Game 22: Yankees at White Sox
-
- April
- 23
YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Giambi 1B
Ensberg 3B
Cabrera CF
Mussina RHP
Mike Mussina against the White Sox
Javy Vazquez against the Yankees
Notes: Wow, it’s the same lineup for two days in a row. What a concept. … Giambi reports his right thumb is fine. … Jeter needs one double to tie Joe DiMaggio for fifth place in team history with 388. … Abreu is two RBI short of 1,000 for his career.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 6:54 p.m.: A-Rod is expected back tomorrow but Girardi said he, “would be shocked” if he played before Friday in Cleveland. … No word on when the Yankees will stop carrying three catchers. It could be through the weekend. Part of the problem is that Moeller is out of options, so if you DFA him and Posada has a setback, you’re fresh out of catchers with any experience. … NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg was in the clubhouse before the game, visiting with Girardi. He is in Chicago to receive some sort of award.
UPDATE, 9:15 p.m.: Nice effort by the Moose tonight, at least so far. Three innings, two hits, one walk.
UPDATE, 9:36 p.m.: Jeter is 0 for his last 12. … Pretty uneventful game when compared to last night, isn’t it?
UPDATE, 10:02 p.m.: It would seem that all those calls for the Yankees to get rid of Mussina and Damon last week were a bit premature. Now give Giambi a chance, too. Accomplished players didn’t get there by accident, they know what to do and what adjustments to make.
UPDATE, 11:11 p.m.: Does Ozzie Guillen have stats? He has intentionally walked Jason Giambi twice. … Meanwhile, the three doubles for Posada are a career high.
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on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 5:23 pm by Peter Abraham.
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“Needs one double to tie Joe DiMaggio”
I think that would give even Jeter chills.
Any reports on Giambi’s eyes? lol
Jeter would get more chills from Marilyn Monroe.
C’mon Moose, razzle dazzle ‘em.
Yeah the asked Giambi to read a chart, it read.
M – I – E – N – T – K – I – E – W – I – C – Z
Hey, Moeller has better numbers against Vazquez than Posada or Molina, why not start him? Yeah, yeah, so 3 ABs isn’t really enough to go on.
I would like to suggest to Moose: please, please, please, be careful with Pierzynski and Dye.
I can’t stand watching Moose pitch. Its literally like punishment.
I think I recall the Yankees doing well against Vasquez. I expect a high scoring game, maybe 9-7.
just send back Gonzo we’re wasting him w/o playing him.
Gonzo played last night. What are you talking about Brandon.
Is tonight the night Cano starts to get it going? You know it’s gonna happen. Tonight is as good a time as any!
Gonzo to Ensberg at 3rd base = Phillips / Doug M. to Giambi at 1st base. Late inning defensive replacement.
“Gonzo played last night. What are you talking about Brandon.”
he fielded a groundbal, how about his bat ?
I like Matsui hitting clean up… even when ARod returns they should leave him in there when they face righties.
groundball * WTF
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/lolyanks/Moose-Heater.jpg
I can’t take the Mientkiewicz talk any more.. The guy’s a good fielder, but he can’t hit for sh.
“I can’t stand watching Moose pitch. Its literally like punishment.”
It’s like watching a horror flick – you know something awful is going to happen – just not sure when.
Forget Pyricanspellenski and Dye.
Worry about Jim Thome.
Guess with Posada being back in at catcher there is no need to juggle the line-up.
“Any reports on Giambi’s eyes? lol”
Yeah – he still has that manic/vapid stare he usually has.
Hey Drew,
Did you hear the one about Mientkiewicz?
“It’s like watching a horror flick – you know something awful is going to happen – just not sure when.”
nonononono… that is Mr.Exciting aka Farnsy, he’s the real thrilla show, you just have to have your bag of popcorn and nail biting w/ him on the mound
I think Mussina should take Hanks advise and pitch left handed today. I think he’ll pick up a couple mph’s on that side. Even if he throws underhand.
Giambi says he’s fine. Why do i have a feeling that for the first time in years. He will not go on the d.l. this year? Bat under .240 and still be taking grounders at first. Just our luck i guess. Or maybe he’s been talking to Damon on how to avoid the d.l. and still play.
In Vegas, the over / under line board is lit up with takers on Mussina serving up a meatball and Giambi’s defensive play.
A separate line on Giambi hitting 2 ground balls into the shift.
rebecca,
Can we add Konerko to that list?
Farnsy is more like a Rambo movie – lots of yelling while shooting at no one in particular – when it’s over you look around at the massive carnage.
P.S. If Carlos Delgado were batting vs Mike Mussina who wins
“A separate line on Giambi hitting 2 ground balls into the shift.”
If that an over under. I take the over. 1 meatball. I say over. Hopefully its not a salami instead.
Brandon – I don’t know who wins, but I know all fans would somehow lose.
Mientkiewicz had one of the highest BAs in the AL in September. It was over .400. Yeah, yeah, streaky, extended slumps, I know, but I’ll take it.
“P.S. If Carlos Delgado were batting vs Mike Mussina who wins”
ahhh. Is that a trick question?
When are they gonna send Moeller back and bring up Duncan (or someone else)?
i figure mussina has three starts to prove he belongs. if he is bad in all of them, they have to take him out of the rotation like they did last august. the way balls were flying out of u.s cellular field last night, i’m not optimistic about his prospects.
but if the red sox could win last night with a last minute fill in triple a pitcher, maybe the yanks can survive mussina and likewise pull one out of their… hat.
In case you are wondering:
Most Doubles: (534) by Lou Gehrig, (449) by Bernie Williams, (442) by Don Mattingly, (424) by Babe Ruth, (389) by Joe DiMaggio.
Notice who is No.2
I’d take Mientkiewicz over Giambi easily. Minky brought a lame bat to the lineup, but first class defense. Giambi isn’t bringing much of anything to the table right now. Like to see his bat liven up, but I’m not holding my breath.
Vigorish Vic, I ‘ll take the under on Moose some how he gets that 2:1 strikeout ratio working, Vasquez makes it HR Derby in U.S. C. Field, I got the over I predict Giambi hits 3 balls into the shift and strikes out once tonight.
I have a feelin’ that Moose will get it done tonight. The Yanks just need to come out strong right from the start and just keep tackin’ on runs. Let’s go for 3 in a row!
Does Giambi realize that all he has to do is get 1 or 2 hits to the left side of the field, or lay down 1 or 2 bunts, and teams will be forced to no longer play the shift. And then all his “hard hit balls that are right at people” might find some holes.
I honestly dont think he realizes the reason that every ball he hits is right at somebody is because he only hits to the right side of the field, and the entire defense is over there.
Brandon,
Come to think of it. I think Mussina should pitch to Giambi in batting practice. This can accomplish one of these 2 things.
a. Giambi owns him and gets out of his funk
b. Mussina owns him,gains confidence and becomes more aggressive.
Who wins?
Dice K scratched with the flu that has been hitting the Sox..
Lester will make the start.
-dennis
“P.S. If Carlos Delgado were batting vs Mike Mussina who wins”
The terrorists.
why are teams so down on Dan Johnson, something we don’t know ? drugs ? curses out his employer ?
.249/.344/.419 ..pretty solid if you ask me
“Dice K scratched with the flu that has been hitting the Sox..”
maybe it’s some weird strategy being used vs Soscia
“Worry about Jim Thome”
for thome, mlb should make mussina wear a helmet like the third base coaches.
i ‘m always calling mussina a coward for not pitching up and in, but actually with his stuff, he’s got a lot of guts to stand 60’ 6”s from hitters like thome without body armour on.
I’ve heard that the entire Sox team-
even the announcer-is violently ill with the flu. I’d say I feel bad for him, bt I have a feeling that won’t get a very warm response from you guys.“P.S. If Carlos Delgado were batting vs Mike Mussina who winsâ€
somehow the Red Sox would win
I think Ensburg should be hitting up in the order in the sixth spot. I just saw Giambi’s avg. .120? Man i think Billy Crystal could best that.
Brandon.
No kidding. All I can picture is that damn car commercial with the brownies mixed with horse laxative….
I now picture Socsia with a big smile and a plate of brownies walking thyrough the Sox clubhouse at 3:30.
-dennis
Rebecca,
That saddest part about the whole team getting the flu is the Angels will still lay an egg against them. It just amazes me how we struggle against them and sox can do no wrong vs. the same team.
According to MLB rules, a separate glove cannot be placed in the back of a pitcher’s mound to be used in play.
Any thoughts of Mussina having an ambidextrous outing are out the window.
SOS27.
The flip side of that is Toronto for us.
I will read but jump off from posting. It is getting too close to game threads.
Have a good night.
-dennis
Dennis does not want to get caught fraternizing with the enemy.
Just win tonight Yankees.
Go Mussina (I’m expecting the worst, hoping for the best)
cheer up the Mighty Rays of Tampa are next for the Sox
be back later people.
“Any thoughts of Mussina having an ambidextrous outing are out the window.”
that red sox pitcher a while back had a glove that could be used by righties and lefties that he used to pitch an ambidextrous inning.
Randy.
Greg Harris
dennis
Didnt we sign an ambidextrous pitcher in the draft just last year?
sos – the kid from clemson. i remember that.
dennis-
yup that’s who it was. thanks.
I know its just plain torture to listen to M&MD and I get what I deserve.
Mike on the rant I just heard. Something along the lines of “1 guy on no outs 2 guys on no outs 3 guys on coming in and getting them out….you cant find guys like that out there that do that.”
Ummmm….yeah. Cause there all front of the line STARTERS!!
It’s astonishing.
The complete disregard of pure logic is just amazing. Yeah, lets take Halladay, Peavey, Santana, Berdard and so on, put them in the pen, plug there spots with the number twos, bring up guys from the minors to fill the back end and they will all do what Joba is doing. Makes total sense. Jeez. 7th and 8th inning problems solved. Thanks Francessa.
He was from Creighton and he went back to school, if I remeber correctly.
Are you referring to Pat Venditte? He’s the only ambidextrous pitcher I recall the Yankees drafting recently…but I don’t think they signed him.
Will,
It will be interesting to see what Joba does as a starter…it remains to be seen, but with his kind of stuff he has the potential to be great.
But I was wondering…in last night’s game, who would you have put in instead of Joba?
theo epstein on espn just said dice k has been scratched from his start because of the flu and jon lester is starting on three days rest.
with all the talk of the yankees protecting their young pitchers that’s interesting.
I wish I was ambidextrous. It’d help so much with knitting…
Mo
I CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE MY DEBUT FOR THE YANKEES NEXT WEEK!!
Erin Andrews = Hot Hot Hot
Finally something we can agree on.
Papelboner tell me something that I don’t already know…but thanks for reminding me and informing anyone taht doesn’t know..
Oakland signed FrankT homas. Still rather have big hurt then Giambino…..
http://bronx-bomberz.blogspot.com/2008/04/big-hurt-goin-back-to-cali.html
So what ate the Yanks giving up to get Oswalt?
“I wish I was ambidextrous. It’d help so much with knitting…”
hank is ambidextrous, he talks out of both sides of his mouth.
just kidding. hank doesn’t bother me anymore.
Probably would take Kennedy, Horne, and Gardner
Damn, that Moeller problem is real. He’s played well enough that he might be picked up if we DFA him. If only Posada could really learn to play first, then the roster could sustain it.
Moeller is nothing special we’ll be fine with Molina and Posada behind the plater
right, creighton. whatevs.
Contreras, Dotel, now Vazquez. The White Sox are trotting out three Yankee retreads in two days. Who else have they got out there, Dooly Womack?
someone on laa just hit a homerun to left. 1-0 angels, top 1st 2 out. i dont know who it was. apparently manny just stared at the ball as it went over the monster.
Cmon guys Moeller is an a ok backup. You don’t move posada to first to make room for moeller.
They have Dotel too but he’s been around the block
Gary Matthews Jr.
Torii -double
If the ‘stros add Bourn to that deal, could be worth doing.
J Roll may have a broken ankle, may be on the shelf for 4-6 weeks
just say it can’t be. the washed up finished Damon 5-9 the done giambi showing signs, spare part matsui being steady and abreu showing signs of maybe a pretty good year. And still 140 to go, hmm, who woulda thunk.
Buddy: I’m all for the Three Amigos, but in this case, there might be something to it.
Hey –
Is there an innings cap (a la Joba) on Lester and Buckholz?
I’m not saying you move Posada to first full time, what I’m saying is, if they DFA Moeller, he will be lost. Next time either Molina or Jorge get hurt, the catching options in the system (above Charleston) are awful. I guess it’s not the end of the world though.
Oswalt is pretty dang good, he fixed a flaw in his delivery which is why he started off so badly.
I know CB thinks he is hurt but I’m not sure that’s the case.
Where’s my game?
Where is Wil Nieves??? jk
Starts in 40 mins on ESPN
And I would take that deal for Oswalt. By Yankees standards his contract isn’t that bad, considering Moose is making 11M
Well, this will be another come back win by Boston.
And you can tattoo that on your collective forehead now!
Is there any truth to the Oswalt rumor?
Considering CC will want a huge deal, Oswalt is a bargain.
This thread so far reminds me of an old joke:
Q: If Giambi and Mussina decided to see who could swim out the farthest into the ocean before drowning, who would win?
A: Yankee fans.
That’s mean. I don’t endorse it. I’m still holding out hope for both of them.
Not sure supposedly Gammons brought it up on Baseball Tonight yesterday. Unless it’s just a scheme by Red Sox Nation to get our hopes up…
What Oswalt rumor.
Let’s not get too crazy about Chad Moeller. He’s done a nice job for a week.
That said, the sooner they can stop carrying 3 catchers, the better the roster will be.
Right now, the messed up roster is a huge problem. Hopefully, that is fixed by the weekend.
Pretty tough to put out the same lineup every day when there are lots of injuries early on. Posada, Molina, Jeter, Giambi, Rodriguez, Betemit, Cabrera, Duncan have all missed time with injury or suspension and it’s only April 23!! And thats just the position players.
I know there are some people that are down on the roster as it is now (SJ was talking about it extensively today) but I think in the near future it will round into shape, especially now that the injuries are starting to let up.
Supposedly Gammons was talking Oswalt to New York…
Id take Oswalt over C.C….....
Then again, Id take Oswalt in a trade and a signing of CC in the offseason….
C.C. Sabathia, Roy Oswalt, Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain….that should be our 5 next year…..hughes setup
youkillis is out (sore back), varitek is out, lowell is still out, becket misses start, dice k misses start, lester on three days rest. you’d think the angels could win a game tonight.
SJ: A couple people mention who they’d trade for Roy Oswalt, and suddenly it’s a credible trade rumor…
Moeller’s been excellent so far; that said, there’s probably a good reason the Nationals released him in favor of Wil Nieves.
From the Pre-game – Joe says he’s going to carry 3 catchers at least through the weekend
Does anyone know who the Angel radio guys are?
They better hope they don’t have a collision in the outfield.
Shoot i’d think about giving up kennedy and gardner for you there Roy, you’re pretty good.
Looks like SJ and I are on the same page haha.
My ideal roster (not including pitchers) would be:
Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Rodriguez, Matsui, Posada, Cano, Giambi, Cabrera, Molina, Duncan, Gonzalez, Ensberg. Then in middle to end of May re-evaluate and look hard at what value Giambi, Duncan and Gonzalez are bringing to the team and consider moving them around.
The above roster is good but I still think it needs a better fourth outfielder. As it is Matsui is the only guy that can fill in at the corners and Damon can fill in at CF. That’s pretty poor if you ask me. Later on in the season I’d consider moving one of the corner players (Duncan, Ensberg, Giambi) off the team and calling up Brett Gardner. If Giambi can start hitting I really do believe him and either Duncan or Ensberg can be a successful platoon at 1B.
I’m not even going to discuss the roster wrt pitching because it will be in a state of constant flux all year long.
Let’s go Kenny Rogers (aka Lefty Mussina), give up more runs!
I highly doubt Oswault will be traded and even if he were the price would probably be Hughes, Kennedy, position prospect.
Never mind Gammons and his rumors already. What I believe is that he needs to rid himself of those yellow stumps in his yap …. pronto.
The Yankees aren’t going to trade Hughes, but I could see them trading Kennedy…if just to stop Michael Kay with the Generation Tre thing.
I don’t give Giambi until Mid-May to find it. I still think they need a first baseman pronto. At least someone who is an upgrade defensively. Whether Giambi hits or not (and that’s still a hugh question mark right now), they need a glove at first.
Roy Oswalt is a guy I deal a couple of kids to acquire. We have no idea if the Astros would do it. However, he’s a guy you dip into the system’s to get if he is on the market.
Imagine for a moment, Wang, Pettitte, Oswalt, Hughes and Chamberlain in your rotation? That makes my mouth water.
Either that or its the pizza that just got delivered to me house!
Oswalt is nasty, career ERA+ of 140…K/9 has declined for the last four seasons though.
Has everyone lost there minds ??? Chad Moeller, if you saw that guy play all year you would be ready to bring Will Nieves back.. .idiots
Austin Romine and Jairo Heredia placed on the DL by Charleston today. Romine has a lower back injury and Heredia an undisclosed injury.
Damn, I’ll miss both those guys this weekend. Looks like Montero will catch all the games this weekend.
I’m not really sure why the Astros would deal Oswalt. The could be a contender in a couple of years. Why get rid of your ace.
Oswalt has given up 7 HR already this season.
Bummer about Jairo…he was starting to look like a phenom…hopefully it is nothing too serious.
Kenny Rogers getting hammered tonite. It’s close to time for him to know when to fold ‘em.
If you are the Astros, the pros for getting rid of Oswalt:
Making more money than Drayton McLane wants to pay.
He’s 31 and by the time you are contending again, he may be a bit past his prime.
He’s a small guy. Lots of teams feel smallish power pitchers don’t have long careers.
He’s a bit of a quirky guy. He has talked about retiring early and going to his farm in Mississippi. Perhaps the Astros think he would do it and want to get something for him before he pulls the plug.
Cons for getting rid of him:
He’s still a very good pitcher and, as the Yankees know, its tough to find arms as good as Oswalt’s in the marketplace.
He’s not making stupid money. Especially when compared to guys like Barry Zito.
If you fill other weaknesses on your team, you can compete earlier than expected with a guy like Oswalt at the front of your rotation.
SJ: Heh, that rotation might make my mouth water more than a dog’s!
However, Oswalt is the only really recognizable name on the Astros’ staff (either that or I’m not as familiar with the NL as I thought) so it would likely take more than we’re willing to pay to get him.
Then again, if the Mets got Santana for Phillip Humber…
He may be getting hammered but, they are playing the Rangers.
Its now 5-3 and Texas is about to blow its 4th 5 run lead already this season.
They are, far and away, the worst team in the AL.
If you can get Oswalt you do it. True ace, no question.
Who would you part with?
What happened with Dougie?
By the way, that Rangers pitcher is pitching like he’s Phil Hughes.
Something along the lines of Kennedy/Horne/some other dudes?
On the pre-game they said that Girardi has told Mussina he has to pitch inside. It will be interesting to see if he does. I hope he does better against White Sox than Red Sox.
ackkkkkkkk… another night of Hawk the horrible.
And I’m fresh out of booze and red hot pokers.
“I don’t give Giambi until Mid-May to find it. I still think they need a first baseman pronto. At least someone who is an upgrade defensively. Whether Giambi hits or not (and that’s still a hugh question mark right now), they need a glove at first.”
Weren’t you saying last week that we should give the team until memorial day before making a judgement?
Look, even if you do want a better glove at first which is fine, you have to see what kind of offense Giambi is going to provide. He has had very bad results thus far but he needs more at-bats to get going. Give him until mid-may and if he is still terrible at the plate and in the field I’ll agree with you.
I am not too high on Shelley’s ability to field at first but I think Ensberg could get the job done. Third base is a much more difficult position to field and while Ensberg wasn’t anything special at third, he should be more than adequate at first. If Giambi gets his bat heated up I think a platoon of Ensberg and Giambi would be very successful.
SJ, what are your thoughts, do you want M’alphabet back?
angel how many shots did you do last night?
Geez – tie score in Detroit, how can Texas be that bad?
I had to stop at 5 unfortunately. Showing up at work with a hangover would have been a drag.
If you can get Oswalt you do it. True ace, no question.
Who would you part with?
That’s a good question, he isn’t as valuable as Santana but he also doesn’t cost as much. Kennedy’s value has taken a bit of a hit after his bad start this year and Horne is injured. If the Astros want to trade him they will probably ask for Hughes, Kennedy and 1 or 2 more prospects. For Oswault I would part with anybody but Hughes, Chamberlain, Tabata, Jackson, Cano, Wang, and maybe Montero.
Gah, my parents are driving me crazy.
(/end rant)
“Kenny Rogers getting hammered tonite. It’s close to time for him to know when to fold‘em.”
someone should start up a new senior league for players like rogers.
it would also help the yankees figuring out what to do with mussina and giambi.
Phil Hughes just got knocked out in Detroit.
You can be patient with the team and give certain guys time to find their mojo.
You still need a first baseman Patrick.
The odds of Jason Giambi being able to play 140 games of quality baseball at first base are about as long as Mike Mussina winning 20 games this year.
I know folks think he is going to hit. While I don’t think he is going to hit .120 all year, I don’t see him being enough of an offensive force to keep him at first.
Remember, DH is not available to him this year. Matsui is the DH and he is a better hitter than Giambi.
Its first base or bust (in terms of PT) for Giambi. Right now, he’s on the bust side of the ledger.
I’m all for finding a veteran glove at first. Minky, Hatteberg, somebody who can field the position. I’m not looking for an all star. I’m looking for a role player. Something the Yankees need more of on the roster, IMO.
Who would I trade for Oswalt?
You give the Astros a list of 10 players and let them pick 3 from the list.
Guys like McCutcheon, Kennedy, Horne, Chase Wright and JB Cox would be on the list.
Guys like Heredia, Melancon and Sanchez would not.
Brett Gardner? I wouldn’t deal him right now so, he wouldn’t be on the list.
Roy Oswalt per mlb4u.com
Contract:
signed 2-year deal worth 16.9M on 2/10/05- he will make 5.9M in 2005 and 11M in 2006- + he can earn award bonuses: 500K for Cy Young, 350K for finishing 2nd in Cy Young voting and 250K for a 3rd place finish- + later signed 5-year EXTENSION worth $73M thru 2011 season on 8/29/06- + he receives salaries of $13M each year in 2007 and 2008, $14M in 2009, $15M in 2010 and $16M in 2011- + he receives a complete NO-TRADE clause- + the deal includes a Team Option for 2012 worth $16M or a $2M buyout- + Oswalt has the right to opt out of the option if it is exercised, but he receives a much smaller buyout- + he will donate $100K each year during the life of the contract to the Astros in Action foundation
Agent: Bob Garber, Barry Meister
Does it annoy anyone else that Jose and Javy both left the Yankees and did well?
snarls at the good guys.
“On the pre-game they said that Girardi has told Mussina he has to pitch inside. It will be interesting to see if he does. ”
it’s not just inside. low and in doesn’t mean anything. up and in is what giradi wants.
this is going to be interesting. i’ve been waiting years to have a manager tell mussina he has to go up and in.
mussina has so many pitches that he can throw for strikes that he could do well if he does what girardi says. if he could get hitters off the plate, it would open up the outside of the plate and give him some room to locate his fastball.
Maybe a little, I’m finding it more annoying that they happen to now be “good guys”.
Deep breath. Here we go, Moose.
Mussina time..oh boy
http://tinyurl.com/create.php
not sure if this was posted, but Betemit is on the block, Pitt rumored to be interested
woops, wrong link… http://tinyurl.com/3muy3l
Is it really that easy to just start going up and in, when you haven’t your whole career though?
“I’m all for finding a veteran glove at first. Minky, Hatteberg, somebody who can field the position. I’m not looking for an all star. I’m looking for a role player. Something the Yankees need more of on the roster, IMO.”
I agree the Yankees need more “role players” as you put it. We came out of Spring training with a bench of guys that all have the same function – hitting. Now we have Gonzalez who is an excellent fielder, a pretty good contact hitter and can drop a bunt when needed or even pinch run for a really slow guy.
I think at some point this year we will have need for a true fourth outfielder; Brett Gardner comes to mind. He can play excellent defense at all 3 OF positions, he can pinch run and steal bases and he’s a pretty decent singles/doubles hitter.
My problem is that we don’t have room on the roster for a true defensive first baseman. That is, unless you DFA Giambi which will NEVER happen. I would actually be in favor of trying Ensberg at first for the majority of the time. I think his skills will translate to being at least average at first. His hitting skills are excellent and given regular playing time I think he could be a huge asset.
I’d be very happy with a bench of Gardner, Molina, Gonzalez with Ensberg and Giambi sharing time at first.
How sweet would it be if we could trade Wilson!
Damn that stunk!
Crappy way to lose a no-hitter.
easy inning for moose.
Cone says:
Thome was way out in front of that changeup.
Thome, a lefty, check swung and grounded the ball down the third base line. I think there are a few laws of physics that say Thome could not have been out in front of that pitch
well there goes the no-no
nice outing by Moose! bet there’s a sigh of relief, hopefully it can last until the 7th.
Get some bench, good guys.
channeling Hawk
Thome shows Giambi how it’s done.
haha Wil Nieves is 2 for 2 against Santana
Tra:
If Thome had done it on purpose, yeah…even Giambi might “oops” one down the left field line once in a while
gary matthews jr hit another home run over the monster. 4-2 angels, 5th inning.
angel-
no it’s not , but shilling did it two years ago and it helped him morph into a successful finesse pitcher.
ironically the more control a pitcher has the more he can safely go up and in. mussina with his control rally shouldn’t worry about hitting people.
he could do it if he chose to and, i think, be successful.
Tra
I thought the same thing.
Here come the Jorge haters.
That was a great shot of Damon and Jeter watching the play. Thanks YES.
Matsui shouldn’t have been on base anyway.
Has the Yes Network been hacked? because Michael Kay and the game just studdered and they showed Jeet and Damon in the bench when Posada was batting
Looked like they lose the feed for a minute.
Memo to Jason lay a bunt down.
Yeah, it just sounds like it might have been something that maybe was needed to be done with him a couple of years ago. I can’t imagine it would be easy, although I agree it would probably help him, maybe more than he thinks it will. I’m not down on him at all, I was just wondering if its going to be something thats easier said than done for him at this point in career. I guess we’ll see.
hopefully our bats are frozen tonite
Jennifer
No way. He’ll pull it into the shift instead. He will not let their defensive alignment take him away from what he does best!
Ok, that was sarcasm
“How sweet would it be if we could trade Wilson!”
So sweet but I doubt anyone would want him
Oh Giambi Time
what will he do..
It’s frustrating to watch Vazquez and Contreras pitch well for Chicago. Contreras of course won a WS title in 2005 and pitched exceptional all year, even against Boston/NY. And take a look at Javier’s 2007 statistics:
216 I/P; 213 strikeouts to only 50 walks; 3.74 ERA and 1.14 WHIP…
Two glaring examples of pitchers who cannot make it int he NYC spotlight
Walks to a scuffling Cano and a hideous Giambi. Lets go Morgan! Make em pay!
Patrick work on the street is the pirates are interested in him.
Man, Vasquez got lucky on that one! A foot higher and that takes his head off!
And a hit off the pitcher. Hit him in the chest. Go Melk man!!
On a positive note, the Yankees will have taken 18 games off their 81 game road schedule before the month is completed.
“Patrick work on the street is the pirates are interested in him.”
That’s good news, hopefully $$man can work out a deal. And hopefully Melky works a walk right now.
There IS an announcer in the majors worse than John Sterling…Hawk Harrelson. Ugh.
Still having computer issues. So I’m here to say GO YANKEES!
GO ANGELS!!!
I trust Moose.
I trust the Yankee hitters.
I trust Girardi.
I trust whomever comes in for relief!
I am a diehard believer in the Yankee way.
There in spirit and also cursing the S-X.
John. How is that possible?
Yeah Melky!
Lucky for Melky. He swung on two ball-fours.
Good grief, these White Sox announcers are just unprofessional. Their use of bad guys/good guys is not endearing, its just embarrassing. Just when Sterlings homerism makes me occasionally cringe, I need to remember how truly bad it could really be!
i’m loving this top of the 2nd
What a shock, Boston somehow tied it up. Grrrrr.
Thank you, Melky.
wow. let’s see what johnny does!
“sacks are packed for the bad guys”
cringes
Good job Melky
jennifer:
It is shocking, but true – Hawk has a website demanding his canning. It is actually pretty funny.
Johnny, you were not supposed to strike out there.
trisha,
You are a true fan.
aw shucks. bad guys 1 – good guys 0.
Jennifer
I’m watching the White Sox feed on InDemand…he’s really bad. Catch phrases galore…and a big homer.
Sterling is absolutely awful too…
New drinking game. We’ll make it a shot for every time they say bad guys, and good guys.
And just to make it so people aren’t falling over drunk by the third inning, mix in a shot of water every 2 shots.
Heh! The way this game is going, I’ll be out of the game and paralytic by the third inning.
Ok, I can’t resist, I’m switching over to check out the Hawk for an inning.
Don’t say you weren’t warned in advance, Nick. lol.
Wow what is with the feed tonight? They keep showing shots, they never show. It keeps freezing as well.
Oh man, the reminiscing about 1998…
If only I had been older than 12 and actually able to appreciate it before October!
Boooo….YES feed
What the heck is going on with the feed?
What the hell is wrong with YES? I’m having an epileptic seizure over here.
Ok, I got a good them/us, that’s something. Still waiting for good guys/bad guys.
Its especially scary how he refers to the White Sox as “us”.
Someone better tell him he’s not a player anymore.
anyone else having trouble with gameday audio?
Aren’t broadcasters supposed to at least pretend to be objective?
come on Mussina
He usually says “good guys up next” when its the end of a “bad guys” inning.
Rebecca,
No
Apparently not in White Sox land.
Kevin et al with YES problems.
Why not switch on ESPN. You can listen to Joe Morgan make things up on the fly. The most frustrating man on television has still got it.
Wes, I was just about to ask the same thing, I can’t get Gameday Audio for the Yankees or any other game right now. I’m stuck with GameCast.
Anybody watching on YES HD? It keeps freezing.
I would love to switch to ESPN, but thanks to the lovely blackout rules, I am stuck without any access to this game.
Morgan paquetero!
That half inning illustrates why its so infuriating to watch Moose pitch.
He has 2 outs, nobody on and 1-2 on Quentin. He kept going away, away and away. He ends up walking him because he won’t pitch inside. One pitch on the inner half finishes Quentin yet Moose won’t do it.
Up comes Crede. Gets out in front 0-2. Then, away, away, and away again and before you know it, its 3-2.
The only pitch in the sequence he throws inside is a curveball at 3-2 and what does Crede do with it? A weak hack and popout to Cano to end the inning.
Why he won’t listen Girardi and Eiland and go inside more mystifies me.
He could be so much more effective by just changing his approach a bit.
Its amazing how stubborn he is on this issue.
I’m watching regular YES and it keeps freezing too.
Bronx Liaison – ESPN is blacked out here in NY for the game. Stuck with a freezing YES
“Swish is there… Nick on the spot….”
Nice.
The “can’t pitch in the NY spotlight” narrative for Javy Vazquez has always struck me as more than a little disingenuous (as well as…well, wrong), and I honestly think that if he wasn’t run out after one season, he probably would have ultimately put up similar numbers for the Yankees.
After all, look at Josh Beckett in 2006 – he had a terrible first year in the AL after pitching several full seasons in the NL, but after he was given time to adjust, he put up a spectacular season. And Javy Vazquez was great for the first half of 2004, so he certainly flashed the potential to be a top-of-the rotation starter in New York.
If not for ESPN i’d be stuck with Comcast Chicago and those good guys are really bad.
Phoenix
Well said, they never gave him the time to adjust to the AL.
He is a very good pitcher and should still be a Yankee
Minor league report….
Charleston is ahead 4-0 in the 7th. Two hits and 2 RBI for Carmen Angelini tonight. Jesus Montero is 1-3 with an RBI.
Six excellent innings for Zach McAllister. His ERA is down to 1-13.
come on Robbie
“that’s popped up… stay in here [he pleads].... it does…”
So was Robbie this slumpy last year when he was slumping? I can’t rememember. It’s so painful to watch, even on Gameday.
That Montero looks like our catcher of the future!
Speaking of Moose and not pitching inside, there was a very interesting read over at the Hardball Times using PITCH/fx data concerning fastball velocity and the effectiveness of high-velocity (95+ MPH) versus low-velocity (>90 MPH) fastballs in different parts of the strike zone.
(http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/how-fast-should-a-fastball-be/)
Unsurprisingly, the study showed that low-velocity fastballs inside (on the inner third of the plate) were pounded, while fastballs outside (on the outer third of the plate) were effective irrespective of velocity (that is to say, velocity did not seem to make a significant difference regarding effectiveness on the outer half of the plate).
Moose is a pretty smart guy, and as he has lost velocity, he might be on to something re: staying outside, at least as a fundamental principle. On the other hand, if a hitter knows he’s only ever going to get pitches outside (and let’s be honest, that’s probably what the scouting report on Moose is right now), then I can see the utility of Moose at least flashing pitches inside just to give hitters something else to think about.
Ugh, not a good at-bat by Robbie. Did you guys hear the whining and begging in Hawk’s voice, “Stay in here”.
Boy, he sure loves Javy, huh?
Does Cano have any idea when to swing the bat and when to just take a pitch??! It looks like he tries to swing at every single pitch thrown no matter where it is. Pathetic at bat..
Moose might actually pitch 3 innings..WOW!!
Thanks to whomever mentioned ESPN. Joe Morgan is prefferable to Ken Harrelson. I forgot to remember it was on ESPN also.
‘Till I was reminded…then I remembered to remember.
Your welcome!
Moose looks like he has the good stuff tonight.
mussina( and posada) tried to go up and in on swisher and the next pitch was away for a fly ball. much more economical than always away.
Phoenix..
I wanted the Yankees to get Vazquez for years before they actually pulled the trigger, so I am on-board with the idea that he could have overcome an abysmal second-half.
However, from what we saw, he looked like he simply could not handle the pressurized crucible that is New York when it came to pressure starts down the stretch.
Sure, he could have recovered had he been given a second chance, but I am merely going on what we all saw while he was here. He did not deliver in the biggest spots and that is simple fact, so I find it hard for you to refute that.
Fun fact from NJ.com – not sure if it has already been posted here:
This is the last time this will be true…
by Ed Price Wednesday April 23, 2008, 7:42 PM
But Mike Mussina has more career starts in the big leagues than the rest of the Yankees rotation put together.
Tonight will be Mussina’s 507th career start. The four other pitchers—Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy—have combined for 505 major-league starts.
get to work bats
That fun fact will still be true if the Yanks trade Andy Pettitte for Doug Mientkiewicz.
Meant to say I heart BlackOut Rules, and wow does Giambi look AWFUL at the plate.
“Moose is a pretty smart guy, and as he has lost velocity, he might be on to something re: staying outside, at least as a fundamental principle”
no offense, but if that study made no distinction between up and in and down and in, it’s worthless.
an up and in fastball is a totally different pitch than down and in fastball.
mussina would get killed if he went down and in on a regular basis. that’s not at all what giradi is talking about.
mussina did try to go up and in with swisher. so it’s a start.
DFA Giambi.
Ensberg should be the everyday 1B
vasquez just threw a perfect up and in fastball to ensberg. he struck him out on breaking ball two pitches later. the up and in set it up.
Pete, I have a feeling you just jinxed Moose.
And from what I saw from while Vazquez was here, was a pitcher who had gotten figured out by the league after a half-season’s worth of performance data for AL teams and their scouts to analyze, and a pitcher who didn’t readjust fast enough during the second half.
Short of going inside Vazquez’s head, I cannot see how anyone can make a truly definitive judgment that his troubles came from not being up to the pressure. After all, for any player to be successful at any level in professional baseball requires a significant deal of concentration. I will not doubt that for certain reasons, certain cities-
such as New York-might increase the level of concentration necessary to be successful, but with so many variables (including standard deviations from the mean due to sample sizes and the like) at work, I have never been convinced by the idea that certain “failures” could be attributed to not being able to handle the NY pressure.For example, a lot of people point to post-season ineffectiveness as a sure-fire way of determining a baseball player’s mental toughness, yet we find that for a majority of cases, the more at-bats a hitter (or innings a pitcher) accumulates in post-season play, the closer it gets to that player’s career averages. Furthermore, it seems to me that fatigue after a long season would be a better fit than a player suddenly letting the pressure get to him, once again noting that to have any semblance of a career (successful or not) in professional baseball mandates you have the skills necessary to handle those types of pressurized situations.
But I digress. I won’t deny that it’s possible one reason (of a potentially great many) why Javy Vazquez had such a bad second half could have been the pressure getting to him, but I still don’t think that’s a compelling enough narrative, especially after a successful first half in New York. In any event, I think we could all stand a lot to gain from lightening up on our players anyway (this goes for all Yankee fans everywhere, and not directed towards anyone in particular here), since I fail to see the satisfaction derived from running players out of town by unnecessarily increasing the pressure placed on them. This does not mean I’m validating the theory that heightened expectations in NY causes some players-
like Vazquez-to fail, but a simple admission that since it’s not outside the realm of possibility, one might as well not tempt the fates.Uh, guys, are you watching the same Moose I am?
Nice quick inning for Moose.
I still think he can go 13-10 with a 4.5. And if so, the Yanks would be thrilled.
Yikes. Nice inning for the bad guys. Sorry, I can’t get over that. It’s hilarious.
WTF, I went to the bathroom and I come back and I missed the inning.
Actor Gary Cooper looked better than Giambi at bat and in the field when he played Lou Gehrig in “Pride of the Yankees”.
wow
good job so far Mussina
SJ44..
One guy I wish I could see in person is Wilkins De La Rosa. Converted outfielder southpaw with a fastball that can reach the high 90s. His k/9 has been ridiculous so far this season, but the question will be his secondary pitches and their development when he moves up to A+ and beyond where you can’t just rely on an overpowering fastball
randy, look at the study before you start to make judgments like that (and the author of the study, was the first to admit it was not a definitive study and that small sample size caveats applied).
That said, yes, the study did distinguish from down-and-in (which was universally a bad place to pitch, regardless of fastball velocity, although higher velocities performed better there) and up-and-in, but regardless of where the pitch was in, low-velocity pitches performed worse than low-velocity pitches on the other half of the plate (up-and-in was definitely the closest to performing as well as down/mid/up-and-away pitches, to be sure, but away was still more effective).
Again, I’m not saying Moose should never pitch inside, since it makes a certain deal of sense from a game-theoretic perspective to mix his strategies and drop some pitches inside so as not to be predictable.
Posting the link to the study (again): http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/how-fast-should-a-fastball-be/
I want to point out, since it seems to get lost, that Mike Mussina almost always has a quality start. He goes 6 innings with 3 ER almost every time out there. Yes, sometimes he has a rough outing. Yes, good teams usually hit him.
But the man goes out there and he can have a great game. 4 innings, 2 hits, no runs allowed. If he can get through six and mix things up for the 3rd time around the order, we’ll be in great shape.
Look for the offense to put up a few runs in the top of the 5th. It’s time.
Time to give Moose some run support. Reward that six pitch inning Johnny.
Angels go deep off Craig Hansen. That right there is a PERFECT example of a prime pitching prospect that gets rushed, shell shocked, and ultimately ruined.
If Moose keeps pitching like he is tonight, I think we should let him continue as a righty. Not a lefty like Jamie Moyer.
Wow, so we’ve come to praise the Moose, not to bury him?
Inspiring.
good time for damon to run i think
I agree re: De La Rosa. He’s definitely an interesting guy.
He pitched another scoreless inning tonight. 20 K’s in 11 innings and a 1.54 ERA. The walks are high (8) but, he is still only 23 years old.
Looking forward to seeing him pitch this weekend.
Tip of the cap to Mussina tonight. Hitting spots, and very crafty-veteranish in his approach.
I’m not very optimistic on the days it’s his turn to take the hill, though.
that De La Rosa is lights out in Charleston
2 GO and 1 K in 1 IP, 1.54 ERA
Montero threw out 2 runners tonight.
SJ bring me back reports on him.
Did Jeter spend the off day at a tanning salon?
WHO THE HECK IS THIS GUY AND WHEN THEY TRADED MOOSE FOR HIM ?!?!?
Can of corns? I don’t think so.
Good stuff Phoenix.
In theory I agree with many of your points. Of course you can point