Game 8: Yankees at Royals
-
- April
- 8
YANKEES
Damon LF
Cano 2B
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Giambi 1B
Betemit SS
Cabrera CF
Hughes RHP
Notes: The rain has let up. … Jeter said the pain in his left quad is “not that bad” but he’s not sure how long he will be out. … Giambi is playing for the first time since Saturday when he had a groin pull. … Bench coach Rob Thomson is a Kansas grad and is quite pleased with his Jayhawks.
UPDATE, 3:08 p.m.: Joe Girardi told us that Jeter will not play in this series and the hope is that he will be able to play “sometime” in the Boston series.
They’re going forward with Betemit at SS and haven’t discussed the idea of using A-Rod.
UPDATE, 3:55 p.m.: They just introduced the teams (It’s Opening Day here). Meanwhile, here is Joe Girardi’s pre-game press conference:
UPDATE, 5:06 p.m.: Brian Bannister has thrown 54 pitches in his two innings and Phil Hughes is at 49 and still needs to get the last out in the bottom of the second. My keen sense of baseball tells me we’re not going to get a complete game from either starter today.
UPDATE, 5:11 p.m.: Wow, 55 pitches for Hughes in two innings. He didn’t get much help from his defense in that inning, but his location is way off.
As long as the game is close, you have to leave Hughes in and hope to get two or three more innings out of him.
They really should have a long reliever.
UPDATE, 5:36 p.m.: Wow, ugly outing for the Franchise, yet the game is tied. His inning pitch totals: 22 33 24. He doesn’t seem to be able to get a grip on his curveball.
UPDATE, 5:52 p.m.: So much for Phil Hughes. He’s out after giving up two hits and a run in the fourth inning. The Royals also have stolen four bases.
3-2 KC in the fourth.
UPDATE, 6:31 p.m.: Wow, the Yankees are playing awful defense today. Very sloppy.
UPDATE, 6:49 p.m.: A-Rod has struck out four times. That’s the fourth time in his career he has done it, the first time since 2006.
UPDATE, 6:54 p.m.: Jorge Posada is out of the game with what must be some sort of inury. Just speculation, but given his throws his shoulder must still be bothering him.
So much for spring training setting up the Yankees to be healthy at the start of the season.
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hmmm… Cano moves up to the number 2 slot
Is it bad or good luck that Bill Buckner is rumored to be throwing out the first pitch for the Sox today?
Why isn’t Shelley playing? he just finished his 2 day suspension.
I’m a KU grad as well. PUMPED!
I figured they would put Cano in the #2. Who else could fill that role? The way Matsui is swinging the bat hes perfect for protecting A-Rod. I think thats the best option
Canò in the two spot?
Thoughts people?
Edit: Mike, congratulations =)
Let’s go Yanks!
Im interested to see what kind of reaction Buckner gets..
The news media up here just confirmed it.
“Why isn’t Shelley playing? he just finished his 2 day suspension.”
where should he be playing?
we need to get robbie going…matsui/arod/abreu are clicking time to get others goijng
ABK–
Giambi is at first so no need to Shelley on top of the fact that Banister is pitching who is a RHP
cano can’t be any worse than jeter right now!
Is Jeter’s injury a groin or quad? YES Network (and now Peter) say it’s a quad, but ESPN is saying it’s a groin.
I realize ESPN is right about 1% of the time, but I figuerd I’d toss that out there.
I wish the Yankees would demote Betemit (who looks simply horrible at the plate) and call up Gonzalez or somebody else who can play good SS.
Robbie hit the ball hard last night. he should have had two hits but Hinske robbed him.
I think he is a good fit for the number 2.
how bout johnny damon gets going? That would be nicer!
“where should he be playing?”
what ! how can you say that, I mean he’s cleats and heart why shouldn’t he be out there, I mean Giambi is only more experienced than him at hitting but Shelley screams after a strikeout and even hits teammates when he needs to.
I actually like Abreu better than Cano in the two spot. Abreu is lefty; gets on base a lot; NEVER grounds out; looks at a ton of pitches; and can run. I’m not sure Cano has the maturity/concentration to be as consistent as a 2 hitter has to be just yet. I think they should keep Cano in the 5-6 spot in general; but for the time being, put Abreu in the 2 spot, Cano in the 3 spot, A-Rod 4th, etc. A-Rod likes to hit behind Bobby, so a short-term solution. But I imagine that Cano in the second spot is also a short-term solution.
Dan EVERYONE except espn says quad, but ESPN says groin so it must be groin.
Dan, it is a quad. don’t listen to ESPN, the probably will report that his leg has to be amputated. Boston lovers!
A.B.K.–he can’t hit righties worth, well, anything.
hopefully the 2 spot will only be vacated by the captain for a few days. no big deal. whoever hits there will be ok.
I’d rather put the Melkman in the 2 spot he;s been swinging the bat pretty good so far, hey you never know maybe this will help Robbie to get it going.
Hoping for a good game from Hughes, Bannister was very tough on thr Tigers in his last start.
Nevermind. ESPN corrected it now. I checked their main page this morning and saw “groin.” It only took them five hours to get it correct today. That must be some sort of new record.
I think that the only options for the two spot were Robbie or Melky. But since Posada is back he is a good #6 hitter so they can move Robbie up to 2.
Shelley doesn’t hit RHP. I’d say he might come in to pinch hit, but he wouldn’t be able to take Betemit’s position in the field.
Though, given that he is Shelley, who knows, maybe he plays a better short than A-Rod and Jeter combined
Cano there keeps Abreu at his “natural” position in the order. Robi can use the shakeup as well. Or it could be punishment for the error.
phillies broadcasters just called the mets the nationals twice in one inning. just thought that was weird. i also think it’s funny that “Pagan” and “Church” hit back to back in the Mets order.
Cano seems to be coming around lately. Had a long at bat that resulted in a hit on sunday, he had an RBI yesterday. maybe 2nd will be good for him. can’t think of anyone better to put in that spot anyway.
BTW, for the Cano/2nd debate — It could be that Girardi is attempting to force Cano to take pitches.
Unfortunately, Cano has a lower career average (.279) batting second than at any other place in the lineup.
Listen: you can put Matsui in left and Shelley to DH, and at least once in a while give that worthless Damon a rest on the bench…
I hope Cano takes some pitches. I hate that he always seems to go up there hacking.
Melky hit .309 in the #2 spot last year. Just something to think about.
Lefty Mussina is pitching for Detroit against Boston.
Show of hands, who’s rooting for the Tigs to go 0-7 and who’s rooting for sox to drop the opener?
I thought they might move Melky to the 2 spot, but Cano has shown signs of coming around (as Matsui did before he moved down in the order and proved that to be the case), so I think it’s a good move.
Mel i agree. they shouldn’t mess with Abreu. he is locked in batting 3rd, don’t mess with a good thing.
Damon is like, one of the only guys in our lineup that actually hit last October and people still call him worthless.
Brian (from PA)
Who cares about the Mets and Phils?
If anyone is rooting for the Sox to beat the Tigers … well, it’s time for them to turn in their fan cards.
No self-respecting Yankees fan is cheering on the little boys from bean town.
brian, who said he is worthless? he just really needs to get going. the only time he hit last year was the post season! he needs to set the table!
“Brian (from PA)
Who cares about the Mets and Phils?”
we’re bored
Ops I thinks its fair to say that most people here are ROOTING HARD for the Tigers
watching the sox ceremonies makes me sick
Brian: The Pagan and Church juxtaposition is awesome. Now they just need Miroslav Satan to learn how to handle a baseball bat.
As I said earlier, I think Bobby’s going to have a monster year, which means a) I’m REALLY glad he’s on my fantasy team, and b) you don’t mess with his spot in the line up.
yankees62
well, a lot of people considering they’re two of the larger market teams in the NL and are both playoff contenders. besides it’s the only game on right now. didn’t think someone would take issue if i made any observations about the game. sorry if you were offended.
go Tigers go…take the advantage while you can….
I wonder if Girardi gave any thought to putting Alex at short and Betemit at 3rd. Betemit at short scares me.
sara,
A.B.K. called him “the worthless Damon” just a few posts ago. that is what i was responding to.
Totally rooting for the tigers. worry about the division first, then the wild card. if daisuke’s off at all, the detroit lineup should chew him up with no problem.
hell yeh I’m rooting for the Tigers !
Damon had his first good game yesterday. No way you can bench him today. I like Shelley batting better than Betemit, even against RHP, but Shelley can only really play two positions, and short isn’t one of them.
Just for your info: A-Rod has faced today’s starter Brian Bannister twice and has homered both times. (2-for-2 with 2 home runs!).
I’m not proposing that they play him there, but did Robbie Cano come up as a shortstop?
can we all get this out of the way…
shelley duncan isn’t good.
he isn’t an everyday player.
he is a bench player at best, if not a situational hitter off the bench.
he would be better suited for the national league as a pinch hitter for lefties.
he does not need to play 2 or 3 times a week.
Gitmo: You might be confusing him with Soriano?
Anyway, as much as I love Robbie, three errors in the first seven games does not make me that anxious to play him at short unless Betemit and Gonzalez both got hurt as well.
ok, fine, cano. majority wins.
prove me wrong, robbie, i’m begging you.
but honestly? i think it’s foolhardy to put cano in the second spot and hope he grows into it, when you have abreu already hitting well and statistically profiling as a much better hitter from the second spot in the order. he’s hit all over the order in his career, and he’s always been consistent in the end (no stats, at work, but just that female intuition talking). a good reason not to move him would be to make sure he stays batting behind jeter – which isn’t going to happen today, anyway.
but anyway. go get em robbie!
Whew! Back from food shopping. My favority chore – NOT!
Thank you to all of you who answered my question(s) regarding Firefox. I actually think it might be worth it to download onto the mac I use during the games. A lot of the features it has are similiar to IE7, so I don’t know about putting in here (although, Whozat, I guess Active X controls are something I should learn more about and try to avoid them?).
I like Cano in the #2, although Melky would have been okay, too. But with Matsui clicking, and moved up on the lineup, I think the flow is better and the protection for each hitter better, the way Girardi did it. We’ll see, won’t we??
We have to root for the Tigers, yes!
Game time is 4 p.m. eastern, right?
Get em Tigers.
“Cano has a lower career average (.279) batting second than at any other place in the lineup.”
No offense but these stats are useless. There are too many factors involved (ie. sample size, pitchers faced, other teams defense, weather conditions, players surrounding you when you’re in the #2 spot).
What’s the big deal?
First: Go Tigers!
Second: Abreu is better at taking pitches than Cano, and I think ARod is better at clean-up with Bobby in front of him. (no numbers to back that up, but I know I heard ARod say that several times last year).
Third: I can’t wait until 4pm. Even the Mets game is boring. Anyone listen to/watch the Red Sox home opening ceremonies – what was the reaction to Buckner.
If the Tigers sweep the series, they’re 3-6 and the Sox and are 3-7. We get the Sox right afterwards and we don’t get the Tigers until later this month. What possible reason is there to root for the Sox?
Our old buddy Rogers is pitching today. If he is anything short of exceptional, my disgust of him will rise a little more.
on hold with MLB.TV customer support….this should be a fun afternoon.
Hopefully we can beat the Royals today, we don’t have the best schedule.
Gitmo – Cano was a third baseman. There was talk when Alex opted out that the Yanks might ask Cano to go to third since he had played there and then get a second baseman.
Betemit is nothing but a strike out artist. Jeter but hurry back soon….
They cheered Buckner, Buckner cried
Go Tigers
Doreen: 4 PM, yes.
You can’t be a Yankee fan and consciously route for the Red Sox. That’s like…well, I can’t think of a non-political metaphor, but you get the idea.
is it me or this game Phils vs Mets lacking juice
stupid Jason Werth just hurt Victorino.
i am also rooting for the Tigers in this one. I don’t think there has ever been a situation where i’ve rooted for the Red Sox. like, ever. Even if there was ever a time where for me it would’ve been beneficial for the Red Sox to win, i would still not root for them. I am too loyal a Yankees fan.
couple Phillies outfielders just collided. lol.
maybe now that the sox have welcomed buckner back into the fold, sox fans can get over their perpetual victim complex. but you know what they say: if wishes were horses…
if the mets trotted out mookie wilson to throw out the first pitch at their next game, i think i would stand up and applaud.
If you have the rights to do so, you can edit the security level of IE via Internet Options in Control Panel (or Tools->Internet Options from within IE itself) to disable ActiveX controls, set to prompt, or whatever else is possible (I’m actually using IE 6 with all ActiveX controls disabled; yes, I do spend time to change options in the few occasions that are necessary xP)
ahhh Governor Patterson is a Mets fan
Well, one situation where I would cheer for the Red Sox is if a win would help get us into the postseason via the WC.
But that’s it. Absolutely it.
Go Yanks
brandon: any update on the victorino injury? is he still in the game?
I don’t know if i’ve said this before, but in Kevin Youkilis’ picture on gameday he looks like a stoned lumberjack….
Moose doin big things last night. Think Kennedy will be fine? what are the chances if Jeter goes on the DL that A-rod could move to shortstop. I would think Jeter would have to miss a substantial amount of time for Girardi to do somethin like that
mel: Even then you don’t root for the Sox to win, you root for the other team to lose.
Brandon – such a lame game. The poor Mets broadcasters are working so hard to make it exciting, but they are terrible. They can’t describe anything so you have no idea.
Brian – ok, I admit it. I once rooted for the Red Sox. In the 1986 WS against the Mets. I was in my college bar, had too many to drink and was flirting with a really cute guy who was rooting for the Red Sox. My roommate yelled at me the next day (which was really really mean since, as I mentioned, I’d had too much to drink) and I’ve never done it again. Ah, I feel cleansed having confessed my sins.
go Yankees! go Tigers!
And I will absolutely cheer for Sheff…when he plays the Red Sox.
No-hitter busted as Shef gets a single.
I don’t think I could ever cheer for the Red Sox. Ever.
Still remember Rudy with that stupid hat on. Whatever!
I think Girardi put this line up together in part to minimize the disturbances. Keep Melky at 9 where he’s been hitting instead of putting Betemit there (although I doubt Giambi gets many good pitches – though even with melky behind him he might not…)
Cano has shifted around a bit as it is so he’s moving him up to 2 with jeter out makes sense. He had some good at bats yesterday. Perhaps this will make him focus on being more selective – the past two games he looked better about that.
This’ll be an interesting game for Matsuzaka and Detroit. Will Detroit be patient and drive up his pitch count? Will he pitch as well as he did last game?
Victorino is still in. Guess it wasn’t serious. Couldn’t tell from anything the announcers said.
But the Mets have the bases loaded with 1 out against Moyer in the bottom of the 4th.
i would have rooted for Tigers to go 0-7 if they werent playing the BoSux…
Lori: Lol. Thanks for the honesty. I have to say though, no matter how hot i think a girl is if she is rooting for the Red Sox i wouldn’t flirt with her. There was a smokin hot Red Sox fan in front of me in the left field bleachers last year at the Stadium and she got pissed off at her boyfriend. for a second i wanted to say something to her but then i got a hold of myself and said “Brian, she is a sox fan, therefore she is scum” and i ignored her the rest of the game.
Victorino is ok this broadcasting isn, I mean a seriously boring game and a LHP topping out at 78 mph on his heater and they only get 2 runs out of it.
Oli Perez w/ basesloaded vs Moyer’ 75 mph fastball is trying to bunt now he strikes out …
Luis Castillo is already hurt again, Damion Easley just subbed in for him for no reason in the 5th
sometimes i think the Phillies broadcasters are great, and other times they are so mind-numbingly boring i can’t stand it.
been on hold with MLB.TV tech support for 30 mins and counting.
can’t wait until 4:10. that is, if an MLB.TV operator ever picks up and fixes my MLB.TV. even if they don’t though, i have XM. god bless XM radio.
Are the Orioles making anyone else nervous?
Brian
What’s your problem with MLB TV?
Mine won’t play after “connecting” and “ready”
is your problem similar?
Please let me know if they are helpful. I’ve emailed them -with no real help. I have not had the time to call them.
those poor ole mets…most of them have AARP Insurance…
thisguy: thanks for the baseball lecture.
yes, i’m rooting for the tigers, but it IS hard, especially with kenny “pine tar” rogers on the mound
as I am watching the game on sny not sure if you are getting phils radio of tv broadcasters the tv omer are better
“Are the Orioles making anyone else nervous?”
And the Red Sox don’t score in the bottom of the 1st, despite having runners on 2nd and 3rd.
Elizabeth: Don’t worry about the O’s. A few years ago they were actually a decent team on paper and were in first place for months before petering out. Don’t worry. they’ll be a minor annoyance at the most this year, but will still finish in the cellar, 4th place at the most.
Elizabeth: Not after the first week. If they’re still winning at a .700 clip in May, I might notice a little.
“10:34 a.m.: Still waiting for Willie, but Mets COO Jeff Wilpon just confirmed that Rick Astley’s ’80s hit “Never Gonna Give You Up†will be the official 8th inning sing-a-long tune after fans voted in on Fark.com blog”
WE RICKROLLED THE METS
also just sent that via iPhone got the thick black line no edit anyone else I think I phone uses safari
Brandon–what’s that devious smile for?
right now, however, the orioles are beating texas 2-0.
but in general, no, not worried about them. maybe in two or three years, since they are clearly trying to rebuild right now.
Why do I have a weird feeling that now that Jeter is out of the lineup, the offense is going to start clicking on all major cylinders and then when he comes back into the lineup, it will sputter again?
I know. I know. Stone me.
Any idea why Alex doesn’t play short and let Morgan play third?
I Want a QB Controversy: Start following the Jets.
Honestly, with the way Betemit’s flailing (and I am a fan of him), that makes the most sense. God forbid Jeter have to suffer a bruised ego. Ensberg is an experienced third baseman and A-Rod can still play short well. Why not get creative?
i’d like to know the same thing QB…i think a lot of us do
Elizabeth no I’m not worried about the Orioles
and my smile is because the MEts fans have to sing a long in the 8th inning this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOU8GIRUd_g
qb, it’s because alex hasn’t played shortstop for more than a few innings since 2003. his body, his fundamentals and his skill set have all changed considerably since then. betemit’s sole purpose on the team is to fill in at times like this. i think there are a lot of posts in the last thread about this.
coco almost dropped a fly ball, but drew got there in time to catch it. still 0-0 at fenway.
“Rather than commit to that as the new eighth-inning tune since it probably doesn’t reflect the fan base’s wishes, the Mets will play the top six selections once apiece during the first six games of their home stand. The one that draws the largest crowd response will stick.”
-Daily News.
Gayle – I posted on my iPhone this morning, and although there is the black line, if you click on it, you can edit.
i want an iphone – any idea when the new ones are coming out?
10:30 AM Wilpon comment
New York City is going to have the two most beautiful ballparks in MLB!
Where did you pull that quote Brandon?
who r the people who post play by play from games here? Get lives
Personally, these speculations on long-term solutions for replacing Jeter are making me feel ill, even though I know it’s just speculation. Until we hear otherwise, I’d rather assume that in reality he’ll be back within a matter of days. I’m opting for positive thinking here. Betemit can handle short for a few games. Maybe he’ll even connect with the ball once or twice…
10:34 AM – adam Reubin’s Daily News blog
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/mets/2008/04/final-opening-day-at-shea-live.html
Jeter out for KC, hopes to play vs. Red Sox, a little birdie told me.
I look at the lineup and seeing Cano 2nd is fine, hopefully he can work the count a bit. The interesting thing in this lineup is that Giambi lost his 5 spot now that he is back from injury. That’s the right move. Giambi should be a part time player, the sooner Joe G. realizes that the better.
Everyone secretly loves being RickRolled. The fans will cheer for that.
Hello all –
We had a great day out in Florence. Saw the Uffizi museum, walked around, ate well, spent money….All the good things.
Bummer that Derek has a sore quad, but better safe than sorry. With the temp at 40 degrees in KC, I hope Phil doesn’t get hurt. I hope he’s getting a good rub down, or whatever, so that he’s good and loose. I’d be very disappointed if he pulls another hammy.
Well, it’s been great reading about Mussina’s win, but there’s wine to drink with the mrs.
Have a good evening all, and Let’s Go Yankees!
Vince source or BS we don’t accept little birdies or big birdies here, what you think this is Fenway
Vince–a little birdy?
Keith – thanks for the response in previous topic.
thanks brandon.
i’m gonna have that song in my head until i get out of work now…
O’s up 4-0…
I wonder if they would show the crowd reaction on SNY or Radio. 8th inning is coming up pretty soon.
As much as I hate that pine tar cheating b*stard Kenny Rogers, I hate the Sux more!
Come on Tigers!!!!!
Jeter went down for a hell of a long time and Eric Almonte took over and not only did the Yankees survive, they thrived. I guess you have to be there but I just can’t understand all the hubub. Cripes, the Yankees do know what they’re doing here! You’ll see what they do when they do it. And how long they do it. They’re actually paid to figure that stuff out and figure it out in such a way as the Yankees are given the best chance to succeed. It isn’t like the whole team came down with the bubonic plague here.
Not to sound like a downer or anything, my opinion on Jeter’s injury, take it how you want, I know opinions are like ……. everyone has one and most of them stink. So far today I have seen on 3 or 4 websites that if Jeter should be out for an extended period of time the Yankees should not move Alex to SS. And the reasoning seems to be inferred because it will make Derek mad in some way like its some sort of judgement call on his abilities at short. Or that he is so tenured there that no one else can ever play that position. They want the Yanks to call up a slick fielding minor leaguer who can’t hit a lick to take his place. Why!!!! The best option for winning would be to call up that minor leaguer as a backup to Alex who will be playing short. The Yankees have two very capable good hitting and good fielding 3rd basemen on the bench In Ensberg and Betemit. If Giambi can play first or Duncan for that matter, Alex playing short and Ensberg at 3rd seems like the best option if Jeter goes on the disabled list.
Let’s just say I worked at the daily news for a while.
Guys on the TV… did they shift for PAPi with bases loaded?
Wow. Bases loaded and Papi flies out to deep right to end the inning.
Rogers is lucky it’s only 1-0. He’s put 8 on through 2.
lets just say your late because 1050 already confirmed he’d be out atleast a week
since 11 AM
Did the Mets not have anyone throw out the first pitch. I didnt see it on tv and didnt see any mention of it on the daily news game blog
Sorry, that’s 5 on through 2. Edit button please!
Rogers is real lucky…
edit: why do I always confuse Rogers with Kevin Brown?
my MLB.TV is working!! Jimmy, mlb.tv customer support is very helfpul and apologetic. watching the sox-tigers game.
and if you need some excitement yes is showing the balitmore game from last year with the arod walk off and we are now in the bottom of the 9th so it will be up shortly
Tigers don’t look good again today.
Good to hear that the weather has cleared up. Interesting lineup today. With Matsui swinging the way he is, it’s probably best he’s behind A-Rod.
DMan The day is young. Have faith!
thanks, gayle
glad to hear
Gayle: Always looking for new ways to procrastinate, thanks!
way to go
editing is sweeet
DMan,
And the worse part? Rogers is 45 pitches through 2. That means the ugly bullpen will make an early entrance.
Speaking of the red sox. Colown is out now for a straighned side. They embarrassed Kaz Matsui and said it was his bung hole. Tell the truth.He pull a love handle.
This Orioles team sort of reminds me of the 80 something Brewers. Where they started out 13-0 and didnt make the playoffs. Not to worry. They will comeback down to earth.
I just want to brag about me picking Kansas to win it all. I would like that cookie to be chocalote chip. Great game. Feel for Memphis. Coaches fault for not having them foul in the end of the game.
manny inside the park homer ( sorta)
A little birdy told me too.
http://www.nj.com/yankees/
wow the Tigers really suck
Manny woulda scored on the sac fly by Lowell anyway. Still.
Does Betemit still have options? I feel that, with Derek out for a week, that having someone who can truly field the position is important right now. I’d rather have the Atty General on the roster at the moment than Betemit. Lord knows he can’t be any worse offensively than what we’ve seen from Wilson thus far.
The Post reported that Cashman said this morning that Arod was an option at SS if Jeter were to miss extensive time.
A-Rod should stay at third… makes no sense to move him to short..
so because one guy got hurt, we should shift everybody around?
yeah, yeah, i know arod played short in another life .. but that was another life.
We’ll be fine for a few days…
…honestly, i almost kind of like the fact that the Yankees must now dig a little deeper.
Something happens to a team in these instances.
..see ‘Losing Matsui and replacing him with Melky’ in ‘06
Why is everybody SO quick to panic?
Let’s go Yankees..
Let’s go Hughes!!
Sorry, link didn’t post:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04082008/sports/yankees/a_rod_could_play_shortstop_105592.htm
Sorry, link didn’t post.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04082008/sports/yankees/a_rod_could_play_shortstop_105592.htm
playa: nobody is panicking, not me at least…but why not put your best players on the field?
betemit is not one of our best players. i’d much rather have ensberg at 3rd and a-rod at SS
we’re trying to win games on a tough road trip
It’s so funny watching this and knowing how it ends…
i’m pumped to see phil franchise pitch tonight.
watching the sox ceremonies makes me sick
Why on earth would you do something like that? That’s like pouring salt into an open wound.
Yeah, Alex!
“edit: why do I always confuse Rogers with Kevin Brown?”
Maybe because they both sucked as Yankees.
Ha Ha – Chase Utley HBP for the 3RD time today! Bases loaded Phillies.
polanco pulls a “shelley slide” on pedroia… no reaction from umpire
holy crap big error by Delgado Phillies tie the game on a basesloaded would be inning ending DP
Brian in PA
Thanks! That helps.
Even funnier – on the next play, Utley gets hit in the back by a ball being thrown to second base.
Thank you for the wonderful news, Brandon
As for the Sox/Tigers – whoever wins it is OK. If the Tigers keep falling further back, it is one less to worry about for the wild card. We want to keep the wild card in the AL East.
Course I love to see the Sox lose though
I would love to watch Alex play short-stop if Jeter is out for an extended period of time. However, if Alex does really well, you will hear a lot (more) that Jeter’s defense is declining, and that the Yankees instead of Jeter should have Alex playing short, This would make Jeter mad, not the fact that they put Alex at short while he was out. In my opinion they should leave Alex put at third, give Betemit a chance to play defense at short for while and if it doesn’t work than we look for someone else. Is funny that Betemit is call “important” because he can play all positions, and if so why won’t the Yankees trust him at short after all the praising he receive for his all position good defense. I personally don’t believe he’s on the 24 man roster because of his bat. So, give him the opportunity to play short, and don’t move A-rod. That’s my take on the whole issue.
Brandon – Yeah – but you have to feel bad for Utley. The guy must have a target painted on his uniform!
S.O.S.: Thanks.
Lori it’s obvious he said something to the Mets players during the intros
MikeEff
I’m a pitching and defense guy.
I love the fundamentals of the game and proper execution.
Two things the Yankees have gotten away from the past few years.
With Jeter out for a week … even if it was for two weeks… and we let super-glove gonzalez play for the time being, i think our defense would be that much tighter, adn also giving us another guy to lay down a bunt when we need it… maybe take more than ONE pitch an at bat. (Jeter’s been killing me with his first pitch swinging!… he still doesn’t have a walk yet!)
Love Jeter .. favorite player of all time .. if i could be one person for a day, i’d be jete .. so please don’t think i’m sending him down the river ..
..however… if we had that two week window of small ball and execution, it would only help us throughout the rest of the year.
..this is also half the reason why i was in MAJOR FAVOR of girardi steering this ship.
I miss the Yankees playing ‘BASEBALL’.
If betemit is not on this team because of his defense why in the world is he on the team. Because the guy can’t hit, at least that’s what I have seen so far.
solution to shortstop.
If Jeter is out for awhile sign(if he isnt on a team)or trade for Omar Vizquel.
Man the Tigers couldn’t hit their way out of a paperbag today.
Werth opposite field Basehit Phillies up one
I wonder what Delgado was thinking when he threw that fastball at Utley’s back
Vizquel just had surgery and is on the DL. He’s out for a while.
playa: great stuff…nothing i’d disagree with there, but i was talking about having a-rod play short instead of betemit. not AG…
i love great defense as well…does betemit provide that at short? i’m not sold on that.
Ken Singleton and David Cone calling today’s game.
This is going to be entertaining.
No Michael Kay today. Yeah, I say. Yeah.
See Girardi on the pre-game. Hopes to have Derek back for the Boston series so right now no roster moves. When asked about Alex moving to SS he did not shoot it down. Said we haven’t discussed all of our options internally.
go Tigers!
..stoned lumberjack hits a sac fly, 3-0 sox.
Detroit is on its way to 0-7…. their lineup is making Dice-K look like the second coming of Cy Young. Unbelievable.
No Michael Kay today
I know I’m probably being greedy here, but does this mean he’ll be out for the entire KC series as well?
Who got the worst of the proctor/betimet trade? Proctor has a 9.82 era in 3.2 innings. Already ginin up 2 bombs.
Thanks Steph. The only other option offcoarse is Baby huey playing short. I believe in you Shelley!!
Man…I’m actually feeling a bit sorry for the Tigers right now. I’m almost going soft. Too soft for my liking, anyway.
HAS EVERYONE LOST THEIR MINDS ? JETER WILL BE PLAYING ON FRIDAY AGAINST THE SOX… NO WAY HE MISSES IT…
saucY: Yeah I think they cycle series generally…
Steph-
Don’t feel to bad. they’ll break out eventually. Lets just hope its not when we have to play them.
NO GENERATION TREY COMMENTS!!
But Nancy Newman is awful!
DMnan: exactly…they’ll break out of their slump on april 29th when they arrive in the bronx…
Doreen – She really is. Bob Lorenz is so good in the studio.
If Jeter has to go on the DL, Gonzalez will be brought up almost certainly. I don’t see Duncan moving to short…so either the Yanks move A-Rod to short and platoon Betemit and Ensberg at 3rd or Betemit plays full-time short if it’s in the short term. I mean, remember when Almonte came up for Jeter back in 03? The Yanks won’t make a trade.
I think Proctor’s off to a rough start, but he looked good for the Dodgers down the stretch last year. Maybe he needs to burn some equipment…but if Betemit bats righty again, I’ll have to start thinking.
I like Bob Lorenz. He’s very polished. I keep waiting for Nancy to get better, but it’s like she has trouble reading the monitor and is very stiff when she’s got to ad lib (have a real exchange).
I know. I said I almost felt bad for them. When they break out of it, I can happily go back to not liking them. But I would really like them to get a win today…
JROLL !
There is a reason Nancy was not re-signed wih ESPN she is very very bad in the studio she does ok hosting Yankees Magazine but beyond that it is a BIG step down from Lorenz
Jeter won’t hit the DL, though watch him get some days off every now and again with Betemit filling in. If they call up anyone I think they’ll call up Green over Gonzalez. I think they’ll give him the experience factor.
Is this Kansas game going to happen? Has the rain let up?
Don’t worry the Tigers will come out of it before we play them.
Gayle,
I agree. She does fine with Yankee Magazine. But I bet there are a lot of re-takes.
No problem, welcome to the blog Smilineyes
Steph-for the record i was kidding about Duncan at short. Seriously.
Heres another idea. Gonzalez cant hit a lick. If Jeter is out for awhile why not call up the shortstop we signed last year that was going to go to Rice. Not sure if its Angelini. What can it hurt. He can at least get a taste of the bigs early on without hurting us much.
watching the Mets today
If he’s not ready for the bigs and he does poorly, it could hurt him severely. It could hurt his confidence when he gets sent down, which in turn hurts his performance. That would be really rushing a kid. He’s good, but far from a polished product.
utley knocks in JROLL!!
Brandon: HILARIOUS!!
i hate the red sox…
I’m pretty sure Angelini is straight out of high school. That being said, I like the idea. Maybe Jesus Montero can catch that game too.
“If Jeter is out for awhile why not call up the shortstop we signed last year that was going to go to Rice. Not sure if its Angelini. What can it hurt. He can at least get a taste of the bigs early on without hurting us much.”
No, not a good ideal at all. Angellini is not at all ready to play in the big leagues. He might be 4 years away from the show if everything goes right. You don’t call up a player in Low Class A ball to the majors.
Fernando,
Not sure if you were being sarcastric but Arod wasnt that much older.
“Brian – ok, I admit it. I once rooted for the Red Sox. In the 1986 WS against the Mets. I was in my college bar, had too many to drink and was flirting with a really cute guy who was rooting for the Red Sox. My roommate yelled at me the next day (which was really really mean since, as I mentioned, I’d had too much to drink) and I’ve never done it again. Ah, I feel cleansed having confessed my sins”
Lori, Me too (not the flirting with the guy part). In 1986 the Mets were more annoying then the Red Sox. I sort of (very mildly) rooted for Boston. Until the 9th inning of Game 6, then I really enjoyed watching the Red Sox collapse.
they just played Rick Atsley’s “Never Gonna Let You Go”
there were a bit of boos
On another note.
If Sheets can prove this year he can stay healthy and has a good year. I wouldnt mind signing him for a shorter term and not go after C.C.
Clay – Thanks for sharing!
Can someone tell me is it that Dice is pitching good or does Detroits offense suck right now?
SOS27…
1) If Sheets stays healthy and has a good year. Somebody will sign him to a huge deal (probably minimum 4-5 years).
2) It should not be us. Ben Sheets is a much, much, much better version of Carl Pavano, but a version of Carl Pavano nonetheless.
Solid grammar/punctuation there from Gitmo. UGH.
wow, did Polanco just made his first error in over, like, 600 games?
From the “too funny” annals. I am blacked out of YES, so whent I found the ExtraInnings Yanks game I turned it on, only to find the broadcaster is – YES.
Go figure.
About the Sux game – when two last place teams face each other, one has to win…
Is there ANYONE else here who doesn’t worry about anything going on with the Yankees but has total faith and just enjoys the games? Please step forward and say so because feeling totally confident about the Yankees on this forum seems to be a lonely place!
Good luck with all the spculation …
this is GIRARDI’S Team now .. NOT Torre’s.
Green might make Torre’s team, but i don’t think he’d make Girardi’s
You can’t predict his game yet.
Sit tight and enjoy the show!
Also I don’t typically spell when “whent” especially with an edit feature. However I’m one of the majority in the world who use IE!
“Can someone tell me is it that Dice is pitching good or does Detroits offense suck right now?”
Right now Detroit is horrible.
Trisha…
I’m drinking the KoolAid as we speak.
The best way to view the Yankees is with a big picture view. A 162 game view. You’ll slit your wrists if you look at them game by game.
if betemit isn’t going to play SS here, he never should have made the roster ( which I originally argued for but later conceded the point)
So either he plays SS or cut him.
The comments around promoting single-a players (or double a even) aren’t deserving of a response.
Pinstriped Playa wow you read my mind! Welcome to Yankee nirvana!!! The water is beautiful.
Polanco made an error? Dang, Detroit has some bad karma o something.
Damon, nice eye.
why would you not throw a first pitch strike to damon? I’ve seen him not take a pitch twice.
3.71 team e.r.a. I know its earl but i cant remember the last time we had it that low. Throwing strikes does pay off.
Damon leads off with a walk
Cano has taken three pitches in a row. Break open the bubbly.
4 pitches taken in a row!
Gitmo, YAHOO! and thanks.
As someone who has always felt that pain is an unnatural state, slitting my wrists has never been an option. I couldn’t bring myself to worry unless something called mathematical elimination knocked on my door!
I love enjoying these games no matter what.
He should’ve taken 5.
Trisha – I think you’ll find this blog is full of Yankee fans, but all of whom secretly (or not so secretly) wish they were Yankee managers. The mistake many people make in reading these comments is thinking that the discussion and debate shows a lack of faith in the team. We all enjoy the game, but that doesn’t mean we accept everything blindly or that we don’t dream about the “perfect” team. But (save for the trolls) you won’t a find a more devoted, passionate pro-Yankee group out there!
In other words, this is way more than a “yes-man” type of blog!
Robbie really looked bad swinging at that. He K’s
Ugly strikeout by Cano. Long needs to work with him in the taking pitches drill again.
Rebecca, bad karma did you say? As someone who thinks about things like reaping what you sow in life, I can’t help think back to the postseason where Detroit put away the Yankees and then we found out that Mr. Rogers had a little pinetar help…
Bobby GIDP
saying sheets is pavano is ridiculous.
calm down w/ Robbie that was a good AB and Bannister threw a nasty changeup give Bannister credit on that
Let’s Go Phil =)
(Cano will make a great 3 hitter some day, but a number two, he is not.)
do we really need updates and posts every pitch? Get lives
Gathright with a single to lead it off
joey gathright really bugs me. he’s so pesky.
You can tell Posada’s arm has been bothering him.
pathetic throw…
Lori I know what you’re saying and I’ve been around managing-type posters all my posting life! I don’t do it, but I know it’s popular! I can discern those from the worrying to death types and I would say there is definitely at least a balance here.
I think we already have a perfect team (speaking of going with the party line hook, line and sinker!) It just takes a little while for things to coalesce.
You gotta get the runner on a pitchout no matter how fast he is…not a good play right there.
hmm, jorge? you ok?
Mike: and what exactly are you doing?
S.o.S.27,
I was being sarcastic, mainly because Angelini is not A-Rod. He’s good without a doubt, and getting some experience on the bench would be good for him, but playing in a game is a little over his head right now. Let him get out of Charleston before we throw him in with the big boys.
Runner on third and one down.
Boston Dave,
Im not a big fan of Betimet. Gonzales has a great glove but thats about it. I just thought maybe Angelini can come up for a few weeks and get a taste of the bigs. I know he’s no Arod. But Alex did start at 19 with Seattle. I wasnt saying to keep him up for good. Anyways. My bad for talking dumb fellas.
The Royals break on top. Back to playing catch-up.
Double brings in the run
hughes’ velocity is still down
Damn I had Teahan on my fantasy team a few eyars ago and cut him. Now he is becoming a hitting machine.
Is it me or does this ump have a massively small strike zone?
Sux just got another run.
Phil’s not throwing first pitch strikes like he was the other night…
Fernando,
Point taken.
thanks to those giving play by play. my last hour at work. it’s better than gameday.
“Is it me or does this ump have a massively small strike zone?”
Welcome to 2008 baseball – the year of the changing strike zones. No game I’ve seen this year has had a consistently sane strike zone. The Mets game had a tiny one earlier.
S.o.S.27,
I like the idea of having any of those kids hang with the team, its just getting them into a game that might be a little much. I think it was 2006 that Phil Hughes got to hang out with the big league club for some time. Nice gesture by the Yankees.
Massively small. Is that even possible or is it an oxymoron?
When is Guillen’s suspension supposed to start? Thursday?
Anyway, he pops out to short.
Finally Hughes is getting some breaking balls over, his first one led to an out by Guillen.
He doesn’t seem that locked in yet…
Jeff: By massively, I mean extremely
And my point is still valid.
Could have been worse. I expect the Yanks bats to pick up Hughes.
GO YANKEES!
Where is the K zone, anyway? Hughes got squeezed on the 1-2 inside pitch. Then the ump calls the same pitch a K to get end the inning.
Hey, anybody know how the MLB GameDay display determines the pitch location? Someone watching the game? That computer thingy which i Forgot the name of?
Alright, not the sharpest first inning, but having Joey Gathrite on base would distract any pitcher.
Are the tigers loosing???
This was an inning that shows the maturation of Hughes.
Last year, that’s a 4 run inning. This year, he minimizes the damage.
Its why folks have to be patient with the young pitchers.
The talent is there. Just have to let them work through the bumps and the return on investment for these guys will be huge.
So much poise for such a young player. Its very impressive.
Nice K by Mr.Hughes. I wouldn’t be worried about his velocity. The weather is bad and most pitchers are affected by it. His location wasn’t that great in the first inning, but hopefully he starts rolling.
Kevin
Time
So far. 4-0
Hughes is throwing a little harder then his last start. Last start 89,90. Today 91,92.
What exactly is his velocity, anyway? Gameday has him at 91-92 on the fastball. Is the television showing something different?
“Are the tigers loosing???”
We can complain about our offense under performing, but my goodness. The Tigers are really awful right now.
the strike zone can be massively small. just like bare-handed catches can make the list of web-gems.
keith.
i used to work for mlb.com. there is a guy watching the game who just puts where he sees the pitch location.
as for the pitch fx system. that is another group of people on a separate computer linking both of their information together.
A-Rod down looking at an inside corner strike. Matsui’s up and is putting up a nice battle.
Nice stop by Gload
At least Matsui made him pitch.
Hughes is hitting in the high 80s/low 90s.
Dang, Matsui is robbed there.
Joe- his velocity is known to touch 95-96 mph.
saucy,
web-gems are awfully good to watch.
David Cone described Gload as a very good defensive first baseman. Defense at first not critical? How about Gload doesn’t make that stop? We likely have a run right now.
Hughes velocity is supposed to be 93-95 like it allegedly was in the minors. However, since having leg injuries last year and being called up he has dipped to 88-91. Some say his mechanics have changed due to a lack of trust in his legs.
I don’t know if this has come up yet, but why is Betemit batting ahead of Melky?
Ross Gload is a good player.
Many thanks “the todd”
I think the cold weather could be making his velocity go down.
2 on and 2 out now as Giambi walks.
Singleton is soooooooooooo boring.
The ump is giving the calls for bannister, not for hughes.
This may have already been reported but on the way home I heard that DJ is being sent for an MRI.
It looked like posada was walking home lol.
O_O;; Look at Jorge go!
Look at Betemit hit!
Wow. What is in those cornflakes?
So maybe it’s time to hush your mouths about Betemit!
GOOD JOB WILSON, MY MAN!
If Jorge goes home standing up, something is dreadfully wrong.
Betemit with a hit into right and Posada scores! Yeah! Runners on second and third. Georgie was nearly out there.
Why the hell didnt posada slide there. Who’s the on deck batter?
I guess there’s my answer. Way to shut me up Betemit.
nice slide posada…
nice slide jorge
yeah Betemit!!! yeah Posada!!!
That could have been the ugliest 90 feet of successful baserunning we’ll see all season. Thank goodness they don’t start counting style points until June.
Betemit was batting from the side he can hit from, thankfully. Now Melky’s up
How did Jorge score from 2nd on a single? Were they running on contact?
Wow Bannister losing it all of a sudden. (That doesn’t mean he won’t find it again, a la DiceK.)
Bannister’s command is slipping. 4-pitch walk to Melky to load the bases.
Tisha from what i know an MRI was taken yesterday and it showed a mild strain
And look at Melky loading the bases with a walk. C’mon Damon.
Trisha – why would they send him for another MRI? He had one last night in NY. They said on the pregame he was in the clubhouse receiving treatment.
Teddy: His velocity was back at the end of last year. Give him some time. It was also better than right now in warm spring training. And it’s not that big of a deal anyway, it’ll be back soon enough.
No reason to talk about it…
Now 5-0, Sux bases loaded 2 out, new pitcher. 6th inning.
I’m looking for the Yanks-Sux symmetry I love…
karebear:
Of course they were running on contact, there were 2 outs. Jorge just got his foot in (running) before the catcher tagged him.
Jeter’s out until at least Friday according to the Yankee homepage.
That 3-0 pitch was ball four. Bad call ump.
Bases juiced. Damon up. Bannister walks in a run. 2-1 Yankees. What is up with Bannister’s control?
Nice eye Johnny
Nice – “TEK” just K’d. That’s the Sux part of the symmetry. Yanks already did their end of it.
Pat –
Bill Buckner did throw out the first pitch in Boston.
Good luck or bad, you ask?
Neither – it’s an omen.
Melky taking walks is a good thing. Or does this pitcher really suck?
Damon walks on a 3-2 pitch and brings home Giambi. 2-1 Yanks and Cano is up.
Another bad call on 1-0 to Cano.
woooo!!!
(this qualifies as a legit post because it doesn’t say yeaaah!!!) cano up bases loaded 2 outs 2-1 yankees.
Hope Bannister didn’t hurt himself. Odd to lose it that fast.
Ah – thanks. Missed the 2 outs part. This looks much more like the offense we know and love.
i don’t care how wild Bannister is he can’t walk Cano
Was the pitch a strike???
Happy to see the Yankees working the count and being patient. I would have like more run support for Hughes, but at least they took the lead.
Kevin
Cano should have had a walk…but he K’s swinging.
It’s not just Bannister. The umpire’s got a small, constantly moving strike zone.
see if Phil gets squeezed next inning.
I guess the good thing is that the umpire is consistent.
Damn.
Wasn’t it about time for Robinson to break out of his slump?
kidjock,
Bannister couldnt find the strike zone with Melk.
What’s the over/under on Girardi getting tossed this season?
Bannister has thrown 54 pitches in 2 innings!? Wow.
Cano lets Bannister off the hook. Well the Yanks did score and they ran up the pitch count.
well the yanks certainly made the kid throw a lot of pitches!
Can someone tell me what just happened to end the inning. Sterlling just YELLED!! Have no clue what happened.
Bannister already has 52 pitches in 2 innings. Hows that k.c. bullpen this year?
Rocco why do you say that? I’ve been out of my office.
A catch and a drop? well isn’t that just a plain error. John Sterling is a fool.
Cano can’t hit with bases loaded has one of the worst averages in BB. Maybe he is better off in the 8 hole. less pressure. He tries too hard in certain situations
Giradri was yelling at the ump for the 1-0 pitch to cano… he didn’t get tossed but i was just wondering what you guys think how many times he’ll get tossed…. my guess is 5.
Nice Hughes.
“Bannister already has 52 pitches in 2 innings. Hows that k.c. bullpen this year?”
They have a good closer, but the middle relief is definately hittable.
trisha, (carried over from days ago)
Your opinion of “Santana being washed up” is really off the mark. Since it is your opinion.. I will respect it. But 9 out of 10 would disagree.
Santana is young, and he has many more years of great pitching in his future.. last year in Minny, he suffered from the “I really don’t want to be here blues”. I had nothing to do with his “Missing Slider”..
The score is tied again and Pena Jr. steps up.
Abreu’s error cost the Yanks that run.
Who’s Pena rooting for when his son is up at the plate?
Fleas I don’t think I ever used the phrase “washed up”. If I did I had to have been drunk, and I don’t drink. I said I believe his best days are behind him, and I do. I think he is in his decline, although I think it will be extremely incremental. I also said I would not have given up our kids for him for all the tea in China.
I stand by all of those statements. Washed up? No.
looked to me like Alex Gordon left 3rd too early. anyone else think that?
If only we could get some hits with runners in scoring position this game might have been over by now.
That was a bull sh*t call.
Where the hell was that 3-2 pitch!!
S.o.S.27:
They said last year that Tony Pena Sr. wants his son to do good but the Yankees to win
And that strike zone is a joke!
The umps have been awful this year. Where was that last pitch?
Kim Jones is in the broadcast booth? Or is she just sitting in the background?
Has anyone EVER seen an appeal to third for leaving too early upheld (meaning the call is overturned)? I never have.
How long before WIlson is pulled from Short?
This is ridiculous. Can Hughes catch a break from the defense or the umps?
Betemit drops a perfect pitch from Posada that could have ended the inning. Dang it.
3-2 pitch to Pena is strike 3 and Betemit drops the third out on the throw by Posada.
Games like this test a young guy like Hughes. Awful HP umpire, poor defense, he just has to keep his composure.
With a guy this clueless behind the plate, this could be a 4 hour game. Just brutal work by the HP umpire thus far.
Okay, here I come with the positive.. don’t get excited that it will happen a lot.
But, I really am digging the fact that Girardi is off the bench yelling at the umps. Not to take anything away from Torre but his time was up.. this is exactly what we need, a manager who is in your face and keeping a torch lit! Especially since these umps need to go back to school.
errors in 8 straight games way to help out the pithers.
should have 2 errors. extended the inning numerous pitches etc..
they look like crap….
You know I haven’t listening to the entire game, but I haven’t heard John mention once that the ump is terrible. He is too busy talking about all the yellow jackets in the stands.
trisha-
I saw Angel Hernandes do it once.
My God. This is ridiculous. Why is Hughes still on the damn mound?
The killer of course is when you get a bullsh*t call like that third strike turning into a walk, and a freakin run or more comes out of it and changes the entire course of a game.
Grrr!
I don’t like Hughes and Kennedy pitching back to back. Neither one are a given to go deep into the game.
Wow Lauren. And Hernandez is such a jackass I wouldn’t have thought he of all umps would call that. That’s pretty cool.
If this Joke of an ump continues on this bad calling pace. We will see both bullpens by the 4th inning. Worst i’v seen in quite sometime.
“jen-How long before WIlson is pulled from Short?”
Angelini will be here tomorrow.
Before anyone goes off on Hughes, he was out of the inning twice but got screwed twice!
What the heck is up with this umpire?
I know Phil can get it together, but it’s not like the umpire was on the flight that got in at 4 AM…
And the bases are loaded now after a 4-pitch walk.
I’m sure the Yanks sent Hughes ahead on an earlier flight so that he could get some sleep…but the ump is absolutely ludicrous.
“My God. This is ridiculous. Why is Hughes still on the damn mound?”
because its the 2nd inning in a tie game and he should have been out of the inning TWICE.
Thanks Mark Wegner, now Hughes has way over 50 pitches through 2 innings as well. (No, the inning is not over yet.)
And yes, I have seen players called out for leaving too early. The team has to throw to the base and step on it, then the umpire can call the runner out.
okay, the umpiring just gets worse and worse every season. it’s been abysmal so far this year. it’s only ever a strike if it’s right over the middle of the plate it seems. ridiculous. they seem especially worse for yankees pitchers.
Justice.
” Ron
April 8th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
My God. This is ridiculous. Why is Hughes still on the damn mound? ”
.
That is why.
At least Hughes got out of the inning…but this has to be the worst umpiring I have ever seen. This season has been horrendous.
Why was Posada set up way inside on a 2-2 bases loaded? Just put the glove down the middle and have him throw it there. Its hard enough to get strikes in this game. Why put him in a 3-2 count with the bases loaded.
Hughes probably threw an extra 20 pitches because strike 3 to Pena was called a ball.
Phil would have no problem going deep into games if he gets calls.
Geez, watch the game. The HP umpire is awful.
He has been awful for both teams.
You can’t just throw the ball down the middle of the plate because the HP umpire won’t call strikes. You have to pitch your game.
Hughes will be fine. So will Kennedy.
“I don’t like Hughes and Kennedy pitching back to back. Neither one are a given to go deep into the game.”
This is true. I guess it would be ideal to have Wang followed by Hughes followed by Pettitte followed by Ian followed by Moose. However if Moose all of a sudden starts throwing horribly then you’re stuck with the same problem. Hopefully Ian and Phil will be able to go at least 6 innings most times they start although it doesn’t look like Phil’s going to go 6 today.
With the young guys the Yanks have there really is just no perfect way to line up the pitchers unfortunately.
The question was more “Why is Hughes not out of this inning?” I’m not advocating pulling him because the Yankees fell asleep on defense and the ump is terrible.
Hughes escaped despitethe bad fielding but his pitch count his very high. Hope he makes it at least 5 innings.
ya can’t walk the #9 hitter in the lineup (pena) it will kill you all the time, threw 20 mor pitches
Well, not too much damage. Let’s go guys. Break the tie and finish the game. Then you rest.
Steph: I know Phil was, but the rest of the team wasn’t
I’d like to say it’s why Robbie’s k’ed twice, but then, it’s Robbie, who probably doesn’t know what to do when he gets to ball three
He didn’t walk Pena. The ump did.
“I really don’t understand why they don’t have a long relieverâ€
Somewhere in Scranton, Kei Igawa bides his time, cackling like a madman and adjusting his shades.
God…did these umps actually go to umpiring school? And passed?
Are you kidding me? Now it’s a strikeout?
F YOU Mark Wegner!
A-Rod K’s on ball 3. How the heck did that get called a strike?
Fox is showing 2 earned runs against Hughes. Is that correct? Wasnt that run scored by Abreus error?
this is BS
haha
Two nights in a row A-Rod gets called out on balls way outside and off the plate. This ump is horrific right now..
All you want is consistency from an ump so you know where to throw and where to hit. The 3-2 slider to Pena was picture perfect called strike three. Take a look at its location on Gameday
Sometimes I hate this game. Fat dudes who aren’t on either team can affect the outcome of the game, and a guy can start off 2-2 with a pair of dingers against a pitcher and then strike out looking in the next two Abs.
Now there’s a pitch to Arod that hasn’t been a strike the entire game. Until now.
I don’t care if you are a rookie or Johan Santana, when the HP umpire is this bad, there isn’t much you can do about it.
Phil is going to be fine. He’s throwing the ball well. He had Pena struck out and didn’t get the call. That caused the pitch count to rise.
Its a game that’s going to be decided by the bullpen today. Probably sometime around 8 pm eastern if this stiff behind the plate keeps this up.
Thank you Godzilla….boy oh boy…those who were calling for Matsui’s head are lookin’ Perty Sillay rat now !!!
Even the most negative person on this blog doesn’t worry about Hughes. He’ll be fine!
Here is Giambi’s chance to improve his stellar .083 batting average…..can he do it ???
SOS but there were no outs, I don’t believe.
With Wilson batting behind him, Jason’s likely to get a bunch of junk to swing at……FUDGE ! ;-(
WOW!
Overrated is up to 55 pitches already?
This is just horrific to watch. It seems like nothing is going in the Yankees’ favor…
Nope. Giambi grounds out to second to end the inning.
I’d say the Sux game is pretty much in the book. Bottom of the 8th, still 5-0. And Detroit is stone cold.
How can these people POSSIBLY be paid to call the games? They’ve given awful calls to both teams.
I’m glad I’m not home yet to see this ump…
Don’t feed the trolls!
Phil needs a 10 pitch inning here.
For all the bad thats going on to us right now. Immagine being a Tigers fan. They are one inning away from going 0-8. Does anyone know if any team has made the playoffs with this bad of a start?
Just got in
Let’s go Hughes! Let’s go Yanks!
They kind of look like they are suffering from the effects of a late flight.
About the study of Jeter being the worst SS in the majors defensively……..I wonder what his numbers are like from the 7th-9th innings. It seems like when the game is in the balance he is going to make a play and his 7th-9th numbers are probably 3 times better than his 1st-6th inn
mko I don’t think anything is going in either team’s favor but I think that Hughes’ count may be a little lower than Bannister’s. Also I believe we have the superior pen…
Sux bring back Buckner!
Hubris
A DP would be nice.
Hughes is not locating all that well, but he’s definitely pitched better than his line. If A-Rod’s playing short, or the umpire has a brain, Hughes would be fine.
Would have been nice…
I see the trolls are out. Goodness
That Phil got out of the bases loaded last inning with no runs has got to do a lot for his confidence, especially with this umpiring.
They don’t have a long reliever on the roster because the three candidates for the job, Karstens, Rasner, and Igawa all pitched horribly in ST. Add to it, Karstens is hurt.
Ohlendorf and Hawkins could pitch 2-3 innings if needed. They are probably the best candidates for the role right now.
Only a moron would describe Phil Hughes as overrated.
About the trolls – they were noticeably absent during the entire Sux series with the Jays!
HA HA
The defense and umpiring aren’t helping Hughes, but he is doing a good job considering the circumstances.
He’s busting out the changeup.
Did anyone realize that according to sterling every hitter is a great hitter with power???? I can’t take him no more.
trisha:
Bannister has 71 pitches through 3 innings, Hughes has 72 right now!
And we may have the superior bullpen, but we are also playing 20 games without any off days, that’s not good for any bullpen.
Pitched around him which is fine with me.
This game can only help Hughes. With all these bad calls and continuing to pitch in and out of jams. It can only be good for his developement.
There’s a giant midwest airlines advertisement in center field mocking Peter Abraham
I know the cold is effecting the hittrs, but I have got to think it hurts the pitchers as well. Kennedy didn’t have control when it was frigid out, and now Hughes when it is cold and windy can’t find the srikezone.
Anyone have thoughts pitching when it is soo cold?
mko and the umpires alternate so we probably won’t have to worry about this kind of foolishness for the entire series.
We’ll be fine.
Velocity on a day like today shouldn’t be a concern… its so cold out there Hughes (as well as any other pitcher) is likely to lose a few MPHs. I think he’s pitching very well in spite of getting squeezed by the ump. Its also a lot tougher to locate a curveball in weather like this, as most pitchers describe it as a “feel” pitch.
Meanwhile the Sox are putting the finishing touches on a 5-0 victory over the pathetic Tigers. You have to think with that lineup eventually they’ll hit, but right now they look helpless out there. Unfortunately the Sox are benefiting from it. On a positive note, with the Tigers about to go 0-7, they are becoming a little less of a concern as a wild card contender. This morning ESPN said that no team who started 0-6 had ever won its division. You wouldn’t think 7 games could put a team in that big a hole, but apparently their chances aren’t that good.
Hughes just loaded the bases…..hopefully he can escape trouble this inning.
Another walk. Ugh. Bases juiced for Pena Jr.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Too bad, Pete. That said it all.
Melksterooni! Great catch.
Perhaps Phil thinks those are the Red Sox he is facing. Why is he walking .220 hitters?
I am so glad we have Melky on the team.
whew, that is over. I must say this game has kept me on my toes…now if we can get some more runs in that would be wonderful.
Good catch by Melky! Thank God…
This game really is going to be a good 4 hours or so at the speed it’s being played at.
Hughes got out of it.
You can’t get willy nilly about Hughes or Kennedy for that matter.
When you go with young guys, its a process. It takes patience and time.
He’s throwing the ball well in rotten weather. He hasn’t gotten calls and his defense has let him down a bit.
Yet, he has kept his composure and made quality pitches when he had to.
Its all part of the development process that every pitcher who has ever played the game has gone through.
I will tell you right now, I’m more impressed with him on a day like this than I was in any of his regular season starts last year.
He’s going to be very, very good. Personally, I think it will happen sooner than later.
But, we have to be patient while he works his way through the process.
I believe only 2 teams have made the playoffs after an 0-6 start. not sure about 0-7.
the sox get all of their detroit games out of the way over the first 5 weeks of the season which may be a bit of schedule luck. currently no granderson (or rodney or zumaya).
Larry who is hitting 220 that he walked? Are you watching the game? Have you seen the (lack of) strike zone? I only ask because I believe that a few of those walks were intentionals meaning he preferred to pitch around them given the (lack of) strike zone. Then factor in bad calls behind the plate.
That inning was way too quick…time again for Hughes
Now we need the kind of inning they just had.
Why is this blog so slow?
As for the game, Hughes needs to get through this inning. Still, bad calls and defense or no, a 3.00 WHIP is not going to get it done.
Christ, Gathright’s on again.
Single by Gathright to lead it off
GIDP…
This is a pretty ugly game to watch. HP umpire is awful but Hughes hasn’t helped himself this inning. We can thank the umpire last inning for keeping him out there for an extra 20 pitches thrown. Good job by Hughes getting out of two bases loaded jams. Major confidence boost. Don’t know how anybody would be able to say he can’t handle the pressure of pitching in the big leagues at 21.
Betemit at SS is not the answer during Jeter’s time off. He has not looked too great today.
Betemit doesn’t get the tag down and Gathright takes second.
pitch 3 to grudz = strike
ouch
Gaithright. Former Ray. It shows.
Hmmm…is Posada 100%? Or even 75%? He isn’t throwing it very good…
But maybe Hughes should try to hold the runner as well…
“Yet, he has kept his composure and made quality pitches when he had to.”
I agree completely and I think this says it all. Mental toughness. You could make a very convincing argument that if this had been Mussina on the mound in this weather getting squeezed he might have had a minor meltdown, especially after Betemit missed that tag on that steal.
Joey Gathright is fast…scary fast. He just stole third.
Betemit can’t hit anything or catch anything. He’s versatile, yes, and a valuable bench guy, but he’s done nothing to deserve playing over Ensberg. A-Rod can for sure handle short better.
And Gathright takes third. Still no out.
Is that Bernie catching?
As much as Hughes has struggled, Bannister’s struggled just as much, but has gotten a ton more support off his team. I think I could steal off Posada today.
An ugly, ugly game and, like everyone’s said, a hell of a learning experience for Hughes.
I’ve said this before: if you can’t be patient with Hughes and Kennedy this year, do yourself a favor and find a new favorite team.
Two pitch outs and Posada still can’t throw anyone out.
Got to get Betemit off SS. He can’t play the position.
He can’t catch throws at second, can’t hold the runner close and simply is overmatched for the position.
Today is a great example of why you can’t play him for a week at the position.
He cost them runs with his poor play out there.
Just call up Gonzalez and put him at short until Jeter is ready.
You can’t hide a SS on your defense. That’s a position in which you have to have somebody able to play it well enough to help you win games. He can’t.
Hughes is out of the game.
Like that Girardi has a quick hook. Really like his managing.
Betemit missed a throw to second that Robby and Derek do a lot of the time and he missed a throw while Gathright piled into him. Yeah, time to panic.
Tough game for Phil today.
You know what? If giving up 3 runs in 3 innings is as ugly as it gets for Phil, that’s fine with me. Lots of innings left in this game to get one run back. I think Ohlendorf will get the win eventually (8:35pm).
And it’s 3-2 after the single. Here comes Ohlendorf.
If Posada is behind the plate then why not put Giambi in center field? Posada throwing is absolutely dreadful. He can’t even get the rat on a pitchout..just pathetic!! If Molina was behind the plate I would bet that there are 2 outs on those plays and not 2 runs.
oh boy. alot of pressure on the pen.
we may have to bring back Rocket.
Jorge Steinbrenner good points. And since we know that Jorge said he isn’t 100%, maybe it wasn’t entirely Betemit there.
Nice double play ball from Ohlendorf. Has anyone mentioned how bad the HP Ump is?
Kidding.
Good work by Ohlendorf-gets a GIDP and a K.
let’s get some runs now
Matsuzaka: 6.2 4 0 0 4 7
Hughes: 3.0 6 3 3 4 2
Anyone else have a really bad feeling about Sunday?
On a related note … I really hate Kenny Rogers.
Ohlendorf is much better than Hughes
This ump is getting on my nerves
Nothing worse than when the umpire acts as the 10th player.
Yes, we’ll get the runs back. It feels like I’ve sat through two games but it’s only the 5th inning!
Man this blog is very slow to load lately. By the time I read Steph’s update of every single solitary play it is like 3 plays ago. Besides the TV and computer in front of me, how will I ever know what is going on?
DJ I don’t.
No bad feeling for Sunday. Chill
Is Girardi going to go out there and get in that Jack@$$ ump’s face ???…what is this crap with the wide on BOTH sides of the plate K-Zone to A-Rod…..JERK !
Ugly game. Won’t lie.
Hope the Yanks can pick it up. Meanwhile, I need to write a response paper for tomorrow for a class, and I can’t get the @#$@# .pdf to open. So I’m kind of frustrated.
Bannister is in a groove all of a sudden. Luckily he’s thrown 97 pitches, and in this weather is most likely done for the day. The Royals bullpen is pretty bad, so hopefully the offense can get in gear soon.
DJ,
I’ll take the Yanks chances Sunday.
they’ve seen Daisuke more than the (suddenly horrible) Tigers lineup… not to mention there are likely many other factors at play in both Phil’s line and Daisuke’s. who knows how the HP ump was in Boston.
don’t feed the trolls.
Can Dave Eiland remind our pitchers where the strike zone is? Forget the umpire, Hughes and Olendorf weren’t throwing strikes.
Wow, this blog keeps shutting down.
Runners on second and third with no out for KC
Get out of this Ross
Olendorf did a good job with the DP. But he is not someone that you can trust out of the bullpen. He is always either untouchable or all over the place.
SJ-
Does playing A Rod at SS throw him off too much, & Ensberg at 3rd?
Bonus question: How many innings does Kershaw get to this year including the minor leagues?
This blog is slow again.
Ugh.
this inning has been very painful to watch
ugly
this game sucks.
Look as ugly as this game is, that umpire is beyond pathetic.
Hughes and his fastball:
http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2008/04/phil_hughes_vel.html
5-2 Royals on that. Still no out.
No joke, the Royals lineup is outstanding. I’d take Teahan, Butler, Gordon and Gload any day. Not to mention Gathright today. Ohly needs to shut the door now.
DJ –
I have no bad feelings about Sunday. It’s another day. And, chances are pretty good there’ll be a different ump behind the plate too, right?
JeffNJ – GameDay does everything Steph does and more. No I won’t cross the lines and suggest any exceptions to that comment.
We will have an influx of trolls now. Don’t feed them.
royals pen does suck… i feel a comeback
Pete,
the blog is extremely slow since yesterday (likely due to the editing feature). If we can’t have both, I’d rather have a blog that works than a blog that lets you edit.
I’m using Firefox 2.0.0.13
This game sucks on so many levels.
Get out of this inning and let’s get some runs
damon’s throw was embarrassing .even bad high school arms are better than that.
nevermind, hawkins is now warming up
wow i really didn’t think the umpires could get worse than they were last year… they really take away from the game. i really wish they would do more to control the umps
LOL, the Royals. Way to go Phil – you’re almost as good as IPK.
so didn’t everyone get the memo? the yankees can’t let the royals lose their home opener, seriously that would just be wrong. so that’s what it is…
but really, let’s let everyone get their kinks out..it will be FINE! and yes this is loading so slowly…
Notice that the only strikes Ohlendorf is getting is swinging strikes. THE UMPIRE BLOWS!
Buck pops out to Posada in foul territory…and Pena Jr. K’s.
Pete makes a good point about teams running on us. It doesn’t seem we’re throwing anyone out, and you wonder if word has gotten out that we can be run on.
Maybe we’re just playing faster teams. Can’t say anything about our opponents feels familiar this year. When did the Rays get pitching?
KC’s middle relief is questionable but Soria looks like the real deal so far and Nunez has done well.
That said, the Yanks lineup will wakeup at some point. why not now?
Ansky, you missed my sarcasm. The every play updates are annoying and unnecessary. Steph should do that on her blog only. Commentary of all sorts is welcome, play by play is annoying.
how many times is this ump going to call that strike on Arod but not on anyone else?
MLB really needs to do something about these umps. Last year Chipper Jones was the only one to say anything about it.
More players need to step up here. It’s pathetic.
Oh and yes there is really nothing you can say positive about the way this team is playing.
The Royals lineup is not outstanding. They are nothing special.
Its not like they are murderers row.
Don’t get carried away with April baseball.
Hughes and Ohlendorf will be fine. If you aren’t patient with young guys, come back in June.
Everybody has to go through what they are going through. They are both good pitchers who will help the Yankees win a lot of games this year.
Mark Wegner, the HP umpire? Just an awful day for him today.
Looks like he has some kind of history with Arod because he is punching him out on pitches no where near the strikezone.
This is where you wish Bud Selig would reign in his lunatic fringe of umpires instead of worrying about PED’s.
Bad umpires, which comprise almost half of the crews these days, do more damage to the game than PED’s ever did.
The guy was awful today and the Royals have been able to take advantage of it. Them’s the breaks.
April is a month of survival for the Yankees. If they survive it, with health intact and within a few games of the division, its the best to hope for, given the travel and the weather.
Its also a good time for the young guys to get their feet wet at this level.
This blog is very slow do to the fancy Ajax inplace-editing.
They don’t have the server capacity for this type of feature, but it appear they have to learn the hard way.
The biggest mistake is the wya they have the clock setup to be server-side (i.e. makes the server slow with multiple requests)
I emailed Pete about some things they can do to improve the performance.
SJ-
Thoughts on a innings cap on Kershaw for this year?
Wow, this is a “great” bullpen. You sure know your baseball, SJ!
It’s pretty clear that teams will steal less on Molina but I’m not overly concerned with Posada yet.
Tampa steals bases and Gathright is fast.
Fleas I don’t know that you can make definitive statements about any game where the umpire has blown so many calls. For instance, if Phil didn’t have to overpitch in so many innings he should have been out of due to pathetic umpiring, would the score be the same? Doubtful. Real stinkers and umpire’s disasters I just turn the page on.
There will be one Buddy because he’s only 19.
Surprise, another Betemit K.
Can’t play a guy who has no glove and can’t make contact.
I don’t know if Arod has taken ground balls at short this spring. If he hasn’t, it kind of takes away that option.
If he has, I have Arod at short and Ensberg at third. If he hasn’t, they really have to consider calling up Gonzalez and putting him at short.
Wilson Betemit is just not a good player and you hate having a guy who can’t play as your SS. Even for a short period of time.
SJ, I think the Yankees proved last year they can come back even if they don’t survive April.
In today’s game, if Jeter, or a capable SS is at short, two of SB’s are outs.
If Jorge’s shoulder is not healthy, I’d just play Molina until he gets healthy.
No reason to push anybody to play with injuries in April.
damons nasty
Jeff NJ –
I’m at work right now, and this blog is basically the only thing that isn’t blocked for me. I’m sure I’m not alone in that boat…
That being the case, I do appreciate the game updates, as this is the only way I really know what is going on…
Buddy B.-
Who cares about Kershaw’s innings cap?
Do the math – look him up on any number of sites, see what his top IP count was in last 2 seasons, add 30, and that’s the conventional thinking.
Ah they cursed Gathright, they said he is the first royal with 3 SB’a since Angel Berroa, who after stealing the rookie of the year from Matsui has been in the minors for two years. Another no hit SS.
Pete, you need to follow up with Damon. Does he still plan to return to being an elite MLB player?
Boston Dave ( wink ) …how is Hawkins’ ERA looking so far ?
John, if that’s true it is really sad. I would quit that job ASAP. Why don’t you go on Steph’s site? I assume she does it on her blog too.
It’s not just that Betemit is striking out, it’s what he’s striking out on: junk. It’s early, yes, but some players on the team just look lost out there. Cano’ play on both ends has been awful. Damon looks to be adjusting, but he still has a real weak swing. Hughes I’m not so worried about. I thought his stuff looked decent, even tho his location was off, and some of that was frustration at the plate umpire, and having to adjust to get the calls.
I’m concerned about Cano, mainly, and where his mentality is at right now. Also, Betemit shows just how much losing Jeter can hurt.
Are they sleepy or something out there. Wake up boys.
Btw-I dunno if the edit function is the main cause for this blog being so slow. But if it is, I could do without it. The slowness is annoying
Don Vito,
not good. he’s in the same 9+ ERA group as KRod, Verlander and Beckett right now.
Yeah, I’m going to quit my job that pays well because I can’t access game updates…
So far Ohlendorf is having a better game compared with Hughs today…
Thanks SJ. I think Betemit will play himself off the Yanks, same way he did with the Braves & Dodgers. He just seems over matched.
Hughes showed tonight that he still has a looong way to being a top-of-the-rotation guy. He’s a two-pitch pitcher at this point, and when his location is off, it’ll get ugly. He needs to start showing his changeup more to keep hitters off balance, and if his velocity was where it should be (93-94) he could get away with laying it in there and making hitters miss. Hopefully, Hughes will regain the velocity he seems to have lost since he was in the minors, build confidence in his change, and continue to grow as a pitcher. But I fear that he will be inconsistent in the meantime, due to the fact he has to be perfect because he only has two pitches.
Ok…this is the inning that we take the lead….here it comes…if not, maybe A-Rod lets the bat slip and it knocks the home ump OUT…( just for the game though,,,nothing serious
)
Betemit has a good arm. I have no problem with him at short. You can’t play Molina in a day game following a night game. That’s why you need to catchers. I also wouldn’t mind playing Molina all the time until Jorge really feels good. We need Jorge at full strength. If we have day following night’s then he’ll need to be in there.
Friday Vs. Boston…..Friday can’t happen quick enough
This is the inning to score some runs… Cano, Abreu, A Rod, Godzilla. Hopefully we can get to Mahay.
let’s go! here’s the inning
They are both at the top of my “list”…although, you KNOW, that I would LOVE to be wrong about Hawkins, and would LOVE for K-Rod to end up in AAA for life !
Buddy and SJ,
dont tell that to whozat. I think he was the one who convinced me I was wrong when I said Betemit should not make the roster out of ST. I do think he’s a better hitter than this but I always questioned his defense.
Ohlendorf, I guess, can be a bit of a long man. He came in in the fourth, has pitched 3 innings, and has kept his team in the game (yes, trailing by three is in the game). It wasn’t exactly a clean 3 innings, but essentially he’s done his job. Now let’s see if we can steal this game.
nyyfaninlaaland-
I value SJ’s opinion, ignore my post if it bothers you.
I say A-rod and Gozilla both hit bombs and we call it even in the 7th…
Don Vito,
I have not seen LaTroy pitch as much as you have so I can’t comment too much. How do you think he was able to succeed in Colorado? Simply because there was less pressure? Once the weather is better, do you think he’ll improve?
hahah did I just hear Sterling do a rendition of Staying Alive? Armageddon must be near.
Paolo….I am WITH ya !!!
I disagree about Hughes. Today, he showed me he WILL be a top of the line guy. Sooner rather than later.
Its awfully tough to throw your curveball in this kind of weather.
He had the “big 3″ going against him today. Lack of feel of the curveball. Probably weather related. An AWFUL HP umpire who caused him to throw about 30 extra pitches in the game due to his putrid work, and awful defense behind him.
Yet, he kept his composure and grinded.
That’s what you have to do in games. Sometimes, its not pretty.
However, the kid has shown he has the pitches and makeup to be a top of the line starter. He just has to build on these starts.
You need to take a long, rather than a short, view of things.
Some folks get so caught up in what’s happening now, they don’t see the big picture.
Everytime guys like Hughes, Ohlendorf, Kennedy, etc, go out there, its a learning experience.
That encompasses good and bad.
When you think about it, this had all the earmarks of being a sloppy game. Late game in NY last night, travel to KC for a fast turnaround game, bad weather, etc. It happens.
That’s why I’m taking a long view when looking at this team this season. Bad schedule early, breaking a lot of young guys in, its the only way to look at things right now.
The hits they take now will make them a better team later in the season. Just gotta live with the ups and downs right now.
0-2 again on arod.. wow.
Boston Dave-
Betemit is a tough to one to call. Playing SS is over exposing his weaknesses. I think Gonzalez will be called up, I have read Jeter is out until Friday if not longer.
Fair enough Buddy –
cranky about the game and the day in general. Apologies.
The Yankees have been playing like the “playoff Yankees” all season long.
Only a few SURE wins here and there, but the frustratingly low scoring losses dominate.
well said SJ44.
still, it would be nice to see signs of life from the offense. we know they’ll come, but hopefully soon.
GOLDEN SOMBRERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FIESTA!!!!!!!!
I would not want to be A-Rod today.
Also, SJ, when you said that today’s game would end at 8 PM, I think you might be onto something.
Golden Sombrero for A Rod. Unbelievable.
and because A-Rod knew that pitch was going to be called a frickin’ strike….four Ks tonight….NASTY…did A-Rod woo the umps wife ?…what the HALE ???
Sj44-
Do you think Hughes needs to mix in his changeup more? It looks like he only threw like 2-3 today and a couple sliders. Other than that it was all fastballs and curves. I think it’s pretty tough to succeed as an elite starting pitcher in this league if you don’t have at least 3 pitches you feel comfortable using. I’m not saying he won’t become great, but I think clearly he needs to develop his change a little bit more because right now it doesn’t seem like it’s a usable pitch.
nyyfaninlaaland
FWIW, You are right I should have just looked it up.
Arod has the right to go cold. You read it here first.
nypd113th = the king of all iceholes RETURNS !!!
i dance i dance i dance.. around the mexican hat…..i dance i dance i dacne.. and thats the end of that!
SJ
I do think that Hughes will be a frontline starter, but he needs to get his velocity back and develop another pitch. I can’t really think of any top starter in the bigs with just two pitches. Whether it be a slider (he has one now, but it’s not very refined), a split, a cut-fastball, or something else, he needs to add something else to his repitoire. However, if he adds one more pitch, gains more faith in his changeup, and tacks on the 2-3 mph he seems to have lost, I think he’ll be scary good. But it’ll be tough with just a 91mph fastball and a curve.
ok boys time to go back to bed and start with a fresh day tomorrow. So many mental and physical errors in this game very frustrating
I can’t believe people are bitching about Posada throwing runners out. It wasn’t Posada who dropped the ball on the one steal attempt. And it certainly wasn’t Posada who just let the guys steal on him. Posada’s shoulder may still be hurting but the Hughes has to do a better job holding those guys close, which he didn’t do.
The team, as a whole, is dragging today. You can see it in their play. Tomorrow they will come out and kick some butt.
From what I gathered skimming through the comments, the home plate ump stunk! Who is this chump? I guess he enjoys 12 hour games!!
And what happened to Jorge, still close enough to come back, hope it isn’t anything serious!
From what I gathered skimming through the comments, the home plate ump stunk! Who is this chump? I guess he enjoys 12 hour games!!
And what happened to Jorge, still close enough to come back, hope it isn’t anything serious!
Why in the world would nypd show up when his TEAM LOST TODAY!!
Giambi’s defense suffers when he’s not the DH…
The Yankees are trying to do the hardest thing you can in baseball – retool with young pitching while still trying/ expecting to win.
The young arms they have are all very mature and they are very talented – but even with guys as advanced as Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy are it’s a process that’s going to take time.
And a key part of the Yankees winning while retooling the pitching is the offense being able to win some high scoring games when the kids are pitching.
Young pitchers are just not going to be as consistent as veterans – that’s just the way it is.
Felix Hernandez is the most talented young pitcher to enter baseball over the past 5 years. He’s struggled with consistency.
Today is just one of those starts a young pitcher is going to have.
Hughes is absolutely got the ability to be a front line starter. But it’s a process.
Same thing for Ohlendorf.
He’s the second youngest player in all of the major leagues.
Today is a game that the offense just needs to win.
They can’t expect a 21 year old to hold the fort every game. It’s got to be a combination of the kids getting better over the course of the year while the offense makes up for the blemishes.
WOW shocker of all shockers!! Wilson struck out again!! Get this clown off the team!
Hawkins will probably look forward to pitching on the road.
Gayle – agreed. This game is all around awful. They look like a tired team going through the motions. KC might be improved, but they are not that good. Maybe a good nights sleep and they’ll look better tomorrow
Just an ugly game.
I think Betemit is getting jealous that Arod is taking is job as the strikeout king on the team and is trying to catch up..
Someone needs to tell him he is way ahead and has nothing to worry about.. He has 13 at bats and 7 strikeouts. His suckage lead is safe.
2008 Absolutely agree with your comments.
This server is ridiculous, especially for someone like me who has IE and doesn’t benefit from edit anyway.
Don Vito I am going out on a limb here since by the time this posts the inning will likely be over, but LaTroy Hawkins HARDLY STINKS! Nice that Joe got him in back-to-back games where he has had success.
awesome game Yanks. nothing like being totally dumbfounded on the mound and at the plate by the friggin Royals.
I can’t blame Hughes TOO much, although his holding of base runners was horrible. The defense was TERRIBLE behind him. The ump’s dinner reservations weren’t until 9pm so he had plenty of time to kill today. He really was inconsistent though….
And, the offense took the day off……
What do you do?? Just move on……
Wow, this umpire -sucks-.
Bad weather seens to follow the Yanks everywhere. The forecast in Boston calls temps in the lower to mid 30s this weekend. Good luck.
sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains. that’s baseball. and to quote another movie, tomorrow is another day.
one thing about hawkins, he sure as hell havn’t gotten over his weak psyche… he can’t throw a strike in yankee stadium, but he has thrown 75% strikes…
man i know he has problem back with twins and cubs… hope he can get used to the pressure after a while
Jose Molina has been making great throws to 1st and also to 3rd to throw out the runner. Since KC likes to run I have no problem leaving Molina in behind the plate until Posada’s shoulder heals.
one thing about hawkins, he sure as hell havn’t gotten over his weak psyche… he can’t throw a strike in yankee stadium, but he has thrown 75% strikes against the royals on the road…
man i know he has problem back with twins and cubs… hope he can get used to the pressure after a while
You could tell with the first pitch of the game Hughes was aiming his pitches – bad day – no big deal. He can come out and dominate just as easily next go around.
Whole team looks flat today. You think they just got back from the Far East or something.
So if Molina would have just gone down there, who’s the third catcher on the roster to take his place?
This website is at least 4 times slower than before. Pete, why?
CB -
You are right. I think one of the reasons the Yankees felt comfortable passing up that trade this past off -season was that they have the offense to support the growing pains of the young pitchers.
Unfortunately, it’s taking them a bit of time to really get their act together offensively. I wasn’t able to watch the game this p.m., but it sounds like a combination of bad umpires and lethargic play (probably due to the travel and lack of good rest). It sounds like it’s “one of those games” you just forget about and move on to the next one.
Not a good sign that Posada is still not 100%, though. Good thing they have Molina.
Nice inning by LaTroy.
I don’t know if this makes a difference but maybe we can try to stay with shorter posts until the server thing is taken care of. If short posts take forever to post imagine what the long posts are doing!
They really need to get the server issue fixed. It is hardly fun to post under these conditions. I’m not meaning to be critical since server issues aren’t rocket science.
“I can’t blame Hughes TOO much, although his holding of base runners was horrible.”
Again – this is an unreasonable expectation for a young pitcher.
That may sound silly but it is.
Why – go check out how many base runner phil Hughes allowed in the minor leagues. It was very, very few. His whip in the minors was 0.86 – that’s minuscule.
Holding runners on is a problem for nearly all young pitcher who are dominant in the minors. It’s always for the same reason – they are dominant, don’t let guys get on base and don’t get experience holding runners on. This is particularly true for right handers.
Go see how well Tim Lincecum holds on runners.
Is this a problem – yes.
But it’s one of those inherent problems that’s present with young pitching.
You just have to accept it and understand it will get better.
But holding runners on is one of the last parts of the game that many, many good young pitchers add to their skills.
What is the story with Jorge?! Why is it taking us so long to find out!
trisha,,,,Guillen helped Hawkins out BIG TIME swinging at 1st pitch junk after Troy walked a runner into scoring position….but if you want to think Mr. Double Digit ERA Choke Artist hardly stinks, you go ahead. By the All-Star break, you will either be agreeing with me OR you’ll be making up excuses as to why he STILL STINKS !
This a disaster.
They can nil afford another injury, if something was to happen, this would not be looking good for the Yankees.
Pete-
If these injuries linger, what do you think the possibilities are of them going after a bat?
here comes 3 straight runners on base to load ‘em up and a walk-off Granny for Mr. A-Rod ( or ….maybe not….
)
In my first post in the 2008 season (been on vacation for a few weeks), I say:
Tomorrow is a new day.
lol well the good news is that Damon, robinson and betemit are all approaching the mendoza line; bad news is everybody else are working toward the line too… lol
hope next game is better, we probably should rest jorge from catching for a while… when ross gload try to run twice on you, u know something is seriously wrong or your name is josh bard
Doreen,
Many people thought it was strange for the yankees to commit so much money to veterans in the off season while at the same time committing to youth on the staff.
But with the yanks you can’t just “rebuild” the entire team all at once.
I’m sure part of their thinking in investing in veteran bats was to create a near term cushion that would help the kids win even when they don’t pitch well.
It’s a way of supporting their development in NY.
Terrible… just terrible.
Sucky game for the Yanks. hope tomorrow is better. looks like a crapshoot though with Grienke vs. Kennedy
Good Night,,, all !
thankfully, this nightmare of a game is finally over.
Get em tomorrow
Don Vito
Yeah, pretty funny. I suppose when he Ks the side it’ll be because they all were itchy and weren’t really swinging but the ump thought they were.
Pathetic.
Okay maybe I am missing something but why are those morons in KC booing Damon. He was traded from their team!! He didn’t become a free agent and sign elsewhere!
Stop making excuses for the Yankees. Both teams played in cold weather today. The Yankees are just not hitting right now. Will they hit? Yes they will but right now they are not hitting. They are not a good team right now.
Phil Hughes is going to be a good pitcher but right now he is inexperienced and learning to pitch. The Yankee brain trust knew this was a possibility for the Yankees and now they will have to live through it and the fans will too. Everyone will have to live with this because it is happening.
I am trying not to be negative but these young kids have to be given time to learn and it maybe painful at times for all of us.
disgusting game for the offense. They aren’t going to win too many games by getting only 2 hits! They need to show up tomorrow!
Obviously they are going to need some patience with the “kids” over the next couple of years but especially this year it is going to be hard for the team to win. They have 3 pitchers in the rotation that they have no idea what they are going to get from them. You don’t know if they are going to last 2 innings, 4 or 6 on any given day and the bullpen is going to get killed. If Wang or Pettitte ever have a bad start then they are really in trouble. Hopefully it gets better I expect Hughes to be more reliable once the season goes on but not sure if I should expect anything out of Mussina and Kennedy.
And Don Vito I had to take an online quiz that had only one question: whose judgment do you trust more, the Yankee organization’s or Don Vito’s?
I admit it was tough…
If we get good officiating I’m sure we’ll make good games of the rest.
Night all. Hope this server gets fixed or they might lose some posters for a while!
CB: You can give him a break on Hughes’ inability to hold runners, but I can’t. He was doing an ok job holding them on at first but with the leg kick, they got a good jump on him. I’ll give him a pass for that part. But with a guy on second, he would look once and then pitch. They were timing him…..he should know better on that part. I agree he is young, but he has still been playing baseball for 14 years or so.
I like Phil and I know he will get better. Today was just a tough day all the way around.
i cant blame the offense when they had no clue what would be called a strike or not. still, none of them (except matsui) seem to be close to locked in at the plate. its only a matter of time though. thankfully the pitching (aside from IPKs rough first start) has been better than expected so far.
as SJ44 has said, get through april… then the fun begins.
This is ESPN’s fault. J/K, but seriously why do we have to play a night game in NY one day and a day game the next in KC. We looked like we were going through the motions.
sara if you believe in the theory that getting in at 1 in the morning after playing a game and then having to play a day game can throw you off kilter, you probably don’t need to worry about the offense finding their way back.
I know I’m not.
well, i know its early i know its cold, infact i’d strike before i played in that crap cold. however, i don’t believe i saw even one yankee pitcher ring up 90 on the gun. if one did, i didn’t see it. hughes looked a bit lost, again early and cold. alex, never got off the plane this morning. actually most of em appeared thourgly lost today. hope tomorrow is a better day.
Burnett is getting smacked around by the A’s pathetic offense. The same guy that the Yanks couldn’t touch. 4 runs in 2 innings and counting.
baseball blowz!
Greinke is pitching tomorrow for the Royals. He’s a guy who could be awful or could be lights out.
He’s got very good stuff. Not the kind of guy you want to necessarily face when the bats are struggling.
This month is about the big picture. If they finish .500 or so after this month they’ll be ok.
But this it’s not likely they’re going to have a great month with the games on the road.
The AL is becoming like the Western Division in the NBA. The level of talent just keeps getting better and better.
why is hughes only throwing 89-91 mph? i thought he threw 93-95….
Cone and Singleton didn’t seem to think Jorge was hurt.
I like what SJ said and since I think he is pretty smart I will agree with him The Yanks looked slow and sloppy today. Man I can’t wait to next year no more Giambi(slug, can’t field, and always hurting).
Betemit is a K waiting to happen. Cano is starting off like last yr. he cannot hit with bases loaded, he is so impatient….
the pitching even today was not that bad, they just have not hit at all yet….they gave up 5 runs…………
I do like so many young guys in the pithing staff.. Ohlendorf is young also……
Well, better luck tomorrow.
At least Phil had a better day than Burnett. 6 ER thru 2. Sheesh.
Don’t give up on the kids, guys.
As long as they’re healthy things will be alright.
Oh God, Suzyn Waldman says Posada is suffering from some mysterious weakness in his throwing arm and the Yankees are seriously considering DLing him because no one knows what is causing it.
Joe is concerned about Jorge’s arm strength. Dl a possibility with Jorge. Did Jorge look espically bad today?
Joe Girardi is also alluding to a problem. It sounds like they might actually talk about bringing up another catcher. Molina is going tomorrow.
Kill-Schill – I just saw Girardi on the post game and that’s what he said. Jorge has no zip on the ball but he has no pain. They are stumped so they don’t know what tests to send him for. They are going to discuss options tonight including the DL. It really sounded like they are going to do that. Who would come up then?
Have they sent him for an MRI? I am very confused. I thought it was just soreness. Now there isn’t any, but he doesn’t feel he has arm strength.
Hope Jorge’s injury is not serious. Jose will fill in just fine. Moeller to get the call?
Jorge said he’s going for an MRI tomorrow. He’s worried. He says he has no arm strength. He said he’s had it before but what worries him is that it never took this long to heal before.
Oh boy.
Having Mri tomorrow.
Posada said that his arm was bothering him in spring training also. Maybe he threw too much in s.t and hasn’t built up his strength yet who knows. He probably won’t play for 3-4 days. I don’t mind Molina in the lineup, but Betemit makes me sick!! Once in awhile he will get into 1 and you will see his power but he swings at everything in sight and strikeouts all the time, he stinks!!! Jeter better get back soon!!!
And in true YES/DirectTV fashion, I have now been shut out of the postgame because it obviously is only scheduled to run til 8!
Unbelievable. I’ve had this problem before. When I call DirectTV, they tell me it’s YES’ programming problem. When I call YES they tell me it’s DirectTV.
I would expect 3 or 4 more games like this this year. Hughes not exactly great, Yanks’ defense and hitting far from great, umpire even farther from great.
A great team still loses 1/3 of its games. Get used to some losses. If Hughes can go 12-7 that’s a very good year for 21 year old. If that’s where he ends up, then he’ll lose half a dozen more. Same for Kennedy. They’re not coming in to throw gas for an inning or two like Joba.
Still, one week is too small a small sample size to say what the team’s final record will be or where that’ll place them in the standings. Jumping to conclusions at this point about who should be sent down or traded, or who shouldn’t have made the final cuts out of ST, is too premature.
If the team gets 98 wins would be a damn good year. That’s enough wins to take the division. At the same time, 98 wins means 64 losses. That’s more than 10 losses per month. Being 4-4 is not the time to panic. Early last June it was time, but right now isn’t.
I can’t believe I actually feel compelled to tell this to supposedly intelligent baseball fans.
Actually, it’s just the intelligent ones who don’t need to be reminded.
This doesn’t sound good. Jorge looked and sounded very concerned. What could it be? Speculating , but it isn’t like a rotator cuff or anything like that?
Hughes will get better. I have faith.
Who is the next catcher in the pecking order?
Mel – Moeller. That was the name I was trying to think of.
If Posada is going to miss time they need to DL him. They can’t go with 1 catcher.
I feel bad for Jorge. He just sounds so confused about his arm strength.
posada needs tj surgery
May have already been said, but it looks like Jeter is out until at least Friday. Sounds like it could be longer even. Ugh.
http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/04/08/jeter-to-miss-time-with-strained-quad/
Thanks Elliot Johnson!
mussina you are showing your stupidity. TJ surgery is the elbow, not shoulder
oh ok
Oh man. I’m worried about Jorge
Jennifer –
As far as I knew, Cervelli wasn’t next in line for the job after Molina. I don’t know for sure who is … I could be wrong.
Can Shelley catch?
Could Jorge be going through that ‘dead arm’ period I used to hear pitchers can go through during the year? Do fielders ever experience that?
You ok there anti-mussina?
this shows why you don’t pay for 36 year old catchers – maybe they should have let him walk.
I AM A TROLL W/NUTTIN BETTER TO DO THAN WHINE ON YANKEES BOARDS
The back up catcher on the bench right now is Ensberg. If the Yanks DL Posada, Moeller will come up.
drop the 1st one, take the next 2…GO…FIGHT…WIN !
ANSKY
I think that is what he was alluding to, but it has never lasted this long.
” Don Vito
Yeah, pretty funny. I suppose when he Ks the side it’ll be because they all were itchy and weren’t really swinging but the ump thought they were.
Pathetic. ”
.
WHEN HE Ks the SIDE ?????….LMAO…THAT is Hilarious !!!!!!…When Hawkins Ks ANY SIDE as a Yankees, I’ll gladly eat you know what and admit I am wrong about him….as for the Yankees’ organization having good judgement ? I admit they do …MOST of the time….but Trish, THIS time they will be WAY OFF…..I Mean….WAY OFF !…..Only time will tell though, Missy….but you’ll see…..and….I….Am…OUT !
The weirdest part is that Jorge isn’t experiencing any pain and is just witnessing a lack of arm strength. Isn’t that what happened to David Cone when he had the aneurism, or was he having pain? It certainly is something strange.
David Cone was experiencing numb hands.
don vito….wow,,you write with lots of hate, chill guy.