Game 135: Blue Jays at Yankees
-
- August
- 30
YANKEES (72-62)
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A. Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Nady LF
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
I. Rodriguez C
Rasner RHP
Darrell Rasner (5-9, 5.03) vs. the Toronto hitters.
John Parrish (1-0, 4.05) vs. the New York hitters.
Notes: The Yankees have won two straight and five of their last seven. … They remain 10.5 out in the division and six out in the wild card. … The Yankees have not finished 10 or more games out of first place since 1992 when they were 76-86 and finished 20 games behind the Blue Jays. … Roy Halladay goes tomorrow for Toronto against Andy Pettitte.
A-ROD IN AUGUST: Alex Rodriguez is 23 of 95 this month (.242) with five homers and 14 RBI. He has grounded into 10 double plays and struck out 29 times.
G.O.A.T (GREATEST OF ALL TIME): Mariano Rivera has allowed one hit and no runs in his last 8.2 innings. He has walked one and struck out seven.
WELCOME BACK: Now that he has recovered from the injury to his elbow (shhh), Damaso Marte has thrown three scoreless innings in his last four outings. He hasn’t allowed a hit.
ROUGHED-UP RASNER: Rasner is 1-5, 6.22 in his last 11 games. In 55 innings he has allowed 77 hits (10 HR) and 21 walks.
OUT OF SIGHT: Wilson Betemit has one at-bat since Aug. 17.
VERAS VERY BAD: Jose Veras in his last nine appearances: 8 innings, 12 hits, 8 runs, 8 earned runs, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts, 2 home runs.
RACE IS ON: The team leaders in RBI are Abreu (82), Giambi (82) and A-Rod (79).
Back later with updates.
* * * * * * JOBA CHAMBERLAIN UPDATE, 11:59 a.m. * * * * * *
Joba threw 35 pitches off the mound this morning to Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom. There were no breaks, 35 pitches straight through.
No swings were allowed until after 10 pitches. Neither batter had a hit. Joba had poor control out of the wind but when he missed, he missed low.
He threw two curveballs for strikes, one beauty to Gardner on his 30th pitch. To my semi-educated eye, he looked like he needed some more work because of the rust. Another bullpen session could fix that.
Joe Girardi, of course, revealed nothing about what Chamberlain will do next. Joba said he’s ready to be activated. All Girardi would say is that Joba would be going on the road trip. So if nothing else, we know he’s probably not headed to Scranton or Trenton any time soon.
I’ll upload some Joba audio later on. He and I chatted a little bit after the cameras were off. I asked him whether he could come back and be himself on the mound, challenging hitters with his fastball and being aggressive. “You know me,” he said. “I’m going to let it eat.”
UPDATE, 12:47 p.m.: Here is Joba Chamberlain’s interview after he threw BP:
UPDATE, 1:15 p.m.: Great note from the Yankees today in the pre-game notes (via the Elias Sports Bureau): Carl Pavano went 1,221 days between victories at Yankee Stadium. The last Yankees pitcher to go so many days between wins while pitching for no other big league team in the interim was Tommy Byrne, who went 1,751 days between wins from 1943-1948.
Byrne’s reason? He was fighting World War II.
The Idle, he’s historic.
UPDATE, 1:21 p.m.: Sweet catch for Vernon Wells. He went a long way for that ball.
UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: They’re stopping the game to present Alex with the ball for getting a hit with a runner in scoring position. It’s a very touching cermony. Mayor Bloomberg gave him a key to the city, Challenger the Eagle is soaring across the field and the Harlem Boys Choir is singing.
UPDATE, 1:29 p.m.: And Giambi comes through as well. Amazing. I wonder how often those two have had back-to-back hits with RISP? Not often enough, that’s for sure.
2-0 Yankees and Rasner didn’t up a run in the first inning like he usually does. Looks good so far.
UPDATE, 1:43 p.m.: The Artist Formerly Known As Pudge Rodriguez has 5 hits in his last 38 at-bats and is hitless in the last 10.
UPDATE, 1:51 p.m.: Darrell Rasner has faced 10 hitters through 3 innings. 26 pitches/22 strikes
UPDATE, 2:08 p.m.: And Darrell Rasner is back. Alex Rios rolls a single into left and Vernonm Wells drops a ball onto the net above the retired numbers beyond the fence in left. Now it’s 2-2.
Rasner has allowed 11 HR in his last 59 innings.
UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: Now this is funny. Johnny Damon caught a fly ball to end the inning. As he always does, he turned to throw the ball into the bleachers. But his throw was short and hit the black-and-orange Canon sign on the front of the stands.
The fans out there booed ad Damon threw his hands up. Just a guess, he’ll bring a ball out there next inning and make it up to them.
I’m sure many of you know this. But Johnny is great with fans, especially kids. He’s a tremendous guy and he plays hard every day.
UPDATE, 2:19 p.m.: Cano goes the short way, dumps one over the fence in right and it’s 3-2 Yankees.
UPDATE, 2:20 p.m.: Hey everybody, it’s Pudge Rodriguez. He jacks one over the fence in left and the Yankees lead 4-2.
He has seven on the season (really?) and two for the Yankees. Both his pinstriped RBI have come on solo homers.
It’s the 10th time the Bombers have gone back-to-back (and belly-to-belly).
UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: 1-2-3 inning for Rasner. That’s what he needed. If they can get two more innings out of him, he’ll have done better than they could have hoped.
UPDATE, 2:42 p.m.: Bases loaded, one out, up 4-2. This is where you need to drive a stake into the heart of the Blue Jays. This will be an interesting at-bat for Xavier Nady.
UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: And he fouls out to first base. Up to Godzilla with two outs now. He needs a hit badly, he’s been struggling since coming off the DL.
UPDATE, 2:47 p.m.: And Matsui rips one into the right-field corner for a double. Big hit for him and the Yankees. Gets ahead in the count, keeps his hands back and gets a fastball he can drive. The man knows his business.
UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: The Met Life Countdown continues to be a letdown. The lever today was pulled by two people who were described as “loyal fans at Yankee Stadium for many years.” No names were on the scoreboard. Apparently one of the women is blind and has come to the Stadium for many years. That’s nice to recognize her. But how about explaining it better?
How can a team with as much tradition as the Yankees have botched this thing so badly? It’s really quite simple. You make a list of the games, the dates and what number will be on the countdown. You then figure out what retired players either wore that number or did something significant on that day.
You fly that player in, let him pull the lever, the fans enjoy seeing him and then that guy tells everybody how great the Stadium was. Everybody’s happy. It becomes a special moment every day.
Instead it’s been a series of people nobody knows, YES announcers or insurance company executives. Only once in a while is it a former player or celebrity and that’s only because that person happened to be at the park that day.
I know I rant about this all the time. But I really hoped that this final season at the Stadium would be a lot like what the Cardinals did at Busch Stadium, something cool every day. Instead it has been just another year at the ballpark outside of the All-Star Game.
Thousands of people came to the ballpark today for the last time. They deserved something special.
UPDATE, 3:18 p.m.: Man, Cano drives you crazy. 6-2 game, just make the simple play. Now Toronto is a swing away from tying it.
Meanwhile, given Rasner’s history, Girardi should have had somebody warming up to start the inning. Rasner hasn’t completed seven innings since June 6.
UPDATE, 3:25 p.m.: Here’s the other issue with this inning: You need to try and keep Mariano Rivera on the bench today. He has worked multiple innings two days in a row and should not pitch today.
Cano’s error opens the door to a close game in the ninth. What happens then?
UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.: Rasner pitched better than his line. But in the end, he allows four earned runs over six innings and that’s not any good.
Blame Cano for part of it. But Girardi should have been in a position to pull him after Lind singled. When it unravels for Rasner, it usually happens fast.
Meanwhile, A-Rod struck out and the crowd booed. We’re getting back to 2006 A-Rod hate levels now. Booing today is unfair, he had an RBI single in the first inning.
UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: Wow, League is nasty. He’s hitting 98 and sinking it.
UPDATE, 3:52 p.m.: I suppose there is a way this ends well, but I don’t see it. Ramirez needs two strikeouts here. Wells has good speed at third.
Up 6-2 in the seventh inning, you need to put the game away. This is some pretty awful baseball by the Yankees. But this is why they’re in third place.
UPDATE, 3:55 p.m.: Now it’s 6-6. Toronto has six hits (and counting) in the last two innings.
UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: The crowd is really getting ugly here. Cano was booed before, during and after his at-bat.
A 6-2 lead, facing Roy Halladay tomorrrow and you let the game get away? This would be a brutal loss.
UPDATE, 4:24 p.m.: A-Rod either wins it or ends it, right? That is usually how it goes.
UPDATE, 4:28 p.m.: Jeter gives them a chance. Great play by Rios to keep that to a single.
UPDATE, 4:29 p.m.: It always comes down to A-Rod. Amazing.
I bet he wins it. He’s due for one of those.
UPDATE, 4:32 p.m.: GIDP. They’re booing Alex like he’s the Son of Sam. Unreal. 11 GIDPs this month,
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on Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 9:45 am by Peter Abraham.
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“Must win”
On a serious note we need this game.
Hey, Pete love your blog please tell all those Yankees fans out there to still have hope and never stop believing. Thnx.
Pete,
Last night on the post-game interview, I think Girardi spoke to not using Marte not as originally planned out of necessity. It sounded as though multiple inning stints is not in Marte’s immediate future. Lesson learned?
I’m pretty excited I got some tickets for my birthday and this will be my last game at the old stadium. It’s a pretty sad day and I hope it doesn’t rain. Hope everybody enjoys the game on tv! lol
Go Yankees!
“It sounded as though multiple inning stints is not in Marte’s immediate future. Lesson learned?”
Wonder if he was referrig to that 40+ pitch outing Marte had awhile back (against Texas maybe?). Lesson learned?? We’ll see. Hasn’t had any trouble bringing Mo out for 4 outs or more of late. 3 times in the last 7-8 days I believe.
Win this game!
I still think Matsui should bat behind Arod and move Giambi down
Go Yankees! Man I wish they would have gave this aceves kid a shot at sarting. Who knows maybe he’ll be the one to relieve Rasner. Maybe Girardi let Darrell get a shot at this once since he dominated the Blue Jays last time out.
I just hope they blow the Jays out today so Mo can get a rest.
Iris,
I think that Rasner will be on a short leash especially with a starter like Aceves to eat up innings.
Hopefully we won’t need him. I’d like Rasner to have a good outing. He has one (1) win since the ASB. Yikes.
“I just hope they blow the Jays out today so Mo can get a rest.”
I think the offense will explode today. And I also think we will see Aceves today.
Let’s go Yankees. Hope they get an easy win today.
Rasner is a nice Triple A pitcher. Maybe a long man on a good team. Him getting 20+ starts this year is a huge indictment against the young arms in the system.
Can I just point out that Marte had a few outings with over 30 pitches thrown.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/gamelog?playerId=4100
Not sure why Joe gets thrown under the bus for it, when Marte’s done it before.
any update on where phil hughes will start on monday? i know the yankees are secretive about such things, but it makes very little sense (assuming they are confident he is fully healthy, which appears to be the case), not to have him make a regular turn at the big league level for the rest of the season. look at what happened when pelfry got comfortable, and pelfry couldn’t clean hughes’ shoes 18 months ago.
As the yanks were struggling through the last few weeks, Pete has been cryptically implying how Joe Gorardi has to motivate the team better and Torre always did a great job of that. Many bloggers here said that even Torre would not have made a diference with this team.
Well let us look at how Torre is doing. LA lost last eight games. They are out of the NL wildcard. Thier only hope is division and are 5 games down in the loss column. In all likleyhodd, Dodgers will not make the playoffs.
So, the question is what happened to Torre’s great skills at motivating his team? Why did Dodgers lose 8 games in a row and efectively took them out of playoff contention?
I personally have lot of respect for what Torre did with/for yankees in the first six years. Nobody can take that away. Still, he was a failure before coming to Yanks and it is Stienbrenner’s money and some very good acquisitions like Paul and great homegrown talent that resulted in the success. Torre’s ability to deal with the media contributed as well, but wihtout team performing that would not make nay difference.
After he left the Yanks (he was not fired), Torre should have taken a break. Instead he goes back to managing immediately and look at what is happening. He is back to his pre-Yankees managerial failures and proving that Boss was correct that it is the Yankees who made Torre and not the other way aorund.
And, hopefully Peter and others give a rest to this nonsense of how Torre would have done better with the Yanks. I believe it would have been worse as the only bright spot the bullpen would have been worse and Torre would have been fired in the middle of the season.
Pete is a reporter. His job is to report on the state of the team and especially the manager. Who is the conduit for news injuries etc. The manager is the mouthpiece for the team. Pete wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t point out what Girardi isn’t doing.
Girardi isn’t Torre. We all know that. Torre is one of a kind. But Girardi was supposed to be better in game manager and I haven’t seen that from him.
Torre stepped in you know what when he came to the Yankees. He had the young homegrown guys coming up and he had the vets like Paul. All that coming together for that period of time is a once in a life time thing. We will never see a run like that again.
i agree hughes should be told to just go out and pitch and don’t worry about anything.he needs innings.it get’s to a point where the minor leagues does not help a pitcher and they need major league innings.acevez will be in very early,ras should of never gotten the start,acevez,hughes,wright.i think the yankees might have turned the corner but boston just won’t lose.we need to pick up 3 or 4 games by the last series.anything more than 2 games out might be too much to overcome.let’s start by picking up one today,let’s go yankees.
“But Girardi was supposed to be better in game manager and I haven’t seen that from him.”
Girardi has no bench, Cano and Jeter are having off years, Giambi has been very streaky and A-Rod’s troubles are nothing new. Posada is out and Matsui missed most of the season. Did I mention Wang being hurt?
None of the above are excuses for their record, but how is Girardi’s in-game management anything more than a footnote to all this?
Pete- do you think it is more on the manager to create a good relationship with a beat guy or is it on the beat guy to create, or at least go out of their way trying to create a good relationship with the manager?
You seem upset that he was chummy with Evan Roberts (just read the posts from yesterday, was at the game, love your blog) was that the case?
“Pete is a reporter. His job is to report on the state of the team and especially the manager.”
Then one should stick to reporting instead of second guessing every thiing. Which other reporter is doing it?
So if the Dodgers are going to miss the playoffs because they are 5 games back, what does that say about our chances ?
Has Pavano been traded yet?
“So if the Dodgers are going to miss the playoffs because they are 5 games back, what does that say about our chances ?”
I think both teams are in the same boat. Both still have a chance to make the playoffs. I like our chnces better as Boston is facing lot of injuries and it will slow them down. Also, look at the record. If Yanks and Dodgers are in the same division, Dodgers will be 7.5 games behind Yanks and Yanks face tougher competition in the AL.
Agree with murph. There’ve only been a few true headscratchers. The rest of the times he put people in position to succeed and they failed. Repeatedly.
People were wondering why this, why that reliever? He was building the bullpen. They know exactly who’s available on a given day, exactly how many pitches each has thrown. He didn’t call up the pen and call for his security blanket. He did it the right way and it’s paid off. In fact, based on expectations, Mo’s broken our hearts the most number of times out of the bullpen.
We’re used to him being an automatic win and he is, except for that weird brief period of time.
And please don’t bring up the tied game situations. You can’t pin that on Girardi. It’s up to Mo to figure it out. You do the guy and the team a disservice if you don’t put him back on the horse, so to speak.
pelfreys numbers are not as good if you look close.the league is batting 2.77 against him,he has given up 7 more hits than innings pitched and is 2 years older than hughes.hughes need to develop more pitches,cutter,split,slider.right now he only trusts his fastball and curve and in games earlier this year scouts said that when he lost faith in his other pitchers he threw only his curve and fasball.hitters sat on those two and bombed him.you have to have a pitch or two to keep them honest.anyways hughes just turned 22 yrs old.what is up with pavano? do the yankees bring him back for a one year deal for 6-8 million? sabathia,wang,joba,pavano,mussina/hughes or sheets,wang,joba,mussina,pavano.if we can get a frontline pitcher like kashmir,carmona i would trade a package of hughes,cano and whatever other prospect it takes to get a young cheaper frontline starter.they can easily replace cano but a guy like kashmir or peavey would prevent us from having to overspend on sabathia and free money up for maybe texiera or and infielder and centerfielder.i would love a rotation of peavey,wang,joba,mussina,pavano/hughes.
“Then one should stick to reporting instead of second guessing every thiing. Which other reporter is doing it?”
The ones who blog or write columns in addition to writing news stories.
People who are not interested in opinion just read the news stories. People who are interested in opinion also read columns and blogs.
There is an easy cure for your dissatisfaction in there.
“All that coming together for that period of time is a once in a life time thing. We will never see a run like that again.”
So true, except that it can be seen again
People forget how much had to go right between ‘95 and 2001 for the team to be the monster it was, both within the Yankees organization and across baseball in the teams the Yankees beat. All the planets were aligned, and the Yankees had their house in order.
They need to put their house in order again and they will, once they unload the deadwood and get younger, cheaper and more athletic.
There are some similarities to the start of the last dynasty. As in the early 90’s, these days Big Stein is out of the picture and the Yankees are being picky about signing big FA contracts, concentrating on stockpiling arms and looking to the draft.
The biggest difference IMO is that they are still under pressure to be competitive given their budget and the not so distant memories of success. Cash and Co. have to find the courage to dismantle the remnants of the ‘98 team, let go of the ghost and start over from here.
The Yankees scored 3 runs or less 58 times, we won 17 times.
We lost 24 games by 2 runs or less. Just think if Cano, Alex, Jeter etc had come up even a little big in those games what our record could be.
Gotta win today if we have Doc tomorrow
“The ones who blog or write columns in addition to writing news stories.
People who are not interested in opinion just read the news stories. People who are interested in opinion also read columns and blogs.
There is an easy cure for your dissatisfaction in there.”
It goes both ways. If one gives an opinion, others can give a counter opinion. You can not just shut them down becuase they are not agreeing with your opinion. Here I am not talking about Pete, who is OK with ocunter opinion. It is about the immature bloggers who think that they should leave the blog if they disagree with what Pete writes.
BBFan-
Great post on Torre, and I couldn’t agree more.
I used to frequent this site often, but Peter’s subtle opinions became too much for me.
I still come back from time to time, but waiting for a better blog to surface.
Go Yankees.
pete sometimes you’re very negative and it’s really annoying
They’ve seen Halladay often enough this year to finally hit him. He’s faced them 4 prior times and the last was only 9 or so days ago. So, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
There is no question, we HAVE to win today, AND tomorrow against the Doc. Without both of these wins, there is absolutely no chance the Yankees can catch the Red Sox. It would also be a bonus if the Red Sox lost today and tomorrow.
Pete, Any info on Melky?
murphydog,
I want to believe that but, the sad fact is, the Doc is the best pitcher in baseball, period. He is a competitor and hates to lose. He will do anything to beat the Yankees tomorrow.
OUT OF SIGHT: Wilson Betemit has one at-bat since Aug. 17.
– - – - – - – - – -
Betemit can’t possibly be considered in any plans for 2009.
It’s Pete’s job to write for his paper, not be a cheerleader for this team.
My only issue is that he and the other beat writers print stuff they would never say to a person’s face. Little snide comments or pet names. But it’s New York, not Grand Rapids so I guess that’s the way it is.
Kelli,
I think Wilson’s a FA. He, Giambi, and Pudge will be packing their things.
It’s Pete’s blog, why he can’t write what he wants. He doesn’t have to cater to what we approve of. It’s his opinions, & this is a forum to debate them as well.
I really, really like our team. Sure, we’re not doing well at all. Not even OK. But I really like the players we have and the players that we can get.
It wouldn’t hurt for us to trade a relatively big name with a year or two on his contract for some prospects that could help this team in the next few years. Signing free agents is always expensive and the return is usually good, but marginally it can be quite inferior to the value of prospects.
The Yankees will have one of the best drafts in recent memory if they allow enough free agents to walk and do not make the playoffs. Just think – Gerrit Cole didn’t sign and we will get his pick again. We will have somewhere around pick #20ish, too. And – We will have supplementals for players like Giambi and Abreu (if we don’t resign). Not to mention Pudge.
I really, really like the future of this team. Action Jackson figures to become a solid player if we give him the time to develop fully, with Jesus Montero and other positional prospects that are in the lower A to AA ball on their way. Our pitching prospects are fairly deep, but need to be developed.
I’ll take a losing season next year, too, if it means that we can develop these kids to be the Major Leaguers that they have the potential to be.
I have a really good feeling that Brackman is going to be a big deal when he gets himself ready to go. He could have closer potential as well as starter potential.
But this offseason, we must address our immediate offensive concerns. Nady can play 1B without a problem, as it used to be his main position. We need some insurance for Cano, incase he continues this downward spiral. Our outfield is saturated with decent offensive and defensive talent and Melky is waiting in the wings. It’s the underproducing infield and catcher that are bringing this team down, imo.
The pitching rotation will work itself out, especially with Wang and Hughes in the fray.
Wang
Pettitte
Chamberlain
Mussina
Hughes
And if one of Mussina and Pettitte don’t sign, we’ll need to go for CC. Otherwise, I say we stay out of the sweepstakes until the near end so that we don’t raise the price of his services too much.
Josh Johnson:
I hear you.
I won’t predict that the Yank’s lineup will suddenly gel and put good ABs on Roy every inning. But this may be the first time all season that there is any slight psychological edge going into a game against Roy and I gotta go with it.
“There is an easy cure for your dissatisfaction in there.”
If you know the difference between counter opinion and dissatisfaction, you would not write this.
edit: I have a problem with the personal stuff in the “newspaper”/print side. Anything goes for the blog.
“My only issue is that he and the other beat writers print stuff they would never say to a person’s face. Little snide comments or pet names. But it’s New York, not Grand Rapids so I guess that’s the way it is.”
Pete doesn’t call Pavano the “Rajah of rehab” to his face?
In my opinion, one could be a lot more liberal with a blog. It’s more free wheeling.
The Sox bringing Bowden off the farm to make Beckett’s start today.
Is he a Lester or a Buccholz?
Picking up a win and a game today would be excellent.
myrtlebeachfan,
Nice to know that someone else likes this team.
It’d be great if Nady played 1B. Should we send him to AFL? Better yet, how about Hawaii winter ball!
[still irritated with Cokie Roberts for scolding Obama for going to Hawaii for vacation and to see the fam instead of going to a less foreign, exotic place like “Myrtle Beach”.]
I don’t think that they’ll let Cano pull the same crap next season. He’ll be on a short leash now that they’ve identified the problem.
I was never sold on Veras even when he was pitching well. He was frequently off the plate and when he throws strikes he gets hit hard.
Moving forward he can not be the 8th inning guy. They have to serioulsy consider Bruney. Also, when Joba come to bullpen next week for a fews before starting, it will help also.
For all the complaining against Kyle, we really miss him.now.
Clay,
I think he calls him the “Prince of Majarajah” to his face. I don’t think he can say it with a straight face, tho.
Many will remember George Steinbrenner accepting the championship trophy and with tears said how he appreciated how difficult it was to repeat and cited the 3 tiers of playoffs needing success ever since ‘95.
That was a three-peat and since then no repeat has happened.
There are certain formulas in building a winning team but today the degree of difficulty comes in building a winner for the long term.
Not an easy thing to do anymore.
Myrtlebeach, exactly what downward spiral is Cano on? Like 99% of this team, he’s having an off year. In actuality, he had an off-month. April.
If batting practice is any indication of the game the yanks will rock arod, pudge and nady were htting monster shots to all fields and gardber who is not playing monster shots to rf. Yes I know bp has nothing to do with real game lol
We need to win today. If you look at who is pitching for CWS and MIN, they will probably win their games. We’ve got to get this one and pray for more luck against Doc tomorrow.
gayle,
What is Freddy doing?
the yankees can’t keep the same rotation.i’d be very hesitant about pettitte unless the price is right,no way he get’s even close to 16 million,maybe 10 and that might be too much,becket makes 10 million.they need pitchers that will keep them in every game,as long as they are solid 1-5.the question is,is wang,pettitte,joba,mussina,pavano enough or do they need an ace or 2 solid pitchers and let pavano/pettitte,mussina go,who should they keep and who should they try to sign and should they try to package hughes,cano,melky/gardner/betances for an ace?trade matsui,dh posada,nady at first base or dh matsui,posada at first base,nady in right field,jeter to first base? i think jeter would be great at first and we can sign a shortstop or move arod to short and sign a third baseman,a lot of options.i would sit down with the team and ask them,who want’s first base and so on or do they just go out and sign a first baseman,outfielder(s)?the problems are pitching,center field,first base,bench.i would get a good first baseman,maybe tex if it’s no more than 5 years and get an ace at all costs as long as it is a 5 year deal also.tex,5 years/90 million is as far as i go,sabathia 4 years / 88 million or 5 yrs/105 million.those two would make the yankees a nice team.a rotation of sabathia,wang,joba,pavano,mussina/pettitte/hughes is nice.
wilson betemit is still no the team?
bru,
Are you posting from a phone? It’s very difficult to read what you’re writing.
BBFan-
I don’t miss Farnsworth at all. The current failures in our bullpen, are due to overuse and being seen time and time again by teams we are facing within our own division. If the starters could get thru at least 6, if not 7 innings the bullpen would be fine.
Mel-
What problem have they identified with Cano? ADD? Laziness? Hitch in his swing? Other?
YT,
All of the above?
Swing looks fine. He strikes out less than you know who, walks more than you know who, and GIDP less than you know who.
The problem is keeping him focused. The whole staff and Jeter just has to stay on top of him. Wonder what his dad’s like? He seems to respond to the tough dad routine.
“Then one should stick to reporting instead of second guessing every thiing. Which other reporter is doing it?”
I included this quote in my post above so that you would know which of your messages I was responding to when I reminded you of the difference between reporting and blogging and suggested a remedy for your dissatisfaction.
You answered, “If you know the difference between counter opinion and dissatisfaction, you would not write this.”
I do know the difference, but in fact there was no ‘counter opinion’ in the message of yours that I responded to, just a complaint about the blog including ‘second-guessing’. (Imagine a blog containing second-guessing!! Disgraceful!!!)
Just trying to keep some rigor in the discussion…
Pete,
Thanks for the Joba update. We know about Joba being used in the bullpen. We heard it on the radio, remember?
What does that last line from Joba mean?
i like the “1 AB per 2 weeks” Betemit stat. that’s about right.
speaking of Yankees who were horrific this year, i saw that Latroy Hawkins is doing great now that he’s pitching in AAAA for the Astros. 9 IP, 3 hits, no runs, 15 Ks. the K/IP ratio is amazing in that for the Yanks he had 23 Ks in 41 IP.
It’s scary how many people want to now keep Pavano-13M option, based on two outings. How many ground outs did he have last night compared to long fly outs, and was he pitching over 90 on the radar gun?
From potential FA pitchers that would DEFINITELY/POSSIBLY be worth looking into there is:
Sabathia
Sheets
Dempster
Penny-if option not picked up
Burnett-if he declines 12M option
Lackey- who’s option certainly will be picked up
Oliver Perez
Looper
Any others??
So, if Joba comes back do you use him in the 8th inning for the remainder of the year, as the bridge to Mariano seems to have fallen apart again or do you use September to try and stretch him out?
If the Yankees stay on the fringes of the playoff race, I say use him in the 8th for this year, and start building his innings in the AFL or next year.
YT,
Only Sabathia, Lackey, and Burnett interest me. I don’t anything about Sheets except he’s really good when healthy. Penny’s another DL guy.
Cashman will have Pavano’s agent on speed dial. CC’s a long shot.
There may be a riot if Pavano’s back, but it’s amazing that Carl got a lot of love last night. While Alex was just crucified.
how do you not resign Pavano at this point?
Joey’s Poodle,
With due respect, you still do not understand the difference between counter opinion and dissatisfaction.
I suggest you go back to my original note at 10:51 am. My note was completely centered around Torre would not have done a better job than Girardi under the circumstances and I gave lot of circumstantial evidence. I disagreed with the opinion of some and it has nothing to do with dissatisfaction
how do you not exercise your option on Pavano at this point?
garland is a fa,dempster,perez from the met’s also.sabathia and sheets should be on top of the list after that i wouldn’t mind dempster or perez,even pavano.
Mel, like you, I can see a possiblity where Pavano returns…just nowhere near half of what he got for one year. If he gets more than one year and a team option with a low base, loaded with incentives, I’d be shocked.
some people may have just had it with pavano.it is suspicous that just when his contract is up he comes back.i like what i’ve seen from him his last start,it was great,just what the yankees need but it would have to be a incentive laced contract,8 million and a million dollars if he starts 15 games,a million if he starts 30 games,a million for 15 wins,million for 20 wins,something along those lines,he simply can’t be trusted.i say get rid of him,pettitte,mussina and get pitchers with better whip,hits per innings pitched numbers because all three are not great,era means nothing.
Pavano returning is a possility if he continues pitchiing well for the rest of the season without injuries and agrees for an incentives laden contract based on innings pitched.
GB7,
Disgusting isn’t it? I wonder if we can put a non-parachute clause. If he goes on the DL, we can push him out of a plane without a parachute.
What if he pitched well, really well for the rest of the year? Who gives him that second big contract? I’ll fly up to Boston and personally stone him if ends up there.
“G.O.A.T (GREATEST OF ALL TIME)”
Mariano is not a goat, he is G.R.E.A.T.: Greatest Reliever Ever, All-Time!
Perfect game for Bowden today or just a no-hitter ?
Pavano has a 13 million dollar option and a 2 million dollar buyout for next year.
he will get a contract.he has around 5 more starts and if he does well he will get paid ok.i just don’t see a team giving him more than 2 yrs and an option with incentives for more than 8 million guaranteed,maybe 5 million. i like him at a one year 5 million dollar contract with an option year.he needs to be given motivation to get paid.he might decide that 3-5 million dollars is enough and go through the motions so keep it low with incentives to make a lot more,if not bye bye pavano,just to risky.
he should be bought out,13 million is a 3 million dollar raise????????,now that is funny.
BBF, my reason for quoting the post I was responding to was just to avoid this sort of confusion, which arises with people who post too frequently to keep track of their own opinions.
The post I quoted and answered was your ll:03 one—not your 10:51 one (which was quite rational).
All cleared up?
Even if not, I really can’t try any further. The game is about to begin, and (unlike many here, I know) I like watching games better than I like blogging.
wow anyone see the new jeter degree commercial? cap is spreadin himself a little thin-
Vlad Guerrero-15M club option for next year. Could it be possible that they don’t bring him back, or sign him with the intent of trading him? They have FAs Teixeira, F-Rod, Juan Rivera plus expensive club options for Lackey and Anderson. At 33 would you sign Guerrero to a 3-4 year contract?
Adam Dunn: Any interest at 1st base even with SO ratio?
Pat Burrell: LF-Any interest?
Mel, the only contract he’ll get is with a lot of team escapes in it. I could see the dodgers or even SF or mariners giving him a deal like that, but, nobody will take a chance on him without a full, quality year, whether the injuries are real or not. Obviously, the two elbow surgeries were legitimate, just not sure about the other one. The “bruised buttocks injury”, who knows, but, a hip flexor or or hip pointer could have been the result. Both are painful and for pitchers, hard to pitch without altering the motion. They also last quite a while. He was pitching well in his rehabs in August of 2006, until the car accident and broken ribs. People forget that he actually made two rehab starts after that. He’s still a real wild card for any team, though.
Guys:
Pavano is not coming back. It’s a silly debate. One decent start in after 4 years of what happened doesn’t mean a damn thing. Beyond that, if you watched the game he gave up a series of rockets that got caught. He’s only here now because they are desperate and are determined to keep Phil and Ian in the minors.
Why not pick-up Pavano’s option next year? Because it is high time for other teams to overpay players after their contract years. I know he’s winning games for the team but there is no doubt he’s using the team again to extort money off of his next team. No thanks.
On another note, I hope A-rod gets out of this funk that he’s in. I’m tired to telling everyone in my section how stupid they are for booing him.
bru
it’s actually a 1 million raise because he’s guaranteed the 2 million buy out already.
ER – no hitter, he’ll probably have early jitters and walk some guys.
He is a Red Sox youngster afterall, so he is destined for stardom. It is sickening to watch, but its the truth.
Pete
No “aliens landing in Central Park” for Pavano?
I don’t care if the balls were caught against the center field wall. He still pitched a fine game, and wasn’t that bad in his first start.
There were two hard base hits and maybe four long flies, two of them to left center. That’s where they need to be hit. I realize that it’s against your better nature to give due compliments to your special targets, but, a little objectivity wouldn’t hurt.
The only talk about Pavano, besides the trolls, were about what team or kind of contract he might receive.
“Pavano is not coming back. It’s a silly debate.”
Exactly, Pete. I’m surprised at these people for even thinking about it. Goes to show how desperate we are for pitching.
Pavano isn’t even in the top 100 of silly debates that have happened here.
“Pavano isn’t even in the top 100 of silly debates that have happened here.”
True. In my mind, the silliest has to be the “should we trade A-Rod” debate. Who trades one of the best baseball players in the game? “Yeah, that guys’ a bum. Let’s get rid of him and replace him with Joe Crede.”
Unbelievably silly.
Sigh. I miss Colt Brennan…
Go Yankees. Defense be good. That includes you, Daryl!
Did Leiter just say Rasner has done a good job for the Yankees?
I love how Girardi just owns you and it drives you crazy. As an actual fan of the team, you dont see me crying that he doesn’t provide concrete guidelines…..learn from this.
“Joe Girardi, of course, revealed nothing about what Chamberlain will do next. Joba said he’s ready to be activated. All Girardi would say is that Joba would be going on the road trip. So if nothing else, we know he’s probably not headed to Scranton or Trenton any time soon.”
Honest question:
Why do they just play the tapes for the National Anthems? Especially on a Saturday game. I thought in these final days they would have a recording artist or something. Don’t they have at least a school choir available?
“Sigh. I miss Colt Brennan…”
Enough to become a Redskin fan?
pat,
They’re my second favorite team.
i wish the jets had taken breenan
Low strike zone
I miss Timmy Chang!
I won’t be able to watch the game or follow along all that much, but good luck Ras. I crunched some numbers and I’ve concluded that not winning today could have an adverse effect on our chances of sweeping. Furthermore, we need a win.
So go Yankees and at 5:00 p.m. PDT, Go Bears!
laura i wouldn’t wan’t crede he is hurt too much.lol. you and pete don’t know what the yankees will do.i just love people who say no way is pavano coming back.how do you know,you act like you are running the team.it would be different if you said i don’t wan’t him back or i don’t think he’ll be back but when you say no way he comes back makes you look stupid.pitching is very hard to find and very expensive so it is not impossible to think that the yankees might bring him back if the price is right especially how the kids have been pitching and the uncertain status of mussina and pettitte.i personally don’t think he will be back but wouldn’t be shocked if he is because he only would have one year to set himself up for another contract unlike the 4 year one that is ending now.don’t take this personal or feel you have to come back at me with some intellectual response but all i am saying is that nobody knows what the yankees are going to do so don’t let you’re personal feelings or you’re opinions cloud reality.are pettitte,mussina,giambi coming back? nobody knows,i don’t think cashman,girardi,hank know,just my opinion.
Bobby and those darn walls.
cmon arod get a homer now turn it around!
Arod gets a big hit here.
p.s. 11 more innings of Joba in ‘08 or bust!
Did Leiter just say Rasner has done a good job for the Yankees?
****************************
He did and he’s right. Rasner like all other starters, has been a victim of poor run support with the exception of 2 bad outings.
Before the season is over, The Yankees will have scored over 300 fewer runs than every analyist predicted they would at the start of 2008.
nice pitch parrish
bru,
Please, we’re begging you. One space after comma. Two after periods. And break up your thoughts with a line break. Pretty please.
I hate good D. It’s not fair, we don’t have it, the others team shouldn’t have it either.
Bru:
Can you try some paragraphs in your posts? They’re very hard to read.
As for Pavano, I wrote what I wrote based on talking to people to the organization. I don’t just say things off the top of my head.
big hit finally 4 arod
I haven’t checked here in a while, but it’s nice to see Pete still whining and crying about Girardi hasn’t accepted him as his closest confidant. Girardi has not had a great season, but I love how he gets under the skin of the crybaby media.
I can’t believe my eyes! A hit and RBI with RISP. Sweet.
A-Rod sucks, Girardi blows
Wrong, wrong and wrong.
Stick around, you may be the catylst that is needed to turn it around.
And Alex comes through with RISP. No boos for him today. Well, at least not yet.
Kay doing his best jinxing job with these stats
” The Yankees will have scored over 300 fewer runs than every analyist predicted they would at the start of 2008”
check your numbers…definitly not 300 less
arod, way to shut them dopey fans up
who is pitching tomorrow answer me plzz
nice hit
pettite
im goin to the game tomorrow answer plzzzzzzzz
WHoa! runs
Another hit with RISP. Who are these guys and what have they done with my Yankees?!
And now Giambi!! I must be dreaming.
Halladay
what about the blue jays who is pitching 4 da blue jays tomorrow answer plz
“UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: They’re stopping the game to present Alex with the ball for getting a hit with a runner in scoring position. It’s a very touching cermony. ”
Bravo
“And Alex comes through with RISP. No boos for him today. Well, at least not yet.”
He does shine when the pressure’s off.
RINS PLURAL
hallday
Let’s see if Rasner can hold the lead.
Neil, yes the offense has been the main problem, but Rasner isn’t helping out his own cause. Look at the numbers Pete posted for his last 11 starts.
WHO IS PITCHING 4 DA BLUEJAYS TOMORROW
Some rookie call-up named Roy Halladay. He won a Cy Young in the minors.
Kalee
Lose the caps. The told you Halladay/Pettitte.
in addition when you build a team you do not know how things will turn out,you just go with what feels right,that is how i see it if i were in cashmans shoes.should pavano be brought back,posada to first,nady to first,trade cano,i don’t know for certain but what i do know is that you have to consider everything including trading hughes,cano and have to have good enough pitching.who would of thought that brosus or oneil would turn into what they did.the yankees won it all with charlie hayes at third base.you can have an allstar at every position but without pitching it won’t work and if you take a close look at wang,pettitte,mussina and the rest of the yankees pitchers,whip,hits per innings,baa,strikeout numbers you knew the yankees would struggle if you compare them to the rest of the league combine that with the offense scoring 150-200 less runs compared to last year that spells trouble.
Kalee Naraine
Halliday
I think if Carl Pavano were any type of man, he whould take league minimum the next three years with incentives for wins. Sitting around getting paid millions of dollars for faking injuries is hardly honorable. Give him league minimum and pay him $200,000 per win. That would be a nice contract if he were confident he could produce.
Bru, no one is going to read your posts when you write them that way.
does anyone thibk that the jays are just behind every pitch the yanks have thrown them today and yestarday. alot of high pop ups.
“Let’s see if Rasner can hold the lead.”
Rasner just said they should take 1 run off the board because he’s putting up 9 0’s today.
“I think if Carl Pavano were any type of man, he whould take league minimum the next three years with incentives for wins.”
And he may; just not with the Yankees.
ok thanks! im going to the game tomorrow
Jeez, nice play by Cano.
I heard Halladay had problems and got sent down. Did he figure those things out, JB?
Wow, nice job so far by Ras!
Come on bottom of the order!!!
The Blue Jays just can’t hit. They could make anyone look good right now.
Dan—the market right now is a $1,000,000 per win.
Wow, A-Rod and Giambi with back to back hits with RISP, Cano hustling to throw a runner out, Ras with 14 pitches and zero runs through two innings. Did someone kidnap the real Yankees?
Fredo Corleone
How is the pressure off in a tie game?
That is just dumb.
Pettite needs to come up big tomorrow.
2 inning so far for Rasner and he has thrown 14 pitches? I’ll take it!
back to work bats
ok i’ll try peeps. i think i forgot how,sorry.
Blue Jays are fastball hitters. Off speed gives thees them fits.
sw if so lets keep these new yankees.
true that BBB
Laura,
He doesn’t care. He’s the uni-typer.
mastsui could possibly benefit from 1 day off…cant be a terrible idea..give gardner a day in cf and damon a dh day…
Cano does not seem bothered by Melky’s absence. Perhaps it was a wake up call for him as well.
Greenberet—you got it! The Blue Jays hitters pound guys like Josh Beckett but make soft-tossers look great.
HEY IS PUDGE AN IMPOSTER?
Kalee-
For the last time its Mr. Cy Young vs HGH Pettitte.
Man, it’s so frustrating to think how Cano’s yearly post ASB hot streak got interrupted this year by him getting banged up (IIRC it was his hand?) – he is back in business now but if it weren’t for the time his injury took, he’d easily be approaching .285 right now.
This Parrish guy has got some serious control problems.
Is he related at all to Lance Parrish from DET?
I’m trying to follow along on my blackberry but I think bru broke it.
Frowny face.
wow that pick off attempt was just ugly.
Trying to contact mlb.com who saw fit to black me out of today’s game, even though I shouldn’t be blacked out.
Now present and accounted for however.
Be back.
PUDGE!!!!
LOL
H A C K
imposter, no
curse, yes
Pudge cant buy a hit as a Yankee, much less an RBI. I still say you make that trade all day, but jeez…
Joel Skinner. Now that’s a name that takes me back.
Oh boy, we have the lead.
This can’t be good; it just sets up for a more devastating heartbreak in the eventual loss.
“How is the pressure off in a tie game?”
Was speaking of the season moreso than the game.
Yeah, it’s pathetic that Molina has to sit for that hack. Molina has brought MUCH more offense to the table than Pudge.
“I still say you make that trade all day, but jeez…”
I agree, BBB. That trade makes sense. It’s just a shame that it didn’t work out for either team. I haven’t looked recently, but Farnsy was still stinking up the joint in DET the last time I checked.
i got it yankee trader
“Molina has brought MUCH more offense to the table than Pudge.”
True, but this {Pudge’s performance} is an anomaly. Pudge should be a much better hitter than Molina, even w/o the steroids.
molinas a better hitter right now than pudge…come on people, dont be ignorant to the fact that pudge sucks to the point of trying to make his offense something thats not there
I agree Laura!
odd that our best month this season was the month that molina played and caught this staff
odd, very odd!!!!!
ERâ„¢ (The Final Seasonâ„¢)
August 30th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Oh boy, we have the lead.
This can’t be good; it just sets up for a more devastating heartbreak in the eventual loss.——————-
why so negative ER?
Rasner has done a good job for the Yankees. He’s a 4/5 starter and could easily be 11-8 if he received any run support. He’s shown he could pitch in high pressure NY (Something Hughes and Kennedy have yet to show the ability to do). Rasner been injured the better part of the last two years so this is really his only extended pitching work in this year in the majors (very little AAA experience). So is still learning and improving. He’s not some 34 year old journeyman he’s still learning his craft. He’s thrown some klunkers but so has every pitcher on the staff.
The big problem the Yankees have is their 3-5 pitchers are Rasner, Ponson and now Pavano. Along with a less reliable Pettitte that is a recipe for struggles. But to me Rasner is a fine #5 starter for the Yanks. He cometes and gives innings and effort. What the Yankees need to do is strenghthen the top of the rotation and get younger position players that work counts, move baserunners, play good defense and contribute something everyday.
“Pudge cant buy a hit as a Yankee, much less an RBI. I still say you make that trade all day, but jeez…”
You do, but the fact is Pudge hasn’t been much of a hitter for about 5 years now.
Imagine how much better the Yankees offense would be if the real Pudge came to New York instead of the one we got.
Okay, so either Rasner has his stuff together today or the Blue Jays are a bad offensive team. Which is it?
I like that name, Voodoo.
Pavano prefers to be called Voodoo Pavano rather than DooDoo Pavano.
“That trade makes sense. It’s just a shame that it didn’t work out for either team.”
Laura: I still think it has helped us on some (small) level, only because Molina may be hurt right now if he had been the everyday catcher this whole time, and since starting isn’t his natural role, he probably wouldnt be hitting much. But Pudge’s performance, or lack thereof, absolutely boggles my mind. I can’t figure out if I think he is just slumping or he’s truly out of gas.
did anyone write their congresman to complain about the umpiring conspiracy against the yanks?
“You do, but the fact is Pudge hasn’t been much of a hitter for about 5 years now.”
He was doing quite well for DET at the time of the trade. Even when he was at his worst, he is probably a better hitter than Molina.
I adore Molina and would rather have him in there everyday. But Cash was afraid of Molina breaking down if he played him every day. Again, the trade made sense at the time. Unfortunately, Pudge has become the second Rodriquez on this team that is pressing at the plate.
I really hope Jeter gets those 10 hits before the season is over. I’d like to see him break Gehrig’s record.
Laura,
Toronto’s known for it’s pitching. An offensive team they are not.
Rasner took his last outing VERY hard. It doesn’t account for what’s happening today, but I’m sure he’s very encouraged.
Meanwhile, so far, this is Rasner at his absolute best. Working quickly, throwing strikes. What a pleasure to watch when he throws like this. I’m sure Toronto’s offense has something to do with it, but if only he could do this more often.
“I can’t figure out if I think he is just slumping or he’s truly out of gas.”
Same here, BBB. I’m leaning towards him being in a slump due to him pressing at the plate. Now that bum Varitek in BOS is truly out of gas.
people are booing?
yankee fans, sheep!!
Vernon Wells is really pissing me off today.
I hate Wells.
abreu stole a base?? things are looking up
I hate to break it to you guys, but its our offense. If we had your offense we would be in first place with the pitching this year. This team can’t hit and made Pavano look like a star last night.
Can we all stop with the Pudge stuff? Of all people who should be whining and complaining about it I should since I really believed in Farnsworth. Cashman said at the time it was a crapshoot. Can anyone understand that coming to the Yankees of all teams in the middle of the season could be a tough transition for the best players in the world?
As much as Pudge may have been gotten for his offense he was obviously also gotten for his abilities as a catcher. Jorge was down to the season and the Yankees hadn’t (and still haven’t) given up on the postseason. Molina, who is one of my favorite Yankees, is a back up catcher and had his own woes when he was doing all the catching.
Pudge was a no brainer. He has obviously found a way to work beautifully with at least two of our pitchers. The rest to me is gravy.
Get off the guy. I’m sure he’s busting his hump to try to get hits.
“I really hope Jeter gets those 10 hits before the season is over. I’d like to see him break Gehrig’s record.”
Me too, Chris.
I tend to agree with the posters who believe that Molina over the long haul would be doing just as well offensively. In short spurts, I’m fine with Molina, but in the long run, he isn’t going to consistently hit either.
That being said, Pudge has been disappointing. They’ve worked in Molina more than enough and ultimately, the trade hasn’t worked out on both sides as expected.
“He was doing quite well for DET at the time of the trade.”
He had a good average, but he was doing nothing else. He’s got no pop. Doesn’t drvie in runs and generally has a weak OBP.
Just catching up. Man that ceremony for ARod must have been cool. Did they get fighter jets to do a fly over?
Pete, that was seriously funny. Better than yesterday’s when ARod was caught in traffic.
“I hate to break it to you guys, but its our offense. If we had your offense we would be in first place with the pitching this year.”
With our offense? JB, have you been watching the Yankees play this year? We’ve got our own offensive problems. If we had your pitching, we’d still be in 3rd place.
Maybe the Ras needs to have someone waiting in the wings sometimes.
Given that Gehrig’s career was shortened as it was, I have mixed feelings about his records falling. But we need those hits from Jeter to keep winning games and he is the modern Mr. Yankee, so I’m on board.
Maybe the Ras needs to have someone waiting in the wings sometimes.
Given that Gehrig’s career was shortened as it was, I have mixed feelings about his records falling. But we need those hits from Jeter to keep winning games and he is the modern Mr. Yankee, so I’m on board.
“I really hope Jeter gets those 10 hits before the season is over. I’d like to see him break Gehrig’s record.â€
I’d guess he gets those 10 hits and a bunch more.
trisha, please save it and shut it
molinas a MUCH better “catcher” than pudge and his offense is equal at worst at this point
The beauty of the pudge trade is that he’s gone at the end of the season. With the suplus of young arms in the minors, they should be able to swing a trade for a decent catcher this off season.
Last year Pudge had an OBP of only .281 I thought the Tigers sold high on him because they knew his good start this year was a fluke.
“He had a good average, but he was doing nothing else. He’s got no pop. Doesn’t drvie in runs and generally has a weak OBP.”
If he had a good average, that means that he was getting hits of some kind for DET. Here, he’s not even doing that. I’m not saying that he’s got to hit HRs, but a base hit here and there would be nice.
Nick,
If Jeter wasn’t the kind of guy that loves to win, I wonder sometimes if he’d let the record stand.
But he’ll always play the game the right way.
Laura—you guys have no idea how good your offense actually is.