Flash Points: John Flaherty breaks down the Game 2 pitching match-up
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Former Yankee and current YES Network analyst John Flaherty has agreed to break down the pitching match-up for every Yankees postseason game exclusively on the LoHud Yankees blog. Be sure to watch John on the YES pregame at 5 p.m. and immediately after the last out on the postgame show. Here’s his take on the Game 2 starters:
YANKEES: RHP A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04 ERA regular season)
WHAT’S HE THROW: Fastball (2-seam, 4-seam), power curveball, change-up
STRENGTHS: “The key for A.J. – and something fans can watch for – is if he can locate his fastball on the outside corner to a right-handed batter. If he can really drive that pitch through the corner and not let it leak back to the plate, that’s a great sign for him. If you see that in the first inning, he’s going to have a big game because it means he’s mechanically on and his curveball will fall into place behind it.”
WEAKNESSES: “For a guy that throws as hard as he does, you see a lot of good swings on his fastball. You see hitters pretty much right on time and what that tells you is that he’s opening up too quick and they’re getting a good look at the fastball. CC can almost throw the ball down the middle because he’s so deceptive; A.J. sometimes needs to hide the ball better than he does. … Also, the first inning is huge because he’s going to be so pumped up. I think Jose Molina has got to do a good job of slowing him down in that first inning because he’s a big rhythm pitcher and he’s probably going to be trying to work too quickly.”
———
TWINS: RHP Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03 ERA regular season)
WHAT’S HE THROW: Sinking fastball, curveball, slider, change-up
STRENGTHS: “I’ve been impressed with his curveball, though he throws four pitches but none are particularly above-average. Tonight, I think the big pitch for him is going to be the change-up. If he can get the Yankees going back and forth and not knowing what speed is going to come, he’ll be effective. He’s not a power pitcher, not a guy who is going to get strikeouts. He’s a sinkerballer who is hoping for a lot of groundballs.”
WEAKNESSES: “If I’m Ron Gardenhire, I’m worried that this is Blackburn’s first postseason start and he’s going to be fired up. For a sinkerballer, that’s not good – they’re almost better when they have less energy and are tired because it keeps the sinker sinking. If he lets the moment get the best of him and his sinker stays up in the zone, the Yankees are going to be all over it.”
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EDGE: “I give the edge to the Yankees, in part because Burnett has better stuff but also because there is more pressure on Blackburn. Down 1-0, the crowd against you and all of that – it’s a lot to take for a guy who doesn’t have the sort of stuff to just shut a team down.”
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Chad Jennings
Josh Thomson
Nick Blackburn vs Yankee hitters:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....erId=28889
As a team they have a .941 ops agianst him….
A.J. vs Twins hitters:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....p;teamId=9
The Twins, as a team, have a .648 ops against A.J.
Josh Thomson made the note yesterday that Blackburn pitched the 1-game playoff against the Chicago White Sox last year, which to me is equal to a playoff game. He also started one of the doubleheader games against the Tigers in the last week of the season, and was the starter in the game where they beat Greinke. As a result I say he is not going to be flustered, although I expect the crowd tonight (myself included) to do its best to accomplish it.
Andrew-
You are going tonight?? Please be very loud!
Hitters are hitting .290 against Blackburn, lefties are hitting .300 against him. He is a sinkerballer, yet has allowed 25 HRs.
His ERA post ASB is almost 6.
“Here’s something to cheer about. You don’t have to worry about “ignoring” me because I won’t be around to ignore.
Have a ball and enjoy the postseason. I don’t need the crap I get because an “elite” group here disagrees with my opinions.
See ya”
trisha: this site have a few overly critical people. Don’t pay them any mind.
I think this guy might be a good back up catcher next season.
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage.....;405,0.jpg
Erica, yes I will be in the left field bleachers tonight. I plan on ditching work at 3, taking in some food and adult drinks then heading to the stadium and screaming for 4 hours. It’s a cliche but I have the “kid on Christmas Eve” feeling right now. I will be pumped up, regardless of the weather or rain delays or whatever.
Why is it either that AJ pitches well and wins or he doesn’t and loses? How about that he pitches well/decently and loses/gets a no-decision? Blackburn is going to have something to say about this as well. If AJ is pitching well, but the Yankees are down or are up one and threatening, Jorge has pinch hit for Molina – there’s no questions.
This whole thing reeks, to be honest. I don’t think AJ needs a crutch, but frankly if the Yankees think he does, then they might as well just admit that they were dead wrong about him and that this was a bad signing. Forget whether he’s a good guy in the clubhouse or if he’s a great teammate. If the Yankees think (regardless of what AJ thinks) that they have to take every precaution with him because he can never pitch unless the sun, moon and stars are aligned, then yes – they are admitting in essence that this guy is a bum.
Blackburn gives up 10 hits a game. The Yankees SLG .489 as a team. That is a recipe for a bronx beatdown.
Blackburn, like Duensing the other night, seems to be exactly the wrong kind of pitcher to face this Yankees lineup on the road. He doesn’t strike guys out, so he’ll be allowing Yankees to put the ball in play all night. When you’re facing offenses with only 3-4 legitimate hitters, you maybe can get by with that, trusting your defense and sheer luck to keep a lot of runs from scoring. But against a lineup with 8 legitimate hitters, who also happen to have power and patience at the plate, it’s a recipe for disaster.
betsy (and others)
for the love of God, please drop the AJ/Molina/Posada talk.
Andrew GTLU Bronze Medalist
October 9th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Erica, yes I will be in the left field bleachers tonight. I plan on ditching work at 3, taking in some food and adult drinks then heading to the stadium and screaming for 4 hours. It’s a cliche but I have the “kid on Christmas Eve” feeling right now. I will be pumped up, regardless of the weather or rain delays or whatever.
****
Awesome. I hope you have a wonderful time!!! I find that when I bring all of my rain gear with me, it keeps the rain away. But if I fail to lug it all with me, rain is certain.
Adult drinks huh? As long as its consentual
Blackburn gives up 10 hits a game. The Yankees SLG .489 as a team. That is a recipe for a bronx beatdown.
——-
I wonder how the Yanks handled Brett Tomko. I don’t remember. Can someone please remind me?
So he pitched to a team in his division and beat them.
There playing the best team in baseball,in their own yard,that has a winning record against this pitcher.I like them odds.
Andrew- 3pm, eh? I’m looking at the weather and trying to decide when to head up to the Stadium myself. My family has seats in three different sections (two on field and one on terrace), so we’re trying to figure out how to stay together!
See you there!!
Tex 6-for-6 off Blackburn! Excellent.
Oh boy, all this talk of how we will put a major beatdown on Blackburn got me worried. This could only mean a major disappointment is in stored for us.
Andrew & Lori
have a great time tonight, make the stadium rock!
Wouldn’t Wang have started this game? The battle of the sinker ballers. That would’ve been fun to watch,(if Wang was healthy of course.)
I think we need to have Sam put up a post with a photo of a dead horse, Posada, AJ and Molina.
Then, we can have people post in that thread if they want to continue to beat that dead horse.
Buddy Biancalana -
Thanks for the game sched. info. That’s what I thought, but I wasn’t sure.
It’s going to be weird that the Yankees aren’t playing on a Saturday, isn’t it? And I imagine the Red Sox/Angels will be off too? So Saturday will be “National League Day.” And then Sunday has a full slate?
“The waiting is the hardest part.” Gotta go find something to keep me busy.
Regular season stats mean little in playoff games. They aren’t a gauge in how the game will turn out.
You just play the game and do whatever it takes to win.
Plenty of guys who have struggled against certain teams in the regular come up big against the same team in the post-season.
Its why they play the game. You can’t predict the outcome.
“It’s the gloating and the goading that gets me the most. The statements of “vindication.” The “See, I told you so” nature of some comments. Having to be right. Having to have the last word. It’s juvenile.
Those who want to avoid the skirmish are told to “scroll past,” but when a subject takes over an entire thread, it’s impossible to simply scroll past. It chases people away, or inhibits them from posting. ”
doreen-
i think lohud should limit the total posts per day of any poster to 50.
any more than that and someone is a blog hog.
i’m sure i’ve hit that a few times, but at those times an intervention would have probably been good for me
Flaherty knows a thing or two about baseball. I can see him becoming a manager one day or pitching coach.
I am nervous for tonight. I feel like I am going crazy at work. Keep pacing up and down the hallways.
If Blackburn is going to be effective, it will mean the sinker is working.
Twins are a good defensive team, Punto has good range and can turn a double play and the Yanks play their best when they can get the ball in the air.
Pavano in NY and Blackburn in Minny where things could scoot on the carpet would have been more fun on lots of different levels.
Randy-
That would sadden me. I thought you enjoyed my humour
Lohud would never do any such thing anyway. Total comments are a huge way to increase ad sales
Tomko doesn’t fit the description of “giving up 10 hits a game” soooo there’s that. Tomko pitched relatively well this year, 1.009 whip. Blackburn had a 1.37. Blackburn puts alot more guys on base. a Blackburn/Tomko correlation is not exactly valid.
This catching debate is certainly tiresome, but I prefer it to the inane garbage on ESPN, and even the MLB network. All they do is parrot each other and discuss the same old myths, etc. None of them really know a thing about the Yankees, or any of the other teams for that matter.
I am truly appreciative to have access to this forum. Chad, Sam, and Josh have at the very least picked up where Pete left off. IMO, there is no better place to get the info on what is going on with the team.
There is also no better place for analysis. There are at least 20-25 posters on here who I think give better analysis than the national guys getting the big bucks. All of us are wrong at times with our opinions, or even the facts, but so is Peter Gammons, et al. And the best thing is, if you disagree, put your own opinion out there to be debated.
“I guess I’ll give the edge to the Yankees on pitching today.”
This is AJ Burnett! A marquee name going up against a mediocre Twins pitcher. He’s not coming off an injury, he’s been waiting for this his whole career. Don’t be afraid Yankees fans, it’s time to get excited over AJ. Let’s GO!
i hope Tex will have a decent game, to keep him on track
randy l -
We all have our days. I’m sure I’m up to at least 25 posts this morning!
LoHud Anonymous, anyone? “Hi, I’m Doreen and I’m a Lohud Yankees Blogoholic.”
peter a.
The first time the Yankees faced blackburn he gave up 4 runs. And that was a pretty good start for him. Tomko at least had a pretty good fastball, Blackburm on the other hand doesn’t. I can’t see Blackburn shutting down this lineup.
According to Tricia, she’s getting grief from an ”Elite Group”…….Randy I ( The Original Tin Cup ) I never took you to be an elitest type…..In fact I cannot imagine a catcher having that mind set….Well unless you’re Carlton Fiske……..
what do people think about the terrible towels, thunder stixs, cow bells etc? I don’t think they belong in baseball. Holliday said he was distracted by all the white when he missed that ball. Was that HFA, or an excuse? I seem to remember some players saying it can be hard to locate the ball when a lot of fans are wearing white/light shirts.
Anything can happen for one game. Some of you are making WAY too much out of Brett Tomko’s start against the Yankees.
Its why all the stat parsing come playoff time is a waste of energy.
Anything can happen. That’s why they play the games.
All the stat crunching in the world couldn’t predict Matt Holliday dropping the third out yesterday and it ended up costing the Cardinals the game, and most likely, the series.
Just enjoy the game and don’t try to predict it. Its a failed exercise.
SJ44 is channelling his inner Sterling.
“You can’t predict baseball”
Blackburn has given up a good amount of homeruns and left handers have hit him well. That is not good for him with the short porch and the lefty batters in the lineup. Tex has hit him well.
“Holliday said he was distracted by all the white when he missed that ball. Was that HFA, or an excuse?”
Do they wear their black shirts when the Dodgers are in the field?
http://newmediachatter.com/wp-....._along.jpg
Anywho, I’m excited for tonight. Go Yankees! Win!
Yeah just like nobody could predict that Lester would lose to the Angels, and that the Sox would get shut down by Lackey.
“I think we need to have Sam put up a post with a photo of a dead horse, Posada, AJ and Molina.”
sj44-
the problem is that posada has two more years on his contract. no matter what happens with burnett’s starts there’s going to be controversy moving forward.
i think this issue has taken on a life of it’s own thats not going to go away unless the yankees have a back up that isn’t that good.
and why would they want to do that?
molina was perfect for the yankees before this controversy.
i think that molina has only one way to stay on the yankees now and that’s for the yankees to run the table with him back there for all of burnett’s games.
he was probably gone anyway for 2010 and maybe to the red sox as gb7 has speculated.
this posada debate reminds me of some of the hostility that used to go on a few years ago with debate with people should said jeter should be moved from shortstop.
posada isn’t quite where jeter is , but he’s really good.
posada is going to be catching the majority of yankee games for at least another year and probably two years.
so it’s up to the yankees to manage this in a way that doesn’t cause problems.
it’s time to win #27 so all involved should suck it up and do what it takes to win.
but when the year’s over the yankees have to look at this and come up with a definitive plan to move forward so they don’t put the dead horse of posadagate on perpetual life support .
Erica,
LOL! “How do you like that? You can’t predict baseball, Suzyn”!
What I think about the homer hankies, thundersticks, cowbells, and towels – are the Yankees and the Red Sox the only teams to not have them?
Joe Pepitone lost a throw from Clete Boyer in the white shirts in Game 4 of the 1963 World Series……It’s very likely he lost track of the ball that was hit right at him……Unless you’ve played in the outfield, a ball git right at you is very difficult to gauge and get a read on……
As soon as I finish this god forsaken college class I plan on going to Mickey Mantle’s to get myself fully energized for tonight. My boyfriend managed to secure field seats by the first base side of home plate throughout most of the playoff games. But all this wind these days has left me with a little cold and those seats don’t have rain protection. If it rains, there is a 200% chance I get wet. Does anyone recommend a nice hot soup from Mantle’s? Do they even have anything other than meat and burgers there?
Mark-
wouldn’t it be funny if they did change their shirts depending who is on the field? There were a lot of white towels being waved around apparently.
lol ! C.B. Bucknor is the home plate ump for the Sox vs. Angels game tonight. This should be good !
AJ will pitch great and the Yankees will win!
How about those Sox???
Anyone have a link to Pete’s blog?
upstate kate -
I thought I heard a story on television the other day, where they were discussing the batter’s eye and how in Cincinnati, the people in the outfield would wear white shirts when the opposing team was up to bat so they couldn’t see the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand and dark shirts when the home team was up. I think this is what I heard, but it doesn’t sound pratical, unless they put ON a dark shirt or jacket OVER the light shirt and then took it off.
Every Year Is a World Series Year
Micky Mantle’s has good salads. I usually get dishes, but they might have soup on the menu. The food there is good.
I said the other night I hate anything you can wave, shake or bang at baseball games.
People get too wrapped up in being cheerleaders instead of watching the game.
If it rains, there is a 200% chance I get wet.
Obviously, you’re not a math major!
Is anybody else sick of those stupid towels, hankies, jingling keys, cow-bells, t-sticks, and printed signs. that other Teams promote?
How about “white-outs, red-outs, everyone wear the same color, -outs”…………
Glad to see Yankee fans wearing Yankee-gear and just yelling their heads off. GO YANKS!
sorry- Mickey Mantle’s.
I got the story half-right. The first batter’s eye was in Crosley Field in Cincinnati. I don’t know what the rest of it had to do with the story they were telling.
http://projectballpark.org/history/nl/crosley.html
.”Randy I ( The Original Tin Cup ) I never took you to be an elitest type…..I”
pat m-
bullpen catchers are in the dirt to much to be elitist.
though the ancient clubhouse guy( he had been there since the 30’s) at McKechnie Field in Bradenton after repeated washings of my uniform trying to get the red clay off my white uni told me i was the dirtiest player he had ever come across and that included ty cobb .
so i am in elite company is one way
I like the idea of everyone wearing the same color and/or Yankee gear, just not all that other stuff. I like to keep score at the games we attend (much to my husband’s amusement- I guess I am a baseball nerd)
Every Year Is a World Series Year
October 9th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
As soon as I finish this god forsaken college class I plan on going to Mickey Mantle’s to get myself fully energized for tonight. My boyfriend managed to secure field seats by the first base side of home plate throughout most of the playoff games. But all this wind these days has left me with a little cold and those seats don’t have rain protection. If it rains, there is a 200% chance I get wet. Does anyone recommend a nice hot soup from Mantle’s? Do they even have anything other than meat and burgers there?
=======
Every Year, don’t know about Mantle’s (didn’t they temporarily change the name to Ted Williams after 2004? ) but if you need some hot soup at the Stadium, you can go to the asian place right next to the sushi bar on the field level concourse. They have a decent soup that will keep you warm. I can’t eat it, unfortunately, because it has chicken broth in it, but if you have no vegetarian restrictions, the broth is good and there are vegetables and I believe, tofu in it.
Needless to say, I tried it unwittingly, but could immediately detect the chicken broth. They refunded me when I started screaming about ethics (only way to get a vendor to give you your money back is to draw unseemly attention to their kiosk, lol).
Stay warm! I’ll be in the 200s
.
I thought they used to do that in Fenway during day games, and that is why they eventually closed the center field bleaachers for those games.
Any long delay after first pitch will undoubtedly knock both starters out. This could end up a battle of the bullpens earlier than normal tonight. Weather is going to play a major role tonight however things pay out.
To channel your inner Sterling, you have to have at least one of “It is high, it is FAR it is….CAUGHT!”
Randy saw Elitest and said no problem, I’m a catcher…
give me the Peytontest too.
It’s funny how I’m in an accounting class now and not paying attention at all. So yeah…math is not my thing.
As for Mantle’s, I know they have good burgers but something about the place makes it feel more like a musuem then a place to go and eat. Maybe I’ll go to Mendy’s and have soup there (cue Seinfeld Jokes).
October 9th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Crawdaddy
October 9th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Unless hurt, Posada is going to catch 110 games next season.
——
Molinas response to this post was “all I know is we better win everyone of those games”
Hey can someone post their thoughts on the catching situation? I don’t think I’ve seen it here discussed much.
Randy saw Elitest and said no problem, I’m a catcher…
give me the Peytontest too.
Oh, GROAN
good one DT
http://www.mickeymantlesteakhouse.com/menu.html
I was watching that miss by Holliday. Even though it looked routine, it was coming at him and he just missed it, over ran it by inches. It happens, but that play may make him out to be the Bill Buckner of St. Louis. It was an out that wasn’t made, but the pitcher is the one who lost the game.
I can see that those stupid surrender flags being waved while he is running in could throw him off a bit.
The thing I don’t get about the homer hankies is they are white, isn’t it like waving a white flag which means surrender? Why would home fans want to do that?
The laughingstock of postseason is La Russa.He brought plethora of pitching to his roster,for this short series,and used a closer that regularly blows saves in a 1 run game to a team at home,.The guy blew the save,and La Russa didn’t pull him out.Smoltz,or any of the million pitchers in the pen, could’ve helped get 1 out.Feel fortunate we have Joe.
After the way the Cardinal’s fans spoke about the Yankees success,I’m doing something I never thought I WOULD DO,consoling Cardinal’s fans,they are at the top of the bridge,and ready to jump.
There’s no way Torre is going to let another team come back on him 1 GAME FROM VICTORY.
Cardinal fans know La Russa BLEW IT for them,with his lousy game mgmt.I’ll bet he and Duncan(who’s angry about the way his son was treated anyway,)bolt at season’s end.
Torre masterfully took Pujols and Carpenter,and Wainwright out of the equation,and rendered the Cardinal’s helpless.
Randy I, Do the Pirates and thier Florida A affilate still use that facility ???? I remember that place well…..
Pat M.
The ball hit right at you is the toughest to read for the depth of the hit. Whether to come in or go back. He got that read OK. I will say, though, he probably did lose it momentarily in the shirts or the lights. Major League outfielders just don’t drop balls that they get to. But I don’t think it was because it was hit right at him.
“That would sadden me. I thought you enjoyed my humour.
Lohud would never do any such thing anyway. Total comments are a huge way to increase ad sales”
erica-
we could make an exception for you
all kidding aside, the blog loses traffic if someone, no matter who it is, takes over the blog.
even when jim pir-one used to go crazy on here it would bring the blog traffic down..
recently i’ve noticed trolling and inappropriate posts have been cut dramatically down.
as long as enough quality people show up, i can read around the people i don’t want to read.
having sj44 and cb back yesterday and last night was very good for the blog.
I fear a letdown by the yankees tonight.
“waving a white flag which means surrender? Why would home fans want to do that?”
Maybe most Dodger fans are French?
“Regular season stats mean little in playoff games. They aren’t a gauge in how the game will turn out.”
I don’t think you need to specify “playoff games”. Any given start can be very different from someone’s season/career averages. Over the long term though, they do trend towards those averages.
Playoff games just stand out more because its do or die.
So todays soup of the day is Lobster Bisque? Uch. I think I’d rather some Mendy’s Mushroom barley. Thanks for the link Tom.
SJ44 is right. We can throw out all the regular season stats. Instead of stats, we can use is pitching trends. I love John Flaherty’s analysis about AJ getting his fastball over the outside corner to right handed hitters and how that sets up his curveball mechanics. That is some kind of professional analysis that we’re lucky to be receiving.
iiicollies
October 9th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Randy saw Elitest and said no problem, I’m a catcher…
give me the Peytontest too.
Oh, GROAN
Sorry. Nick in SF told me to never waste my good A material on a matinee crowd.
My mentor Nick said:
“you can’t Alway Hit A Hank Aaron Homer”.
Anybody who can string together 3 A H words in a row is worth listening to.
pat m
yeah, they renovated it a few years ago and i think kept much of the original feel.
the pirates play their spring training games there still.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKechnie_Field
what was very cool was that you knew you were sitting in front of a locker that had players for 70 years sharing it.
there were initials carved in the old wood of the lockers with dates like 1937.
you could feel the ghosts.
Yankees are off tomorrow.
If Joe has to use the full pen,he will do it.Relax don’t fear,the bull pen is the best in the majors. Posada and Cerevelli are there to help if needed.
Pat M,
The Pirates look like they are going to move their High A Affiliate (Lynchburg) to the Florida State League and play the games at their complex in Bradenton.
That means its going to be much easier to see my nephew since, he is probably starting next year in High A Ball.
I don’t see what Torre did that was so genius yesterday.
The game was in Matt Holliday’s glove. Make the catch, the game is over.
The Dodgers didn’t win yesterday because of Joe Torre. They won because of an error and a passed ball.
The managers had nothing to do with the outcome of that game.
LaRussa should’ve pulled the closer when he blew the save,and loaded the bases after 2 outs.
True Torre didn’t win,LaRussa opened a door that the Dodgers were more than happy to walked through. He did take Pujols and Carpenter out!!
Wainwright was griping about the white towels distracting Holliday on that play.
Hey, personally I think the towel thing is juvenile but the ball hit him right in the bread basket.
His glove was up- then he flipped it over…and he just missed it.
Randy I, I haven’t seen that [lace since March of 1973……SJ44, Is Tony playing in Arizona and if so is in the front end or the back end of the schedule ???? I’m thinking about flying out for a few days to watch Ian throw….Certainly like to get a up close look at the Pirates’s future catcher…..September 2011 is his call up date
Cardinal fans are saying the lights got to Holliday.I wish they get the story straight.
Nobody pulls their closer out of a game. That’s foolish strategy.
He’s there to close the game. There is no backup closer.
You ride it out with your closer.
If Molina could block a ball and Holliday catch a ball, the Cardinals win.
Pat M,
No, Tony is in Bradenton right now for Instructional League work until October 17.
After that, he begins his off-season.
Just wanted to say that I appreciate the effort that Chad, Josh and Sam have put into the blog since Pete left. It’s been great to continue to come here for all of the latest on the Yankees!
I agree with Randy, also, that it is great to have SJ44 and CB back! It would be great if the blog had a feature like facebook where you could “hide” a poster that is really annoying with the “beating a dead horse” routine!
Looking forward to the game tonight!
Kevin Youkils has halitosis.
Terry Francona’s diet consists of 7-11 taquitos and chewing tobacco.
David Ortiz drinks Boli milkshakes.
SJ, Close to home, can’t beat that