Girardi: We liked the match-up better with Aceves
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Oct 19, 2009 
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Joe Girardi’s postgame press conference lasted about three minutes, and his explanation for taking out Dave Robertson and bringing in Alfredo Aceves was that the Yankees “liked the match-up better.” Asked to elaborate on that since Howie Kendrick was 1-for-2 lifetime against Robertson and had never faced Aceves, Girardi declined. Pitching coach Dave Eiland did the same. As you know, Kendrick singled and Jeff Mathis brought him home with the winning run moments later.
Of course, none of that might have been an issue if the Yankees hitters had managed to take advantage of the numerous opportunities they had. The Yankees were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and left 10 men on base.
Back with more clubhouse reaction later.
Hes an idiot.
Girardi let the overmanaging catch up to him. Should’ve left Robertson in. Still no excuse for the bottom of the order.
cc will shut the halos down tomorrow.
“Asked to elaborate on that since Howie Kendrick was 1-for-2 lifetime against Robertson and had never faced Aceves, Girardi declined.”
Of course he declined. It was an idiot move that he can’t back up.
I can’t explain that move by GI Joe, it reaked… it was like Moose pitching to Manny instead of walking him bad.
CC on 3 days ain’t a guarantee for nothing, neither is AJ, this Angels team just got thier mojo back.
Coward. You screwed up Girardi. Own up to it. What a coward taking the easy way out.
Alias, I agree with you. But we should be going for the sweep tomorrow. I’m comfortable that we’ll win the series, but Girardi did screw up tonight.
You know what caught up to the Yankees tonight?
Their lack of hitting. LACK OF HITTING.
I mean, come on. Andy pitched wonderfully, and Weaver was crap. We blew it way before the 11th inning.
Hopefully Girardi learns his lesson from this. Aceves isn’t as good as he was earlier in the season. Robertson, on the other hand, has been nasty. It should be a simple decision from here on out.
He not at all like Jeter in one sense.
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Um..what??? I am saying that you have to pitch Kendrick inside on his hands. All I see is they pitch him over the plate or on the left corner and he shoots it to RF. He got 2 meatballs today. Every single time they have pitched him inside he makes easy outs.
CC can pitch great tomorrow all he wants. It won’t mean jack squat if the offense (other than Alex and Jeter) don’t do something. The lineup all of a sudden is just littered with automatic outs. It’s like there are 7 Jose Molinas playing.
I guess Pete was right when he predicted that Girardi would blow a game in the playoff by Over-managing
HORRIBLE call by Joe – IDIOT!!!!! Over managing like crazy!!
Even w/ all that, we really didn’t deserve to win, hitting w/ RISP sucked and Pettite for the love of god a pitch in the dirt would have sealed this game.
At fault for this loss: GI Joe, Georgy, Pettite
I would fire Joe after this season unless the Yanks and up winning it all.
first guesser here… I still couldn’t believe my ears when I heard joe was bringingin aceves with no one on & 2 outs. I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!!!! HOW? HOW? HOW? HOW? HOW?
Yep obviously that was not a good move. Robertson has been one of the teams best relievers. Aceves has been very shakey this postseason but the game should of never came to that point.
The yankees lineup is really letting the team down. Melky is hitting 200 and striking out a lot in the postseason. Swisher is not hitting Teixeira is not hitting. They are horrible hitting with RISP. Basically A-Rod, Jeter and Posada are carrying the lineup
Horrible job by Joe ….BUT
Having watched probably parts of 150 games this year, this team is nothing if not resilient. Time and again they’ve bounced back from tough loses with strong performances. Have some faith in our team- no one thought it was going to be easy, did they?
It happened. It’s over. Everyone’s true personality always comes out when things get ugly. You can’t handle adversity — we’re up 2-1. CC on the mound tomorrow. Go to bed.
I wish there was some more accountabilty here… declined to elaborate? Might as well just have said “I went with my instincts” or “the Magic 8 Ball told me to.” There’s just no rationale for taking out Robertson.
The overmanaging hurt. The putrid offense, especially the bottom third of the order, hurt more and cost them the game.
If the offense doesn’t improve, it will cost them this series.
Girardi has to break up the bottom third of the lineup tomorrow night. Sit Swisher for Hairston is a start.
Curious Case,
I’d fire you for your comments on this blog.
I fault Pettite more b/c he was told don’t throw a strike to Vlad, a notorious wild swinger, and he did, he & Georgy decided to throw a strike.
GI Joe still carries the blame for the xtra innings but this game was loss in that AB vs Vlad.
Aceves doesn’t match up particularly well with anyone lately.
Everybody first guessed that . It was crazy
declining to comment.. in other words, he doesnt know why
Absolutely fireable mistake if it has ramifications…this is why you get paid–to manage a baseball game. In the most important game of the season, he made all the wrong decisions.
I know CC will give his all but…..will the pen?
Now You get AJ for a second hair raising game!
I’ve never seen such lousy managing.
LAD 3-2
SJ44,
Exactly.
How many times tonight did we leave RISP? And Saturday?
Its disgusting…you can’t rely on guys hitting bombs every at bat. Whoopty doo, 4 solo shots. We lost.
Tomorrow is a new game, hopefully things get shaken up a bit.
Or would you rather go on bashing people based on your stupid evaluation of one game. Facts and statistics too hard to understand?
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I would love to know what game you are watching. Melky has 3 hits in this series..I guess to you that is considered having a great series.
The offense (Tex, Cano, Swisher, Melky) all sucked. People can try to pin this one on Girardi all they want, but this game was lost by the offensive offense that only know the solo HR.
Watching a Road Game at yankee Stadium http://www.puristbleedspinstri.....adium.html
(with photos)
***
There’s more to it than this, but Aceves, a fly ball pitcher, was a bad match up against Kendrick. Never mind that it was Mathis that got the big hit, Robertson should have been left in.
Ultimately, Girardi managed a road game as if his team was home.
There’s a little more to it than that, but that’s the basic gist.
The Yankees blew this game by not getting to the shaky Weaver when they had the chance to put the game away. 1st and 3rd, 1 out two times, and twice they can’t get a single run across. That’s what happens when you let good teams hang around especially AT HOME. We’ve seen our Yankees do the same thing all year.
Wait, so Robertson wasn’t injured? Wow, Girardi really blows.
vb03,
Right, not enough offensive production where we should be able to depend on more on it.
But, its one game.
2 one out, runner on 3rd RBI chances for Swisher and he blew them both. He’s as much of a goat as any. If I have to blame one person for this loss, its him, along with Cano and Cabrera.
A lot went wrong today
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes October 19th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
vb03,
Right, not enough offensive production where we should be able to depend on more on it.
But, its one game.
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It may well have been enough if Andy doesn’t throw that meatball to Vlad.
But you can’t keep leaving runners on the bases and not expect the other team to make a comeback. This game was lost LONG LONG before Girardi took out Robertson in the 11th.
I know the popular thing to do will be to blame Girardi for the loss, and he’d probably be the first to tell you he overmanaged, but I blame the offense more than anything else for this loss. The Yankees had numerous oppurtunities to break the game open, and couldn’t hit anything. Alex and Jeter are the only two in the lineup that seem to be hitting consistantly. That can’t continue. Hopefully this game will be a wake up call that good pitching will get you far, but not if you can’t score any runs to back them up.
The Yankees also need to figure out how to pitch to Mathis. The guy is a non-entity, yet he has 3 doubles in his last 3 at bats.
No need for blame; just improvement.
As much as I blame Joe for overmanaging, I can’t forget the LOB brigade: Cano, Swisher, Melky left a combined 16 men on base.
Cano never hits in RISP so this is no surprise. Melky is hit or miss and usually swings at garbage anyway. But Swisher looks like a shell of his regular season self, swinging at pitches out of the zone. He’s definitely pressing right now, and a day off may be good for him and the team.
It’s hard to rob games on the road, especially come playoff time, this game is gonna cost us.
The lack of offense at the bottom of the order cost them.
Gardy getting caught stealing majorly cost them. Would have been a 5-4 game if he got to 2nd or stayed at first. Can’t fault him for trying, just sucks it happened Jorge’s shot came a couple pitches later.
Then the Robertson move. I’ve always felt comfortable using Ace in certain situations, and this wasn’t one of them.
Oh well, hopefully CC will get the ship right and the offense will come around not relying on the solo homers.
If you really want to blame someone these are the people to blame:
Girardi- taking out Robertson
Tex- Offense
Swish- Offense
Cano- Offense
Melky- Offense
-These hitters are so stupid, you go through breaking ball after breaking ball again and again and they won’t adjust. I have never seen hitters as dumb as these guys. T€hey get a fastball and let it go then swing at garbage. Tex, Swish, Cano, and Melky are the main reasons why we lost this game. LOSERS OF THE GAME.
Swisher sits,Cabrera sits and Chamerlain sits
The Yankees hadn’t lost a game in over 2 weeks.
Hopefully a reminder of the feeling will light a fire for the lineup.
“It may well have been enough if Andy doesn’t throw that meatball to Vlad.”
THANK YOU!
*TO LOHUD BLOGGERS*
How is Andy Pettitte not being criticized after this game? He had one job, throw a ball in the dirt,high away JUST NOT A STRIKE!
HOW THE F… AREN’T WE TALKING ABOUT THAT!
Give the Angels credit. These games always come down to who has the last at bat. It’s much easier to manage when you have the last at bat. They are close teams, but the Yankees are better. Interestingly, Accuscore had this game 60-40 Angels win in 10,000 simulations. The fact that the Yankees almost pulled it out speaks loudly to how good they are.
Joe will learn. This is his first (hopefully of many) ALCS’s. Aceves is rusty as a old nail right now, as everyone nationally who follows the Yanks knows. He needs to get more work in. Mathis hitting 2 power doubles in a row? How often does that happen? Carrying 3 catchers has also bit this team in a large chunk of its ass, and hopefully Joe will learn from that as well.
I also would have let Andy keep pitching to Vlad, and not come in to talk on 2-2 in the 6th. That destroyed any rhythm that Andy had, and in fact, that was the ballgame right there.
It wouldn’t have mattered, however, if Swisher had at least hit the ball hard ONCE with a man on third and one out. That was the only execution piece that really sucked. Swish had better start hitting the breaking ball again , or else he’s just a shorter Shelly Duncan with a good eye at the plate. Swishalicious also could have caught the triple in the seventh, but he get’s a pass on that as well. Joba was too amped.
Tex gets a pass due to his defense, and his atrocious time at the plate (and he’s starting to press) would be the story right now if this team wasn’t so good, so deep, and so persistent.
The Yankees weren’t going to sweep the Angels, but they almost did. So be it. The road to the WS still has to go through CC, AJ, Andy, and CC again, with two games in cold, cold, NY.
Wow, how gutless is Joe? He had the conviction to make an asinine move, but not enough to stand up to the media and explain it? That’s pathetic……
If Joe doesn’t understand that it’s ALWAYS better to go with the better pitcher, then he should not be managing. He does the same thing when he uses Phil Coke instead of Phil Hughes – Hughes is far superior than Coke, but oh no – Coke has to face the lefties (this was more in the regular season than in the post). Joe, use the BETTER pitcher……..
There are people to blame. It is the HP umpires. They put us in detrimental counts, both pitchers and hitters, quite often. Are none of you even slightly upset at how they put Al in an 0-2 count the other night. It should be known by every Yankees fan that it was intentionally done. The HP umpire knew what he was doing.
kennyb
October 19th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Swisher sits,Cabrera sits and Chamerlain sits
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My brother and I were just debating who will most likely sit tomorrow. I said Swish, he said Melky. I love Swisher but watching his at bats were painful.
lets go yankees (formerly lets go twins)
October 19th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
lets go yankees (formerly lets go twins)
October 19th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
100 pitches of fun…
October 19th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
see above post about Melky this series. He has had one bad game
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lol 1 bad game. Please tell me what Melky has done in this series? Besides swing at every curveball in sight..?
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First two games of this series Melky had a .375 AVG and .500 OBP. Is that good enough?
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Any response……?
Or would you rather go on bashing people based on your stupid evaluation of one game. Facts and statistics too hard to understand?
Brandon I asked my boyfriend why he isn’t whining about Andy giving up a 3-run lead the way he ripped AJ to shreds and all I got was silence.
this is the first time the Yanks lost after being tied after the 7th.
Does anyone want to talk about Mariano’s fantastic performance. That’s the saddest thing to me about this loss – that his gem of an escape will be forgotten because it happened in a loss. It was just masterful wasn’t it? I’m still in awe, I don’t think I’ve felt such fan pressure since the Giants final drive against NE in the Superbowl.
girardi should have spoken more then 5 minutes. he is defensive on the subject because it was a bad decision. he is overmanaging….bringing mo in was a no brainer if they do not get out of it they lose… taken robertson out after 2/3 of an inning makes zero sense.
hold on swisher, cano, and tex, just swung at pitches in the dirt in the lockeroom…..
tex get out but do not turn into cano and swing at slop… yanks with risp in this series are terrible…………
“Brandon Awesome (BECAUSE I’M AWESOME!)
October 19th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
CC on 3 days ain’t a guarantee for nothing, neither is AJ, this Angels team just got thier mojo back.”
?? Angels got nothing but 1 win. This Yankee team is still better than this Angels team.
I swear if we see these guys continue to swing at garbage breaking pitches then they need to quit and leave New York.
Get some real hitters. Hitters who are smart like a Paul O’neill or a Bernie Williams.
Agreed about the offense – Arod, Jeter and Jorge hitting aren’t enough. It’s not realistic to expect the big man to pitch on short rest AND pitch a complete game shutout. But unless Tex, Robbie, Melky and few others come to life and start driving in runs, that’s pretty much what they’ll need to get a win. Because ARod will be pitched around for the duration of the series, and they’ll take their chances with Jeter and Posada.
the lineup will not change tommorrow. kazmir is a lefty gardner will not start.
yea nice baserunning by gardner… he never steals on the first pitch notice that????????????
vb03,
I agree…quite frankly, this game looked significantly similar to Saturday’s game…it was a coin toss as to which team won and ultimately it came down, IMO, to home field advantage.
The frightening thing about Girardi’s over managing today was how he went over to the stats book and then quickly made the call to the pen.
Who knows what happened exactly but I really wonder if Girardi quickly looked at the book and saw that Hendricks was hitting .500 off of Robertson without looking at the number of at bats that generated that batting average (1 for 2).
It’s just utterly inexplicable. One of Aceves’ best weapons is his change up – but against a right handed hitter that change up isn’t even a pitch that he’s going to be able to use. So basically Aceves against a right handed batter is a fastball, curveball and cut fastball guy.
I just can’t imagine the thinking that went into this move other than just glancing at the “batting average against.”
Baseball managers have so little to do compared to coaches in other major sports. The main thing they do is decide who should be out on the field. Then it’s up to the players.
For Girardi to decide who should be pitching in such an incompetent fashion is just amazing.
100 pitches of fun…
October 19th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Or would you rather go on bashing people based on your stupid evaluation of one game. Facts and statistics too hard to understand?
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I would love to know what game you are watching. Melky has 3 hits in this series..I guess to you that is considered having a great series.
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Do I have to say it again? First 2 games Melky had a .375 AVG and .500 OBP. A .500 OBP.
He had a bad game, but in the first two games on the series our number 9 hitter go on base 50% of the time. If you know someone who can do better than that please tell me. Everyone sucked today. At least Melky had two good games before it.
“The Ghost
October 19th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Does anyone want to talk about Mariano’s fantastic performance. That’s the saddest thing to me about this loss – that his gem of an escape will be forgotten because it happened in a loss. It was just masterful wasn’t it? I’m still in awe, I don’t think I’ve felt such fan pressure since the Giants final drive against NE in the Superbowl.”
That inning was insane. Whatever nails I had on my hands are now gone. I thought all was lost for a second. Mo and Tex at 1st saved the day.
Melky left 7 runners on base and Swish left 5 runners on base. Melky is hitting 200 this postseason with 9 strikeouts (he is suppose to be a contact hitter). Swisher is hitting 230 this postseason. They are doing nothing.
They are not contributing it is a shame Kazmir is on the mound tommorow because Joe will still start Melky instead of Gardner.Maybe at least put Hairston in for Swisher.
The only issue I had with the game was Girardi’s decision to not leave Robertson in. If Robertson gave up the winning hit, than so be it, but he showed nothing but poise out there. I just don’t understand the decision and never will. That wasn’t the sole reason we lost the game, but it sure didn’t help.
Wow, how gutless is Joe? He had the conviction to make an asinine move, but not enough to stand up to the media and explain it? That’s pathetic……
***************************
Are you for real????????????
a few observations:
1) mike scoscia is not the genius manager that everyone says he is…why? because even THINKING of not playing howie kendrick against the yankees is the stupid move of the century..and he’s done it ALOT this year when playing the yankees – kendrick is a yankee killer almost as good as manny..and yes he sucks against everyone else….
2) as stupid as scoscia is…and he is….girardi is even more stupid….thats twice he’s left himself without a bench and bullpen in the last 2 games..and twice he’s let aceves surrender the yogurt in the last 2 games – even dumbass scoscia was smart enough not to let fuentes pitch to arod again….blockhead joe needs to stop with the quick hook when a pitcher has just smoked 2 batters….
3) maybe ozzie guillen was right afterall about swisher … for the love of god..hit a friggen sac fly and stop swinging like your vlad guerrero..and i guess cano and melky really do become lazy and suck when abreu is around…
4) yankees need to get a leftfielder who can actually run towards the wall and MAKE a catch every once in awhile…damon at YS with guerrero’s fly ball and hairston today looked simply lost (like those little leaguers during the all star games home run derby) out there…
5) pinch hitting CC instead of cervelli may have been the better move….
Is it too early for “guess the lineup”? Anyway here’s mine:
ss jeter
lf damon
1b teixeira
3b rodriguez
dh matsui
c posada
2b cano
rf hairston
cf gardner
I’m sorry I can’t watch Melky & Swisher anymore. At-least you can bunt/steal with the bottom part.
SWISH REALLY CRAPPED THE BED and cost us THREE runs…..2 with runners at 3rd and 1 out and another when he pretended he had hops and tried to catch that ball off the wall when it should have just been a double off the wall…..
CB, can you tell me why managers are still using books and not computers? I could tell in a millisecond online what any batter has done off any pitcher by simply typing his name in. Why are they still using books?
Tough one to lose. We had chance to put the dagger in their heart and we didn’t. A 3-0 lead is nothing against this team.
Andy did what we would have hoped 3 runs over 6 innings. Unfortunately he did not leave with a lead due to lethargic offense other than for Jeter-Alex- Posada and Damon tonight. We are getting next to nothing from Swish-Tex- Cano can only hit when no one is on ase. Our offense has to do a better job delivering with men on base and not rely on solo homers.
As for the pen, well the Angel pen is not doing a bad job against us. They have matched pretty evenly against our pen. Mo has been outstanding. Robertson has been exceptional. Hughes has looked good. Marte and Coke are mix and match guys — today Marte got his guy. Coke didn’t but Abreu over ran bag and we nailed him.
Joba was horrible tonght. Ace looked terrible.
Girardi needs to quit buring through his entire pen as quickly as he has so far. I did not understand why Marte pitched to Figgins and then Joe removes him for Coke to pitch to Abreu. Why replace a lefty with a lefty?
Joe is managing this pen a lot differently than he did during the season. Tonight he over managed the pen and it cost him
HIstorically (this year) the Yankees have rarely turned in a bad hitting performance wiht another. Since its been two, their due.
I never thought they’d sweep either. One of three is fine.
Lets go Yankees tomorrow!
They weren’t gonna win every game…one game doesn’t determine the series. Have faith in our boys! God bless the Yankees!
Batting average tells so little of the story.
Derek and Alex are both batting .250 this series but have made the most of the hits they’ve gotten.
I feel like people are missing the point here. The Yankees had 1st and 2nd twice with 0 outs and didn’t score. They had 1st and 3rd twice and didn’t score. They went 0-8 with risp. This is why they lost. Not because clueless Joe made a bad pitching change.
Gardner is Cabrera’s equal in center and i think his base running is a bonus, we have guzman for late inning running should the need arise
It’s too bad the Yanks are facing a lefty tomorrow. It would have been the perfect time to give Gardner a start. Hairston is a good player to have on the bench, but that’s what he is…a reserve player.
Losing Hinske’s bat off the bench for the sake of puting Marte on the roster makes even less sense now.It realy shortens the bench.
It’s a tough loss. It’s a game we should have won. The team is now 0 for 20 with risp.The manager made a terrible decision. But probably the worse thing that happened today is the Angel’s decision to not let A Rod beat them again. A Rod will not get anything to hit until the batters behind him can offer some protection.
Now for the good news. To a man, the Yankees handled themselves with confidence after the game. There’s no doe in the headlights look in their eyes. It made me feel better seeing how they put this one behind them. We should do the same.
This may be the best thing to happen to the Yankees. Why?
1) Wake up call, guys! You may never give up and that is great, but if you keep wasting opportunities, it was a matter of time before you were bitten and beaten. People like Teixeira, Cano, Swisher and Cabrera must have beter at bats and start driving in runs. They had their chances and came up empty. Swisher battles but has become a sure strike out. Cano needs to do better with RISP and get his act together because many times he has looked lazy out there.
2) Don’t manage against yourself! Girardi knows he overmanaged and of all the many reasons why we lost the game, the biggest is the fact he took out Robertson, who was on his way to a 1,2,3 inning in order to get Ace in. It isn’t easy to get the last out in a tied extra innings game, much less if you have been struggling lately. Ace shouldn’t have been there to get the last out. If your pen is one of your strengths, don’t cut its wings. Robertson should’ve ended the inning and Ace should be avoided if you can because the guy isn’t right.
3) True champions are tested not by going undefeated, but by how they respond when tasting defeat. This is a chance for the Yanks to come out with the fire champions have, ready to play tomorrow and win tomorrow. Yanks need to respond strongly tomorrow. And they will.
“Carrying 3 catchers has also bit this team in a large chunk of its ass, and hopefully Joe will learn from that as well.”
Absolutely true. The utterly silly idea of having Molina catch Burnett has cost this team a great deal of flexibility, especially when coupled to the desire to pinch run for Matsui and/ or the catcher late in games.
Eric Hinske is a good bat off the bench. Cervelli isn’t even playing.
It’s hard to watch Guzman get at bats or Hairston pinch hit rather than Hinske solely because they decided that they had to have molina catch AJ and had to carry so many pitchers so Joe could over manage horribly.
I completely forgot about Joe Schmuck and Tim McCarver.
All 3 games, it has been what can the Angels do to win. How can the 38 year old Darren Oliver get out of the jam. How can Weaver keep his team in the game. How can the Angels breathe more healthy. How can they have more healthy bowel movements. How can the Angels win this series. How can the Angels figure out how to get a fourth home game in this series. Can they petition Bud Selig and get one because of the Yankees 200 million dollar payroll. Angels this, Angels that, and everything Angels in between. This FOX commentary is so slanted, it truly hurts.
Why is everyone acting like the Yanks lost today because Brett Gardner didn’t start. I mean come on wake up people!
Asinine? Pathetic? Gutless? The words some of you are using are really sickening. Shows your true character, that is for sure.
Melky needs to go. If he blows this ALCS then he needs to be traded. Cano, Swish, and Cabrera are killing us. Matsui may not be knocking the cover off the ball but at least he is taking walks and getting hits once in a while. The rest are doing nothing but swinging at garbage breaking pitches. I’ve never seen hitters as dumb as Cano, Swish, and Cabrera.
The Curious Case of Joba Chamberlain
October 19th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
I feel like people are missing the point here. The Yankees had 1st and 2nd twice with 0 outs and didn’t score. They had 1st and 3rd twice and didn’t score. They went 0-8 with risp. This is why they lost. Not because clueless Joe made a bad pitching change.
*************
Agree 100%
“Wow, how gutless is Joe? He had the conviction to make an asinine move, but not enough to stand up to the media and explain it? That’s pathetic……”
Watch the postgame yourself. He said they liked the match-up better and when asked why, he said based on the kind of pitches each of the guys throw.
Not sure there was an explanation anyone would be happy about unless it worked out.
Please stick Aceves on the DL and get someone that actually has value.
Joba just gave up a triple. I’m assuming this is the beginning of the end…?
Curious Case,
“I would fire Joe after this season unless the Yanks and up winning it all.”
Then why are you throwing Girardi under the bus when his hitters aren’t the ones doing their job?
We can all second guess pulling Robertson but that was hardly the sole reason we lost tonight’s game.
Well, the bright side is now Aceves has a batting avg. against, right? And the same decision won’t be made.
Girardi wasn’t going to change his answer if he sat there for 30 minutes. He said why he switched pitchers. He said if the hitters had hit in the 2nd and 4th innings, the situation wouldn’t have even arisen. What else could he say? Frankly, none of these press conferences has gone on very long.
And Andy didn’t decide to throw that pitch; he said he missed his location. It happens.
Pittsburgh Yankee Fan – good post.
Yes Angel, I’m for real. Joe declined to elaborate? I’m sorry, that’s gutless – he doesn’t even have the courage of his convictions.
I still blame this game on the offense – they stink. I said all along that this team has a lot to prove in the post-season and I was right. They are tough and they have terrific SP, but these guys are all choking…….and they have for the last several post-seasons. Tex doesn’t get a pass from me. Sure his D is great, but we need his bat……NOW.
I really don’t want to see any more pinch runners as this offense needs all the help it can get.
Yup, thought so. 4-3 Angels.
I just can’t imagine the thinking that went into this move other than just glancing at the “batting average against.”
=================
CB, I was thinking the same thing.
I think stat books should only show batting averages if there is a decent sample size, otherwise they should just show the splits (1 for 2, 2 for 4, etc).
Do you think the stat book actually shows a .500 batting average for a split that is technically 1 for 2?
“can you tell me why managers are still using books and not computers? I could tell in a millisecond online what any batter has done off any pitcher by simply typing his name in. Why are they still using books?”
Ghost,
I’m utterly astonished by that myself. They should have a guy just sitting on the bench with a laptop. The manager should just tell him what information he needs and move on from there.
I have no idea why the manager – when he has a number of things on his mind and can easily misinterpret a stat – is looking through a book for information.
This Tony LaRussa style managing has to stop. It’s just so nonsensical. And unfortunately Girardi is a huge advocate of it. We’ve seen it all series. This is why Marte is on the team. It’s why Coke was brought in today. Why so many pitchers were used to get so few outs last game.
Just hard to get over.
Here is why Joe G went to Ace:
http://www.halosheaven.com/200.....wie-kendri
It’s still a dumb move, but at least it’s defensible.
“Do I have to say it again? First 2 games Melky had a .375 AVG and .500 OBP. A .500 OBP.
He had a bad game, but in the first two games on the series our number 9 hitter go on base 50% of the time. If you know someone who can do better than that please tell me. Everyone sucked today. At least Melky had two good games before it.”
————————————-
A better sample size is to look at the entire postseason. Melky is hitting 5 for 25 thats 200 and two of those hits were infield singles against the twins he is also striking out a lot which he didn’t do much in the regular season.
9 innings from CC tomorrow.
The Yankee pitchers from innings 1 through 9 gave the team more than enough of an opportunity to win this game.
The hitters, with RISP, failed to get hits. Simple as that.
You can’t say the same about the Angels. How many times did they have guys on base and drive em in?
Vlade’s 2 run shot
Izturiz’s sac fly
Mathis’s double to win it
That is the difference.
The implosion of Joba has begun.
Bella Sakura, people were melting down about AJ…..what a surprise. Andy does the same thing and he gets a pass.
Doreen and Val, thanks!
I really see no reason to push any panic buttons. Just think about all of the missed opportunities we had today and we were still able to take them into extra innings. The Angels are an inferior team and we’ll win the series in Anaheim. No worries, people.
Those who say this:
“1. You are overreacting
2. We are still up 2-1
3. Did you really think we weren’t gonna lose a postseason game”
You clearly never saw the 2004 ALCS. Momentum can shift very quickly and it can be extremely hard to get back. Robertson would have gotten the 3rd out. We then have Tex and Arod coming up. Wake up people. This was a big blow.
CC and no pen for tomorrow……..he’s on 3 days rest and we’re up against a noted Yankee killer. OUch.
Hitting with RISP horrible. Girardi’s overmanaging terrible. Need to correct both or it will be more post-season disappointment.
Its not that gardner didnt start look at Cabreras numbers and did you see him run out his outs? show some effort!!!
Hey Joe if it ain’t broke leave it ALONE!!
LAD 4-2
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes – I’m not throwing him under the bus by saying the Yankees should fire. He is clearly a horrible manager and that is why he should be fired. They lost today because they didn’t hit that’s fine but it doesnt change the fact that Joe looks clueless.
Why is everyone attacking the Yankees, manager or players. Why are you not attacking the HP umpire and the FOX commentary (the FOX broadcast openly rooting for the Angels)
Scoscia- The only other player I’ve ever intentionally walked to put the winning run on base was Barry Bonds.
A-Rod is done getting anything to hit.
Girardi is awful.
Enough with pinch running for Matsui already. That continues to burn us. If Matsui blows out a knee rounding third then we DL him and replace him. Joe G is hampering the limited offense when he removes Matsui.
I think carrying 3 catchers is more of a function of the lack of team speed. They’re carrying 3 catchers so that they can pinch run for Posada if he gets on and/or Molina. They could even pinch run Cervelli if need be.
Hinske’s bat was replaced with Marte’s left arm. There’s no reason to have 2 lefties, unless you’re going to burn through both of them to get 2 consecutive outs like today. Hopefully we advance to the WS and they make changes.
“Here is why Joe G went to Ace:
http://www.halosheaven.com/200…..wie-kendri
It’s still a dumb move, but at least it’s defensible.”
No, it is not defensible. You trust your eyes not some idiotic Billy Beane-style chart.
All I can say is, it’s going to be a loooong day tomorrow.
Those who say this:
“1. You are overreacting
2. We are still up 2-1
3. Did you really think we weren’t gonna lose a postseason game”
You clearly never saw the 2004 ALCS. Momentum can shift very quickly and it can be extremely hard to get back. Robertson would have gotten the 3rd out. We then have Tex and Arod coming up. Wake up people. This was a big blow.
2004 doesn’t make those first three comments untrue.
This was not a big blow. It was annoying, but clearly you expected not to lose a single game. Well, we have. The key is not to avoid all losing, it’s to avoid letting it snowball. That’s what CC is for.
a complete non answer. i was giving him the benefit of the doubt until this bonehead explanation, i knew he’d end up saying something stupid like that.
I won’t cry and complain and opine on how Aceves is the worst pitcher the Yankees have like the other boneheads, he’s been great this year, the bone i do have to pick is with taking Robertson out for no legit reason. especially since the Yankees would have had to close out the Angels if they had scored.
Via the post I just finished, this is how I break down tonight’s loss
1) The Yankees’ biggest issue in this game–and, it’s looking like their biggest issue this series–is a lack of hitting with runners on base. Every Yankee run today was via a solo home run, and while the Yankees have had decent enough pitching to win when they score four runs much of the time, much is not all. The Yankees had golden opportunities to add to their lead, and they did not. Andy Pettitte made one bad pitch, and well, boom. A 3-1 cushion is not a big cushion, at all.
2) I don’t have an issue with leaving Pettitte in to face Guerrerro although I admit that, since I did not have a computer handy, I don’t know what his pitch count was at the time. My issue is with the pitch Pettitte threw: there was no reason, in that situation, to give Guerrerro anything to hit. Guerrerro swings at, well, everything. Sabathia and Burnett can blow it by the former Expo; Pettitte cannot.
3) Chamberlain looked awful. Girardi was quick with his hook, but, alas, not quick enough. Someone–and I can’t remember where I read this, so apologies to whomever I should be citing–said that this postseason, Joba’s fastball has been there but his slider has not, which may explain why he’s been hooked quickly.
The great thing about going to games with well-informed fans is that you get excellent analysis as well, and I thus agree with the commenter known as TSJC: Joba tends to overthrow, as though he is too amped and trying to do too much. It’s been an issue with him as long as he’s been with the Yankees.
4) I did not agree with Girardi’s decision to leave Hughes in to start a third inning. Hughes hasn’t pitched more than two since what, June? May? And against the heart of the Angels’ order, as well, it just didn’t make sense to me. Girardi thus made the right call to bring in Rivera, and, well, Mo is simply not mortal.
First and third, no one out, and Rivera got out of the jam. At the time, the Stadium exploded and we thought it was perhaps destiny that we’d win.
5) The biggest issue I had with Girardi’s overmanaging was bringing in Aceves to face Kendrick. Robertson had already had two outs, had little history vs Kendrick (if any at all) and is a strike out pitcher. Aceves, on the other hand, has a propensity for giving up fly balls, and as we all saw, the ball certainly carried today. At home, if the other team hits a home run, you still get a chance to get the run back the next day, but on the road, you do not.
As it were, Kendrick singled and Mathis drove him in with a long fly off the wall, but it is my belief that Robertson could have gotten the third out.
6) TSJC had an issue with Girardi replacing Damon with Hairston, not that he did it but when he did it. With the bases loaded and less than two outs, anything hit to left field is likely going to score the winning run, anyway. It makes little sense.
7) If Gardner is inserted into the game to pinch run, he has to run. He has to go on the first pitch–where there’s pretty much no chance of a pitch out. Gardner’s not in there to hit home runs, and the only reason to remove Matsui’s bat is because you are going for the win right then, and need the RISP. If Gardner steals successfully, Posada’s home run is a game winning, and not game tying (fallacy of the predetermined and all).
21 hours and 54 minutes until Game 4!!!!!!
KarlHungus212-It’s idotic because…you say it is?
It’s the truth. I totally disagree with the move, but it’s not illogical.
“as stupid as scoscia is…and he is….girardi is even more stupid….thats twice”
Hello? Didn’t walk A-Rod when the next batters were Guzman, Gardner and Cano.
Why do people not see it. Every postseason, it is either some or all of our offense goes into shutdown mode. It is extraordinarily convenient that every postseason, the HP umpire cheats us on calls. They change the ABs with their cheap calls all too often. There were at least 15 calls tonight against us and only one Dave Robertson favorable 3-1 call for us. The 2 cheap strike calls to Alex that FOX, yes FOX, actually showed their K-Zone and confirmed they were both balls should make it SO OBVIOUS.
“CC and no pen for tomorrow……..”
Everyone will be available tomorrow.
Michael Kay brought up a good point, saying that in every other extra innings games the Yanks have played in the playoffs, the Yanks have had a day off after.
Now we have CC pitching on 3 days rest tomorrow, and Joe made sure to use every reliever tonight except Gaudin.
What has become increasingly apparent these past 2 games is that Girardi focuses too much on managing in the moment and doesn’t really look past that. For example, he once again took Matsui out of the game way too early for a pinch runner that didn’t get the job done, when there was a decent chance the game would go into extras. And, like in Game 2, he’s bringing in some relievers for only 1 or 2 batters when they are pitching just fine. I wish Joe would look at the bigger picture instead of being so reactionary.
Cano, Cabrera, and Swish are not clutch. You can’t expect a rally to start when the bottom of the order can’t produce. Cano, Cabrera, and Swish have to be the most idiotic hitters in the game. Swinging at garbage breaking balls instead of moving the runners over.
KarlHungus212 October 19th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Those who say this:
“1. You are overreacting
2. We are still up 2-1
3. Did you really think we weren’t gonna lose a postseason game”
You clearly never saw the 2004 ALCS. Momentum can shift very quickly and it can be extremely hard to get back. Robertson would have gotten the 3rd out. We then have Tex and Arod coming up. Wake up people. This was a big blow.
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You wake up. Tex probably would have been out and A-Rod would have been intentionally walked. That wasn’t a one time thing with Alex getting walked. Its the beginning.
Some of you might want to act like the offense isn’t the biggest problem but surely the Angels have noticed.
Drive, I’m glad to hear that (about the confidence). I had no desire to listen to the post-game as I wanted to move on……..I’m getting my venting out here. Unfortunately, you’re right – Alex will not be pitched to, and why should he? Of course, if the rest of the team can’t pick him up, then they don’t deserve to advance. I really don’t know what the Yankees can do to fix this lineup…..If they had bad hitters, it would be one thing. What do you do with good hitters who stink in the clutch?
Wait till the ALCS
October 19th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Here is why Joe G went to Ace:
http://www.halosheaven.com/200…..wie-kendri
It’s still a dumb move, but at least it’s defensible.
————————————
Yeah that is what I figured Girardi’s thinking was. The mistake Joe made is Aceves has not looked good in the postseason and Robertson has basically been lights out.
I thought the rest of his bullpen moves were fine today but that really was a bad decision. But the game should of never came to that point. Yankees cannot always rely on walkoff or extra inning wins all the time. The yanks had too many chances to put away the angels in the first 9 innings.
id*i*otic.
I thought Joe made right decision to pinch run for MAts in 8th. I would have gone with Guzman in that situation since I would have wanted to keep Gardner’s bat available for another spot in game. The fact that Angel’s guessed right on Gardy attempted steal is not an issue. They knew he would be going and guessed right. Of course Posada then delivers a homer but we all know that if Gardner was on base then we probably would have choked.
Losing Gardner’s bat when he pinch hit Hairston and then later when we were force to ph Cervelli for Mo showed how weak our bench is. I am not sure the Guzman move was such a great move. Tonight we could have used Hinske in several spots. I hope that we put hinske back on roster if we get to WS.
Can we have a video at Yankee stadium of a truck running over the rally monkey like in one of those cartoons – or a pin deflating those stupid bush league thunder sticks
The Yanks lost today mainly because they didn’t hit when they needed to.
But, there’s plenty of blame on Girardi and the Yanks front office too.
First, Robertson is the third best reliever on this team. Girardi does not treat him that way, though, he uses his other options first and his bringing in Aceves today IMO indicates the unjustified lack of confidence Girardi has in Robertson.
Next, the loss of the DH would have hurt the Yanks whether or not we got out of the inning. I don’t blame Girardi for substituting Hairston for Damon, but the real problem was the lack of Hinske on the bench, which would have allowed Hinske to be used as the substitute DH and Hairston to be held back for his true utility role.
Hinske was left off the roster, not because of Marte, but because of the Yanks’ front office/Girardi mystical belief in the magical powers of Molina to catch AJ (which game 2 showed to be silly). Starting Molina meant that the Yanks needed Cervelli, which knocked Hinske off the roster.
Oh well, you win some and lose some. I am still very positive overall, but better decisions by the Yanks would have helped.
Seven
October 19th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
“Do I have to say it again? First 2 games Melky had a .375 AVG and .500 OBP. A .500 OBP.
He had a bad game, but in the first two games on the series our number 9 hitter go on base 50% of the time. If you know someone who can do better than that please tell me. Everyone sucked today. At least Melky had two good games before it.”
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A better sample size is to look at the entire postseason. Melky is hitting 5 for 25 thats 200 and two of those hits were infield singles against the twins he is also striking out a lot which he didn’t do much in the regular season.
—————
Actually a better sample size is not the entire postseason. Under that logic Damon should not be starting. Melky will be facing the same pitchers over and over again in this series so you use this series and what he has done all season. Melky deserves to be in there. Simple as that. He has gotten it done all year and in this series so far has had 2 very good games and one bad game
There was a 3-0 count from I think Jason Bulger and the next 2 pitches were balls. Instead, the count became 3-2 and I think the batter, maybe Jorge, struck out, to lead off an inning. The ball Jorge swung at was a ball, so essentially, 6 balls were thrown in the AB, 1 was swung at, and somehow, we did not end up with a walk.
E-gawa
October 19th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I really see no reason to push any panic buttons.
Thank E-gawa. Folks, let’s remember this team is 5 -1 in the postseason, not to mention 106 – 60 on the season. Mistakes were made tonight. It doesnt mean they will be repated tomorrow.As a matter of fact, it’s far more likely they wont be.
I saw the 2004 ALCS, brother, and like all of us, have lived that nightmare for the past 5 years.
This is NOT the 2004 Yankees. The pitching has been fabulous, with the exception of the Vlad HR today. No Kevin Brown. No Jon Lieber. No Javy Vasquez. No Tom Gordon. And as much as I love him, no Mike Mussina. Most importantly, no Joe Torre.
The Angels are the second best team in baseball to the Yankees. This series was always going to be close and a war. Whoever wins it will deserve it, unlike in 2004.
Cano makes me laugh. he comes up with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs twice and twice grounds out. But they he comes up twice with no1 on base and he singles both times. He did it all year that’s why he is the worst .300 plus hitter in the game.
This is one of those managerial moves that are remembered for some time. Do people remember Grady little leaving Pedro in for too long against us in 2003? This will forever be remembered. I swear god if Robertson had lost that game people would not be panicking so much and it could have easily been underplayed as just one loss. This one tho is tough
UMPIRES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone, please acknowledge that you saw the Alex AB from the other night, or the Jason Bulger AB to lead off the inning tonight.
Zach,
I’d venture to guess that the book did definitely show Kendrick hitting .500 against Robertson.
They likely generate those stats and output them in a spread sheet or table like format. I’d hope the first several columns were plate appearances and at bats against, but who knows. Maybe to compress space them put batting average against as a rate in column one and plate appearances towards the end.
I have no idea. I’m just trying to guess what the idea of making this move was.
The idea that the type of pitches Aceves throws are a better match up against kendrick is just as inexplicable.
Robertson’s fastball has some cutting action to it and on the whole it is a much better pitch than either Aceves’ four seam or cut fastball. Robertson’s curveball is much better.
The one pitch Aceves has over Robertson is his change up. But he’s not even going to throw that change up against a righty batter.
Neither the stats reasons or the pitching arsenal reasons make any sense.
Silver lining, I have amazing tickets to game 6 and would love to be at a clinching game. I would also love for them to win in 5.
In the AFL tonight, Ian Kenney gave up a leadoff double in the top of the 1st inning and then struck out the next three batters. 16 pitches, so far.
Gave up 2 singles after getting Posy to ground out in the 2nd inning, but, got out of it with a strikeout and a popout to Curtis in left.
Brandon Laird is 0-1, so far. Colin Curtis and Austin Romine haven’t batted, yet.
Curtis lead of with a single in the 2nd inning. Erased on a DP. Romine struck out.
Plain and simple bone head managing….that was like..Grady Little if yanks lose this series…Giradi could be in trouble
NYY, Phil can’t possibly be available…….and Mo? Maybe one inning……
Scared, excellent points. Forget the freaking pinch runners……
Curious Case,
I gotta say, you are lost in the woods if you think Girardi is “clueless”.
I am going to write it off as a bunch of you guys being negative crybabies who are bitter after a win.
The loss sucks, get over it, tomorrow is a brand new game and we’ve A) beaten the Angels in Anaheim and B) are ahead in the series 2-1.
THE END.
What do you mean no Pen. He only uses people for 2 outs!
I really hope Girardi plays Hairston in RF tomorrow. They absolutely have to break up the 3 stooges at the bottom. Against Kazmir Swish is 5-27 .185, Hairston 1-4 and Melky is hitting .400. Also I have never seen Tex look so lost/trying so hard.
Edit:
***bitter after a LOSS.***
agree if Robertson loses the game you tip your cap and say “oh well” that made no sense…aceves had nothing!!!!! Very confused…
For all of us geniuses abusing Girardi, Aceves would have had to pitch the 12th, and would have been awful then.
So why delay the inevitable, and go with your best matchup in the 11th?
Robertson was not pitching two innings (although he could have). Mo could have pitched two innings, but the third catcher really bit the Yankees in the butt.
CC needs to go out tomorrow and get it done. I have faith in him and I think he can do it.
If they somehow lose tomorrow, the walls will close in on Girardi for how he managed this game tonight. Believe me, the NY press wants to tweak him and put this on his shoulders.
Even the Fox announcers were befuddled by his choice. I don’t ever remember hearing the announcers openly question a pitching change like I did tonight.
Girardi needs CC to lock it down tomorrow night and for this offense to show up.
I don’t think he makes sweeping changes to the lineup. I think he puts the same exact lineup out there because now he’s really worried about being 2nd guessed.
His built in excuse is why change the lineup that won 5 straight?
It’s one loss in a long series, but the Yankees need to play a better game tomorrow night and Nick Swisher better show up with his head ready to play. Some of his swings tonight and the balls he was offering at were horrendous.
The Ghost October 19th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Does anyone want to talk about Mariano’s fantastic performance. That’s the saddest thing to me about this loss – that his gem of an escape will be forgotten because it happened in a loss. It was just masterful wasn’t it? I’m still in awe, I don’t think I’ve felt such fan pressure since the Giants final drive against NE in the Superbowl.
===========================
Mariano is simply the greatest of all time. Still amazed
Joe went with his gut. His gut needs some updating. To me, Robertson is ahead of Joba in the circle of trust. Robertson and Coke should be working the 6th and 7th. Joba is something before that. Give Gardner a start in CF. Don’t run for Matsui unless he represents the tieing run.
Gardner getting thrown out was a big factor, Jorge homered a pitch or two later.
Aceves got beat, he was reliable most of the season but his arm appears to be letting him down. He’s been more predictable. Robertson should have been left in at the end but like many have said, all the men left on base is the real issue. Swish needs to relax and do his thing already.
Somehow I doubt that Gardner is stealing on his own so why the heck is Girardi sending him in a pitch out situaton anyways it ways 0-1 Girardi was out coached there and as mentioned above if he doesnt go Posada’s homer is a 2 run shot although the pitch might hav ebeen a different pitch so you never know, but i say give gardy the green light and let im go
Did people have troulbe with Damon being taken out in the middle of the inning? I know damon has an awful arm, but is Jerry H going to throw anyone out at home???
The key spots are when the HP umpires makes his mark. There is a reason we cannot hit with RISP. We are put in detrimental counts with their cheap outside strikes. Our batters are forced to change their approach to the AB and cover 2 inches outside the plate. That makes a big difference.
MO was amazing…wasted with brutal managing….
I see people want to knock Swisher. He did not distinguish himself tonight, but Cano, Cabrera and Teixera didn’t help much either.
Cano and Cabrera don’t deserve anything. Cabrera, Cano, and Swish have been a joke this entire postseason, and like other bad postseason performers in Yankee past they are living up to that title. They are just so dumb it’s beyond words.
It’s the same crap every year with this offense. Great during the regular season and MIA when October rolls around.
I guess we can look back at the regular season and see they sucked with RISP then and should of seen it coming.
Had a feeling this would a huge problem in the playoffs.
Girardi made an awful decision bringing Aceves in. and we don’t know what would have happened had he not done it. but the way the offense is not hitting I had no faith this offense would score the rest of the game.
Sure Teixeira was up next but what exactly has he done? They probably walk Arod again.
Girardi went with his gut, pure and simple. He has been doing this the entire series. Everybody thinks he was wrong, and we are right, because we have the benefit of the 2nd guess.
Most times winning masks the real story. We have gotten every break in the post-season so far. We have also gotten great pitching and defense. We have not hit. We have had timely HR’s but have not hit with RISP.
Perhaps this was a reality check we needed. Time to bear down and loosen up. Where is Swish when you need him?
you can’t have a problem with garnder stealing..if he does not then there is no reason to bring him in.
Worrying about when Robertson comes out makes it sound like some of you thought the offense was actually going to score. And that is kind of funny at this point unless you thought there was going to be another bone-headed error by the Angels.
girardi’s first mistake was not letting rivera hit with two outs so that he could stay in the game…
Good call, Joe.
G Love, not only the Fox announcers, but on the YES postgame Kay and Singleton said that Joe was over-managing and that he may have been in earlier games too, but the Yankees won those games so it is over-looked. Joe is on a bit of a hot seat now, not job wise, he’s safe, but he needs to get a win tomorrow, can’t lose with CC on the mound.
How many times did we get cheated on balls and strikes in the Minnesota series. Had to be over 100. There was one game, I think Game 2, where we got 15 favorable cheap calls and got screwed with at least 40 detrimental cheap calls.
What possible reason do you take out robertson there…I agree also Robertson should be in Joba’s relief spot..
Great job by Tony LaLoser Jr.
That’s two straight games Girardi left Arod without protection after pulling Matsui for a pinch runner. Scioscia took advantage of it today. Hopefully Posada and Matsui switch places in the batting order tomorrow so the intentional walk is not there tomorrow. Scioscia will think twice about walking Arod if Jorge follows as compared to Hairston (or Gardner or Guzman). GI Joe, in addition to the obvious over-management of today did not think ahead in planning his lineup today.
hughes threw 19 pitches why would he not be available tommorrow? the same for Mo..
Newsflash losers this is the playoffs.. No yankee relief guy threw many pitches
EricNS says:
October 19, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Can we have a video at Yankee stadium of a truck running over the rally monkey like in one of those cartoons – or a pin deflating those stupid bush league thunder sticks
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I can’t stop laughing lol lol lol
“It’s the same crap every year with this offense. Great during the regular season and MIA when October rolls around.
I guess we can look back at the regular season and see they sucked with RISP then and should of seen it coming.
Had a feeling this would a huge problem in the playoffs.”
It is a problem because the HP umpires in the postseason do their darndest to put us in detrimental positions.
Oh yeah. Cano and Cabrera suck in the postseason. Look at their records. For all the talk about A-rod they should have been getting most of the blame.
Phil threw 24 pitches…he is available…
ariel-Actually, that’s really smart. I agree.
-past talk.
There was no reason to take robertson out there..joe will be burned at the stake in the papers tomorrow…you lose with your best…If robertson gives up a homer..you tip your cap…aceves is not as good…
Sometimes I just don’t get you guys.
Suppose Gardner steals second. Maybe then Jorge looks to drive the ball through the infield, and not hit a HR.
Yankees play better? They played pretty darn well. Give the Angels credit–what are they, chopped liver?
My only beefs this game are (1) the TWO times Swish had a runner on third with one out, and couldn’t drive the ball anywhere, and (2) overanalyzing Vlad in the bottom of the 6th 2-2–just throw it in the dirt.
Wow, the Yanks have terrible numbers against Kazmir. Everyone is under .190 except for Tex, Melky and Posada.
*19 pitches…
Kennedy is through 3 innings. 4 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts. 48 pitches, 33 strikes. 1 ground out, 4 fly outs.
For those still lamenting the loss of Jose Tabata, he’s 0-2 with a strikeout and a groundout.
Girardi need to be FIRED!
“That’s two straight games Girardi left Arod without protection after pulling Matsui for a pinch runner. Scioscia took advantage of it today. Hopefully Posada and Matsui switch places in the batting order tomorrow so the intentional walk is not there tomorrow. Scioscia will think twice about walking Arod if Jorge follows as compared to Hairston (or Gardner or Guzman). GI Joe, in addition to the obvious over-management of today did not think ahead in planning his lineup today.”
Well said…agree
pittsburgh yankee with a good post..
girardi is overmanaging.. if he does not trust marter at all do not pitch him against any lefty.. marte threw 1 pitch, coke threw 3,joba(who sucked for a change) threw 10 but still had enough time to disagree with the catcher about 7 times.. the pen will be fresh tommorrow that is not a problem…
Hinske should go punch Marte now and put him on the DL so that Hinske can be added to the roster..
Steve
October 19th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I thought Joe made right decision to pinch run for MAts in 8th. I would have gone with Guzman in that situation since I would have wanted to keep Gardner’s bat available for another spot in game. The fact that Angel’s guessed right on Gardy attempted steal is not an issue. They knew he would be going and guessed right. Of course Posada then delivers a homer but we all know that if Gardner was on base then we probably would have choked.
Losing Gardner’s bat when he pinch hit Hairston and then later when we were force to ph Cervelli for Mo showed how weak our bench is. I am not sure the Guzman move was such a great move. Tonight we could have used Hinske in several spots. I hope that we put hinske back on roster if we get to WS.
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Putting Gardner in for Matsui was the right move when you are down 1 run. Angels guessed right nothing you can really do that happens. I thought pinch hitting Hairston for Gardner was the wrong move. There were already 2 outs when they walked A-Rod. To burn Hairston and lose Gardner with two out was the wrong move. I thought you just hope that Gardner slaps a hit somewhere with his speed he is very capable of getting a cheap hit off a lefty.
I 100% agree about having Guzman on the roster. I think having 2 pinch runners is unnecessary. The only need for Guzman was if Gardner was going to get a start or two which hasn’t happen. They missed Hinske power off the bench.
“My only beefs this game are (1) the TWO times Swish had a runner on third with one out, and couldn’t drive the ball anywhere”
Yes, and twice Cano had runners on first ans second and hit weak ground balls, and twice Melky had runners on third and didn’t get the hit, and Teixeira continues not to hit at all.
Swisher is not the goat today.
Obviously, none of you care to put the blame on who it truly belongs on, the HP umpires. You would rather blame Girardi, Aceves, our batters, rather than realize this team deals with a different strike zone, both pitchers and batters, every postseason.
Whats everyones feeling on going with Molina I personally dont like it and the way things are going its one more easy out in the line up..thoughts?
Yes Angel, I’m for real. Joe declined to elaborate? I’m sorry, that’s gutless – he doesn’t even have the courage of his convictions.
*********************************************
Did you watch the postgame yourself though? His answer was honest and not in the least bit evasive – there was nothing more to say once he’d said that. He made a call based on instinct/gut/stats whatever that clearly didn’t work out. Not sure what else he could have said that would have made people happy. As long as he learns from it, I see no reason for handwringing. He doesn’t – then I’ll get it.
Bella you think if Tex gets on they walk Arod and set up the sac bunt of 2nd and 3rd 1 out? I don’t think so. The passive fans here clearly don’t know a lot about the game of baseball.
Girardi has lead a charmed life this post season.
All his moves seem to have worked.
Like a bear that sticks his paw in the hive to get honey – it’s sweet when it succeeds.
Today, Girardi got stung.
Tomorrow, will he remember the stings or the honey?
He might be more prudent, or he might be stubborn.
It will be interesting to see.
One thing lost in this game was Mariano in the 11th. That has to be one of the most dramatic relief appearances I have ever seen.
He throws away the out at third, but gets out of a man at third, nobody out walkoff situation.
I turned to my son after that and said that’s the greatest relief pitcher you will ever see.
What a great game. Too bad the Yankee’s lost, but when you’re down to Aceves and Gaudin, that’s unfortunately what the likely outcome was going to be.
Who gets more nervous in a play off game..Girardi or Tom Gordon?
Consulting frequency charts is one thing in the eighth with a lead.
Again, we have a demonstration of a wanting emotional intelligence. My pitcher is zipping along, his stuff has life, and he gets out the most dangerous bat hitting left-handed in the lineup.
HOW DO YOU TAKE HIM OUT?
HOW? HOW?
I don’t want to hear about hitting with RISP and Andy Pettitte not throwing a pitch in the dirt to Vlad.
That portion of what is still a winnable game is in the rear view mirror.
And WHY bend over backwards to bring in Rivera for a miraculous escape if you’re going to completely IGNORE how well a guy is throwing for some BS notion of hitting zones?
I am sorry. This was bungled badly by the manager. We may lose any way, because that is the nature of playing in extras on the road.
But there is no way to spin it that Girardi’s decision wasn’t momentously wrong.
We were screarming when he walked out onto the mound to get him – NOT after the damage was done. The writing was on the wall for all with a clue to see.
Jason Bulger AB to lead off an inning tonight. 3-0 count. 6 balls thrown. 1 of those 6 balls swung at for a strike. End Result: Strikeout
Al AB in extra innings the other night. 2 pitches thrown, both balls. End result: Count of 0-2
How do these things happen.
1) We didnt hit with RISP.
2) Andy threw 1 bad pitch.
3) Need to switch Matsui and Posada if you are going to pinch run fro Matsui. You have to have someone there to protect Arod.
4) Just because you have all those pitchers in the bullpen does not mean that you need to use them all.
5) Some times the eye test, is better than playing the percentages.
6) Mariano Rivera is a magician….G.O.A.T.
H.E.PennyPacker October 19th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Bella you think if Tex gets on they walk Arod and set up the sac bunt of 2nd and 3rd 1 out? I don’t think so. The passive fans here clearly don’t know a lot about the game of baseball.
****
You think Tex gets on?
Cano, Swisher, and Cabrera should be getting the majority of the blame. Even with Girardi’s stupid moves this game would have been won with two simple deep fly’s to score extra runs. But they can’t do that because there dumb.
Does anyone have a pitch (ball/strike) chart from tonight’s game?
Please just look at one.
Frustrating game to lose, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that bad. Honestly, the Yankees just need to take one game in Anaheim. That would guarantee they go back home with a 3-2 lead, with two opportunities to win it in The Stadium. This loss isn’t all that worrisome.
Now, what would be worrisome is if they return home DOWN 2 games to 3.
I just hope Girardi’s luck hasn’t run out. Most of his moves were paying off,or at least it looked that way, because we hadn’t lost a game.
Other than Jeter, Arod and Posada, the hitters are all uptight.
Sooner or later we had to lose a game. If CC doesn’t come through big-time, we are in trouble.
At least we can’t lose it there. I don’t trust AJ in a game 5 at 2-2.
Andy and CC at home. Take your chances. Life will go on.
I just realized I’m arguing with a teenage girl who was probably tweeting, twittering, twatting, whatever you call it the whole game. What’s the point, I’m right you’re wrong, end of story.
See, I don’t think there were any scenarios under which everyone would be able to handle the loss.
If Jorge hadn’t tied it, they’d have lost in 9. And the lack of hitting would have been the primary gripe. It’s only the secondary gripe here because of the immediacy of the pitching change leading directly to the loss. And Andy Pettitte would have been getting a lot more grief here than he’s getting.
And if he left Robertson in, there is no guarantee he gets the 3rd out (though chances looked extremely good that he would), and certainly no guarantee that the Yankees would score in the top of the next inning. More than likely, Robertson was not going to stay in for two innings, so you have Aceves in the game anyway. And you can’t KNOW what would have happened.
Once you’re in extra innings on the road, unless you’re hitting the relief pitchers, it’s too easy to lose. It’s sudden death.
I think what’s particularly unnerving here is that Mo had just gotten out of quite a jam, and it looked like it was time for the Yankees to come on. And then they didn’t and then they lost.
And if they’re not pitching to ARod at all anymore, meaning, they’re more likely to IBB him in every situation, it’s not good. The rest of the guys have got to pick him up, pick each other up. They have been down before, they have come back before. They are resilient and I don’t think they’re done.
I hate that they lost; but what I hate most was that they didn’t capitalize on early chances – didn’t put Weaver away. And the Angel pen hasn’t been as bad as advertised.
With all of the whining, snot slinging and name calling by the same board wizards, I wonder what you must think of the Angels players and Sciosca. They’re the ones that are down 2 games to one. I know that it’s too late in some of your lives, but, you really need to pretend that you’re adults.
If this team doesn’t hit and gets ousted, then there is something wrong and the lineup needs to be completely revamped. Period. Fortunately the pitching has been brilliant, but even so, you still have to score some runs
GLove, what’s the point of Joe keeping the same lineup when he’s going to remove some of the best hitters for weak Pinch runners? I’m disgusted at some of his moves…..
I like Joe personally, but I want to repeat that he is really clueless if he doesn’t understand that he needs to let the better pitchers pitch. If I were left handed, does that make me a better choice than Phil Hughes to face a lefty?
All that said, anyone giving up on this team is foolish.
People this about sums it up. If Swish, Cano, and Melky don’t grow a brain and learn how to hit real soon than the Yankees are in trouble.
Don’t forget that, even if we wiggled out the inning, we had lost the DH. That would have been a major disadvantage going forward.
We lost the DH because Hairston has to do double duty as the only good pinch hitter/DH on the bench, and the only utility player.
That’s because Hinske is not on the roster, and that’s because we are carrying three catchers.
And that’s because of the absurd notion that only Molina can catch AJ.
PittsburghYankeeFan
October 19th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
One thing lost in this game was Mariano in the 11th. That has to be one of the most dramatic relief appearances I have ever seen.
====
Man, I was like “you aren’t getting anything off Mo, losers.”
Too bad Girard’s decision helped render that miraculous act irrelevant.
Aceves gets the 3rd out and blows it in the 12th anyway – would ya’ll be still talking about this?
Managers are going to make moves that don’t work over the course of the season. The offense and the meatball to Vlad were the true culprits in this game. The decision to remove Robertson was just the last move in a terrible loss, so it sticks out more than everything else.
We blow this series and it’ll be hard for Girardi to continue as manager in 2010. Yankee fans won’t forget tonight and will make his life miserable.
Jeremy
October 19th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
People this about sums it up. If Swish, Cano, and Melky don’t grow a brain and learn how to hit real soon than the Yankees are in trouble.”
Grow a brain, or have a HP umpire call things fairly?
We weren’t going to sweep the Angels anyway, better losing this game than going up 3-0 and having to deal with all of the remember being up in 2004 3-0 stuff especially if we lost game 4……when we went to all of our World Series in the 90’s and 2000, 2003 we never swept the ALCS…..we need to start hitting better as a team and get on Kazmir tomorrow night…based on how Boston beat him up and his #’s were great against them I’m thinking he is just not the same pitcher and we can get to him and get some runs with base hits, walks, etc….we will win this series, just need to win 1 game in Anaheim then go home for game 6 and get ready to go to the World Series, plus no sweep means we don’t have to sit around for a week waiting to play the World Series…..it was a weird move by Girardi taking out Robertson but I just didn’t see us winning that game without MO in extra innings on the road anyway…tomorrow night……in CC we trust!!!!!!
Angel, no I didn’t…..so I will try to catch the replay. I really appreciate the points you are making…..but I still can’t get over that decision. I will say that I had no faith that the Yankees would score – I think a loss was inevitable. Either they are really sucky right now or the Angels’ pen is lights out.
PennyPacker, you’re a fool. Don’t concern yourself with who I am. You’re sitting here making assumptions of what would have happened in the 12th. Take your visions and go to Vegas.
Doreen,
“And if he left Robertson in, there is no guarantee he gets the 3rd out (though chances looked extremely good that he would), and certainly no guarantee that the Yankees would score in the top of the next inning. More than likely, Robertson was not going to stay in for two innings, so you have Aceves in the game anyway. And you can’t KNOW what would have happened.”
Right on.
And all this talk about “if they won off Robertson you tip your hat” is bull. People would be whining their butts off.
I watched the game at a bar when I got out of work. Normally I can handle a loss, but this one is eating at me. It didnt help that the bar was swamped with Phillies fans who convinced the bartender to put the Phillies game on on all the bigger tvs. I was livid. WE ARE IN NYC AND THE YANKEES ARE IN EXTRA INNINGS. Yankees > Phillies. To make matters worse, they started a “f*** new york” chant when we lost. I have never been so aggravated.
Sorry, I had to vent. I’m done now
Betsy
October 19th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
If this team doesn’t hit and gets ousted, then there is something wrong and the lineup needs to be completely revamped.”
Revamped with fair HP umpires.
Open your eyes people. This has been happening for 10 years now. The same cheap calls every postseason game. Open your eyes.
All of Giradi’s mistakes began when he used Garder to pinch run for Matsui. This move forced all his bad decisions. By putting Gardner in to pinch run for the DH you lose his ability to play the field unless you let the pitcher hit. He should have used Guzman to run because thats all he could do! Then you would of had Harstion pinch hit for Guzman and become the DH. That would have allowed him to replace Johnny Damon if needed with Melky while putting Garnder in center. This would have allowed us to keep a hitter in the 2 spot ultimately giving us the option of staying with Rivera and not having to pinch hit for him while letting Harstion continue to hit as the DH. As far as taking Robertson out….I think none of use can understand what he was thinking! I don’t get why Pena doesn’t chime in….his decisions were clearly questionable. Lets get them tomorrow..hopefully Girardi doesn’t overmanage and we play like the 09 Yankees!
Winning a playoff game in extra innings on the road has been virtually impossible in the last 10 years. Home team always has the overwhelming advantage. When the Yankees couldn’t knock in runs during the 1st – 9th innings, you could see this ending coming.
I have to clarify – I don’t agree with Joe taking out Robertson. It made no sense, regardless of what his books said, because the guy was doing very well, and has been doing very well. His confidence level has to have been sky high based on he outings he had before. Robertson was the guy for that last out.
But you don’t know if they still would have lost. That’s all I really meant to say.
Angel
Girardi had no explanation because there were none.
He is not hiding anything, there are no secrets in baseball.
He made it seem like there was one because he had none.
That was strictly a panic move that made no sense because he is managing hyper.
Wave Your Hat
October 19th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Don’t forget that, even if we wiggled out the inning, we had lost the DH. That would have been a major disadvantage going forward.
We lost the DH because Hairston has to do double duty as the only good pinch hitter/DH on the bench, and the only utility player.
That’s because Hinske is not on the roster, and that’s because we are carrying three catchers.
And that’s because of the absurd notion that only Molina can catch AJ.
======
The absurd indulgence of AJ Burnett cost us a lefty power guy off the bench who could break open a game for us. Or, alternately, another arm.
The ripple effect of Molina having to hold AJ’s hand has handcuffed the bench and the pen.
This is what some people don’t bother to contemplate when they just raise their hand for Molina/AJ. There’s more to it than “a couple of ABs” – which is a misreading of how the offense is affected in the first place.
Molina’s role was to give Posada a rest now and again – so the latter could be fresh for the postseason. It wasn’t to replace him in two starts in a seven-game series.
I wouldn’t say a loss was inevitable, not of the least bit. Even with Aceves in that inning I thought we had a good chance to get out. But regardless that was a terrible decision. I haven’t disagreed more about a managers decision more than this one, it was just a brain fart by Girardi at its max.
Girardi has a history of strange managerial moves. He’s over-managed a few regular season games too.
How about having Swisher bunt in the middle of a big rally against Texas?
Remember that monsoon in KC last year? He tries to outsmart the umps and starts the game with the bull pen and brings Ian Kennedy into the game in the 6th inning, when he realizes the game won’t be called. epic FAIL
The lineup needs to be revamped? Seriously? Who exactly should they bring in. They have a circular lineup. Who do you ditch, and who are you bringing in. This reactionary bullcrap is nuts. They have lost 1 post season game, in which it took the other team 12 innings to beat them. The Angels are the 2nd best team in baseball. Our lineup will be fine, our pitching will be fine. It sucks to lose, but we are still up, and our ace is going tomorrow.
Come quickly tomorrow 8pm
Relax.
It’s harder to hit in the postseason, because the pitching is so good. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Guys who hit .275 in season are going to hit .225.
Revamp the whole lineup??? What????
Fire Girardi if they lose the series???? What????
These teams are very close. These games generally should be very close, although I think the Yankees have a surprise for Kazmir tomorrow. There was a reason the Rayz let him go, and there is a reason he’s pitching as the number 4.
Joe knows it was a stupid move. No answer means he knows he was wrong.
It is only 1 loss we weren’t going to sweep. We have our ace on the mount tomorrow.
The Yankees will win tomorrow.
I’m never wrong.
It’s tough to avoid a loss during extra inning playoff games on the road. Especially when you’ve lost your closer and set-up man already. For whatever reason, the road team can’t pull it out. We just watched that unfold with the Angels in Game 2.
sorry I meant then.
But Betsy is right if the bottom of the order doesn’t shape up then it’s time for them to ship out next season. Melky will have to learn the hard way in some crappy market like KC or Toronto. The bottom of the order is pissing me off so much that if I was manager I would be yelling at them after this game.
The Aceves for Robertson switch was mind-numbingly inexplicable (why not have him start the inning if you like him better against Kendrick?) but worst ever is a bit of a stretch.
How quick we forget Clueless Joe drooling green tea while Weaver and Gordon flushed away rings in successive years while Mo sat and watched. Or Showalter letting punchdrunk Jack McDowell serve up a buffet of meatballs while Wetteland stood and stared.
Turn the page. CC’s good for 7 strong tomorrow, Mo’s relatively rested, and we’ll be in Kazmir’s panties by the 3rd inning, 4th minimum. Now that we’ve had a good, long look at a nothing-special Halo pen, I expect a breakout game with the bats and still believe the next game at the Stadium will be Game 1.
I also still believe in Girardi and think he’s smart enough to now understand: Robertson = Good, Aceves = Not So Much. I reserve the right to withdraw my vote of confidence if he does something stupid with the line-up (ex. Hairston for Swisher).
Doreen
October 19th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I have to clarify – I don’t agree with Joe taking out Robertson. It made no sense, regardless of what his books said, because the guy was doing very well, and has been doing very well. His confidence level has to have been sky high based on he outings he had before. Robertson was the guy for that last out.
But you don’t know if they still would have lost. That’s all I really meant to say.
====
That is absolutely the heart of it, Doreen. Your pitcher is pitching well. He got you a huge out.
Just taking the emotion out of the thing – where is the intuitive sense that life is good, right there??
Doreen,
I agree. Nobody would have known if we would have lost in that inning, otherwise. But not giving our best arm the option to do his thing, really is unsettling. Like what is going on in Girardi’s mind? A child with slim baseball knowledge would know better than to make that irrational decision.
Coach6423
October 19th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
The lineup needs to be revamped? Seriously? Who exactly should they bring in. They have a circular lineup. Who do you ditch, and who are you bringing in. This reactionary bullcrap is nuts. They have lost 1 post season game, in which it took the other team 12 innings to beat them.”
This reactionary bull towards the Yankees, manager and hitters, is nuts.
However, we have lost 1 postseason game, and we could have lost 4 postseason games due to the cheap HP umpires.
The move was to leave Robo in simply because he was the only one left who could close.
Would anybody have wanted to see Aceves or Gaudin close a game?
Much rather have a hard thrower in there than a soft tosser to close.
Put up 5 runs for CC tomorrow and we should be fine. However, 5 runs seems to be a monumental task for these hitters right now, especially the bottom of the order.
I certainly don’t need to PRETEND that I’m an adult. Girardi did a terrible job managing tonight. Damon out in the middle of an inning when he’s coming to bat in the bottom. We lose the DH. Taking Robertson out when he has quickly retired the first two batters. The offense looked anemic tonight, but this loss is on Joe.
I called Yankees in 5 so they’re on track as far as I’m concerned.
And on track for everyone else’s predictions minus those who thought the Yanks were going to sweep.
I still think we can win this series but the bottom of the order and Tex needs to shape up.
CR9…
The umpire crap is lame. It was the same for both teams. They didnt cost us this game.
I have no problem with the Yankee carrying 3 catchers, because Posada is painfully slow. This allows you to pinch run for Posada and then pinch hit for Molina later in the game, if a game goes extras like the past 2.
I just don’t see why Guzman is on the roster. He’s a pathetic bat and all he can do is run. That’s what Gardner is there for. Hinske should be on the roster at the expense of Guzman.
Right on.
And all this talk about “if they won off Robertson you tip your hat” is bull. People would be whining their butts off.
====
Speak for yourself.
No one would have whined with only Aceves and Gaudin as backup, there.
Maybe you said “Bleep” after it happened. We sat here and said “Bleep” when he walked out to the mound. No way to spin it: very bad decision.
Question: If Robertson was left in and lost the game, how many people would have been saying “Joe why did you leave in Robertson and not bring in Aceves to get out #3?”
Answer: Zero
Reason: It’s fn stupid!!
Is Hairston’s arm that much better than Damon’s? No.
Does Aceves have better stuff than Robertson? No.
Did Girardi make many moronic, head-scratching decisions in this game? Hell Yes.
Are the Yankees going to win this series? Most definitely!
Coach6423
October 19th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
CR9…
The umpire crap is lame. It was the same for both teams. They didnt cost us this game.”
Did you not see the first 2 pitches to Alex the other night. They nearly did cost us that game.
Did you not see the first pitch to Swisher in his 1st AB with a runner on 3rd? Did you not see the 3-0 and 3-1 pitches to Jorge, I think, to lead off an extra inning with Jason Bulger pitching. He was not even near the plate and he got the benefit on 2 balls being called strikes.
I never liked (and still don’t) Molina holding Burnett’s hand but in fairness, it’s worked out pretty well so far.
Hinske shoud be on the team in Guzman’s place. The guy is not a major league baseball player and having two track stars on one bench only plays into Girardi’s obsessive overmanaging.
mick
October 19th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Angel
Girardi had no explanation because there were none.
****************
Isn’t that exactly what I said though? There is no satisfactory explanation, so why are some people looking for one? There is nothing he COULD have said that would be satisfactory to them.
Melky has no business on this team. Let’s trade him to the Mets. He’d fit in nicely.
The pitches to alex the other night could have gone either way. Losers whine about the umpires.
Bod, I’m not spinning a damn thing. I haven’t defended Girardi once. Most people on this blog doesn’t take a loss well no matter how it happens. I guess you’re an exception, duly noted. My opinion remains the same.
CR9,
We heard you the first 100 times
*don’t take a loss well.
Beat me to it YankeeJosh.
The calls were not the same for both teams. The Yankees have had a different strike zone for their batters and pitchers every postseason the past 10 years. Dave Robertson got one cheap 3-1 call in his favor against Morales tonight. That was the only ball that was called a strike for us, as opposed to the 15 at least for them.
jennifer
October 19th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Joe knows it was a stupid move. No answer means he knows he was wrong.
It is only 1 loss we weren’t going to sweep. We have our ace on the mount tomorrow.
Well said. The look on his face showed he knew he messed up. But let’s give a little creidit to the guy. He got us here didnt he? He worked hard on changing the attitude in the clubhouse. I wish he would come in here and do the same. I’m as angry about the loss as anyone. But it’s 1 loss. The team has already put it behind them. We should do the same.
bodhisattva – Destiny Wears Pinstripes
The absurd indulgence of AJ Burnett cost us a lefty power guy off the bench who could break open a game for us. Or, alternately, another arm.
The ripple effect of Molina having to hold AJ’s hand has handcuffed the bench and the pen.
This is what some people don’t bother to contemplate when they just raise their hand for Molina/AJ. There’s more to it than “a couple of ABs” – which is a misreading of how the offense is affected in the first place.
Molina’s role was to give Posada a rest now and again – so the latter could be fresh for the postseason. It wasn’t to replace him in two starts in a seven-game series.
—————————————
That is not true you could of had Hinske on the roster instead of Guzman. But yeah Girardi or Burnett or whoever decision it was might want to rethink having Molina’s behind the plate. Posada is really having a great postseason.
Melky was a good this season at the plate as the miracle boy Jacoby Ellsbury of the amazing great (or so ESPN tells us) Sox.
There is a reason the two best teams are playing in the ALCS. They have great pitching. Baseball is all about starting pitching. You can cover it up in the regular season of 162 games, but at the end of the day, if your starters perform better 4 nights out of 7, you win it all. If they don’t, you’re exposed.
Most hitters hit when the pitcher fails to make the correct pitch. It is rare that a great pitch is put into play. It happens, but when it does, all of the old baseball guys like Kenny Singleton comment on it.
The only inexcusable things in the playoffs are (1) baserunning errors (if the Angels had lost, Bobby Abreu would have been crucified; (2) consistent fielding errors (when you play in freezing rain do Fox can show us commercials for Ninja Assassin in prime time errors are excusable); and (3) not getting runners moved over with outs when you can.
That’s why Swishalicious is Goatalicious for tonight. Give Weaver credit–he threw breaking stuff the first time. The second time, you adjust, and you don’t STRIKE OUT.
Look at the NLCS right now. Other than Cliff Lee, who is there? Miracle Pedro?
Looks like everyone’s forgotten Melky’s .400+ AVG in the 7th inning or later in the regular season that has contributed to team wins multiple times.
Cano and Melky have sucked, and Girardi overmanaged.
But the greatest momentum shift happened when Andy inexplicably threw a cutter in a struggling sluggers’ wheelhouse and revived an entire team from the dead.
Coach6423
October 19th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
The pitches to alex the other night could have gone either way. Losers whine about the umpires.”
They could have gone either way, yet they went against us, because it was the best player in the universe and there was nobody batting behind him. The HP umpire recognized the situation and did what he had to do. Fuentes was an idiot for not throwing the ball 10 inches outside to get strike 3 called.
new thread
I said it before, and i do believe it, that tomorrow will be a better day for the hitters. A day to acclimate to the west coast and come out tomorrow swinging. Just the thought that CC is pitching is bound to give the guys a lift. They know their ace is on the mound and that there is no reason why they can’t nip this in the bud.
Girardi will learn. Even in his brief press conference, I didn’t sense real conviction or fight in his voice when he gave his reason for taking out Robertson. I could be reading too much into a tone of voice, but he got a little squeaky. I have no problem with the short press conference. In fact, had he stayed, squirming, it would have been more uncomfortable. And, really, what reason, aside from injury, could he have given that would have satisfied anyone? You gotta shake the etch-a-sketch, turn the page.
Frankly, each of the 3 games has had its twists and turns and drama. Even with CC’s dominance, do the Yankees win Game 1 without the inept play (out of character as it was) of the Angels? And then 2 extra innings affairs where both teams had opportunities squelshed. Close and very exciting.
Aceves almost gave it up the other night and did tonight…he shouldn’t see any more action until spring training
Others on this blog have complained about different strike zones for us during the course of the year. It was not ridiculous then, but somehow, in the biggest time of the season, it goes unnoticed, how our players are put at a disadvantage time and again.
4) Just because you have all those pitchers in the bullpen does not mean that you need to use them all.
5) Some times the eye test, is better than playing the percentages.
WELL SAID…..Yes you don’t know what would have happened if you left Robertson..maybe he gives up a walk-off homer..but if that DID HAPPEN would we be sitting here saying GEE we should have brought in Aceves.with 2 out and nobody on?
NO NO NO..no one would have said that because it makes no sense at all!! Worst move ever
Bottom line is:
This is a war, not a battle. Today they came up on top but it took a bad decision by Girardi to really do us in. But we again tied the game in the last innings and took them to extra innings. Had this been at Yankee Stadium, we may have won.
We have to move on, learn from our mistakes and play with even more intensity than today. We need to take care of every at bat like its the most precious thing and find any way possible to drive the runners once they get on base. Our D needs to keep playing as well as its been and Joe needs to learn from this loss and use his bullpen wisely.
Six more games to win. Tomorrow we have our ace CC on the mound and a whole team with a chip on their shoulders, ready to bounce back and get closer to the promised land.
LETS GO, YANKEES!!!!!!!
angel
gorardi made it seem like he didnt want to disclose his reasoning because it would reveal some secret scioscia didnt know. watch his response carefully, you will see that.
Consistently Arod and Jeter are the only ones hitting. The Angels are pretty much going to pitch around Arod from now on, getting the Bonds treatment so the other guys better start hitting.
And pinch running for Matsui late in games are killing us because that leaves Arod with no protection, little chance of him getting a pitch to hit becomes no chance.
You can argue Hinkse is more valuable than Guzman, and maybe you are right.
But Hinske is a lot more valuable than Cervelli, as long as Molina doesn’t start. If Molina doesn’t start, you typically would not need to run for Posada until the very late innings, and you have Molina as the back up (personally, just to be incendiary, I would carry Cervelli over Molina).
It has worked out twice (barely, in each case), but today it could have easily bit us if the game went on.
Plus, Robertson is pitching great. He could have pitched two innings. The problem is the way Girardi has been burning through Chamberlain/Coke/Marte.
Pitch Robertson earlier, then use Chamberlain for multiple innings late when you need to, IMO.
go to the new thread
Coach, I am talking about next year…
Bodh, blame Joe for that. AJ’s best stretch of pitching came with Jorge behind the plate. Oh well….I admit I’m tired of that discussion (but I agree with you – not on the AJ part, but on the other stuff)
Melky is such a joke in this series. The same goes for swish, and cano. They can’t buy a hit. They are not smart hitters. They can’t adjust to a breaking ball that they have seen several times thinking fastball is coming.
And Tex looks like a fool in the batters box. The guy is just swinging at garbage.
You know, the move that really mystified me was not pitching Damaso Marte to start the 7th to Abreu after getting Figgins out. What was the explanation for that? Use both LOOGYs in a row???
This would have kept Coke in reserve in the BP. Maybe Coke would have started the 11th, and Robertson close if the Yankees got the lead. You then could have had Aceves if the game went longer than 12, and take your chances.
Kennedy’s out of the game. Gave up a leadoff single…next batter safe on an error on a double play grounder. Fly out, double and 2nd baseman’s 2nd error of the inning. 3.1 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts, 1 WP. Two of the runs should be unearned because of the 2 errors and a passed ball by Romine.
BellaSakura
October 19th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Bod, I’m not spinning a damn thing. I haven’t defended Girardi once. Most people on this blog doesn’t take a loss well no matter how it happens. I guess you’re an exception, duly noted. My opinion remains the same.
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Understood. Emotions are running high. I’m not one to hang something on the manager if there isn’t some substance, there.
It’s not that Girardi consults charts, it’s that he seems to sometimes ignore or not entirely sense when his pitcher has things under control. This is disturbing, but I expect we’ll come out of this with at least a 3 games to 2 lead. Then again, you never know….that’s why they play the games.
Jeremy
October 19th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Melky is such a joke in this series. The same goes for swish, and cano. They can’t buy a hit. They are not smart hitters. They can’t adjust to a breaking ball that they have seen several times thinking fastball is coming.
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Umm….Cabrera was 3 for 9 with a pair of BBs in the first two games. How is he “such a joke”?
Comeback in off the ledges, step away from the train tracks. Take your mouths off the exhaust pipe, put down the gun, knife, noose or hand grenade with which you are set to dispatch yourselves.
Did anybody really think the Yankees were going to sweep the Angels? This is the team the Yankees couldn’t beat until recently and the Halos had a damn fine season this year in case nobody noticed. This was a one run walk-off loss in extras in the Angels’ house, not like the Yankees got their butts beat at home. Note: The Angels are trying to win these games.
Girardi made a decision trying to win, not trying to lose. But he out-foxed himself. Pettitte made one bad pitch (really two – both HR pitches). Melky, Swish and Cano and even Teix are having atrocious at-bats, not experiencing bad luck or poor BABIP. They gotta straighten that out.
CC will be a stabilizing force tomorrow. They will feed off his performance and confidence. Gonna win tomorrow, they know how to beat Kazmir. It’s one friggin’ game. Stop obsessing over every problem with this game – it’s done. Turn the page.
For a 7 game series, the home team has to at least win 2 games on the road to guarantee a win. The Yankees need to have a good start from CC tomorrow to lock in the series. If they don’t win tomorrow, we’re looking at elimination looming, ladies and gents.
I just looked something up because after reading all this venom I had to reassure myself. The Yankees are 5 – 1 this postseason, the best record of any team. We’ve won 5 games. We’ve lost 1. On April 1st we would have signed up for that in a heartbeat. Step off the ledge. We’re doin ok.
Didn’t expect to sweep, nor were we in a better position to win this game, tied in extras on the road.
Still, Girardi’s decision to pull D-Rob for Aceves there leaves you incredulous.
PittsburghYankeeFan
October 19th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
You know, the move that really mystified me was not pitching Damaso Marte to start the 7th to Abreu after getting Figgins out. What was the explanation for that? Use both LOOGYs in a row???
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I think Joe regards Marte as a pitcher he has to sneak on and off the mound.
“Umm….Cabrera was 3 for 9 with a pair of BBs in the first two games. How is he “such a joke”?”
You can’t counter stupidity and ignorance with facts and reason here, bod, it’s simply pointless.
WORST POST BY FAR AND WHY DO YOU ALL NOT TAKE HER TO TASK FOR HER SUPER NEGATIVITY AND “I, I” ATTITUDE.
Betsy
October 19th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Yes Angel, I’m for real. Joe declined to elaborate? I’m sorry, that’s gutless – he doesn’t even have the courage of his convictions. (GUTLESS.) (COURAGE)
I still blame this game on the offense – they stink. I said all along that this team has a lot to prove in the post-season and I was right. They are tough and they have terrific SP, but these guys are all choking…….and they have for the last several post-seasons. Tex doesn’t get a pass from me. Sure his D is great, but we need his bat……NOW.
I really don’t want to see any more pinch runners as this offense needs all the help it can get.
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Betsy – good god, re-read your post. You are the worst fan I have ever come across. You are either hot or cold. It is like you don’t know how to be objective. See below.
1. I still BLAME the game on the offense. They STINK. Betsy, when you think you are having the last word, you always have to BLAME a Yankee. No one else seems to use this word but you. Does blaming someone make it final. They STINK: How many games did this stinky team win, who has the most HR’s, RBI’S. etc. Granted, you did say “post season” but this is the best team in the MLB and you can’t even give them any credit and they have to prove it to you. Why to you?? No one appointed you god.
2. I said all along that this team has a lot to prove in the post-season and I was RIGHT. Why do you need to be right, Betsy? Try to explain that to Yankee fans. Does it make the team better??
3. CHOKING. Betsy, Why can’t you just say that the team is not batting up to par but you expect they will turn it around in this series.
4. Tex doesn’t get a pass from me. Sister, he does not play the game to please your sorry butt. Tex is one of the reasons that this Yankee team is playing post season.
5. I really don’t want to see any more pinch runners. Betsy, this game is not managed by you so saying “I really don’t want…” will not get Girardi to change his mind.
6. Go back and count in this post alone how many times you have used “I”. Mind-numbing isn’t it? Now multiply that number by the number of posts you have given everyone your opinion this year. Astronomical, isn’t it?
Someone else noted the negative words used by the disgruntled fans in this post. You are right up there, babe.
It is not my practice to bad-mouth another Yankee fan, but you Miss-Know-It-All take the cake for absurdity. Notice I did not start this sentence with “I”.
This team does not exist to please you. Get that through your head, please.
This excellent Yankee team has lost only one game out of three. A true fan will watch the rest of the games with full loyalty and exalt if they win and feel genuine regret if they lose. Stupid negativity is for the stupid.
AND – if the rest of you long time posters feel you have to protect poor Betsy because she is one of you – feel free to do so. I have been saving this up for a long time.
AND – if there is anyone who agrees with me, be brave and say so. ENOUGH SAID.
Here is a worthy post from someone who is level-headed. Please re-read it all at 11:02 pm.
murphydog
October 19th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Comeback in off the ledges, step away from the train tracks. Take your mouths off the exhaust pipe, put down the gun, knife, noose or hand grenade with which you are set to dispatch yourselves.. . . . . . . .
who cares about match ups …IF A PITCHER IS DOING WELL WHY TAKE HIM OUT
How’d that work out for you Joe?