Game 32: Mariners at Yankees
-
- May
- 3
YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Giambi 1B
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Ensberg 3B
Molina C
Mussina RHP
MARINERS
Ichiro CF
Cairo 2B
Ibanez LF
Beltre 3B
Clement DH
Sexson 1B
Johjima C
Balentien RF
Betancourt SS
Hernandez RHP
Moose vs. the Seattle hitters.
King Felix vs. the New York hitters.
No notes at the moment. Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 12:45 p.m.: Not much to report so far. The Wanger said that cramp in his hand went away and he doesn’t expect any more trouble. … Kyle Farnsworth had a giant stuffed (as in taxidermy, not bread crumbs) turkey in front of his locker. It seems he shot it somewhere in the area last year, had it stuffed and is sending it back home. Morgan Ensberg, who lockers next to Farnsworth, eyed the bird suspiciously when he arrived this morning. “You think it’s easy to shoot something?” he said. “I have no idea. Not that I want to find out.” Ensberg asked me if I ever shot something. (I haven’t. Not yet anyway). That led to a discussion about how baseball draws all different types of people. Interesting guy, that Morgan Ensberg. … Jorge Posada has a “Retire 21″ sticker in locker in honor of Roberto Clemente. Wait a second, could that mean he doesn’t want 21 retired for Paul O’Neill?
Meanwhile, it’s cold and damp again today.
UPDATE, 1:27 p.m.: Anthony McCarron is covering the game today for the Daily News. He is threatening to do some in-game updates over on Blogging the Bombers. So check that out if you get bored.
Here is all you need to know about the Mac-Daddy: He’s the second-best sportswriter in his own house. He is married to talented Times football writer Judy Battista. Judy often writes about the not-so-mighty Patriots and really knows her stuff.
But at least Anthony is at the park, which is more than we can say for News beat man Mark Feinsand. Then again, perhaps he is on assignment chasing down the assorted goomahs of Roger Clemens.
UPDATE, 1;38 p.m.: Six up and six down for the Moose. As you watch the game today, watch how Mussina works higher in the strike zone on occasions and more inside. Dave Eiland is trying to get him to change the eye level of batters and to use his fastball on the inner third on the plate. The Moose has been pretty solid of late as he adjusts.
UPDATE, 1:52 p.m.: The Mariners have scored two runs in this series so far, both set up by stolen bases. It’s something to keep an eye on as Mussina is a little slow to the plate and Seattle has several guys who can run. Meanwhile Ichiro is 3 for 6 with three steals in two games so far.
UPDATE, 2:10 p.m.: Some aggressive baserunning there for the Yanks, which is the kind of thing they need to do with A-Rod and Jorge Posada out of commission for a while. Was that really The Big G we saw going first to third? Meanwhile, Hideki Matsui now has a 13-game hit streak, three off his career best.
The Yankees will announce a big crowd today, 50,000+, as every section has folks in it. But there are a lot of empty seats. The no-show factor was high with the unpleasant weather. But it’s not so bad if you’re sitting in the sun. At least that’s what Deano says from his seat behind third base, near the ballboy.
I know we have some other readers in the crowd today? How are you guys holding up?
UPDATE, 2:52 p.m.: I believe I have hit upon the key to the season. Every time Hank Steinbrenner rips the Yankees, Mike Mussina pitches great the next day. Little Stein said Moose needed to pitch more like Jamie Moyer last month. Mussina went out the next day and held the White Sox to two runs over seven innings.
Then yesterday Hank went on about how the Yankees only win when Chien-Mig Wang pitches. Now Mussina has allowed one run through six innings against the Mariners.
This just in: Mussina is nine outs away from his third straight win.
UPDATE, 3:02 p.m.: Brutal outing for King Felix. He just got the ziggy in the sixth inning after allowing six runs on 12 hits, four of them for extra bases.
Those Yankee fans who wanted Mike Mussina and Johnny Damon released a few weeks ago look pretty silly now.
UPDATE, 3:12 p.m.: The Yankees are carrying an extra reliever, so it’s no big deal. But Mussina was only at 84 pitches. Let him go another inning. Maybe he asked out, I have no idea. But with the bottom of the order up, let him go back out there. It’s not like Hawkins needs the work.
At any rate, Mussina has a 2.50 ERA in his last three starts. 18 innings, 18 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts.
If you go back to last season, Mussina is 7-3, 3.86 in his last 11 starts.
Tell you what, when Joba becomes a starter it’s not the Moose who is going to the bullpen.
UPDATE, 3:39 p.m.: Fine job by Edwar Ramirez, walking two batters with the Yankees up 6-1. That got Joba Chamberlain up. Under the old Joba Rules, Chamberlain would have to come into the game once he warmed up. But under the new “We Trust Joe Girardi” Joba Rules, that’s not necessarily the case.
UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: Joba is down and Jose Veras is warming up.
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on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 at 9:58 am by Peter Abraham.
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Hey! How come Moose gets Molina on a day game after a night game? Phil could’ve used Jose(and some glasses and a new rib), but still…
mel-stop complaining about phil situation.
you guys make up so many excuses for the kid is incredible.
the guy was supposedly good last year but he still manage to give up 8 home runs in72 innings.
Look at King Feliz if you want to watch some real talent.
2006 20 SEA AL 12 14 31 31 2 1 0 0 191.0 195 105 96 23 60 176 6 11 816 2 0 4.52 4.43 98 1.335
The numbers of Feliz at age 20.
Yeah Mel,
where do you come off defending a 21 year old with less than a full year in the majors and injury problems? King Felix is almost as young and has almost not been in the majors for three years already! Not to mention he looked great out of the bullpen when the Mariners didn’t make the playoffs last year! The nerve of you to defend a Yankees starter with a broken rib and bad vision and a twisted ankle following up a popped hamstring last season. Some Yankees fans, I tell you. King Felix has his name because he’s the only young pitcher who can develop into legit ace talent, you didn’t know that? Where’s Johan?!
I’m looking forward to watching Felix play. I think that once Phil’s rib heals and he gets his new glasses, he’ll dominate.
5 3 4.46 13 13 0 0 0 0 72.2 64 39 36 8 2 29 58
The numbers of Phil Hughes at age 19. You see how fun this is, what?
Does that mean I’m going to get Rasner and Moeller at tomorrow’s game…i guess it makes sense to keep molina with moose as long as his hmastring is not acting up
today is the day that Giambi tries to bunt down the 3rd base line.
i can feel it in my bones.
Mel – I heard Moose has requested to have Jose, even before Jorge got injured.
what – how is that making up excuses? How is anyone supposed to pitch well with a fractured rib?
Heading out to the game soon. I’m piling on the long sleeves, it’s freezing here today and wet. PLEASE, no more injuries!
Giambi again ??? He’ll never get around on a King Felix fastball and those stonefingers at 1st base ??? OUCH !!
“what – how is that making up excuses? How is anyone supposed to pitch well with a fractured rib?”
He wasn’t pitching well BEFORE the broken rib.
We don’t know when he injured his rib. So you can’t say that.
what.
It was a joke. If you read between the lines you could see that.
Why are you telling me what to do? Or was it just another chance for you to complain about Phil? Again.
We get it. You don’t like Phil. You don’t like this team as it’s currently constructed. Maybe you should stop complaining. You complain up and down about this team day after day, thread after thread and I’ve never said one word to you.
Why you gotta bring up last year’s homerun totals? If you dig deeper, you’ll find that injuries changed his mechanics and for the only time in his professional life he went from a ground ball pitcher to a fly out pitcher. Look at the numbers. When he came back in August, he was returning to form. ie: groundball pitcher.
I’m not going to discuss this year with you because I don’t know all the facts.
Enjoy the game, and I hope you have a great day because life’s too short to be bitter.
oh - i haven’t been checking in for the last 2 days - did we figure out when the rib was broken?
“5 3 4.46 13 13 0 0 0 0 72.2 64 39 36 8 2 29 58
The numbers of Phil Hughes at age 19. You see how fun this is, what?”
Phil Hughes wasn’t in the bigs at age 19. Most of what he accumulated last year was. Most of his appearances last year were at age 21.
I just have to say after watching “Big Wheeling Farnsworth” just completely body Jeremy Afeldt because.. well i dont know why but it was pretty rough and tumble… im a Farnsworth fan. I never understood throwing to hit a guy in the head though. Behind the guy’s head isn’t cool either but Hernandez threw directly at Guillen’s head and that’s just never called for.
Good Morning.
Just for the record, until last night the last time the Sox and Yanks won on the same day was Tuesday, April 22nd.
Have a good weekend.
-dennis
Morning all!
Still on a bit of an emotional high from yesterday, so hopefully the Yankees win and I can kkeep the high. Though eventually I still have two papers to do so it’ll wear off, but that’s not the point.
I wonder how many of you thought we might come to a part in the season where Moose was going for his third straight win?
Vince- wow vince you look so dumb. well actually feliz wss in the majors at age 19 not class a…..learn your facts dude.
Joe, pick a lineup, and stick with it.
“Mel – I heard Moose has requested to have Jose, even before Jorge got injured. ”
Did you actually hear that? Or did you hear Kay parrotting (as he ALWAYS does) that Moose and Jorge have “had problems” in the past — despite Jorge catching the majority of Moose’s games every year they’ve both been Yankees.
Sorry about that last post. Started writing, stopped and started again and ended up starting the same sentence twice.
Phil had all but two appearances in 2007 at age 21. He and Hernandez are virtually the same age (Hughes is 2 months younger) but Hernandez got nearly 100 IP in the bigs at age 19 and is two years ahead of Phil in terms of having develpoed as a big league pitcher, so it’s not an entirely fair comparison.
Fredo corleone-That’s exactly why they call him King Feliz.
And not gay franchise. eeewww my rib, eeeww my hamstring….ewww what is’t going to be next with this dude seriously.
It is much easier to develop a kid in Seattle than NY or Boston.
-dennis
The PHranchise situation is unfolding in a strikingly similar fashion to the motion picture, Major League. I happen to recall the legendary feats performed by Richard “Wild Thing” Vaughn following a trip to the optometrist. So fear not, Yankees faithful, if movies are any indication of reality (which if you’ve seen Harold and Kumar in Guantanamo Bay you’ll agree with an emphatic YES) Phil will be back with a cool pair of specs and nickname fanning batters in no time. All kidding aside, after 31 games last year, the Yankees were 15-16, just two short seasons ago, 12-19. Both seasons they worked through their collective slump and finished with a good record. All things considered the season isn’t going as poorly as it could be with two all star caliber players on the DL and I’m enjoying watching the guys perform under pressure.
Whozat:
I believe Mel is accurate. Molina caught all Mussina’s starts before Posada was injured. Posada did catch a Moose start just before going on the DL.
Further, Posada only caught half of Mussina’s 28 starts last year. The contrast between those starts and the 14 where Molina or Nieves caught was staggering. His numbers in the games caught by Posada were brutal.
Fredo,
You’re right. It’s not fair to compare. Someone just brought up Felix to push their agenda here on the blog. Nothing more, nothing less.
Personally, I was disheartened by Phil’s performance early in the season. I thought it was mental because he did well in the fall and spring. Now, at least there are some explanations, not excuses, but reasons as to what was going on. The perfect storm maybe. If it’s true that they were tinkering with Phil’s mechanics, then that’s the catalyst right there. I don’t have all the facts, though, so I don’t want to speculate.
I’m just going to hope that we can get to Felix, no matter what Moose does on the mound.
Dennis might have the most obvious point of the day. Which doesn’t make it any less important.
Right you are Dennis, but in fairness to Hernandez, he’s a more talented kid than Hughes is. No matter where you are, coming up as a 19 year old and enjoying some modicum of success is an achievement.
a stress fracture is something that builds up over time…
it is commonly seen in patients who have suffered from severe coughing spells, whooping cough, or something known as “walking pneumonia”.
whether or not phil felt it or even knew about it, it definitely had something to do with his changed mechanics. his body was definitely compensating for the pain…whether he was consciously or subconsciously compensating his mechanics, we may never know.
but yes…i will be a phil hughes “fanboy” (as Abraham often likes to call us Yankee fans) and say that “The Franchise” was definitely injured for at least 2-3 starts before it became known.
in the playoffs last year, he was throwing 93-94 with very good control. this year he is topping out at 92 without any control. something has to be wrong.
Dennis,
There’s nothing wrong with Phil Hughes that can’t be fixed or healed can’t say the same for some “fans”.
Your kid did good last night, actually he’s been doing great in almost every start. Annoyingly so. lol.
“Dennis-Costanza (sox fan)
May 3rd, 2008 at 10:46 am
It is much easier to develop a kid in Seattle than NY or Boston.
-dennis”
All the excuses in the world. This is what I MEAN.
Anyone else thinking “Mad Dog” Vaughan?
“Joe, pick a lineup, and stick with it.”
Get all the injured players back and Joe will make your wish come true!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Further, Posada only caught half of Mussina’s 28 starts last year. The contrast between those starts and the 14 where Molina or Nieves caught was staggering. His numbers in the games caught by Posada were brutal.”
Yes. Because last year is the only year that happened.
I’m not saying that Moose and Posada work together perfectly. I am, however, saying that I’ve never actually heard that Moose has asked not to pitch to Posada.
I kinda liked last night’s line-up. I think the infusion of energy via Duncan & Gonzo helped give that “spark” Lil Stein spoke of.
But you gotta believe (or hope) that Giambi & Cano’s bat will come alive this century so…no complaints from me on the line up today.
“All the excuses in the world. This is what I MEAN.”
I’ve never understood the whining about “excuses” that sports people and some fans have. We’re trying to understand WHY something is going wrong. They’re not excuses, they’re explanations.
Hey, Hughes is way to talented to be pitching this poorly…what’s going on? Oh, all his bad starts were in rain and cold? Oh, he’s 21 and maybe the pressure of being The Guy Not Traded For Santana is getting to him? Oh, a cracked rib? Well, now we can understand why this problem is happening and have reason to believe that these are fixable issues. The alternative would be to brand every player who struggles as a “bust” and sound like an idiot by calling for them to be cut, traded, or shot. I’m sure glad I’m not like THAT.
“I think the infusion of energy via Duncan & Gonzo helped give that “spark” Lil Stein spoke of.”
I think the four errors had more to do with it than Shelley’s 1-3 with 2 Ks in the cleanup hole.
“I’m not saying that Moose and Posada work together perfectly. I am, however, saying that I’ve never actually heard that Moose has asked not to pitch to Posada.”
Yankees haven’t exactly been prone to offering information these days. Sometimes you have to go off of what you see. No question Molina is a far superior catcher to Posada, but he can’t hit, so Jorge had to get most of the games when he’s healthy. Not saying Moose requested it, but it sure looked for all the world like a “personal catcher” set up when the season started. Throwing Molina out there the day after a night game with an iffy hamstring and in the throes of a 0 for 23 would seem to back that up.
I have no doubts that Phil will be a #2/3 starter. With the ability he (and Joba) have they will be our #2-3 starters for years to come. For now, we have CMW as our Ace. Down the line we should have a very stellar staff. CMW, Joba, Phil, IPK, and one of the kids from AAA/AA…maybe even Andy yet. Andy is only 36 yrs old, he still has some pitching life left in that arm of his, and we could use an older steadying arm. I don’t like to dump on people when they are down (verbally, that is) I would rather see if there is anything that will put them back on track…Cano is one. Jason is not, he has had many chances to improve…about 3/4 years. 27/08.
Better 1-3 than a pop up by Giambi. Shelley’s also better at 1B but that’s just my opinion.
I was not making excuses for Hughes. I agree with Fredo that Felix is more talented than Hughes. He is also more talented than Bucholtz, Kennedy and Lester.
Regardless of his talent though the Yanks and Sox have to be more cautious with young talent as both markets are pressure cookers. I believe most scouts and baseball people will tell you that they would rather develop a kid in Tampa, Toronto , Seattle, Texas and so on.
-dennis
Listen Hughe will never be a better pitcher than what he was last year a 4 or higher era pitcher.
I said my opinion. I will never address this kid again.
i will let time be the one to do that for me.
“Not saying Moose requested it, but it sure looked for all the world like a “personal catcher” set up when the season started.”
Jorge hurt his shoulder in the first game of the season. He sat the next two days and then DHed a day. Caught two days, got a day off, caught again and then the DHing started.
So, this season is useless for determining whether Moose has a “personal catcher” or not. And, is it the pitcher’s fault if the manager decides that he works well with one guy and use that to give his primary guy days off? There’s a big difference between a pitcher going to the manager and saying “I don’t like throwing to Jorge” and the manager saying “Moose and Molina have a good thing going…I’m going to keep them together.”
Who is King Feliz???
It’s King Felix.
Jorge’s our guy. But you saw it with RJ, and you saw it last season with Mussina. It’s just obvious they felt more comfortable with the back-up catcher. Jorge’s got a strong personality and is quite stubborn. Admirable qualities, but we’re talking about old men here. They’re all stubborn.
If Jorge had been healthy this season, we would’ve seen Jorge taking a rest day when Moose starts. Coincidence of course, because the nobody from the Yankees would confirm the obvious. That Moose works better with the backup catcher.
“Or did you hear Kay parrotting (as he ALWAYS does) that Moose and Jorge have “had problems” in the past”
Anyone hear Michael Kay talk about Mussina on ESPN radio? His scathing criticism and deeply personal attacks of the Moose were well beyond what I’ve ever heard. Sounded worse that what I’ve heard from journalists disucssing cheaters, felons, wife abusers and more.
It was pretty shocking to me. (heard it a few weeks back)
I think also Molina pretty much let’s the vets call their own game. With Wang, Molina said he threw whatever he called. With Moose, that won’t be the case necessarily. Jorge like Mel said has a strong personality & when you don’t have it he’ll say so. Doesn’t always rub the right way with vets like Moose & RJ.
Yazman,
I read a book called “Tale of Two Cities” it chronicled the 2004 season btwn the Sox & Yanks. In it, Kay makes it clear he does not like Mussina. At all. Moose cut him off one time at an interview and Kay vowed to never interview Moose again.
Kay hates Moose.
The last Moose/Jorge game looked good to me.
“If Jorge had been healthy this season, we would’ve seen Jorge taking a rest day when Moose starts.”
We saw them together just the other week. And they worked great together. They worked together in the spring. Yeah, Moose had a bunch of bad starts with Jorge behind the plate last year. He had a bunch of bad starts THROUGHOUT last year. Every year, Jorge has caught more of Moose’s starts than the backup guy — at least I’m pretty sure that’s true. So, there’s never been any reason to think that Moose has, in any way, EVER requested not to work with Jorge…except that Kay insinuates it all the time. And we know that Kay personally dislikes Mike Mussina.
Good thing there are no notes pete, they’ve been “so and so on the DL”
whozat,
Chicken or egg debate here. Does Moose pitch better with the backup because he’s more comfortable or is he more comfortable because he’s pitching better?
Just kidding. I see your point.
Does anybody know the skinny on Mo Vaughn ??
LOL at the people who claim that needing glasses is an excuse. I wear glasses - my vision stinks. Does that mean I am less of a person? Does it mean that people who don’t need glasses are genetically superior in all ways to those that do? I guess I could try and be macho about it and not wear my glasses, but (a) the people on the road when I’m driving might not appreciate it, (b)my office mates might not appreciate it as I continually mistake their identities and bump into them on a regular basis and c)I very likely wouldn’t appreciate it as I personally think (and this could be a bias, I admit it) sight is one of the five senses and rather important in the scheme of things. I suggest pretending that everything you see is a blur and quite indistinct - then try watching tv, writing or driving like that. That should give you some idea of what it’s like to not be able to see clearly; maybe then the posters bashing Phil (I doubt it though) will quit it.
I just tune out the various bloggers/message board posters who already are inclined to dislike Phil because he cost them their precious Santana. OR, they are inclined to dislike Phil because they feel that he has betrayed them by not pitching like Sandy Koufax at 21…….oh wait, what did Sandy do in his first 6 years? OK - do not post about how Phil is not Koufax. Believe it or not, I understand that……very few pitchers in baseball history have been as good as Koufax was when he got his act together. The point is that fans seem to resent Phil because he has the audacity to be pitching like a 21 year old…….an inexperienced 21 year old at that. He never asked for the hype - unlike Joba, Phil is a very low-key, cool kind of kid. He never asked for scouts to follow him at every game he ever pitched in high school (which I’m sure was close to being the case) or for all the scouting publications to make him the #1 pitching prospect in baseball. All Phil did, all ANY of these kids do, is pitch/play to the best of their ability. That’s what he’s done since he became a Yankee - the kid works very hard at his craft and he worked particularly hard this off-season because of a frustrating 2007. The fact that he spent some of his $$$ to buy a house in Tampa to be near the Yankees facility tells me everything I need to know about Phil Hughes. Unfortunately, it seems like the baseball gods have it out for him injury wise, but sheesh - fans should at least appreciate that this very talented young man puts in the effort. You don’t think that Phil has been frustrated? You don’t think that Phil has been desperately searching for answers? It’s HIS career - he has known nothing but success since he was probably in Little League - so I’m pretty sure that as disappointed as fans are, Phil is slightly more so. So, fan resentment against this kid is, IMO, way out of line and I am disgusted. To be fair, I’m disgusted with so-called scouts and experts who are now predicting Phil to be at best a #3 or 4 starter. I guess Phil messed up their expectations, but lord knows how he did that. I’m sure they didn’t expect the kid to be up with the big club as early as last year - in fact, he wasn’t supposed to be up here until September. So, despite the fact that Phil was rushed, these so-called experts still expect Phil to pitch as if he was 31 instead of 21. Nice.
who died and made felix king?
So…about, you know, today’s game…
I think this is a lineup that Moose should be able to deal with pretty well, as long as he’s locating. This strikes me as a lineup that likes to swing the bat, and so he should be able to get them to swing at pitcher’s pitches. Except Ichiro. But he gets to EVERYBODY. Well…actually, he’ll swing at pitcher’s pitches and STILL get hits. Because he’s ridiculous. But, I feel pretty good about Moose’s chances today.
Is that you Mrs. Hughes? I think Phil’s mom is posting. LOL.
Michael Kay likes to hold vendettas, doesn’t he?
So, Betsy, tell me how you really feel. lol.
Support for Phil generally falls along gender lines. It’s a maternal thing.
I think the key for Moose today is to get Ichiro out to leadoff the game. Don’t let Ichiro beat you on the base path and manufacture any early runs that might be the difference with Felix going for the M’s. Moose seems to pitch a lot better when he is gets out of the first unscathed as well.
Here at the stadium it is freezing. Got some great photos from warmup. I would imagine as rasner has worked with moller before mel that is why he will catch tomorrow and molina will have off tomorrow
“who died and made felix king?”
Fair point. Silly nickname. Still not as silly as calling Phil “The Franchise” though.
I’m still surprised that it took so long to diagnose myopia (this coming from a guy who got his first pair of glasses at
Great win by Wang
Ichiro is awesome; glad that he can rack up some hits for my fantasy team while the Yankees still win
Also, Wild Thing for Phil later? Or wrong decade?
*first pair of glasses at eight, close parentheses
Thanks, Gayle, that makes sense. What’s Chad’s nickname? The Mole?
King Felix ? That’s funny. The Yankees are fixin’ to light him up today…..all of our wins come in bunches….I sense that we are about to string together a BUNCH of Ws !!!
“And we know that Kay personally dislikes Mike Mussina.”
Not sure he’s alone in that regard. I’ve always thought Moose was a bit of an ass and have heard noises he’s not massively popular among his teammates . Aloof, smartest guy in room syndrome, etc. Still doesn’t make Kay’s chronic beating of him on the radio right though.
I didn’t get my first pair of glasses until I was 16 and didn’t start wearing them regularly till I was about 20.
LOL Mel…………you could be right about it being a maternal feeling towards Phil, but I don’t understand why that would be the case. Still, I’ve decided that there’s just no point in getting upset at stuff like this. Nothing that we say or anyone else says is going to determine or make a difference in Phil Hughes’ career. It doesn’t matter what projections there are for him or who likes him or doesn’t - the only one that can determine that is Phil himself. This goes for any player, really. If he’s not going to worry what people are saying about him, then why should I? All I can say is that I look forward to Phil living up to his potential and quieting his critics.
On a general note, my father had tickets to last nights game and asked if I wanted to go. Normally, I would have jumped at the chance, esp. as this is the last year in YS. However, for the first time - I just had no interest. Normally, I have a great time at a game even if the Yankees are losing just because it’s a terrific experience overall and I think YS is a cathedral; however, I just couldn’t work up any enthusiasm. This season has been completely devoid of fun for me and I have a hard time getting excited given the staggering amount of injuries. I hate feeling this way ,so I hope the Yankees can give me some reasons to start feeling better about this season.
Amazing how a mediocre outing for Buchholz(5.1IP, 1ER. 4BB, 6K) would be considered a gem for either Hughes or Kennedy at this point.
I think Hughes is extreamly frustrated- more than anyone actually. You can tell. He’s not smiliing and joking about things, he’s extreamly pissed off at himself.
Plus, Santana isn’t wizzing people over. He’s just getting by. People expected him to abolish National Leaguers. And anyways, Cashman said it himself- long term. Can’t just call a month worth of pitching the decideing factor on a 21 year old’s life. This probably pisses Phill off the most. You can tell his character just by looking at him- it’s similar to most of the guys sitting on the bench getting mad at the fact that the team isn’t so hot (for now).
The fact that he has a stress fracture exaplins why he was doing so poorly: it’s not like the guy was completly lost.
And yeah, I’m a Hughes fan.
live from tier box 616. Its a chilly day. A few rain drops here and there but no tarp ok the field.
“We don’t know when he injured his rib. So you can’t say that.”
Fair enough. This lack of knowledge also means you can’t blame his results on the injury.
“today is the day that Giambi tries to bunt down the 3rd base line.
i can feel it in my bones.”
Even if Giambi bunted down the 3rd base line it would have to be a perfect bunt for him to get on. Too close to the pitcher or catcher and he will be out for a mile.
Finally, Tejada doesn’t tell a lie…
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280502118
Cr@p!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cano is back. 0 for 4 today again I bet.
Comparing any young pitcher to Felix Hernandez is misleading and pointless.
But it does set up a convenient straw man argument.
Hernandez was almost universally considered to be the most talented pitching prospect to enter the game in years. He was a complete outlier in term of his talent, stuff and maturity for his age.
Hernandez has more talent and more upside than Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Yovani Gallardo, Justin Verlander, Clay Buccholz, David Price, and on and on.
Until Joba exploded onto the scene last year there was no one even remotely in Hernandez’s class. Clayton Kershaw may join that select group but it’s still to be seen.
So Hernandez has historically great talent for a young pitcher. He’s a once in a generation kind of arm.
So saying Hughes isn’t Hernandez is a sort of meaningless statement. Saying Hughes is going to be a “bust” because he’s not as good as Hernandez is even more silly.
That’s like saying Jay Bruce and Adam Jones are disappointments and going to be “busts” because they are not Justin Upton.
man, summer is sure flying past fast.
20% percent of the baseball season is over.
Or that a SS/3B sucks because he’s no A-Rod?
Think you nailed it CB.
I noticed this Lance Berkman quote from the link Mel just posted:
“You can’t ever know what those families go through unless you’ve had a child afflicted with something like that,” said Berkman, who also met some of the children. “Any small thing that anybody can do to help alleviate some of that burden is obviously beneficial. It’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Now there’s a young man with his head on straight. MLB could use some more players with this sort of attitude!
Good morning peoples,
I just have a second get my fix in here. Brandon has been posting Phils change in pitching motion since his hamstring injury. I hope that they know that there is something different in his delivery and fix it. I still think he will turn it around.
Make that two people that think Mussina is a total ass. He shows it on interviews and worst of all on the field. Dont you dare commit an error playing behind him. Or he will make you pay for it by giving up a few runs. Just to spite.
I think Farns should do a body slam take down on Moose. Just have him run out of the pen after moose gives that dum look to his teammates and whala. Attitude adjustment.
GO SPURS!!GO RED WINGS!! AND SUPER GO YANKEES!!
Didn’t the Yankees actually outbid the Mariners for Hernandez but he chose the Mariners over the Yankees?
Or that guy sucks because hes no Jason Giambi at first.
That’s true, CB. It goes that way even for HOFers……Tom Seaver was a truly great pitcher, but he wasn’t Sandy Koufax. It’s still pretty good to be a HOFer.
If Phil turns out to be one of the relatively few aces in baseball, you know what? That’s a great, great thing to be. Same goes with Clay, Lincecum, Kershaw, or any of the other guys. Who knows? Phil may have a really great career - and it won’t matter if Felix is the best pitcher in baseball. Just to be considered one of the very best is a wonderful thing.
By the way, I saw on ESPN last night that Gallardo is very likely to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
CB-
According to Olney, Kershaw should be in the majors very soon working out of the pen & starting intermittently.
“This lack of knowledge also means you can’t blame his results on the injury.”
With an injury like a rib fracture you can’t ever definitively know when it happenned or what caused it unless it was the result of a specific, direct injury.
But there is circumstantial evidence you can look at.
Hughes looked very good in spring training (and by that I mean not just in games but his side work and sessions - Girardi and Eiland were very pleased with what they saw).
They Hughes threw a very good game against the Blue Jays to start the season.
After that game he was an entirely different pitcher. In particular, he completely lost his command - something that he’s shown no proclivity for doing in his entire command.
When a player looks entirely different from one point in time to another and is later discovered to have an injury of uncertain development it’s not unreasonable to think that there’s a high probability that the injury occurred at some point in between the change in performance.
Incidentally he is on a 150 innings cap.
I don’t think Moose is an ass and I don’t care what Kay thinks either; it’s hard to take a guy seriously who is judging Phil to be a #4 at this stage.
Moose has taken it upon himself to be sort of a sage to the young kids and that is very generous of him; not every veteran pitcher does that. Ok, he’s definitely got his quirks and I can see how he might rub some the wrong way, but I think he’s a good guy. Also, he’s hilarious.
Speaking of Giambi…I can’t wait until this season is over and we can dump his space-wasting butt! So what if he hits a homerun every now and then…He is otherwise a shell of the offensive machine he once was (primarily with Oakland, not so much in his tenure with the Yankees), and a laughable liability on defense.
I would like to add that Felix’s first full year he went 12-14 with a 4.52 e.r.a. Not Ace like.
Also. Can we do away with the nickname franchise. Too much pressure for a 21 year old to handle.
Sweeny was on the FAN this morning talking about Phil H’s delivery change. Apparently he used to be a predominantly fastball and slider pitcher with a 3/4 delivery. When he added the nose to toes curveball (i love that term) he converted to coming straight over the top because a) it allows for greater consistency with all of your pitches and b) the curveball doesn’t sweep across the plate.
I’m no expert on pitching mechanics (or anything else for that matter)
but this seemed to make some sense.
Hi Everybody…
I am going to my first game, of the year, this Thursday the 8th.
Does anyboby know, or can you make a quess, who will be pitching?
I am really hoping for Wang, I have never seen him pitch. And, of course he is doing so well this year.
Thanks.
NYPD-
Always trying to stir it up. I wouldn’t call that outing by Buchholz mediocre, much better than that.
Re: Clayton Kershaw…So, the Dodgers have already won 7 straight and now they’re going to add this phenom to the mix? Joe Torre is no doubt enjoying life in LA better and better by the day! (Meantime, he’s probably bemused by all the Yankees struggles this year.)
If we are keeping Giambi at first for his homerun power. Why not get the old Tony Clark to be our hit or miss guy? At least he brings a decent glove to the games.
20% of the season is over and it feels like they’ve only been playing in winter!
CB - Phil said he thinks his injury is related to a mechanical flaw…..possibly due to the change in mechanics that Nardi and Eiland forced on him?
While he’s unable to throw, Phil and the Yankees can still use this time to their advantage. I really want him to go back to his natural delivery; I’m no expert - I know less than zero about mechanices. All I know is that it is common sense for a body to be healthier when it’s doing what it wants to do. In Phil’s case, apparenly his natural motion was to have a 3/4 delivery - and it worked, since that is the delivery that gave him his exceptional velocity and command. The Yankees were fools to change it and now they have time to review all the video tape in the world and to realize they made a mistake. Let Phil watch his best games, both minor leagues and with the Yankees, and get some positive vibes going. He’s a tough kid - this adversity is going to make him a better pitcher, I’m certain of it.
Richard C-
You will be seeing Mussina vs Byrd.
Yeah, I want to see him go back to the 3/4 arm slot when he comes back…
Hey, CB, I was wondering what you thought about the following.
I was trying to figure out last night the earliest possible date the Yankees could transform Joba into a starter without exceeding his inning caps (^120 innings) before (i) the season ends; and (ii) allowing enough latitude for post-season play (which is a question in itself about the caps’ application)
The other imponderable is whether the transition innings count against the cap and where the Yankees plan to pitch him during that period and how those innings count.
Assuming 120 total innings, my calculation puts the earliest possible date to start Joba no earlier than July 1st.
That would allow him approximately 16 starts, assuming 6 innings per and totaling 96 innings, and allowing the Yankees to skip him or to tailor his innings in September, as necessary for a pennant race.
Wang is starting Wed the 7th, so most likely you’ll see Mussina.
Any idea why this game isn’t on TV at all?
Right Betsy I wouldn’t have sacrifice velocity, command and movement on the fastball just so he could have a true 12-6 break on the curve. That makes no sense.
Just let the curve be 1-7 break with good command and movement on the FB.
Thanks.
Go Moose!!!
” I wouldn’t call that outing by Buchholz mediocre, much better than that.”
– No, no, you’re right, however, I expect him to pitch even better at this point.
Trust me, after I get a chance to evaluate the game and take the emotion out of it, at this point in Clay’s career, I will take that outing every time.
Let’s go Tampa Bay Rays!
The game should be on YES
Yup Jax - the Yankees are trying to make Phil into what they want him to be instead of what he is. What he IS is a young man who was the #1 pitching prospect in baseball and a projected ace. That wasn’t good enough for the Yankees?
Kill-Schill,
I keep hearing that his cap will be somewhere in the 140 mark. Dont know how true that is.
“I would like to add that Felix’s first full year he went 12-14 with a 4.52 e.r.a. Not Ace like.”
That’s what so funny when people look at young pitchers and are quick to write them off as overhyped or as busts.
Hernandez was the single most talented young pitcher to enter the game in years. He was on a completely different level.
Despite that otherworldly talent Hernandez struggled.
Many, many yankee fans would have labeled Hernandez a “bust” at that point, especially after Hernandez got so much “hype” when he was signed and in the minors.
But that would have been exactly the wrong conclusion to draw. Hernandez’s struggles just tell you how hard it is to learn how to pitch - even when you sit 94-97.
And let’s forget Hernandez’s first couple of season because he was so young.
Let’s look back at last season. Hernandez last season was 21 and had a substantial amount of experience behind him - he had already thrown 275 pro innings entering last season.
So what did the most talented young pitcher to enter baseball do in his third season with 275 innings under his belt?
Hernandez last year went 14-7 with a 3.92 ERA and a whip of 1.38.
Those are good numbers but hardly spectacular and in no way were they “Ace” levels of performance.
They are solid numbers.
Again, if Hernandez was on the yankees last season and had put up those numbers droves of yankee fans would have dismissed him as being over rated and something of a bust because he clearly wasn’t an “Ace.”
In no way would I ever dismiss Hernandez based on his recent past performance. He is an absolute star in the making.
But young pitching takes time to develop. Ace pitchers don’t just appear out of nowhere. They develop over time - even when you are the most talented pitcher of your generation - even then it takes time.
The yankees did go after Hernandez very, very hard when he was on the international market. Hernadez for whatever reason chose to sign with the Mariners.
He’ll be a free agent when he’s 25 or 26.
CB-
You glow over Kershaw, the debut by Scherzer was really amazing.
Didnt Randy Johnson struggle his first few years due to control problems? Most consider him the best lefty ever.
(Meanwhile, how great a name is “Ball Star” for a blog? Much better than “LoHud Yankees Blog.”)
.
so PETE…how about we change the name of the blog then ??? You can allow each blogger one suggestion, then you can pick out the ones that the higher-ups have no problem with…then LET’S VOTE !!! How does THAT sound, ALL ?
i heard what is negotiating with David Wells as we speak.
it’s amazing how many fans think the rules should be different because we’re the NY F’N Yankees. we get old. we need to get younger. those young players don’t all develop the same. let’s have this conversation in three years, and i’ll buy you a cup of coffee is Hughes isn’t making 30 starts a year by then.
David Wells? I love the guy, but he has nothing left.
Maybe, as a lefty specialist he might have a modicum of a value.
As a starter, however, I can’t believe The Boom would perform any better than IPK or even Igawa, for that matter.
since it goes without saying that good eye sight is essential to be a professional baseball player it goes without saying that every team should have eye exams and eye conditioning programs for it’s players.
it’s not only 20/20 or better that’s important. players see speed differently too. the more a player relaxes, the better he sees the ball. bobby murcer used to tell a story about feeling relaxed like he was in a rocking chair to slow the ball down.
when you see a relaxed player at the plate ,you see a player who is giving himself the best chance to see the ball.
i guess the question is are there any other yankees whose eyes are not what they should be ?
“i guess the question is are there any other yankees whose eyes are not what they should be ?”
Cano thinks every pitch is a strike?
“it’s cold and damp again today.”
Heheee
“Apparently he used to be a predominantly fastball and slider pitcher with a 3/4 delivery. When he added the nose to toes curveball (i love that term) he converted to coming straight over the top because a) it allows for greater consistency with all of your pitches and b) the curveball doesn’t sweep across the plate.”
The yankees did absolutely nothing wrong with developing Phil and changing his mechanics.
All high school pitchers generally have major problems with their mechanics. Those problemlls must be fixed (one of the main reasons its better for young arms to go to the minors rather than college, IMO). High school pitchers get by on talent. They have to learn how to pitch.
The yankees have a very rational, structured development program. One of the best things about it is that they have a unified organizational strategy in place to develop young pitchers through.
In general, when a pitcher enters the organization they will watch him for one month and just observe. Don’t do much with him. After that month they determine where his weaknesses are and change them.
This organizational philosophy was largely developed by Nardi Contreras who is one of the best pitching development guys in the game. The yankees are very respected in this arena right now. Gil Patterson, also an excellent development coach, was basically the #2 guy to Nardi (Patterson also worked closely with Phil). Patterson was hired this off season to oversee the entire pitching development system for the A’s.
Part of that organizational philosophy is to favor curve balls over sliders. Why? There is some thinking that curve balls put less stress on young pitchers arms than sliders. Also, by making the curve ball the organizational priority the young yankee pitching receives similar instructions at every level - from the Gulf Coast League to AAA.
This makes a ton of sense - at every level the coaching focuses on the same philosophy. As the young pitchers go up the system they aren’t jerked around - they are taught the same way.
They are taught to emphasize fastball command, then the curve ball and then the change. A slider is added at the higher levels if needed.
That’s been an important reason for their success with young pitchers recently.
The best example of this was Joba. When Joba was drafted he was a guy who threw 93-94. Nardi looked at him throw for a while and then broke down and rebuilt his mechanics.
It was only afterwards that Joba became the Joba we know now - it was only after working with Nardi and changing his mechanics that he was able to comfortably throw 95-98 for 100 pitch starts.
Now even with Joba they emphasized his curve. But his slider was so good they didn’t ever ask him to stop throwing it.
The yankee’s pitching development people are excellent. If it was a change in phil’s mechanics that led to the rib injury it had nothing to do with that initial change in his mechanics when he came into the organization.
It probably had to something to do with the injuries last year.
People aren’t fully understanding how bad last year was for Phil. It wasn’t simply the injuries - it was the lost development time.
Phil’s been with the yankees for 3 full seasons. Of those 3 seasons one (last season) was largely a waste. He gained little experience and his mechanics may have gone out of line.
yankees fans should cheer for Kyle. The problem has never been his work effort, or desire to win. If this team is going to have success he is an important piece of the puzzle and deserves our support as much as Jeter, Joba, or Rivera.
KS,
I was thinking the same thing as you with respect to Joba in the rotation. I think late june/ early july. I was also guessing they’ll give him around 15 starts or so.
They’ll start transitioning him earlier. The transition innings will count against his cap.
That’s why I anticipate that they’ll stretch him out at the major league level like the dodgers did with Billingsley.
Is anyone finding this on TV? I have the MLB package and it isn’t on…….!!!
CB, it’s great that Nardi’s philosophy worked for Joba, but it has not worked for Phil.
It’s already unnatural enough to pitch - Phil is naturally inclined to pitch one way and that’s how he should be doing it. He never had any arm injuries as a youngster - fatigue, I believe, but no arm problems - so it’s really strange that the Yankees would do what they did. To be honest, I don’t want Phil to adjust to this new delivery - his old one is what scouts loved and clearly they thought he was an ace-type prospect with what he was bringing to the table. That should have been good enough for this organization……
I understand scrapping the slider, but Phil by all accounts had a smooth, repeatable delivery. There was no need to change it at all….and if he doesn’t feel comfortable with it, why should he be forced to pitch that way? I don’t like the fact that they have an “organizational philosophy” because it means they are forcing this same philosophy on each pitcher, no matter how different they are from each other. I’m never going to agree with the change in Phil’s natural delivery.
Miguel Cairo!
I can’t believe I’m applauding a strike out of Miguel Cairo.
Weird.
“You glow over Kershaw, the debut by Scherzer was really amazing.”
Buddy,
I brought up Scherzer’s name here the other day on a discussion about whether the diamondbacks are for real (which i think they are).
Scherzer has a terrific fastball and is a great weapon to add to their pen.
But Scherzer is nowhere even close to Kershaw. Scherzer has a great fastball but very poor secondary pitches. He’s got nothing like Kershaw’s curve ball.
Scherzer is a great example of a the kind of power pitcher many of the people who want to keep Joba in th pen think Joba is.
Scherzer can throw 95-97 but only has one pitch. He was drafted as a starter but it become apparent that his future was most likley in the pen.
That’s part of the reason why Scherzer’s value as a prospect took a big hit - it became more and more probable that he was going to only be a reliever because of his lack of secondary pitches.
That’s the kind of power pitching prospect that gets put in the pen - the guy who gets by on one outstanding pitch. But at the same time those pitchers are much, much less valued than the ones like Kershaw and Chamberlains - guys who not only have the power arms but the repertoire’s, stamina and command to start.
It is much easier to get a a Scherzer than a Chamberlain or Kershaw.
You know how Bernie and Paulie have their own band thing?
Morgan and Mussina could start their own comedy troupe.
Let’s go Yankees!
Nice Johnny!
I hope Ensberg can re-learn how to hit like he could a few years back. If he could hit .250, he could walk enough and hit for enough power to be worth his while. He sounds like a fun guy to talk to in the clubhouse.
Nice Johny Damon. now get stranded at 2nd.
1-0…good start
Yah Bobby!
Ground-Ball Jeter does it again.
good work jeter and abreu
nice baseball
MackNova: I just looked at your blog–am I seriously not the only Yankees-Jets-Nets-Devils fan out there?
These first 3 at bats, against Felix, bode really well for the Yankees doing what they need to do. Great baseball in the first 3 at bat.
Rebecca: Discounting the state of New Jersey or something?
Blargh: You might have a point. I’m from North Jersey, so I keep forgetting that south Jersey even exists as an entity!
Good afternoon all!
Go Moose! Go Yanks!
well…atleast they made felix work……
and for what doesnt work…High socks for giambi. That only worked for arod jason
Betsy,
Phil was drafted #23 in 2004. Before he entered the yankees system he was considered a good prospect but not a great one.
He became a great prospect only after he came into the yankees system. The most important part of Phil improving his game was the development of his curve ball.
Phil had the best curve ball in the minor leagues in 2006. That along with his fastball command is what turned him into a top notch prospect.
Phil’s slider was only an ok pitch. Nothing close to what his curve became.
If Phil’s having problems with his mechanics now its because he’s gotten away from what he was taught in the yankees system - not because of the changes they made, changes which made him a much better pitcher with a much higher ceiling than when he entered the system.
Back to work Mussina
Rebecca, nope. I remember reading the blog here before, seeing you were a fan of those teams. Every time I see someone who is a fan of those 4, I can usually remember because we are a rare breed. Sure a lot of NJ people love the Nets and Devils, but Jets and Yankees on top of that is an interesting mix.
And thanks for clicking.
a bit warmer now. Hey pete is that you behind home with the silver laptop sitting next to a guy with a blue skullcap?
That’s interesting, CB. The curve is my favorite pitch, and Phil does have a really beautiful one, so I can’t complain. However, something does appear wrong mechanically - what’s up with his command? I know Phil didn’t just lose it.
With all my venting, Phil was getting MLB hitters out last year and he had an outstanding WHIP and K/BB ratio. So, even with the new mechanics, he was doing well…….Even so, his command wasn’t as good as was advertised in the minors. Does that all still stem from his injuries (if so, I would hardly be surprised)?
Last year was a lost year for Phil and it sucks royally that he prepared himself extra hard, spent extra time in Tampa, and now this year is a bit of a lost year as well. The only good thing is that now he will be forced to spend extra time in the minors and hopefully this time the Yankees will keep him down there until he is fully ready.
Moose is Loose! MOOOOOOSE!
Okay, let’s get some more run support for Moose…
Couple of things with the sun coming out it is getting a bit warmer. Lot more fun sitting here with damon in left. Can’t believe all after attending almost every saturday game since 2005 this is the first time damon hasd been in left.
Bummed there was no flyover but such is life.
Moose so far so good throwing first pitch strikes - are you watching ian kennedy
Back to work bats and get more runs
betsy. Try to enjoy baseball. Just a suggestion.
Just joining up. No television because of the FOX blackout - but I have MLB TV. Go figure!
Here’s my mini prediction. Mike Mussina should be giving up his first hit in the third inning because that wad Michael Kay just said “Mike Mussina is perfect through two.”
GRRR!!!!
Is anyone finding this on TV? I have the MLB package and it isn’t on…….!!!
You can Thank Fox and their 3 pm game against Cubs v. Cards for that. Some agreement that MLB and Fox have that no games will be on Saturdays that Fox shows games.
There it is, 1 pitch Cano… I think Cano needs to stop trying to be Giambi and be more like Melky.. that way he can get a hit from time to time instead of striking out or grounding out…but then again, Giambi at least sees more than 1 pitch.
Cano is just dreadful right now.
girardi should fine Cano for every first pitch he swings at….im a true believer in NOT swinging at first pitches.
Hernandez 23 pitches after first and then has an 8 pitch second thanks to Cano’s first pitch ground out. Not sure if that is the way to come out of a slump.
On my scorecard, I already have 0-4 for Cano.
Moose today:
6 6H 3R 3ER 2BB 1HR 5SO
The only way you swing at the first pitch is if you know that the guy is a strikeout king.
If Hernandez is, then there is not a problem.
The game today is on YES for anyone in market.
I HATE YOU MICHAEL KAY, YOU FAT IDIOT!
Fran, Mel, Jennifer - did you see it with your own eyes?
Just amazing.
Rebecca, is your YES broadcast breaking up? mine is really bad today.
Felix Hernandez is becoming a very different pitcher this year compared to what he was before.
Hernandez’s top speed today - 94.
This year Hernandez has been throwing significantly slower than he has in the past. He’s no longer trying to throw 97-98.
This entire season he’s throwing a lot more sinking 2 seam fastballs rather than his four seamer. His change up is a much better pitcher.
He’s now sitting more 92-94 than 94-97 which is where he used to be.
His strikeouts today have both been on off speed stuff.
It’s interesting to see the evolution of a young pitcher. Here’s a guy who can easily throw 96-97 deep into games who is now electing to throw more slowly to pick up movement.
It’s not about the radar gun. Hernandez is learning.
Ichiro is kind of annoying. It’s like a scientific impossibility to get him out.
Scorpio: Not having issues.
“People aren’t fully understanding how bad last year was for Phil. It wasn’t simply the injuries - it was the lost development time.”
well, there is no doubt the yankees rushed him last spring, so it’s on the yankees and whoever was in charge of that decision.
a cheap year of his service time ticked off too. it’ll continue ticking away as long as he’s on the disabled list. as soon as he’s healthy , he needs to be sent to the minors to stop the mlb service time meter. he can then be brought along at his own pace. if he has a relapse, which is always possible, while in the minors it won’t affect his mlb service time.
the yankees have to stop needing hughes to stop the bleeding for the mlb team. his development needs to be independent of that. that might be a bitter pill to swallow for those who counted on hughes, but it’s obvious always pushing him ahead isn’t working.
even if it takes him two years in the minors to mature, he’ll still be buchholz’s age. i don’t see a problem with that. the alternative is to continue rushing him and end up with nothing.
i really think the best decision for the yankees is to write hughes off for this year unless while back in the minors, he is just dominating. then if it’s the end of august, bring him back up.
the sooner cashman forgets hughes for this year, the sooner he’ll quit being delusional about the rookies and get working on getting some starting pitching.
Cano probably should have had that..
Mike Mussina clearly likes a challenge. First pitching to Manny. And now with Miguel Cairo on deck he pitches to Ichiro.
Johnny Damon?
Didn’t the blog DFA him 3 weeks ago?
heck yes!!! 2-1! GO YANKEES!
“well, there is no doubt the yankees rushed him last spring, so it’s on the yankees and whoever was in charge of that decision.”
Last spring? You mean when their pitching staff was hit by a mind-boggling array of ridiculous injuries? When they had not one, but TWO backup starters knocked out for the season by comebackers? How do you plan for that sort of thing?
The issue wasn’t Phil coming to the majors…it was Phil losing the time to injury. He can dominate AAA hitters. We already know that.
2-1 yanks
Let’s go Bobby!
Yankee Diva
Dur to Fox broadcasting a game later this afternoon, we’re blacked out.You (I assume)live outside the New York territorial restriction that is set up by mlb. I live in Mass. and get blacked out of every Saturday Yankee game on YES. It’s always been that way with the mlb package.
I’ve watched just about every game this season, and I gotta say, the Yankees are finally putting some good wood on the ball and it’s paying off. It’s really nice to see; something hopeful.
MLB Blackout rules are ridiculous.
I shell out $160 for the Extra Innings package and yet I can’t watch a Saturday Yankee game at 1PM because FOX has a game on at 4PM.
I hate following games on gamecast.
way to screw your fans Bud.
TKinDC
It is only 1 game for Damon. Let’s wait until all the facts are in.
Matsui!
And now, it is “I hitting the ball hard but just at people” Giambi…This is really where ARod and Posada kill us by not being present.
Damon has been hitting the ball well since that Baltimore series.
So I guess the offense got the memo that there was a baseball game today…
based on Giambi’s salary, anyone know what the Yankees are paying him to strike out versus walking?
If so Rebecca, should be delivered daily for the next month.
…Yeah, definitely got that memo.
Melky!!! Man, I love this kid…….and I love his aggressive baserunning when Ichiro overran that ball
Giambi should be at 17 walks to 12 strikeouts now
lets go morgan!
make them pay!!
Since when does a .153 average warrent an intentional walk, even if he is left handed…
Dear Robbie, this is 1st base. This is what it feels like to get on base.
Sincerely,
Your batting average.
IBB Cano? wow…Ensberg is actually doing better than Robbie, right?
c’mon Morgan
“I HATE YOU MICHAEL KAY, YOU FAT IDIOT!
Fran, Mel, Jennifer - did you see it with your own eyes?
Just amazing.”
What are you talking about?!
Hey Pepper,you need to relax.
Well that was fun
If Hernandez was on the yankees I’d love to see how many comments would be up right now saying Hernandez is overrated, a bust, rushed to the majors, losing velocity, etc.
Seattle is built to win now. Their goal was to win this season - that’s why they made the Bedard trade.
Young pitching - it’s frustrating even when you have a golden arm like Hernandez does.
Hernandez this year is trying to pitch to contact more - good strategy in general so you can go deeper into games. But it’s a killer when you have a bad defensive team behind you.
4 runs already through 3 innings off of “king” felix
ill take that!
I guess I’m the only one who respects the baseball superstition of never saying the magic word/words before the end of the 5th and wants a contract put out on Michael Kay.
Good inning, great piece of hitting by Melky, really good to see Damon and Jeter driving the ball against a good pitcher.
Anybody know how many Es committed by the Mariners so far this year?
Now, I want to see the Mariners NOT score. Even if Moose gives up some baserunners, just get the Yanks back to the plate up 4-1.
mel - Kay once again talked about the “perfect game” and the next inning, right on schedule, Moose gave up a hit.
I’m a calm kid but I swear I am the equivalent of every angry/rabid fan on this forum, put together, whenever Kay pulls that crap.
You guys think maybe Melky is trying to say “Thanks for not trading me and please let me keep my spot?”