Four days to make four decisions
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- October
- 12
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Before Friday’s opener of the American League Championship Series, the Yankees have four significant decisions to make.
1. Should the Yankees change their roster?
The Angels have six switch hitters, but only one lefty. Bobby Abreu. It might make sense to dump the extra left-handed reliever — and frankly, Damaso Marte didn’t do much to earn innings in his one ALDS appearance — replacing him with either an extra right-hander (Brian Bruney) or a second pinch runner (Freddy Guzman). Having Francisco Cervelli has already paid dividends, so I would expect him to stick around.
2. How many starting pitchers do they need?
Because there is an offday between Games 2 and 3, and another between Games 4 and 5, the Yankees could keep a three-game rotation and use a pitcher on short rest only once. That would be C.C. Sabathia in Game 4. Sabathia has pitched, and pitched well, on short rest in the past. He basically made a living doing that with Milwaukee last year. Keeping a three-man rotation would leave Joba Chamberlain at the back of the bullpen and Chad Gaudin in a long relief role.
3. If there is a fourth starter, who should it be?
Chad Gaudin was the better starter down the stretch. Joba Chamberlain is the guy with the bigger, more overpowering stuff. Either would bring some concerns as a Game 4 starter and neither choice would be particularly shocking. Joe Girardi did seem to like Chamberlain in the seventh inning during the ALDS.
4. Will Jose Molina once again catch A.J. Burnett?
Aside from Alex Rodriguez, only two Yankees hit better than .222 in the ALDS. One was Derek Jeter, the other was Jorge Posada. That said, it’s hard to argue with the results of Burnett’s start in Game 2. He worked well with Molina, and Posada’s extra-inning base hit proved he could have an offensive impact in a game he doesn’t start.
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on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm by Chad Jennings.
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Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
If they only need to use three starters, DO IT. Stay away from Gaudin starting if possible.
Wait till the ALDS-
I believe its time to update that handle
I am going to call you Wait till the ALCS now.. YAY!
99 hours and 33 Minutes until Game 1!!!!!!
(Going back to guestimating 7:30)
Just want to say that you guys do a great job with the blog since taking over for Pete. Since I live in SoxNation area it’s hard to keep up with the Yanks, but you guys make it easier.. Keep up the good work Chad and Sam!
pat
October 12th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Erica
If you’re around, here’s something for your gossip fix…
http://www.newsday.com/sports/…..-1.1518155
____________________________________________________________
Pat, are you trying to tell me that the post made up the whole story about Minka and Kate hating eachother because of the jeter/alex rivalry? I’m *shocked* at this revelation!
1. We wouldn’t need another reliever if Girardi would stay with his starters longer. Bruney, Marte neither one is worth lamenting over. It’s a wash.
2. I think the pitching rotation should be CC/AJ/Andy/TBA. Don’t lock ourselves into a postition before the series even begins.
3. I’m inclined to go with Gaudin as the 4th non-CC starter. Joba’s at the tail end of a looong rookie season. Asking him to go 5 or 6 might be asking too much. I think he could get burned by allowing too many baserunners. Not sure how I feel about CC on short rest yet.
4. Whatever Girardi chooses to go with. But I do like the AJ/Molina battery.
I don’t think JG will know who his 4th game starter is until the 4th game. Keep in mind also that Gaudin hasn’t pitched in days. If we are up 3-0, I wouldn’t mind throwing Gaudin out there and pulling him the minute he gets into trouble. If we are down 0-3 or 1-2, I’d go to CC to stop the bleeding.
Do you know what is amazing and no one spent a second talking about which is even more to his credit – the fact that the Yankees 3rd string catcher was the guy who helped Robertson get those 3 outs in a row to preserve the lead in game 2 with the bases loaded. Is there any other team in baseball that would be comfortable with their 3rd string catcher in that position in the playoffs no less? I think Cervelli has earned that kind of trust and it’s a beautiful thing that Girardi gives it to him without a 2nd thought.
Oh yeah, definitely dump Marte. With Coke on the roster, we don’t need him. I’d give Bruney a shot.
Molina will continue to catch AJ, but I don’t think he should. Unlike Girardi, I have faith that AJ can pitch well without a security blanket.
One thing I find odd about sports radio today and that is that Francesca is fair and is actually listenable while I actually had to turn Michael Kay off. Kay has spent an hour trashing Girardi’s use of the pen and saying how he will be in serious trouble against Scoscia because Scoscia is sharp and will find a way to lure Joe into using all his arms. He also said the Yankees wanted (or should have wanted) to play the Sox because the Sox aren’t as good as they are (implying the Angels are as good or better than the Yankees) and that now they “have to go the west coast and HOPE can beat the Angels”….. Hmm. Unless I miss my guess, the Angels have to take that same 5 hour flight cross country – why do people make it out to be rougher for east coast teams to go west than it is for west coast teams to go east? I also detest the idea that the Yankees have to “hope” they can beat any team. Unlike Kay, I’m sure the Yankees have confidence in themselves……..
As to game 4, I don’t like starting CC on 3 days rest unless it is absolutely necessary…….
I think Marte was the only guy on the playoff roster that didn’t earn his way on to it. Bruney at least pitched good in April before he got hurt.
Erica-You are correct.
I am now “Wait till the ALCS”
If we win the ALCS, I will become “Wait till the World Series”.
If (Mo forbid) we somehow lose (which won’t happen, but my sense of duty dictates I put this out there) I will become “Wait till Next Year”. Ditto if we (agin, Mo forbid) lose the World Series.
If we win the WS, I will become “What are we waiting for? We WON!”
My ultimate goal.
“I think Cervelli has earned that kind of trust and it’s a beautiful thing that Girardi gives it to him without a 2nd thought.”
Both Molina and Posada were out of the game when the bases loaded situation arose so Girardi had no choice but to go with Cervelli. That being said, you have to give Cervelli credit for helping Robertson navigate through that minefield.
Sorry, typo. Should be “When we win the World Series”, not “if”.
Betsy, Girardi did get bailed out a couple of times by Arod, you have to admit that. Also, supposedly it’s easier for the Angels to travel across country because they do it dozens of times a year while the Yankees do it twice. That is a very very small advantage that might come into effect during the 2nd game if it went past 15 innings.
Cervelli is the Yanks best defensive catcher and that’s why letting Molina go this offseason is a no-brainer.
From last night.
Joe Main October 12th, 2009 at 12:01 am
Sam…
We need your help and review of the following…
Alot of us Yankee fans on the Yankee message board provided by MLB.Com have noticed that ARod actually greased the trap on Nick Punto initially running through his third base coach’s stop sign…
None of the sportswriters nor broadcasters have picked it up…
The replay shows it as clear as day…after Nick Punto doubled in the bottom of the eighth Denard Span followed with a ground ball up the middle.
As Punto was heading to third ARod pointed to second base indicating the throw should go there from the outfield. Punto saw this and put his head down only to see his third base coach at the last minute.
Here it is a link to the replay. Look at abot the 50 second mark…you can see ARod standing and pointing to second base.
<http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7043299
Listen to the 24 minute mark of the podcast.
regarding torre/girardi/throwing at jeter for sport.
Casey with some good thoughts on how this year’s personality has contributed to the season.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn.....id=4539673
Aura, I just think Michael Kay is being an idiot today. The Yankees have made west coast trips before – the idea that they have to HOPE to beat any team is sickening to me.
pat
October 12th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Erica
If you’re around, here’s something for your gossip fix…
http://www.newsday.com/sports/…..-1.1518155
****
Awww- they do like each other
Very un-Kay like to be so pessimistic…I thought Joe did a great job this series.
Wait till the ALCS
October 12th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Erica-You are correct.
I am now “Wait till the ALCS”
If we win the ALCS, I will become “Wait till the World Series”.
If (Mo forbid) we somehow lose (which won’t happen, but my sense of duty dictates I put this out there) I will become “Wait till Next Year”. Ditto if we (agin, Mo forbid) lose the World Series.
If we win the WS, I will become “What are we waiting for? We WON!”
My ultimate goal.
****
So far this plan is working beautifully
Going west is more difficult than going east because an 8 o clock game out west is played at 11 o clock eastern time. That said, they’ll both be making that trip at the same time, so it shouldn’t be as much of a factor as it is during the regular season.
Kay is also absolutely right that the Angels are a tougher team than the Red Sox. I feel much less comfortable facing them than I would have had the Red Sox made it to the ALCS. Granted, I would hate to lose to the Sox more, but I think the Angels are the much better team. It will be a tough series, the Angels and Yankees are both very deep, very complete teams. Boston had many holes.
Betsy, I think Kay and Francesa are freaking out that they now have 4 days on their hands to fill and nothing really to talk about.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that although the Angels only have 1 lefty (Abreu) and 6 switch hitters, it’s still beneficial to have as many lefties as possible in Yankee Stadium.
Ex: I’d want to turn Kendry Morales around to bat righty as much as possible, rather than have him bat lefty, with a couple of men on, in a tight game, taking aim at the porch in right.
I’m not saying I’m right, but in Yankee Stadium, I’m having Morales bat right handed every single time I can.
1. They could live without Marte. No real preference on who should keep a bench spot warm whether it be Bruney or Guzman although Bruney has been here longer so it might be a nice gesture.
2. 3 starters please. Of they are way up, put them away as soon as they can, if they are behind, I want CC on 3 days more than Gaudin on 20 days.
3. Joba stays in the pen, Gaudin would be a 4th if necessary.
4. Molina catches him in the ALCS. If/When they get to a WS and AJ has to pitch in an NL park, the decision gets harder.
Kay must not have a lot of confidence in the Yankees if he thinks the only way to beat them in California is to hope they can grind out a win. Didn’t the Yankees win two pretty close games there last month? Maybe he’s just looking for something to whine about.
Lets have fun with stupid posts from Angels fan. This was taken from the comment board on one of the Yankees’ articles. Remember, a human wrote this, not a (rally) monkey. Note the strangled use of grammar as he insults people.:
Angels fan (I’ll be nice and hide this dude’s username) wrote:
davidyonkers LOL that is the funniest thing I have heard since the playoffs started but considering it come from a very low IQ YANKEES fan (dont know why fan you are one) I am not surprised at least I gave you a sober baseball educated prediction. But as you heard before the truth normally hurts. ANGELS BABY again I say in 7 Chew on that for the rest of your winter and off season as you see the HALOS play in the WS. From your DRUG FREE AND SOBER ANGELS FAN who has lived in Southern CA since 1978! ANGELS VS. DODGERS WS. ANGELS ALL THE WAY!
10/12/2009 1:46:41 PM
Dump Marte, pitch CC in Game 4, and catch Molina in Game 2
I disagree. I’d rather face the Angels. Red Sox have better starting pitching and a better bullpen when they’re both going right.
1. Dump marte and add guzman.
2. Wait until atleast after Game 2 to decide who pitches game 4I would do do a hybrid start, of Gaudin Aceves to get you through 6. and let the rest of the pen… with a day off between games 4 and 5, you can afford it.
3. Hybrid start between Gaudin/Aceves. Unless the yanks are down 2-1 or 3-0 i think you go Gaudin/Aceves.
4. Keep Molina as AJ’s catcher until it doesn’t work anymore…
Oh I forgot – Kay also made a huge list about how badly the Yankees played….Here he and La Greca go about how they have to “tighten things” up……that they have to play a lot better to beat the Angels. Geez, so the Yankees won because the Twins aren’t that good?
good questions.
1. Marte is useless. Plus, Bruney put in more time during the season and was effective before his injury. I would not trust Marte at all right now.
2. Three starters is fine, although if CC is on short rest for the 4th game, does this affect the World Series, should we get there?
3. I prefer Gaudin over Joba at this point. Joba is way too pumped up right now to be a starting pitcher. Watching him in the 7th, you can tell he is about to explode. That is more fit for 1 inning relief.
4. I’d keep Molina with AJ. Defense is pretty important with AJ being wild sometimes, and those scrappy Angels. I also like the pinch-hitting Posada provides.
lol. Casey (date stamped 10/7) talking about how if Dice K does what he’s capable of the Sox could win it all. Talking about the back end of the bullpen and Paps “closing” it out.
haha.
Aura, Francesca is fine today. Kay is ridiculous……..and I’m trying to call him
Also, supposedly it’s easier for the Angels to travel across country because they do it dozens of times a year while the Yankees do it twice.”
???
“Dozens” would indicate that they’ve come to the East coast a minimum of 24 times.
I think it’s more like 4 times. Or 1/3 of a dozen.
I thought the Yanks pitched awesome this series. If they pitch like this vs. the Angels they’ll win the series.
This is worth repeating, the Angel bullpen will be exposed and will be their downfall…..Scoscia will try to go deep with his starters, but as the Yanks were them down the pen will come into play…..It’s the singular advantage the Yankees have going into the ALCS….
Wait ’til we do it all over again?
Well, the Angels are the tougher draw because they’re the better team (hello! they swept the XoX)
We matched up better with the Sox, and we hit well in Fenway. But alas, that’s not an option. So we’ll face the speedy angels with wings on their shoes and a trans-continental flight. And we’re still the better team. I like our chances.
Wait till the ALCS
October 12th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
I thought the Yanks pitched awesome this series. If they pitch like this vs. the Angels they’ll win the series.
**************
Totally agree. I was extremely impressed with all three starters.
I give up – the first time I called, I was told to call back later when they got off the Yankees/Twins. Now I’m asked to call back because now they are talking specifically about the rotation……I don’t care anymore, lol. I can’t deal with Kay’s negativity today.
Just what was needed a 20 minute dissertation about the Phillies and a scouting report on the 1010 Nats!
2010 Nats
Betsy,I’m curious-what were you going to say to Kay?
Why not get the Twins beat writer on the phone? Wriggleman who cares.
You’re high on crack, Bronx Jeers, the brilliant Mike Scosia had the Angels flying East Coast round trips on off days all season just to build up their tolerance.
While Girardi was dozing off in his office or watching his “Revenge of the Nerds II” dvd for the 12th time, Scosia was making plans to win another title.
Nick-Actually, I like that. Good idea.
Change: If we win the World Series, I will use Nick in SF’s fine idea and become “Wait till we do it all over again”.
I like it.
Anthony, Michael Kay is making it sound like the Yankees played like garbage against the Twins and that Yankee fans and the team should take consolation in the fact that the Yankees beat the Angels recently in Anaheim (and also that Scott Kazmir didn’t look good against the Sox). I respect the Angels immensely, but it’s ridiculous that Kay thinks the Yankees need to be reduced to a lot of hoping. The Angels are not an unbeatable team (either are the Yankees, obviously)…..
He is very concerned about Damon and is concerned about Swish, Tex, Cano etc….offensively. Seriously, I don’t know the stats, but the Angels did a lot of their scoring against the Sox in the late innings. Therefore, they didn’t do that much scoring earlier…..so why isn’t Kay concerned for their play? All I know is that the Yanks got big hits when they counted……and that apparently doesn’t count for enough with Kay. Eh, I shut him off so now I don’t have to listen to him.
Boston’s pitching was tired out. I think their whole team was very beatable from the All Star Break on. The Angels, however, were as good as ever.
I don’t think the Angels are a better team. I think they got out of charcter performances from the Red Sox pitchers that enabled them to win.
Honestly, I was close to a push on who I wanted to face since both teams are good, so I was rooting for the Angels since I hate the Red Sox.
I think that people (Michael Kay) need to get it out of their heads that the Angels are some sort of unbeatable entity and that playing them guarentees a loss. Not at all the case. The Yankees took 3 out of 4 games from them down the stretch, beating Weaver twice, and beating Saunders. They Yankees won more games i.e. they are a better team. All they need to do is hit with runners on base. They are the best offensive team in the league, so that shouldn’t be tooo hard. The Angels are beatable with power pitching, which the Yankees have. CC and AJ at the front of the rotation throwing in the mid 90s, and if AJ can work his curveball (mabe with the help of Molina) then they should be alright. The Angels need to be prevented from getting their bats on the ball. Plus, when it comes down to the late innings- I’d muuuch rather have the Yankees bullpen than the Angels bullpen (Phil Hughes struggles aside).
I think this is going to be the best series of the whole playoffs, and I’m prepared to go 6 or 7.
Either way it’ll be fun.
I would prefer CC in Game 4 on short rest over either Joba or Gaudin. But I think that Joba should stay in the bullpen the rest of the way.
How about this prediction: Yankees sweep the Angels, shock the world, beat LA (wo will be in the WS) in 7.
That’s right.
(Since I don’t want to jinx it I’ll just say right now that while I think the Yanks will win the series, a sweep is highly unlikely. But it could happen.)
I agree on Game 4. Gaudin if the Yankees have the advantage, but if they are down, CC starts.
Well, even if the Angels played similarly to the Yankees in the division series, there is no comparison between the Twins and Red Sox. The Red Sox actually have two starters who inspire fear. We got to face a team that was exhausted and just managed to win a very poor division. I think the Yankees would have beaten Boston in a five game series, too, and I don’t think that they have to sit around and merely hope to beat the Angels, but I do think the Angels are the more dangerous team.
I always thought the 1010 Nats were a great team.
I mean they weren’t as good as the 1060 Serfs but definitely better than the Fuedal Lords of 1123.
As long as Posada, Jeter and Rodriguez are the only ones that are hitting, Molina’s not going to be starting in game #2. Those were the only three that hit more than .200 in the ALDS except for Matsui’s .222. They can’t afford to give away offense in favor of minimal defensive improvement against the Angels offense.
The Angels are now on Eastern time as have now been here since Friday night / Saturday morning.
They’ll feel the same effects of jet lag that the Yankees will by the time they leave here next Saturday night.
Twins woulda Beat Boston.
98 hours and 58 minutes until Game 1!!!!!!
Yankees, Sox, Jays, Orioles, Rays, Tigers, Indians are all in the Eastern time zone.
Angels basically play half of their road games in the Eastern time zone
Erin, I was going to say (and I like Kay – he’s very good to his callers, unlike Francesca) that I thought he was being overly negative, that the Yankees don’t need to fear any team and that they can win anywhere. It won’t be easy, but it’s not supposed to be easy. I turned him off because although I’m certainly no pollyanna and I am hardly an optimist, I also don’t want to hear him spend hours criticizing Girardi and the team when.
I do think a case can be made for Andy staying in longer…if the SP are pitching really well, they SHOULD stay in. Perhaps Joe has too quick a hook.
Pat M, the Yankees won’t have such an advantage in the pen if Phil continues to stink. You know how much I love him, but he has looked very bad his last two outings.
Just out of curiousity-
Am I the only one at work today?
As much as I don’t want to lose any games, deep down inside I rather win in 6 than in 4 or 5. It is just a lot more fun winning at home. ( I loathe Game 7’s though!)
No One Could Touch The 1066 Normans – talk about stacked!!!!
Erica-No.
I think you need the mindset of 4 starters going in.
As it is, the forecast for Friday in NY is absolutely miserable. Yes, yes, I know it’s all subject to change, but IF that game were to be postponed we’d lose an off day and then you MUST have 4 starters. So I think the Yanks should just be prepared to use Gaudin.
NYY626
October 12th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
As much as I don’t want to lose any games, deep down inside I rather win in 6 than in 4 or 5. It is just a lot more fun winning at home. ( I loathe Game 7’s though!)
****
I have mixed feelings on that. It didn’t feel right winning last night without the stadium crowd rocking. But on the other hand, my nerves feel the less games are the better
1010 nats were an alltime geat team. Vulark the barbarian was great.
Thanks Betsy. I agree with you-I don’t think this series against the Angels will be easy by any means but the Yankees are the better team. I find it weird he’s ripping into Girardi when they won all three games.
Erica-you’re not the only one. I’m stuck at work today too.
I have mixed feelings on that. It didn’t feel right winning last night without the stadium crowd rocking. But on the other hand, my nerves feel the less games are the better
I’d MUCH rather sweep than celebrate at home.
Never wish for a deciding game at home so you can celebrate – it is BAD MOJO.
For weather nerds, here is the current forecast for Friday evening:
http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/p.....p_108l.gif
The Yankees aren’t going to change their roster at all based on whether or not they go with a 3 or 4 man rotation, so they don’t REALLY need to make this decision for a while. It will probably depend on how many pitches CC throws in game 1, as well as how successful he is in that start, are the Yankees ahead or behind in the series, etc.
The question is, is CC Sabathia on short rest for 1 start better than Chad Gaudin?
I don’t see Gaudin giving the Yankees much more than 5 innings against that tough offense and Girardi’s quick hook in the playoffs. I think CC would be able to give the Yankees 5 innings on short rest and be more reliable than Gaudin.
The other question is, what is the schedule for the World Series? Would the Yankees need a 4th starter then? If they do, do you really want Gaudin to be sitting for a month before the biggest start in his life?
So, assuming the World Series has the same format as the ALCS, I think that unless CC has a terrible game to start the series, he should be the game 4 pitcher on short rest.
I always said that Garth the Visigoth should have made the HOF. He just shut down the 1066 Normans in the 1066 Old World Series.
Marte cannot be trusted more than Brian Bruney. While Bruney has been inconsistent,he’s a far better option than than Marte.
I like keeping Gaudin because he’s pitched in relief in the past. He’d be my #4 starter if needed.
The Molina/Burnett deal is a stickler, but why break it up if it works?
Erica – I just saw this on espn.com. I’m still laughing…
Other guys, though, would make excellent nudist camp directors. I’m still not sure I’ve ever seen Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon clothed while walking through a clubhouse. The man is naked more often than Michelangelo’s David.
According to the Post (and a sports pyschologist)…
A-Rod (and us fans) do in fact have Kate Hudson to thank for his amazing clutchiness this week
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/l.....Kt5BpfNkMO
Erica
You don’t have to feel 100% alone. I am also working today.
A hot Alex is the BIGGEST Story here. HUGE.
Uncle E-
Thats why I said they were MIXED feelings. LOL
I’ll choose the three game sweep over a long drawn out series anyday.
Just read where Theo said that Martinez will be the catcher in 2010. Varitek might as well retire now.
Depending on the pitching match up and track record catching Molina and DH-ing Jorge is not out of the question. This is where Matsui being unable to play any LF is a killer because Damon is awful at the plate right now.
Gut feeling tells me that the Yanks will get the game in on Friday. “Showers” are expected, not out and out rain.
NYY626
October 12th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Erica – I just saw this on espn.com. I’m still laughing…
Other guys, though, would make excellent nudist camp directors. I’m still not sure I’ve ever seen Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon clothed while walking through a clubhouse. The man is naked more often than Michelangelo’s David.
******
I am just going to say “no comment”
Uncle E-
Thats why I said they were MIXED feelings. LOL
I’ll choose the three game sweep over a long drawn out series anyday.
I hear it.
At Work
Don’t sleep on Girardi!
He’s had the team on a steady diet of infused teas and Brian Eno music in order acclimate them to the groovy vibes of SoCal.
um… why do people Guzman on the roster?
When we picked him up, nobody thought it was that big of a deal, now they want him on the roster?
I want Guzman nowhere near the postseason roster
Erica – always OPPC October 12th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Just out of curiousity-
Am I the only one at work today?
————-
Erica, I’m at work today. I don’t usually post during the day (difficult to do from work), but I wanted to tell you you’re not alone.
Erica
What’s up with Johnny!?
“Never wish for a deciding game at home so you can celebrate – it is BAD MOJO.”
Hmmm, back when World Series home field advantage alternated between the leagues, I recall a younger Derek Jeter mentioning that he was looking forward to the middle games being played in the AL park so that the Yankees would have a chance to clinch a title at home.
But yeah, that’s a little different than hoping an ALDS series goes 5 games so the Yanks can clinch at home.
lol. Simmons asked Casey on that podcast for one crazy predition. Casey took a long time and said that the Yankees would lose in the first round. lol. hahahaha.
we have a clear pitching advantage that becomes huge once we get into the pen
we won more games & beat the angels in just about every single offensive stat & our team era is better
i think they beat us in triples,sb & had a 2 point higher team batting average
we beat them in runs,hr,doubles,rbi,obp,slg,tied in hits,better era,gave up fewer hits,more so,better whip but gave up more walks
going to be a great series
we need to win game 1
i like our pen a lot better
Our starters gotta go deep. If we can match zeros with Angels starters, it becomes a battle of the pens and big advantage Yankees.
Here’s hoping the Philleis take care of the Rockies tonight. I have tix for Game 2 on Saturday and want the Commish to decide the game times. Silly me…thinking the Commish and not Fox dictates the game time lol
Don’t Fear the Angels. Sure they are good but Yanks are better and should win. I won’t worry til there is a reason to. Abreu must be stopped.
Jacko had a joke about Pavano could pitch on 3 days rest for the Twins, but he couldn’t pitch on 400 days rest for the Yankees. haha.
As for the roster, I would drop Marte for Bruney and agree with those who say Gaudin in game four if the Yanks are up and CC if they are not.
What’s Pete’s new Blog?
GreenBeret7
October 12th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
As long as Posada, Jeter and Rodriguez are the only ones that are hitting, Molina’s not going to be starting in game #2. Those were the only three that hit more than .200 in the ALDS except for Matsui’s .222. They can’t afford to give away offense in favor of minimal defensive improvement against the Angels offense.
——
Gb, I disagree with this statement. Molina will help keep their running game under control more than Posada will. Again, if we get down early then Jorge will be in there soon enough.
1. Get rid of Marte. Bring on Guzman since he will be more useful. Most games should be close and his speed would be valuable in the late innings if we already used Gardner.
2. 3 starters. CC has shown he can pitch on short rest and he will not have to do it nearly as much as he did last year. It will also keep Burnett and Pettitte on their usual rest which is never a bad thing.
3. No need to make this decision but if they do use a fourth starter it should be Gaudin. Our bullpen is stronger with Joba in it and either one in the rotation is risky.
4. Yes, Molina should catch Burnett. We are only missing about 2 or 3 at bats by Posada and I think 6 strong innings from Burnett is much more important.
Uncle Ellsworth (much ado about nothing)
October 12th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Erica
What’s up with Johnny!?
*****
We had a very nasty pretend fight last night. (Don’t worry, I did all of the yelling). I have ordered him to seek extra batting practice with Kevin Long stat.
Mike F calling for Kate to get a ring (actually pretty funny)
This is what I think the Sox should do…try and get Felix Hernandez and Joe Mauer…let Bay go and give the job to a rookie or a cheap free agent OF…spend the money on King Felix and Mauer move Youk to 3rd…VMART to 1b and make Lowell/Papi DH
____
This is a boston fan from pete’s new blog. lots of dreamin in beantown.
“Just read where Theo said that Martinez will be the catcher in 2010. Varitek might as well retire now.”
Did Tek get one minute of playing time in the ALDS?
lol:
All you young New Englanders who shrugged whenever dad said, “The Sox will blow it, they always choke at the end,’’ . . . now you know.
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....er_fenway/
Why just go for Hernandez and Mauer? If you’re lookng for new guys, mght as well take the big guns. Go for Pujols and Greinke while you’re at it.
If Minny lets Mauer go, they might as well contract the team like they wanted to do a few years ago. I dont get what the point is of owning a baseball team if you let anyone who is good leave.
Minny ownership is so cheap, even though i believe the family is worth something like $2Billion.
YankeeRay
October 12th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Gb, I disagree with this statement. Molina will help keep their running game under control more than Posada will. Again, if we get down early then Jorge will be in there soon enough.
————————————————————
How does Molina keep the running game down more than Posada? They throw out the same percentage of runners. If the pitchers keep the runners close, the catchers will throw out the runners.
Kay is also absolutely right that the Angels are a tougher team than the Red Sox. I feel much less comfortable facing them than I would have had the Red Sox made it to the ALCS. Granted, I would hate to lose to the Sox more, but I think the Angels are the much better team. It will be a tough series, the Angels and Yankees are both very deep, very complete teams. Boston had many holes.
====
There are actually people who knew the Angels were a much better team than Boston BEFORE the series took place. Who needs Michael Kay stating the obvious?
Mike Franseca on Mikeed up will have A. Pierce from the Giants. He has him every monday at 4:00. Pierce says the exact same things every week. “I like our defense, we are flying around out there, Coach does not let us let up against a bad team, We are excited for next week. We have not played our best ball yet….” Listen I bet he says all this…
I think it’s that Molina’s bat potentially keeps the game closer, GB7.
Replacing Marte with Bruney is food for thought but is Bruney up to the task ? Will he pitch as he did in recent outings or return to walking hitters and setting himself up for trouble ?
Pete’s new blog is at Extra Bases on the globe, he splits it with some other writers. Here’s a post:
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....oks_a.html
Minnesota is still owned by the same family, but a different mindset. The kids are running the team, as can be seen by picking up Pavano and Cabrera. Carl Polhad would never have ok’d that deal. Mauer, Morneau and Nathan will be kept, but, Young will be gone by this winter,
I don’t trust Bruney at all……I don’t give a hoot about his week of decent performances. I’d trust myself to pitch better than Bruney.
Stultus Magnus
October 12th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Pete’s new blog is at Extra Bases on the globe, he splits it with some other writers. Here’s a post:
http://www.boston.com/sports/b…..oks_a.html
Thanks got it.
Looks like Pete is the Eric Hinske of the Globe.
Betsy
October 12th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I don’t trust Bruney at all……I don’t give a hoot about his week of decent performances. I’d trust myself to pitch better than Bruney
***********
Betsy, I would trust Brueny over Marte at this point. Watching Marte pitch on Friday was just scary. LOL
I just wish the Yankees starters had better numbers against the Angels. CC pitches badly against them…….and I don’t think Andy pitches that well. AJ did fine last out, though.
Erin, I wouldn’t trust either, lol…….
From Pete’s entry on the “autopsy” done by Theo & Francona:
• Victor Martinez is the catcher, period. As Epstein said, that was the expectation when they traded for him. “He’s about as good as it gets,” the GM said. As for Jason Varitek, discussions will be held.
Edit: Bruny not Bruney
m
October 12th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
From Pete’s entry on the “autopsy” done by Theo & Francona:
• Victor Martinez is the catcher, period. As Epstein said, that was the expectation when they traded for him. “He’s about as good as it gets,” the GM said. As for Jason Varitek, discussions will be held.
Translation: Tek Please retire
Thanks got it.
Looks like Pete is the Eric Hinske of the Globe.
****
He is the new kid on the block.
That’s why it bothers me so much when I see trolls from here heckling him. Can you imagine being new at your job after you have uprooted your life and left another job, to take that job. And not only are you new there trying to impress your new employer, but people from your old job are bashing you the entire way.
That is just not right.
No never mind, I got it right the first time. Sorry! LOL
The molina question is not about the angels running game or who obviously is the better hitter. It is 100% about AJ Burnett’s comfort level. Early on, he was confy with posada and they had a great stretch. Now it is Molina and he is having a ‘great’ stretch, although i dont call 5 walks and 2 hit batters a ‘great’ start (he did hold them to 1 run).
It’s no knock on posada, its ONLY a comfort thing RIGHT NOW.
“Cervelli is the Yanks best defensive catcher and that’s why letting Molina go this offseason is a no-brainer.”
if it’s such a no brainer, who’s the low priced back up to cervelli then if there’s an injury to posada?
it’s hard to come up with a decent back up to the back up and you need one.
the yankees needed cervelli this past year. who at triple a could do what he did?
The beauty is the Varitek has a $3mil player option for next year. He can excersise it and make more than he would as a free agent. He aint leaving without it costing the Sox a lot of money.
@ Erica
That’s why they have registration, I think. Before that I commented on Extra Bases every once in a while and I wasn’t required to register.
I think there might be a lot more hecklers if not for that.
Exactly Randy I, There is no immediate coverage at the catching position if Cervelli is moved up to # 2 and they foolishly let Molina leave…..
Uncle,
I think the discussions will be the best way to put Ol’ Yeller down…
Minnesota is still owned by the same family, but a different mindset. The kids are running the team, as can be seen by picking up Pavano and Cabrera. Carl Polhad would never have ok’d that deal. Mauer, Morneau and Nathan will be kept, but, Young will be gone by this winter,
____
Seemingly yes, but lets see how long it takes them all to get fed up with playing in the snow and the below freezing temps in april and september/october.
they may be begging to get out of there.
it’s not a dynamic blog until people start talking to each other.
over at pete’s new blog , there’s almost no posters talking back and forth to each other.
they are just comments on pete’s post.
not at all what happens here.
Veritek: Captain Emeritus.
m, I notice you have questioned Girardi’s timing in the removal of his starters in the ALDS. If I recall correctly, CC came out after getting two outs in the 7th inning, Andy after getting a single out in the 7th, and AJ after the 6th.
Which of those three, if not all, would you have left in longer and why?
Eh, great starters make great starts regerdles of the team. Lackey had bad #’s vs. the Sox. look what he did.
tex’s friend
October 12th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
The molina question is not about the angels running game or who obviously is the better hitter. It is 100% about AJ Burnett’s comfort level. Early on, he was confy with posada and they had a great stretch. Now it is Molina and he is having a ‘great’ stretch, although i dont call 5 walks and 2 hit batters a ‘great’ start (he did hold them to 1 run).
It’s no knock on posada, its ONLY a comfort thing RIGHT NOW.
====
Girardi stopped short of committing to pairing up AJ and Molina as a regular thing for a reason. Girardi has an “out” clause, and if he’s smart, he’ll exercise it.
m, I notice you have questioned Girardi’s timing in the removal of his starters in the ALDS. If I recall correctly, CC came out after getting two outs in the 7th inning, Andy after getting a single out in the 7th, and AJ after the 6th.
____
Some feel that the starters, Andy in particular, could have gone longer, but Joe likes what he has set. starter 6/7, joba, coke/hughes, rivera.
it worked so whats the problem. also preserved pettitte. if there is more urgency, perhaps you see the starters longer.
“And not only are you new there trying to impress your new employer, but people from your old job are bashing you the entire way.
That is just not right.”
There is a reason why he is bashed, your sleep in the bed you make
tex’s friend
October 12th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Minnesota is still owned by the same family, but a different mindset. The kids are running the team, as can be seen by picking up Pavano and Cabrera. Carl Polhad would never have ok’d that deal. Mauer, Morneau and Nathan will be kept, but, Young will be gone by this winter,
____
Seemingly yes, but lets see how long it takes them all to get fed up with playing in the snow and the below freezing temps in april and september/october.
they may be begging to get out of there.
————————————————————
Morneau is Canadian and Mauer is from Minneapolis. I belueve they’ve seen snow and cold weather before. The fans sat outside for Vikings and Twins games for years. Shocker…but, the Twins played in the WS and other post season games in outdoor stadiums in Minnesota before.
“We had a very nasty pretend fight last night. (Don’t worry, I did all of the yelling). I have ordered him to seek extra batting practice with Kevin Long stat.”
It was ugly. Erica was quite upset.
She opened up a blog window and emptied the entire PB wardrobe onto the driveway.
Nick,
Andy for sure should’ve stayed in longer. 81 pitches and 3 hits sprinkled over 6.1 IP.
AJ @ 95 pitches should’ve come out in the 7th of a tie game. And Aceves should’ve stayed 1 more inning with the score unchanged.
CC left after 113 pitches (product of high number of strikeots) and a 6-2 lead. I think that was fine.
Kay has a point. Team BA .225–pretty bad.
Team ERA was 1.72 (against a team with an OPS of .650)–not bad.
Team WHIP was nearly 1.6. Bad.
Basically they didn’t hit, and their pitching was saved by smart fielding, and poor situational hitting and bad baserunning by the Twins.
Solutions:
(1) Dump Marte. Had they lost game 2, he was the ultimate goat. Bruney looked great the last two weeks of the season.
(2) Work on Hughes. This is the worst he has been all season in relief, but his 8th inning is what got the team here. This role may have to shift to someone else if he continues to give up hits and runs in the 8th–my guess is that this will be the dramatic story of the series. Can he overcome end of season fatigue? Will his fastball get more life?
(3) Light a fire under Damon’s butt. He’s sucked at the plate since early September. Dude, this isn’t the old Joe Torre Yankees–get with the program.
randy l.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
“Cervelli is the Yanks best defensive catcher and that’s why letting Molina go this offseason is a no-brainer.”
if it’s such a no brainer, who’s the low priced back up to cervelli then if there’s an injury to posada?
it’s hard to come up with a decent back up to the back up and you need one.
the yankees needed cervelli this past year. who at triple a could do what he did?
————————————————————
I’d be really sirprised if Molina comes back. Cervelli is the backup and NYY has a couple of backups in Stewart and PJ Pilittere. Nobody thought that Cervelli would have done what he did this years and both Montero and Romine are in similar spots and getting closer, for next year. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Cash being resigned.
I’d be really ***surprised*** if Moli
‘Veritek: Captain Emeritus.’
So, next season Victor Martinez will hold the ‘Jason Veritek Chair of of Catching Mediocrity’?
Tom in N.J.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
‘Veritek: Captain Emeritus.’
So, next season Victor Martinez will hold the ‘Jason Veritek Chair of of Catching Mediocrity’?
*****
He will have some extremely mediocre shoes to fill
Bruney is the clear choice over Marte in my opinion for the following reasons:
1 – marte has not, at any point in time, looked like the former closer he once was
2 – he doesn’t have an out pitch
3 – his velocity is way down, like 3-4mph on his fastball
4 – he doesn’t get lefties out
5 – bruney is able to miss bats, this has value, marte is not, he does not
Cervelli’s backup is Jesus Montero
(3) Light a fire under Damon’s butt. He’s sucked at the plate since early September. Dude, this isn’t the old Joe Torre Yankees–get with the program.
___
Have to agree here. Don’t know what has happened to damon since sept 1. a couple months ago, he seemed like a lock to be offered a new 2 year contract, but i dont know now.
Damon’s swings in his final AB last night were the healthiest he’s had. I am not going to fret about Damon.
Jerkface
October 12th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Cervelli’s backup is Jesus Montero
====
Agreed. He’ll be up toward the end of 2010.
GB, So you’re ok with Molina moving on ?? I thought if they could ink him for just 1 more season it’d be the thing to do……
The story from 200 miles north on I-95 -
http://www.boston.com/sports/c.....assarotti/
all this talk about the Yankees not hitting in the ALDS is just baseball. It was 3 games, look at the first 13 games after the ASB below and (where the Yankees went 11-2) and tell me it is so much different:
Fri Jul 17 Tigers W 5-3
Sat Jul 18 Tigers W 2-1
Sun Jul 19 Tigers W 2-1
Mon Jul 20 Orioles W 2-1
Tue Jul 21 Orioles W 6-4
Wed Jul 22 Orioles W 6-4
Thu Jul 23 Athletics W 6-3
Fri Jul 24 Athletics W 8-3
Sat Jul 25 Athletics L 4-6
Sun Jul 26 Athletics W 7-5
Mon Jul 27 @Rays W 11-4
Tue Jul 28 @Rays L 2-6
Wed Jul 29 @Rays W 6-2
Baseball is a funny game, a player is hot one day and cold the next. It is also dependent on the opposing pitchers. Girardi has had 165 games to watch each of his players, he knows best who should be in the lineup each game. I would disagree with his handling of AJ/Molina/Posada but, at the end of the day, that is inconsequential relative to his handling of the whole team and he’s done a great job with that.
Wait till the ALCS
October 12th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Eh, great starters make great starts regerdles of the team. Lackey had bad #’s vs. the Sox. look what he did.
====
Lackey turned in a dominating performance at Fenway during the season. If you happened to catch his MLB interview, before the series started, you could see how weary and unimpressed he was with the notion that the Red Sox held some mysterious mastery over him. He was really kinda funny, giving it an “uhhhhhh….” skepticism worthy of Mike Mussina.
Damon seems to have picked up some bad habits. His YS swing is completely different than his road swing. He’s now cheating so much to pull the ball, that he’s getting fooled on pitches down the middle. He’s no longer a line to line hitter. Quite similar to what Rodriguez goes through from time to time and identical to the changes that Giambi made when he came to NY. Giambi just wasn’t smart enough to get himself out of it. Damon will make changes
Michael Kay is an idiot. Since when does 3 games constitute a valid sample size? It’s akin to declaring ERA or batting champions after the first series of the year.
Here’s something the larger, more valid, sample size of the 162 game season proved out. The Yankees are a VERY good offensive team. Making judgements based on 3 of 165 games is absurd.
Maybe Girardi didn’t want to give the Twins another 1(+) baserunner(s) in the 7th inning of AJ’s game? Plus Molina would’ve led off the bottom of the 6th. Confluance of factors seemed to make it an easy call.
I think Andy is the best case for staying in longer, but maybe Girardi/Eiland saw something, or thought they did.
7th inning of a playoff game, the tension is ratcheted so high, maybe it’s just too emotionally difficult for a manager to not resist the compulsion to do something.
People who point to the offense have a point. IIRC, my biggest concern going in to the playoffs was the consistency. But I was assured by others that our crack pitching would be enough.
Once again the Twins led in every game, but came up empty. No way to explain that.
But it is worth noting, that Game 2 was supposed to end in the 9th. Had Joe Nathan done what any pitcher worth his salt could’ve done, which is get 3 outs before giving up 2 runs the series would still be on.
However, I don’t think this is something to fret about. You don’t know how the Angels series is going to play out. But I do know that the Twins are notoriously stingy with their walks. I do know that we drew at the very least several walks that weren’t granted.
But basically, different series, different pitching, different scouting, different everything.
Wait and see is the right approach here.
Veritek should be coming back to the Sox. As someone already said, he’s got a 3mil player option plus incentives.
Abreu got 5 mil. No way a team is giving Tek more than 3.
Ortiz, Drew and Lowell are also still under contract for 2010.
When you add in Dice-K, that’s about 50 mil for those 5 players.
Pat M.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
GB, So you’re ok with Molina moving on ?? I thought if they could ink him for just 1 more season it’d be the thing to do……
————————————————————
The problem is that you risk losing Cervelli, because I believe that he’s out of options. Molina’s not good enough to risk that and it’s doubtful that Girardi will carry 3 catchers, unless Cervelli can play the infield corners and corner outfield, too. That’s what he needs to do this winter in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Oh, I’m not fretting about AJ. I can figure that one out.
I love Molina but its time to get more versatile. Cervelli is our fastest catcher, our most athletic catcher, can play other positions besides 1st in a pinch (tho that would be desperation) and is younger / cheaper.
Molina’s greatest asset is his defense / framing / pitch selection. We all know how good he is at that, but as he gets older his defense isn’t ultra premium. He broke down last season from having to catch too many games. I think, if we get in a scenario where posada goes down long term, we need cervelli/jesus gaining experience.
If we win the world series, say ‘Thanks for everything, enjoy the parade’ to Molina and go younger.
Although I have a feeling he is going to be back. I think the yankees like him, I think Cash is very proud of the trade that brought him here.
“Cervelli’s backup is Jesus Montero
====
Agreed. He’ll be up toward the end of 2010.”
cervelli did something most minor leaguers don’t do.
he got better at the mlb level.
can the guys down there that have been mentioned do the same thing if they have to come up in the spring or early summer as cervelli did?
i’m not so sure about that,
molina is just a very solid back up . if he comes back the yankees are as strong at catcher as just about any team in baseball .
montero doesn’t seem ready defensively from the descriptions i’ve read here about him.
posada , but i think they are stronger next year if they go with posada and molina.
“…the Twins led in every game, but came up empty. No way to explain that.”
CB has posted the dominant team OPS for innings 7, 8, and 9. That plus good pitching from our bullpen explains it pretty well.
Plus intangibles.
Nick in SF
October 12th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I think Andy is the best case for staying in longer, but maybe Girardi/Eiland saw something, or thought they did.
————————————–
Nick, Girardi said Young was 9-14 lifetime before last night against Andy, he was just playing the percentages. I would have left him in because he’d handled him OK in the 1st two AB’s but understand why the move was made.
Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe:
Just as we feared, the 2009 Red Sox were artificially enhanced by home-field dominance (56-25 at Fenway) and a lot of games against the Triple A Orioles. Ultimately, the Franconamen were a team with too many holes to win a World Series.
I could see Molina back next year even if it’s just as a ‘personal catcher’ for AJ. By 2011 it’s likely that Jorge will be DHing more often than now so there will be a need for a younger catcher with more offense than Molina, it could be either Romine or Montero. I see Cervelli more as a lifetime backup than a starter with the Yankees, I think they want more offense than he can provide out of that spot.
Did someone say to fret about AJ? But he did allow 10 baserunners in 6 innings.
It was also the top of the Twins’ order coming up in the 7th, Girardi probably didn’t want to roll the dice with AJ another time through the order.
It seems like the case to have allowed him to have gone longer is the weakest.
Does Clay Buchholz have a new fiance? She looks different from the one people were looking at when he first came up. Anyway, she’s got some nice things about Clay’s chances and she’s wearing a kind of cute Wild Card shirt (extra bases).
Anyway, was trying to find that Mazz article that he wrote in August or so talking about how the Sox weren’t as good as their record. Played poorly on the road, and losing records against winning teams.
lol, Nick. Just meant I’m not fretting about that decision. But I did think that Aceves could’ve gone 2 strong. And I definitely think Andy should’ve stayed in, Young’s numbers be darned.
“Cervelli is our fastest catcher, our most athletic catcher, can play other positions besides 1st in a pinch (tho that would be desperation) and is younger / cheaper.”
are we talking about the same guy? other positions? where?
he barely hits enough to be the back up catcher.
The Yankees still are the team to beat, no doubt.
I just want them to administer an ass kicking every now and then to show the rest of the league how good this team really is.
A few tweaks should do it. If Damon +/- Tex +/- Cano get hot, with a few long balls from Swishalicious, then watch out baseball.
If not, I think that the pitching plus ARod is good enough to carry them, but then the current issue with Hughes potential fatigue (David Cone mentioned that his fastball was becoming a bit too straight) becomes magnified.
This team can beat you any way you slice it, unlike Yankee teams since 2001. Low scoring, high scoring, comebacks, blowouts. It’s just how they do it that would make it a bit easier for us nail biting fans…
The problem w/Montero is that his bat is way ahead of his catching.
Yet the Yankees are determined to make the situation work – (why this doesn’t clue people that Posada’s status as a hitting catcher is a huge advantage and a major cog in the functionality of the Yankee lineup continues to mystify) – and they’ll be busting it trying to tidy him up behind the plate.
That said, they’re not going to hold him off for much longer – by this time next year, Montero will likely be with the big club. They’ll provide him with as much catching erudition and support as the organization has to offer, and then turn him loose.
Having a manager who was a strong defensive catcher, not to mention Pena (if no one swipes him from us) means his education behind the plate continues here in the majors.
Its always nice to have a day when Red Sox trolls don’t pollute this blog with their nonsense.
I have to do the Patriots game this weekend. PERFECT weekend to break out the fall Yankee gear!
Always fun to see the reaction of people in Boston when I am in full Yankee gear when walking around the city.
I could care less about next year’s roster. That will take care of itself soon enough.
One word of warning though…..
Don’t be so quick to annoint Cervelli and get rid of Molina.
Don’t let small sample sizes affect your thinking.
Jose Molina is a valuable piece to the puzzle.
With the catching the Yankees have in the minors, they can afford to keep Cervelli in AAA next year, sign Molina, and gauge the progress of Romine and Montero. Its the advantage of being a big market team.
In fact, I would argue its the prudent thing to do.
I think Cervelli has a better chance of being solid trade bait in the future than the catcher of the future in NY.
Nice young player. I don’t think he’s an everyday catcher in the majors for a team like the Yankees. A team looking to get more offense out of the position.
Disagree. I think that Molina’s statsus will be a baseball decision, not an AJ decision.
But whomever the backup catcher is will get plenty of playing time, especially if Matsui is not back.
are we talking about the same guy? other positions? where?
he barely hits enough to be the back up catcher.
–
He was a middle infielder coming up, just like Jorge, but he isn’t bulky enough to have lost the athleticism to play those positions, like Jorge.
I am just saying that he could be a decent fill in defensively in a pinch.
Its nice having a guy that can back up multiple positions, even if its 3rd or 4th string.
A few tweaks should do it. If Damon +/- Tex +/- Cano get hot, with a few long balls from Swishalicious, then watch out baseball.
===
Watch out indeed, but guys aren’t usually “hot” all at once, which is why the stance that Posada’s bat is somehow expendable because we “have enough offense” is flawed logic.
m-
“A Sox smokescreen?”
http://www.boston.com/sports/c.....imore.html
What’s wrong with letting AJ leave his first playoff start on a good note?
And it’s not like AJ was exactly dominant out there, he had baserunners on every inning.
Andy is a different story, he should have been in it.
Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe:
Just as we feared, the 2009 Red Sox were artificially enhanced by home-field dominance (56-25 at Fenway) and a lot of games against the Triple A Orioles. Ultimately, the Franconamen were a team with too many holes to win a World Series.”
————————————————————–
Don’t forget the acute case of Rope-a-dopeitosis they suffered from.
Actually his article should read “Just as YOU feared…”
Shaughnessy had them playing possum.
Another baseball columnist not worth his weight in salt.
I think a 1.72 ERA is a lot better than not bad – the pitching was terrific
MG, I couldn’t agree with you more. I find it funny that people are killing the Yankees for not hitting, when during the season the same people kept harping on the fact that playoff baseball is a different ballgame. The lousy pitching is gone, replaced by good to very good pitching -everyone knows that games are going to close and low scoring. Kay should not have harped on stupid batting average stats; instead he should have focused on the fact that the Yankees got hits when it counted.
m: gotcha, I misunderstood as you surmised.
I didn’t think you were fretting about Giradri’s decisions, per se, but I did see you mention them more than once, so I was curious as to your reasoning.
bodhi, I don’t think you saw my post on the issue, as it was during game two, but I gave you a big thumbs up on the great post you made on the importance of Posada’s bat not just in relation to Molina’s but also for the lineup as a whole, allowing Melky to bat 9th, etc. Thanks for that.
CC on short rest? In my calculation we are depending on CC for 2 wins in the series. If short rest puts that in Jeopardy we shouldn’t do it. Whatever works out I wouldn’t want to see anybody else other then Andy or CC in a game 7 if it goes that far.
Drive, I’m telling you, he was pathetic today. The Yankees have to HOPE they can beat the Angels. BS – the Yankees can beat any team at any location. Period.
Thanks, randy l, that’s the one.
I guess the guy does know his baseball. The comment section has been purged (not enough storage space?!), but the readers called him all kinds of stuff, like “a closet yankee fan” and I distinctly remembered Christina (not our Christina) wondering out loud if this ‘09 Yankees team was doing steroids.
I for one never thought the Boston Red Sox were as good as their record…I thought this to be true back in June when the talking heads annointed them as World Deries victors
jerkface -
cervelli’s baseball reference minor league career stats show 209 games at catcher and 1 game in the outfield.
maybe i’m reading them wrong , but that’s what i see.
i don’t see any other positions that he played.
I would switch Marte with Bruney. You cant replace Marte with Guzman. Because you need 11-12 pitchers on the alcs roster.
I would prefer using CC once on 3 days rest. But if not I would go with a Gaudin/Aceves combination for game 4. I do feel Joba will become a very good starter. But right now he is too valuable pitching out of the bullpen in the postseason. I cant even remember the last time Joba threw 100 pitches. It is probably better he did hit his innings limit so he wont be going much over in the postseason working out of the bullpen.
Someone last night was bashing a few folks that got down on Melky a bit. That poster was talking about how Melky had hit very well in the series. I just checked he hit .167 so there must have been a few phantom hits in there we didn’t see.
Cervelli starts his 6th pro season next year, so, he should be out of options. No way does he make it through waivers to go back to the minors, next year.
Pov,
People are sensitive like that.
M, I don’t think you are giving enough credit to the Yankees for coming back on Nathan. Why should we chalk it up to just his lack of execution ? Pitchers make bad pitches all the time and get away with it – Nathan did not.
As for the Twins having the lead, they barely held the lead in each game. Every time they scored, the Yankees came back…….
The Angels didn’t lay a smackdown on the Sox either. They didn’t score until late in game 2 and very late in game 3.
The Yankees know how to win every conceivable game..and I don’t expect them to thump in the playoffs because the pitching is too good.
Drop Marte – play with a 24 man roster.
When all the whiners say the Yanks have the biggest payroll – fans can say yeah, but we play with less players so stuff it.
If it works, next year the Yankees can just use CC, Posada, Tex and Jeter for a few playoff games. It will be like Eddie Feigner and the King and His Court.
posada minor league career:
catcher-421
second base- 64
outfield -1
The Twins had a lead in every game the Yankees played vs. them, I believe. And we won every game.
How awesome is that?
Sorry if I am reposting this, but I guess the earth is spinning on its axis properly, and the Sox are back where they belong:
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....er_fenway/
I love the line about Dads reminding their sons of the “bad old days…”
In terms of being too harsh on the Yankees, I think they are the team to beat. All I’m saying is that I’d like a game every so often that is 10-1. However, since these are the Angels and not Baltimore, that may be asking too much.
Yes, they are terrific, and an ERA of 1.72 is fabulous. A WHIP of 1.6 is not, any way you slice it.
I love Cervelli, but it hardly comforts me to think of Montero/Romine waiting in the wings. I have a wait and see attitude on Montero as far as his hitting and his catching is not even close to being MLB readyd. Romine is also not close to being MLB ready. I would like Molina back for another year……… Over the course of a long season, I don’t think Cervelli will hold up as a hitter…and who knows as a catcher? Let him spend next year in AAA
Randy I, I thought the numbers weren’t close lopsided with Jorge play @ 2nd & catching
Angels and Yankees are evenly matched.
This isin’t like the Twins series where we were significantly better than them and it wasn’t even close.
This is going to be a long, hard-fought series with many highs and lows.
Betsy,
Of course our guys get the credit. But the advantage should go to the team with a two run lead and their all-star caliber closer in the game. I, along with the rest of baseball, are at a loss to explain how Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, and to a lesser extent Franklin failed to do it all on the same weekend.
XLG
I agree Joba has greater value in the bullpen against LAA if he can pitch well. The Angels will drive you nuts, they are a Dracula of sorts and you need the “stake” of Joba, Hughes and Mo to keep them from getting back into a ballgame. Just look at their record for comebacks and the game in Boston last night.
The key to beating this team is that you must keep them off the basepaths, singles turn into doubles and triples quickly with their agressive style, especially the top of their order.
They should trade AJ or just release him if they think he needs Molina to pitch well…..it’s just not so. I think it’s a real problem that Girardi has zero confidence in AJ to pitch – that basically he’s saying any success AJ has on the mound is due to Molina. I want Molina back, but if he’s to be a personal catcher….no thanks, sayonara.
Bruney will take Marte’s spot in the ALCS. The way Joe is using his bullpen there is no way we would drop Marte and not put a pitcher back on the roster.
Joe will keep Marte because he’s a leftie.
Just got home from work and need to get the car from the mechanic –
1. Alex is a baseball savant. That play to deke Punto last night was pure baseball instinct. If he has to think, he’s lost the chance. He, Jeter, and Tex seem to do things without even thinking about them.
2. I bet they go with Bruney over Guzman (taking Marte’s spot). The Angels aren’t as weak at catcher as Boston (in terms of not throwing well), and Guzman didn’t impress me that much. And since this is a 7-game series, and pitching always rules, I bet Bruney gets the nod.
3. SJ44 and randy beat me to it. Depending on whether the Yankees want to pay Molina, he will be back, with Cisco at AAA. Then, depending on how things go with Montero and Romine, Molina may be traded. And he will bring back a relative king’s ransom. Next to pitching, catchers are always in demand.
4. Drive 4-5 – I’m jealous (though I went to the first ALDS game). Enjoy what we all hope will be a Yankees’ win.
# Betsy October 12th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
The Yankees know how to win every conceivable game..and I don’t expect them to thump in the playoffs because the pitching is too good.
Your right Betsy, in order to win we do need good pitching, if it becomes a track meet out there we won’t carry the day. I think the AL pitching is also very good and they don’t get enough credit for it. I expect few blowouts and hope that Melky and Cano and Swisher will contribute. Nick has to stop swinging so hard, every swing looked like a HR or nothing type of effort.
Betsy,
You really think that Girardi has zero confidence in AJ? Or could it be that he likes what he sees between AJ and Molina. As a former catcher himself. Every analyst that’s been a pitcher has acknowledged that yes, a catcher can make a difference sometimes.
I don’t think anyone’s a bad guy, inconfident, or lack confidence in the parties involve. It just is what it is, which is why, by and large, the media is ignoring the whole thing. You know they’d be all over it like white on rice if there was anything untoward about the situation. All the parties involved have moved on…
“Cervelli starts his 6th pro season next year, so, he should be out of options. No way does he make it through waivers to go back to the minors, next year.”
now that’s a different story isn’t it?
what’s up with cervelli’s lack of games . it looks like to me he’s only caught 210 minor league games in 5 years.
was he a back up? injured ?
he’s actually an inexperienced game catcher. kind of weird.
posada caught 486 in 6 years by contrast.
“Some feel that the starters, Andy in particular, could have gone longer, but Joe likes what he has set. starter 6/7, joba, coke/hughes, rivera.
it worked so whats the problem. also preserved pettitte. if there is more urgency, perhaps you see the starters longer.”
—————————–
Burnett looked like he was starting to lose command of his fastball in the 5th and 6th innings. I think Joe got him out at the perfect time.
Andy was a little debatable. But Andy is no longer young. There were a couple of times where Pettitte was pitching well and Joe had him go out for an extra inning in the regular season and he got hit and it ruined his line. I think it was smart getting him out there especially with a bullpen of Chamberlain/Hughes/Rivera to finish out the game.
Wait till the ALCS October 12th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Joe will keep Marte because he’s a leftie.
That can’t get anyone out?
M, oh I agree……..I blame Franklin, to be honest, for the Cardinal’s loss in game 2. He stunk……..
SJ, I shouldn’t have felt this way at the time because the Yankees still had work to do, but watching the forlorn Sux fans as Pedroia popped out was pricless. Fenway was the world’s biggest morgue…..and I loved it. I loved it especially because Dan Shaughnessy probably felt like he got punched in the stomach.
Also, are you worried about Phil? I really don’t believe he’s a kid that has problems with pressure – but he’s clearly not the same. Can his problems be worked out during these next few days?
The real decision should be between Hairston, Hinske and Pena. Hairston was a decent pickup, but, he hasn’t hit much and his defense isn’t all that great at any position. I’d take Hinske and Pena over Hairston. Pena is also a bit faster than Hairston.
The Yankees need to get the Red Sox scouting report on Chone Figgins.
He always seems to kill the Yankees.
His recent 3 game series against Boston was “Damon-like”.
0 for 12 with 6 strike outs.
CC has not pitched well against the Angels this year, nor as Andy. Andy was actually given 4-0 leads in 2 separate games against them this year and blew both of them.
Gaudin couldn’t make it out of the 5th inning with a 5-0 lead when he faced LA last month.
Burnett had one good game (5.2 IP, 2 ER) and one so-so game (7 IP, 4 ER).
The offense has to show up in this round… the Angels lineup is lethal. Not a punch and judy one like the Twins game.
Abreu is the only pure lefty on LAA – if I’m not mistaken
Marte is a lefty, great, do you particulary trust him
a) at all
b) if he’s brought in to retire Bobby Abreu?
We’ve had plenty of pitchers who preferred other catchers to Jorge, whatever it takes to get that 11th postseason victory. Next year will take care of itself in good time.
I do like the kid catcher, but I have to wonder if he could really hit close to .300 if he got more at bats. His minor stats weren’t nearly that good, could it be because of our lineup?
Betsy
October 12th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
They should trade AJ or just release him if they think he needs Molina to pitch well…..it’s just not so. I think it’s a real problem that Girardi has zero confidence in AJ to pitch – that basically he’s saying any success AJ has on the mound is due to Molina. I want Molina back, but if he’s to be a personal catcher….no thanks, sayonara.
——————————————–
Betsy, thanks for agreeing with me about the hitting and you should stop listening to talk radio if it bothers you so much….
As for AJ, trading or releasing isn’t an option. Steve Carlton had Tim McCarver as his personal catcher at the end of McCarver’s career and it worked out pretty well, as did Greg Maddux’ use of the back up for a long time. In a full season scenario it’s fine since Jorge needs some games off anyway and by 2011 he most likely won’t be catching full time anyway…
“I, along with the rest of baseball, are at a loss to explain how Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, and to a lesser extent Franklin failed to do it all on the same weekend.”
That’s baseball is the only explanation necessary.
You can watch your whole life and you’ll see things you’ve never seen before all the time.
M….I’m not sure. I think AJ did want to continue pitching to Posada and I think Joe made a mistake in not allowing that. I was responding, though, to MG’s post about Molina being AJ’s personal catcher…….which I think would be a big mistake.
“Then, depending on how things go with Montero and Romine, Molina may be traded. And he will bring back a relative king’s ransom. Next to pitching, catchers are always in demand.”
joe in long island-
very good point. use him to get a needed piece at some point in 2010.
I trust him to get lefties out more than Bruney.
Thanks, Nick. I was at Game 2, so missed that and the IGT.
Yes, Posada’s presence amounts to more than just what he was able to do last night with the bat. The ripple effect of that bat also makes the other team do stupid things; the base-running mistakes of the Twins come to mind.
Those mistakes don’t just happen in a vacuum, they carry a relative significance.
The Twins know they don’t have the frequently all-redemptive HR power the Yanks do, so there’s enormous pressure to manufacture runs to pre-empt the Yankees’ potential “big inning.” or “big blow.”
And it’s not JUST that they don’t match that ability of the Yankees, or that the Yankees producing is an inevitability, it’s the POTENTIAL for slug of the Yankees that hovers over their own in-game decisions.
Even if Posada does nothing, and Melky, theoretically the weakest link offensively, does nothing – it’s the THREAT of the circular lineup that causes bonehead plays like Punto’s. They must create offense, or risk being blown away by the Yankees’ offense at some point.
Gardenhire talked about how the main thing with the Yankees is trying to cope with the lineup, which he described as “having no weaknesses, 1-9″. There’s the evidence, folks. The losing manager confides his biggest frustration – and biggest headache – trying to cope with the Yankees’ circular lineup.
Randy: Cervelli was a middle infielder in Venezeula but the yankees signed him as a catcher because his bat tool wasn’t good enough to warrant signing as a SS/2b
Posada was moved to catcher because his defensive tools weren’t good enough for middle infield
They are kind of opposites
randy l.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
“Cervelli starts his 6th pro season next year, so, he should be out of options. No way does he make it through waivers to go back to the minors, next year.”
now that’s a different story isn’t it?
what’s up with cervelli’s lack of games . it looks like to me he’s only caught 210 minor league games in 5 years.
was he a back up? injured ?
he’s actually an inexperienced game catcher. kind of weird.
posada caught 486 in 6 years by contrast.
————————————————————
A lot of injuries. The Yanks also had Pilittere, Anson and a couple of others that were more advanced. Cervelli is still very young (about 23). The others just sort of flashed out. Pilittere is still in the org. Cervelli played in two of the short season leagues, too, in ‘05 and ‘06 when he was just 19. A full season with Tampa in the FSL with Anson. In ‘08, he missed most of the year with the broken wrist.
Cervelli missed out on 100+ games at catcher when the Rays broke his wrist in 2008
MG, I shut off Kay awhile ago and I’ve been a lot happier, lol. I was sort of being facetious about trading or releasing AJ. I love the guy and I think he’s good for the team……he’s also not as bad as people think. I just can’t get past the personal catcher thing……and I think it would be better for AJ and the team for him to be able to pitch to anyonee. He’s capable………….Of course I agree that over the full season, the situation is mitigated by the fact that Po needs rest anyway…….
MLB talking about Jeter………..darn, I am so proud of him
pat,
That’s right. That’s like Miguel Cairo, Jose Molina, and me all hitting walk off grand slams. Never going to see it in our lifetimes.
“It just is what it is, which is why, by and large, the media is ignoring the whole thing.”
Almost got me.
pat m
baseball reference shows one year at second base for posada at age 19 .
http://www.baseball-reference......sada001jor
I’m sure this has been rehashed, but I still can’t get over the quote…I can’t imagine a Yankee saying it…
“It took a bad hop,” Pedroia said. “Our infield (stinks). It’s the worst in the game.”
Pedroia was obviously peeved, but did not back away from his statement.
“I’m not lying about that. That is true. I think about those things. That stuff upsets me,” Pedroia said. “My job is to take 1,000 groundballs a day. Other guys’ job is to get the field perfect so we can play baseball.”
http://morningsentinel.maineto.....70557.html
As good as Molina is defensively, and he is, a catcher hitting .216 with a .296 on base percentage, who is in his 30s, will have very little trade value. We wouldn’t keep him to trade him. He’s very valuable to us, but wouldn’t be coveted in a trade.
Nick,
I know it’s difficult because I post so much, but you really need to ignore my posts.
Alright, Yankee people, enjoy the Phillies/Rockies game (yawn). I’ll go out on a limb and say that the Rockies take this one, if for no other reasons than Cliff Lee’s human and HFA and I want more baseball.
Pedroia is right. No issues with that comment.
MT,
Jeter has complained about the infield at Fenway for years. Pedroia probably has a point, but him raising the issue now is open to question.
m
Not so fast. Sometimes opportunity and luck is enough. Jose has something lots of more talented and acclaimed players don’t- a WS ring.
Gardenhire talked about how the main thing with the Yankees is trying to cope with the lineup, which he described as “having no weaknesses, 1-9?. There’s the evidence, folks. The losing manager confides his biggest frustration – and biggest headache – trying to cope with the Yankees’ circular lineup.
I would have to disagree a bit. I think there has been a slight weakness offensivily and it has been our OF. For a large portion of the year at least two of the positions have hit in the bottom third of the batting order. We can’t be ranking high when it’s compared to the rest of the league. A few games when Hinske played the OF hit 7-8-9. I am not a big fan of Melky, he has made no progress on knowing the strike zone any better and he swings at too many bad pitches. Last year he was a young guy still learning this year he is a older guy doing the same things.
Joba should 100% be in the pen. The yankees have screwed this poor guy up enough with all of the rules and changes. He may have starter stuff, but he has relievers mind. The latter is far more important.
I never cared for Pete’s ramblings about Joba needing to start, ignoring the critical importance we have to groom a successor to MO. Further with Joba, Hughes, and MO in the pen, the game becomes a 5 or six inning start.
Molina should start if Burnett wants him too. Pitching is everything in the postseason, and you must err on the side of the pitcher. The proof is in the results.
I like the idea of having a late inning speed demon like guzman on the roster. We have seen these tiny moves play enormous dividends in the past.
Does that mean it wasn’t a joke?
Alright then.
Do they keep the field crappy on purpose?
Should be fairly easy to make it nice.
Chad-
Just came online and all of you are doing a terrific job.
Drop Marte. He pitched only 13 innings this season with a .120 BA when opposing lefties but couldn’t get any lefties out against the Twins. Send him to Tampa and let him stay ready in case of injury. Bruney can get lefties out. We still need a pitcher in the bullpen, because we were not lights out during the Twin series.
Keep Joba in the pen, and try to use him at the start of an inning. He pitches better when he’s not pitching from the stretch.
Wait and see how the series plays out, but alert CC he might pitch on 3 days rest.
Figgins did not have a hit during the series with Boston.
Keep the singles hitters off the bases and I feel good about our chances.
AJ likes to pitch without distractions of calling off pitches and frequent visits to the mound. This should be easily remedied this week by getting AJ and Posada on the same page.
Go Yankees!!!!
In my opinion people tend to downgrade Cervelli on a small sample size. This is a kid that came almost directly from A Ball to the Majors with a year of broken wrist in between. He did a superb job this year developing at the Majors level. You could see his hitting had improved when he came back from AAA, it gave him time off to reflect on what he needed to do. This is an amazing talent behind the plate and judging him as at best a backup is premature. His hitting will improve, I repeat he held his own basically coming from A Ball.
Russo said we’re going to win a WS on his show… said our lineup is too much for the Angels.
Damon slumping. I’d keep him starting in the games at Yankee stadium and against lefty starters in Angel stadium, but perhaps let gardner start an away game or two.
JJ October 12th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Russo said we’re going to win a WS on his show… said our lineup is too much for the Angels.
Wow now there is a baseball mind
I’d imagine that Kazmir and Saunders (the two lefties) will start in Angels Stadium.
Lackey/Weaver will probably start on the road vs. CC and AJ.
“Two costly runs that Pedroia knows would not have scored if he fielded the grounder cleanly.
“It took a bad hop,” Pedroia said. “Our infield (stinks). It’s the worst in the game.”
Pedroia was obviously peeved, but did not back away from his statement.
“I’m not lying about that. That is true. I think about those things. That stuff upsets me,” Pedroia said. “My job is to take 1,000 groundballs a day. Other guys’ job is to get the field perfect so we can play baseball.”
http://morningsentinel.maineto.....70557.html
good link MT-
so theo went younger and cheaper and brought up some new young lawn maintenance guys who weren’t quite ready .
# randy l. October 12th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
“Two costly runs that Pedroia knows would not have scored if he fielded the grounder cleanly.
“It took a bad hop,” Pedroia said. “Our infield (stinks). It’s the worst in the game.”
Pedroia was obviously peeved, but did not back away from his statement.
“I’m not lying about that. That is true. I think about those things. That stuff upsets me,” Pedroia said. “My job is to take 1,000 groundballs a day. Other guys’ job is to get the field perfect so we can play baseball.”
http://morningsentinel.maineto…..70557.html
good link MT-
so theo went younger and cheaper and brought up some new young lawn maintenance guys who weren’t quite ready .
It’s all frustration, he probably already wishes he didn’t say it. We are told that Bad umpiring is part of the game so Pedroia your a young guy get over it and start thinking about next year, you aren’t going to change this year. What’s the difference in pay scale between the rake guys and you?
http://www.wfan.com/Three-Down.....ntRating=1
The Yankees held a wonderful party in the hotel after the game…what struck me (besides the Dom Perignon) was how much this group actually likes each other, how the families like each other. I have never seen wives taking group pictures, players sitting together going over the game, watching the Philly-Rockies game, including everyone, at least not in THIS decade. Sing alongs at the piano…can you imagine…SING ALONGS at the piano!! Joe Girardi has built something very special in that clubhouse. By the way, if you read Page 6..(and what are you doing reading Page 6?) the stories of discord are “hooey!” Pure fiction.
**Sing alongs? LOL
so theo went younger and cheaper and brought up some new young lawn maintenance guys who weren’t quite ready .
————————————————–
Randy I
Three points on the “Double Take” scale. Sneaky.
Pov
October 12th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Gardenhire talked about how the main thing with the Yankees is trying to cope with the lineup, which he described as “having no weaknesses, 1-9?. There’s the evidence, folks. The losing manager confides his biggest frustration – and biggest headache – trying to cope with the Yankees’ circular lineup.
I would have to disagree a bit. I think there has been a slight weakness offensivily and it has been our OF. For a large portion of the year at least two of the positions have hit in the bottom third of the batting order. We can’t be ranking high when it’s compared to the rest of the league. A few games when Hinske played the OF hit 7-8-9. I am not a big fan of Melky, he has made no progress on knowing the strike zone any better and he swings at too many bad pitches. Last year he was a young guy still learning this year he is a older guy doing the same things.
=====
I’m having a little trouble following this.
What are you at odds with? Gardenhire’s view of the Yankee lineup?
The fact that hitting Melky, a .275 switch hitter, ninth, is a huge upgrade over batting Molina ninth, when the latter is in the lineup?
Are you saying Melky isn’t a good No. 9 hitter, relatively speaking?
You’re kind of all over the place.
Betsy
October 12th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
http://www.wfan.com/Three-Down…..ntRating=1
The Yankees held a wonderful party in the hotel after the game…what struck me (besides the Dom Perignon) was how much this group actually likes each other, how the families like each other. I have never seen wives taking group pictures, players sitting together going over the game, watching the Philly-Rockies game, including everyone, at least not in THIS decade. Sing alongs at the piano…can you imagine…SING ALONGS at the piano!! Joe Girardi has built something very special in that clubhouse. By the way, if you read Page 6..(and what are you doing reading Page 6?) the stories of discord are “hooey!” Pure fiction.
**Sing alongs? LOL
Where is this cant find thanks
That is heart breaking about the Metrodome grounds crew.
“so theo went younger and cheaper and brought up some new young lawn maintenance guys who weren’t quite ready .”
Or he went established but old and broken down. I believe he signed a couple of former greenskeepers; one was from Augusta National and another from Pebble Beach but both were coming off surgeries and the current grounds crew coach just couldn’t get them right.
I heard one of them was tipping off his fertilizing.
bodhisattva – Destiny Wears Pinstripes
October 12th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
That is heart breaking about the Metrodome grounds crew.
?????
Bruney over Marte.
Marte hasn’t done anything this year and Bruney was getting it done down the stretch, plus he’s good against lefties since he can throw something of cut fastball that runs in on lefties.
I don’t see how Marte stays on the ALCS roster, I haven’t seen him get more than one out in a row in any appearance this year.
Joba makes the pen the best in baseball. Hope to get 5 out of chad.
Personally I’d go Bruney over Marte. I’d also take Hinske off the Roster for Guzman, who I feel is more useful. Hinske has no role in the playoffs. If we are winning the series, I’d go Gaudin, if not I go CC on short rest.
Another thing to consider is the poor performance of the Yankees outfielders offensive wise. Damon, Cabrera and Swisher hit poorly in the ALDS. We need to get some offense running from these guys.
I was worrying about the 4th starter when I noticed the Thursday off (with the consequence that only once did anyone have to go on three days rest), and I immediately thought of CC. Only then did I think of looking on this blog to see if anyone thought it was worthy of consideration. Thank you, Chad Jennings, for reinforcing my thought. I am now encouraged to reccommend it. I had not researched, as you as a professional sports writer did not need to, that CC has already proven himself tolerant of this sort of abuse repeatedly at Milwaukee, and this would be only once (Schilling seemed to get away with it pretty well back-to-back in the 2001 WS), and the leading contender for 4th starter (Gaudin)could be waiting in the wings for an early CC exit if required.
The more I think of it, the more I think it is a no-brainer — CC in game 4 with Gaudin ready behind him.
OK guys – - this is our year!
Use CC on 3 days rest, but no more than 6 (5?) innings. The bullpen can cover the remainder.