I am really hoping there’s nothing terribly wrong with Mr. Clutch that might linger, although this past series he said otherwise.
Okay. It’s official, Steve Phillips is nutz.
He just said, the “red sox got to Jaba Chamberlain, the same way the Yankees got to the Red Sox bull pen.”
Yeah, it was a mirror image.
Who’s pitching Wednesday? I’m leaving work early to go to that one.
It’s nearly GAME TIME! WHOOO!
LET’S GO YANKEES!
Rebecca-
where digya live during the summer?
I just wonder if that dummy Phillips has learned how to pronounce “Joba.” For weeks he was calling him “Jobber.”
Rebecca – S.U.?
Olympic runners don’t dive because they win with their chest, not the whether they touch the base or not = =||
Fortunately, I have DirecTv and can switch between Yanks/O’s and Red Sox/Jays.
That also means I get to choose between “McNuggets, McNuggets, yeah…” and “Guiseppe Franco….”.
Doesn’t Michael Kay need another day off?
It’s going to be a long night…
Obviously, when someone shrugs and then proceeds to get the next person out, that means “getting to.”
I’m no genius, but I’m pretty sure that 6 runs/2 pitchers before the 1st out was recorded is not equal to a solo homerun with 2 outs.
Kay looks sharp! And he makes Girardi look like a shrimp.
Dr. A—I was in London last spring, and spent the summer mostly in New Jersey.
Ranting Guy—Syracuse University, the one and only!
The game hasn’t even started yet and you are complaining about the announcers
Ach, c’mon Phil, you can do this! Have faith!
LET’S GO YANKEES!
ya know, there’s alotta Scotter in Jerry Remy.
Maybe we can sign him, too!
Me too. 80’s. School of Architorture. Flint. Day. Lancaster. Red House. Is the Varsity still there? “Rebecca … youuuurrrrrr wings are ready”
GO YANKEES!!!!
Not complaining, call it anticipating.
Optimistically speaking, the Orioles are as welcome as a toothache.
Ranting Guy: YESSSS
I’m A+S /Maxwell, cos I’m a history major which is an A+S major, but taught by Maxwell faculty. Architecture? Man, I hear that’s tough.
I was in Haven two years (yes, the toilet bowl), I lived on Lancaster last fall and I’m on Ackerman this year, off campus is the best!
Though it’s true: BB has the best dining hall on campus!
SOS&-
Pitching and defense are definitely “partners” in keeping runs off the board. But, I would argue that dominant opitching (i.e. no walks and lots of Ks) can cover up for poor defense. But: lots of balls in play coupled with poor range up the middle like the 04-06 vintage Yanks is not a recipe for success.
C’mon Phil! You can do this! Get the first inning jitters out of your system!
If anyone has demons, NOW is the time to excise them!
arent these games a let down after coming off of those 3 games at fenway. this seems like the ‘03 world series
Anyone notice, Singleton is fired-up.
Momentum Only Lasts Until the Next Game’s Starter™
doctor, i think i have a markakis
arent these games a let down after coming off of those 3 games at fenway.
Nah, I’m using mood stablizers.
cmon phil, tear this down and hit your stride.
Oh.
Okay, c’mon Yankees, let’s do this, let’s you know, actually get batters out?
You can do this!
Damn I’ve seen better start to games than this one…
markakis!
Nick Markakis is less welcome than a broken toe. Come on Phil!
God, more of the same from Phil. This guy is pretty terrible early in the game.
Way to inject life into a team that is playing awful baseball, as bad as anyone in the league.
Varsity was the ONLY dining hall after dorm life Rebecca. Well there were a few worthy joints I guess. The V probably has the same guy calling your name when you’re food’s ready. Pear-shaped guy, glasses, 6 ft tall, might be about 50 now. Sound familiar?
Hughes is pitching for the second time after a big series against Boston. Tampa the first time now Baltimore.
the problem with hughes is that he doesnt have an effective out pitch yet
hitters are just way to comfortable hitting with 2 strikes
Kei Igawa, anybody?
“I time all of their runs. I always have them do the slide runs first while they are fresher. Guess what always happens?”|
ah, but phil, you the tester has already made up your mind. if you are clicking the stopwatch, you are hardly impartial. not exactly a scientific test.
maybe some people are better at diving than others. according to some theories a dive to the base that is all in the air so there is no friction slowing things down is the fastest. a dive would be an athletic move and someone like ricky henderson might have it down where a david ortiz might have a little problem with diving.
Ranting Guy: I think so…I don’t go down to M street often though.
Phil hughes is not the guy we want on the mound when this team struggles after Boston series. Could be a long 3 hours
They have played like garbage all year against the Orioles.
Its hard to explain but, it comes down to pitching. The Orioles own Yankees pitching. Its not going to change now so they better bring the lumber the next 3 days.
Hughes again showing why he’s not yet ready for primetime. Simply can’t throw enough quality strikes to be a consistent pitcher at the ML level at this time.
Toronto up 2- zip in the first.
Let’s go Offense!!
why doesnt millar just go away, far away with mike greenwall and ellis burks?
Good news: Toronto up on Boston 2-0.
Cleveland’s scoreless, but got a runner on third.
Hughes will settle down
Could he please throw something other then a curve and fastball?
this has the feel of a 4+ hour long slugfest
Randy – I have the captain of the team and my first base coach time them. Don’t make assumptions. Running through the base always gets the faster time.
I’d rather see the Indians win today than the Blue Jays. Of course, I’d just prefer if the Yankees won but…
Jax, he threw one changeup to Millar, the fourth pitch of the AB. He really needs that pitch to be effective.
He just threw two in a row to Huff.
Okay, no worries.
Yeah, we’re down two runs, but the Yanks haven’t even come to bat yet and you know the bats are WAY DUE for a big inning!
Have faith guys, we can do this!
TWENTY SEVEN IN OH-SEVEN!
LET’S GO YANKEES!
These 30+ pitch first innings are getting a little old. By the time Phil gets it going, he is gassed in the 5th inning.
Dmitri may be onto something. We’ll probably see Igawa at some point tonight.
just tuned in, bad inning but at least Hughes limited the damage. Let’s just pray Bad Daniel Cabrera shows up tonight!
i can live with 2 runs. maybe…
Good job by Hughes to strand the runner at third. Let’s go Bronx Bombers!
34 pitch first inning against a dead team. Pure garbage.
This kid has a long way to go before people pencil him into the 2008 rotation.
If I’m Torre, and they make the playoffs, Ian Kennedy gets a start before Hughes. He’s a better pitcher.
Hype is one thing, production is another. Right now, he’s more hype than production. Its not like he has to face real teams. He’s facing awful teams and still can’t find any consistency from start to start.
That’s just Phil’s one bad inning. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he mows the O’s down for the rest of the game! Let’s go offense!!
here comes daniel cabrera, i hope he doesnt balk, he might throw at Pedroira if he does
If im the Yankees PR guy, Im putting a stuffed squirrel on top of that foul pole. Just a thought.
lmao could you imagine if pedroia charged the mound on cabrera
Not a surprise here.
Script for this game:
Phil puts us in a big hole from the start, and Cabrera no-hits or one-hits the Yanks through 5 or 6 innings. Cmon Indians!
Nice motto
Jeter just tied Bernie! Whee!
Jeter!
McGowan is pitching for toronto. 6 up – 6 down. 19 pitches- 2Ks
There goes the Captain again!!
Cabrera is wild but the Yankees need to make sure he’s not effectively wild. Get into the Oriole bullpen early and often.
Good he threw a couple in the first. He needs to keep throwing it. He’s not throwing it enough. Hitters are always looking curve/fastball. It’s too easy for them.
Jeter is heating up at just the right time!
there goes the no hitter!
SJ44-
IPK has shown me a lot more than Hughes, but he is already at 165 innings this year. With 2-3 more regular season starts he will be above 180 for his first year as a pro. This is probably a huge increase over a year for a college pitcher.
It is going to be a dilemma down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Wow. Bitter Bernie.
We need Alex to tie it up here
“to help who?”
awesome
MVP! MPV! MVP!
Well he didn’t tie it up but I’ll take it
Matusi is dead weight right now.
Maybe Matsui will cheat and run into a fastball.
Posada really needs to be batting after A-Rod. Just sayin.
Ah, not our inning.
It’s still early, and, well, it’s not the first inning any more. C’mon Phil! Hold them here!
I’ve decided I’m not scoreboard watching until this game is over.
LET’S GO YANKEES!
Or maybe Matsui will does what he does. Bail out ealry and hit a weak pop-up to left.
Michael,
Perhaps but, he is older and more experienced, in terms of pitching, than Hughes. I think he will be able to handle it.
Put it this way, Kennedy knows how to pitch. Hughes does not. That can’t be overlooked when putting together the playoff roster.
Plus, Kennedy seems to be getting better from start to start. I just don’t see that with Hughes.
He can’t pitch at Yankee Stadium, can’t throw consistent strikes and, as I have maintained since he has returned, has less velocity and stuff than he did prior to his injuries.
I’m all “patience” and all that stuff. However, its a pennant race and he is in the rotation. Either do the job or find somebody else to do it. It may sound harsh but, that’s the reality of playing for a team that has playoff and World Series aspirations.
Putting the team in another first inning hole against a horrible Baltimore team is inexcusable.
They have a bunch of guys in that bullpen. First sign of another struggle, get him out of there and find somebody else.
You hate giving these games away to the Orioles. Their inability to beat Baltimore is why they are in second place.
reall BBB, you are right, Its getting to the point where Matsui doesnt show any signs of getting out of this slump which is possible as to why Arod hasnt hit a homerun in 31 AB. Just a thought.
Why hasn’t Posada been hitting after A-Rod?
Looks like it’s gona be a long game..
Good question Scooter.
Maybe we should give Matsui another day off. He looks off-balance when he swings.
Pete: Enjoy the movie!
Posada batted behind Alex what seems like no more than once or twice recently. Why he isnt batting there every day is beyond me, Alex would see such better pitches to hit.
Bold prediction: Hughes doesn’t give up any more runs tonight! If he does, I’ll stay here and take the criticism.
He keeps hanging the curve.
why does he keep throwing the curve in 2 strike counts, its obviously not working
Great play robbie
Most troubling about Hughes is that he has had about thirty 0-2 counts the past four starts and I can’t remember him striking anyone out without getting to 2-2, 3-2 or the like.
SJ- To me Hughes or IPK isn’t a matter of who is better right now, it is whether you want to risk piling 200 innings onto a 24 year arm that probably only threw 150 last year.
Nice play by Robbie!
alright hughes!
Nice DP!
Dunno bout you lot, but I think the top of the 2nd was a bit better than the top of the 1st!
LET’S GO YANKEES!
Nice play by Cano. You know what that means. Homerun!
Good! Now the bats need to come alive!!
what a DP. Cano isn’t my favorite player but he didn’t give up on that one.
Hughes is making it seem like he only has a curve as his breaking pitch. HEY PHIL THROW YOUR SLIDER TOO.
For all the “lacsidasical” knocks on Robby, he can sure make some creative seamless plays around the bag.
Way to go, Robbie
Yeah Jorge! LET’S GO YANKEES!
What’s worse is, he can’t locate it. Since he has come back, he pitches backwards. He doesn’t challenge guys with his fastball late in counts. Its almost as if he is gunshy and is trying to trick them.
Its why its always dangerous with pitchers who have missed a lot of time. They lose the feel for how to attack hitters.
There is an art to pitching. Its not just throwing or the radar gun. We see that in Kennedy’s starts and saw that with guys like Clemens and Schlling.
Right now, Hughes doesn’t have that yet. Will he get it? Hopefully, at some point in his career.
He’s young and he has that going for him. I know this much though, if I’m the GM, and the Twins call about Santana, I would trade Hughes in a heartbeat for him.
Joba or Ian? No way.
Hip Hip, Jorge!
Once again, he needs to bat after A-Rod!
i like it when big poopi poops up in big spoots.
Looking at the standings, it wont make much difference what happens in CLE Vs DET series as long as we win 2. If CLE is swept, we have both CLE and DET behind in standings, if DET is swept our wild card lead will be huge and if it goes 2-1 or 1-2, we gain ground on one and dont lose any ground to other.
C’mon Joe! Live dangerously. Call the double steal.
Now Robbie can put us ahead!
Damn, Giambi’s always getting hit!! If only we had an 8 game lead, I’d say he could take Cabrera…
...Dude.
All it means is that we get a baserunner.
Let’s make them pay for that!
GO YANKEES!
(SJ, you know baseball pretty well, would it kill you to try to be a little optimistic? I’ll let you off the hook if we’re losing 10-0, but right now it’s 2-0 in the second and we’ve got two on…)
Please no DP.
Posada and Giambi on base- what are the odds for a double steal?
Wild Cabrera is here!
2-1 Detroit
Mel and I thinking alike
SJ-
Cash $$ will probably get his chance next year. I wouldn’t trade any of those guys since Santana should be there for the taking in the free agent market anyway.
Bases loaded, 0 out? Pretty cool.
LET’S GO YANKEES! WE SCORE HERE! WE SCORE NOW!
bases loaded WE NEED TO DO DAMAGE!!!!
A few more of those will work for me.
o.k. next 2 guys need to take one for the team.
The way Cabrera is looking, Phil just needs to last into the fifth, annd avoid big innings.
I’m laughing at the double steal odds. How about a triple? Robby’s got the back end covered!
SJ44,
You’d be selling low on Hughes if you traded him for Santana now. You admit he’s lost his touch because he’s been injured last year. He’s thrown a few good games and this one still isn’t in the books yet. I like Kennedy too but he’s only had 3 September starts. Jeff Karstens had a great September too last year. I’d go to war with Kennedy, but stuff-wise Hughes is much betetr. Even with a bad year, if I had to include one pitcher for Santana it would have to be a touch and feel guy like Kennedy as opposed to someone most think could be a future ace in Hughes.
SJ44…Looking forward to you jumping on the Hughes bandwagon once he settles down here. Remember when you said you’d rather have Jeff Weaver than Hughes down the stretch??? Have you checked their numbers since you said that?
Girardi certainly gets it, mechanically. Cabrera cannot maintain his balance point and therefore has no control over his lower half.
Minky delivers!!!
theres a man with heart
See? I told you!
WE SCORE HERE!
MIENT MAN DELIVERS!
Dougie!!
How was that not a double? That looks like Giambi running.
Yeah Minky!!!
With Giambi, Posada, and Minky all lumbering at once they may have set a single play record for piano-pulling.
He got greedy, though…
phil-
just busting you in a kidding way because i know it pushes your buttons. i’m personally all for running through the base. i was going to throw in the “straight fastball debate” and tell you about how i read an article where shilling says he works on getting his 4 seam fastball as straight as possible so he can locate it better. i’ll save that for another day.
one question that hits me about this game is why do two old guys averaging about 43 throw as hard as a touted yankees phenom. i know it was a fast espn gun last night, but what’s up with hughes’ velocity ?
It’s funny how Sj44 does most of his posting when the Yanks are losing or a starter like Hughes is struggling a bit with his control.
Why is that?
We definitely need to pinch hit Minky with the bases loaded. That’s a nice average.
How do you give that pitch to a guy who hasn’t hit the target all inning?
Minky is another Aaron Boone!
Great job by Minky, although I wish he was less aggressive. Horrible AB by Damon. Way too many K’s with RISP by the offense the past week.
Damn, whats up with Johnny tonight? Think he needs us to bash him more?
Come on Jeet!!
I would not trade Hughes for Santanta.
hughes will alright, dont believe the negative propaganda
Eric Cooper is a dolt. He makes a strike call and immediately looks in the Yankee dugout….
Aww, well, we did tie the game!
LET’S GO YANKEES!
Minky giveth, Minky taketh away… good inning, though.
I’d like to know why Daniel Cabera is a major league pitcher if he has zero control.
“Joba or Ian? No way.”
There is only one logical reason not to trade any of these players, next year is Santana’s walk year. If you could swap any one pitcher for Santana with equal number of contract years you would do it in a heartbeat, trust me.
Sanatana has dominated the league for years. Chamberlain for weeks. Kennedy for days. They all have tremendous potential, but there is absolutely no guarantee.
One could only dream that a Chamberlain or Kennedy could become half of what Santana is. He is that special. Chamberlain or Kennedy might become special. The jury is out. There is no pitcher or prospect in this league ANY GM wouldn’t trade for Santana. You are kidding yourself if you think otherwise.
I love Kennedy and Chamberlain as much as the next guy, but saying you wouldn’t trade them for the single most dominant pitcher over the past few years is emotional and irrational.
BJ
Anybody who wouldn’t trade Hughes for Santana is crazy. One guy is either the best or second best pitcher in the league, is lefthanded and still young.
The other is a young kid with potential. Its a no brainer deal for the Yankees although I am well aware that’s a trade the Twins would never make.
Jenn: But that line of thinking also asks the question “why is Sean Henn in our bullpen?”
WHOO! K FOR PHIL!
damon has 5 ks this months…that was his second in the past week….i dont know where sj gets his facts
It seems like Hughes has trouble in the the first couple of innings of every game he starts. He throws way too many fastballs and thinks that he can over power batters with it like he did in the minors. When in the majors it isnt that good of a fastball. He also hangs way too many curveballs. Joba and even Kennedy have so far looked way more polished with their pitches then he does.
sj, i just read the full post “by the offense the past week.” my bad.
Becca I’m asking because if you recall when Angel Hernadez threw out Joba he said he should have control if he is in the bigs. So I guess Angel throws out Cabera every game since he has no control.
Hughes has been throwing the change for strikes tonight. That is a great sign.
I don’t trade either Phil, Ian or Joba for Santana.
Right now, at least on the pitching end, the Yankees have a class of rookies that rivals the likes of ‘96.
There is a dynasty awaiting the Yankees.
All they have to do is take it….
LET’S GO YANKEES!
Nice inning Phil!
8 pitch inning. QUICK – send the kid back to triple A!
It has become apparent that Phil needs to do something before he enters the game. What it is I don’t know. But he always has trouble in the first inning, than he settles down.
another good inning by hughes
hughes settling nicely.
Jenn: But Angel Hernandez isn’t calling the balls and strikes tonight, is he? Or did I miss something?
Wow the Indians are playing like garbage. Do they not want to make the playoffs? Weren’t they the team who had the division won, than proceeded to give it up a few years back?
No he’s not, Sorry for the confusion.
Not with Chamberlain BJ. That’s a kid I don’t deal.
The hypothetical was a one for one type swap which I am well aware is not going to happen.
Obviously, a Santana trade would require multiple players.
The only way you trade for him (or attempt to) is knowing you can sign him to an extension prior to free agency.
If he is willing to test the market, clearly, you would just wait it out.
“I don’t trade either Phil, Ian or Joba for Santana.”
Becca,
I love you sweety but yes you would trade any one of those pitchers, including the mighty Joba for the single most dominant pitcher in the league for years.
BJ
Jennifer: I was thinking the same thing when Cabrera hit 2 of our guys in a row. Serious double standard, why doesn’t he get thrown out? Or, why doesnt Dice-BB get even so much as warned for hitting A-Rod every time he faces him? Shouldn’t he have more CONTROL when pitching to the best player in baseball?? Things that make you go hmmm…
Who is trading half their farm for a soon to be FA pitcher who’s going to cost a ton of money? A dumb GM would only do that.
Jenn: I think you mean the Tigers last year?
The problem is not that Hughes is throwing mostly fastballs. It’s that he’s not locating them well and doesn’t have good command with it.
Clemens throws about as hard as Hughes right now and he pitched great last night.
The fastball is still the best pitch in MLB if you can locate it. Every other pitch in a pitcher’s arsenal is setup by it.
May be it is a good idea for Phil to throw an inning to the bench guys before every game.
Captains’ Corner…your analysis is correct but I put the blame on Posada for calling only FB’s in that first inning. I think they talked to Phil when he was struggling and told him to stop shaking his catcher’s off (which he used to do quite a bit but never does anymore). Once PO started calling some off speed stuff mixed in the resutls changed immediately.
Oh was it the Tigers? My mistake. Anyhow the Indians are in the process of throwing away there game. two errors in the same inning. What a JOKE of a team.
cleveland is a fluke
rebecca-
minnesota calls you…santana for the squirrel straight up. what do you do?
BJ:
Mayhaps we should agree to disagree? Santana is great, yes, but I don’t want to disrupt the chemistry that this class (Phil/Joba/Ian) has brought to the team.
Now, if say Clemens retires or whatnot, and we can get Santana to sign as a free agent, I wouldn’t complain…
Cleavland’s not giving us any help.
Randy: !!!
I’d need to flip a coin!
GODZILLA IS BACK!
Where is the squirrel anyway?
MATSUI!! NICE!!