Game 118: Yankees at Twins
-
- August
- 11
YANKEES (63-55)
Christian LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A. Rodriguez 3B
Nady DH
Cano 2B
Sexson 1B
I. Rodriguez C
Cabrera CF
Ponson RHP
TWINS (65-52)
Span RF
Punto 2B
Mauer C
Morneau 1B
Kubel DH
Young RF
Buscher 3B
Everett SS
Gomez CF
Perkins LHP
Sidney Ponson (7-2, 4.23) vs. the Minnesota hitters.
Glen Perkins (8-3, 4.38) vs. the New York hitters.
Notes: Johnny Damon is 13 of 32 on the road trip. He has hit safely in 11 straight and 16 of 17. No word yet on why he isn’t playing. … The Yankees are 2-5 on the road trip, getting outscored 45-31. … They have fallen to 27-29 on the road. … The Yankees are 5-2 against the Twins. … Minnesota is a half-game out in the Central and 1.5 behind Boston in the wild card.
WE GAVE UP JEFF KARSTENS FOR THIS? Damaso Marte has appeared in eight games for the Yankees. His line: 7 innings, 7 hits, 7 earned runs, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts.
TAMING THE TWINS: Sir Sidney is making his fourth start against the Twins. He is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA against them this season. 20 innings, 22 hits, 5 ER, 4 BB, 11 K.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 5:39 p.m.: Spoke to Johnny Damon, who had no idea until he showed at the park and saw the lineup that he wasn’t playing today. “I feel fine,” he said.
Hey, it’s not like the Yankees are 8.5 games out and he’s leading the AL in hitting.
UPDATE, 6:42 p.m.: Damon is out of the lineup because Girardi decided not to play him. That’s it.
“I put a lineup up,” Girardi said. “Johnny’s played a lot.”
If turf is the issue, why not DH Damon and play Nady in left? Damon is hitting .292 against lefties.
Meanwhile, Girardi would not discuss the final play of yesterday’s game, refusing to get into it other than to say it has been addressed just like everything else has been addressed.
Audio to come.
UPDATE, 6:58 p.m.: Joe Girardi said that Joba’s throwing program would start on Friday, not tomorrow as the player said.
That will make it 10 days of rest, not the week as was first reported. Girardi would not comment on what the throwing program would entail.
If the throwing program starts Aug. 15, it’s going to take at least 7-10 days to get his arm ready for a game. At that point, the Yankees will have some decisions to make. Do you bring him back if the team has fallen out of contention?
UPDATE, 7:10 p.m.: Here’s the audio of Girardi’s pre-game press conference. It’s interesting.
UPDATE, 8:25 p.m.: Great throw by Jeter there. I’m not a big believer in defensive metrics because it’s impossible to account for all the variables, particularly how players are positioned by coaches. But I do think Jeter is having a much better defensive season than last season.
UPDATE, 9:18 p.m.: The Justin Christian move isn’t going down as a great one so far. But the Yankees look flat regardless.
Meanwhile Sidney Ponson is giving them a good start.
UPDATE, 10:24 p.m.: A four-hit shutout in two hours and 14 minutes. Nice to see the Yankees grind out a big game. But Johnny got some rest.
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on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 4:45 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Christian leading off? that’s interesting.
thats cool lets give damon a rest ….
GIRARDI YOU TOOL
Another long night I’m afraid.
this lineup makes me sad for 3 reasons…...
1) Damon is one of the hottest hitters on the team
2) Richie Sexson is good for nothing.
3) Melky Cabrera is good for nothing.
Christian should lean into every pitch.
HBP = 2B
Please stop with the Karstans shouldnt of been traded garbage… wow… And your a sports writer?
What do Marte’s numbers look like if you pitch him no more than one inning at a time???
This guy is a SHORT reliever/lefty specialist.
I know off the top of my hear that at least five of those seven runs have come when Girardi tried to get a second inning from the guy – four of them on swing when Marte’s pitch count was sailing into the 40’s on a 100-degree night in Texas.
What Girardi is doing with Marte (abusing him) is no different, at least in my view, that what Torre did with Proctor and some others.
Perhaps Damon is hurt.
Why not wait for an update before erupting?
if we dont win 2 of 3, i think the season is over
I’m starting to think something’s wrong with Giambi for him to NEVER be playing anymore.
Oh, wait, I realized what it is… his freaking manager!!!
I like X man behind Arod. IMO this series needs to be a sweep to get back in it.
I was reading another thread and they called “THE FRANCHISE” D.L. Hughesley. Damn. The guy hasnt even been up in the majors long enough and we have nick names of Franchise to the worst extreme. Where do they come up with this stuff? Expectations exptections expectations. Cant he just be Average Phil?
gotta think something is wrong with damon…there is no real justification for not playing him if hes not hurt
“What do Marte’s numbers look like if you pitch him no more than one inning at a time???
This guy is a SHORT reliever/lefty specialist.
I know off the top of my hear that at least five of those seven runs have come when Girardi tried to get a second inning from the guy – four of them on swing when Marte’s pitch count was sailing into the 40’s on a 100-degree night in Texas.
What Girardi is doing with Marte (abusing him) is no different, at least in my view, that what Torre did with Proctor and some others.”
i agree with u, marte is a one inning guy, dont abuse him
SJ—
Wait you mean to have a rational discussion when it comes to the lineup with all of the information. That would fly in the face of smart decision so NOT what people do here when a lineup is announced lol.
You mean Giambi and his under .200 BA against lefties and his .204 BA with RISP?
Yes, we really miss him in the lineup.
guessing damon getting a day off maybe still sore from crashing into the wall friday and dont count sexson out yet hes been better lately
Didn’t Christian get the big double vs Perkins I see nothing wrong w/ this it adds range in the OF I’d rather given Abreu the DH tonight but atleast because we are facing a LHP we have 3,4 and 5 set.
Can we fire Kevin Long already ?
Damon hurt his shoulder again diving from LF to try to block that Figgins ground ball thru Cano and Betemit…
mets lose another game because there bullpen couldnt close the game! Jerry Manual got ejected!... Does someone know why?
I’m not saying for him sitting against lefties, I’m talking about him, in general, starting 2-3 games a week, and instead having Sexson and Betemit start in his place. Seriously.
Sexon is our lefty masher. Good job getting him ABs.
Giambi is terrible… cannot wait until his contract is off the books.
Gayle,
LOL. Very true.
Gotta think something is wrong with Damon. Perhaps he reinjured his shoulder crashing into the wall Friday night and its acting up on him.
Once the beat writers have their daily tete-a-tete with Girardi, Pete will post what’s going on.
I would have to guess he wasn’t happy with the strike zone and was fired up about another blown save
agreed about the karstens crap… he needed a change of scenery and had no place in our rotation now, or ever… marte will work out for us (we do have him for another year pete), geez…
Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Nady miss a game because of a sore quad? I bet Joe is looking to give him a night off of the Of turf, plus he has a new favorite (it was good while it lasted, Wilson) in Two First Names in left.
As to not playing Damon at all (over Melky who is a switch hitter in name only even though he doesn’t get any hits as a righty), that’s questionable. If it’s another injury, though, yikes enough already…
Jerry Manual got ejected!… Does someone know why?
He told the ump “Gangstas on the field, ladies on the bus.â€
Yeah Girardi is getting tired of Giambis act.. Sitting him against more lefties because he just SUCKS.. His #’s are a mirage, so unclutch it makes Arod look good….
Stewie,
You do keep ragging on Arod, even when bashing Giambi, do you have a man crush on Alex?
Pirates batting coach >>> Kevin Long (yes I’m serious)
Wow this lineup sucks. Girardi really needs to stop benching Giambi. I have no problem with batting him lower in the order, but benching him against every single lefty pitcher is getting ridiculous.
If Damon’s hurt we’re really screwed. This horrible offense is downright putrid when he doesn’t play.
Now Brandon, you are smarter than that.
How is it the hitting coach’s fault?
Do you think he teaches guys not to hit with RISP?
He’s the same hitting coach that had a 968 run offense last year. Do you think he just got dumb about hitting?
Have you ever listened to Long’s interviews with Suzyn Waldman? How he talks time and time again to Giambi about going the other way and he won’t do it.
What’s he suppose to do when something like that happens?
Firing the hitting coach is not going to make the team hit. How did that work for the Mets last year? The Mariners this year?
Its not the hitting coach. Its the players.
Firing the hitting coach would be a dumb and cosmetic move. It also wouldn’t make this team hit better.
Its not one thing that’s wrong with the team. Its not an in game move. Or the hitting coach. Or the manager. Or Cashman.
Its a combination of injuries, underperforming and, truth be told, just not having enough horses to win games.
Geez, look at the lineup tonight.
Justin Christian, a career minor leaguer, leading off.
Richie Sexson, a castoff from the worst team in baseball, at first base.
Pudge, a guy who has been healthy for three days, catching.
Sidney Ponson pitching in a must win game. I repeat, Sidney Ponson pitching in a must win game.
Just how they drew it up in the off-season! lol
Seriously, its been a trainwreck of a season so far. Hopefully, they find a way to win some games.
That said, the problem with this team ain’t the hitting coach, Girardi, or any one person. Its a teamwide trainwreck.
Everybody has a hand in it.
he can’t hit lhp hurthrow
Use Marte for 1 inning or only against lefties and he will be dominant.
Have to bring him back next year.
The only reason Damon shouldn’t be in the line up is if he’s hurt. Any other reason is unacceptable. We need to win games.
Damon could DH, you could stick Nady at first. Problem solved.
Does anyone know if Orlando Hudson hurt his throwing wrist or catching wrist? I was hoping he would be the answer if we traded Cano this offseason.
Giambi has a .402 OBP and .919 OPS against lefties this year. Those numbers are very good.
Giambi should be the DH today. Nady in LF, with Christian on the bench. Jeter could leadoff. That would be the best lineup if you want to maximize runs today, assuming Damon is unavailable.
Certainly not the A Team…....And to think I was dreaming of a 7-3 road trip…..Yikes….
I understand that SJ but can he maximize a Christian, can he maximize Robi, can maximize any hitter not named Arod potential. I look at other teams and they have poorer talent, no one is crying about this lineup, this is more than efficient but can Long maximize potential. So far it’s been no.
Isn’t this game 119?
Pete:
Karstens has only been good for two starts.He would have been another Rasner in the AL.
Marte has troubles but he’s also been lights out.(I.E.striking out Ortiz and Gurerro)
He will be here next year.
Giambi 2008 splits
BA OBP SLG OPS
——+——-+——-+——-+
vs. RH .254 .389 .518 .907
vs. LH .247 .402 .517 .919
That’s all you need to know.
SJ44
Trainwreck is right. Had to happen after 14 postseasons in succession, which will never be equalled.
Next year, a clean slate, not much baggage and lots to build on.
AND they may yet squeak in to the wild card.You can not ask for much more than the last 15 years have delivered.
Come SJ, everyone knows Long is telling Melky to keep swinging at the first pitch he sees and telling Jeter to slow down his swing.
It’s not Lomg’s fault this team is old, unathletic, and in some cases just plain incompetent.
Dear lawd almighty, please win this game!
“Sexon is our lefty masher. Good job getting him ABs.”
Oy. The guy couldn’t hit me if I went out there and threw southpaw, he is an auto-k.
Yeah Giambi has essentially been equally effective against both lefites and righties this year. Giambi is one of the better hitters on the team this year, whether you like it or not.
Ok….. here’s a moral dilemma for a lot of Yankee fans.
We know it’s highly unlikely that we’ll be seeing the postseason this year. Soooo… how many of you can honestly say that you would be disappointed if the Yanks lose this series to the Twins and the Rangers win their series with the Red Sox? The Twins could take over the lead in the Wild card race. Would it not soften the blow if the Red Sox were on the outside looking in at the playoffs with the Yanks? Be honest!
Vrsce
correction, 13 consective postseasons for the Yankees. Atlanta went to 14 straight, so 13 was not only equaled but exceeded.
Vrsce talk about crushes on Arod, are you his valet? you answer his fan mail or get his dry cleaning or do his laundry?
He has enough money arod can buy friends also and I assume someone with your limited abilites comes cheap.. IS he paying more then you were getting at MCdonalds or in security at the public library??
Let’s call a truce I think you are a jerk and you feel the same about me so let it rest..
we always play minnesota well so i think were gonna do good this series
Drive 4-5,
No I won’t root against the Yanks.
But it could be a nice silver lining after we get swept that’s for sure.
“Giambi is one of the better hitters on the team this year, whether you like it or not.”
Walker is more like it.
Rayblay how about giambino’s # with RISP???
Show them also, they are impressive if you compare him to Luis SOjo or Miguel Cairo, that is about it…
Isn’t Girardi the guy who keeps insisting their IS a “sense of urgency”????
Nothing screams “urgency” like Johnny Damon on the bench, Justin Christian leading off, Richie Sexson at first base and Melky Cabrera back in center field!
Bob(The Original),
I’m with ya. Thanks for being honest and at least acknowledging that there could be a “silver lining”. lol
Come SJ, everyone knows Long is telling Melky to keep swinging at the first pitch he sees and telling Jeter to slow down his swing.
It’s not Lomg’s fault this team is old, unathletic, and in some cases just plain incompetent.
I call it like I see it, so what the hell are we paying Kevin Long for ? I see other teams poor hitters improve w/ different hitting coachs yet this one under his watch we’ve seen how many players regress ? How can we not atleast direct a finger at him, you can’t tell me the results in hitting this season show Kevin Long is a keeper because it actually shows the opposite.
I was thinking the same thing, maybe losing to the Twins wouldn’t be so bad, but then I thought about it and wanted to punch myself in face.
Root against the Yankees because 4 games with 43 left is too much to make up? Well forget that nonsense. Part of being a fan is hoping when all hope is lost. I want the Yanks to sweep.
Marte’s appeared in 8 games for the yanks. Spin it anyway you want it but he hasn’t been overly effective. Again 6 million option for next year. Seems like a lot for a lefty specialist.
Karstens 15 innings/ no runs.
You just never know.
Let the onslaught commence! Attack ! Attack!
Walking is very valuable. Getting on base is the most important thing a hitter can do. In many cases, a walk is just as valuable as a single. Get a clue.
There is something really erm…odd… about ‘sidney ponson pitching in a must win game’.
And Damon hurt is the last thing we need.
Why does this team seem to have such karma? It’s almost like the baseball g-ds don’t want us to leave YS!
For anyone who didn’t read my nuggets of wisdom on the upcoming off-season here they are:
1) Trade Cano while his value is still decent. Get Kemp from LA to play CF next year. I like his bat and glove.
2) Sign Furcal to play 2B. His bat is phenomenal and his glove is great too when healthy which I think he will be next season.
3) Sign CC or Burnett. No I am not into Sheets coming to the AL.
4)Get a bullpen arm, preferably Brandon Lyon.
5)Re-sign one of the following Andy/Moose.
6)Let Stache walk pocket his 22 mil a year and get Milton Bradley to play 1B.
Well Drive, if you put it that way…
I’ve said it before, Tampa Bay is the team of destiny this year. They just keep winning. Only hope for the rest of the league is if Coco Crisp touches off another brawl the next time they visit Boston.
sexson should play.melky should sit.damon should play.your best team plays everyday.rest in the winter.
giambi is not a platoon player.
Rebecca
If the baseball gods didn’t want us to leave YS, we would be on the way to the WS so we stay in the ballpark the longest with the extra postseason games.
Christian Vs LHP
.391 .440 .522 .962
vs Glen Perkins
.500 .500 1.000 1.500
Damon Vs. Glen Perkins
0 for 3
Christian wins!
—-
Giambi vs LHP
.247 .402 .517 .919
Sexson vs LHP
.338 .421 .600 1.021
Sexson wins!
p.s. – i love small sample sizes
Fat mike coming up soon on the fan
Greg Cohen,
I’m not saying root against the Yanks. I’ll be at the Stadium at least 5 more times pulling for them to win.
But I think a lot of folks, in their heart of hearts, would find comfort if the Yanks lose this series and it helps the Twins take over the Wild Card lead.
No fan worth their salt ever roots for their team to lose.
I’ve begun to suspect that even though Long held the title of hitting coach last year the whole hitting thing was still under mattingly’s influence although Donnie was bench coach. This year Long’s on his own.
Well I got to get home now but here’s how I access Long, is he showing hitters how to work the count or just look for the pitch you can drive ?, he’s a mechanics hitting coach but a situational one he is not. The fact this team can’t hit behind a runner, can’t execute a sac fly if thier life depended on it. Situational hitting which to my opinion Kevin Long gets an F in teaching.
Maybe I’m driven by what I’ve seen around like Minny’s , Pitt’s , STL’s hitting coaches, especially LAA’s they preech situational hitting they don’t just leave it to skill. Until later lohud I stand by what I said, I would seriously give Long his pink slip he lost my vote for the season and beyond.
People:
Pete is not suggesting they shouldn’t have traded Karstens for Marte, it’s just the header of the note… Must we take everything so literally and post about it?... geez…
Cabrera and Christian should not be in the same line up.
Damon should be somewhere in there. Girardi and all his lefty righty matchups have amounted to next to nothing for them. Girardi’s looking like the bad gambler that makes worse and worse bets as he falls deeper and deeper in the hole.
saucY, you cant use Christians two ABs as proof. Damon is hot and has done a lot more over a career and Christian has played only a few games.
john habyan,
giambi hits lefties better than sexson? no.melky stinks batting righty.makes no sense.
Stuart, what’s the point when the entire rest of the team looks exactly the same, with very few exceptions? If he produces at ALL, I say put him in the lineup. If he sucks with RISP, don’t hit him 5th!
Drive 4-5,
If we fail to make the playoffs these things would soften the blow.
1.Red Sox join us in an early October vacation.
2.Angels do not win it all. Just to rain on everyone that have already crowned them as champions.
3.We rid ourselves the day after the regular season of all the dead weight. Pavano(watch him never go on the dl again),Igawa(send him back to Japan),Giambi(given too much credit for walking,need a REAL first baseman),Abreu(Lousy on defense and cant seem to keep it going on offense).
4.Have the Cubs miss out on the title as well. Keep the curse alive.
The one thing about Long is, no star like A-Rod or Giambi or the others even wants to listen to him. Long only has I think one or two seasons of experience while these guys have been successful over many seasons. The problem is with the egos of our whole freakin team.
Drive 4-5:
Spoken like a true Yankee fan. Positively diabolical, if thats possible…
im encouraged by nady behind astats and have no problem in starting christian here. (note: if this is a close game, damon will still be a big part of things, imo).
id still like to see joe shake it up alot more and break up the jeter-abreu-astats trio but at least this is SOMETHING!
SJ44 –
“Why not wait for an update before erupting?”
C’mon SJ … you should know the tendencies of half the blog by now … waiting before erupting would approach being be intelligent.
“Cabrera and Christian should not be in the same line up.”
Totally agree.
27 this year, i was trying to be sarcastic… doesn’t always work on the internet though. i should have used this—>
but i think Girardi’s logic is to stack the line-up with righties. not that i am agreeing with this logic at all.
S.o.S.27,
1. Very much agree.
2. I don’t have ill will towards the Angels. with exception of KRod, they play the game right.
3. Agree, but hedging my thoughts on Abreu.
4. We DO love curses, dont we?
Any real Yankee fans know that Karstens was never that good he is just having a few good starts in the NL. I’m glad for the kid but am I mad about the trade heck no I love the X-factor.
Jeter SS
Damon DH
Arod 3B
Abreu RF
Nady LF
Cano 2B
Rodriguez C
Cabrera CF
Doesn’t get much better than that.
Switch out Cabrera if you’re not a big fan of his, but the protection, righty/lefty alternating. It’s perfect.
Great lineup!!!! With Pudge behind the plate we have a chance to score a run or two from the bottom of the order, never mind the fact he doesn’t know our pitchers and they’ll probably give up around 7 runs tonight with him behind the plate. Also, what a brilliant decision to have a guy hitting 200 RISP in the cleanup spot EVERY SINGLE NIGHT FOR OVER TWO YEARS. Nobody would evey accuse Girardi of lacking creativity with TORRE’s lineup, that’s for sure.
Girardi, did you fake your Northwestern Diploma or what?
christian hits this guy well and damon solid play this year has alot to do with regular rest, keeping him off the turf on night is a good thing.
also want to see if christian’s speed game will shine on a quick field.
Sweep these series…. Getting swept by the best team in baseball isn’t the worst that can happen to us.
Rayblay,
batting giambino lower in the order is a reasonable suggestion I can agree with.. I love his OBP just he cannot get big hits…
maybe Girardi has the defensive lineup tonight, who the hell knows.. but the bottom line is guys like giambi have not made a case to have Girardi keep them in the lineup every day..
so many dissappointments offensively have caused Girardi to play with the lineup all the time.
” ... would approach being be intelligent.”
As would proofreading one’s entry before posting.
SOS, do you realize aside from Damon and Nady, Abreu is like our hottest hitter. He is hitting right now.
Okay, has it occurred to all of you lineup bashers that maybe Damon is hurt and that’s why Christian is playing?
hurthrow,
we might as well add molina to lineup too.to much to believe.206 million dollar lineup that has cabrera and christian in it
Fan mail from some flounder…
Thanks for the compliment.. I think lol
There are 2 teams true yankee fans root for..the Yankees and whoever is playing Boston.
Arun, last year Arod hit .330 with RISP, it is this year not the past two years.
It does get better than that. Here’s a b etter lineup:
Damon (OBP/RISP)
A-Rod (OBP)
Giambi (OBP)
Nady (RISP)
Abreu (RISP)
Jeter (RISP)
Cano etc….
That lineup would rock but we’ll never see it because apparantly Girardi had a clause in his contract not to change TORRE’s LINEUP!!!!
My homer predictions for today are jeter, abreu and the x-man, any guess on who ya’ll think are gonna go yard today?
I would bet $100.00 that Girardi thinks he’s doing the team a service by resting left-handed Damon, 0 for 3 lifeime, against Perkins, and by granting Nady a “half-day” rest by DHing him.
$100 says Damon is fine or at most, “a little sore” but that once again, Girardi has succumbed to his match-up dogma and his unproven assumption that older players profit from a days rest.
27,
I know. I was referring to the fact the lineup hasn’t changed since we acquired Abreu in July, 2006, two years ago!!!!!
“given too much credit for walking”
sos, i didn’t know you were from philly
S.o.S-
Orlando Hudson had surgery on this left wrist. He throws right handed and is a switch hitter.[that doesn’t sound right].Good defense hits better from right side and is a FA who is out for the rest of the season with dislocated bone and ligament damage in that wrist.
“Jeter SS
Damon DH
Arod 3B
Abreu RF
Nady LF
Cano 2B
Rodriguez C
Cabrera CF”
MyrtleBeachFan,
Hell im with you. Why even have a first baseman out there? Have the pitcher cover.
27 this year,
Yes. But i also realize that he will get a multi year contract and his defense sucks. We should switch Nady to right after this year and we have plenty of dh’s.
laura,
it’s occured to me that giradi is resting damon and his 320 average.
my prediction for tonight is that christian gets on base 3x, sexson homers twice and damon scores the winning run.
Christian LF – He’s actually Jewish
Jeter SS – Misses Joe Torre, taking it out on Girardi with GIDP’s
Abreu RF – Smilin’ Bobby makes Tino Martinez roll over in his grave
A. Rodriguez 3B – Wants to be traded to a winner…...again
Nady DH – suffering from minor Karpathian kitten loss
Cano 2B – Tired of speaking english already
Sexson 1B – Just wants to play a pickup game of bball
I. Rodriguez C – SWF’ing Posada
Cabrera CF – Already planning off-season getaway with Cano & Abreu
Ponson RHP – Finally gets revenge on Yanks after all those years with Baltimore
“maybe Girardi has the defensive lineup tonight”
probably a lot of truth to this, as well. i forgot about the dump they’re playing in tonight…
“†… would approach being be intelligent.â€
As would proofreading one’s entry before posting. ”
Ansky,
If only i was intelligent enough to catch that!!
Actually i did but didnt want to rain on your parade. Keep bringing it.
HR Predictions-
You’re guessing Jeter, Abreu and Nady go yard.
I’m going with Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel amd Joe Mauer!!!!!
27 this year,
You’re probably right about that. Long (and Eiland for that matter)probably would do better with young guys rather than grey-haired veterans. But, like with alcoholics, the first step to improvement is stopping denial. If the organization doesn’t seem to make a point of situational hitting, why in the world would a bunch of lifetime .300 hitters change anything they’ve been doing for years? Sciosia doesn’t have this problem because he doesn’t collect one-dimensional hitters. It’s not coaching necessarily. It’s attitude.
Thanks Yankee Trader. I guess it doesnt look good. Too bad.
damon, irod, giambi, arod, abreu, nady, jeter, giambi, christian
is it now OK to go on the warpath? Or do we still have to wait for Girardi to give his side?
.919 ops, .402 obp against lefties and he’s sitting. ridiculous.
“Jeter SS
Damon DH
Arod 3B
Abreu RF
Nady LF
Cano 2B
Rodriguez C
Cabrera CF
Doesn’t get much better than that.”
Hey Myrtle, you need to put somebody at first base in that lineup. It’s only 8 deep. Maybe something got cut off?
“Girardi, did you fake your Northwestern Diploma or what?”
I think you’re confusing Girardi with George O’Leary.
nice one yankee trader
OK, I normally can’t stand all the lineup complaining, but Damon being healthy and out of the lineup is absurd.
Pete, is Girardi sniffing glue these days?
These guys never want to come out of a game and never think that they need a day off. As brittle as Damon is, he could use a day’s rest.
He can always be used as PH later in the game. It’s not the end of the world. This lineup needs some shaking up. Maybe they will actually score some runs tonight.
As an aside, as bad as our bullpen has been recently, take some comfort in knowing that the Mets’ bullpen is worse!!
“any guess on who ya’ll think are gonna go yard today?”
i’ll go out on a limb and say christian gets his 1st
When I look at that lineup, I can’t help but feel that Sidney Ponson pitching in a “must-win” game is not the worst of our problems tonight.
Bronx Jeers August 11th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
is it now OK to go on the warpath? ”
Most definitely. We are going to make the entire F.O. and team shower in sweat from Donnie Baseball’s and Paul O’Neil’s balls.
john
sexson has 75 points higher average and 20 points higher onbase verse lefties.giambi’s not tex.he helps the team more sitting tonight
damon probably still isnt 100% from the crash that put him on the dl. and he crashed into the wall again on this trip. now they’re plaing on turf for 3 nights at the end of a long trip.
also, he’s probably only getting half a game off tonight. he’ll ph for either melky or christian by the 8th inning and having the ability to use him in either spot may come in very handy tonight.
“any guess on who ya’ll think are gonna go yard today?â€
Morneau, Young, Mauer. MAybe even Punto. lol
Ponson will throw a no hitter for 9 innings, except we will be tied at 0 with the Twins.
And then we will lose in the 10th on a walkoff HR.
Just saw the lineup and I am FURIOUS!!! This is the most mad I am at Giradi all year. We need Johnny in the lineup – clutch hits & always on base. He is a money player and this is the money time of the year.
Sad, very sad.
Now, you have a right to complain about the lineup.
If Damon is ok, he’s got to be in the lineup.
He’s the only guy that started the year with the team that has hit all year.
Can’t keep him out of the lineup if he isn’t hurt.
“Ponson will throw a no hitter for 9 innings, except we will be tied at 0 with the Twins.
And then we will lose in the 10th on a walkoff HR.”
It certainly says something about this season that if this happened I wouldn’t be surprised.
Look on the bright side:
At least Betemit isin’t in the lineup.
Hopefully it’s nothing serious with Damon and Girardi is just giving him one less day to have to battle the turf at the Metrodome. Besides that and injury, the only other reason I can figure is that Perkins is a lefty. Damon has been swinging well lately though, so that shouldn’t matter.
What in the Hell is going on with this team? Can someone please ask Girardi what he is thinking and that every yankee fan in New York thinks he has his head up @##!
I agree Rob Thompson. If healthy there is zero reason he should not be playing tonight. Heck if he is abanged up a bit he should be in there. It’s do or die time. What the heck are you resting them for at this point? Their October vacations?
Rob,
We are still not sure if he’s hurt.
“If Damon is ok, he’s got to be in the lineup.
He’s the only guy that started the year with the team that has hit all year.
Can’t keep him out of the lineup if he isn’t hurt”
Agreed. With an afternooner on Wednesday and Thursday off, there should be plenty of “rest time” before Friday. It’s “sense of urgency” time folks!
“He’s the only guy that started the year with the team that has hit all year.”
I think you forgot Arod on that list.
Read PEte’s update. Damon is fine.
Perkins has allowed 4 or more runs in his last 3 starts, 5 against the Mariners-his last start! His ERAs against lefties is 3.72, righties 4.54, but lefties are batting .338 vs righties batting .293
What that all means to me is he’s:
1. Lousy pitcher
2. Lots of lefty “contact” hitters get on base but don’t score.
3. Damon might need a rest, or Girardi and Long don’t pay any attention to a pitcher’s situational stats!!
Ian Kennedy. I don’t believe he’ll ever pitch another meaningful game in pinstripes again. (holding back tears)
“Read PEte’s update. Damon is fine.”
My bad. Count me in on the pissed off wagon!!
If they want to rest him, DH him! It’s his bat that they need.
damon has to play
everyone that can play needs to play at this point
it’s been a terrible year with all the injuries and such, but you can’t rest guys right now
melky needs to start hitting
i hope ponson can continue his good pitching tonight… tex & laa are better than min
I’m interested to see how this lineup performs, i’m not as against it as others are. We put the fastest guy on the team in the leadoff spot which can work out in our favor, and it’s defensive oriented. While it does suck to have Damon out for no apparent reason, Christian gives us a boost in stealing ability and in defense… Sexson is close to Giambi against LHP and is also a defensive upgrade.
I’m fine with this lineup, shake things up a little
maybe he wants damon as a pinch hitter off the bench?
I think Joe G really needs to just completely shake up the lineup. At least show you can somehow manage somehow different than Torre. (Not counting the time he moved A Rod to 8th). Can I put in a patent for this lineup?
Jeter
Damon
Nady
Abreu
A Rod
I Rod
Giambi
Melky
Cano
Stuart,
OK truce,
If Arod is seen to have not performed by the end of the season, then I am a jerk, if he has been seen to perform, then you are the jerk.
Jury is still out. We will have to rely on the prevailing opinion of the blog for the verdict.
Shame on Girardi, I hope he enjoys his loss tonight.
“maybe he wants damon as a pinch hitter off the bench?”
You don’t save your hottest hitter for 1 at bat instead of getting him 4 or 5.
Can we all agree that Karstens is the NEXT Pedro? I mean he did take a no hitter to 8th inning. And here we thought that it was Tabata that we would regret trading.
Bat A-Rod leadoff. Rationale: (1) He won’t face the pressure of having to hit as often with RISP; (2) He’s good for plenty of leadoff HRs; (3) Decent speed; (4) Would make for interesting copy
“He’s the only guy that started the year with the team that has hit all year.”
you have to add arod to that list as well.
Wow, that does it. Girardi needs a break. Give him like ten years in another organisation.
Mismanaged at least the last 2 games, and now can’t even do the little things right? I can’t believe it.
By the way, Girardi almost always does the little things wrong… his team too.
You can’t win if everybody wants to be a masterminded hero. Girardi doesn’t even blame Rodriguez for his bad steal yesterday. It’s just frustrating that a random fand would probably manage the Yankees better if he just doen’t try something too special.
Jeff – I’d like to see Jeter leading off and Damon second, with Giambi down in the lineup, but doubt it’ll happen.
Damon
Jeter
Nady
Abreu
A Rod
Cano
I Rod
Giambi
Melky
this looks better to me. we need damon’s speed at the top. jeter could go lower, but i dont think that will happen this year. i have more confidence in nady hitting 3rd than abreu, who seems like an easy groundball out sometimes, and arod, who seems like an easy K many times.
giambi & melky really need to catch fire… if melky’s 4 day benching didn’t light a fire under his ass, then he can be a bench player, & we can use christian’s speed in that spot
Girardi’s over-thinking is ridiculous. A third-grader would know you play Damon today.
S.o.S.27
“Karstens the next Pedro?”
Is that the Red Sox Pedro or the Mets Pedro?
LMAO
a good manager wins you 5 games a year. girardi has lost us about 3-4 so far. that’s too much to overcome with the injuries. absolutely no reason to not play damon and play both christian and melky. dh damon and play nady in left is the obvious move and play christian in cf if you want his speed and possibly okay obp against lefties. boggles the mind how incompetent girardi has been all year. it’s a shame cause cash has been doing a great job with inseason moves to really help him out. getting nady and pudge for a song and still we don’t put our best lineup out there is unfathomable.
Melky’s gotta play today, it is his birthday!
mine
““He’s the only guy that started the year with the team that has hit all year.â€
I think you forgot Arod on that list.”
yours
“you have to add arod to that list as well.
Hey ronkillings,
I have copy rights to that comment. Ill see you in court.
I think Girardi needs to send a message and really shake up the lineup… something like this.
Christian LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Betemit 3B
Cano 2B
Sexon 1B
Pudge DH
Molina C
Cabrera CF
Lets see if that fires up the team.
you can’t bench both giambi and damon today. at least get one of them in the lineup. this is absurd.
“Damon
Jeter
Nady
Abreu
A Rod
Cano
I Rod
Giambi
Melky”
Need somebody better than Cano to protect Arod.. this is no good
MKay just said that the players had “had enough” of Kennedy. They’re trying to win a spot in the playoffs and wanted him (and his delusions) out of the clubhouse.
He said IPK honestly thinks he’s great.
I would rather lose with 2 lefties..Damon and Giambi in the lineup then Christian leading off and Sexson. Girardi should just move everyone up instead of having someone who has played..what 4 times in the last month batting lead off. Just more stuff from Girardi that doesnt make sense.
RE: Damon not playing
I’m so cross-eyed with all of this at this point that I think my mantra is going to have to be: Girardi knows what he’s doing.
I’m still trying to figure out why with a runner on 3rd and either nobody out or one out it wouldn’t be automatic to punch a ball to the outfield, especially in what appears to be a very low-scoring game. So because I know I can’t figure that out, I know I can’t figure anything out on a more complex level.
Since I’m not about assigning individual goat horns during games and I will only get as far as the generic questioning (understanding that sometimes life happens, especially when you have someone as dependable at the plate as Abreu and once in a while he doesn’t get the job done…) here’s what happens with me instead. When unhappy and not-readily-understandable/explainable Yankee-oriented things continue to happen over an extended period of time, it finally ends up affecting my sleep. Yes as sad as that is to acknowledge, nonstop Yankee losses work their way into my psyche and I find it has an affect on my sleep patterns and general disposition!
I would assume that Yankee diehards can accept that as coming under the rubric of “I have been a fool for lesser things” (One of my favorite lines from Billy Joel songs).
So I guess if this post sounds like nonsensical babble – uh more than what you could consider my norm that is
– we can seriously blame it on the cumulative effects of lack of damned sleep.
If Damon is not to play, having Christian lead off is the next best thing in terms of what we have to offer. If Girardi is giving Damon a night off to rest him, I have to say that historically the Twins would be the team to do it against.
(Try to) GO YANKEES.
LOL sorry S.O.S. 27…hehe
yeah mark sit Damon and Nady, that would be brilliant.
“Is that the Red Sox Pedro or the Mets Pedro?
LMAO”
Niiice..
I hope you know i was kidding.
Pudge RUINED the pitching staff and bullpen.
Im so sick of Girardi. He is the pitts.
now watch this lineup go out there and score 10 runs.
Wang
If Michael Kay said it, it must be true!!!
That means the Yankee players will be seething when Pavano is brought up!!
This is what drives me crazy about Girardi.
You’ve got 3 automatic outs in Melky, Christian, and Sexson with a guy like Ponson who’s barely getting out of jams when he pitches.
Not a great formula.
Jose, sometimes you are just out of choices. With Jorge down, I guess they didn’t want to chance having something happen to Molina without a really solid backup plan. So that one kind of just fell into their laps with Pudge. I loved Kyle but understood their doing what they did. What’s unfortunate is that it happened at the point in the season that it did, with every win being so critical and Pudge not knowing the staff. But what can you do? You hope you find a way to muddle through and things even out quickly enough because he has been an HOF catcher.
“MKay just said that the players had “had enough†of Kennedy. They’re trying to win a spot in the playoffs and wanted him (and his delusions) out of the clubhouse.
He said IPK honestly thinks he’s great.”
Maybe the under achievers on the team need to remember the time they were great and play like it.
Just saw on ESPN that Evan Longoria went on the DL – fractured wrist.
No, I’M PATRICK BATEMAN!!!!
personally i like the lineup. everybody here’s all hot on developing the young guys, lets see what christian’s got (against a guy he’s seen and hit!). damon may not be injured but he’s definitly not 100% and isnt gonna play all 3 games this series.
rooting big time for christian to come through and who knows, maybe damon pinch runs for sexson late in the game and scores the game winner.
you cant just keep throwing the same lineup out there everday when they’re not getting the job done.
Patrick- Definitely not fair!!
We give Twins 3 automatic outs in Melky, Christian and Sexson, so let’s see that’s a minimum of 9 outs.
Twins only giving us 1 automatic out in Everett!!
There should be a law!!!
This may have been already discussed, but the Rays lost Longoria today, so they will be without Crawford and Longoria.
AWWW!!!!
Anyway, I like a hybrid version of something 4-5 suggested and something that was suggested by another poster later – can’t remember the poster.
If a reliable genie were to come along and tell us the Yanks wouldn’t be in the postseason, then yes I would be willing to have the Twinkies annihilate us as long as the Sux were annihilated by the Rangers – but as part of the deal I agree that the Angels must be sent to hell!
Hey if it can’t be us, I seriously wouldn’t mind seeing the Rays take it all.
If the lineup all year has been really good and everyone has been hitting like they should then to throw some automatic outs in it for a day is ok. But the lineup has been awful all year so to throw these useless people into it AND also take out Giambi and Damon is something you cant do and expect to score some runs. Especially with Ponson on the mound and on turf…not good they need more then 5 runs tonight.
“Just saw on ESPN that Evan Longoria went on the DL – fractured wrist.”
Didnt they just lose Crawford? Is a callapse too little too late?
they got baldelli back yesterday though
It can happen….. there offense stinks now.
baldelli is pavano lite
I no longer worry about other teams. The Yankees don’t need other teams to lose, they beat themselves. Having a manager who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else doesn’t help.
First Crawford, now Longoria, next Kazmir gets hurt and the Rays become the Rays!
Yanks just need to get on a roll and things will take care of themselves
Tough break for the Rays, I hate to see people get injured, even if it’s the opposition.
The Yanks just need to focus on the wild card because the Rays are not fading, despite every moron trying to convince themselves and others they are.
With Longoria, Crawford, Wakefield on the DL, this team just HAS to capitalize now to barely make the playoffs.
Am I the only person who’s been impressed with how WELL the Yankees have been playing?
Seriously.
Yeah, yeah, this was a lost weekend. But let’s consider the givens: The team’s best pitcher—Wang—seemed en route to a 20-win season (maybe even 25). He’s gone.
Our two best young prospects, Kennedy and Hughes—both of whom were in the opening-day rotation—I figured for about a dozen wins each, at least. Maybe 15 wins each. We know the total number of wins these guys have had: zero.
Zero!
Then there’s Posada, who hit, what, .330 last year, seems to have a very good rapport with the pitchers, and appears to me to be a clubhouse leader. He’s gone.
And Matsui, with his 25 dingers last year, he’s gone.
And our new ace, Joba, he’s gone for however long.
Let’s not forget we have a new manager.
And Jeter, among others, is having a below-average year.
In fact, everyone on the team, except Mo and Damon, are having average or below-average years.
Take all that into account—the injuries, the bad luck, the rough side of the law of averages (especially with RISP)—and I, for one, would expect this team to be in the cellar, even with a $200 million payroll.
The fact that the team is actually in contention for a wild card spot seems to me a minor miracle.
In fact, given the givens, I feel it’s fair to say that this is one of the more intriguing seasons the Yanks have had since the 2000 Series.
If they do actually make it to the playoffs—wow, it would have to be considered a fantastic achievement.
Yes, it’d be great to be the Angels, a baker’s dozen up in the standings, but if you take a half-step back and see how many body blows this team has endured, and to be only a handful of games back in the wild-card race, well, I say it’s been a GREAT season.
I mean it.
Not an easy season, mind you (1998 happens maybe once in a lifetime).
Not good for the heart. Not dominant. Not always fun to watch.
But, really, shockingly, the team has been playing better than expected—given all that’s happened. In fact, I say they’ve been playing great.
Yeah, I said it: Great.
Not to add a downer, but this is from Chad Jennings’ Blog:
Dave Miley’s son was killed in an automobile accident.
http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/Blogs/SWBYankees/tabid/552/Default.aspx
nothing is impossible, but it’s extremely late right now
we should concentrate on winning the wild card
what kind of line up is this? I understand we are facing a lefty but why is Damon sitting and Melky is playing. If you want to rest Damon let him DH. We are at the point of the season when we have to win games and hope that the Rays, Red Sox, White Sox and Twins lose some games.
This is the most frustrating season I have seen since the late 60’s when the Yanks were bottom dwellers.
What a brutal line-up tonight, What is Girardi thinking?
I was a big fan of making Girardi manager over Mattingly. He showed what he can do with the Marlins and he just seemed to bring a real discipline and toughness with him that contrasted with what would have probably been more of the same with an easygoing Mattingly. At this point in the season I think we can recognize both the good and the bad with Girardi. As far as I see it, the good is he has that professional, uncompromising desire to win – every day – that Torre had. Girardi also brings a level of intensity (it seems anyway) that perhaps wasn’t there in the Torre days. Unfortunately I’m starting to get annoyed with the bad things: dishonesty with injuries chief among them. I hear the “why tip off the opposition about what weapons we have” argument. What bothers me, though, is the dishonesty seems to be a common trend with the Girardi regime. Bobby Meacham as a good third base coach, Betemit seeing any playing time whatsoever, sitting Damon today (barring any future revelations of injury)... The list goes on. I wonder if Girardi is deceiving himself as well….
i dont know about you guys, but im rooting like hell for pavano to come back, force his way into the rotation and then have a phenominal september. that doesnt mean i like pavano, but before his injuries he was a solid major league pitcher, he’s on our roster and the yankees are paying him around $2.5M for the rest of this season whether he pitches or not.
so i think he will, no, do i hope he does, absolutly.
Marte is a good reliever, just don’t use him for 2 innings every time. We finally have a guy in our bullpen who can get out Ortiz, Garrett Anderson, Jim Thome, etc. The guy is flat out nasty against lefties. Just use him properly.
They’ll be playing come October….I’ve taken heat all season about this, why change now…..Phil Hughes and the return of Chamberlain will fix the rotation…The key is the return of a productive Matsui…..
So Damon is 0 for 3 against Perkins, which means nothing.
But Mekly is 4 for 5 against him, which might mean something.
Melky is 4 for 5.
Sigmund-
Given all that has happened the Yankees are playing great???
Sorry but you need to see Freud!!!
Pat you really think the yankees will allow Chamberlain to come back?
Girardi’s lineups get stranger and stranger every day. Let’s hope this one is just crazy enough to work! But why on god’s good green earth Damon would sit, I don’t know.
Also, will Giambi ever see the light of day against a lefty again? What part of “the alternative is Richie Sexson” does Girardi not understand?
Seeing the Big G on the bench is especially frustrating now that he’s been starting to hit a bit again. The game he homered in early last week, he was sitting the very next day. His production is very important to this team, why sit him a few times a week and disrupt his rythym JUST when he’s beginning to heat up again?!
Anyone else think Milton Bradley and his obscenely high OPS would be a good fit for the Yanks. As a result of his recent injury history I think he would be a good candidate to be the everyday 1B not a lot of athleticism is necessary and it is a prime offensive position.
way to go pat!
we’re 4 games out with 6 weeks to play!
anybody remember 1978? i do and i never lost faith that year. (okay so i was young and naive!) but c’mon, people, this is NOTHING!
2 good weeks will have ppl running out to buy bigger decals for thier hondas!
this is a test of our fanhood, the biggest one in 15 years! hang with your team, you’ll never regret it!
Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!
whats with this crappy lineup are we playing a team from the little league world series?
The must win game of the year and he sits Damon and Giambi vs a lefty??
I forgot that this is Sandy Koufax.
Girardi has been pretty damn terrible all season.
Marte is better than it seems. He needs to be used one inning at a time. Unfortunately, the bullpen has been spread pretty thin as of late.
I understand that Girardi is trying to rest guys regularly, but he just chooses aweful times to do it. It seems like every time a guy has a good game or series, he gets rested. Given how desperate this team is for wins, Damon should play every day until he needs a rest. Him and Nady are the only players consistently hitting right now.
I’ve been fine with Pavano coming back, period, if he can help the team. I’ve never been one to want to turn down any possible help (except I didn’t consider Kennedy helpful ).
“Dave Miley’s son was killed in an automobile accident.”
And suddenly who hits where in the Yankees lineup really becomes very irrelevant to me.
Man alive, I wish for peace for the Miley family. God help all of them.
By the way: If you put this line-up out, then you can probably sit A-Rod too – just for discipline reasons because he tried the ridiculous steal yesterday and did not even apologize.
Wanzies
That’s horrible. My thoughts and prayers are with Dave Miley and SWB.
Milton Bradley is a .162 hitter this season with the bases loaded and 2 outs.
Pass.
This is a worse lineup than most National League clubs put out there right now.
Who scares you?
A-Rod is garbage. He can’t hit a lick with a man on. Jeter is a ground ball machine.
Marte is a guy who is a small town, bad team player.
He does well on the bad teams in a market where no one bothers him.
New York and him don’t mix.
Nady feels he never left Pittsburgh.
Calzones – I think the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox might beg to differ on Marte’s inability to handle good teams and large markets.
Yes I do…..If he’s starting a throwing program, then the chances of anything seriuosly wrong with his arm is unlikely…..I do think that he’ll be back in about 10 days….I never did think there was a deep problem…..Where he pointed that night indicated to me that
it was more of a minor strain , not structual….This just happened less than a week ago, and now he’s throwing…He’s coming back…..Besides I doubt we’ll know the truth until the off season…...
The only good thing about this season is it may mean a short tenure for Girardi. He is not a good manager and he is showing how out-classed he is. His solution to everything is by the book or change the lineup.
Long appears to have outlived his usefullness as well. If a Hitting Coaches job isn’t to get those who are in prolonged slumps moving in the right direction, then why have the position at all. The Yankees don’t have anything like the same approach as they have in years past. Either that is on Girardi or Long, or both.
Marte pitched 2 games in the playoffs for the Sox. He got shelled against the BoSox.
He also had a very solid 1.72 WHIP in 2005.
Yeah, he showed he can handle a big market.
Get your facts straight before you come at me, yo.
Now we all know why Girardi was run out of Miami…Bring back Donnie Baseball…Now.
Bring on Football season….
What the hell is Girardi doing here! I thought he would be much better than this. This is just ridiculous!
renslear :
isnt it rensslaer?
i used to live in schenectady,
my best friends live in schaghticoke.
they say the names are indian, but i think the indians were just messin with us, making up one name more rediculous and unpronouncable than the next, trying to keep a straight face while the dutch bought em all, hook line & sinker.
Not to add a downer, but this is from Chad Jennings’ Blog:
Dave Miley’s son was killed in an automobile accident.
Just horrible news.
Girardi is one strange man. I wanna know whether he’s a terrible manager or some mad formulating baseball scientist. The Yankees record shows the former but who am I to judge the guy?
I don’t want to see Joba rush back and get hurt for this team of quitters who can’t even attend the service for Bobby Murcer.
Ok this series is big but the bigger concern is the playoffs which coming fast. If yankees dont make every yankee fan will go nuts so if the yanks dont make the playoffs be prepared to see some big off seasons moves like pitching and offense. Also if Giradi cant do it this
year he must go and its Willie time. I Hope.
At minimum, the Yanks will need 90 wins to capture the wildcard. That means going 27-17 over the final 44. Even with that, Boston needs to do no better than 23-21. Time to start winning two out of every three.
“This is a worse lineup than most National League clubs put out there right now.
Who scares you? ”
Sexson scares me…but that has more to do with his size than his skill…the guys huge.
Wow, that’s terrible news about Miley’s son. Terrible news. Nothing is worse than losing a child, nothing. My heart