Today in The Journal News
-
- August
- 2
The Yankees got more than expected from Sidney Ponson but Mariano Rivera gave up a run in a 1-0 loss to the Angels. Jeff Gold has the story.
Brian Bruney is back. This notebook also has updates on Chien-Ming Wang, Xavier Nady and Pudge Rodriguez.
Angels-Yankees today at 3:55 p.m. on Fox. It’ll be Moose against Jered Weaver.
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on Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 at 2:52 am by Peter Abraham.
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Yankees offense needs to start hitting! Arod, Giambi, Cano.. guys gotta come through w/ RISP..
funny stuff about Pudge’s equipment..
hopefully Moose can bounce back.
Maybe Girardi should stop using Mariano in a non-save situation.. I know, u have to use your best reliever in a tie game at home, but at this point, maybe Mo has developed some mental block in a tie game, feelings of doubt creeping in.. cant let that fester..
/season
MO needs to be get he’s mental mind straight.He’s our best pitcher the past ten years and we expect him to always be good.No excuses.
Mo is so confusing. It makes me sad.
I don’t get why X-man who is 4-7 since being with the club, is on the bench and Giambi is still in the line-up.
This loss belongs Joe G. for his poor decisions.
Mo in the 9th, tie……..Marte was doing fine…….
Nady was on the bench because he was having stiffness in his quad.
Ponson pitched good, he got some breaks, good D.
That one hurt….1 to 0……….
Ok I read the Nady report, also must add, 4-7 in his last 7 at bats…
I’m amazed how many people want to blame Mo for this loss instead of directing their ire where it should be - the offense.
The bottom line is that when you look at the final score and see a goose egg next to the Yanks - it’s pretty tough to point fingers at the guy who gave up the lone run.
I posted this in the other thread, but I’ll post it here also.
Guiseppe Franco, I know it’s difficult to grasp, but let me try to make it as simple as possible. Sidney Ponson, a padestrian pitcher at most, held down the Angels for 7 innings. Then Marte had no trouble holding them down for another. You play 9 inning games in baseball. You would have liked to see your closer, the best closer of all time, hold down the Angels for 1 more inning, again, like Ponson did for 7 before that, to at least give the Yankees a shot in the 9th.
In case you didn’t already know, when the home team comes up in the bottom of the 9th inning in a tie game, if they score a run, they win the game. It means squat what the offense did before that moment, the bottom line is they COULD have scored a run in the bottom of the 9th. Instead, they didn’t get a chance and had to try to do it off K-Rod.
It’s baseball. They weren’t able to score runs earlier in the game. EITHER WERE THE ANGELS. Bottom, the Angels closer got it done, the Yankees closer didn’t. It’s nothing against Rivera, but his performance sucked the energy out of that place so fast it was quite amazing. You went from thinking this is a VERY winnable game to so much for that.
Understand it now? Or should we blame the offense for Rivera allowing the Angels to score first on a night where no one was able to score runs?
It’s not going to get any easier, I hope Moose has his A game today.
DFox
There was no reason to use Mo in the 9th, he should have stuck Marte…………
“There was no reason to use Mo in the 9th, he should have stuck Marte…………”
Maybe, but why? There’s no reason Rivera shouldn’t be able to pitch a scoreless 9th. He’s a big game pitcher, and he just didn’t show it tonight. A big game closer would come into this game and have a quick 1-2-3 inning and get the middle of the order to the plate in the position to win the game with a swing of the bat.
Sorry “with”………….
My point is lets say we ge run and tie..then what Mo and Marte are gone…..IMO he should of let Marte start the 9th..
I don’t understand this from the offense, if your not hitting a guy, or someone get’s on, HOW ABOUT A BUNT…..
Santana pitched great, but no bunt”s
1st inning Abreu should have sacrificed…..
That’s the maybe a homer is coming, bunting and sacrifices get offense’s going…plus they never would have expected it..
DFox,
Your argument is so moronic it’s comical.
What makes you think the Angels wouldn’t have used K-Rod in the 9th inning no matter if it was a save situation or not?
He was warming up in the pen before the Angels even scored their run and managers don’t like to sit their closers down once they’ve begun to warm up.
It’s called “shooting blanks.”
The Yankee pitching tonight did their job. Period.
If the offense can’t score a run through 9 innings - what makes you think they could have scored in 10, 11, or 12 innings?
You always seem to have some kind of strange undying faith in this offense when the stats all season clearly prove otherwise.
This is a team that has scored just 2 runs or less a whopping 35 times this season in 109 games - which essentially computes to 1/3 of the season.
If Ponson had given up the lone run - nobody would be blaming him for the loss. The blame would be directed where it should be - the offense.
But, I really don’t expect you to understand simple Baseball 101 so this is all a moot point.
I hope moose show’s up today.
The Yankee manager was out managed last night. Getting the pinch runner into the game, and playing small ball when nothing else was working. Meanwhile, Girardi sticks with “by the book” playing, even though it hasn’t been working with this team, and the Yankees got beat.
Girardi may be decent at managing a bullpen, but he is’t showing much as a manager for the rest of the game. Certain guys keep getting chances that don’t deserve it. Betemit isn’t going to get it done. Nady is listed as being available to pinch hit, Christian can run and has been getting some hits.
When a manager sees something isn’t working then its time to go with something different. Girardi doesn’t.
Yeah, its “BY THE BOOK” to bring in your closer in a tie game at home. Yet, for what ever reason, Mo can’t seem to get it done this year in that situation. A good manager would then realize that this “BOOK” needs to have a new chapter written.
Girardi isn’t going to last long as Manager if he keeps up as he has been.
“Yeah, its “BY THE BOOK” to bring in your closer in a tie game at home. Yet, for what ever reason, Mo can’t seem to get it done this year in that situation. A good manager would then realize that this “BOOK” needs to have a new chapter written.”
Can you imagine the media explosion if Joe brings in Veras, Edwar or whomever you like and the first pitch goes over the wall?
Girardi would lose the team if he made a move like that - you have to have confidence in Mo who is in the middle of a great season imho.
From mlbtr -
How can they use the phrase ‘eat the money’ in reference to Livan? Insult to injury!
Livan Hernandez To Be Designated
By Tim Dierkes [August 1 at 3:25pm CST]
3:25pm: Joe Christensen says both Hernandez and Craig Monroe will likely be DFA’d today. Both were questionable acquisitions from Day 1. Francisco Liriano and Randy Ruiz will join the Twins.
8:23am: According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins are expected to designate Livan Hernandez for assignment today to make room for Francisco Liriano. The Twins are prepared to eat the remaining $1.66MM on Hernandez’s contract.
It’s the right move, just several weeks too late. Hernandez turned into a pumpkin in late May, while Liriano has been on a tear for about a month.
I agree,,,,in the first inning….when you have 1st and 2nd with no outs…why NOT bunt them over to put 2nd and 3rd with one out ?….Don’t you think the Angels MGR would have walked A-Rod to pitch to Giambi ? It changes the whole first inning if you actually MANAGE the game, instead of count on something that RARELY happens for the Yankees this year ( you know, like they start out of the gate in that first inning with HIT after HIT after HIT after HIT and with NO Managing ..they just produce 4 - 5 runs off a pitcher like that )…..Tell me,,,What in HELL did Girardi do in that 1st inning to MANAGE the game ?….Wait…I’ll tell you….NOTHING ! I am totally unimpressed by him.
TKinDC, so because of fear of the media ripping on him he fails to manage to the situation. Real leadership there.
Who would you rather have managing tough games? I certainly wouldn’t pick Girardi in even the top 10 or 15.
What if it goes extra innings? Then what?
Girardi would lost the team? News flash, he has already lost them. They are underperforming. A leader brings out the best in those who are following him. The results we are seeing are what comes from an inferior manager.
A shake up is needed. Giambi needs to sit. Despite his having a flash of time he was doing things, he isn’t doing much now. Melky needs to sit out a few games. Yeah, he makes good plays on the defensive end, but he isn’t hitting. His BA continues to shrink.
A real leader is one who can bring the team with him on any move he makes. A poor leader worries that if he deviates from the book he will lose respect.
Sometimes you have to throw away the book, especially when it isn’t working.
I hate the idea of bunting in the first inning under any circumstances. That’s defeatist strategy as far as I’m concerned. But why not bunt or hit and run with Pudge at the plate one on, no one out in a scoreless game. That’s really the only strategic choice Girardi had all night and he typically chose to sleep through it.
My biggest problem with the new skipper — other than his woefully intept 3B coach — is his lack of aggressiveness. While Meacham is recklessly aggressive, Girardi is painfully sedentary when it comes to revving up the offense. Check the numbers, the ranks win a lot more often when they are stealing bases, moving men along. I’ve had enough of the Earl Weaver philosophy.
DFox— you should have been content to just make a fool of yourself on one thread. Blaming the pitching in a one-zip loss is like blaming a field goal kicker who missed a 50 yarder in a 45-42 defeat.
so wait a minute, you want the yankees to bunt in the first inning with 2 on, no out, and the heart of thier order coming up? are you rooting for the yankees here or the kc royals?
Nut -
Yeah - I was making 2 points. I wasn’t trying to say that Joe was managing to the media’s expectations, I was pointing out that you don’t want to lose a game with you best pitcher on the pine. If you think players aren’t sensitive to the way they are used in the game, you just aren’t listening to what players say.
A lot of people want to move Jeter out of the 2 slot in the line-up and seem to ignore the fact that Jete wants to hit in the 2 slot and is the captain of the team.
You don’t make Jete look bad unless you absolutely have to.
When Joe ‘real leader’ Torre broke down and hit A-Rod 8th in the playoffs it was an absolute last resort and the results were embarrassing.
Again - I just disagree that Girardi has lost the team. They lost a tough game last night - boo hoo - but they have shown resiliency this year and there is a long way to go.
We will know when the team quits on the manager - this team has not done that by any stretch of the imagination in my view.
you score no runs, you’re not gonna win. thats on the offense, not the manager.
86 -
Hard to execute the hit and run with Damon on first last night when Jete skies a pop fly in shallow 2B.
It is frustrating, but the execution has not been there.
if the lord himself had appeared in girardi’s office just before the game and told joe that the angels were only going to scrore one run tonight, he wouldn’t have abreu (his hottest hitter) bunt there. you’d figure that your best shot to win the game would be a double from one of your 3 best hitters would win it for you.
girardi’s end of game strategy was simple, use the best closer in history in the closer’s spot (which includes tie games at home) to give us our best chance to win.
so a team built around a power linuep with the best closer loses b/c that closer blew it and the offense couldnt score 1 run, and you blame it on the MANAGER?
i seriously doubt that there’s one person in that locker room who thought for a second that the manager lost that game for them. if they look around the locker room they will see who cost them that game, im sure there are plenty of mirrors around.
Bad situational hitting brings this team down. With runners on base, people like A-Rod, Cano, and Giambi should be moving runners over with an opposite field hit rather than swinging for the fences.
“Bad situational hitting brings this team down. With runners on base, people like A-Rod, Cano, and Giambi should be moving runners over with an opposite field hit rather than swinging for the fences.”
You’re making too much sense. This needs to stop!
TK–
I agree the execution’s been awful, but I think that was a straight steal on the first pitch of Jeter’s at bat. Maybe not.
You cannot blame Mo or Joe thats what you do, you bring in your closer in the ninth in a tie game as he will never have a chance to close with a lead at home. The real issue is that our best hitters who are supposed to get the hits that score runs and win games are not doing their job. They get completely shut down last night and Santana is a great pitcher. Santanas last two starts were losses. He lost to Baltimore pitching 5 innings, giving up 7 hits, 5 earned runs, before that he lost to Cleve pitching 7 innings giving up 7 hits and 4 runs. You cannot compare the Yankees batting order value to that of Cleve or Baltimore. Thats the problem. I think your best hitters, (and the best player in the game) need to be just that, and do things against ALL opponents, not just against garbage teams
All year I’ve read some people post: the Yanks are making this guy look like Cy Young and complain about players who tip their cap to them in the postgame.
Next time you feel the need to write that, remember that SIDNEY PONSON 2 hit the Angels last night. In the 7th inning last night, I’m sure there were Angel fans thinking we’re making Sidney Ponson look like Cy Young. They can’t get more than 2 hits off THIS guy.
Sometimes pitchers are just “on” enough on a given night that it’s possible that they deserve to have your caps tipped to them.
Good job Sidney!
Careful, Pat, you’re making sense.
Let me get this straight. First and second, nobody out, Abreu at the plate (the leading RBI guy on the team) and somebody is upset Girardi didn’t have him bunt in that situation?
In my best John McEnroe impression, “You cannot be serious”.
Do you even have a clue about baseball. Forget having a clue. How about just an inkling about the game?
You don’t have the one guy on the team driving in runs bunt guys over in the freaking first inning, with Sidney Ponson starting for you no less, to try and score one run. You try for a big inning to give Ponson a cushion to work with.
I guess you KNEW Ponson was going to pitch 7 shutout innings last night.
The comical second guessing of Girardi is entertaining most days here. The daily whining about the lineup, even before knowing of any injury histories regarding the players (like with Nady last night). The cries for minor league players to take over for every major league player in the lineup, and actually complaining about a rested Mariano Rivera being put in game. Those are all entertaining.
But, when folks drift off into “Stupid-ville” and come up with strategy that doesn’t even work in PlayStation, at some point you have to say enough already.
The Yankees lost last night because of the same reason they lost most of their games this year. Their overrated offense.
They don’t hit, haven’t hit all year, and aren’t going to hit the rest of the way. That’s the reality of this team. You can’t play “smallball” with guys who aren’t smallball players.
Damon, Jeter, Giambi, Arod, Pudge, Abreu, Cano, Nady, not exactly a “smallball” lineup.
The Angels can do it because they have BALANCE. The Yankees can’t do it because they don’t have BALANCE. Get it?
That’s why in the off-season, when some of you will want the Yankees to spend 500 million dollars on every name player you can come up with, you are going to be sadly disappointed. Its not going to happen.
They will achieve that balance again by NOT signing every free agent down the pike. They will do it with a mix of homegrown players, trades, and the RIGHT free agents. Not just names.
That’s why Cashman will remake the roster even more in the off-season than he has already. Its time, and last night was just another indication as to why its time.
SJ—- I agree with you on your assessment of a lot of the criticism, but I must disagree about this offense. The Yanks are well equipped for small ball with the exception of Giambi. Even Pudge is a good bat control guy and something should have been intitiated when Betemit singled leading off the fifth. The best Yankees teams could and would do both. They’d knock the ball out of the yard, but they’d also steal, hit and run, take the extra base — whatever it took to score runs.
This seems to only seek the extra base when Bobby Meacham starts waving guys home midway through the National Anthem.
I think one of Cashman’s goals this off-season has to be to try and turn some of his young arms into young position players. That and turn his nose up at all free agents who are over 30.
Pat
Ponson,usually a ground ball pitcher had 15 fly ball outs and only half his pitches were strikes. Luckily he pitched a shutout, and did his job, and was “on” enough as you said.
The lineup needs a shakeup! Hopefully Moose will get some calls on the corners today.
86
Couldn’t agree with you more!
Cashman needs to find a young player that’s overlooked, like a Carlos Quentin. Enough of these players who seem to perform best in the last season of their hefty contracts.
I`ve gotta say that Ponson really did not impress me that much. It seemed like he got lucky on a lot of hard hit balls. I hate to say it but we need a win today and I don’t see it with Rasner
“They will achieve that balance again by NOT signing every free agent down the pike. They will do it with a mix of homegrown players, trades, and the RIGHT free agents. Not just names.”
You’re right SJ44. Only one problem, they dont have any offensive players other than AJ that are even close to helping them in ‘09. The Yanks are at the mercy of the market.
Mike -
Rasner will not be winning today…..
Moose is pitching. I just hoe we get the game in rain off and on all ay. I will be leaving here in about 1.5 hours to be there for OTD celebrations and I cant wait.
86,
They really aren’t set for small ball because there aren’t enough bat control guys in the lineup. Pudge can control the bat but Cano (hitting ahead of him in the lineup) doesn’t have the speed or baserunning instincts to use in those situations.
Their lineup also has some guys (most notably Jeter and Giambi) who are swinging and missing more than ever. Even Melky is making less contact than last year.
Its tough to play small ball when guys can’t make consistent contact.
Giambi is a giant problem because he either can’t or won’t use the entire field when hitting. That’s why he can’t hit with RISP. His strikeouts are also increasing. A sigb he is running out of gas. That makes it tough to send runners when he is at bat because you are in strikeout/throw out situations.
Too many swing and miss guys in the lineup. What I find comfort in is that Cashman has already turned over the close by close to 50% this year. There will be another 20-30% of these guys gone after this season.
He will have the opportunity to overhaul the offense. Personally, I think its priority #1 with the Yankees this off-season.
With CC, its just a money issue. Offer him the moon and he either accepts for rejects it. That’s not a long, drawn out process. If he takes it, bring back Moose and Andy on one year deals, and your pitching is set. Mark Melancon will be in the ‘pen next year. A pitching staff with Wang, Moose, CC, Andy and Joba, along with the present bullpen plus Melancon (with Hughes, Aceves, and Kennedy in AAA) is the best in the league. Its the offense that will be the challenge to fix in the off-season.
When it comes to remaking the offense, they need to go deep into every team’s organization (like Gene Michael and Buck Showalter did in the 90’s) and find good contact, high OBP guys. In other words, back to the Dynasty Days.
Some of those guys may be in AAA. Some of them may be stuck on other rosters.
Either way, they are out there. They also have to be under 32 years old. They are out there and they all aren’t looking for 20 million bucks a year.
Just have to go find them and when you do, you use your resources to get them. Its a very doable strategy. Just going to have to happen in the off-season though.
As far as this season, there is nothing (aside from moving guys around in the order to see if that works) that Girardi can do. If these guys can’t hit, he’s screwed. No other way to say it.
The way I see it is that you cannot blame Mo or Joe. You have to bring your closer into the game in a tie in the ninth, its the only way to do it, and he cannot defend a lead after the bottom of the ninth.
The problem I see is this. Our best players, (including the best player in the game) are not getting hits that either set up a win or get the win.
Last night they were shutdown by Santana, a great pitcher. However in his last two starts he lost to CLev and Baltimore pitching a combined 12 innings giving up 14 hits and 9 runs. Niether Balt or Cleve have the line ups the Yankees have. Not even close
Drive,
Not necessarily. The Yankees have the one commodity every team in baseball desires. Young pitching in the farm system.
That’s how they were able to pull off the Nady trade.
They could spin off a guy or two and get a young, ready to play position player.
That’s what I mean by saying they have the resources to do things. Some of the moves don’t even have to be the big, sexy moves folks are used to seeing. The resources are there to re-tool the offense.
That’s why you stockpile young pitching. It gives you some power in trade talks.
Goog points all, but I believe if you called upon guys like Cano and Cabrera to shorten their swings, take pitches and put balls in play they would be better hitters. Melky takes a huge whack at the first pitch he sees almost every time, why not give him a take sign once in a while? You don’t need great baserunning instincts to run on a hit and run.
I’m not saying this is a great small ball team, but it’s capable of oding more than standing around and watching.
I see Pettite back but not Moose… it may not be fair or correct, but I think his three-card-monte pitching success will not repeat and you must leave room in the rotation for the developing guys.
I agree with SJ44 -
The team is not well balanced at all - Cano and Giambi are both in the “all or none” class. Jeter is having a “down year” (btw - if he had ~15 more hits this year and a corresponding 15 less outs you would all be singing his praises - so lighten up!), whether X is a better number 2 hitter or not - I am not so sure- you could bat him first and Damon second but i think that is a wash. Melky is what he is and I still hope they consider moving Jeter to center - I think he does have the arm for that and you then can upgrade the defense at SS. What Pudge brings with his may not outweigh what you lose defensively- but at least you try. X is a great step in the right direction. And so for all you who want “stars” - I hope you are disappointed this off season- this team doesn’t need stars - they need young, fast players who can hit to the right side or bunt when need be or take a walk instead of trying to hit a 5 run HR to be a hero.
melky should be an afterthought with the lineup ahead of him. he is what he is, a good defensive cf who doesnt hit much. with the guys the yankees have hitting ahead of him that should be no problem.
the multimillionair hitters dont come through, so kick the #9 hitter, nice form.
I’d like to think that when we look at Robinson Cano’s career stats in 5 years we’ll be able to say ‘08 was the one bad year he’s had. As exasperating as he’s been on both sides of the field, he has to stay.
Unfortunately, that leaves the Yanks with no position player on the major league roster that is appealing to most teams as far as trade interest goes. Melky’s trade value is limited to a team that needs a good defensive outfielder and doesn’t care about on his low base percentage.
That means the Yanks only option is to trade some of the young pitching in their minor league system in order to upgrade their offense. That’s risky business as well because the Yanks will lose their “strength in numbers” safety net.
If Jose Veras continues to pitch well, I’d be willing to bet the Yanks will get a lot of interest from other teams about him. By next year he could be a really valuable commodity both for the Yanks and as trade commodity.
Balance?? well its not perfect for sure, but it still is a hell of a lot better than 99% of all other lineups in the league. That is clear. I still think that if the creme would rise to the top, they`d be fine. If the teams best players performed they`d be ok. While many will say that we have players with great stats, some of those great stats are coming in situations when the game is not on the line. Everyone will now be upset with me, but this is what I see. Lets take AROD, best player in the game right? Look at his 7 homers in July.
July 2nd vs an 18-7 win over Texas pile on
July 6th vs Boston in a 5-4 good one in a tie game
July 12th vs Toronto in a 9-4 win 8th inning team already well ahead in the game
July 18 vs Oak in 7-1 win
July 21 vs Minn in a 6-1 win with team up 5-1 already
July 29th vs Balt in a 1-1 game so thats a key one
July 30th vs Balt in a 13-3 win in the 7th with the Yanks leading by 10
Point being, its great he hits homers, but its when he hits them. Hes not the only guy. Many of these guys have great batting averages and Rbi totals but few come late in one run or tie games.
With the Yanks superior bullpen, a timely hit late is secured by a qualtiy pen. They just don`t do it. It is what it is. The quality of pitcher in a blowout is sometimes quite different than the quality of pitcher in a one run or tie game. I don`t expect Arod and the best Yankee hitters to homer in every big spot, but I do expect him to do it once in a while. Win a game now and then or like last night battle in a late inning at bat against a great closer, and work a walk and not swing a bad pitches.
The only problem with remaking the offense is that you’re stuck with a bunch of guys. You can keep I-Rod, but he’s going downhill and then what do you do with Posada, assuming he can come back? You can put Posada at first and hope he doesn’t bitch too much, and hope his bat doesn’t drop off too much. Probably not going to give up on Cano yet, but that might be another huge hole. Jeter looks like he’s on the downswing, and he probably shouldn’t be playing SS anymore, but the Yankees aren’t getting rid of him. Nady is now in right, and he should be okay, and maybe Damon can keep it together for another good year. Melky can be replaced, though finding a young good OBP guy who can play CF is not going to be easy. Presumably Matsui will be back and okay.
But C, 1B, and SS and possibly 2B are going to be tough to improve, not only because the Yankees have to go out and get good players to fill those holes, but because the guys who are already there you can’t just dump. It’s going to be a big challenge, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t get solved over the next two or three years, and isn’t entirely fixed this off season.
Meant to say that it gets solved over the next 2-3 yrs., and not entirely this coming off-season.
The sorely misses Matsui who, and say what you want, is a clutch at bat and a battler, who will fight off pitches, draw walks, muscle a single or hit it out late in the game
I just hope they find a way to somehow win these next two games. Hell, just win one game!
I was hoping for a split in the beginning of this series. Now I am just hoping we don’t get swept and with the way this team is playing..it could happen. Ugh
BTW, guys, as if things werren’t bad enough, there’s some AWFUL weather headed to New York City.
Just in time for the OTD ceremonies.
I am not sure if Mo should have been put in last night in that situation.
Regardless, there was no reason why we couldn’t push across a run before they did before the ninth. Mo should have been coming in with a lead, even if it was 1 run.
I am strongly advocating for a shakeup with the lineup today and going foward. Players need to bat where they make the most sense regardless of which side thet bat from.
Giambino needs to drop down in the order and I wouldn’t mind seeing Jeter dropped down or leading off (his leadoff numbers are good and he won’t be able to GiDP starting the inning). Nady and Cano are possible candidates to move up towards the front.
There are many ways Girardi can maximize run-production by making sure people are batting where they can succeed. It’s obvious that his gameplan is not getting it done now so try something different.
Lastly, I don’t care who they are, field the best team every day. We are in the stretch run and the best players need to play regardless of pitching matchups.
The Yankees can do this…I know it, you know it, and I am sure they know it.
There’s not a doubt in my mind that some of the sluggish offensive performances of late is caused by the amphetamines ban. Not just in New York, but everywhere in the majors.
The weather is very very nasty here in Bergen Co. It is pouring!!
Rebecca,
Wow, are you ever right. And the rain is going to be here through the evening too. Getting rained out of a game against the Angels might not be the worst thing to happen, but Old Timer’s Day (on the 29th anniversary of Thurman Munson’s death, no less) getting rained out will truly stink.
SJ44,
What is your real opinion on Jeter? Should he stay a Yankee? Should they look to move him this off season? Frankly I want to get past the Torre era and to do that imo Jeter needs to go. I doubt this will happen but shouldn’t it be considered? If they did move Jeter what do you think of JJ Hardy of the Brewers?
I do agree with you that you have to find out what Cano brings! I want to see him batting 5th at least.
I would like to see the following lineup for a week or so.
Abreu
Nady
Damon
Arod
Cano
Jeter
Giambi/Betemit/Sexson and hopefully Miranda
Irod/Molina
Melky
I agree guys that all the blame cant go on MO, the offense needs to get runs especially when they know Ponson is pitching. Jeter and Damon did exactly what I said they should do and that get on on the 1st inning and give us a chance to score early but Abreu and Arod striking out can not happen in that situation, I know guys dont wanna hear this but with the offense struggling early in games I thought Girardi shouldve bunted with Abreu and get guys at 2 and 3rd with less than 2 outs for AROD. BUT MO has to close the door, he is the best of all-time so he has 2 the offense hadnt scored so that means he knows he has to put up a 0, I thought Joe should let Marte stay, he was closing in PITT and looked great in the 8th, and that way you can save MO for the 10th or if you win in the 9th MO can pitch 2 innings 2day.
Batting order has little to do with it if they do not hit when they need to when the game is on the line
call me crazy, but DFA Giambi. bring in Bonds. never thought i would say that. have not been reading the other threads on the blog so do not know if anyone else has yet to suggest such a thing. in reading SJ44 whose posts i appreciate greatly for their insight, i see him saying Giambi is a problem in the same way the offense is a problem. there are all these millionaires and no accountability. DFA the stache as much as i like him as a player despite his past problems. he does not have it. someone will claim him. a trade is possible. should have done it before the deadline when u could have received some somewhat decent value potentially. i can only imagine Cashman shaking his head lamenting the moves he just made only to watch his offense sucking wind. shake up that clubhouse. tell Bonds to keep his trap shut or else “buh-bye.” any thoughts amigos? sure Bonds is a loser w/ a circus in tow but screw it.
Id like to see
Damon
Abreu
AROD
GIAMBI
NADY
CANO
JETER
PUDGE
MELKY
or
DAMON
ABREU
NADY
AROD
JETER
CANO
PUDGE
CHRISTIAN
MELKY
If you DFA Giambi and no one picks him up and we out right release him i am pretty sure we would still have to pay him the $20 mil next year, we would lose the buy-out so thats not going to happen, and Bonds is not coming into this club-house and be a Mr.Nice guy i dont think..
you could try
Damon
Pudge
Abreu
Arod
Nady
Cano
Jeter
Christian/Betemit/Molina and play Pudge at 1st DH damon
Melky
Boy, ain’t that the truth. Poor Joe G, what do you do with Jeter? All of a sudden he is playing fundamentally bad baseball, not just a few times. This is the face of your franchise, what do you do about it. And with Posada next year, this isn’t going away. Hey and in a couple of years you’ll have A Rod and can you move him to 1B. The Yankee drama will continue. On a good note, how about that Marte. Wow. Marte and Veras in the eighth - Deja Vue all over again.
Posada is not a 1b. He doesn’t want to be a 1b. He can’t play 1b and statistically he would be one of the worst 1b in the league offense wise if he came back and hit normal.
His whole appeal is he hits well for a catcher. Put him in a DH/1b role and he’s a below average offense replacement with no speed, fading power who hits into a lot of double plays.
Cashman and Girardi are going to have to deal with the repercussions of his extension for the next 3 years and it won’t be pretty. If he can’t catch, or get paid 15 mill to be a backup catcher part-time DH, he has no role on this club.
The team has no positional prospects that are going to slot in next season.
It means they have to trade for them and sign them.
I would trade Cano in a NY minute because he is the worst kind of player to build around — inconsistent. His offensive stat swings are all or nothing. He doesn’t do little things to help the team win at the plate. He’s either on fire or ice cold and you can’t survive slumps with guys who are black and white like he is.
SJ said it right last night. They need to replace the majority of the positional roster. We need a CF, we need another OF in addition to Nady/Damon/Matsui, we need a real 1b not some Posada/Nady/Damon hybrid, but an actual 1b and we may need a 2b if the team is tired of Cano’s pathetic act and wants to deal him while other GM’s still will pay somewhat high for him…although if he continues to slump again, we won’t get for him what we could have this season.
As for saving this season, I truly believe flip-flopping Damon and Jeter at the top of the order will help. Jeter still hits singles and doubles, still has a bit of speed and can work a walk — Damon is the better hitter out of the two right now and he still has an offensive approach and can hit situationally.
From there I think it’s time to move Arod to the 3 hole and get him the guaranteed at bat in the first inning. Then go some cominbation of Abreu-Nady-Cano in 4-5-6 and let Giambi swing for the fences at the bottom of the order or let Sexson see if he can do better with RISP than Giambi who is completely lost at the plate.
The sad thing is Giambi will hit an upper deck homer this weekend in the next 2 games and Girardi and everyone else will say, “see, he’s back”. This is what we went through in April-May with him. Just as he was about to get benched, he hits a homer and the team falls in love with that.
We’ve seen what he’s capable of this season and it’s not being a 5 hitter in a lineup where he’s getting opportunities to drive in runs.
And if I were the Yankees, I’d send the private jet to get Cano’s father up here and make him a special assistant because whatever he had for that 1-2 week stretch, it’s gone again. He’s pouting again. He’s sulking again. He’s making mistakes in the field. Once again, he’s showing regression in his game. It’s alarming to say the least.
Alfredo Aceves had a rather disappointing start for SWB last night. 5 2/3 innings, 8 hits, 3 walks, 2 k’s, 2 home runs and 4 earned runs. He has a 4.15 ERA. He obviously needs more time in AAA.
With Wang not returning, the Yanks internal options for replacing either Rasner or Ponson are becoming more limited.
Well, the game is at four, so we might yet be okay for that…but I don’t like the chance of having to cancel OTD ceremonies.
And to think I was going to try to get tickets to this game!
“This loss belongs Joe G. for his poor decisions.
Mo in the 9th, tie……..Marte was doing fine…….”
What? Mo is the Yankees best reliever. He SHOULD without a doubt be in the game when he was brought in. If Marte loses the game in the ninth EVERYONE is wondering why Mo wasn’t brought in.
Despite everything Giambi has a .389 OBP. The only guys ahead of him are A-Rod and Matsui. Getting rid of him ain’t gonna help.
I can’t believe anyone would pin this loss on Joe. Blame the offense for not scoring ONE RUN!!
“I agree,,,,in the first inning….when you have 1st and 2nd with no outs…why NOT bunt them over to put 2nd and 3rd with one out ?….”
I’ve read some stupid things on this blog, but this is quite possibly the stupidest thing I have ever read. Why the hell would you have Bobby Abreu bunting in the first inning with two runners on and no one out? He’s been on fire lately also. This has to be one of the most moronic posts I’ve ever read and that’s saying a lot.
Hideki Matsui NYY .424 ( 14/33 )
2 Milton Bradley Tex .405 ( 15/37 )
3 Mike Lowell Bos .397 ( 23/58 )
4 Gary Sheffield Det .382 ( 13/34 )
5t Bobby Abreu NYY .382 ( 21/55 )
5t Garret Anderson LAA .382 ( 21/55 )
7 Curtis Granderson Det .375 ( 18/48 )
8 Dustin Pedroia Bos .369 ( 24/65 )
9t Justin Morneau Min .353 ( 24/68 )
9t Vladimir Guerrero LAA .353 ( 18/51 )
11 John Buck KC .346 ( 18/52 )
12 Jose Lopez Sea .343 ( 24/70 )
13 Akinori Iwamura TB .340 ( 18/53 )
14t Jermaine Dye CWS .339 ( 20/59 )
14t Carlos Quentin CWS .339 ( 20/59 )
16t Jason Kubel Min .333 ( 18/54 )
16t Joe Mauer Min .333 ( 18/54 )
16t Alexei Ramirez CWS .333 ( 17/51 )
16t Derek Jeter NYY .333 ( 16/48 )
16t Maicer Izturis LAA .333 ( 15/45 )
16t Evan Longoria TB .333 ( 15/45 )
Above is close and late stat- Notice Matsui is 1 in the AL Abreu is 5th and Jeter is 16th. no signs of AROD. There are at least 10 guys here that play Arods role on their team, being the big RBI guy. If your best player and best RBI guy is a wash when the game is on line, then who is supposed to get the big hit?
Blame Cano for his D, good job. Look at the stats and Cano is one of the best 2nd baseman by the numbers. He is 9th best in Fielding % and has the 3rd most chances and is 6th in RF (range factor). He has the 3rd most chances so of-course he may have a few more errors than guys with 100 or so less chances to field. If anyone has 100 more of anything they are sure to make a mistake or a couple. He is prolly are best infielder. So get a new argument.
Rebecca,
They could start the OTD proceedings late, but Fox tv will probably dictate when the game has to start. Hopefully the Yanks would at least postpone the OTD ceremonies till tomorrow. Unfortunately, tv revenues will take priority over common sense.
Do you think they will cancel old timers day? I can’t see how they can with all these people flying in from all over the country.
I taught my 10 year old to use baseball-reference.com and he was just looking through some of the RISP position numbers for the team. Girardi needs to try hitting someone besides Giambi behind A-Rod to see if that makes a difference in his RISP numbers.
Despite Alex having an awful BA with RISP this year, A-Rod has a .412 OBP with RISP which is 2nd only to Damon and he has more BB/IBB as Damon, Jeter and Abreu combined with RISP.
Some of that differential can probably be attributed to respect but I think more of it has to be about a pitchers lack of respect for who is behind him.
drive- I don’t see how they can, people paid money for todays game to see it.
Like everyone else, I was frustrated with Mo last night. You just CAN NOT walk the lead off hitter in that situation. However, to blame him or Girardi is foolish. The Yankees offense has been putrid all year. Between injuries and MANY guys underperforming (Cano, Melky) and aging (Jeter :(, Giambi, Abreu), it’s hard to blame Girardi. It seems like any above average pitcher just shuts them down. Damon, AROD and now Nady, seem to be the only bright spots in the order. I also think people’s anger with AROD hitting with RISP is misdirected. SJ44 is right in pointing out that he really has no protection in the lineup. Watch his at bats. He gets nothing to drive in those situations, and is clearly pressing. If Giambi was hitting, AROD could just take his walks.
Giambi’s been so awful the last month. you can’t make a run when your #5 hitter has a .234 BA & a .375 slugging #, as he did in July.
and he’s looked just awful; been whiffing a lot. i wonder if he’s broken down as he usually does every year.
i’d like to see him dropped in the batting order until/unless he hits. he kills too many rallies ‘cuz of the big swings and misses - he’s the last person on the team i want to see up w/a man on 3rd and 2 outs
Heres RISP we only have two, Matsui and Damon
Player Team Stats
1 David DeJesus KC .435 ( 30/69 )
2 Ian Kinsler Tex .427 ( 41/96 )
3 Howie Kendrick LAA .422 ( 27/64 )
4 Casey Blake LAD .393 ( 33/84 )
5 Ryan Sweeney Oak .391 ( 27/69 )
6 Johnny Damon NYY .378 ( 28/74 )
7 Melvin Mora Bal .378 ( 37/98 )
8 Justin Morneau Min .376 ( 44/117 )
9 Jeff Mathis LAA .360 ( 18/50 )
10 Joe Mauer Min .356 ( 31/87 )
11 John Buck KC .352 ( 25/71 )
12 Michael Cuddyer Min .347 ( 26/75 )
13 Garret Anderson LAA .345 ( 30/87 )
14 David Ortiz Bos .343 ( 24/70 )
15 Kevin Youkilis Bos .340 ( 34/100 )
16 Hideki Matsui NYY .338 ( 22/65 )
17 Carlos Quentin CWS .333 ( 32/96 )
18 Jose Lopez Sea .330 ( 30/91 )
19 Ramon Hernandez Bal .329 ( 25/76 )
20 Billy Butler KC .324 ( 22/68 )
http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?ID=OKX®ion=a5&lat=40.99845123&lon=-74.16656494&label=Wyckoff%2c%20NJ
Gonna get worse before it gets better, though we might be okay for the game itself.
The loss is definitely on Mo. You can’t walk the leadoff batter in a tie game in the top of the ninth.
No matter who you are, walking the leadoff hitter is going to come back to bite you in the #$@ one time or another.
It was not very Mo-like. It was, however, encouraging that we held them down for 8 innings, something the Red Sox cannot claim to have done. We’ve been in both games so far, even if it took a while for us to rally in game 1.
We should win with Moose out there today. His junkballing will be a change of pace for the angels hitters. If he doesn’t make mistakes to Vlad and Torii, we will win this game. Jered Weaver shares DNA with Jeff Weaver. We should win this one easily.
Kidding aside, 7-3 sounds like a reasonable score.
Ray i take it youve never played nor coach baseball its ok. But I coach at a Varsity level so thanks for your imput, thats ur own thoughts no need to act like ur 2 yrs old. I said we r struggling in the early innings to score so why not try to get a run or 2 in the 1st inning. I didnt say I was pissed that Joe didnt call for a bunt did I???? NOPE and baseball use to be played that way. Not everytime your gonna get a HR.
Two games ago Cano misplayed 4 catchable balls. All 4 were ruled hits because he never even got a glove on them when they either went over or under his glove. If those balls hit his glove, his error total would have gone from 8 to 12, putting him behind only Ian Kinsler for the most errors in the majors.
I’m a Cano believer,but there’s no doubt he’s been disappointing in the field and at the plate this year.
We have score in the 1st inning in only 2 of the last 12 games. 1st innings are big to me and also when your home youd like to go 1,2,3 and then put up 1 run in your half and get the momentum on your side early.
“Heres RISP we only have two, Matsui and Damon”
Tampa has none. Must be why they’re in last place again.
I’ll reiterate what I said last night.
In order for A-Rod to get better at bats, he needs to be moved up a spot in the lineup. Abreu protecting him, especially with his recent spike in power, is much better protection than the suddenly free-swinging Giambi.
Damon
Jeter
Rodriguez, A
Abreu
Nady
Giambi
Cano
Rodriguez, I
Cabrera
You could, in theory, swap Cano and Pudge to avoid having two lefties in succession.
This lineup will allow Jeter to see more pitches, as well. A-Rod is a scarier hitter than Abreu, period. And with Abreu being a better hitter than Giambi at this point in the season, and his ability to work the count, pitchers would rather pitch to A-Rod than walk/pitch around Alex and then risk walking Abreu, too.
“Ray i take it youve never played nor coach baseball its ok. But I coach at a Varsity level so thanks for your imput, thats ur own thoughts no need to act like ur 2 yrs old. I said we r struggling in the early innings to score so why not try to get a run or 2 in the 1st inning. I didnt say I was pissed that Joe didnt call for a bunt did I???? NOPE and baseball use to be played that way. Not everytime your gonna get a HR.
If you coach at the Varsity level and you think that bunting your number 3 hitter in the first inning with on outs and runners on 1st and 2nd is a good idea then I feel VERY sorry for your players.
You can not coach if you think that’s a good idea.
are problem (in my opinion) is the heart of the order. Sure, A-rod has good stats, but the majority of them come in games where were blowing out a team, or they are blowing out us. I think Nady will do very well for us. And i’m not thrilled with the way Giambi is hitting. I think we should bat him at the bottom of the order
I think it would be a good idea for Girardi to put on the hit and run every time Jeter comes up to bat with someone on first. I am not being facetious. I am so grateful for the phenomenal player Jeter has been for the Yankees throughout the years but his GIDPs have likely cost us games this season.
“That’s as good as a pitcher has thrown against us all year,” A-Rod said of Santana. “It’s very frustrating, because Sidney threw an unbelievable game. Regardless of how well they’re pitching, we’re better than no runs.”
Unfortunately I have had to read similar comments too many times this season. After a while it just sounds like white noise.
one other thing - does Girardi ever hit-and-run w/Jeter? it just seems like it never happens.
the paucity of hit-runs has been the ONLY thing i’ve disliked about Girardi. it’s surprising.
hit-runs would be good for this team, IMO it’s been way too station-to-station. other than Giambi (and perhaps Nady, whom i haven’t seen much of), the starters are capable of making contact on hit-runs to advance runners.
Hey Ray I do know how to coach so thanks and actually have bunted a 3 hitter and have been taught that by numerous clinicis at a place called COOPERSTOWN, the fielders usually sit back and dont expect it, especially early in a game and its good way to try to scratch out an early run when your offense if struggling. THANK YOU for use-less time.
Pretty hard to play for 1 run in the first by bunting with your hottest hitter. Especially since Ponson was the starting pitcher and he averages 6 runs per start. But Abreu didnt get the job done and at least pull a ball and move the runners. A lot had to do with the fact Santana didnt give him a pitch to pull.
Gah, this offense looks so good, it jus doesnt make sense, last year are offense was crazy, what a waist of a amazing start from ponson, when are we gonna put sexy in the order
George,
my bad, but he does hit and run, but usually jeter flies out to right field
I don’t understand what close and late proves. Personally I’m a bigger fan of runs early.
Coach Jay23,
If it were Joba opposing Santana, it’s a good play. But when your starting pitcher averages 6 runs per game and opponents are hitting over.300 against him, it’s hard to play for 1 run in the first with your hottest hitter. I wish the Yanks would bunt more ofter, but not in this scenario.
You guys dont get it do you, Im not saying it was a bad call not to bunt him. I am saying you couldve bunted move guys over to 2 and 3rd and then just say AROD gets a single its 2-0. You can look forward and expect that Ponson was going to do what he did, but just think if we got that run in the 1st?? things may have been different. Its ok to disagree. If are offense was scoring alot then right i agree not to bunt and its tough to bunt with how hot Abreu is hitting I agree. If i was coaching last night I prolly let Abreu hit. I am just saying with us struggling early in games a run wouldve been nice. thats all
YOU CANT look forward my bad
“I’m a Cano believer,but there’s no doubt he’s been disappointing in the field and at the plate this year.”
He’s had two bad defensive games, but ‘disappointing in the field’ ‘this year’???!
He’s one of the best defensive 2Bs in the game today.
“Hey Ray I do know how to coach so thanks and actually have bunted a 3 hitter and have been taught that by numerous clinicis at a place called COOPERSTOWN, the fielders usually sit back and dont expect it, especially early in a game and its good way to try to scratch out an early run when your offense if struggling. THANK YOU for use-less time.”
Coach Jay,
I do not care what clinic you supposedly went to and who taught you what. When you play for one run in the first inning that’s usually what you get one run. It’s a ridiculously STUPID idea to bunt your number 3 hitter, the BEST RBI GUY ON THE TEAM mind you in the first inning with runners on 1st and 2nd and NO ONE OUT IN THE FIRST INNING.
If you’re 3,4,5, hitters can not get a runner home with runners on 1st and 2nd and no one out then your team is in A LOT of trouble.
You probably do coach a Varsity team but it’s an 8th grade Varsity team.
“one other thing - does Girardi ever hit-and-run w/Jeter? it just seems like it never happens.
the paucity of hit-runs has been the ONLY thing i’ve disliked about Girardi. it’s surprising.
hit-runs would be good for this team, IMO it’s been way too station-to-station. other than Giambi (and perhaps Nady, whom i haven’t seen much of), the starters are capable of making contact on hit-runs to advance runners.”
He called hit and runs at least 5 times last night. Every single time, the batter popped up or hit a foul ball.
Not much Girardi can do about that.
Man, he didnt give him a pitch to pull??
What’s wrong with slapping one the other way for a single?
/shrug. Guess we needed a homerun, right then and there.
Heres a question since we are talking bout Abreu, he is swining a good bat, maybe switching him and AROD??? and gettting Giambi out of the line-up. The old saying is your best hitter is in the 3rd spot? Idk its something i was just thinking. I know its nice that Abreu gets on for AROD
8th grade varsity team. You wanna keep taking shots?? What ru 10? Grow up will you..
Coach Jay23,
Your right, the Yanks absolutely must be more aggressive about scoring early. Lately, this team seems to waiting for the 3 run homer after the 6th inning to bail them out. All that does is put more pressure on Giambi and A Rod to go deep, when the best thing they should be doing is just trying to make solid contact. Like SJ44 said earlier, there’s no balance to the lineup.
Just wanted to change my tagline. I don’t have a lot to add today. I hate to say it but I don’t even feel much like watching OldTimer’s Day, let alone the game after.
The Angels swept the Sux. They are by far the best road team in the majors. They are hotter than hades right now. Isn’t it amazing that we managed to keep them from scoring until the 9th.
Oh well.
i say let’s flip flop some of the old timers w/ the regulars. they might play w/ more heart. besides it would probably result in the same thing anyway. : )
myrtlebeachfan,
Point well taken. My point was that Santana made some tough pitches to both Abreu and A Rod.
Giambi sucks, but when he slumps really bad and everyone wants to get rid of him, he usually goes on a tear, find a superstition, the ’stache is done with. Try like shaving your head.
I didnt knock Joe or Abreu for not bunting. I am just looking at it after the fact. The offense is NOT scoring early and putting pressure on teams. 2 runs in the last 12 1st innings. WE had a chance to maybe get 1 or 2 runs with moving the runners over. Its called small-ball and the Yanks use to play some ball, get a lead-off guy on steal 2nd bunt him over to 3rd and score. To me with this line-up Abreu is not the only guy we have to hit. Are line-up is deep. All i was saying was if he bunted it wouldnt kill us, it wouldve put guys at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out thats all. If Abreu bunted i wouldnt of been pissed at him, and he didnt bunt and I wasnt mad either. I said I dont think I wouldve gave him the sign. It was just a thought thats all. I prolly have had my 3 hitter only bunt prolly once a year in my tenure. But I have done in the 1st inning to get an early lead before and actually he got a single cause the 3rdbaseman was so far back
A-Rod has become a homerun or nothing hitter. He’s not slapping the ball into the outfield or toward the gaps. It is flyout, strikeout, or homerun.
If he would just take the bat and hit the ball with it, the homeruns would still happen, but the base hits would happen. Of course what I’m saying is horrible exaggerated, as he leads in AVG.
What I’m addressing is RISP situations. Sure, hit a homerun if the pitch comes, but that can’t be everything on your mind, Alex.
And as I said earlier and has been echoed, switching Abreu and Arod, to be followed by Nady, would help Alex get better ABs and Jeter to get hot again. Abreu would have Nady protecting him, still a good and scary hitter, and the top of the lineup would get going. Giambi is an all or nothing player. And he clogs the basepaths. He should hit 6-7.
Damon
Jeter
Arod
Abreu
Nady
Cano
Giambi
Pudge
Cabrera
Giambi and cano are interchangable.
trisha,
Guess I was wrong about Ponson. Lets hope he can keep pitching like he did last night.
I agree with SJ. Team as it is now is not a small ball team. Between the injuries to key guys like Matsui, the subpar offensive performances from Jeter, Giambi, and the overall inconsistency of the team all season, it’s a decent team but not playoff bound. When you lose to the Baltimores of the league, that’s not a good sign. Cashman’s dual goals of making the postseason and rebuilding/transitioning are admirable but this is what it is: a work in progress that should payoff over the course of several years. Just not this year.
It’s heresy to say this but at this point, I’d rather see this team blow itself out of the race so the rehauling can start sooner, guys who are injured can rest or go on the DL (Jeter, perhaps?), and Girardi can try some things without the pressure of a pennant race. The season is a grind and even more so in a town like NY. Who knows, some of these guys might rediscover the art of moving a runner over, working the count. All those little things to win a game.
What SJ and G. Love said about Cano hit the nail on the head. Trade him for a couple of good position players. Say goodbye to the Big G and Abreu, find a real firstbaseman, go for CC.
I understand the sentiment to close out the Stadium with a flourish, but if they’re not doing it now after 109 games, how likely are they to do it now?
Against lefties, if Arod and Abreu switch, it puts two righties up in the first inning, in the first three hitters. Even leading off Jeter and putting Damon at #2 could make enough of a difference. It is not like Damon is any faster than Derek or that he has any less power. In fact, it’s the opposite at this point in their respective careers.
If we put 2 righties at the top and bench Giambi against lefties, we may score some more.
How about this for a VS. Lefties only lineup.
Jeter
Damon
Alex
Abreu
Nady
Cano
Rodriguez
Sexson
Cabrera
“What SJ and G. Love said about Cano hit the nail on the head. Trade him for a couple of good position players.”
You got it. Maybe pick up Kemp from the Dodgers… I don’t really like Cano. Great hitter but not someone I envision building a team around. A lot of players of the winnings teams I could see building a team around. Not this one.
Gotta trade Damon, Matsui, get some players you can envision building a team around. Not superstars, just guys who want to win.
Someone Else, i didn’t see last nite’s game, went to the X-Files movie (excellent flick).
i’m glad to hear Girardi tried a bunch of hit-runs. even if it didn’t work out last nite, i hope it continues.
does anyone know of a place that tracks how teams move runners? i have this impression that’s a huge problem for this team. you look at league stats - the Yanks have about the same OPS as the White Sox, but Chicago scores .25 runs-per-game more. is it luck, or is it something such as moving runners?
sorry, i posted a wrong stat. Chicago has a better OPS than the Yanks; i was looking at OPS+ on baseball-reference.com, which is an adjusted stat.
“What SJ and G. Love said about Cano hit the nail on the head. Trade him for a couple of good position players.”
During the 8 game winning streek we saw that Cano can be an impact player unlike any just about any other 2nd baseman in baseball.He was very much an impact player the 2nd half in ‘07 as well. The problem has been consistency. He drive me nuts, but I think that it’s too early in his career to give up on Cano at age 25.
SJ,
I love your insight. But your at it again, the Yanks win 8 in a row and your singing their praises, they lose 5 of 6 and they’re done. That’s too easy.
I definitely agree with you on Giambi offering Arod no protection at all lately. Arods AB’s in the 1st and last inning last night proved that. The pitch Santana froze Arod on in the first and the change tah KRod through Arod in the 9th were great pitches, but were pitches they threw thinking that if I miss and walk him no big deal, but if I throw this pitch right where I want it it’ll freeze Arod. They didn’t care if they walked Arod with Giambi on deck and both made perfect pitches. Not absolving Arod though, I guess he has to fight those pitches off and foul them back at least.
Can you imagine how Matt Kemp would be ripped on this blog? The guy has 232 career strike outs vs only 59 walks. That’s Dave Kingman without the power.
Cano is having a bad season, no doubt. But he’s only a year older than Kemp and has had 3 seasons better then Kemp has ever had.
I have tickets to todays game, any word on whether old timers day will be cancelled? I need to know so I know when to leave.
Thanks
I disagree Drive. I think we’ve seen who he’s going to be over his career. He’s an inconsistent probably immature baseball player who needs mentors to guide him back to being good like his Father and Bowa. He’s been in the league 4 years now and he’s still dealing with keeping his focus and being a disciplined hitter.
I’d compare him to Soriano, except Soriano had the speed element to his game and more power.
If there’s a way we can get a young OF like Kemp from LA in a deal for Cano, I would do it and go find another 2b. I don’t know if we can get Kemp for Cano, but I have to think Torre, Mattingly and Bowa certainly feel they can get the best out of Cano that it appears we cannot here.
I don’t think he’s garbage. I just think he’s a very inconsistent player. I don’t think he’s the guy to build around.
He had a nice 8 games and since then he went ice cold again and the team is losing.
It’s pretty clear that he is the catalyst of this offense, but without consistency, what kind of catalyst is that?
Rookie of the Year is on TV.
One of the great baseball movies of my childhood.
Okay let’s take stock. We have a hell of a Bullpen. I consider this the #1 priority. We have a hell of #1 pitcher, good for post season. Next year we should have three top pitchers, Joba, Wang and Hughes. Damon is playing his best baseball in years. So next year you have A Rod, Nady, Cano, Damon and Matsui. The rest is up in the air. Posada might come back or Ivan is in place. Jackson could help by the All Star break. Jeter is Jeter, nothing can be done. We are still missing a 1B. I don’t think Texiera is necessary. We have Melancon and Sanchez, maybe Coke coming into the bullpen. Some combo of Pettite, Mussina, Kennedy, Aceves, Horne, in the 4/5 slots and backups. Next year is not bad and you have time to replace Damon/Matsui.
So we’re back to blaming Cano? That’s a shame since:
He is the only young positional all-star on the team.
And he’s signed a team-friendly deal
And he’s lost value relative to last year.
Those of you who applauded the Farnsworth dump (and I did whole-heartedly) because we were selling high should have your wrists slapped for wanting to trade Robbie now.
Bo, Hughes is going to be a top pitcher next year? That’s great! I haven’t been paying close attention the past few days, when did we find out about that?
Drive-
you’re absolutely right about what an impact Cano can have. But the inconsistency….I’m very patient with young ballplayers but I don’t think he’s likely to change. If he wasn’t so damn cold when he’s cold, I’d say keep him cause when he’s hot, he’s ridiculously hot.
I’d love to be proven wrong though.
TK,
He certainly wasn’t an all star this year.
And no one is blaming just him. But you have to make a decision on a player whether you think you can with him or whether you think you can flip him for talent to fill other holes.
I don’t think you can build around Cano. He’s too hot and cold and inconsistent and if he could bring in young position players who are more consistent in the long run I would trade him.
We’re not advocating trading him for Eckstein. We’re talking top rated players in the game only.
“Jeter is Jeter, nothing can be done.”
And that is a problem!!!!!!!!
G Love,
I share your frustration with Cano. But he’s capable of driving in 90 runs and can be the type of hitter teams have to worry about.He’s immature,but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt this year. He does need a mentor at this point and misses Bowa. It’s certainly unusual.
However, I absolutley would not want Kemp. Like Cano, he has a reputation for being immature. Unlike Cano, he also has a reputaion of having a bit of an attitude. I can’t wait to see if Manny Ramirez furthers Kemp’s bad habits by showing him that you can be a bad boy and still make a lot of money. Also, Kemp’s strike out to walk ratio is unacceptable.
Hey this one is quite funny
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/08/02/ramxedrez_lobbied_to_stay/
Manny must be deranged or something …he should be evaluated mentally before anyone signs him to a contract this winter.. maybe he just was never diagnose properly or at all….
Bo, I agree with your take. We have the makings of a good team for next year, especially with pitching. As for the lineup, it’s not half-bad, and if you look at the foursome of Damon-Matsui-Giambi-Abreu, two, maybe three of them aren’t brought back, which opens things up for different, possibly more versatile, younger, and better bat-handler type of players. Injuries may occur, like this year, but they happen.
Yesterday was a tough loss, esp. with Sidney giving it his all, but we won a 1-0 game against Boston and Beckett a week ago, so maybe it evens out.
They have time to win this yet, but they have to start playing consistently. Not impossible, they just have to do it.
“I don’t think you can build around Cano. He’s too hot and cold and inconsistent and if he could bring in young position players who are more consistent in the long run I would trade him.”
He’s a second basemen - I can’t remember a team built around a 2B since the miserable Ryne Sandberg cubbies! (lol)
I think young players are inconsistent by nature and only develop consistency as they learn to become more effective professionals over time. I just don’t think you are going to get equal value b/c Robbie is outstanding relative to his 2B peers.
I don’t think he’s going anywhere for years to come.
Okay Nick, maybe I was reaching. It might take him another year. Young kids are inconsistent, witness Santana, but you have to stay with them. I remember the playoffs last year. I’m more into evaluating options for the near future. You’ll win and lose, them’s the breaks but give yourself a chance to succeed. I think a lot of good things are in place, (Thanks Cashman) and this Expletive, Obscenity will pass quickly.
I am fully on board with sticking with Hughes and being optimistic about his future, but with this season being mostly down the drain for him, it’s hard to think that he’ll be an impact player next year. But who knows.
I’m still hopeful that he’ll pitch some key innings this year!
Joe I don’t know about this year. 33 percent scoring 2 runs or less. What are the odds. If you’re building a pitching staff based team you have to surround them with defense. So if I have a choice I would go for Texiera, CC, too much risk for the money. Damon gives you defense in LF, Matsui is top notch at DH. Nady is slow but Yankee Stadium has a small RF, as long as he catches what he gets to we should be Okay. Hopefully Ajax develops because I don’t think Melky Meekly is an option.
Wow, Karstens is being praised quite highly by the Cubs announcers…
Nick -
Funnel cakes or boardwalk fries?
What’s the chance that they actually begin this game on time? Slim to none, no?
I wouldn’t mind a night-game actually. The Yankees have become one of two or three teams in the major to host day games on Saturdays.
Which in the summer time becomes, at least, for me a nuisance.
Obsessive fan that I am, I waste the day glued to the idiot box when I should be outside.
Well it is pouring here there was a bit of shady sun for a while the best thing I saw was girardi playing high toss with his son having him go over the visitor dugout fence to catch th ball. I am sure no ot game hope for intros at least
Also they are running the yankees magazine tribute on to bobby murcer on the big screen and there are about20 players in both dugouts watching it
If the Yankees can’t find a way to beat the Angels, even if they make the playoffs, they are TOAST unless some OTHER team takes out LAA before we meet them…..THAT IS WHY,,,when playing LAA, you bunt basically the bases loaded yesterday in the first inning, giving Giambi a chance to hit with only ONE out and NO SHIFT DEFENSE to have to contend with…..IS ANYONE PICKING UP WHAT I AM PUTTING DOWN !!!
Again we agree, he’ll be limited in innings a la Joba but damn that’s a lot of talent there. What a weapon in the post season. This team has lost too many this year to bad teams. No fire. Give Joe G another year, he’s still establishing creds. Next year he’ll have more stroke.
It’s stopped raining here, but still looks really ominous.
Wasn’t last years OT Day washed out as well?
So if they had bunted in the first inning yesterday, they’d beat the Angels in the playoffs? How does that work? That’s one really really good bunt.
“Wow, Karstens is being praised quite highly by the Cubs announcers…”
He pitched a nice game. Got the Cubs at the exact right time though. Right after a huge 4 game set with Milwaukee. Not a situation unlike the Red Sox hangover the Yankees sometimes experience.
Still, good for Karstens.
TKinDC, the cry of “funnel cake” is constant, but we go for the Thrashers boardwalk fries every time. We also usually get some pizza and fried chicked from Dough Roller and Daytons, but they both burned down in late March.
It’s a pretty cheesy place, but the Links and Lighthouse Sound golf course is spectacular.
Well it has stopped raining at the stadium sky looks clear but it looked that wasy before the last deluge
The Dough roller burnt down? ;( I haven’t been to OC, MD in a few years but I loved that place! Clean beach very nice!
It would stink to have 70 players there for old timers day and have to cancel it. Last year it was raining lightly and they announced the players but didn’t play the old timers game. Which doesn’t matter anyway. I want to know why Kevin Brown isn’t on the old timers list??!!!
Just a Win Today on Old-Timer’s Day would help us Turn Things around…..right now we’re 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox and 5 1/2 games behind the RAYS….and it’s August 2nd…….
We’d BETTER get it GOING!!
Just a Note: Maybe Starting Molina over PUDGE(yes, that’s what I said!) Would get our Bats Going!!
Nothing Personal, but we had some Good Karma going with Jose Molina handling the Catching Chores…and Pudge Deserves some “down time”, doesn’t he??
Is there any way for out of market fans who don’t get YES to watch the Old Timers stuff?
The Dough Roller on the Boardwalk right across from the Dumsers (and closest to the Shrimpers kiddie rides) burned down, but there is another one further up the boardwalk and several more elsewhere in O.C. So not to worry, Dough Roller fans.
Hard to believe that today is the 29th anniversary of Munson’s death. Boy time flies.
Nick did you move to OC? Or are you on vacation?
Bring up Carson. (threw a runner out at home from RF on one of the best throws Chad Jennings has ever seen). These are desperate times and Meekly is not even the question, never mind the answer. Throw out there nun Christian in CF and send Melky to SWB for a week to find himself.
gayle
weather map looks like it should stay clear awhile but there is still a 50% chance of thunderstorms until 6pm.
yey old timers day!!
lol - have fun in the sun Nick!
anyone now what todays lineup is?
know*