Game 70: Yankees at Astros
-
- June
- 15
YANKEES (36-33)
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Cabrera RF
Wang RHP
ASTROS (33-36)
Pence RF
Erstad 1B
Tejada SS
Lee LF
Blum 3B
Loretta 2B
Bourn CF
Ausmus C
Oswalt RHP
Chien-Ming Wang (7-2, 4.30) vs. the Houston hitters
Roy Oswalt (5-6, 5.06) vs. the New York hitters.
Notes: I know I often have typos in the lineup. But, yes, Melky is playing RF. … Bobby Abreu is 4 for 18 on the trip with no RBI. … The Yankees have won three straight and four of the five on this road trip, which ends today. … The Yankees have homered in eight straight games. … The last six games have somehow each been played under three hours. … Wang pitched well in the first game of the trip, holding Oakland to one run over 7.1 innings. … Mariano Rivera has had the last two nights off since pitching five out of six days.
The teams will be wearing light blue wristbands today, on Father’s Day, to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there, especially to mine.
Back later with some updates.
UPDATE, 2:12 p.m.: Former Yankee Chuck Knoblauch was on the field for batting practice seeing some of his old teammates. Bubba Crosby, who has retired, was here yesterday. They both live in the Houston area.
Did you see what Dan McCutchen did last night? 9 6 0 0 0 4 against Norfolk. 102 pitches, 71 strikes.
Today is Andy Pettitte’s birthday. He’s 36.
UPDATE, 2:58 p.m.: You have to love Robbie Cano. Oswalt walks three in a row, so of course he swings at the first pitch, breaks his bat and drops a two-run single behind third base.
Meanwhile, Oswalt is over 70 pitches already.
UPDATE, 3:18 p.m.: Because he is such a great hitter, it’s easy to forget what a good fielder A-Rod can be. He also has an absolute cannon for an arm. That play probably saved two runs. The throw, at least, kept the bases from being loaded for Carlos Lee.
UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.: Roy Oswalt threw Wang a 1-2 curveball. That is not right.
UPDATE, 3:53 p.m.: Wang just got hurt trying to score from second. He had to be helped off the field.
UPDATE, 3:59 p.m.: It appears to be a pretty serious injury. Wang had to be helped down the dugout stairs. He was on second with two outs when Jeter scored and was waved to the plate by Bobby Meachem. He slowed up about 20 feet from the plate and limped in.
Terrible break for the Yankees. Wang had allowed one run in his last 12.1 innings and appeared over his slump.
I’ll report back when we get some news from the Yankees. But it doesn’t look good.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are up 9-0 as A-Rod just drilled a three-run homer. But if the Yankees have lost Wang for an extended period, it’s a huge blow.
UPDATE, 4:12 p.m.: Might as well say it. But if Wang is going to be out for a long period, the Yankees have to think about trading for C.C. Sabathia.
UPDATE, 4:14 p.m.: The Yankees are saying Wang has an injured right foot. He is being examined now.
UPDATE, 4:29 p.m.: This is total speculation on my part - repeat, total speculation - but Wang possibly could have an Achilles’ tendon injury based on how be pulled up and his inability to put any weight on his foot. Hopefully that is not the case as it is a devastating injury.
The Yankees have a day off on Monday, so they will need a pitcher on Saturday. That would be Dan McCutchen, who pitched yesterday. Or maybe Jeff Karstens. Ian Kennedy could come off the DL as he is throwing off the mound again.
UPDATE, 4:41 p.m.: Those of you in the comments section blaming Bobby Meachem are wrong. Wang was running on the play and there was no play at the plate. He scored without a play even though he got hurt. It was just a freak thing.
Pitchers run almost every day before games and they run hard. Wang runs almost every day, either on his own or with the other pitchers. He just got hurt, it happens.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, June 15th, 2008 at 11:03 am by Peter Abraham.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Share and Enjoy: 
| 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
go Yanks?
I thought cano was going to get 3 days off in a row?
How about that!? Damon in CF and Matsui in LF with the groundballer on the mound!
I don’t know about Damon in center with all that ground to cover…
Why isn’t Joe playing Melky in CF and Damon in RF? The Damon-Matsui combo sounds downright scary to me…
wow, i dont know about damon in that huge cf, but with wang on the mound we should see less fly balls. matsui will have to line up for a relay if johnny has to throw from the wall. i guess abreu does need a day off though. i love matsui batting 3rd.
this would be a great game to win (i guess they all are) a big road trip and a day off could really change the tone of the season just in time.
I was hoping Damon and Matsui would both play with Melky getting a seat, in all fairness to how theyve been playing the no DH thing… especially with Wang back to his groundball-inducing self, its ok to have Damon in center. But i wouldve never expected the Melky in Right move. Not a bad call by Girardi by any means, Abreu hasnt had a break in a while since Shelley was rendered useless.
Abreu has been in a little bit of a slump the last few days so I guess that’s why he is getting today off.
Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers out there. This is my first Father’s Day without my dad, but fortunately I have a lot of happy memories to get me through the day.
Wang will outhit Trot Nixon today
Cano should be sitting though. He needs to be replaced for a few days by Gonzales, getting into the game late possibly.
Cano might do better as a pinch hitter because he isn’t thinking as much. That might actually help him get his act together.
Good Morning.
I know I have made this point before but we are getting close to the halfway mark of the season and everyone in Al East is STILL at .500 or better. It has happenned in MLB just one other time this late in the year dating back to 2002. The AL West did it briefly in late June 2006.
On June 15th 2007 only the Yanks and Sox were .500 or better. WIns will be harder to come by when playing games against AL East teams.The Rays and O’s combined have won 16 more games on June 15 ‘08 than June 15 ‘07. Also, the East is 16-8 thus far in interleague play.
On a different topic, I read this AM that CMW is 13-2 with a 4.01 in his last 19 starts on the road. That says a lot about his preparation and his stuff. He also appears mentally to always stay in the middle of the spectrum which has to be important in consistently winning on the road.
Lastly, Happy Father’s Day. It has to be a special one for JeffNJ who announced on the blog this week that they have a new addition to the family.
Have a great Sunday and Take Care.
-dennis
For people worried about Cano - the Kevin Long audio was interesting - Thanks to Pete for posting it.
I was happy to hear that Long called Mattingly to get his thoughts on how to help Cano. It is good to think that Mattingly is still ‘in the family’ even if he’s not official connected to the club.
Of course, a certain TV voice of the Yankees will probably want to launch a tampering investigation
I like the lineup with the exception of Damon in CF instead of RF. I’m bigtime hoping Matsui can keep up his great season so we won’t be nervous over losing Abreu after this season. Cano’s sure not ready to hit in the 3 spot.
Cano isn’t ready to hit in any spot.
Wow, that’s as bad an outfield as you could get behind a sinkerballer. Let’s hope they can score lots of runs.
And Cano has yet to be taught a lesson. Does Girardi even want to win games?
“The Mets are back on the West Coast again? They start a series against the Angels tomorrow night.”
sad to say, but i dont think willie’s gonna be on that flight to anahiem (of los angeles)
man, did anybody read pete’s post about the extra work robbie’s been putting in, extra bp, late bp, trying several different approaches. he’s also been hustling on every ball and playing excellent defense of late. what does he deserve to be punished for? alberto gonzalez is not as good a 2nd baseman as robbie and not as good a hitter as robbie. so what is the lesson that he is supposed to learn sitting on the bench.
and where’s the love for an rbi single that gave mo the night off?
you go robbie, bust out and shut the haters up!
Wow, anyone know the last time Melky played right field? Has he ever?
Y’s Guy, how is it hating on Cano when he is batting near the Mendoza line and this much of the season is gone? Even if he picks it up today he won’t break .280 for the season.
Sitting a guy for a few games might get his head clear, and get him back to being the hitter he should be.
He got a hit as a pinch hitter. That could be showing that its head problems, as he didn’t think about the BA as much. Great that he got a hit. Not so great if he goes 0-3 or 4 again, as he has been doing as late.
i was refferring to all the ‘teach him a lesson’ posts that i’ve read on this board today and the last few days. if they sit him to clear his head, i can deal with that, but to sit him to ‘teach him a lesson’ is just straight-up kicking a guy when he’s down.
If you wnat to give Abrue rest and play Damon and Matsui in the outfield, it is when a sinker ball pitcher is pitching. There won’t be many fly balls that will fall between these two fielders. If Wang pitches the way he pitched last time, we will be alright.
We will go 4 games over .500 when this game is over.
Yes, Girardi has no interest in winning. That’s why the Yankees are 16-8 in their last 24 games.
Its a shame he’s so uninterested in winning games.
As Y’s said, listen to the audio of Long discussing Cano’s struggles. They know what’s wrong and they are trying to fix it. It just isn’t as easy as snapping your fingers and getting it done.
I’m among Cano’s biggest critics on this blog. That said, I have ZERO problems with the effort he’s putting forth.
The guy is trying everything to get going. He’s also not taking his hitting struggles out to the field. He saved 4 runs Friday night with his defense. His defense has been off the charts this season.
If he continues to play great defense and just hits respectably, that’s good enough for me.
He doesn’t have to be “punished” for anything.
If he wasn’t playing hard, then you punish him.
That’s not been the case with Cano, so no punishment is needed.
Pete,
Very nice statement from Bruce Springsteen regarding Tim Russert. Tom Brokaw read Bruce’s statement on this morning’s Meet the Press. In addition, today’s show ended with a Russert video montage to Thunder Road.
Fran,
Today must be a little hard for you. Remember all the good memories. My thoughts are with you today.
SJ, you are also the one who keeps saying he should be traded. If that isn’t “punishment”, what is?
Many people are going a tad bit crazy regarding Cano. The guy will go on a tear in the 2nd half, just like last year. Plus, as SJ pointed out, he’s playing great defense and playing hard.
sj wants to improve the team and trading cano might be a way to do that.
matsui is one of my favorite yankees but i have advocated trading him, too, because he’s the LH bat who would bring the greatest return.
trading a guy isnt punishment, its moving one commodity to aquire another. this is a buisness after all.
No Berkman today. That’s a very good thing.
Having a discussion about trading him for the reigning Cy Young winner isn’t “punishment”. Its contemplating a baseball transaction. Its something GM’s do every single day.
If you are unable to distinguish the difference between that discussion and punishing him so a minor league SS can play second base for a few days, perhaps you aren’t ready to discuss baseball on this blog.
This isn’t high school. You don’t punish players for lack of performance unless their effort is lacking.
The guy has taken early hitting, after BP hitting, worked off the tee, everything he can to try and figure it out.
If he wasn’t doing those things, which was the case during his struggles last year, then you consider more punitive action.
That’s not been the case this year so why punish him? It makes no sense.
Having Alberto Gonzalez face Roy Oswalt today isn’t doing what’s best for the team or Cano.
You try and see if he can build on the pinch hit he got last night. Not an insignificant hit, at the time he got it. It gave the Yankees a much needed insurance run.
Sometimes, a hit like that gets a guy going.
Defense be damned. Damon and Matsui should both be playing in these NL yards.
What sense does it make to keep sitting at least one of your two hottest hitters over the past 25 games?
None.
Besides, having Matsui is LF with that short porch is not that big of a deal. And the whole Damon’s arm argument is so overrated.
The Yanks won 4 rings and 6 pennants with a noodle arm patrolling CF in Bernie Williams. I think Damon can handle it.
I spoke with Tim Russert at a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Orpheum in Boston. Nice guy. I thought he tended to spew out right wing talking points (yes I know he worked for Pat Moynihan) but he’ll be missed.
I don’t know why people keep talking about trading Cano. It’s not going to happen.
Here’s why:
Here’s why:
Contrary to the way the FO has done business in recent years, they gave Cano a four-year extension during the offseason two years before he was even eligible for free agency. That was something this franchise just doesn’t do with young players - especially when you consider that they didn’t want to extend that same courtesy to Wang - the undisputed “ace” of the Yankee rotation the last 2-1/2 seasons.
Secondly, there were two players on the Yankee roster that were deemed ‘untouchable’ by the FO during the Johan Santana trade talks.
The two players were Joba Chamberlain and Robinson Cano.
I don’t see Cashman and the FO doing a complete 180 and changing their tune with Cano just 60+ games after they signed him to the extension.
All the trade Cano stuff is nonsense. It matters none what the fans think of him - it’s what Cashman and the FO thinks of him.
They are probably frustrated with him right now like the rest of us but they aren’t going to consider trading him.
“For people worried about Cano - the Kevin Long audio was interesting - Thanks to Pete for posting it.”
the mattingly part was a little interesting. as i said in my earlier post, long gets about as excited as bob newhart.
after listening to him, i was kind of wondering if long was part of the problem with cano. i didn’t really hear anything that wasn’t really basic. i’m not saying long is the problem because he sure didn’t seem to get in the way last year, but if you want a pep talk i’m not sure he’s the guy you go to.
i’m not worried about cano in the long run( no pun intended), but i would sit him down in the short run to get him to take the situation seriously. i don’t think it makes much sense to keep running him out there everyday when he’s hitting in the low .200’s.
i would be interested on hearing more from kevin long about his approach to team strategies for walking and making opposing pitchers have to throw a lot of pitches so the yankees get into the underbelly of opposing bullpens. i’m again not saying he doesn’t do that, but i’ve never heard him say they needed to do more of that which i think they do.
“I was hoping Damon and Matsui would both play with Melky getting a seat, in all fairness to how theyve been playing the no DH thing”
Why would they sit Melky today after he got on base 5 times yesterday?
Abreu hasn’t been hitting since he hit that pitcher in the face.
So, giving up a player who has great defensive skills and until this year, is a good offensive player helps IMPROVE the team? Really? All for a few month rental. Wow.
“I like the lineup with the exception of Damon in CF instead of RF.”
If he’s in RF the Astros will be going first to third all day. There is no way Damon throws out anybody at third.
Not a good argument considering that Girardi has been giving both Matsui and Damon at least one day off per week when they’ve both hit over .400+ for the last 25 games.
Accordingto ESPN Ken Griffey Jr is considering waiving his no trade clause for a trade to the Rays. It wuld make him close to home which I know is important. I wonder what how much the Ray would hae to give up ?
Follow along Pierce…..
Nobody has said trade Cano for a rental player. At least nobody on this blog.
The discussion centered around Cano for Sabathia, provided they could negotiate a long term deal with Sabathia.
If a long term deal can’t be done with him, you don’t think about trading Cano for him. That was the discussion the other day on the subject.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads here. I gave my dad the Giants Road to the Super Bowl dvd set, we’re watching the Green Bay game right now.
Will Cano even have the strength to take the field without his father-figure Larry Bowa there?
You know, the funny thing about this team is that they’ve won 8 of 11, but it doesn’t feel like it.
Here’s to four over on father’s day
Clay,
Thanks for the thoughts.
“Not a good argument considering that Girardi has been giving both Matsui and Damon at least one day off per week when they’ve both hit over .400+ for the last 25 games.”
Actually it is a good argument because neither Matsui, Damon, nor Giambi can play the field every day. One of them is going to need a day off from the field to rest their legs.
Secondly, Abreu has been struggling and Melky was 5 for 5 just yesterday. Doesn’t make sense to sit him today.
“Melky was 5 for 5 just yesterday. ”
Correction, Melky was on base 5 times just yesterday.
i don’t know about anyone else .but i’m psyched about joba being taught wang’s sinker by wang.
the fact he picked it up so quickly and used it 10-12 times is really surprising.
i know his curve is supposed to be a plus pitch too when he gets command of it, but it’s great that he’s picked up another pitch he can command so well so quickly to go with his four seamer and slider..
wow, are the rays giving up on thier ‘cover the world’ of defense? gross is not hitting in RF, so i guess they want griffey there. they are already paying alot of money (for them) to LH carols pena (about to come off the d.l.) and cliff floyd, who’s riding the pines. i cant imagine they want him for the dh spot.
Melky should have sit either Fri or Sat. He may have played well yesterday but that’s the first big game he’s had in a month.
You don’t rest players who have been as red hot as Damon and Matsui has been for the better part of a month.
And I guarantee you that neither of them wants to sit because these kinds of torrid streaks just don’t happen very often.
Randy,
You do realize that the better Joba pitches the safer Cashman’s job is, right?
Are you sure you want Joba to pitch well? j/k
i think damon and matsui’s great play of late is BECAUSE they have been rested regularly. credit the manager for working the lineup just right to get the most production out of them.
Guiseppe,
Just because you believe Melky should have sat either Friday or Saturday has no bearing on whether or not he should sit today.
You can’t ignore the fact that Damon, Matsui, and Giambi can not play the field every day. Abreu neither for that matter. No matter how hot their hitting is they need days off in order to keep them fresh.
Melky is still a young player, you don’t sit young players after they had good games. At least you don’t in my opinion. Not only was Melky on base 5 times but he had 2 hits batting right-handed which is a rarity for Melky. Can’t sit him down today.
Cashman’s job is safe. It’s up to him whether he comes back next season or not.
Thanks Dennis, but how am I ever going to continue to hate Red Sox fans if you keep showing so much class? I appreciate the father’s day wishes, but to be honest, having a 5 day old kid, I don’t feel like I’ve earned it this year.
As for the race, while I am not conceding, it sure seems like the Red Sox have a bit of the magic, wins keep piling up despite injuries and suspensions. The improved play of the AL East is definitely a big factor in the race.
As for today, the OF alignment will be interesting, all 3 are basically out of position, it probably would have made more sense to just put Matsui in RF.
“You do realize that the better Joba pitches the safer Cashman’s job is, right?”
ha ha . very funny.
there’s something about joba and his charisma that i think is the tipping point for the yankees.
…and if cashman riding on joba’s coat tails is the price i have to pay, so be it. i mean joba was drafted under cashman’s watch so i can’t be too critical can i?
i don’t so much want cashman removed as gm as much as i’d like to see him bumped up into another higher up position and a new hungry young gm replacing him. kind of what cleveland is doing with shapiro in cleveland. i’d like to see a more complex front office that has room for talented people that push whoever is in charge at any given time.
i thought the yankees rushed joba’s stretching out, but his last start which was really his first one was very impressive.
Randy,
Good points.
im with randy, i’ve proposed kicking cash upstairs several times on here. he’s done a mostly good job over his contract, but a poor one putting this year’s team together. id like to see them bring in a new guy, maybe promote oppenheimer to do the day-to-day g.m. duties and make cash VP of player personell, to work the huge contracts and marketing deals, train oppenheimer and oversee the whole operation. this has been done by several teams.
Ray,
Melky isn’t hitting against a lefty today so that argument doesn’t hold water. And Melky had one hit as a right-handed hitter against W-Rod. His other hit was batting lefty against the right-hander Geary.
I’m not arguing whether Melky should sit today in place of Abreu or not.
My argument is that conventional wisdom doesn’t always apply to Girardi. He’s given his two hottest hitters days off several times over the past month. Melky had a big day yesterday, but Matsui and Damon have killed the ball for a month. Conventional wisdom need not apply.
Matsui has probably been the team’s most consistent hitter all season, but he’s only played 59 of their 69 games and has not been hurt at all.
The craziest thing about it is that he’s the team’s primary DH, yet he still gets a lot of days off. How many DH’s get so many days off when their hitting .323 on the season?
I would have sat melky for all of those times he’s slid into first base. Enough is enough.
Jeff NJ,
Happy Father’s Day, ya sperm donor! Just kidding, of course you deserve it.
I cannot believe what I read in your post! Oh ye of little faith.
I’m not saying we’re going to take the division by storm, but we’re barely past the 1/3 mark of the season. Too much time and too many variables. Just look at how the Sox and the Mets slid at the end of last year. You never know.
why is Damon in CF oh well we’ll see.
Brett Gardner special is next
“Matsui has probably been the team’s most consistent hitter all season, but he’s only played 59 of their 69 games and has not been hurt at all.”
I wonder if Girardi will continue sitting Matsui at this rate…if this continues he’ll miss something like 20-25 games for the season…
Oops. Almost to the halfway mark. Don’t know why I thought there were a 180 games in a season. Just feels that way when you’re losing.
The Yankees have a surplus of outfielders. What it means, however, is that there will likely always be one potent bat to come off of the bench.
Matsui’s an older player and could benefit from more rest than the others, especially since he had off-season surgery.
We have to remember that Matsui has more mileage than an old reliable Toyota truck due to the consecutive game streak that started in Japan.
Wouldn’t mind seeing him DH more, but I understand that the plethora of old men on the team prohibit that.
For those who love to hate-Beckett vs. Homer Bailey on TBS.
For those who love to hate-Beckett vs. Homer Bailey on TBS.
Thanks Mel. Hopefully Dusty actually manages in this game
Ellsbury singles, steals second, steals third, scores on a SAC fly by the munchkin. When can we bring up our shiny new toy (Gardner) and tuck him in the 9 spot?
Okay, I know this is a really really long shot, but I want to test a theory I have…does anyone know if there’s anywhere we can look up a team’s record when a certain umpire is behind home plate?
Sabermetric guys what is Cano’s zone rating on D??
The Houston broadcasters were marveling at his D the other d..
thanks…
Ellsbury’s a really good player. And he’s better than Garnder. But, the chasm is not that great.
Ellsbury is essentially a slap-hitter. Gardner, the same. Both have blazing speed, both walk a lot. The big difference between the two is Gardner strikes out quite a bit more.
What a weird play. Lugo threw the double play ball into the dugout.
When can we bring up our shiny new toy (Gardner) and tuck him in the 9 spot?
My guess is soon because YES is trying to introduce him to the fans in the pregames
Brandon,
But we’ve known he was for a very long time.
I know Jenn, it’s for the one’s that need special help on why Brett is here, and then end up saying this white boy can run who is he ?
That might be part of it, but I think it has more to do with the organization recognizing the increased interest in the kids by the fan base.
They’ve profiled Brackman, McCutchen, and Jackson in recent weeks as well and none of those guys are close to being major league ready.
Has Wang ever had an AB before?
“Sabermetric guys what is Cano’s zone rating on D??
The Houston broadcasters were marveling at his D the other d..
thanks…”
http://www.hardballtimes.com/thtstats/main/index.php?view=fielding&linesToDisplay=50&orderBy=zone_rating&direction=DESC&qual_filter=1&season_filter%5B%5D=2008&league_filter%5B%5D=All&team_filter%5B%5D=All&pos_filter%5B%5D=4&Submit=Submit
4th best in the majors at 2B.
“Has Wang ever had an AB before?”
0/8 with 6 Ks - http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/players/playerpage/382868
brandon, fans in san fran and chicago are still waiting to see dusty manage…
lets just say he’s more of a chemistry guy than a strategist.
V: Thanks!
if we can get wang, pettitte, moose and joba to repeat thier last outings this time through, that will really change the fortunes of this team. already the bp is looking better with alot more rest. (maybe its just that our bp looks best when they’re sitting in the bullpen!)
“Okay, I know this is a really really long shot, but I want to test a theory I have…does anyone know if there’s anywhere we can look up a team’s record when a certain umpire is behind home plate?”
I could check my database later if I have a chance - wouldn’t be too difficult.
I hope Gardner is up soon him in the 9th spot is very exciting plus he could spot Melky and not give up that much on “D”
V: You have a database of this? Seriously?
I’m curious, what’s the Yankees’ record when Eric Cooper is behind home plate?
if gardner comes up to ’spot’ melky, what does he do the rest of the time?
Did anyone just have the Met game on? Maine balked before he did the old Jeff Nelson third to first and he caught the base stealer. But it was a total balk! He rocked toward home, than went to third and threw to first!
I REALLY think Melancon needs up here is his line at Trenton
3-0, 1.35,10 hits in 21.2 IP, 2BB, 19 K’s.
Even if they are not ready to see him in the bigs he at least deserves to be at SWB.
Y’s guy- He can also spot Matsui, Damon and any other time one of those guys is not in left also he can be the pinch runner/base-stealing threat we need off the bench.
Al, I think they’re working on trying to get him up to Scranton.
melancon has been pitching on a regular schedule with some of the joba rules. id like to see them move him to scranton and start working him on back-to-back days, etc, to see how his repaired arm handles that before they bring him to the bigs.
i like gardner but sitting damon or matsui (who are both already getting plenty of rest) just makes the lineup weaker.
oswalt has pitched like oswalt lately, dont expect to see the 5.06 era version today.
Not to be a minor league buff or anything but this pitcher also caught my eye he was acquired in the Sheffield trade along with Humberto Sanchez and Kevin Whelan.
Anthony Claggett has really solid numbers at Trenton as well.
1-0, 0.78,20 hits in 23 IP,13 BB and 21 K’s. He is likely not ready but perhaps ready for SWB.
“oswalt has pitched like oswalt lately, dont expect to see the 5.06 era version today.”
I definitely agree - this can be a tough game
Oswalt is good–hopefully Wang will be better =)
Again, the houston infield looks soaked.
Dont swing Johnny that was a BB waiting to happen.
there were rumors that oswalt could be had in a trade earlier this year, i wish we could have gotten him, he’s money. probably not going to be available again (if he ever was)
Some more new Yankee Stadium photos: http://slidingintohome.blogspot.com/2008/06/615-new-stadium-photo-update.html
and a new overhead shot:http://slidingintohome.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-overhead-shot-of-new-stadium.html
Good job Jete.
David Robertson belongs in NY before Melancon right now.
If you look at the 7 arms in the ‘pen: Ollie, Geise, Hawkins, Ramirez, Farnsworth, Veras and Rivera, the only guy who is in the bubble is Hawkins.
Geise has to remain as the long man. This staff needs a long man. Ramirez and Veras have been terrific and neither guy is going anywhere. Farnsworth, although shaky, has also pitched well. Mo is Mo.
Ollie? Good arm, a little inconsistent. That’s ok because nobody’s bullpen has 7 great arms.
I think once Hawkins is gone, Robertson will take his place. That seems to be where its going right now, given how Robertson is being used in AAA.
If they find a LH for the ‘pen, Ollie may be on the bubble.
Aside from that, there isn’t any room for Melancon in the bullpen right now. Veras and Ramirez’s performances have made the bullpen less of a priority (with the exception of finding a LH specialist) than it was a week or two ago.
I don’t think Oswalt was actually available.
man he DRILLED that
DRILLED to center…
the ball doesn’t even go past Bourn, Michael Kay, you do not know how to call in houston.
that one is CRUSHED, and it doens’t go past Bourn, man.
Bummer that Bourn guy has great speed.
Wow, that had that sound off the end of the bat.
It’d be nice if Michael Kay stopped doing his best John Sterling impression.
i dont think oswalt really was available. and then there’s the thing that he once said he wouldn’t want to pitch in ny. but then i dont put much faith in that kind of statement, especially when he’s pretty tight with pettitte.
Oswalt has a no trade clause and has gone on record as saying he wouldn’t waive it to come to NY. Boston, St. Louis and Texas were the only teams he would waive his no trade clause for at this time.
Probably why Houston was never serious about dealing him.
I like Ollie but I think he leaves the ball up a bit much for a sinker baller.
Homer Bailey is getting crushed by the Sox. Watching him for the first time, his stuff looks very mediocre. He’s throwing batting practice fastballs and his offspeed stuff looks bad.
My friend:
“But yeah, they’ve been playing pretty well for a team that’s not playing that well”
Yogi has some competition
man, erstadt was the most exciting player in mlb back when he was with the angels. shows what playing full-out in the OF can do to a guy, now he’s a bench player who is often injured.
i swear Michael Kay is about as dense as some of the people on this blog…
Double play!
Pitcher’s best friend.
there it is! first dp! wang being wang
Of course Boston goes on the road and immediately they face a mediocre Reds team take 2 out of 3 with no papi, no manny, no Dice-k, this is absurd.
Niiiiice pitch.
Wang being Wang, I like.
Nice K there Wanger.
Wang with the strikeout to end the inning.
Thats gonna leave a mark.
haha bubba crosby i used to love him
Behold, the power of the ’stache
My daughter is at the Mets game with her friends today, so that’s the main game on our t.v. I’m counting on you guys to keep up with this game!
That last inning by Wang - he kinda made everyone happy — those who like the ground out/double play, and those that want him to strike out more.
Happy Birthday Andy!
Lol Rebecca first Stache reference I heard today and at a great time.
Robbie hopefully hes not auto-out today.
What other Kay-isms need to not be repeated every other game?
mine are off the top of my head are
“the fallacy of the predetermined outcome”
“*insert player name* has tied the MLB record for put outs in an inning”
but then again, I just teared up when Kay just said
“tell your dads you love them because here are two guys who can’t do that today”
so what do I know.
sniffle sniffle
i can’t believe they even mentioned sending Giambi - Posada doesn’t make enough contact to send someone like Giambi. Roy Oswalt is a strike-out pitcher with great stuff, and even if you send Giambi, he’s still out at second on a ground ball.
Cano takes 3 pitches to start the at-bat…. i’m shocked
Al from BK
June 15th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
“Of course Boston goes on the road and immediately they face a mediocre Reds team take 2 out of 3 with no papi, no manny, no Dice-k, this is absurd.”
Al, do you think Houston is that much better than the Reds right now? The Reds record right now is 33-37 and Houston’s record is 33-36.
I told my dad I love him today =)
Lol captain good stuff Kay-isms.
No I was assuming Boston’s offense would struggle a bit missing Man-Ram and Ortiz thats all.
RayBlay
where is bubba crosby?
Filthy breaking stuff.
great job by the clubers cano and melky…. freaking NL.. here comes Wang
Melky what are you swinging at!? Now Wang has to get a hit!
This is the Oswalt everyone is accustomed to.
lol at Wang’s swings. good try tho
Oh well Wang can K Oswalt next inning.
Okay, it’s really hard not to laugh at the wanger there…
That inning is a perfect example of why it’s so much easier to pitch in the NL. 2 on, no outs, and the pitcher is up 3rd, pretty much a free out which gets the pitcher out of the inning there. In the AL, he’d have to earn his last out with runners on, but in the NL he gets out of it with the pitcher. It’s such a big difference.
That’s what she said.
Joba and Rasner looked like they were laughing at Wanger’s at bat:-)
Oswalt at 38 pitches through 2. Continue to work him and He’ll be gone in 6.
Al from BK
June 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
“No I was assuming Boston’s offense would struggle a bit missing Man-Ram and Ortiz thats all.”
Al,I think even us sox fans are assuming that and it may still happen to be honest. The big surprise is J Drew who is hitting .323 and getting a lot of home runs after being a bust last year.
ray: JD Drew is doing for you what Mike Mussina is doing for us.
Just, with the bat instead of a 60 mph change
I think even Wanger himself must have had a good chortle about his AB. Funny stuff!
anyway happy birthday to Andy today, awesome that he is home in Houston for it and on fathers day no less. And happy Fathers Day to all the dads reading this!
Exactly Rebecca….I have to admit that early this season I thought that you guys should stick a fork in Moose because was “done”. Indeed he has been impressive and I think belongs on the all star team pitching staff.
Cano is a joke. He still does not know how to bunt and that is Yankees brass fault. He learns to bunt for the next 2 weeks in the minors of send him home. His ego is like Shaq who refused to learn to practice free throws. A complete and utter waste of humanity. ROBINSON CANO
Wang with another good inning.
“Of course Boston goes on the road and immediately they face a mediocre Reds team..
The Reds will be in the Bronx for 3 next weekend.
Who breaks more bats: Johnny Damon or Mariano Rivera?
Do people know when Oswalt is a free-agent?
Say what you want about the ’stache, but Giambi has a great eye.
Posada could use a huge hit here.
Cecil might not be around for the end of this one
Or a walk.
Also, did everyone leave or something?
Cano come on buddy
rebecca - 3 a game each
DUNKER FOR CANO!!!!!!!!!!
Robbie, this is how you redeem yourself!!!!!
Holy Robinson Canò
I’ll take my bloop doubles!
Nice Cano!
Maybe thats what he needs. he has that Tiger smile.. makes me happy that he did something productive
Robbie comes through with the bloop double.
wow, cano, that was atrocious. lucky.
terrible @bat by cano
keith, let me see you try it.
“Giambi has a great eye.”
Definitely, I always love watching how he fouls off everything he doesn’t like until he sees a pitch he wants to hit.
ATTN!
Deep thought of the day
“the more
our batters don’t swing at balls out of the strike zone
and the more our
pitchers get first pitch strikes.
the more leverage and wins we get”
where in the Hale was that 3rd pitch to Melky ? that is NOT a strike !
Good inning for the Yanks - 3 runs and they really ran up Oswalt’s pitch count.
WTH was THAT ?…Neither of those last 2 pitches were anywhere NEAR strikes ?…What does Prozac Joe have to say about that ?
I’m a Cano supporter but that was just moronic.
He swings at the first pitch after Oswalt walked A-Rod, Giambi, and Posada the three previous hitters.
It worked out, but only because he got lucky.
After 3 straight walks he swings at the first pitch and breaks his bat/pops up, just got very lucky.
tom, keith are joke. The guy just had a two rbi hit and they just seem to focus on the negative. Get a life you two are probably two fat losers who have nothing else to do with their life but denegrate others.
What are the chances that they will consider creating a new division just for the Yanks? you know, a division consisting of Yanks, Seattle and NL teams
How is that atrocious he got us two key runs. I know it wasnt the hardest hit ball but it is a lot better then a strike our or a pup up.. Come on give him some slack.. He has been playing tremendous defense at seconds base, he is a young kid who wants to do a lot for this team. I really like Cano, he has a great deal of potential and although he has been hitting absolutely nothing he has not carried his emotions into the field. And that defines a professional.
yeah he swung at the first pitch maybe because it was strike.
I’ll take a blooper and Wang with a 3 run lead anyday who cares if it was a cheap hit.
I would really love to see Wang have a quick 1 2 3 here
I think Pete put it excellently.
Not watching. Can someone explain how 2 guys score on a “popup to third baseman”?
mel: Bloop double.
@yeah - i’m not the one trying to degenerate others. read your post.
the @bat was pure luck. bottom line.
@yeah - i love the result of it too. but more often than not baseball is a little like poker. you can’t look at things results-orientated.
This is what I’m saying:
http://tinyurl.com/4d5gzs
It’s about the process.
Sometimes all it takes is a broken bat bloop to get a player going
I hope this is it because nothing else has gotten Cano going this year
No one’s complaining the Yankees’ scored two runs. They’re complaining that Cano swung at the first pitch when Oswalt was having trouble throwing strikes.
k, that didn’t work.
scroll down and look at thenice chart.
http://tinyurl.com/3hqsll
This is where good teams with an ace on the hill hold the opposition down with a 3-0 lead and get the sweep.
mel, re you’re 1:10 post. I have faith, the Yankees will make the playoffs and possibly win the division, however, the Red Sock fan just was nice to me, so I didn’t want to come off like a jerk. I do feel like a sperm donor though.
Sure, Cano got lucky there but it is just the law of the averages at work. How many times this year has he gotten unlucky hitting a line drive right at someone?
Man, the girl in the white top in the second row behind home plate is HOT. Thank you, HD.
WangFan: The one in the tube top towards the right?
Not bad, and I say this as a woman.
ALEX!
A-RODDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!
w00t! Way to get out of it
AROD with the money grab!
WEB GEM !!!!
What a great play by ARod - saves Wang there
Yeah, she’s the one. Whenever they show a close-up on the batter you get a good look at her. Southern girls are awesome.
yer out Melky Tejada!!!
good day sir
I..said..good..day
Great play
I love the irony of A-Rod’s great D sitting down one of the laziest defensive players in all of baseball.
Jeff NJ,
lol. Know what you mean. Sometimes Dennis, Brian, and ray make the haterade taste junk.
lol Wang with some serious swing there
WangFan88
i have been distracted all game and was going to post something, but didn’t want the blog pc police on my back since I’m new here.
I don’t know if a girl in Houston, TX can be considered ‘Southern’, but I’m not watching the game so I just can’t say. Hmmm, ditch my dad to go to a sports bar and watch the rest of the game? Dare I?
Damon, you weren’t supposed to run against this guy…
Johnny didn’t you read the scouting report??
the girl in white over the right shoulder of the umpire might make girls and boys crush on her regardless of what team they play for.
Yeah, I don’t, but if I did, why the hell would it matter?
Things not looking so good @ Shea.
Those SOBs wouldn’t fire Willie on Father’s Day would they?
HR by my favorite non Yankee, Ian Kinsler, 7-2 Rangers. Randolph just put his stapler and signed picture into a cardboard box.
mel
June 15th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Jeff NJ,
“lol. Know what you mean. Sometimes Dennis, Brian, and ray make the haterade taste junk.”
mel…..what can I say…..I have reached my life’s goal of making the “haterade taste junk”!!
The Mets have their work cut out for them - loosing 7-2 in the bottom of the 7th (the bullpen just imploded in the top of the inning)
Wasn’t Kinsler the one that had the idea to tarp slide last night? Or was that Hamilton?
lol i love how ALL of the astros fans are blaming the umps for their losing this series…. if you goto their team/s website fan forum youll see EVERY post has to do with the yankees paying the umps or the umps favoring the yanks… its quite amusing…
off-topic but it is a huge pet peeve of mine when people think a woman likes women just because she acknowledges that another woman is pretty. This same thing happens to me everytime I say Laura Posada is hot - well she is, sorry! Doesn’t mean I like chicks though
My favorite non-Yankee is a Ranger also. Josh Hamilton FTW.
I thought the tarp sliding was so cool. It showed that some people can still have fun, maybe the Mets need to do some bonding exercises like that to remind them it’s not the end of the world.
Yeah, I go for the guys. Sorry to disappoint you.
I think there’s something to what Ken Singleton said–so far, anyway, this has been a great series for the Yankees. If they hold on to win this, possibly the best series of the season.
BBB,
We were talking about something the other day and I wanted to post a delicate question. But since you opened the door I’m going to leave it out here.
Guys (or gals), what do you think about two straight women kissing?
Girl in white to the guy 2 seats down-have you seen sex in the city?
The guy shes with-Why the hell did i bring this trophy to the game? She never shuts up!! And why is she wearing high heals to this? Should have brought my dad. I wonder if i should ditch her now or after the 7th inning stretch. hmmm?
I think this whole road trip (save for Ras’ implosion, he’ll get back on track next time out anyway) has been great so far. I’m extremely happy with the Yanks’ showing against two good leftys they’d never seen before (Eveland and Wandy.)
mel: Doesn’t bother me. A full blown make out session, please, get a room, but that’s just common decency.
Now I’m curious. Can someone post a picture of that girl ?
LuHud Yankee blog comments section takes an odd turn on Fathers Day. Not that I’m complaining.
Rebecca,
Doesn’t bother me at all, but it seems like guys really to see that sort of thing. Just wondering if it’s a myth.
“This same thing happens to me everytime I say Laura Posada is hot ”
Hottest Yankee wife for sure.
Brad Pitt has nothing on me. Id kick his pretty boy a….. BTW I dont judge guys. Just saying.
mel: I don’t think it’s a myth.
yeah that chick is hot, but what’s with the jerky looking guy she’s obviously with. She gave him a peck earlier…hmm, was she just blackberrying or txting on her cell right before the commercial break
And when will there be another right handed batter so they may show a close up.
Gee now I can’t watch the game, thanks guys…
Looks like Oswalt will make it to the 8th inning afterall
meanwhile, Wang will implode here
mel: I think it depends on the context. I have seen girls make out at parties and bars in a way where it seems like theyre just trying to get attention from men. That I’m not down with, but if it is a case of extreme drunkenness or genuine curiousity, then it’s cool, but I don’t wanna see an overt girl-girl PDA any more than I wanna see a hetero one!
Of course now you guys have me wondering where I’d rank on the scheme of things…but not really.
SoS: I think there was a girl sitting next to her earlier in the game. I don’t know what happened to her. Maybe she got up and the guys moved in on the girl in white???
lol. Only the girls have an opinion on the question.
Laura Posada? Looks like she could really hurt you if she bumped into you.
Still think that Jessica Alba would have made a great Yankee wife…
mel,
With or without clothes? The “Wild Things” scene was pretty hott.
same thing happens to me when i say jeter is hot…
phew…
2 for 2 for Oswalt….he’s owning Wang at batting
“lol. Only the girls have an opinion on the question.
Laura Posada? Looks like she could really hurt you if she bumped into you.
Still think that Jessica Alba would have made a great Yankee wife…”
ehmm,ehmm. Mel last i checked my frank and beans were still there.
Biel is better.
Think Oswalt could play 2B on the days he’s not pitching for the Yankees next season?
Wang, I love the DPs, but the pitcher is not supposed to get on base!
Get to work bats
Here im baching that girl in the white for not watching the game and talking about S.I.T.C. When im doing the exact same thing.
Good day to get a win. Everyone in the division is losing accept for Boston. Lets get back to baseball folks.
“The Last Yankee Fan™ (a.k.a. ER™)
June 15th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Wang will implode here”
….you were saying?
trade cano after the game, while his value has peaked
Hey, if it works…
SoS,
Are you sure? Last I heard you couldn’t stand up to your wife about closet space! (j/k)
We’ve already discussed this. Biel’s George Washington teeth trump any other, ahem, attributes that she may have. And she wore a Red Sox baby tee. Banned from the Yankee Universe for life!
Wang is looking pretty good today. Looks like his last start against a weak hitting oakland team helped on the confidence.
On the other hand, even though there were 2 RBI’s on a weak hit, Cano looks a little more relaxed. He is still a long long way off though.
“Guys (or gals), what do you think about two straight women kissing?”
Guy/Guy, Girl/Girl, Girl/Guy…I have no problem.
But if I start seeing a lot of tongue involved and hands going in certain areas..I will scream at them to get a room
See, Cano feelin threatened by the prospect of Oswalt playing second and batting 7th.
I’m not sure Wang even knows how to bunt…
BTW. Detroit has caught fire(not the city the team). Torre doesnt seem to be doing us any favors.
What the formula for converting between leagues? ERA AL = ERA NL + 2?
…definitely doesn’t know how to bunt.
Pitches well, though.
great hitter coaching first base for houston- jose cruz sr.
for a short time a yankee.
Has a manager ever been fired between games of a doubleheader ?
Willie may not last out the day at Shea.
…So Wang, who never runs the bases, doesn’t slide?
Is it wrong to laugh a wang bunting, that was quite funny. Although I must say even though I know how to bunt, I’m not sure how I would fair with 80-90 mph coming at me lol
LOL, Wang looks lost at the plate/on the basepaths.
“lol. Only the girls have an opinion on the question.”
Guys — or straight guys — have an opinion on the question too, but since it’s pretty obvious….
“I’m not sure Wang even knows how to bunt…”
he closed his eyes when he bunted. Hilarious!
Philly,
I think it’s + .75