Wrapping it up from Boston
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jul 28, 2008 
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Joe Girardi defended Sidney Ponson, saying some groundballs got through. But of the 10 hits he allowed, four were doubles and one a home run.
Said Ponson: “Up in the zone, down the middle. Especially with that team you can’t (make) any mistakes. I actually felt pretty good but feeling good doesn’t mean anything. … I pitched like crap.”
Jon Lester has allowed two runs in 16 innings against the Yankees this season and struck out 16. The Yankees had a chance to get him in the fifth inning and missed it.
But two of three at Fenway Park is a job well done. The Yankees are three games out with 58 games left to play.
Driving back to New York tonight. Check back tomorrow for coverage of the Baltimore series. It’ll be Mike Mussina against Jeremy Guthrie.
We had a record number of page views this weekend. Thanks to everybody for reading.
Congrats on the page view record, and drive safely in that weather.
Solid weekend considering Boston’s home record.
Predictable outcome tonight – but a great run and a great couple of wins against the Sawx.
Now it is time to keep hitting (or in Nady’s case, start hitting) against the O’s!
He did pitch like crap.
“Joe Girardi defended Sidney Ponson, saying some groundballs got through.”
Aka hits…
He gives crap a bad name~
Just to touch on something Pete said.
Ponson wasn’t great by any stretch, but I think we’re all letting the offense off the hook. Bases loaded nobody out, and they go back to pre all star break form. That had the makings of a huge inning, and they couldn’t get it done. After that they went down like lambs. Anything other than a shutout by Yankees pitching would have lost this game tonight.
Not sure why what Girardi says would bother anybody. Isn’t it a known fact that he’s a born liar?
“Driving back to New York tonight.”
Wow – long drive so late. Hope you bring some coffee along with you, Pete – thanks for the great coverage this weekend!
Timmy- Technically, Yankees pitching didn’t need a shut out to win. They could have given up a run.
It looked like the pre-asg yanks out there tonight.
If the Washburn deal doesn’t work out will Kennedy be given another shot?
KM – Maybe not literally a shutout, but we’ve seen this far to many times with this team. A huge opportunity wasted, and after that inning was over they showed absolutely zero fight. Just the same old Yankee offense. I hope it was just an fluke, and not a start of a downward spiral back into offensive mediocrity.
GreenBeret has a pretty good point. I cut Girardi a lot of slack early in the season but the outright lying about injuries and living in denial about the performance of some of the deadweight that’s been clogging this roster at times this season is quickly getting old. I don’t recall it being this bad with Torre. For a religious guy Girardi sure does come out with his share of falsehoods.
“some groundballs got through” really? The stingers do tend to make it to the outfield, especially when you have a shortstop who has about the same range as my 90 year old grandma and a third baseman whos hands are made of stone.
The Yanks got a lot of hits, they just had some bad luck. Jeter should have turned the DP in the first inning, but for some reason he waited on the ball. Might have been a different game if the Yanks turned two there. That said, they won the series on the road, and that should be the kick in the pants they need for another run. Nady will start hitting.
Yankees are soft. Why be satisfied with 2 wins. Girardi just left Ponson out there to get blasted. Ok i know they weren’t going to have a 66 game winning streak but once the game was lost could you at least drill Ortiz or Manny to let the Sox know you won’t be intimidated? It’s like the team exhaled after 2 wins and decided to give this one away.
tim boat
What’s he supposed to say? “Cash, I’m dying here, trade everything we got for Washburn!” This is a poker game until the deadline, try to understand that.
I knew going in that Friday was a big game, Saturday was a win and Today was a loss.
Joba came up HUGE on Friday Night
we beat Wakefield with Pettitte on the mound
we lost to Lester with Ponson on the mound
Two very predictable outcomes there, though we had a couple chances tonight and didn’t come through
Very anxious to hear Russo tomorrow
G.I. Joe,
I guess we’ll see in three days if Washburn gets moved to Philly or the Dodgers if Cashman doesn’t pull the trigger.
If he doesn’t get moved – I guess he’s not as tradeable as you think.
And the crucial bullpen guys all got a night off.
Pete, please drive safe and STAY AWAKE!
All things considered, since the All Star Break,
1) They won their first eight games, sweeping two teams–Oakland and Minnesota–that have remained in contention in the process.
2) They took two out of three from Boston at Fenway, a place where the Red Sox have won three out of every four games they’ve played.
3) They signed Richie Sexson for an amount lower than the league minimum.
4) They traded for Xavier Nady and DÃ maso Marte, two of the most sought after players this deadline, while surrendering two AAA and two AA players in the process.
4a) By getting Marte, they strengthened their strength (the bullpen), and they kept the Red Sox from addressing their weakness.
4b) By getting Nady, they ensured that Christian/Gardner can remain in a role in which they are much more useful–pinch runners off the bench
5) Robinson Canò has raised his average to the right side of .250–.270 as of last night though it’s gone down a couple points.
6) Mussina and Pettitte are pitching like it’s 1996.
7) Joba outduelled Beckett AT Fenway.
So complain about tonight if you’d like, but unless the Yankees decide to lose 8 straight (g-d help us), I don’t think we have too much to worry about right now.
Sorry, Tim…I was being sarcastic. what do people think Girardi is supposed to say to the press and in front of his players? That they stink? Did anybody hear that from Francona yesterday, after being blown out of the water? Christ, there are a lot of people that need to get some perspective. Everyone was chortling and slapping each other on the back for 8 games, and, now, every player’s is a flop, everyone stinks. It was the second loss in 10 games…please don’t slit your wrists or jump out of your window. You can wait until the next loss.
tim boat
What’s he supposed to say? “Cash, I’m dying here, trade everything we got for Washburn!†This is a poker game until the deadline, try to understand that.
He could have simply said, “Yeah Sid didn’t have it tonight” “He wasn’t very good tonight” “he had an off night but we’re confident he’ll bounce back”" etc. Instead of sugarcoating it and making it sound like a few seeing eye singles were the difference in this game. And let’s not even get started on his fibbing regarding injuries.
I was watching the game at a friends house and could not post or blog.. I agree Ponson looked bad I doubt it would have made a difference but I would have gotten Giese in there or up earlier….
Ponoson stinks he is not better then Rasner and his #’s tell the story. No clutch hitting tonight killed the offense.. they did play the game like they won 8 in a row and were satisifed in taking 2 out of 3…
I DFA ponson regardless of washbum and call up IPK, Ponsons whip is insane and lead to 1 thing losses.
I have had some confidence in the Yanks ability to cut guys loose with the DFA of Hawkins which to be honest should have happened at least a month earlier then it did..
I like Melky and think he is a decent player but some AB’s he looks just terrible. Even Cano’s hot streak cannot help him doing anything with bases loaded. His bases loade avg. may be the worse there is out there, staggering how bad he is with RISP for such a good hitter.
Could NESPN get a room if they wanted to make that much love to Lester.. The yanks had like 9 hits on him and should have scored a bunch more runs…
tim,
you’re just not gonna see that when the organization is in the middle of acquiring another pitcher. The manager’s concern after a game is not to validate the feelings of the fans at home. He’s got to be the face of the organization, win or lose after a game, and when we’re trying to get a pitcher, he’s got to act like we don’t need one.
Here’s my thoughts on the weekend.
The pitching matchup for tonight was completely lopsided. Lester clearly has gotten much better. Still, we had guys on base all night although when Jeter had 1&2 with no one out early in the game, I was screaming bunt at my TV since I knew he was going to GIDP there. Can’t believe I’m actually feeling that way about him, but it just feels like it’s happening an awful lot more than it probably is.
I still would’ve loved to win tonight. I wanted to see this right handed lineup handle a lefty, but it didn’t happen. We need to see these right handed batters rock a good lefty soon.
Sexson looks awful. I don’t know if it’s the part time playing thing or he just is this bad but he misses more pitches than anyone I’ve ever seen. He makes Melky look like a contact hitter.
You guys wanted Minky back, well we got him, except he’s 6’8” and right handed. Sexson is looking like a defensive replacement and that’s about it.
Nady will hit. You have to understand the guy was in Pittsburgh on Friday where he was making his home this season and was pulled from the game and told to go to Boston and get into the middle of this rivalry.
I can only imagine what’s on the guy’s mind besides baseball. He’s got a wife and family who I’m guessing he’s going to move to NYC now since it looks like he’ll be here next season too. I’m sure there’s a lot on his mind.
Give him a chance to settle in.
As for Sidney, I’d much rather have Washburn than him or Rasner in the rotation, but if we’re looking at him as a #5 he did as good of a job as Wakefield did last night as Boston’s #5.
Your number 5 guy has no business pitching against the Red Sox or the Yankees and should get shelled. He had the misfortune of getting matched up against Lester who has come a long way.
I still take Joba, Pettitte, Mussina over Becket, Lester, Dice K in the playoffs. If we have Wang pitching well if we make the post season, our pitching dwarfs theirs.
I just hope that they don’t fall asleep against Baltimore. Everyone is afraid it’s going to be that trap series where we end up getting swept. I would hate to see that happen after all the good baseball we’ve been playing of late.
We would have had to play perfect to win that horrible matchup, we didn’t and we lost. But we won the series, 8 of 9 against .500 plus teams since the break, and have some great matchups in the next two series’ compared to the Rays and Sox’s matchups. I think we’ll continue to gain ground and will be in first place by the end of the next two series against the Orioles and Angels… you guys need to chill.
“I guess we’ll see in three days if Washburn gets moved to Philly or the Dodgers if Cashman doesn’t pull the trigger.
If he doesn’t get moved – I guess he’s not as tradeable as you think.”
….or maybe the Dodgers or Phillies don’t want to give up what Seattle is asking.
It doesn’t mean a guy is untradeable. It takes 2 teams to make a trade, and from what I have heard Seattle is asking for a little more than what is reasonable.
So that makes your point moot. If the Yankees acquire him and want to trade him this offseason they will, its just a matter of what they’ll get back.
A let down is a major concern with Baltimore coming to town….
miggs,
You might be better off just putting your head through a wall like last night.
You’re the guy who said a Zack Greinke wouldn’t even crack the Yankee rotation next year, so I’m not exactly sure how anyone is supposed to take anything you say seriously.
Please refrain from responding to any of my comments.
And a 12 day old son.
Guiseppe,
I’m just refuting your points that make no sense.
Your “head through the wall” comment is getting old, you used it during the last thread.
Basically you think you know way more than you do, and you make arguments with no facts and without any support to those arguments.
I will continue to pick them apart when I feel it is necessary.
Deal with it.
G. Love, all really good points.
I think Mussina’s start tonight is going to be one of the most important starts a Yankee pitcher makes this year. He’s going to set the tone for the game, the series, and who knows, maybe a good portion of the rest of the season. Like it’s been said, the Baltimore series could be a big let down, but if Moose starts it out with a quality pitching performance, just like he’s been doing for the last few months, it’ll be difficult to lose the game. At this point it’s hard to see Mussina giving up any significant amount of runs, so I think you have to feel good about tonight’s game. And although the Yankees didn’t score a lot of runs tonight, you like to see that they actually hit. As long as they are hitting, the hits with RISP will come naturally.
Also…. it seems like most people on this blog agree with my points and respect my knowledge, and its just the opposite with you.
You like to challenge my arguments with garbage posts that have nothing to back them up. I was ready to let it go after last night but you again challenged me on my ESPN angle (which I’m obviously right about).
Its like you try and pick an argument just for the sake of disagreeing.
Frankly, its annoying and I’ll continue to put you in your place when i feel its necessary.
Hey all – sorry for lurking! I was just reading through some of the interesting comments. Don’t worry, I’m not here to brag about tonight. I am very aware of our previous two losses (Friday’s was very hard to take with that bloop RBI). But your pitchers, except for tonight, have been lights-out lately. Just wanted to mention two things:
Trust me, Red Sox fans do not enjoy ESPN’s announcers either. On another Sox blog, everyone complains about it. And even I am getting sick of the Lester’s cancer story. I think everyone wishes they would stop talking about it. He should be known as “the kid who threw the no-hitter,†not “the kid who beat cancer.â€
And since I live in Yankee territory, I often watch the games and know a decent amount about the Yanks. I was just wondering who you guys think will make it to the post-season? With the recent surge of your team and the shaky Rays, it is now a very tight race. Which team(s) from the East will be playing in October?
**I reposted this from the previous topic since that one seems to have died. Please feel free to ignore my comment, since I am a Sox fan.
Miggs, at the very least, NYY gets two months of decent #4-#5 pitching out of Washburn and either keeps him next year, or, waits ubtil the off season and trades him for at least what they gave up to get him. A left hander that can pitch innings and get outs to the tune of a high 3 to mid 4 ERA will bring in some value. This isn’t Livan Hernandez. The guy can still pitch. He gets so support and Seattle has a worse defensive middle infield than Texas, Florida or Pittsburgh.
“Which team(s) from the East will be playing in October?”
I think that’s a gimme. The Red Sox and the Yankees will make the playoffs. The Rays aren’t going to stick around. They are pretty much hanging by a thread as it goes right now.
To add on to my last post, obviously one will win the division and one will win the wild card.
GreenBeret7 I completely agree with you.
Tell that to our friend Guiseppe “know it all” Franco.
Yeah I have to agree with miggs, Guiseppe Franco tries to argue with everyone for the sake of arguing, and it’s rather annoying.
Tonight’s start should prove that Sidney Ponson belongs elsewhere. If he’s a major league pitcher, he is just barely. tonight he was in Kei Igawa territory, after three or four starts in which he looked like the second coming of Joe Craphauser.
Washburn would be MUCH better than Ponson. Anyone who thinks otherwise is, well, must be related to Ponson!!
The Yankees have been playing well. But they knew going into tonight’s game that they didn’t really stand a chance tonight unless they got a quality start out of their starter. They didn’t even come close to getting that.
The Yankees have two guys in AAA right now who would be better than Ponson. And there are probably a few available starters out there on the trade market–besides Washburn–who’d fit that bill, as well.
Bye, bye, Sidney. Best of luck with your continued recovery…and your next career, whatever that may be.
Red Sox Fan: Welcome to the blog.
I like the Sox and the Yankees, but more because of “soft” factors than anything else.
The Sox have the experience and they’re pretty good in clutch situations, while the Yankees have the whole last year of the Stadium thing, and I think the ASG was a major, major wake up call to some of the guys about how important this season is to a lot of Yankee fans.
I think the Rays will be right there in the end, but I’m not quite sure they’ll be able to see it through.
Miggs, I respond to The hair Dresser as little as possible. He’s an arrogant, borderline troll that disagrees with everybody but himself. He’s actually worse than Stuart (and that hardly seems possible).
Thank you DFox for bringing some sanity back to this board.
The guy picks a side to argue and simply won’t back down, yet has nothing to back up his argument.
Last night we had the whole Grienke nonsense (he wanted to trade Cano and Melky for Grienke and DeJesus) and tonight after I passed on commenting on many of his dumb posts he challenges the fact that ESPN is a biased network.
Its just silly.
GrrenBeret Guiseppe Franco is “the Hair Dresser”?
That’s hysterical.
I had no idea that’s who you were talking about.
Now it all makes sense.
Miggs, I just can’t stand typing that name. It’s not exactly the SN that makes anyone think of common sense or intelligence. Hard to take a 45 year old with greasy, spiked hair seriously.
Rebecca – thanks for the welcome! I was a bit afraid to post here…
Anyway, I’m still confused about the Rays. I was convinced that they would be at least 5 games out of first by now. I know a Rays fan (there seem to be more of them now lol) who is confident that their lack of experience in the race is a great thing – kinda like a carefree attitude. I told her she is crazy and to go look at their September schedule.
The Hair Dresser.
GREAT nickname.
I had to go back to earlier threads to put it all together.
I seriously almost woke my girlfriend up I was laughing so hard.
Red Sox Fan: You should meet Ray, Brian and Dennis–they’re all Sox fans that post here on occasion.
Ray posts most often, but they’re all intelligent and coherent posters, and so far you seem to fit into that categrory as well =)
They say you gotta know your enemy, right?
Well crap on a hat, Pete, thanks for keeping on posting. Amazing this thing called journalism- it is refreshing to see it still exists.
Washburn is about as good as Rasner, he is not as good as his last four or five starts indicate. That being said, with Washburn’s outgin today and Ponson’s, you can bet that Washburn’s price just got higher.
Bring back IPK- he can’t do any worse.
Miggs, my apologies to your lady. I’ll tone it down in the early mornings. If I could have thought of anything nice to say, I would have.
Rusty, the one option that doesn’t change is the fact that Seattle doesn’t want to pay 14 million dollars, and the Yanks will.
It’s good to see that I annoy people like G. I. Joe, DFox, and miggs.
I guess that means you won’t bother responding to any of my posts anymore.
Good to hear. I’d rather debate these issues with people who actually have a clue.
Rebecca – maybe I’ll be back here when our teams play again =]. Though, unlike most, I hate these series. Too much emphasis is put onto the games. Fans act like the world ends when their team loses.
I enjoy reading what the you guys think of the Sox. I have gathered this so far: “Fairytek” sucks, “Peukilis” complains too much, Pedroia is short and fat, and Joba has a bad habit of throwing “accidental” pitches at Youk’s head. Haha I think it’s amusing.
Nothing like a good laugh right before bed.
This last tidbit at 2:31 from our friend should be just what I need for a deep peaceful sleep.
Night all !!
Now, now, children. Be nice.
I think teams should go to sources and team blogs that actually cover the M’s (yes, they exist) and find out what they think about the possibility of trading Washburn to the Yanks.
In short, the vast majority of them feel about Washburn that Yankee fans felt about LaTroy Hawkins and Sidney Ponson – they wanted him gone a long time ago.
Take a really good look at Lookout Landing – one of the most popular M’s blogs around:
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/.....0494/39-65
With all that said, whatever; it’s not like this could possibly hurt the Mariners’ bargaining position, so there’s no reason to be angry or annoyed. It’s just…it’s funny how small, essentially meaningless samples of information seem to carry so much weight. So Jarrod has a 2.82 ERA over his last 11 starts. Neato. Clearly a valuable arm to add for the stretch drive. But at the same time, his core numbers over the same stretch are as boring as they’ve ever been, he had a 7.14 ERA in the nine starts immediately preceding, and his tRA on the season is hovering around five, just like it has for as long as he’s been a Mariner. Despite this little hot streak of run prevention, he’s not by any means a different pitcher, and I just can’t fathom being Brian Cashman – theoretically one of the 30 smartest roster management minds in the world – looking at Jarrod, and thinking “this is a guy we could really use to help put us over the top.” Jarrod Washburn? Really? Jarrod Washburn is the best you can do? I don’t think you’re trying very hard.
I guess I shouldn’t complain. If the Yankees want Jarrod Washburn, then more power to them; I hope he helps them overtake the Red Sox. I just shouldn’t let myself get caught up in all the rumors, because as much as I’d love to have Cabrera or Gardner, this is Jarrod Washburn we’re talking about, and at the end of the day, the real prize in any Jarrod Washburn trade is that you no longer have to deal with Jarrod Washburn.
I think teams should go to sources and team blogs that actually cover the M’s (yes, they exist) and find out what they think about the possibility of trading Washburn to the Yanks.
Oops, I meant we fans should look at these sources. Not teams.
Trust me, Red Sox fans do not enjoy ESPN’s announcers either. On another Sox blog, everyone complains about it. And even I am getting sick of the Lester’s cancer story. I think everyone wishes they would stop talking about it. He should be known as “the kid who threw the no-hitter,†not “the kid who beat cancer.â€
this is yet another draw back of so many Red Sox/Yankees games being on national tv. They always assume that you are a) an idiot and b) you’ve never watched the Yankees and Red Sox before thus you get the same repeated garbage over and over again. If Wakefield is pitching you have to hear over and over what a knuckleball is, how to throw it and how it works etc, if it’s Lester you have to hear over and over about his cancer story, or if Molina is playing they wil inform you of useful tidbits like his brothers are both catchers – Benji on the Giants and Yadier on the Cardinals – as if there is a baseball fan still alive that doesn’t know that.
Meh. Seems like most broadcasters approach certain players or stories that way.
Yankee announcers do the same thing, especially Michael Kay.
We hear about Moose’s resurrection this season every time he starts.
We hear about the Joba argument of old and his move to the rotation whenever he takes the mound.
Michael Kay also has to tell us that “Enter Sandman” is being played at the Stadium whenever Mariano Rivera comes in the game.
All broadcast teams do that. It’s not limited to national broadcasts like ESPN or FOX.
I imagine the record number of hits had a little something to do with NYYFans.com being down all day on Saturday …
It was a good series overall. The Yankees made a statement that they’re by no means done.
Haha yea Tim, those are certainly repeated during almost every game. Another favorite conversation piece is the “scrapiness” and height of Pedroia. Announcers should realize that Sox fans watching already know everything they’re saying and that the opposing team fan’s don’t care.
I guess all networks love a good story and Lester’s is hard to beat. I wonder if he never had cancer if they would even talk about his no-hitter. Clay threw his back in September and that is barely mentioned.
ponson’s luck has run out. he is done. please make him go away
All of a sudden Seattle wants prospects and the salary dump for Washburn. I’m guessing that’s an alternative to taking Vidro in the deal? In any case, there is no way you can make that deal. I’d like to have Washburn, but not for a “handful” of prospects. That new GM in Seattle needs to learn quick how the whole trade process works.
With Paonon’s history, giving up those runs early was solid reason to get him out in the second inning.
With Ponson’s history, giving up those runs early was solid reason to get him out in the second inning.
If it was later innings and any pitcher gave up those many runs, he would have been yanked. Why did we wait for 7 runs to score…grrrr.
When we were going for a sweep and send a message to the AL East, why why why why do we leave that pitcher in there.
I do not get it.
Giradi is talking nonsense – Ponson is a walking disater -
The Yankee hitting is not timely and has not been able to come back from deep 1st 2nd inning holes no matter who was pitching — Running Ponson out there is an idiot’s delight
2 of 3 is not good enough when 1 of 3 is not competitve — those — one of he 2 wins was a 1-0 gem that may easily go the other way next time – rember the series against Toronto, Pittsburg, Reds????
This is more Torreism playing with House Money — nonsense the team is not playing 670 ball over the season with an 8 game lead — they are chasing two teams in the division and throwing Ponson and Rasner against either of them makes the series a toss up with one automatic loss
Get rid of Rasner and Ponson — get Washburn and get IPK up here – at least if he fails we can applaud “building for the future”