Wrapping it up from Anaheim
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Oct 19, 2009 
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The Yankees have been living well all postseason – getting big hits to make up for missed opportunities and dramatic victories that rendered Joe Girardi’s curious decisions irrelevant. Tonight was the night it ended.
Girardi will face all types of heat for how he handled his pitchers – most especially the Dave Robertson vs. Alfredo Aceves call – and the Yankees hitters, particularly the bottom of the order, deserve a ton of criticism, too. Instead of having a lock on the series at 3-0, the Yankees are only up 2-1 with a starter on three-days rest going to the mound in Game 4.
Another strong start from CC Sabathia will make things look better for the Yankees, but for now they’ll go to sleep wondering about what might have been. As good as they felt at the end of Game 2, that’s how tough it was to be on the other side of a walkoff in Game 3. The postgame clubhouse was absolutely hushed.
“When you lose,” Jorge Posada said, “you look forward to tomorrow.”
Great job by everyone today – we’re well over 110,000 page views and the comments since first pitch were approaching 4,000 at last check. Amazing stuff. Back at it again in the morning.
FIRST COMMENT YAYA
They’ve been good at coming back after a tough loss, I expect tomorrow they will come out confident and ready to win!
“When you lose,” Jorge Posada said, “you look forward to tomorrow.”
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Heck yes. Looking forward to CC pitching tomorrow
Sam, Chad-great job today
20 hours and 27 minutes until Game 4!!!!!!!!!!
There is lots of criticism to go around but they are still in control and I feel good about tomorrow.
i say girardi pulls cc after 4 2/3 with 8 ks 0er 0h 1bb.
Tomorrow can’t get here soon enough. I still like the sound of 3-1. Short rest or not, I am looking forward to seeing that horse of ours, CC, go again.
Joe and the bottom of the order are to blame for this loss. Actually the bottom of the order is the main reason why we lost this game. I hope CC comes out big again, but the bottom of the order has to come through or this series won’t go to far.
Sam
You’re being too harsh. Everyone thought this was going to be a very close series with the Yankees edging out the Angels in the end.
They were up 2-0, and it should have been 4-0. In the postseason, you cannot leave a guy at third with less than 2 outs. Give the Angels credit otherwise.
They were up 3-1, 2 outs with a 2-2 count and got too cute with Vlad. It should have been 5-1, with Pettitte not worrying as much. This game would have been over.
OK, shrug it off, and play tomorrow. You really thought they were going to sweep?
Good answer by Jorge.
Nick in SF – the sea of red, wielding sticks, is oppressive enough on my TV screen alone, lol.
Must have been something watching Mariano, live, wriggling out of that situation.
The “bottom of the order” hit a collective .200 against Weaver this season! Chad posted it earlier today. We all are being a bit too harsh. Would it have been better to lose 10-2?
I am going to bed
Good night Yankee people!!!!!
Doreen,
It must not be too happy in your household. Not only do the Yankees lose, but the Chargers aren’t putting on a very good show for your guests.
Jeremy, I happen to agree with you in full….As I watched in disbelief as Weaver was on the ropes only to come up empty…..Then when Giradi yanked Robertson I had this bad feeling….I did get wacked by a thunderstick after Mariano managed to somehow, someway get out of the bases juiced situation….It was an accident so I was told by two very beautiful ladies from Laguna Beach…..They bought me a brew so all is forgiven……CC on the hill tomorrow has to be viewed as a swing game, even though it’s just game 4…..Swisher & Melky chasing breaking balls in the dirt was brutal
I say we light kazmir up and not worry about AJ on wed.
we can even go home 3-2 relaxed.
Nick in SF – where were your seats? Where you sitting tomorrow night?
The last time I was at that place I was late and bought a ticket from an outside scalper in the 2nd inning. I sat three rows behind the Angels dugout next to Tim Allen and his clan. (he’s funnier on TV, but aren’t we all)
Goodnight Erica the Red!
whatever the series was supposed to be or was expected to be is irrelevant…fact is the yanks had this game won and girardi got in the way…he desperately needs a don zimmer type to control his lack of managing the bullpen skills..im not sure what input he requests or receives from pena but but someone needs to say something before its over!!
The Captain in cranky…..
“Teixeira had followed him from first to second, and when Jeter fielded the relay throw from center and saw what was happening, he flipped the ball to Teixeira, who tagged out Abreu by about three feet.
Asked about that play later, Jeter wasn’t exactly effusive. Don’t ask me why. Here’s what he said when asked about Teixeira’s play:
“His job is to follow the runner,” Jeter said. “He did his job there.”
Clearly Jeter was in a bad mood after the loss. Minutes later he cut short his interview session by snapping at a reporter who asked him about the Yankees’ offensive struggles with runners in scoring position.
“It means we’re due,” Jeter said defiantly, locking eyes on the reporter. “How about that? We’re due.”
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/12389501
Tying run on w/one out in the ninth in Philly.
Good night Erica.
Pat M – swimming is not showering. believe in the power of the shower.
Can I state here how much I HATE Joe Buck. They guy shows all the emotion of a strung out smack addict when calling games. It’s bad enough he absolutely ruined the call on the David Tyree SB catch but I’m rewatching Mariano’s amazing 10th inning right now and he called Teix’s diving stop like it was just a routine ground ball. Oh and McCarver’s call (30 seconds later) “Teixiera again”. As if someone was prodding him with a hot iron to say something ANYTHING regarding a diving stop on a 1st and third no out situation. McCarver’s been an embarrassment to the sport for almost 20 years now, at least he had some insight to offer in his early days, I don’t understand what Buck has ever done to warrant his place at the table.
I think that as much as anybody, Rodriguez is to blame. He’s only hitting .250 in this series. He’s making all of the money. He has to be that much better than the paupers like Jeter, Teixeira and Damon.
Always seemed to be the reason before and everyone was happy with that excuse.
Giradi is a idiot…with a very good team
And can we not see Aceves again this postseason
Sure enough, it’s all Melky’s fault. Nothing new with this blog that continues to fade with each passing day.
What’s equally as moronic and pathetic, though, is the pining for Gardner (yes, the very same Gardner who’s posted a lofty career line of .256/.325/.352 and an overpowering line of .250/.308/.292 since Labor Day). The very same Gardner that’s done absolutely nothing this postseason in the role that’s been given to him, continuing to confirm his status as a glorified track star.
But yes, let’s continue to knock the guy that had the audacity to enter this game with a .375 avg. & a .500 OBP in the 1st 2 games and a career .318/.383 against the LAAoA.
You simply can’t make this up. Only on LoHud.
Yes, what Mariano did was a thing of beauty. I thought we had won the game after that 3rd out, alas…
I will sleep tonight with sweet dreams of early offense tomorrow.
just another game to you, GB7?
Ron it’s always Melky’s or Cano’s fault for some people here. (They know who they are….)
Pat M.
It was horrible to see. These guys just keep on swinging at breaking pitches and I’m not talking about quality ones. They just lack common sense. If a pitcher is throwing breaking ball after breaking ball you have to adjust.
Yes, pulling a righty for another righty to get the last out would be inexplicable even if Aceves was successful in doing so.
But, it’s done and over with. Like someone said, Girardi (2 r’s there) will learn a lesson from this one. He’s no dummy no matter what a bunch of faceless people say.
Maybe someone can hit with RISP tomorrow? Or score a runner from 3B with less than 2 outs? And the pitchers need to go back to throwing slop to Vladi. Then maybe, just maybe we can have a textbook win tomorrow.
Phil’s walk off.
Look at that! Torre played it by the book and still lost.
Dodgers are DONE.
Yankees Phillies WS.
Broxton blew it. You can’t throw that pitch to Rollins.
Girardi gave Babana to the Monkeys!!! Hope CC will pitch better tomorrow!
Girardi gave Banana to the Monkeys!!! Hope CC will pitch better tomorrow!
That’s why Mo is the best.
Phillies win.
Broxton
phillies, amazing! Nearly all MLB closers- Brutal
Another closer fail.
Franklin
Nathan
Papelbon
Street
Fuentes
Broxton
Now all that’s left is for the Yankees to beat Lidge in the WS.
DT: I was in the upper deck infield 3rd base. Actually had a great view of everything. I’ll post pictures eventually.
Tomorrow, I’m not positive but I think I’m in the right field bleachers.
Broxton, oops.
The Phillies are going to win the WS. They are so clutch it’s crazy. Their hitting makes up for their decent pitching. The way the Yanks bats are going they could never compete with them if they win this series.
No doubt about that, ray.
I wonder why that is…
Jeremy, Watching them hacking on off speed was like watching HS kids looking at hooks for the first time….Nick in SF, where in sterile Irvine are you staying ??
carays call: heres the throw to the plate…its not in time…
There never was a throw to the plate….hes as bad as it gets
Ron,
Blaming a No. 9 hitter for a playoff loss is pretty shaky footing, although he had an absolutely awful, brutal day at the plate.
But he was great in the first two games, getting on base, taking a lot of pitches, etc, in other words, doing what he needs to do to get on for Jeter.
All these closers screwing up in the playoffs make me appreciate Mariano even more.
He is really the greatest of all time.
isn’t it funny how the yanks are slumping yet had won 5 straight games?
well reality has returned and we’d better win tomorrow.
Melky, Cano, and Swish are to blame for this loss. I don’t know why people are saying they are not at fault. Check out this game and their numbers. They have been bad the entire postseason, and they kill rally’s. If they got at least one hit or a sack fly the Yankees would be up 3-0.
Yanks, let’s go, can’t wait to see them play the Phillies. That would be epic fun . . . as long as the Yankees win, of course lol.
One other positive takeaway from tonight – now there is no way that Scioscia will drop Vlad from the 4 hole for the rest of the series.
Feinsand (NY Daily News): Girardi outmanaged in Game 3 – by himself
Joe Girardi wasn’t outmanaged by Mike Scioscia tonight. He outmanaged himself.
Says it all
pat,
Where’s that good things list again? We need to add some things to it (racking brain right now).
Torre’s in shock. Wishing he had brought Rivera with him.
Hey don’t call the Phillies World Champions yet. They beat a Dodger team that can’t hit, and they were losing to Randy Wolf.
.375 avg. & a .500 OBP in the 1st 2 games and a career
Hey genius, we can get on base woohoo, you gotta hit when it counts, like AROD and Jeter do. And melky breaks down under pressure, terrible at bats, swisher hasnt done anything besides walk once.
If there is someone who can hit better under pressure he ought to be the man. And as much as Hairston isn’t that good, he did get us that key hit. I’d say give Melky and Swisher another game (its not like there’s a choice anyways against a LH) then action may be needed.
I feel like Texiera is getting off the hook here, he’s the core of our lineup, he needs to do something. Damon is also getting off the hook cause of his home run. But I think those two may bounce back in the next game, we’ll see.
Wow @ Broxton.
We can’t lose this year. The great story of this postseason is “Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer ever and the reasons why it isn’t even close.” It would be a shame if that book doesn’t get written.
Melky has been brutal he is hitting 200 this postseason. 5 for 25 with 9 strikeouts. Melky hits Kazmir well if doesn’t start hitting Gardner should get a start and see what he does.
Same thing for Swisher tommorow maybe Girardi should go with Hairston against Kazmir.
Melky is 200 (5-25)
Cano is hitting 200 (6-25)
Swisher is hitting 208 (6-22)
The yanks are not going to win if they are not getting much from there 7,8,9 hitters throughout the postseason. Especially games with Molina hitting 9th.
All these closers screwing up in the playoffs make me appreciate Mariano even more.
==========
It’s like they can’t find enough big spots to get him in. He really is a great example of being able to dial it up when the pressure is the greatest.
“phillies, amazing!”
Can’t count them out. Good hitters that don’t give up.
Pat M, I’m in a hotel on Dyer, although billed as Irvine I think it is technically Santa Ana.
Nice run line Yankee win!
Taking out robertson is on par with leaving the team on the field with midges or not bunting on schilling girardi deserves to have the uniform ripped right off him for this.
The team has been winning in spite of him. He’s continually made stupid decisions all year (over-managing). Only a matter of time before one of his brain-dead moves came back to hurt this team when it really matters.
Can someone explain to me why people love to hate on Melky? Is it his name? Is it his nationality? The guy has done so many positive things this year and is always in the middle of big game winning plays – remember he hit the ground ball that eventually won Game 2 only 2 days ago??? Tell me what it is, we are all anonymous here – what is the real reason for the Melky hate.
No argument here, bod. And he was one of several to have such days.
Couldn’t agree more with your last point. We’ve seen what he’s capable of numerous times when the lineup’s circular but when several guys have abysmal showings, it’s hard for any guy not named A-Rod to carry the team.
It’ll be interesting to see how he does against Kazmir & Lackey again, two guys he’s had success against. Although, if you went by some random poster, you’d think he never did.
Cosmic karma, huh, Joe Torre?
Baseball gods will bite you for writing “The Yankee Years” about 10 years too early. Couldn’t wait to get back at ARod, George, and Cash?
You know, the 2008 and 2009 Dodgers remind me a lot of the 2002-2008 Yankees. Get there, have home field advantage, and can’t get it done.
What is the constant here?
Rose, the Phillies are the only team the Yankees have faced this year that I felt gave them all they could handle. Even when they were losing 8 in a row to the Sox I never for a second thought that the Sox were a better team. The Phillies had me thinking that for a couple of minutes.
Victorino jocking the Yanks with the fake pie. Except his had shaving cream not the real deal. Phils be original with your celebration…
Who cares about the positive things Melky has done this year if he can’t do basic things in the postseason when it counts. This organization is about winning not hitting for the cycle in the season or making one great catch. The same goes for Cano, and Swish. They need to produce or this team will not go far, and if they don’t produce they need to ship out.
mick
October 19th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
just another game to you, GB7?
————————————————————
With a 2 games to 1 lead, it’s not enough for me to be blowing snot bubbles like you and the others.
The Ghost
October 20th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Can someone explain to me why people love to hate on Melky? Is it his name? Is it his nationality? The guy has done so many positive things this year and is always in the middle of big game winning plays – remember he hit the ground ball that eventually won Game 2 only 2 days ago??? Tell me what it is, we are all anonymous here – what is the real reason for the Melky hate.
_____________________________________________________
IMO, he’s just not that good.
He comes through in the clutch on occassion, but more often than not he’s flailing his bat around and has no patience. Some of his atbats lead me to believe that it is pure luck when he makes contact with the ball.
He left 7 men on base tonight. 7! That is almost an entire lineup.
And that groundball he hit in Game 2 was a groundout, but he lucked out that Izturis screwed up and made an error. There’s a reason he didn’t get pied that night….
Nick in SF…..The Radison ????
m
I posted it earlier but no one played along.
pat
October 19th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Jeter has been lying to us all these years. Good starting pitching and defense is not enough to win in the postseason.
We need Good Things Tonight……
Defense has played well
Tex playing inspired 1st base
Mo being Houdini despite his wild pitch to Alex
The talking heads are going to be ripping Girardi apart big over this loss. Its not the loss as much as it is him managing in almost a panic mode.
Seeing him come out to talk to Pettitte was the most stupid thing I’ve ever seen from him. Pettitte is a veteran, has been there before, had a good thing going and had that interrupted by a mother hen.
Yes, the batters have gone to sleep, which isn’t helping, but Girardi managed them right out of this game.
Its not that they lost, its how they lost.
With the exception of Jeter, Alex, and Posada they all can be called out, in no particular order of blame. So, if it comes down to the bottom of the order to bail you out (or molina’s bat-you guys can’t get off that one, huh? where was he during today’s loss?), then we weren’t all that, huh?
Have faith, and cheer for the team. They’re 5-1 in the post-season and actually up in this series. Angels only held serve today, we didn’t lose anything yet.
You know, I keep watching the Mathis game winning hit and I really think that if Cano went to 2nd and Melky gunned it to him they had a real shot at tagging out Mathis for the 3rd out before Kendrick scored. Mathis was just reaching 2b as the ball sailed on that high arc to home plate. You wanna talk about a play for the ages…
We’re doomed.
Melky embarrassed himself today, as did Swisher. The Yankees need an outfielder in the offseason. Damon & Matsui have been great but they’re falling apart. Melky, Swisher & Gardner are good 4th – 5th outfielders, but no more.
Melkey has good defense but poor at bats.I for one don’t hate him
but he’s an automatic out.No plate discipline at all.
The Jets season is over.
Kris Jenkins ACL tear.
Woe is me.
Nick in SF, I meant the Embassy Suites…..Great NY deli not far from you, Tommy’s Pastrami…..The real deal…..
Strange, but, I seem to recall that Cabrera was hitting over .300 before today’s game. Some of you people have some rather bizarre idea that every player should get a hit in every at bat or strike out every hitter. I suggest you buy the book, “Baseball For Idiots”. I’ll post the link if you need it.
haiku-man
October 20th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Melkey has good defense but poor at bats.I for one don’t hate him
but he’s an automatic out.No plate discipline at all.
===
Hmm…who WAS that No. 9 hitter in Game 1 who singled and walked twice? And who WAS that No. 9 hitter who went 2 for 5 in Game 2?
What’s his name again?
CC on pitching on short rest
“You know going in that you’re not going to have your best fastball,” Sabathia said. “So you’ve just got to stay under control and make sure your delivery is good and make sure you throw strikes.”
GB7
Agree with you. What’s with the snot bubbles tonight? Win some, lose some. Angels aren’t exactly chopped liver, unlike that other LA team playing in Chavez Ravine.
Abda….
How they lost? So you’d rather them lose 10-3? These are the Angels–they’re a pretty good team as well. Sure, I’d rather the Angels win one down 3-0, but you can’t have everything in this life.
They win tomorrow, the Yankees are up 3-1. I’ll take CC on three days rest against a Scott Kazmir with no velocity (or even with velocity) any day.
@ C-3PO — hahaha
How’s Kazmir’s curveball? I think we’re going to see a lot of it. The Angels have scouted the Yankees well, they’ll all swing at balls in the dirt with 2 strikes.
“Cosmic karma, huh, Joe Torre?
Baseball gods will bite you for writing “The Yankee Years” about 10 years too early. Couldn’t wait to get back at ARod, George, and Cash?
You know, the 2008 and 2009 Dodgers remind me a lot of the 2002-2008 Yankees. Get there, have home field advantage, and can’t get it done.
What is the constant here?”
I certainly agree with this sentiment.
Something good to take out of today. I hope Phils wrap it up Wednesday.
GreenBeret7
October 20th, 2009 at 12:22 am
Strange, but, I seem to recall that Cabrera was hitting over .300 before today’s game. Some of you people have some rather bizarre idea that every player should get a hit in every at bat or strike out every hitter. I suggest you buy the book, “Baseball For Idiots”. I’ll post the link if you need it.
====
Without insulting anyone, some people really do need to get a grip on how a ML lineup functions.
Applying fantasy baseball logic – to the No. 9 hitter – is just out of balance.
There was someone complaining on another site when Cabrera got an infield single in one of the games. The complaint was – why can’t he hit the ball out of the infield?
It’s sort of pointless arguing with people who apparently don’t know any better – they should really ask themselves what a baseball team needs from a No. 9 hitter, and stop approaching Melky Cabrera as if he’s hitting fifth in the lineup.
No panic in the clubhouse.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/.....0973.story
@ GB– ppl are frustrated bc the team is now 0/16 with RISP in the last 2 games, i think thats understandable, no?
Melky is a 4th outfielder. He was handed the job because Cash didn’t want to spend any money on a real CFer. Which I understand because they spent so much money on other players. But Melky hasn’t improved at all with the bat the last couple of years. This off season it’s time to find a real CFer. They don’t need an all star just a major league hitter.
PittsburghYankeeFan
October 20th, 2009 at 12:23 am
GB7
Agree with you. What’s with the snot bubbles tonight? Win some, lose some. Angels aren’t exactly chopped liver, unlike that other LA team playing in Chavez Ravine.
Abda….
How they lost? So you’d rather them lose 10-3? These are the Angels–they’re a pretty good team as well. Sure, I’d rather the Angels win one down 3-0, but you can’t have everything in this life.
They win tomorrow, the Yankees are up 3-1. I’ll take CC on three days rest against a Scott Kazmir with no velocity (or even with velocity) any day
————
Isn’t it the pitches that have no velocity that’s killing our hitters?
Excuse me, Master Girardi, but R2 says the chances of the Yankees surviving a seven-game series with the Angels is 9,500,276 to 1.
But R2 has been known to be wrong.
From time to time…
There were two issues that the Yank had to overcome going into the playoffs in my mind…The ability to get the ball to Mariano, and the 2nd major concern was the club’s ability to overcome the loss of Chen Ming Wang…That will be answered tomorrow……Today was the game that got away, and I’m far from being a fatalist, however I just hope that when it’s all said and done that we don’t look back at today’s game for that reason…..
I would love to light up Scott Kazmir tomorrow. He gave us fits in his Tampa days.
A Kazmir loss would be very satisfying.
HeavyHitter
October 20th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Melky embarrassed himself today, as did Swisher. The Yankees need an outfielder in the offseason. Damon & Matsui have been great but they’re falling apart. Melky, Swisher & Gardner are good 4th – 5th outfielders, but no more.
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I agree the outfield needs a lot of work in the offseason. The manager has to take out Damon in the middle of an inning because of his arm. Swisher is an adventure in right. Melky is a 4th outfielder they need to find a real centerfielder. Gardner is a 4th outfielder he is good off the bench with his speed and spot starting.
The Yankees offense needs to come to life – it’s being carried by 4 guys. Check out this graphic showing who’s stepping up and who’s choking.
http://visualbaseball.wordpress.com
CC needs to be on his game tomorrow.
In 3 starts against the Yankees, Kazmir has given up 7 earned runs in 19.2 IP this season.
You guys think Gardner can get to the winning double because he is blazing fast??
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10.....f=baseball
I can’t believe that Vescey blames the Yankees for ruining Joba. They gave him a chance to do what he wanted-which was to start. They tried to protect his young arm (not to mention that tender shoulder). They only changed the rules because everything they tried didn’t work.
It’s not their fault that Joba was getting lit up in the first inning on a regular basis. It’s not their fault he’s noticibly lost velocity. That he couldn’t pitch efficiently.
Did Vescey look out on the mound today? Personally, I was shocked to see how big Joba got.
I don’t get it. I don’t know how Joba losing his stuff is the Yankees fault.
Their only fault is putting him in the circle of trust prematurely. I can’t believe they let a couple of good relief outings convince them that he was back.
Does anybody know CC’s #’s on short rest?
Were they in no doubles defense on that last play?
This is a bad move, having CC pitch tomorrow on short rest. If he pitches well tomorrow and the rest of the way in the post season without difficulty we’ll be fortunate. But it’s a bad strategy.
When all is said and done after this series, I want nothing to do with Chamberlain or Girardi in 2010.
TurboWei October 20th, 2009 at 12:47 am
You guys think Gardner can get to the winning double because he is blazing fast??
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Don’t get me started on “the track star.” He’s cost us in both the Twins series and today. He does not belong on a major league roster. He’s about as valuable as Cody “I can jump on a 60-inch box” Ransom.
TurboWei
October 20th, 2009 at 12:47 am
You guys think Gardner can get to the winning double because he is blazing fast??
====
I will never quite understand the huge leap that Gardner will just be able to get on base as a starter.
Boatz n Hose October 20th, 2009 at 12:56 am
This is a bad move, having CC pitch tomorrow on short rest. If he pitches well tomorrow and the rest of the way in the post season without difficulty we’ll be fortunate. But it’s a bad strategy.
When all is said and done after this series, I want nothing to do with Chamberlain or Girardi in 2010.
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This is the type of comment that usually comes from someone who only watches baseball after Oct2nd.
Who do you suggest we should start game 4 with? If not CC on short rest?
Gaudin? Mitre? Or keigawa?
I think a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that CF is similar to being a corner outfielder. It isn’t – just by the mere fact that very few corner outfielders can play CF. It’s rare to have a CF who is an offensive powerhouse because the demands of the position call for speed and a good enough arm to keep players from going 1st to 3rd on a hit. If you look at the CF stats just this year you’ll see only 1 CF in all of MLB accrued 100rbi and only 3 batted .300. Melky’s numbers were almost identical to Adam Jones who by all accounts had a breakout season for the Orioles and his numbers were equal to or better than big names like Granderson, Sizemore, Victorino and Mike Cameron – four players who bat at the top of their respective lineups and I’m sure most naysayers would trade Melky for in a second. Melky may not be as flashy as some of the names I’ve stated but he gets the job done as good as or better than most major league CFers. We had just been spoiled here in NY having one of the premier CFer of the last 50 years play for the Yankees.
How can you say Gardner cost us this game. Cano, Swish, and Melky, with Girardi managing cost the Yankees this game.
bodhisattva – Destiny Wears Pinstripes October 20th, 2009 at 1:00 am
TurboWei
October 20th, 2009 at 12:47 am
You guys think Gardner can get to the winning double because he is blazing fast??
====
I will never quite understand the huge leap that Gardner will just be able to get on base as a starter.
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Well, at this point, Melky just isn’t producing.
Personal take on why Jeter was cranky? He was ticked at Girardi for taking the game out of the hands of the players.
Too arrogant to even own up to his mistakes at the press conference. Someone earlier called him a coward. Add donkey to that, because we’re not going to see him change.
Geez, to walk out there to talk to Pettite was absurd. What? Is this Pettite’s first trip to the rodeo? No, but it’s GIRARDI’S and he’s acting like it. What an amateur.
lol, you guys are so funny. you killed gardner for not running last time, and then you kill him for running when the angels gambled and won.
oh ho ho. make up your minds. you want to play station to station or gamble some on the basepaths. he’s the fastest runner and, unfortunately, one of the best bunters on the team. doesn’t belong on a major league roster? even if the yankees wanted to pay for a team full of jeters and a-rods, where you going to find 12 others just like them? every major league roster, even the ones in the postseason, has a place for role players.
Who are you going to pitch in Game 4 ? Gaudin, Mitre ?
Get real ! CC sabathia is the best choice.
Jeremy October 20th, 2009 at 1:02 am
How can you say Gardner cost us this game. Cano, Swish, and Melky, with Girardi managing cost the Yankees this game.
————–
I didn’t say he cost us this game. But his attempted steal did cost us the chance to get a second run on Posada’s homer.
And yes, there is plenty of blame to go around. But I am underwhelmed by Gardner’s presence in the lineup, especially when you remove Matsui’s bat in order to accommodate him.
my take on jeter being cranky? he hates to lose. period.
Will Girardi switch Posada and Matsui in the batting order so that when he pinch runs for Hideki (as he has done two days in a row) A-rod doesn’t again lose his protection; thus making the intentional pass an obvious play. The failure to anticipate that consequence may well have lost tonight’s game…Scioscia must have been salivating when Arod came to the plate with first base open and Hairston on deck!!!
Come to think about it, we are lucky to win 103 games this year with having to carry Joba, Gaudin, Mitre and CMW…
Wang IS Taiwan
You can tell that the players are upset with Girardi. Who can blame them. These past two days he has made a lot of bad choices and this time it came back to bite him. Girardi better learn from his mistakes or he will be gone.
Ghost,
I have very little to add to that very perceptive post.
Melky’s switch hitting is also a bonus.
I think Melky has deceptive speed – well hidden by body type and the fact that he usually, contrary to popular opinion, gets good jumps. His speed is efficient for him – his first step is quick and he closes well on the ball.
He does not have blazing speed, however, nor does he have exceptional power.
Therefore, he is neither a base stealer nor a HR hitter.
This, apparently, means he is a “4th outfielder.”
In truth, he’s actually our most reliable, versatile and best overall outfielder, who actually became a more versatile offensive player this year because he started driving the ball from the right side of the plate instead of just slapping it. His pop became relevant from both sides.
I’m sorry, did Gardner bat today? In game 2, he was 1-for-2 after being inserted.
I don’t get picking on the low guy on the totem pole. Blame the guys who were 0-16 in the last 2 days with RISP.
Your bench is not the problem here.
No, Gardner didn’t bat today. He pinch ran for Matsui, and got thrown out at 2nd.
Girardi has a love affair with Coke and Ace. Everyone kept saying in the regular season that it would come back to bite him and it did in this game. He is such an idiot. He should have used Robertson instead of Chamberlain after the Angels tied the score and then the Yankees would have won this game.
TurboWei October 20th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Boatz n Hose October 20th, 2009 at 12:56 am
This is a bad move, having CC pitch tomorrow on short rest. If he pitches well tomorrow and the rest of the way in the post season without difficulty we’ll be fortunate. But it’s a bad strategy.
When all is said and done after this series, I want nothing to do with Chamberlain or Girardi in 2010.
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This is the type of comment that usually comes from someone who only watches baseball after Oct2nd.
Who do you suggest we should start game 4 with? If not CC on short rest?
Gaudin? Mitre? Or keigawa?
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No, it’s the kind of comment that is skeptical of Sabathia being effective on three days rest on the road in a seven game series. I would much prefer he be effective on regular rest than risk a possible ineffective start or even worse, an injury. Yes, he has done it in the past, but that is a small sample size. He has not done it this year, and his post-season performance last year points to his being exhausted by the several starts he made on short rest prior.
So again, I hardly think it’s a comment from “someone who only watches baseball after October 2nd” as you so smugly state. The Yanks will be lucky if he is effective tomorrow and afterward if their postseason continues. But luck is not much of a strategy as was proven tonight.
The Ghost
October 20th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Melky’s numbers were almost identical to Adam Jones who by all accounts had a breakout season for the Orioles and his numbers were equal to or better than big names like Granderson, Sizemore, Victorino and Mike Cameron – four players who bat at the top of their respective lineups and I’m sure most naysayers would trade Melky for in a second. Melky may not be as flashy as some of the names I’ve stated but he gets the job done as good as or better than most major league CFers. We had just been spoiled here in NY having one of the premier CFer of the last 50 years play for the Yankees.
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No offense, but comparing Melky to Granderson, Sizemore, Victorino, and Cameron is a bit of a reach. All of them have appeared in All Star games and all except for Granderson have won at least one Gold Glove.
Sizemore was playing with an injury most of the season so that’s why his stats were poor this year. Maybe Melky is equivalent to Cameron now, but Cameron in his prime was a better player than Melky.
Another difference between Melky and these players is that they all play superb defense. As a centerfielder, if you’re not gonna put up big numbers, then you must be rock solid defensively. Melky has a great arm but his positional defense is iffy, he’s in no way a Gold Glove caliber centerfielder as the aforementioned players.
Boatz n Hose October 20th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Jeremy October 20th, 2009 at 1:02 am
How can you say Gardner cost us this game. Cano, Swish, and Melky, with Girardi managing cost the Yankees this game.
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I didn’t say he cost us this game. But his attempted steal did cost us the chance to get a second run on Posada’s homer.
And yes, there is plenty of blame to go around. But I am underwhelmed by Gardner’s presence in the lineup, especially when you remove Matsui’s bat in order to accommodate him.
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Who knows what would happen should he have successfully stolen 2nd base?
Maybe the pitcher would have walked Posada.
Besides, not his fault that he ran into a pitch out.
m
October 20th, 2009 at 1:05 am
lol, you guys are so funny. you killed gardner for not running last time, and then you kill him for running when the angels gambled and won.
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I agree Giradi put him in the game to steal a base. They called a pitch out it happens. It was a gamble Girardi was willing to take. If they kept Matsui in the game even if Posada hit a double it might not score Matsui. You are down 1 run in the 8th. And who knows they might pitch Posada different if Matsui was on first hoping to get a doubleplay.
Boatz n Hose:
If not CC, then who???
You can troll all day long that CC is bad on short rest, but you need to also provide an answer.
Who to use??????
Wait, they took out Matsui’s bat to accomodate Gardner?
That doesn’t sound right.
Plenty of power pitchers have gone on short rest and have been brilliant. Examples: Curt Schilling 2001 World Series, Josh Beckett 2003 World Series. CC got 8 days rest before his Game 1 ALCS start and has had plenty of rest all year round. So to worry about injury and being ineffective is stupid. You go with your best and don’t mess around.
Melky has a great arm but his positional defense is iffy, he’s in no way a Gold Glove caliber centerfielder as the aforementioned players.
===
His positional defense is iffy? He is rock solid in CF. Good range, strong arm, plays the percentages, good gap to gap. Not sure what you want from the guy, or what your definition of good CF defense is.
m October 20th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Wait, they took out Matsui’s bat to accomodate Gardner?
That doesn’t sound right.
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It was 8th inning? I have no problem with that.
If Gardner hadn’t run into a pitch out, we have a very fast runner on 2nd base, with Posada coming up to bat.
They ran Gardner to put a runner in scoring position.
Hey – with Jorge up, who needed Gardner’s baserunning? Matsui would have been just as capable of trotting around the bases
.
Scared of the Wall,
Melky is 25 years old. When Mike Cameron was 25 he batted .211. When Granderson was 25 he has almost the exact same stats as Melky did this year. Granderson had his break out year at 26.
Well, goodnight all.
We play tomorrow, we win tomorrow!
I think you guys are missing my point. Boatz said they took out matsui’s bat to accomodate Gardner. As if. They took him out because that’s what you do. The Phillies do it. The Dodgers do it. It’s not to accomodate Gardner, no matter how underwhelming he is.
I think Gardner tried to steal on the wrong count. A count that favors the pitch out.
If he had waited at least for a one ball count, his potential for success would have been higher.
I think Gardner decides on his own so if that’s the case, Joe should have held him.
This blog sounds like a bad rerun of SOSH.
Given the starting pitchers, and their records, this game worked out almost exactly as expected. The team with the last at bat almost always wins in postseason extra innings.
Forget all the nonsense of Girardi “overmanaging,” nobody hitting, etc. In the three starts against Weaver this year, the Yankees had leads of 3-0, 4-0, and 5-0, and won only one, 10-9. Twice against the Angels Andy had a bad inning between the 4th and the 6th. Why should the playoffs be any different that the regular season between these teams?
Playoff baseball is about STARTING PITCHING and almost nothing else. In order, starter, closer a distant second, hitting an even more distant third, and middle relievers very last.
So Girardi is going to manage and set everything up like he knows the game is going 11? What kind of fool would do that? Oh yeah, the media fools who criticize him in hindsight.
This game should have been over in the bottom of the 6th, but Andy, cutter happy to the very end, threw one to Vlad instead of a slider in the dirt. Final score should have been 5-1 or 5-2 Yankees. Nine out of ten that’s the final. OK, so this was the one out of ten. It happens. Joba? Didn’t really matter, since Posada tied the score.
I like our starter tomorrow. I also like our starters for the rest of the series. Unless there is some serious pitching decline, why shouldn’t our starting staff perform to the way they have all year? The Yankees are not throwing Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre out there.
If Mo had pulled a Jonathon Broxton today, that would have hurt more. Instead, we saw perhaps one of the best relief appearances ever–one that everyone should be talking about years from now, even though the Yankees lost. Had this been game seven, do you think Robertson or Aceves would even have been in the darn game?
Scared of the Wall
How can you quibble with The Ghost? His points are well articulated and on spot.
Hey Turbo,
I’m not trolling, please don’t get me wrong. I want the Yanks to win it all just as everyone else does. I want to be proven wrong, believe me, I would be very happy. I just disagree with the strategy and of course can understand it from both sides. But I do think it’s open for criticism and debate.
Or, the Ghost may NOT be a “he.”
That’s one of the small things that makes this Blog so good.
Frank from Chatham, NJ
October 20th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Scared of the Wall
How can you quibble with The Ghost? His points are well articulated and on spot.
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Sorry. Forgot I was allowed to have a different opinion. I’ll never argue with anyone again.
Scared of the Wall
Different opins always welcomed.
I agree that blame can be assigned to certain players and staff members.
But to say that you wish the manager and certain players to go away is a little extreme imo.
There’s some starters on this team that I’d like to wish away, but that won’t solve anything, so I keep those private thoughts locked up deep in my brain.
What’s up with the Times? Feinsand abusing Girardi, Vescey thinking the Yankees “ruined” Joba.
I guess since they’re not selling the Boston Globe and their stake in the Sox, they might as well get back to being biased.
This team won 103 games in the regular season…..after losing one of their best starters for a year, their 1st and 2nd line catchers, one for a month and the other for 6 weeks, their third baseman for a quarter of the season (38 games), had to work around issues with another starter, lost a right fielder for the season and a platoon center fielder for almost 7 weeks. Oh, yeah, they’ve won 6 of 7 playoff games, so far. Find something real to whine about.
Last comment from me:
Yankees OPS this year against Kazmir is 1.000.
I’ve watched alot of baseball over the decades, and I have to tell you that what I watched today with Mariano Rivera on the hill was beyond magic……Shame is it’ll never get it’s due because they lost……But it was electic in Anaheim Stadium as he recorded out after out….All this vs. the meat of the Angel’s batting order……
my error…they’ve won 5 of 6 post season games.
PittsburghYankeeFan
October 20th, 2009 at 1:40 am
What’s up with the Times? Feinsand abusing Girardi, Vescey thinking the Yankees “ruined” Joba.
I guess since they’re not selling the Boston Globe and their stake in the Sox, they might as well get back to being biased.
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One has to assume that they are two of the idiots posting on this board.
PittsburghYankeeFan October 20th, 2009 at 1:40 am
What’s up with the Times? Feinsand abusing Girardi, Vescey thinking the Yankees “ruined” Joba.
I guess since they’re not selling the Boston Globe and their stake in the Sox, they might as well get back to being biased.
=======================
Dont you know that sports writer live on controversies?
GB, A view into the future….I’m with you old buddy…..One note of observation, Robbie Cano all season was less than a patient hitter, suddenly he’s going deeper into the count…Almost waiting for strike one…..To me it looks like he’s on top of everything…..Basically he’s just a 1/4 inch from line drives
Kinda funny, ESPN radio out here referred to them as Joe Torre’s Yankees. This was before Joe Torre’s Dodgers coughed one up.
Guess Torre lost two games 5-4 today.
I love watching the pitchers scratch their heads at Cano after they throw the first pitch out of the zone, “They said he always swings at the first pitch!”
Could hit 1,100,000 posts tomorrow.
Pat M.
October 20th, 2009 at 1:55 am
GB, A view into the future….I’m with you old buddy…..One note of observation, Robbie Cano all season was less than a patient hitter, suddenly he’s going deeper into the count…Almost waiting for strike one…..To me it looks like he’s on top of everything…..Basically he’s just a 1/4 inch from line drives
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I noticed that. He’s really only rocked the ball about 3 times in this series. Teixeira and Swisher, though have been absolutely dreadful. Jeter and Rodriguez seem to be hitting 3 out of every four ridiculously hard. Posada has also been pretty much dead on. Yankee starters have pretty much made on mistake in 6 starts…Guerrero’s homer. Overall, the bullpen has been great average except for Aceves, and Chamberlain, today. Robertson has been a revelation in the playoffs.
GB, In the 33 innings that have been played so far, the Angels have been ahead by a total of 1 1/2 innings
The Yankees offense needs to come to life – it’s being carried by 4 guys. Check out this graphic showing who’s stepping up and who’s choking. http://visualbaseball.wordpress.com
Pat M.
October 20th, 2009 at 2:04 am
GB, In the 33 innings that have been played so far, the Angels have been ahead by a total of 1 1/2 innings
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I’m more than please with the pitching staff. It has to be one of the 3 best in baseball since the first of May. Remove the numbers of Marte, Wang and Claggett and NYY’s are fighting Seattle for the best team ERA in the league. Nothing wrong with the offense that can do just about anything. This is the first time in years that they’ve faught teams playing on carpet or the Red Sox in doubles.
Minus a few errors in September by Cano and they would be close to the lead in fielding, much of the credit going to Teixeira’s 1st base play. Jeter has also looked better than he has in years. I don’t see any major declines for next year. Jeter has discovered The Fountain Of Youth. He hasn’t run the bases like that in 3 years. Petitte is about as steady from year to year as it gets. He has to return. He’s a #4/5 pitcher and pitching like a #2/3.
The two most over used words by writers and fans are “clutch” and “choke” but the idiots still use it without knowing what they’re talking about. Maybe someone will quit posting the same stupid site.
Well, I can figure out 3 of the 4. Jeter, Alex, and Posada. I won’t grant anyone the satisfaction of clicking on that site.
Anyone want to fill me in?
m
October 20th, 2009 at 2:25 am
Well, I can figure out 3 of the 4. Jeter, Alex, and Posada. I won’t grant anyone the satisfaction of clicking on that site.
Anyone want to fill me in?
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Trust me….it’s not worth the effort. I’ve seen better work from kids on home computers.
Awww, cute. I can’t wait to see little Sidney’s analysis.
I may be mistaken on the specifics, but they showed a graffic during one of Melky’s AB’s…the gist of it was, with a minimum of 140 AB’s as a number 9 hitter, Melky had the highest BA of anyone in the AL.
I think that if you’re looking at Melky as a prime candidate for today’s goat, you are looking in the wrong direction.
m
October 20th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Awww, cute. I can’t wait to see little Sidney’s analysis.
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Sidney does quite a bit better. Anthony’s more interested in taking stuff apart. However, my dog has more to learn. He’s about 6 months behind that site’s “efforts”.
As far as hitter’s in tday’s game, the real killers were Teixeira and Swisher. However, Teixeira’s defense wwas stellar.
Halos Heaven Blog, an SB nation blog, is out with a video tonight and it’s on You Tube of Mariano Rivera. The blog states the video shows pretty conclusively that Rivera is spitting on the ball when he thinks the umpire isn’t looking. The blogger invites people to view the video and vote whether they think Rivera should be banned from baseball. That throwing an alleged spitball would explain Rivera’s success with one pitch. (I guess they think he does it with most if not all pitches). I did not watch the video, but since this is the internet age, I thought I’d mention it here.
yep mo definitely makes a spit ball there
Who cares as long as he gets away with it?
I have mlb.tv
I just went back and watched the video and you can clearly see he spits to the left of the ball.
Where was he standing?
pitchers mound
Good. Then he got away with it. He can do whatever he wants as long as it upsets the whiners.
Fuentes said he thought Scioscia would have ordered A-Rod walked even if Matsui had still been in the game.
When Alex is going right, no one is protection.
The only way they won’t be walking Rodriguez will be if there are runners on base.
Testing, Testing, Testing
To me Girardi’s biggest mistake of the postseason has been using Joba instead of Robertson in the 7th inning role. My biggest fear of this postseason is that Girardi will continue to pass over Robertson and use Joba instead.
Robertson has been lights out. You don’t mess with success, and that has been Robertson.
It really won’t matter who we have on the hill tonight if we don’t start getting key hits with RISP. Our lower part of the order has to step up big time now. Arod will be swinging at trash or will get walked the rest of the series. Tex, Swisher, Cano and Matsui will have to get it going.
Nick,
You did not write “graffic” did you? Are you drunk or is that an imposter? Your grammar and spelling are usually impeccable.
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!!!!!!
Yanks ! . . Lets Put last nights game behind us !. No use in going back and replaying it.
Lets go out tonight ! Score early to get the crowd out of it . and go up 3-1
By the way GREAT post Keith–FL
Keith-FL
totally agree. It wasn’t like last night’s game was a total blow out. I have faith in CC. Kenny was saying on the post game that the Boston hitters felt they could have scored 10 runs off Kazmir, hopefully our guys can.
GOODY GOODY gum drops, LOLOL killschil
Much will depend today on how the Yanks batters can adjust and stop swinging at balls in the dirt. The A’s clearly know something about tendencies with two strikes, especially the bottom of our order. They will look to use that again. I am not surprised at Joe’s comments, I haven’t seen many coaches in many sports ever admit they made a mistake.
does anyone else hope that brett gardner plays in center instead of melky?
i cannot stand his putrid at bats anymore
I’ve got to go to work soon, so I’ll just add this one thing.
It’s a good thing my cable provider (Cablevision) lost internet access for me during most of the game last night. I would not have been able to stand the stupidity and whining that was going on.
So they lost a tough one. Joe made tough decisions, and some didn’t work out. Being up 2 games to 1, with CC – arguably one of the best 2-3 pitchers in the league, going on even 3 days rest (like the good ole days), against someone who has stuff, but mediocre resume, and an Angels’ team that finally took the lead in ONE game – That looks pretty good to me.
My hope is 7 IP from CC, then two for the pen, as Yanks win going away. See you tonight.
The Yanks better be ready for Kazmir tonight. Check out this graphic of Kazmir’s 2009 season and in particular his dominant September.
http://visualbaseball.wordpress.com
Ironic that the focus was on Alex coming in. He is the one carrying the team. It is most of the other players around him, particularly the bottom of the order, not hitting.
I do like the Yankees chances tonight. They really need to win and take a 3-1 lead. Don’t want to let the Angels get back into the series.
Kazmir may have been dominant in Sept, but he was not dominant against the Red Sox. The Yankees have seen him a lot, I think they will hit him hard.
Alex has one hit in each game, not exactly ripping the cover off the ball. Great point on swinging a bat pitches… they did more of that last night than in the first five postseason games combined!
Expect Teixeira, Cano, Matsui, and Melky to have solid at bats. The Angel scouting reports have found weaknesses but Kevin Long will look at video and see what pitches are getting them out and counter with hitting adjustments.
Kazmir seems to be an on and off type pitcher. I hope he gets hit early and often.
Girardi needs to slow down on acting the mother hen. His coming out to visit Pettitte was terrible. His taking Robertson out for Aceves was horrendous, and the results prove it.
I wouldn’t put any creedence into what is written on Halo Heaven. It is worse than any Red Sox blog site I’ve seen, and that is saying something. Must be all the medicinal drugs they use or something. They are seriously deranged in most of what they post there.
86w183
October 20th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Alex has one hit in each game, not exactly ripping the cover off the ball. Great point on swinging a bat pitches… they did more of that last night than in the first five postseason games combined!
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All Rodriguez can do is hit the ball hard. He’s done that. 3 hard hit balls again yesterday. Who’s doing better?
I find it disturbing and amusing how all anyone can do is whine and complains about Giradi’s decisions. Everyone thinks they know better and look for any reason to rip him.
He’s in the dugout, he has a much better feel for how the game is going than anyone else. Maybe he felt Dave was done, I don’t know. Yes I was worried with Aceves since he gave up a run the night before and somehow the ultra weak hitting Mathis is ripping the ball off every Yankee pitcher.
Managers get waaaaay too much credit and blame for a teams win and losses. Yankees have plenty of opportunities but didn’t get it done, plain and simple.
The law of averages were against us going into extra innings last night. The Angels are a good team and a sweep would be highly unlikely.
The Yankee pitching has been outstanding, but not every guy in our lineup is going to hit, that’s what happens with every team in the playoffs, 1 or 2 guys get hot or carry a team each series. We have to remember the Angels are trying to win the game too, we don’t automatically get hits when we need them just because we want them to.
You would think we just went down 3 games to none. Honestly- if we only took tomorrows game and went back to the Bronx 3-2, I will be plenty happy. I think if you gave that result to 99.9% of Yankee fans before the series started they would have taken it. This still is a really good team- if not the second best team of the four in the playoffs. Girardis call was atrocious, but he’s got a great pen and obviously isn’t afraid to use it. Even if he kept Robertson in aceves or gaudin would have to save it if we even went up. Expect th bats to wake up against kazmir and for the bandwagoners to jump back on… Until the next loss
When I say “this is still a really good team” il referring to the angels.
Who really thought that we were going to make our way through the play off’s undefeated? Most critics called this series in six. I was very disappointed in the out come of this game and thought Joe did over manage. But the reason we lost is because of the many men in scoring position we have been leaving. If it is not a big home run, there is no run production.
Let’s chill and let the series play out. All we need is one win in LA and then come home and finish it off.