Feeling the weight on Phil Hughes’ shoulders
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- October
- 23
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Life is different in the bullpen. Phil Hughes knows that all too well.
A.J. Burnett had a bad first inning on Thursday, then had five-plus innings to make up for it. He’ll have the better part of a week to fix any mistakes that might have cost him. Hughes had one bad inning, and one especially bad pitch to Vladimir Guerrero, and then he was out of the game. He may very well have to pitch in another big spot on Saturday.
“You certainly feel like everything is kind of resting on your shoulders when you don’t come through,” Hughes said. “I didn’t do my job and nobody feels worse about it than I do. It’s a situation I’ve been in a lot of times this year and tonight I just wasn’t able to execute pitches and it cost me.”
This is part of the conversion from starter to reliever. Joba Chamberlain went through it. Phil Coke has gone through it. Alfredo Aceves has gone through it. Even Mariano Rivera, once upon a time, went through it.
“I was used to being able to out there and if I had a rough inning, I could at least go out there and try to throw up a zero (the next inning),” Coke said. “But when you’re in the bullpen, your job’s a lot shorter as far as what you have to do… That’s the nature of the beast in the bullpen You have to have a short memory and be able to wipe the slate clean and go out there and get them tomorrow. You can’t hold on to it. That’s something that I had to learn.”
The Yankees will need Hughes to be his old self the rest of these playoffs. That means wiping the slate clean, forgetting and moving on.
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on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 11:30 am by Chad Jennings.
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Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
32 hours and 27 minutes until Game 6!!!
Is it possible that Girardi does not think that Robertson’s elbow is actually healthy? He did visit the mound in New York during Robertson’s outing in Game 2 for what appeared to be no reason, and Robertson said in the postgame that Girardi “thought he did something funny” while throwing a pitch in the inning.
Still, D-Rob is saying he’s healthy and his results have been good, so I don’t understand the constant shying away from him. If his velocity was way down (Girardi tried to say his velocity was down so that’s why he pulled Aceves in Game 3, even though D-Rob was at 90, a velocity not crazily out of place for him usually) and his breaking ball was flat, I would understand not using him. But that hasn’t been the case at all.
Whatever, it won’t be as big of an issue if Andy pitches as well as he has so far this postseason and the offense grinds out runs against Saunders.
Girardi really needs to consider going to Robertson more in late-inning, men-on-base situations. We probably would not be here without Hughes, but right now, he is struggling and Robertson has performed a few nice escape acts. I’d still go to Phil to start an inning, but with runners on, our entire season could be on the line, and there’s no room for playing loyal to anyone.
Can you ask Swisher why he can’t handle a 90 MPH fastball down the middle?
Pitchers have bad games. it happens. What Hughes shouldn’t have done is shook off posada calling for the curve, then missed on the fastball he wanted to pitch.
I think what is happening to Hughes is that the scouting reports are catching up to him. Hitters know that he is not putting them away with breaking pitches, so they look for the fastball, and they are getting it. He threw the slider/curve well last night, but still went to the fastball when the hitters were looking for it. The Angels are a good hitting team, they are taking advantage. I can’t tell from TV obviously but it seems that he may have a little less movement on that fastball in the last 2 weeks or so as well.
I agree with CB and I really feel that too many are giving AJ a pass for last night.
Being given the lead and being on the hook for the win last night he came out in the 7th and was pure garbage.
His melt downs during games are becoming so predictable I think that fans are expecting them and apologizing for them and saying “that’s AJ”.
I always come back to the same thing with this team. Their problems are between their ears. From Joba, to AJ to Cano to Tex and to Swisher, these guys psych themselves out.
It’s what Arod used to do. Maybe he should talk to them and tell them how he stopped pressing and melting down in key situations.
The positives are Cano, Matsui and Tex came alive last night.
The negatives are the game keeps finding Nick Swisher in key moments and he is helpless in those situations. I was praying for a walk last night at the end of the game since his ability to walk is all he has left right now.
He knew what was coming 3-2 bases full, he got a cookie over the plate and he couldn’t muster anything other than a pop up and 2 weak foul balls prior to that.
At this point if he’s in the lineup put him in the 9 hole and let Melky hit higher since at least Melky is giving us a shot at a hit. All Swisher can do is maybe eek out a walk right now and considering he, for some reason, can’t hit at Yankee Stadium I’d rather see Melky moved up.
CB,
I agree you with you that AJ deserves a lot of blame here, but you are really letting off Hughes way too easy.
Yes it was a difficult situation with a guy on third, but it is not like there was no outs or 1 out. Marte actually was in a MUCH more difficult situation and he got the job done.
He had one job. Get ONE single out. It took him 4 batters to do that. No matter how you slice it, that is a terrible performance by a relief pitcher.
Even if you pin the game tying run on AJ, Hughes was completely responsible for the go ahead run. As a relief pitcher you absolutely can not get your first out on the 4th batter you face.
Also I am not persuaded at all by Hughes starting the 7th inning. AJ was rolling and Hughes has been shaky all postseason. He proved that when he came in with absolutely no command of his fastball.
i like swisher, but you have to do something with a 90mph straight fastball on 3-2 and bases loaded. his first two swings were weak too. He did have that nice play to hold the runner the inning before, but they cannot count on him to hit anymore.
Reposted from previous thread:
Steve Goldman has a post about last night’s game over at Pinstriped Bible. I found this pretty funny for some reason:
8. I am sick of the Rally Monkey. Have the Yankees’ scoreboard operators gotten to work on the New York equivalent as of yet? Guys, I want to see Rally Kong climbing the Empire State Building and smashing biplanes. You don’t need more than a day to get that set up, right?
Here’s the link:
http://pinstripedbible.mlblogs.....lcs_1.html
Mark in Tampa, I think part of it is scouting but part of it is also Hughes not locating his fastball the same way he was doing it earlier in the season. He hasn’t been throwing it for strikes ahead in the count as often as he was during his hottest stretches as a reliever.
His curve was wicked last night, but he can’t rely on that pitch to get him through a big situation because the curve is at its best when it is down in the dirt enticing a hitter to swing because he was just late on a high fastball, or because Phil had just painted a fastball on the outside corner.
His inability to put his fastball where he wants to is looking like his biggest problem right now. His cutter can help him but it is still not good enough of a pitch to take the place of the old #1.
Hughes’ fastball recently isn’t the same fastball he had earlier in the year when he was lights out.
He had more movement and control.
Now, it seems, he’s back to throwing that straight fastball that was getting him hammered as a starter.
That said, his curve was nasty last night and he would have struck out Vlad had he thrown one more to him. None of the Angels could lay off the curve and he kept letting them off the hook by throwing Farnsworth fastballs to them.
There is plenty of blame to go around:
- AJ’s 1st and 7th innings
- Hughes’ inability to get 1 out without giving up the lead.
- Swisher’s inability to hit a 90 MPH fastball right down the middle.
- Joe Girardi’s mismanagement of the bullpen again. It’s the playoffs and the game is on the line, you can’t manage games like the regular season. I don’t care if it is the 7th inning, it’s the highest leverage moment of the game you go to your best reliever there. No need to be a slave to the save. His decision to pinch run A-Rod really makes me question his competency. I think he’s not the guy to lead us to a WS.
“A.J. Burnett had a bad first inning on Thursday, then had five-plus innings to make up for it.”
There was no way to “make up for it.” That’s not how things work, especially in the playoffs.
AJ does not get some shiny gold star for pitching better than his awful 1st inning.
A team down 4-0 after one inning has roughly a 20% probability of winning a game.
That’s what AJ did to the team last night after that first inning. He shot the Angels win probability up to 80%. That is awful.
You cant’ make up for that as a pitcher. Only the offense can bail you out.
How can someone who has stated that he’s learned so much from a warrior like Roy Halladay be so bad when he’s counted on the most….someone should take Burnett’s “300″ dvd away from him and tell him he can have it back when he actually starts pitching like a warrior (or halladay)..also how sad that with all the upgrades they’ve made on this team they still only have 3 starters that they can count on – 2 if you take Burnett out of the equation…and only 1 person out of the bullpen…
looking to 2010 – do you really trust Joba AND Hughes in the starting rotation next year? That may be another mistake ala Hughes and Kennedy from last year….they really may need to take a look at trading for (or signing) another top notch starter….halladay, lackey, haren… whomever – you can’t go into the playoffs hoping for rain or starting your only bonafide pitcher on 3 days rest
For the record I don’t blame Erica’s multiple showers for the loss. I do blame her for gettting me to do that and for the excessively wrinkled skin it caused. I will rise above it and forgive you Erica. Now, for your next lucky act . . . .
Hughes has given up 9 hits and 2 walks in 4.2 innings this postseason.
(missed the new thread, as usual)
CB-
The tone on my last post (in the previous thread) came across a little more hostile and argumentative than I intended it too. Sorry.
I think we are talking past each other a little. I don’t disagree that bring in Mo in that situation is optimal. I think it is.
My point is that we shouldn’t blame Girardi for not doing it. No manager would, and it is pointless to hope that Giradi would break the mold, because he’s not that kind of guy.
“At this point if he’s in the lineup put him in the 9 hole and let Melky hit higher since at least Melky is giving us a shot at a hit. All Swisher can do is maybe eek out a walk right now and considering he, for some reason, can’t hit at Yankee Stadium I’d rather see Melky moved up.”
@G.Love
I think one of them needs to sit so that Gardner can get a start. I’d like to bench both but obviously that’s not an option. Swish has got more power than Melky but it’s disappeared. I know people want a masher in right field, but at this point, I’d put Melky there and Brett in center.
The case is, one of those guys needs to sit. Melky had a big night in game 4, Swish has given the Yanks nothing.
AJ certainly does not get a free pass, he was handed a gift and threw it to the ground, much like this fellow does with everything:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEDauams7Es
Betsy boys are the goats of the game. She’s no where to be found though. j/k around.
I think Hughes is fatigue. It’s late in the season and he hasn’t done this before. He didn’t have a great September either. So this was coming.
And these outings he’s pitching every other day doesn’t help either.
Notice he looks better when he has several days off?
“do you really trust Joba AND Hughes in the starting rotation next year?”
Of course. They’ll be fine as the 4th and 5th starters. You have to give young guys a chance to get it done. The problem is we’ve been messing around with them as relievers, so they’ll have fatigue problems being stretched out (see Joba’s last 45 innings this year). Very few young pitchers come up and instantly are great. Lincecum had a 4.00 ERA in the NL his rookie year, Santana had a 4+ ERA in his first 26 starts. You have to give the guys a chance to succeed before banishing them to the pen.
Andrew GTLU Bronze Medalist,
Yes, that is part of it as well. But, to my point he only threw 3 curves to the first 4 batters he faced. All of those were thrown on the first or second pitch, and never went back to it. They sat fastball, got it, and reached base. He gets to Izturis, throws 3 pitches out of 4 that are curves, and gets the K. I don’t want to him as a junkballer, but he has to mix it up.
To your point, if he locates the fastball properly, this would all be a moot point, and the curve isn’t even necessary.
austinmac
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:45 am
For the record I don’t blame Erica’s multiple showers for the loss. I do blame her for gettting me to do that and for the excessively wrinkled skin it caused. I will rise above it and forgive you Erica. Now, for your next lucky act . . . .
*****
Its appreciated, but I do blame myself for the second shower. It did not feel right but I really didn’t know what else to do. I was out of tricks. Note to Joba: this is called accountability.
I will come up with all of the magic I can for Game 6. I feel good about. Or at least I will when I stop being angry about last night
Andrew-
Did you see the GTLU standings???? I am not feeling much excitement from you
Guys, I’m just so depressed over last night’s game…I don’t even know what to say. Can someone offer some optimism….do we think Andy is gonna get the job done? Can he go to the 7th? Can We score early and often? I can’t take an 2004 repeat
Given Phil’s struggles maybe Joe will shuffle the order in his pen. But I am confident that Hughes will get the job done the next time Joe calls him. Hughes has had to overcome some major adversity in recent years (mostly due to injuries), including many people (like M. Kay)calling him a bust.I think he is a lot more confident and metally tough than people give him credit for. I believe he will overcome this and bounce back. He has been too good for too long this year not to. Yankees in 6!!!!
“Now, it seems, he’s back to throwing that straight fastball that was getting him hammered as a starter. ”
He’s overthrowing. That’s why it’s happening. You could see it his first outing this post season and hughes admitted it after the game.
Unfortunately he was still overthrowing last night. That was the reason why he missed his spot so brutally last night on that pitch to Vlad.
Hughes shook Posada off at least twice before that pitch. Hughes shook off the curve because he had planned it out in his head that he wanted to take Vlad up the ladder.
And despite that plan he missed the spot by two feet down. And that happened because he was overthrowing.
Hughes is tired. He doesnt have the late life on his FB anymore. A day off here an there isnt going to correct that problem. He won’t get that extra life back until next season. I’m not saying he can’t be effective, because he can, but he can’t get away with mistakes anymore.
Also, Robertson needs to jump back in front of Joba. I’m not sure why Joba was just given his spot to begin with. Tomorrow night, if the Yanks need a righty in the 7th inning, it should be Robertson.
I’m sorry, 2 curves to the first 3 batters, not 3 curves to 4 batters.
Maybe I’m just paranoid, but having all of these young relievers on the Yankees playoff roster always bothered me because of my fear that the pressure would get to some of them. Hughes and Joba are not throwing the ball well and look very tentative on the mound.
I think one of them needs to sit so that Gardner can get a start. I’d like to bench both but obviously that’s not an option. Swish has got more power than Melky but it’s disappeared. I know people want a masher in right field, but at this point, I’d put Melky there and Brett in center.
—————————–
I’d like to bench both? Are people honestly still calling for Joe to bench Melky. I asked this sometimes and I feel the need to ask you. Do you even watch the games?
He has a .381 AVG and .458 OBP this series.
Why would we think that Andy can’t get the job done? If he gives a repeat of his last game, 3 runs over 6 1/3, the Yanks will win.
Also, Tex has hit the ball hard the past couple of games. He’s ready to bust out.
let’s go yankees,
My point isn’t that hughes wasn’t awful – he was.
But I’m not posting about players being awful just because they were awful. If so Swisher could take up paragraphs.
My main point of concern is why the yankees lost. Hughes hurt them dearly last night.
But the overwhelming reason why the team lost was because AJ was horrendous – and he was horrendous at critical times – to start off the game and then when he was given the lead.
Hughes was awful. But his awfulness didn’t impact the outcome of the game nearly as much as AJ’s awfulness did.
My single hope is that Andy gets through that first inning Saturday (or Sunday depending on rain) without a run. Let him do his thing, and hopefully we strike early, and take the wind out of the sails….I never thought we’d lose that game last night after the 7th inning. I am still in shock.
“Hughes is tired. He doesnt have the late life on his FB anymore. A day off here an there isnt going to correct that problem. He won’t get that extra life back until next season. I’m not saying he can’t be effective, because he can, but he can’t get away with mistakes anymore.”
Hughes is tired after countless Yankee fans complaints about how Girardi wasn’t using him much in September?
I’m not buying that tired argument, I think it’s more mental than anything else that’s affecting his mechanics.
Life used to be so simple when everything was A-Rod’s fault.
Erica I am in first by myself now, right? I actually didn’t check any of the threads last night once I got home from work, but during the Fox pregame I saw that I had gotten the lineup guess correct. So, sweet, but for me being in 1st place right now and celebrating it is akin to the Yankees’ traveling secretary booking a hotel in Philadelphia for next weekend.
“My point is that we shouldn’t blame Girardi for not doing it. No manager would, and it is pointless to hope that Giradi would break the mold, because he’s not that kind of guy.”
Exactly. I don’t blame Girardi for not doing it–though that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t not do it.
I realize that nothing’s likely to change this postseason.
That doesn’t make my arguments any less worthwhile, because they’re gonna play again next season, and the season after, and so on.
Adam
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:47 am
“do you really trust Joba AND Hughes in the starting rotation next year?”
Of course. They’ll be fine as the 4th and 5th starters. You have to give young guys a chance to get it done. The problem is we’ve been messing around with them as relievers, so they’ll have fatigue problems being stretched out (see Joba’s last 45 innings this year). Very few young pitchers come up and instantly are great. Lincecum had a 4.00 ERA in the NL his rookie year, Santana had a 4+ ERA in his first 26 starts. You have to give the guys a chance to succeed before banishing them to the pen.
==========================================================
I’m not suggesting banishing them to the pen forever…I’m suggesting that you can’t have 2 “rookies” in your starting rotation and expect them to perform….Joba may never pitch the way he should as a starter, Hughes got lit up as a starter this year as well – do you want 40% of your rotation (60% if AJ pitches like he did last night) pitching 4 innings and giving up 5 or 6 runs every time out… they have age on their side – bring them up slowly and in the meantime get yourself a proven horse in the rotation to go along with CC and Pettite – how nice would it have been if we had Halladay or Lackey pitching for the yankees last night instead of headcase Burnett…
say what you’d like but that game was lost in the 1st inning…thats like a basketball team being down 20 at halftime – they make a frenzied comeback at the beginning of the 4th period but having to play from behind all game takes a toll and you almost have to be perfect the rest of the way just to catch up….thats really hard to do..
“let’s go yankees,
My point isn’t that hughes wasn’t awful – he was.
But I’m not posting about players being awful just because they were awful. If so Swisher could take up paragraphs.
My main point of concern is why the yankees lost. Hughes hurt them dearly last night.
But the overwhelming reason why the team lost was because AJ was horrendous – and he was horrendous at critical times – to start off the game and then when he was given the lead.
Hughes was awful. But his awfulness didn’t impact the outcome of the game nearly as much as AJ’s awfulness did.”
CB,
I have to agree with you that last night’s loss mainly is on the shoulders of AJ and Phil. Swisher didn’t come through when they needed it and you can question Girardi’s pitching choices during the 7th inning, but it mainly falls on those two pitchers not getting it done.
Hopefully, both will have more chances to redeem themselves over the next several days.
“let’s go yankees,
My point isn’t that hughes wasn’t awful – he was.
But I’m not posting about players being awful just because they were awful. If so Swisher could take up paragraphs.
My main point of concern is why the yankees lost. Hughes hurt them dearly last night.
But the overwhelming reason why the team lost was because AJ was horrendous – and he was horrendous at critical times – to start off the game and then when he was given the lead.
Hughes was awful. But his awfulness didn’t impact the outcome of the game nearly as much as AJ’s awfulness did.”
CB,
I have to agree with you that last night’s loss mainly is on the shoulders of AJ and Phil. Swisher didn’t come through when they needed it and you can question Girardi’s pitching choices during the 7th inning, but it mainly falls on those two pitchers not getting it done.
Hopefully, both will have more chances to redeem themselves over the next several days.
M. Kay just said, if it goes to game 7 he doesn’t like NYY chances. No NYY fan wants game 7, but I’ll take my chances with CC any game.
can i ask why we have completely blown up the pecking order out of the pen that got us 103 wins? it used to be aceves and robertson for 7th. hughes for the 8th. mo, 9th. now aceves seems last man out of pen and roberston almost as much a non consideration. please someone explain to me how joba has been elevated to such high pressure spots? he did NOTHING all year to show he deserves this. and he has shown NOTHING this postseason as well. how many cement mixer sliders does he have to throw? he got LUCKY vs Vlad in game 2 with the cement mixer and for that we blindly give him the ball now? i trust aceves/robertson MUCH more. girardi really is getting too tight. o
on the one hand he blindly believes in swisher even when its obvious the man cannot hit in pressure packed situations in the playoffs. but he doesnt trust the pitchers that got him here. very strange. he cites “matchups” w pitchers but the “matchup” that shows swisher couldnt hit lackey seems to not be a consideration. horrible….
“Joba may never pitch the way he should as a starter”
HE DID FOR 120 innings this year. Then he got to his innings limit, they started messing with him, and that plus fatigue led to his terrible last 50 or so innings. For most of the year he was one of the better starters in the AL.
wave,
no reason to apologize. your post wasn’t hostile in any way and i didn’t take it as such.
I have tickets for Game 6 but I am still kind of shellshocked/focused on last night’s game that I have yet to even really embrace the excitement/anxiousness about that game tomorrow. The other game I went to this postseason was the A-Rod homer off Nathan game, so I am expecting my presence to be responsible for big things tomorrow night (or Sunday if all the expert meteorologists on this site are correct)
It is the nature of relievers to be inconsistent. Mo is one of the very, very few exceptions to the rule.
Because they are inconsistent, I think the best strategy is to reward recent success and go with the reliever pitching the best at the time.
In this post-season, other than Mo, that’s Robertson. He’s come through two out of two times in pressure situations.
I don’t know why Girardi insists on using Joba before Robertson. Joba has been ineffective – he’s been ineffective for a while now.
I think Girardi is stubborn and it takes a lot to change his mindset. The Molina mystique is evidence of that.
But he needs to re-order the pen roles now.
“M. Kay just said, if it goes to game 7 he doesn’t like NYY chances. No NYY fan wants game 7, but I’ll take my chances with CC any game.”
Difficult for one pitcher to beat the same team three times in a playoff series. CC can do it, but he has to continue to pitch like Bob Gibson to do it.
Crawdaddy,
Yes, he’s tired. He pitched a full season this year. And although the innings were down compared to previous years, he was coming in every other day or on consecutive days. The Yanks tried to give him plenty of rest because they knew it would take it’s toll on him.
There’s nothing wrong in his head. If you watch film of his FB from two months ago and then watch what he’s looked like the past 2 weeks, you’ll see a clear difference. There’s no jump at the end of his FB.
That being said, I still trust him over anyone not named The Hammer of God.
Why is Girardi so resistant to starting Gardner? Could his bat be honestly worse than Swisher? Swisher is clearly a head case right now. Put Gardi in CF, Cabrera and Damon on the corners. BG deserves a start, is a constant threat for an infield hit, and if someone gets on in front of him, he moves the infield and creates holes. And our defense improves, heaven forbid, at the start of the game. Does Swisher have some compromising photos of Girardi? Here’s an example where Joe needs to manage the team, not rotely repeat a lineup.
“Crawdaddy,
Yes, he’s tired. He pitched a full season this year. And although the innings were down compared to previous years, he was coming in every other day or on consecutive days. The Yanks tried to give him plenty of rest because they knew it would take it’s toll on him.”
I’m not buying that excuse, if you want to then that’s your right to do so.
Saunders has certainly pitched well against the Yankees recently with 4 earned runs in 15 innings in his last two starts. Hopefully, familiarity will help on Saturday.
In does appear Teixiera has started to hit better. That is a major help. They need to score some runs because I think the Angels will not get shut down by Pettitte. I sure don’t want a game 7–too risky and no CC in game 1.
For once I don’t mind a rainy weather forecast. I have to(get to) go to my duaghter’s choir concert on Saturday night. I would use my I-phone. but it is not the same and may make it more difficult to have to do Erica’s next superstitious act in public.
Random thoughts-
Listened to a former teammate of Tex’s say this morning that Tex’s “tell” for breaking out at the plate is swinging early in the count and he was doing that last night. That would be a good thing.
Yanks didn’t get in until about 7 this morning and will be working out at the Stadium later today. They aren’t taking anything for granted.
girardi explained that guzman was on roster for when gardner starts to have the speed option off the bench. the logical games to start gardner was when lackey pitched b/c of swishers horrendous lifetime numbers vs lackey. against the lefties saunders and kazmir swish is obviously going to start. girardi brain farted with the reasoning and for some odd and unknown reason has stuck w swish vs lackey 2x when it was clear he is having really really bad at bats. he cant have it both ways. he cant cite his managing by “book and matchups” then reverse it when comes to swish and go with his heart. open your eyes joe!
“can i ask why we have completely blown up the pecking order out of the pen that got us 103 wins? it used to be aceves and robertson for 7th. hughes for the 8th. mo, 9th. now aceves seems last man out of pen and roberston almost as much a non consideration.”
A not insignificant portion of this is likely to do with injury. Aceves was never the same after his spot start in Minnesota and Roberston did visit with Dr. Andrews, so let’s not forget that.
I just hope the Yankees win tomorrow night. It allows them to set up the pitching the way they want. I have full confidence in Andy Pettitte, I truly think he will get the job done.
If this goes to game 7 I will probably die from stress.
Certain mediots are jumping off the Yankee bandwagon which is great because these guys are wrong more than they’re right anyway.
“Why is Girardi so resistant to starting Gardner? Could his bat be honestly worse than Swisher?”
Sanwiched around his August injury, were months of July and September where Gardner’s bat was truly useless.
Adam
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
“Joba may never pitch the way he should as a starter”
HE DID FOR 120 innings this year. Then he got to his innings limit, they started messing with him, and that plus fatigue led to his terrible last 50 or so innings. For most of the year he was one of the better starters in the AL.
==========================================================
Dude – I’m gonna have to disagree with you on that one – of his what 25 starts MAYBE he had 5 of what the experts say were “quality starts” 6 innings 3 runs or less….Joba got lucky in many of his starts in that he left in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and no outs (or something like that)and the relievers got out of it or someone made an error and he went on to allow 7 straight batters to reach – thus preserving his ERA…he pitched great to dominantly in maybe 6 or 7 starts this year – the rest were average to absolutely putrid….until he proves otherwise THATS who joba is…
Andy is the right pitcher at the right time.
Does anyone know why Girardi took Arod out of the game for a pinch runner and did not steal? and Where is Dave Robertson who has pitched so well in the playoffs?
Teixeira’s strategy of swinging early in the count was great against Oliver because you knew he wanted to come in and get a pitch over for a strike. However, I think Teix unnecessarily helped Fuentes out in the 9th inning by swinging at the first pitch in his at-bat. If Fuentes had gotten behind Mark like he did every other hitter he faced, he would have definitely thrown him a cookie because he wanted no part of facing A-Rod with someone on.
That’s just one at-bat and not worth getting crazy over, but I was annoyed by him hacking at Fuentes’ first pitch in the 9th. Still though, he showed a lot of good signs of breaking out. He got called out on strikes in the 1st inning on a breaking ball that was clearly outside the zone that Buck and McCarver conveniently glossed over and chose to continue ripping him for doing nothing in the playoffs.
“A.J. Burnett had a bad first inning on Thursday, then had five-plus innings to make up for it. He’ll have the better part of a week to fix any mistakes that might have cost him.”
—————————————————————
Please pull on the reins and slow it down for me because I’m still trying to fathom the “solid start” characterization from the last thread.
This isn’t Spring training. I don’t see much room for “he started weak but finished stronger” type analysis.
There are only two possible results right now. AJ earned the bad one. It’s what usually happen when you give up 6 earned runs in 6 innings.
I’m sorry Chad but you can’t fill a turd with grape jelly and call it a doughnut.
Thankfully, the Angels need to beat our best on the road and I have confidence as I’m sure most of us do.
Wasn’t there a rain postponement is 2004 ALCS too?
Andrew,
Good points about Teix.
In a situation like the 9th, patient at bats were crucial.
Swish’s was patient, he just didn’t come thru.
Reaction to the Yankees loss,Steve Henson yahoo sports!
“Maybe happiest of all were the Phillies.The Angels don’t scare them,not with Figgins not able to reach base,not with that bullpen.The Yankees are scary but not infallible.Young relievers Chamberlain and Hughes are proving vulnerable.Joe is being seconded guessed.Swisher and Tex have been near automatic outs.And if the Yankees need a fourth starter behind CC,Andy,and AJ who would it be?”
“Two teams with questions will go at it at least one more in the ALCS.The team with all the answers in the NLCS,will relax and enjoy watching,especially if weaknesses continue to be revealed the way they were by Fuentes and Swisher.”
Joe has to get himself and the Yankees back on track!!
“Andy is the right pitcher at the right time.”
I think so too, he’s looked really good this postseason except for 1 pitch to Guerrero. I think he is going to come up really big tomorrow night.
Red Sox fans are partying like its October 2004.
Don’t buy any hype around “game 7 would favor the angels.”
How is that exactly?
Pressure? It’s do or die for BOTH teams.
Home field? Yankees.
Starting pitcher? CC. Yankees.
chris, stop trying to draw comparisons to 2004.
we actually have pitching this time.
chris
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Wasn’t there a rain postponement is 2004 ALCS too?
—–
Yea. I think it was Game 6 in the Bronx also.
furthermore, the sox had ortiz and manny on juice.
cc in game 7 i dont care if there is 3 straight rainouts. this talk of putting him in game 6 is ridiculous. we have pettite going not kevin brown in 6.
in games 6 and 7, who did we bring to the mound in 2004? Chumps like Javier Vasquez and kevin brown. we have pettitte and CC sabathia.
I don’t know. How did Saunders pitch last time?
actually jon leiber started game 6 in 2004 vs sox ewwwwww
“Wasn’t there a rain postponement is 2004 ALCS too?”
Yup. Between Games 2 and 3. As a result, Games 3-7 were played on 5 consecutive nights. The sad ending aside, it at least resembled real baseball (as opposed to playing 8 games in 19 days as the Yankees have this postseason).
again, i still hate hughes and swisher
The difference between 04 and 09 is that in 04 the Yankees were up 3-0.
The Yankees were never up 3-0, and had to go to Anaheim, a place where they haven’t usually played well.
I thought if we took one in LA, we’d be all right, and we took one. Now the Yanks come back to NY with the series lead and two opportunities to close it out.
They will hopefully only need one.
“actually jon leiber started game 6 in 2004 vs sox ewwwwww”
Lieber actually had a pretty good ALCS in 2004.
DOnt hate hughes- hate the organization for trying to make Joba a starter, screwing him up and making him worthless
Taking nothing away from the way Robertson has pitched but this talk about him being ‘the 7th inning guy’ all season doesn’t hold up when you look at the stats.
In 45 appearances he entered the game only 11 times in the 7th inning and has 5 “Holds”, that stat used for a pitcher holding a lead after entering the game.
In comparison, Hughes has 18 holds, Coke has 21 holds, and Bruney 14.
Robertson seems to be the best guy coming out of the ‘pen right now (other than Mo, of course) but saying Girardi has changed his usage of him isn’t fair. What Girardi is guilty of, if Robertson is 100% healthy, is not adjusting to current performance in making pitching decisions.
The sad ending aside, it at least resembled real baseball (as opposed to playing 8 games in 19 days as the Yankees have this postseason).
amen. the fits and starts of this postseason is absolutely horrible. its not baseball. its some morphed weird pseudo basketball type schedule. note to bud: NBA ratings have been plummeting for years, maybe you might wanna not copy their playoff scheduling.
“of his what 25 starts MAYBE he had 5 of what the experts say were “quality starts” 6 innings 3 runs or less”
Try 13, 12 of which were in the first 125 IP. It’s clear he didn’t have stamina to be a starter for the full year because they messed about with him in the bullpen. It’s also clear he can (and has) succeed as a starter.
Cashman has to feel sick with this ALCS coming down to a possible game 7,and Joe’s game management giving the ANGELS 2wins so far.
I’m really please that Phil and Joba (and even Aceves and Gaudin) are getting experience in the pen. It has to teach the importance of limiting damage and knowing when to ramp up your focus.
I can’t wait to see Joba and Phil start for years to come, but I definitely think their time in the ‘pen will benefit them over the long haul.
Really you’d have to be a fool to think Joba as a starter isn’t the right move in the long run. How many 23 year old “rookie” starters have a sub 4 ERA through 125 IP and are considered failures?
right MG,
but yet he Joe uses Joba in the pen like hes been there all year. I think Robertson should have came in the 7th not Joba. I think with the 6-4 lead in the top of the 7th he should have pulled AJ and brought in Robertson, then Hughes in the 8th
CB-
Fantastic analysis all the way through.
Let’s see.
Game 6: look at Saunders last 6 starts, he has an ERA like 0.95 or something. He’s pitching better than CC or Cliff Lee these days. So definite Edge to the Angels. Game 6 is pretty much in the bag for them now. All they will need to do is score 1 run.
Game 7: all the pressure will be on the Yanks, and to CC to give a third brilliant start. Edge to the Angels again.
Things are bleak. No other way to put it.
i said pecking order of roberstson, aceves etc. point being JOBA WAS NEVER USED the entire season the way he is being used now. He has NEVER shown he deserves this current role and even IN the current role has not proven he deserves it. i love how people close their eyes and think this is joba of 2007. he isnt even a fraction of what he was then. to think putting him in the 7th or 8th will suddenly summon 2007 again is a stretch to say the least. lets remember joba was considered to possibly NOT be on the roster. he went from that to the key go to guy out of the pen? nah. thats panic. thats a stretch. thats varying from the formula that got you here.
I personally wanted AJ out the moment he gave up a hit in the 2nd inning. If you remember the DP he got out with was also a very well hit ball. He had zero command on his curve and was useless. I thought Gaudin should have been brought in at that point and possibly go to the 5th or 6th. AJ had nothing last night and really got lucky in many points of the game.
I hope this also kills the AJ/Molina thing because that is clearly not an issue anymore.
Great article on Hughes. He’s an interesting piece to an interesting bullpen.
Tough loss for the Yankees last night. Here’s hoping they can get things done in Game 6 with ol’ reliable, Pettite on the mound against Saunders at home. I’ve got a good feeling. Definitely don’t want to go to game 7, even with CC on the hill. Anyone worried about him wearing down???
Also, let’s hope Girardi doesn’t keep hurting us like I think he has so far!!! Thoughts?
Also, check out some great New York Yankees stuff, it’s great to see from any Yankees Blog. The stuff is from Steiner Sports, my client. Thanks!
Thanks again, LET’S GO YANKS. Let’s put up #27!!!
CB,
i read your post on bringing on Mariano in the 7th and pitch him in the 8th and then start Hughes in the 9th..
What’s the guarantee that a couple of guys don’t get on base and hughes has to face the same middle of the order in the 9th?? That’s tougher than having to face the middle of the order in the 7th..
Also, Hughes was brought in to get the 1 out in the 7th.. If he had done that he would have pitched to two batters in the 8th and mariano would have gotten the 4 out save opportunity.. I don’t see anything wrong with Joe for doing that.. Hughes had poor control of his fastball yesterday.. The strikes he threw were the offspeed pitches.. He could have walked Morales there to get Izturis out instead of throwing a fastball that he couldn’t control to Vland and then to Morales.. I’m not saying he takes the entire blame.. But you cannot question the Manager for not bringing Rivera in the 7th..
“actually jon leiber started game 6 in 2004 vs sox ewwwwww”
—————
Lieber didn’t pitch bad in that series.
Actually in game 6 he just had that one meltdown inning where he gave up 4 runs. Sound familiar?
Cue “Psycho” shower scene music now.
Regardless, I’ll take Andy and CC over Lieber and Brown anyday.
chris,
You are a just not all together today are you?
How does Joe Saunders have an “edge” over us? Pettitte will be just fine, threw very well in Game 3 and extremely well in the ALDS.
Saunders is, in no way shape or form a better pitcher than CC has been. He’s pitched well, yes, but better than Sabathia? Really?
I am actually glad we get Saunders tomorrow (weather permitting) rather than Weaver.
And if it rains, all the better, we get CC in Game 6 on Sunday IN NEW YORK.
Sounds like the suicidal pessimists are vibrant yet again.
Hopefully you’ll learn to resist the dark side and actually believe in your team one of these days.
Boy, I’m glad 2004 didn’t psychologically retardate me like it has certain Yankee fans.
Hi all…
The good thing is that we don’t have to deal with those annoying thundersticks or monkey’s!
Again, the Angels are a solid team, there was no way this series was going to be easy to win. Accept that and optimism will prevail (and so too will the Yankees).
CC will NOT start game 6 if its moved to sunday. thats a panic move that has no logical rhyme or reason. you guys act as if Pettite is horrid. nah. btw if we are rained out sat, game 7 monday will have Lackey starting. guaranteed.
If before the series began there was a suggestion that the Yanks would be coming back home for game 6 up 3-2 we`d all buy that, so I think its fine. If it rains tomorrow do you all think he throws CC on Sunday in game 6?
ralph malph
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
right MG,
but yet he Joe uses Joba in the pen like hes been there all year. I think Robertson should have came in the 7th not Joba. I think with the 6-4 lead in the top of the 7th he should have pulled AJ and brought in Robertson, then Hughes in the 8th
———————————–
I think Joba has conclusively proven that whatever is going on with him it has nothing to do with starting or relieving, he’s just not the same pitcher he was in 2007 and it will be up to him to prove he is next year.
I saw nothing wrong with going to Hughes in the 7th, he needed to get one out and didn’t. What hurt was Marte coming in with 2 runners on and none out because Burnett pitched to at least one extra batter.
pettite starts game 6. i dont care if game 6 is next thursday! cc in game 7.
youronthemark,
Perhaps you are right…i have all the faith in the world in Pettitte, am one of his biggest advocates.
If indeed Lackey is the man for game 7, then you’re probably right about them holding CC off for that possibility and letting Andy do his thing on Sat. or Sun.
we lost last nite b/c AJ and Hughes took the apple in the throat choke and didnt do their jobs. to blame girardi for pitching moves last night is extreme monday morning qb. i do blame him for starting swish over garnder however. but his pitching moves were fine. guys didnt get job done.
“Taking nothing away from the way Robertson has pitched but this talk about him being ‘the 7th inning guy’ all season doesn’t hold up when you look at the stats.”
I respect a poster who actually goes back and looks at facts when they post a comment, which you did.
I had mistakenly remembered Robertson winning the job earlier than he did.
Going back and looking at game logs, it looks like Robertson didn’t win the job as the #3 reliever until the beginning of August, but it does look like Girardi started using him as the #3 guy around August 5th.
He held that role until September 5th, after which he was shut down for a while.
However, since coming back, he has pretty much pitched great, so I don’t understand why he would not continue to play the role he was playing in August and early September.
Girardi seems to have promoted Joba over Robertson for reasons that aren’t clear to me, at any rate.
The rest of the guys are going to have to step it up because Scioscia has proven that he will not pitch to Alex in any situation that could be damaging. That puts pressure on Matsui, Posada and Cano. I would say that it puts pressure on Swisher, but I’m praying that he’s sitting out Saturday’s game.
wave your hat,
“Girardi seems to have promoted Joba over Robertson for reasons that aren’t clear to me, at any rate.”
yes! arent clear to ANYONE! based on joba’s last month. i completely disagree with the analysis that joba is better for one inning vs starting. his stuff in BOTH situations is much less than it had been when before he had that shoulder issue last year.
whats not clear to me is aceves being demoted so low. if it is an arm issue with him then he shouldnt be on roster. we need a better airing of what the hell is going on. maybe our trusty beat reporters can ask these questions instead of focusing on wheter or not AJ should have started 7th. OF COURSE he should have.
If Saturday is rained out and there is a game 7 on Monday, Lackey would only have three days rest. He would want to pitch, but he is not a mountain of a man like CC and I would question his effectiveness with short rest.
I don’t think there will be a game 7. This team doesn’t quit, didn’t quit last night and will come to play game 6.
Why do you think Girardi replaces Arod takes him out of the game and then doesnt steal a base?
I see people calling for Gardner to start agame.At this point why would Joe bench Melky? If anyone deserves to be benched its Swisher! I wonder if Molina gets to catch AJ again this post season. Personally I think after AJs first inning he proved to all of us that his problems have nothing to do with Posada being behind the plate!! Anyone in favor of flip flopping Burnett and Pettite if the Yankees advance to the WS. This would only allow Burnett to start once.
questions NOT being asked that should be:
1. If Guzman was on roster for sole purpose of having a speed guy off bench in situations where Gardner started over swish (vs lackey based on numbers), why has Gardner never started especially given Swishers horrendous plate appearences. (its not like he is hitting rockets at people either).
2. Why is pecking order of pen completely different now than it was in season. What has Joba shown to give him such a crucial role? His numbers down stretch were beyond awful.
Wave Your Hat, thanks, if people would research more of the information before posting there would be far fewer inaccurate conclusions drawn. Robertson has been great and should be a valuable member of the bullpen for the Yankees for a long time if he stays healthy.
The Yankees will win this series, probably on Saturday. One of the things about facing a pitcher without overpowering stuff (like Saunders) more than once in a series is that hitters figure it out the 2nd time. Saunders pitched well in game 2 but I would expect the Yankees to get to him a lot earlier in game 6; Andy is in the same situation but has a lot more experience in dealing with it. Plus, the game is at home, as big an advantage for the Yankees as playing in Anaheim is for the Angels.
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
chris, stop trying to draw comparisons to 2004.
we actually have pitching this time.
====
The guy’s a troll. He spends his time trolling here, and alternately, sobbing in his bad New England beer over Little Dusty’s anemic, series-ending, pop-up.
Joe Blowardi is the main reason why this series is still going. And I know that many of the players know that they need to take control of this series because Blowardi is going to screw it up.
The guy won’t go to his best Robertson, and Rivera is key situations and he continues to go to Joba when he has been bad all year long. Blowardi and his stupid play book.
Then he continues to go to his homeboy Nick Swisher who can’t even drive a weak fastball right down the middle from Brian Fuentes.
My questions:
Why was AJ put back out in the 8th? After he gave up the lead-off hit, why was he still not pulled?
WHy did Joe G, keep Hughes in? Was he watching the same game as me? It was obvious from the first batter he faced he did not have his stuff..
I don’t get it.. Joe G. Makes some very dumb moves! Yes, he has only made a couple mistakes, but the mistakes he made have cost us 2 games so far.. putting Ace in for absolutely no reason.. and letting AJ stay in after he gave up a lead off hit.. then leaving Hughes in when clearly he was lost in his head..
Damnit! I am just frustrated.. I still believe we will win, but dang man, Joe needs to stop helping them win!!!!!!!!!
John Lackey may not have the best stuff but he is a gamer! The way he walked off the mound barking to himself every inning and BARKING at Sciosca says a lot about him. Hes not afraid and give him the damn ball!!! Not usually in favor of big time free agent (except CC and Tex because they were needed bad) but the Yankees have got to take a look at Lackey.
“2. Why is pecking order of pen completely different now than it was in season. What has Joba shown to give him such a crucial role? His numbers down stretch were beyond awful.”
Girardi said it last night when he was asked whether he was worried about Hughes. He said that Hughes pitched well during the season and that he believed in him. He is banking on these guys being the pitchers that he’s seen them be in the past. In his mind, if they were great before, they can be great again. That’s what you call wishful thinking.
They are saying the Joba does not have the same life at the end of his fastball….In 2007 the fastball use to creep up on hitters, I think it has something to do with his shoulder injury last year…..
bodhisattva,
Thx for the info on chris…it sheds more light on his already moronic comments.
True that about Big Phil …. his curve ball was on, it was nice. He made a couple mistakes, and got behind in the count a couple times.
That hurt him, he didn’t get beat on his best pitch.
I think Girardi really loves Swisher. and he just refuses to sit him.
He may be letting his feelings get in the way of reality. Guzman is on the roster cause Gardner was suppose to start some games.
Well it hasn’t happened. He likes Swisher too much to bench him.
Robbykid,
i am with you 1000%! since his shoulder injury Joba has lost at least 5mph off his fastball. It has nothing to do with conserving while starting or whether he relieves. And when you lose that armspeed your slider becomes less biting as well. All this hoax of “he is starting which means he needs to conserve is such bs its almost comical. Do i need to list the starting pitchers that throw their good stuff innings one thru 8 or 9? verlander, cc, beckett, greinke, and it goes on and on. joba used to be 97,98,99mph. starting him didnt end that, the shoulder issue seems to have….
When Phil squatted down to pray on the mound before his 1st pitch,that’s the first I’ve seen of a crack in his armor.He was nervous.
The two that has most surprised me this series in Tex and Matsui.They can walk Alex as long as he strikes out,and feel good about Matsui being an out.
argh
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:19 pm
again, i still hate hughes and swisher
=====
It’s times like these that I question the Divine Plan.
I admit I have a big problem reconciling the fact that a great writer like Mishima commits hari kiri, depriving the world of his brilliant prose, and people like you stick around and waste oxygen.
“Why do you think Girardi replaces Arod takes him out of the game and then doesnt steal a base?”
Fuuntes seems pretty tough to run on. Nearly 500 innings pitched in his career and he’s been successfully run 14 times in 24 attempts. Plus Mathis has a gun. I’d guess that switch was as much about improving the team’s chances of scoring from 1st on a double as it was anything.
“Not usually in favor of big time free agent (except CC and Tex because they were needed bad) but the Yankees have got to take a look at Lackey.”
Big expense. If I’m Lackey, the bare minimum I accept is 5 years and at least $1.00 more per year than Burnett makes.
“When Phil squatted down to pray on the mound before his 1st pitch,that’s the first I’ve seen of a crack in his armor.He was nervous”
If you watched Phil Hughes before he does this ALL the time.
Phil kneels down every time before he makes his 1st pitch.
i tell you guys one thing. if we tie that game. go to extras and Arod’s spot in the lineup comes up and its Hairston making a key out and we go on to lose. the crucifixion of joe girardi would be well under way.
Lackey has the voice of a muppet
youronthemark-texiera
YOu know what scares me too, is even when Joba hits 95 or 96, hitters are still able to get good wood on the ball….
youronthemark-texiera
YOu know what scares me too, is even when Joba hits 95 or 96, hitters are still able to get good wood on the ball….
Game 6 will highlight if the Yankees can dig deep,and pull out a win when it counts the most.If it goes to game 7 and they win,it’s been the all CC and MO show.!!
Yankees can’t win with 1 front end pitcher and 1 top of the line closer.
robbykid,
yep. joba used to be that once in a generation type arm in 2007. he was hitting 100 on the gun and his slider was beyond devastating. now he is slightly plus with his stuff but not “special”. he needs to be much more exact in location etc with his current stuff. he is NOT the same pitcher that caused the uproar. will he be able to become a good starter? maybe. he will have to learn how to pitch, control his emotions, and manage a lineup. he is not even close to that. why? because he came up blowing people away without a care to any of that stuff. he no longer has that arm of 2 years ago
“If you watched Phil Hughes before he does this ALL the time.”
Nah I actually agree with damon. It isn’t the kneeling because you’re right, he does that every game. It was more the look on his face and his body language. When he took a few really deep breaths you could tell he was nervous.
He’s a young player, it’s not a big deal. Hopefully he can get over it and pitch well though.
“Hes not afraid and give him the damn ball!!!”
Ego loses more games than it wins. Scoscia didn’t let Lackey’s ego into play when he thought he was losing it in the 7th and he didn’t let Fuentes ego into play when he held up 4 fingers for Alex in the 9th.
You know what is a lot of fun…small sample sizes!
Did you know that captain clutch (Derek Jeter) from the 7th inning on in the postseason is 0-10 with 3 K’s and 4 walks (Two of which were intentional with a man on second base and less than 2 outs)
Did you know that Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia are not big time players. They just pad their stats in the regular season
Did you know that Josh Beckett and David Ortiz are the two most clutch postseason performers of all time. Just look at their stats in the last two years for proof
Did you know that Steve Phillips ruined his marriage to have an affair with a troll (This one is true)
Go Yanks!
“Fuuntes seems pretty tough to run on.”
Not sure if anyone else noticed the first time he threw over to 1st in the 9th. It really looked like a balk to me. He definitely appeared committed to going home, and it looked like he crossed that imaginary 45 degree line.
Frankly, if he gets away with that consistently, then I don’t know how anyone could steal on him. His move makes Andy’s look completely average.
Crackofthebat
AJ went 6 innings,started the 7,no body out and was relieved,what game were you watching?
30 hours and 51 minutes until Game 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think Arod chances of scoring on a double vs. Guzmans chances are close, while Guzman is faster Arod has more experience and knowledge. Swisher should sit for Gardner at this point, he can field better, bunt better and can steal a base and probably walks as much.
Good morning (or afternoon) all!
Boy, yesterday was a heart stopper, huh? Too bad it didn’t go the Yanks’ way. Hopefully the weather will hold and tomorrow will be played.
It was a great pitching duel. Too bad ‘BAD AJ’ decided to pitch the first inning. He ultimately cost the Yanks the game with inning 1 and 7, but he could have easily folded like a lawn chair and given up more runs in the 2nd and been yanked. I am glad he got himself together to keep the Yankees in the game.
Scioscia pulled a ‘reverse Grady’ and yanked Lackey too soon, and was ‘rewarded’ by that decision with a 6 run inning. I like Lackey’s fire in the situation and think he’ll be good for a long time to come. (But I don’t see the Yanks getting in on the bidding for him).
Swish really needs a game off. He’s lost. He had a cookie and flat missed it.
Plenty of blame to go around for the loss, but I’m not feeling like dwelling. I am confident the Yanks pull it out tomorrow and properly christen the New Yankee Stadium with an ALCS title.
Go Yanks!
So, who’s going Saturday besides me and mick?
“Frankly, if he gets away with that consistently, then I don’t know how anyone could steal on him. His move makes Andy’s look completely average.”
He must because he’s been called for a balk only once in his career.
I for one, would be very surprised if Swisher isn’t in the lineup tomorrow.
“I for one, would be very surprised if Swisher isn’t in the lineup tomorrow.”
Ditto. Viable alternatives number zero, IMO.
Weather updates anyone?
Joe Blowardi= Grady Little
But Blowardi is worse.
bodhi: I agree. JoeG doesn’t like to stray and has said time and again that you don’t sit guys just because they are struggling. He’s hoping Swish will break out like Melky and Tex have. However, history is against Joe on this because Tex and Melk have higher career averages. We know what Swish is. He’s a good guy that plays hard, brings good attitude to the clubhouse. But he’s an average hitter with pop who has a high OBP.
I’d love to see Gardner in there (especially since the rationale for adding Guzman over Hinske was the idea of still having speed off the bench if Gardner starts) but I don’t think it will happen.
Posada will be hitting behind alex every game the yankees play the rest of the year.
I can’t believe people actually think that Gardner is a worse option than Swisher.
I actually want to hear your guys reasoning for thinking that.
Well Swisher should bat 9th,nothing higher.
Tex has got to hit,so the can’t walk Alex,and Posada/Matsui has to make them pay for walking Alex.
I get the impression Swisher and AJ live on the same planet cuckoo!
A repost from the previous, abandoned thread:
m not on Girardi so much for his in-game decisions — although I agree that Burnett should have been able to keep the mound until the first baserunner in the seventh. (And I think Girardi views Robertson as the back-up closer on the road when Rivera must be put in to maintain a tie game.)
Hughes was a reasonable choice for relief; everyone stays in the role. He couldn’t control his fastball, so the pitch selection on Vlad with two strikes was wrong. A high fastball would have been great, if Hughes could have spotted his fastball. He couldn’t. Both Posada and Hughes should have known that.
But my point in posting has to do with decisions Girardi (and perhaps Cashman) made much earlier. The choice to pick Guzman over Hinske for this series has not worked out. There have been several times when Hinske would have been the go-to guy on the bench. Instead, you end up with A-Rod followed by Guzman and Gardner in an extra inning game, which is no protection at all. You end up with Swisher instead of Hinske with the bases loaded last night. No disprespect to Swisher — I like him — but he’s a streaky hitter. It’s not that he has problems hitting in the clutch right now; he just has problems hitting, period. His swing isn’t right. Our only chance last night was a walk from a relief pitcher who was looking pretty stressed and uncertain.
But without Hinske around to pinch-hit, Arod can’t be followed in the lineup by Matsui, since Matsui is usually out of the game for a pinch runner by the sixth or seventh, and ARod just gets walked. You could put Posada back there, but my suggestion is simply to switch ARod and Texeira in the order. Who is your true number three hitter during this postseason? ARod. Texeira is showing signs of busting out, and he’s not leaving the game for anyone. Keep ARod protected throughout the whole game.
Girardi has made poor linup choices that Scioscia has exploited, and Girardi/Cashman made the wrong choice picking Guzman over Hinske for the bench.
I think the Yankees wrap this up at home, but it didn’t have to be this painful getting there.
http://www.theonion.com/conten....._rss_daily
Jeremy -
Do not compare Joe Giradi to Grady little….At least when Joe talks, you can understand him.
It is becoming ever more apparent, pitch by pitch, that the Angels have a concerted effort to throw breaking ball after breaking ball after breaking ball, even in fastball counts. Despite them being down 3-2 in the series, that strategy seems to have worked quite well for them so far. It worked all night last night for Lackey until the 7th when you could visibly see Yankee hitters not chasing balls in the dirt…and ofcourse Tex was waiting for that first pitch that Oliver threw him.
My point is…I really hope they do a better job adjusting to these curveballs earlier in the game…Also, to be fair to Lackey, he was pretty dominating for the first 6 innings, so its easier said than done.
Time is going by too slow until first pitch tomorrow. I think Erica needs to make time go faster.
I remember one of the games in Anaheim late in the regular season where Gardner was the catalyst for the victory and Arod gave him tons of credit and said he was like the Angels players (a compliment). Why hasn’t he gotten a single start in this series? How many times does Swisher have to kill the team with feeble AB’s? Starting that clown does not give the team the best chance to win.
this loss is on phil hughes nobody else…girardi did enough to win he didnt manage great but if that pitch to vlad is six inches up we get a K.
I would love to know why Girardi refuses to use Robertson. It makes absolutely no sense. After Hughes gave up the hit to Vlad you have to try and keep the game tied. Either bring in Coke and make Morales hit right handed or bring in Robertson. Hughes hasn’t been good at all and Girardi left him in too long. Girardi has been obsessed with bringing in 1 billion relievers but he seemed to fall asleep in the 7th last night. Terrible job by him and I hope they can overcome his idiotic moves.
Swisher will be in the lineup tomorrow. I’d bet anything on it (especially with the lefty on the mound).
Fortunately, Matsui and Tex are showing significant signs of life. Everyone is hitting, except Nick. If 8 out of the 9 guys are swinging the bat well, there’s no way the Yanks should lose.
What has Swisher done to earn the start on Saturday night? He is literally incapable of doing anything to help the team win. Did anyone actually watch that last AB? Nothing but weak swing after weak swing. And that last get-me-over-so-I-don’t-walk-in-a-run fastball would have been pounded by the weakest of weak hitters. Only in Yankeeland does screwing up continuously earn you the starting job.
Girardi has not been using the formula that got hime here.
He is managing tight, not setting a good example for Swish, Hughes and others who are also struggling.
AJ should NEVER have started the 7th. Take what you got from him and take him out on a good note.
He CANNOT pitch under pressure (see Ed Whitson). Plain and simple. After he CRAPPED the bed in the 1st, the pressure was gone and he pitched well.
The FORMULA was to go to Joba/Robertson to start the inning.
Hughes in the 8th. Mo to finish up.
I just don’t get it and doubt if anyone in here can convince me I am wrong.
RIP Soupy Sales and his 20,000 pies. May there be pie for the Yankees in the very near future…
Hey, anyone think that Girardi took out Alex, and put in Guzman, to protect Alex? He knows that the 3B has no concern for his own personal safety after seeing him bowl over Mathis in Game 3.
Also, that bone marrow donor story is running on Headline News. The little boy from Long Island is just the cutest thing with his red curls.
I woke up at midnight, and realized after a bit that the loss wasn’t a bad dream. Did some baking and cooking to distract myself. Then I woke up again about 6, and I realized for a second time that it wasn’t a bad dream.
I feel bad for Hughes (and us and the Yankees), but it gives the Yankees a chance (a good one) to clinch in front of the home fans.
Some Yankees are to be blamed to be sure, but you got to give credit to the Angels. Some of the most dangerous teams are desperate teams. Looking for Andy to right the ship in Game 6 whenever that happens. Is it really that bad? That’s what they said about the first 2 games. Game 6 can’t come soon enough.
Zach in Port Jeff
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Time is going by too slow until first pitch tomorrow. I think Erica needs to make time go faster.
*****
I wish I could. The truth is, this blog which is my escape from my workday is depressing me to no end today.
All I can say is 30 hours and 31 minutes until Game 6!!!
Hang in there
Robbykid
Yeah you can’t understand Grady Little. But Joe Blowardi is just as dumb. He keeps on giving games to the opposition.
Azaz
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:24 pm
this loss is on phil hughes nobody else…girardi did enough to win he didnt manage great but if that pitch to vlad is six inches up we get a K.
——————————
I must have missed that game where Phil Hughes pitched 9 innings, played 9 positions at once, batted 9 times and managed himself.
That must of been one hell of a game.
Zach, I agree with all your points. I noticed in game 1 that in the middle innings Lackey threw pretty much nothing but curveballs in 3-2 counts. Like AJ, I think he commands that pitch better than the FB more often than not.
It is clear that the book on the Yanks is to go with the breaking stuff late in the count. Hopefully they can recognize those pitches.
The Yanks are winning this series. Stop worrying about them winning.
What you should worry about is them winning game 6. We don’t want CC to have to pitch again. And if tomorrow gets rained out and the Yanks then lose Game 6 on Sunday, guess who would pitch Game 2 of the WS? Chad Gaudin!!! The Yanks wont bring Pettitte back on 3 days rest to pitch game 2.
No rain out tomorrow and no game 7, period.
if saturday is a rainout use pettitte on sunady. do not alter cc… pettitte wil lget it done and if he did not then you have CC on monday.
the yanks are in control ladies relax..
game 7 if there is 1 and swisher is still sucking you may paly gardner against the righty but not against saunders..
hughes and joba have come up small.. joba should be in mop up role now and robertson should have a chance of the 7th. i think hughes will comeback strong..
keep the faith little ladies………..
“When Phil squatted down to pray on the mound before his 1st pitch,that’s the first I’ve seen of a crack in his armor.He was nervous.”
People have already responded to the part about his praying all the time. About his being nervous? Hell I’d be nervous too if I walked into that situation. We’re not talking people here with a ton of postseason experience. As Phil Coke commented, there’s a huge difference between being a starter and a reliever. When you relieve, you don’t get a lof of chances to make things right if you’ve messed up.
I also understand AJ being nervous. He’s not Boomer Wells. He’s more fragile. It’s just the way it is. Roger Clemens had some pretty hideous first innings because he was overpumped in the first inning, and that includes in the playoffs. This is AJ’s first crack and the postseason. Maybe additional experiences will help to calm his nerves.
Am I crazy about a 4-run deficit in the first inning? No. Do I right off the pitcher because it happens? No, because if I did that I probably wouldn’t be rooting for any pitcher since most of them have had meltdowns one time or another.
I support because I am a fan and I recognize that these guys are men and not machines.
I have the same confidence as Bodhi and others who feel that the Yankees will definitely succeed in finishing this off at the Stadium. I think it will be tomorrow, but if it isn’t I have no trepidation about Sunday.
**********************
Have any of you ever managed a postseason game in the major league? I’m thinking not. I’m thinking it’s easy to sit and talk about what should have been done when you have the luxury of sitting behind a computer and applying whatever knowledge you might have of the complete situation. It’s even easier to do it the next day!
MMQBing is a dangerous thing only because it can lead you to false conclusions based on nothing more than your own opinion of the way things should be.
JMO
Catch you later.
If Swisher starts, the Yanks deserve to lose. Let Gardner try to slap/bunt his way on. He can’t possibly do worse than a guy who doesn’t take the game seriously to begin with.
I HATE NICK SWISHER
stuart a
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
if saturday is a rainout use pettitte on sunady. do not alter cc… pettitte wil lget it done and if he did not then you have CC on monday.
the yanks are in control ladies relax..
****
You are so offensive towards women. I hate to break it to you, but a lot of the women who post on this blog are the most levelheaded posters.
we are all, myself included, expecting too much of hughes…hes never pitched this late into a season, i know its different because hes a reliever but when you factor in the fact that hes never done this before, it makes perfect sense why his fastball is not as good as it was a month or two ago..
The simple fact he is overmanaging is him taking out Arod for a runner.
He’s lucky we didnt tie it up and go extras.
Could of been grounds for dismissal.
Joe is managing like Buck Showalter and you see where it got him.
Maybe if AJ did his job or Girardi didn’t manage by the book with Mariano.. we’d be celebrating right now.
Francesa is clueless. That pitch was inside. And the CF camera is not exactly dead center. It’s off to the side a bit.
That should have been, of course, “write off the pitcher.” That’s what happens when you are supposed to be somewhere at 1:30 but decide to post anyway!
2004
The Choke Returns.
And you have Nicky Swisher in your lineup, L O Freakin’ L
Giradi is a idiot…What the hell is that bum Guzman doing on the roster over Hinske. When Hinske could take at bats away from the terrible overated Swisher
and go to your hot hand in the pen Robertson
Joba and Phil look like scared poofters
The offense gave them 6 runs.. I don’t think you can blame anyone there. People slump, that’s baseball.
Grounds for dismissal?
Is that the topic of the morning? Because if it it, I’ll be back in 30 hours.
“I for one, would be very surprised if Swisher isn’t in the lineup tomorrow.”
Ditto. Viable alternatives number zero, IMO.
——————
Obviously, it’s not going to happen, and I do not want Hinske in the field anyways, but Guzman or Molina or Cervelli could be DL’ed and Hinske brought on the roster and played. But again, it’s a LHP.
It is going to be Swisher in the starting 10, and we are just going to hope that he can put aside the cheap HP umpires and pull himself together, and go back to taking his walks.
Garnder .291 AVG/.381 OBP this season against lefties. Please explain how Gardner is that bad against lefties that he could never crack the lineup?
This reminds me a lot of just last week, a simpler time when everyone was begging for Johnny Damon to be benched and stoned.
Swisher seems to be the target of the day
When this series first started I posted something along the lines of “I feel like this will be a series decided more by Girardi than anything else.” Most people here completely disagreed and said that it’s the players that play the game and it’s theirs to win or lose. I understand/understood the thinking you guys were employing, but now that we’re going to a game 6 I hope my point was a little more clear.
I understand that the players, in the end, are responsible for the outcome.. but, every team has a manager for a reason. I’ve actually been a pretty strong Girardi supporter from the start (definitely prefered him over Mattingly) and think he’s done a great job with the team in general. But he’s always scared me with how he makes his decisions because you can tell he’s the type of guy that over thinks. Its a blessing and a curse, because hes managed the amount of work for our bullpen guys really well but also tends to spread out the workload too much in games that are too critical. When I said I’d thought he’d win or lose this series for us, this was my concern. That he’d be overthinking who to place where and when and what buttons to press. Those are things that you only get good at with more experience..
That said.. we have two more games and I’m more than confident we’ll win one. If I were a betting woman I’d throw my money on Andy for the next one.
All the questions that could be asked have been asked – but face it, there are no good answers. Why harp on it?
Everyone should be happy that Matsui and Cano showed signs of life. And does anyone remember how the Halos played in the cold/rain? And we’re headed home – can you imagine how daunting it is to have to try and stay alive in front of that crowd in that stadium? Anyone who think the “pressure has shifted” isn’t looking closely enough.
Everyone take a deep breath (I was frustrated last night too) and think positive thoughts – at least for a change of pace.
Hinske? Sure, he could give you some pop off the bench. Or a pop-up or a lazy fly ball.
He would not be starting over Swisher in RF in the playoffs.
What is wrong with you people, attacking Joe G or Nick S. PULL YOURSELVES Together. Look at all the people hating Cano last night and then he smacks a clutch double to all but give us a win.
That pitch to Georgy was a boarderline strike. The ump made an ok call. Just b/c the graphic shows it’s in the box doesn’t mean it was.
BTW the feeling I get from these reporters they are trying to crack this team.
“Joe how do you describe the emotions of that game?”,
“joe does it feel like a missed opportunity to close out the series?”
Sweeny Murti: “how concerned are you with Hughes now?”
“what will be your message to your team going into game 6?
“you talk about how good you guys are at coming back but when it happens to you what’s that like”
WOW.
But we did choke in LA no way to hide that.
Hughes looked like he was about to burst into tears on the mound. This is another collapse of epic proportions and if the game yesterday didn’t show you that the Yanks will do whatever it takes to lose, then nothing will. You could have stepped on the Angels throat and rested up for the Phillies. Now you sweat it out and know that if Pettitte gives up a few runs early, the bats will feel heavier and the players will be gripping them so tightly they won’t possibly be able to hit. Same thing happened when a crippled Curt Schilling dominated the Yanks when he had no business doing so.
2004. Remember.
People seem to have forgotten that the Yankees won 103 games this year.
Joe is lucky it didn’t go extras and Arod missed a few AB’s or Hairston made another error like he did in Andy’s perfect game attempt.
Well maybe we can wait for a game 7 for Joe to do something equally as stupid and cost us a Series.
Maybe that would be grounds for dismissal? Huh?
“Everyone should be happy that Matsui and Cano showed signs of life. And does anyone remember how the Halos played in the cold/rain? And we’re headed home – can you imagine how daunting it is to have to try and stay alive in front of that crowd in that stadium? Anyone who think the “pressure has shifted” isn’t looking closely enough.”
2004
Tell me something-
Do some of you hope people will fail or make mistakes just so you can “prove you were right”????
Just curious
“But we did choke in LA no way to hide that.”
We did? How? It looked more like boneheaded managerial decisions to me.
gyaos
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
2004
***
Babe Ruth
Bucky Dent
Bill Buckner
Aaron Boone
“That pitch to Georgy was a boarderline strike. The ump made an ok call. Just b/c the graphic shows it’s in the box doesn’t mean it was.”
Notice how FOX showed the replay first then went back and showed it with their graphic. It gave their people enough time to alter the image, because that was clearly a ball. And of course, FOX makes no mentions of the cheap strike 3 to Tex in the 1st inning, or the 10 other cheap pitches Lackey and Co. received last night.
jennifer
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
People seem to have forgotten that the Yankees won 103 games this year.
—————
The Mariners won 110 games in 2001. Look at how far they went.
gyaos,
Why don’t you go pull out the 2004 DVD and watch it again. You won’t shut up about it.
We could very well collapse, but it seems like you almost want it.
I haven’t read through the stuff from last night, but have you been talking about 2004 ever since the game?
“But we did choke in LA no way to hide that.”
“We did? How? It looked more like boneheaded managerial decisions to me.”
Well, Hughes sure choked by missing his spot by two feet. And just looking at his tearing eyes told you everything you needed to know about his fragile mental state.
And Nicky Swisher was the epitome of choke on that last AB when he was blown away by an 89 mph fastball.
This is a choke in progress, my friends.
A spot start by Hinske for a slumping Swisher isn’t he craziest thing heard in here.
You can be sure if Nady were healthy Swish would not have played last night.
And would it have hurt if Melky batted ahead of Swish? He is hot.
That’s one thing Torre did better, he rode the hot hand.
gyaos (Pete Abe’s alias)
18-1. Remember.
gyaos October 23rd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
“Everyone should be happy that Matsui and Cano showed signs of life. And does anyone remember how the Halos played in the cold/rain? And we’re headed home – can you imagine how daunting it is to have to try and stay alive in front of that crowd in that stadium? Anyone who think the “pressure has shifted” isn’t looking closely enough.”
2004
—
2003
Calm down people..
1) We have two games at home.. We haven’t lost a game at home yet in the playoffs.. we had the best home record in baseball
2) We have 2 of the best pitchers going for us.. Andy is a post season horse and CC has been like koufax in the postseason.
3) offense is breaking out slowly now.. Damon, Tex and matsui all had good AB’s and swings.. Even Cano had a RBI yesterday..
4)Its the Angels who will go home if they don’t win tomorrow.. Pressure is on them more to win..
5) Since the all star break Andy has pitched well at home..
I don’t care about the pitch to Posada. That pitch to Teixeira in the first, which no one is talking about was a ball.
Lackey got a call right there. The ball broke around the plate was not a strike. Arod would have been up with the bases loaded 0 outs.
You’d see Gardner get a spot start before Hinske. Hinske’s not the most fleet of foot. Neither is Swisher for that matter. But Swisher’s making the plays he needs to out there.
So if there was going to be a spot start in place of Swisher, it would’ve happened already with Gardner. So a Swisher benching is not likely coming any time soon.
Blackaccord
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Calm down people..
1) We have two games at home.. We haven’t lost a game at home yet in the playoffs.. we had the best home record in baseball
2) We have 2 of the best pitchers going for us.. Andy is a post season horse and CC has been like koufax in the postseason.
3) offense is breaking out slowly now.. Damon, Tex and matsui all had good AB’s and swings.. Even Cano had a RBI yesterday..
4)Its the Angels who will go home if they don’t win tomorrow.. Pressure is on them more to win..
5) Since the all star break Andy has pitched well at home..
****
Actually, Damon has quickly gone from “coming out of it” to “borderline hot”
“The Mariners won 110 games in 2001. Look at how far they went.”
They won 116 games, actually. And it took them 5 games to beat a far inferior Indians team in the DS.
gyaos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhW1DgHLqAQ
Erica (and CR9 and any of the other regulars here): see name.
Scoscia looks smart because his pitcher pitched good when needed and the Yankee batter didn’t when needed.
Phil-
I know better. Sometimes you just need unleash frustration on a very worthy target
“Babe Ruth
Bucky Dent
Bill Buckner
Aaron Boone”
Absolutely. But also add…
Curt Schilling
Derek Lowe
Johnny Damon
David Ortiz
from 2004, which is very relevent since you have a bunch of players who remember that collapse very well. Enjoy it when Pettitte gives up runs early and the noose tightens.
Another 2004-style choke coming up ? God I hope not but Pettitte gives me no confidence and then imagine how tight we would be in Game 7.
This is not like 2004. You could feel the tide was turning in that series. Joe has given 2 games to the opposition and he needs to be held responsible.
Swisher was not brought here to be an everyday player. The only reason he is still out there is because Nady is hurt.
“A spot start by Hinske for a slumping Swisher isn’t he craziest thing heard in here.”
No, it actually is. Hinske is not on the roster.
Swisher is a butcher. he had a nice season yes.but i dont trust him and AJ under pressure….there brutal
Andy will give us a terrific start tommorrow, but when Giradi and the pen takeover its a lucky dip
Trevor
That is all I have mentioned all night and all day. Sure, we could have won anyway. But that half inning changed the complexion of the game. Maybe we score 4 runs in the first and the Angels do not. The umpire made a decision to not help us take the crowd out of it early. Then, he gives us a semi-fair call in the 7th inning, not expecting us to actually capitalize on it.
“Andy is a post season horse”
He pitched like a horse that should have been shot in game 3.
Anyone else hear how uncomfortable John Lackey was in the postgame?
He left the dugout in the 7th, but came out when they came back.
And he was at a loss for words for some of the questions about his thoughta about being pulled in that situation. He was still pizzed.
vin
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:47 pm
“A spot start by Hinske for a slumping Swisher isn’t he craziest thing heard in here.”
No, it actually is. Hinske is not on the roster.
*****
I think its important to note that you can’t fault only Girardi for that. Cashman has final say on the rosters
Hinske would have pinch hit for Swish last night. Damn Guzman.
If my memory serves, Andy has excellent postseason numbers when following a loss. Does anyone know them???
I stepped on a ketchup packet today at work, but I’m going to stick it out. Think I can do it?
mick
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Hinske would have pinch hit for Swish last night. Damn Guzman.
*****
Why on earth do you think that?
“This is not like 2004. You could feel the tide was turning in that series. Joe has given 2 games to the opposition and he needs to be held responsible.”
And you could certainly feel the tide turn last night, too. There is that same sense of dread and if Andy lets the Halos take the lead, the panic will be palpable. It will be fascinating theater, though.
vin
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:47 pm
“A spot start by Hinske for a slumping Swisher isn’t he craziest thing heard in here.”
No, it actually is. Hinske is not on the roster.
It is not crazy. I do not want Hinske in their to start a game nor will it happen, but I would like his bat off the bench. Because Jorge will be starting the rest of this series games, Cervelli can be DLed and Hinske brought on the roster.
I’m sure Girardi had a say in that, Erica.
Erica,
Even though the box score shows 1-5 in the last 2 games for Damon, his swings are pretty good.. Like I said earlier, he should have been 3-5 yesterday.. (one bad call and one hot shot straight to morales)..Even though 7-26 is not being hot, the 2 homeruns and the fact that he’s making loud outs which is pretty good..
the red sox in 2004 won those games hands down. The Yankees have given 2 games to the Angels mainly because of Girardi. Girardi is the reason why this series is not over.
Erica, are you serious?
Swish looked horrible in that AB, without a clue, as he has the entire series.
mick
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I’m sure Girardi had a say in that, Erica.
****
A say yes, but certainly not the ONLY say. Cashman is very much his boss
You could see the sawdust coming off the bat handle last night Swisher was so nervous.
“the red sox in 2004 won those games hands down. The Yankees have given 2 games to the Angels mainly because of Girardi. Girardi is the reason why this series is not over.”
Boston came from behind to win games 4 and 5. They dominated the Yanks in games 6 and 7, which is what I expect to happen now, unfortunately. The Yanks have a history of choking in the postseason, and last night certainly qualifies as a choke on so many levels (from players and manager).
Hank
There is no momentum. People thought the tide was turning in this series when the Angels won game 3. Then the Yanks won game 4. The tide is not turning. The Angels would be done if not for Joe Blowardi and his moves.
I’m going to have to agree with Concerned_Citizen, and I’m going to say some things that support his point. Notice my username is NOT Concerned_Citizen.
Guzman contributed nothing during the season….So what the hell is the minor league bum doing on our playoff roster
Guzman aint no (Dave Roberts)
How do you know that Joe did not want Guzman over Hinske, Erica?
“I think its important to note that you can’t fault only Girardi for that. Cashman has final say on the rosters”
I’m not faulting anyone. Hinske shouldn’t be on the roster in this series. The Yankees have played 5 games versus the Angels… and could’ve easily have won ALL 5 of those games.
I’m not even blaming Girardi or the players. I’m giving credit to the Angels. Hinske would have had very little impact on this series. He probably only gets 1 ab in the series (PH instead of Cervelli in game 3).
Guzman has been used in 2 games already. And him coming in to those games was absolutely the right call at the time.
//Guys, I’m just so depressed over last night’s game…I don’t even know what to say. Can someone offer some optimism….do we think Andy is gonna get the job done? Can he go to the 7th? Can We score early and often? I can’t take an 2004 repeat//
Dude,
I’m afraid it’s going to happen again just like in 2004. Pettite cannot be trusted and CC’s going to get smoked in game 7.
One #4 starter away from buying #27! Hopefully MLB will install a salary cap soon, so a team like the Yankees can’t monopolize all of the good players available on the market all at once.
It doesn’t happen anywhere else in professional sports….it should be happening in baseball either. Then all teams will be equal and it will be up to a team’s front office and field managers to get the most out of their organization. Fairly and Squarely!!!!!!!!!!!
Doesn’t that sound more inticing than just purchasing a World Series title????
mick
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Erica, are you serious?
Swish looked horrible in that AB, without a clue, as he has the entire series.
*****
I am completely serious. Hinske has so much respect in the clubhouse that he was left off the ALCS roster for a no-name pinch runner.
Putting that aside and pretending he was available, why on earth do you think Girardi would sit his everyday right fielder who has played in almost every game in a clutch situation? No matter how bad he may have looked in earlier at bats, doing that would immediately show a lack of confidence in Swisher and probably irrepairable damage to the relationship. Also, if Girardi made such a move and it failed, he would be second guessed until the end of time.
Hank
The Yanks choked once and that was in 2004. So what is this history of choking in the playoffs ?
The Red Sox, Mets, Cubs have had a large history of choking. So get your facts straight.
vin
What? Guzman running for Arod was insane.
What if it goes extras?
How would you feel when Arod’s turn at bat came up?
Are you sure that’s you vin and not an imposter?
Guys, I read over what Concerned_Citizen and NOT_Concerned_Citizen said. They are clearly two different users that came to the same conclusion and they both have the same valid point. I’m sure other people with different user names will continue to make the same point and agree with them.
Everyone thought the Angels had all the momentum after Game 3. The Yanks won Game 4 10-1 remember???
Momentum is only as good as your starting pitcher.
Ours is named Andy Pettitte with proven postseason success. In fact, so much postseason success that his next win will break a record
So you know what, I feel pretty good
There must have been a half day at a number of elementary schools today. The level of the discussion here has plummeted pretty brutally this afternoon.
erica
enough with the obsession with swisher.
he is a part-time player, not a good hitter and playing only because Nady is hurt.
The reason he is playing is because there is nobody else.
new thread
Kid Yanks
The teams with the largest payrolls all made the playoffs. Angels, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox.
Soccer doesn’t have a salary cap and check out how much they are spending. You’re an idiot !
Trevor October 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I don’t care about the pitch to Posada. That pitch to Teixeira in the first, which no one is talking about was a ball.
Lackey got a call right there. The ball broke around the plate was not a strike. Arod would have been up with the bases loaded 0 outs.
Sorry you can’t look at it one way. The non strike to Posada gave us a big inning. So much talk about Umpires, Managers, ect. It’s hard to win championships with half your batting order not hitting and no effective bench. A pitching staff can’t come out day after day and have to hold the other team virtually scoreless for 3 innings or more. The reason CC is so successful is he doesn’t let them get close and he just hands the ball off to Mo. Swisher ended the rally in the 7th and the 9th, he and Melky and to a lesser extent Cano are the players the A’s want to get to. We have effectivly had at least one pitcher batting in our lineup for the series.
Want to play another close one tomm, well get ready. LA’s pitcher gave up 2 runs in the first two innings and then it was a shutdown until the 11th I think when we scored our next run to re tie the game. Tremendous pressure on Andy and the pen to keep the score down.
How often in regular season and Post Season when Yankees have needed a win was Pettitte the stopper. He is a BIG Game pitcher. We didn’t have him in 04′. This is why he came back to the BRONX. This is what he did when he went to Houston and this is what he is going to due tomorrow night. It is his legacy!!!
mick-
Dude, I have no obsession with Swisher. Damon yes, Swisher no. Get your facts straight
@Erica – Someone gets the concept of momentum, and backed it up with facts! Amazing.
Seriously guys, just wait til Saturday. This blogroll will be so devoid of trolls Chad’ll have to make sure the server didn’t go down.
I meant the Pen having to have a three inning hold.
who you calling dude, shower girl?
How can people not trust Pettitte?
Pettitte will give us 7 shutdown innings tommorrow, Then its 50/50 with Giradi and the pen
I agree with Concerned_Citizen, NOT_Concerned_Citizen, and Also_NOT_Concerned_Citizen. I agree with them so much, that I think they should have their own blog.
mick
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
who you calling dude, shower girl?
****
You sir!
I have a bad feeling about this weekend. Ominous weather forecast. Up 3-2 going home in ALCS. Bullpen is blowing late games (3 and 5). This is all too reminiscent to 2004 – except having a 3-0 lead.
Yankee fans better pray that Andy Pettitte puts up zeroes for the first three to four innings and that the Yankees bats come alive with RISP right out of the gates.
If those two things don’t happen, these guys are going to tense up and choke this series away like ‘04.
All reference to 2004 is an absolute joke. That was then – now is now.
Anyone else have an issue with the fact that both Joba and Hughes were shaking off Posada repeatedly in their appearances last night? Why arent these kids relying on the fact that Jorge has plenty of experience in these situations and just throw what he puts down. I dont really mind idea for the fastball up to Vlad but Jorge knew the best pitch to beat him with was the curve again so he never should have been shook off.
Hughes came within one pitch of getting out of the jam. If he had, we’d be looking at him far differently today. Someone to blame? How about Jorge? If I were Posada, I’d have called time, walked out to the mound and told Phil: “Kid, when you have a few rings like me, then you can shake me off. Until then, you put your ego in neutral and give me the pitch I ask for”. If he had done that last night, there would not be a game tomorrow. The thing about pitchers is sometimes certain pitches are working; others are not. Last night, all Phil had going for him was his curveball, which Vlad couldn’t see, let alone hit. His infactuation with his fastball – and Jorge going along with him – is what led to last night’s problem. Posada has to remember these are young kids he has to manage.