Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Oct 23, 2009 
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Given their first chance to clinch the American League pennant, the Yankees blew a seventh-inning lead and lost to the Angels last night. The Yankees had one of their usual rallies, coming back from a 4-0 deficit, but the Angels and their Rally Monkey have been known to come from behind themselves from time to time. I had the game story in today’s paper.
Nothing is over for the Yankees, Sam wrote. No matter how many times Joe Girardi and the old guard have been asked whether this team compares to 1998, these Yankees have to keep winning to belong in the same sentence as those Yankees teams of the 90s.
He didn’t get the win or take the loss, but A.J. Burnett had another solid start that began and ended badly. The notebook also has bits about Jorge Posada coming off the bench, Robinson Cano moving up in the lineup and Joe Girardi refusing to look ahead to the Phillies.
It’s going to be a lot of whining today.
are the Yankees having a workout today?
34 hours and 42 minutes until Game 6!!!!!!!!!
Although I apreciate AJ throwing shutout ball in innings 2-6, I don’t consider what he did last night a “solid” outing”. He gave up 4 1st inning runs before he recorded an out. He did keep his team in the game, but after a great 6 run rally he has to put up a zero, he has to have a “shutdown inning” and he immediately gets into trouble. The difference between AJ and CC is that CC has the ability to finish innings, finish games. AJ doesn’t seem to be able to do that.
You can’t really fault AJ for probably being a little PO’ed at the start of the game.
Jeter and Damon lead off the game with singles and the rest of the team couldn’t move them over one base. He probably walked out thinking… “great, it’s gonna be one of those nights.” And you know how AJ gets when he’s annoyed.
Talking about teh 1998 team…it also took them 6 games to wrap up the ALCS.
Erica…did you shower before or after the 7th??
Vader
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:26 am
Talking about teh 1998 team…it also took them 6 games to wrap up the ALCS.
******
Glad someone remembers their facts
Normally I get over losses pretty quickly – but this morning I find I’m still pretty annoyed at AJ and Hughes. That’s really not like me at all either, I’m usually a “tomorrow’s another day” kind of person. It’s probably due to the delay before they can have another crack at them again. Ugh.
Vader
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:27 am
Erica…did you shower before or after the 7th??
****
I showered in the 1st inning. And that seemed to have done the trick for a while
I got desperate and showered again in the bottom of the 7th. However, there was no precedent for a second shower. I don’t think I am going to do a second one again.
I have no regrets about showering in the 1st though
Yeah, Angel. Good point. Having another day off to dwell on this loss makes it that much worse. Specifically because we should have clinched.
Angel – A tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 am
Normally I get over losses pretty quickly – but this morning I find I’m still pretty annoyed at AJ and Hughes. That’s really not like me at all either, I’m usually a “tomorrow’s another day” kind of person. It’s probably due to the delay before they can have another crack at them again. Ugh.
*****
Angel, I am still pretty upset and cranky this morning. You and I are two of the most optimistic posters on here so I can only imagine how the bridge jumpers are doing.
I really think we will get them Saturday. These Yankees just have a flair for drama.
Girardi’s binder wrote:
Not really. It’s not the type of strategy one can realistically employ in the regular season when the play everyday. It’s the ridiculous number of off days that allows for Mo to go 2+ innings if the situation calls for it. He’s already gone 2 1/3 this postseason and has gone for 4+ out outings in the postseason countless times over the years.
———-
Who is saying that Mo finishes the game? I’m saying they bring him in to pitch the 7th then go to Hughes or Robertson for the 8th and 9th to pitch to the bottom of the lineup. My point is that closers have become 9th inning specialists for some reason when they really should be used in late innings situations to put out fires and actually SAVE a game that is on the verge of being lost – not come in to a 6-3 game in the bottom of the ninth and get out the 7-8-9 batters.
Erica…don’t go all Girardi on us and over think this, one shower and that’s it.
CC can’t start a game 7 get this in 6.
He is lost for game 1 against Cliff Lee.The earliest he would start is game 3 much too late to matter.
“Easy, Patrick. Because of Swisher could actually hit a baseball like he’s not half retarded, you have a 2 run lead going into the bottom in the ninth. The way the Angels have been hitting, you don’t want anybody else but Mo in the game.”
You don’t want anybody else but Mo in the game for any inning. If Mo could pitch every inning of every game I’d want him to. The reality is, you have to pick and choose when to use him.
At that point in the game, 1st and 2nd, 0 outs, bottom of the 7th with a two run lead, Mo was needed the most. That was the turning point of the game. You have to preserve the lead and take your chances with other guys later. It makes no sense to leave Mo out in that situation.
That situation is higher leverage than bottom of the 9th, nobody on, nobody out.
Vader
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:26 am
Talking about teh 1998 team…it also took them 6 games to wrap up the ALCS
************
So all hope is not lost, like some would have you believe?
My last post reminds me that from the 60′s to 2000 the award that was given to the top reliever was called the “Fireman of the Year” Award. They changed it to reliever of the year in 2000.
They need to clinch tomorrow otherwise CC won’t be available for game 1 of the WS. I can see Girardi pitching him on short rest for game 2 and that didn’t exacly end up good for him last year when he faced the Phillies in the NLDS.
I agree with The Ghost but I also think Mo could have gone 2+ innings. At least the 7th and 8th and maybe the 9th.
Just think about it, what was the most important part of last night’s game? Bottom of 7, 0 outs, 2 on or a potential bottom of 9 with 0 outs, nobody on? Gotta use your best guy in that spot.
Kellerman used to always say, use your closer in the most high leverage situation…
Ghost:
I see what your saying now. Don’t disagree. It’s pretty much the way it used to be in the 70′s into the 80′s.
Weather for Saturday? Is the rain supposed to let up by Saturday night? Hope they get it in.
Angel – A tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 am
Normally I get over losses pretty quickly – but this morning I find I’m still pretty annoyed at AJ and Hughes. That’s really not like me at all either, I’m usually a “tomorrow’s another day” kind of person. It’s probably due to the delay before they can have another crack at them again. Ugh.
—-
The worst is worrying about the weather. It’s like waiting for Game 2 all over again.
Vader
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:32 am
Erica…don’t go all Girardi on us and over think this, one shower and that’s it.
****
Ugh. I totally overshowered
Angel and Erica -
I have a bit of a hangover from last night’s game as well. I had a hard time falling asleep (not usual) and it was still with me when I woke up (also not usual). It was an emotional last 3 innings, with a sudden unfulfilling ending.
I have to drive to LI today to pick up my daughter for the weekend. We have party to go to (my dad’s 80th birthday) tomorrow night. I’m going to miss most of, if not all of, the game (I will DVR it, of course!). Hopefully there will be a tv to peek at.
Have fun today guys.
The worst thing about last night’s loss is we have to wait so long for the next game. Yankee fans (myself included) are going to be stewing in this loss for awhile..
More bad news: CC’s game 7 start could be pushed back a day.
Game 6 could be postponed: 80% chance of rain.
Agree with The Ghost. It’s not a game in June. You have a chance to clinch and move onto the WS. The game was on the line. Use Mo in the high leverage situation. Let him go as far as he can, he has 6 days to rest. If he can’t close the game at least he got out of the jam and preserved the lead. Then take your chances with PH, DRob, Coke etc. with nobody on in the 9th. I was thinking that as I watched, but I figured it wouldn’t happen because you almost never see a manager use closers that way.
I have faith in Andy. He is the right guy to have on the mound for this game. Been in this situation many times. Saunders was very tough last time. Expect it to be another close game, coming down to the bullpens again. I say they win it Saturday, assuming they play.
Im a little mad/upset that the Yankees could not close it out last night. I feel like between the game 3 debacle and last nights loss the Yankees should have wrapped this up already. At the same time, the Angels are a hell of a team and at the beginning of the series who would have thought the Yankees would sweep or even take the series in five. I think that after sweeping the Twinkies and taking 1 and 2 against the Angels we all started looking for a sweep in the ALCS. Hopefully we can take it in Game 6. Andys pitching in a big spot and it looks as if the bats are starting to heat up. (EXCEPT FOR SWISHER). Game 6 is HUGE in order to match up our staff with the Phillies!!!
I’m going to try NOT to monitor the blog today or tomorrow mainly because I don’t want to see all of the recriminations and panicking. I’ll just say this …. our team is the class of the majors this year and class will always win out. That said, I’ll be back Saturday evening
“AJ’s a combination of fragility and obscene talent.”
True.
No way he should have come out for the 7th. You just knew he would find a way to put guys on base. He cannot have a shutdown inning. He is not CC or even Andy.
Quentin
Lets hope there isn’t a game 7.
Vader
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:26 am
Talking about teh 1998 team…it also took them 6 games to wrap up the ALCS.
———–
The big difference there Vader was they were down 2-1 in that series and came back to win 4-2. They knew by game 3 they were going 6 games. By game 6 the Yankees had some serious momentum. Game 6 on Saturday is going to be a big gut check – but a win IMO will make them impervious to the WS pressure because they will go into it battle tested. Sometimes these long series are blessings in disguise. Sure you want to set up your pitching rotation but momentum and confidence are what win championships.
CALLING ALL YANKEE FANS: START DOING YOUR NO RAIN DANCE ASAP. The last thing the Yankees need right now is a rainout which could potentially move CC back. NO RAIN ON SATURDAY!!!!
people said ny would take it in 6. it is certainly a downner after they came back, but to win in 6 you have to lose 2.
yankees are still in a better position than the angels.
“`Game 6 could be postponed: 80% chance of rain. ”
Why am I not surprised !?!?
tex’s friend
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
people said ny would take it in 6. it is certainly a downner after they came back, but to win in 6 you have to lose 2.
************
Very true. Just about everybody I know said Yankees in 6. The Angels are a tough team-I’m happy the Yankees were able to win one game there. Really, that’s all they needed IMO.
NYYROC, the most damning argument one can make about Girardi’s use of Mo is that he brought him in during the 8th to put out a fire after the lead was lost. If you are going to go with the “limit the bleeding” strategy then why not bring him in before the wound is open? It doesn’t make any sense. If you are going to only use your closer to close games then that’s your strategy – but if you are fine bringing him in to limit the damage then you must be fine with bringing him in to prevent the damage in the first place.
“Who is saying that Mo finishes the game? I’m saying they bring him in to pitch the 7th then go to Hughes or Robertson for the 8th and 9th to pitch to the bottom of the lineup. My point is that closers have become 9th inning specialists for some reason when they really should be used in late innings situations to put out fires and actually SAVE a game that is on the verge of being lost – not come in to a 6-3 game in the bottom of the ninth and get out the 7-8-9 batters.”
That’s exactly the move Girardi should have made. But do you know a manager with the guts to do it? That move is not in Girardi’s “book.”
“I showered in the 1st inning. And that seemed to have done the trick for a while”
Erica – not only did you shower in the 1st – there were NO outs. That’s a first. A No out First inning shower. Unprecedented !
“Angel, I am still pretty upset and cranky this morning. You and I are two of the most optimistic posters on here so I can only imagine how the bridge jumpers are doing.”
yeah you and Angel are pretty optimistic but you’ll never steal the Optimistic “Dumbest poster of the year” award from me.
When you the get negative trolls rankled, you’ll know you are in my area code…
3 Words for Swish- EXTRA BATTING PRACTICE…….it worked for Johnny D…….
I was a little afraid to check in this am, but it seems like most are feeling like I am, sad and disappointed, but OK.
I am glad the Yankees are coming home. HFA means so much.
Erica-
I will have to miss GTLU tomorrow, for a good reason. We are going to parents weekend at our son’s college.
Its so annoying how sportswriters are always jumping on the bandwagon. Last night, everyone was saying good the Yankees are…Now they are saying “OH its 2004 all over again” and that the “pressure is on the Yankees”.
We all knew that this was going to be a tough series….
AJ said this is the reason he came to the Yankees for this time of year play.He hasn’t won a single game either start.
I hope Molina isn’t seen the rest of the postseason.This AJ Posada drama should have been resolved before game 1 of postseason.
Molina exploited the Posada/AJ situation ,in a walk year of his CONTRACT,to make the Yankees think they needed to keep him for AJ’S starts.
As you can see AJ has problems no matter who’s catching him.
The fact that the Yankees season is being held captive because of a head case sickens me.
DT-
We need to make you a certificate to honor your “Dumbest poster of the Year” award. It really is quite an accomplishment
upstate kate
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:55 am
Erica-
I will have to miss GTLU tomorrow, for a good reason. We are going to parents weekend at our son’s college.
*****
Have fun!!!! Sadly, Andrew the GTLU Bronze Medalist took the lead from you yesterday (well, sad for you. Not him).
I need to post the updated standings.
Have a wonderful trip to see your son!
Lets not worry about the weather. The weather report has been absolutely awful for every game of the playoffs. All of them have been played as scheduled.
2 players I am concerned about are Swisher who looks absolutely lost at the plate and Hughes who is not pitching well. Is Girardi ever going to sit Swisher? Eiland needs to straighten Hughes out.
As for Joba, he has nothing. I would not use him if the game is close.
Hey Girardi, you have a pitcher named Robertson who is pitching well. Use him.
Ghost, good point about using Mo in the 8th, kind of like “locking the barn door after the horse is gone.”
Lets also not worry about how a rainout would screw up our WS pitching rotation. Lets get to the World Series first, then worry about that.
Guess the Line Up Standings
After 7 rounds of Postseason Guess the Line Up, there have been 28 different winners. Here are the ones with 2 or more wins:
Andrew GTLU Bronze Medalist – 5 wins- 10/7, 10/9, 10/16, 10/19, 10/22
Upstate Kate – 4 wins – 10/7, 10/11, 10/16, 10/19
Blackaccord – 3 wins – 10/7, 10/16, 10/19
Ed H – 3 wins – 10/11, 10/16, 10/19
Fran- 3 wins – 10/11, 10/16, 10/19
Rob in VT – 3 wins -10/9, 10/16, 10/19
Vin – 3 wins – 10/9, 10/16, 10/19
Andrew33- 2 wins – 10/19, 10/22
Arliss – 2 wins – 10/9, 10/22
Christina -2 wins – 10/11, 10/19
Doreen – 2 wins – 10/7, 10/11
Frank from Chatham – 2 wins – 10/20, 10/22
KF – 2 wins – 10/11, 10/19
NYY626 – 2 wins – 10/9, 10/19
Shawn – 2 wins – 10/16, 10/22
I really wonder if Girardi has something against robertson??? I mean he has no trust for his 3rd best reliever… yet cant wait to use Joba, Aceves, and Marte???? Something is up with those two…
Interesting stat of the day:
This is the 3rd consecutive ALCS appearance for the Yankees where they are bringing a 3-2 lead back to the Stadium.
I’m not a huge fan of the previous 2 times they attempted to wrap up Game 6 and/or 7.
I am not fussed that the Angels won. They are a good team and could actually be leading 3-2 if they had won the extra inning game in game 2. The Yankees will win on the weekend and be focused for the Phillies.
I am concerned about Burnett; he obviously can not control his emotions and is therefore somewhat unreliable.
One positive from yesterday’s game was that Tex was looking pretty good. If he gets things going, it’ll be a good game 6.
I will say this, all the weathermen and women that posted here with doom and gloom for the first weekend of this series were 100% dead as a doornail wrong. SO, all the prognosticating about pushing the starters back a day, etc., is really premature and I will not worry about tomorrow’s game getting played until it is pouring rain at about 5 PM tomorrow.
Every forecast model I see shows a complete washout/deluge tomorrow night. Weather improves markedly after.
Looks like Game 6 Sunday, Game 7 Monday.
Andrew-
Dead as a doornail wrong?? I like that expression. LOL
If the game is at 8, I am not worrying about rain until 7:30 and the tarp is on the field. MLB will make sure they get this game in. They want no Sunday NFL headaches
I will be hosting GTLU at 3pm tomorrow. I may start it a little late though. I do try to do stuff on weekends
I love how all the papers and all the TV analysts have been acting like the Yankees winning this series is a foregone conclusion. I mean, there was a Phillies vs. Yankees comparison in the Metro paper this morning. I’ve been a nervous wreck since the loss. Going into last night’s game, if you told me the Yankees would have a 2 run lead in the 7th, I would have been elated.
The bullpen let us down. Burnett pitched well enough to win, but you CAN’T have a first inning like that and expect to win. It took a six run 7th inning to get back into this game. A miraculous offensive effort.
So the hitters did what was asked of them. 6 runs. That should be enough for a win. Bullpen blew it. Hughes and Joba have looked like crap for the last 2-3 outings.
And rain tomorrow? Are you kidding me? It’s bad enough I’m going to have to sit with this pit in my stomach until 8pm Saturday, but now it could be postponed or delayed? How wonderful.
Tex, Matsui and Robbie all had big hits. Hopefully their bats are finally coming around. Now if only Swisher could get it going.
Seems like a washout tommorow. . i was hoping to go up to new york from rhode island . . >UGHHHH
Wow -
2 posts caught in the filter. Don’t know what the offending word was, since I don’t use offensive words.
Betsy -
I wasn’t being kind to Joe. A manager can’t win without talent. Just trying to point out a guy whose team manages to get 103 wins couldn’t have been getting in their way too often.
I don’t think Girardi is trying to put his stamp on these games. I think he may be trying to hard to erase the bad taste of the last few unsuccessful years (playoffs-wise). In that way, he may be getting in his own way. But I think it’s unfair to say he’s putting himself above the team, which is what I think “putting his stamp on” kind of is saying. I think some of the criticism Girardi is getting is warranted, some is not.
I think they’ll survive and thrive at Yankee Stadium.
I don’t understand the pitch calling with Vladdy. Two strikes and Hughes throws him a fastball? I know that the pitch was supposed to be up, but the outside breaking ball is the pitch in that situation. Hughes has a great curveball.
The Sox made the same mistake and it cost them game 3 in the ALDS and Pettitte made the same mistake and it cost the Yankees game 3. I don’t get it. How many times can you make the same mistake? I suppose that you could hang a breaking ball and get a bad result.
I really hope that it ends tomorrow. Game 7 would be brutal.
As a Yankee fan.I hope Cashman never puts another automatic out player like Molina,Ransom et al on this team,no matter how great their defense happens to be.
NYYROC, the most damning argument one can make about Girardi’s use of Mo is that he brought him in during the 8th to put out a fire after the lead was lost. If you are going to go with the “limit the bleeding” strategy then why not bring him in before the wound is open?
___
this is where the set up man comes in. ours didnt show up yesterday. no way you bring your closer in for the 7th.
oh and if one thing came from last night, no way molina catches burnett’s next start..
“DT-
We need to make you a certificate to honor your “Dumbest poster of the Year” award. It really is quite an accomplishment”
I have the picture all the little 2004 trolls drew and colored with their little troll crayolas on my wall….
It’s my likeness with pointy ears and fangs drawn on, along with arrows coming at my eyes from all directions. It looks like someone tried to draw swastikas on my forehead, but they turned out more like tic tac toe boards.
The inscription says it all ” we no Yanks ca’nt cum backe. Nimrod – U ar Dumm!! “
I get the feeling that Pettite will get hit hard and this whole thing will fall on the shoulders of CC.
The Angels aren’t expected to win. They have ZERO pressure and ALL the momentum in the world. You know Saunders is confident, he all but shut down the Yankees in Game 2.
Meanwhile, the Yankees (particularly the apparently fragile bullpen) will have had a long time to think about how they blew it BIG TIME.
The Game was pretty much lost in two important At-bats..
1) Aybar against AJ in the top of the 7th.. From an 0-2 count, AJ walked him… Ball 2 looked like a strike but posada set up the pitch low inside and the pitch was on the outside corner..you don’t usually get a punch out when the catcher has to move so much in the k-zone..
2) Hughes against Vlad.. On a 1-2 count, you gotta throw a curve ball there.. You set up yourself for second guesssing by trying to throw a fast ball there… Hughes was over throwing a lot particularly on his fast ball.. infact the best pitch he had working yesterday was his slider..
I know that hindsight is 20-20 but Joe should have considered pinch hitting hariston for Swisher… Swisher didn’t look like he was trying to get a single there. He swung like he wanted to hit a grand slam there.. I hope they play hairston tomorrow in RF..
BTW every news media outlet has been putting the ULTIMATE JINX on the Yankees since Wednesday with all their Yanks vs. Phillies talk.
I agree about Molina. It seems as if AJ and Posada worked things out. The Yankees need Posada’s bat in the lineup now that Swisher is a complete black hole and Girardi refuses to go with Gardner or Hairston.
Personally, I would love to see Gardner in CF and Melky in right. Having Gardner in the lineup against Saunders is questionable, but I would take my chances. Swisher needs a night off.
I think the Jose Molina/AJ Burnett experiment should be totally over now, which is a welcome footnote from last night’s game. Considering AJ looked plenty comfortable dealing to Jorge for the few innings they were matched up, and having Molina out there didn’t prevent him from going into batting practice mode in the 1st inning, I think Girardi needs to forget that one if the team is lucky enough to get to the World Series. I was glad Joe pulled the plug as early as he did last night, as Molina batting down 4 runs and with someone on base would have been a complete joke.
I mean obviously no announcement has been made since AJ isn’t scheduled to start again in this series, but no way should Jose (no pun intended) get another start this postseason.
Alex being intentionally walked in postseason,has to make an already fired up Alex more motivated.
When has Alex ever walked in postseason game,because they feared him a the plate?
Scoscia put the book down and used his head!
if the Yanks want to clinch . They have too jump out to a big lead ! then add on . .and add on . and add on .
We need to win 10-1
I’m a little tired of the constant “faith” Girardi keeps putting in Swisher. He’s a low batting average high OBP guy that gets on base with walks – of which he’s not done at all during this postseason – which makes him soley a low BA guy. Gardner is already that with speed. Do yourself a favor Girardi and bench Swisher.
“I think the Jose Molina/AJ Burnett experiment should be totally over now, which is a welcome footnote from last night’s game.”
Might have been Cano, rather than the helpless Swisher, at the plate with the bases loaded in the 9th had Posada started.
kimoinsd
did you hear they rolled the champagne into the Yankee clubhouse yesterday after they took the lead.
There are 3 major points that I have on this game, which was a real gut-wrencher:
1) Don’t blame it on Burnett. I have always said that if the Yankees’ starter gives up less than 4 runs, the loss isn’t on him, when you consider the firepower of this lineup. Sure he let 2 get on in the 7th, but the bullpen should’ve been able to shut things down, and almost did.
2) Posada and Burnett worked well together in the 5th and 6th? Does this mean Jorge can catch Burnett in the WS (you know, not to look ahead or anything)?
3) Swish needs to sit. Gardner has been hitting solidly all series (.270 for your # 9 guy ain’t bad), has a decent arm, and has great range, bring him in.
“He didn’t get the win or take the loss, but A.J. Burnett had another solid start that began and ended badly.”
chad-
except fro hitting that iceberg the totantic had a solid trip too .
it was an awful start. he gave up 6 runs. there is no way to say otherwise. it’s not out of his normal pattern.
i said yesterday that he was over 110 pitches in his last start and his pattern this summer was that he sometimes gets hit hard in his next game or two after that.
he’s a #3 pitcher because of his inconsistency. he pitched well 2 out of three games.
that’s about all you can expect from him.
so the next step is for pettitte to take a shot at winning the clincher.
i’d rather not, but i will not be surprised to see a game 7.
the good news is the yankees have sabathia for game 7.
the bad news is the yankees have sabathia for game 7.
burnett was pitching so that sabathia could have started game one in the world series.
it was the biggest game of bunett’s career so far.
he didn’t come through.
that’s it. move on to give pettitte a chance to put sabathia in game one of the next series.
pettitte’s been there before so there’s a good chance he’ll do it.
i agree swish needs to hit the bench tomorrow, even against the lefty.
he had a 3-2 meatball that hitters would have hit for a grand slam.
swish is a nice guy and players appreciate loyalty but not at the expense of winning.
Do you think any scouts for the Yankees are going to spend the off-day diagramming the weaknesses of a .200 hitting backup catcher? Me neither. This is why the Jeff Mathis’ of the world always come up with key hits in the post season – because the scouting and “books” are all focused on the Guerrero’s, Morales and Abreus. It would take no longer that a 5 minute meeting with the pitching staff to show them how to capitalize on Mathis’ myriad weaknesses at the plate. I wish Eiland would get someone on his staff to do that.
“We need to win 10-1″
That would be nice. Every postseason game not started by Sabathia has been a steel cage death match for the Yankees.
I hope swisher is not in the lineup tomorow cause he sucks he can’t get a hit gardy has more hits than him and he brings tremendous defense
jennifer:
Are you serious?! That’s ridiculous. You can’t do that mess. It had nothing to do with what was going on on the field. But this is baseball, everyone is superstitous about that kind of stuff.
Lets get real, most of us picked the yankees to win in six. We knew this would become a dog fight and that the angels would not go down without a fight. With that being said, I feel strongly about our chances with pettite on the mound. And fyi, look for swisher to atone for his recent failures.
Someone should make a big fat binder for Girardi about why Swisher should be benched for Game 6.
Bears repeating.
In which I go all baseball geek and explain that Mariano Rivera should have pitched the seventh inning
http://www.puristbleedspinstri…..riano.html
The positive to take from this is that the Yankees have battled every game. They also came back and won after a heartbreaking loss on Mon. Hopefully the YS ghosts show up on Sat.
Burnett won’t win another postseason start this year (he may not get another one)
No team has every finished the season undefeated. even the 98 yankees took 6 in the alcs. so…. stop acting like every loss is the end of the world. Yankees still have a much better team than the angels, they are not choke artists, they lost. it happens.
Swisher has shown ZERO sign that he knows what’s going on against Angels pitching. He is getting out everywhich way possible: K looking, K swinging, groundout, popout. He’s getting served meatballs and he takes them for strikes. He guesses at pitches and is wrong everytime. He’s supposed to hit better on the road and has done ZILCH.
If he hasn’t figured it out by now, he needs a day off.
“1) Aybar against AJ in the top of the 7th.. From an 0-2 count, AJ walked him… ”
No way in hell can you walk Aybar. But that’s AJ, a walking machine. And he was charged with 6 runs. Not a good outing by him.
There is no manager in baseball that would have brought in Mo in the seventh inning in game 5 of a 7 game series with the Yanks ahead in the series 3-1.
Maybe it is the theoretically correct move, but that is not the way the game is played in this era. Saying Girardi should have done it ignores reality. And if there was a manager creative enough to do it, it certainly isn’t Girardi. Maybe Bobby V, I don’t know who else.
The fact is, Hughes has been almost as good as Mo all year. He only needed to get one out. If Hughes does his job, Yanks win. Hughes didn’t get the job done.
As much as Girardi frustrates me sometimes, I don’t think that what happened with Hughes is on Girardi.
I’d like to say something some one on this blog said yesterday that I think is really funny….
Here’s a quote for all you retarded haters out there : Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you’re still retarded
kimoinsd Yep Jennie zalasko from espn reported it. That won’t happen at YS I can tell you that! Angels clubbies were looking to jinx players.
I’m over the loss. The way I see it, the positive is the Yankees get the chance to wrap up the series and win the pennant in front of their fans, and give the ballpark a chance to finally complete the transition from “New Yankee Stadium” to just “Yankee Stadium”
upstate kate, did you notice when Swisher hit that fly ball last night there wasn’t so much a roar from the crowd but a collective exhale. I posit that the Angel fans are watching this series are in the same place Yankee fans have been that watched past playoff series against the Angels. When they win it’s by the skin of their teeth and there is no joy. The Yankees have been monsters in this series and have worn down the Angels physically and mentally. If you are Mike Scioscia, who do you feel comfortable bringing in from the bullpen in game 6? Santana, then who?
“Might have been Cano, rather than the helpless Swisher, at the plate with the bases loaded in the 9th had Posada started.”
Amazing how quickly it changes to where fans would prefer to have Cano up in a huge-pressure bases loaded situation. And that is not me disagreeing with you, because I said the exact same thing last night as I was watching the game: if Molina didn’t start this game then Swisher is not the guy at the plate right now.
That said, the most frustrating thing about Swisher is even when he has a good at-bat where he makes contact on tough pitches and lays off balls clearly out of the zone, his stroke is screwed up right now and he isn’t making solid contact and driving the ball. In that at-bat in the 9th my confidence level rose as he stayed in the count and nubbed some pitches at the plate. But to get a pitch to hit like Fuentes gave him on 3-2 and to just blatantly fail to get the fat part of the bat on the ball, it’s extremely frustrating.
That said, though, I think it is way overkill to take the route SJ44 was taking in the last thread to say he is completely lost, can’t hit a beachball, and should have been pinch hit for by Jerry Hairston, Jr. Hairston had a God-awful at-bat against Fuentes in Game 3 so I would rather take my chances with a patient hitter like Swisher who, despite his terrible funk, is extremely overdue (if you believe in that kind of thing) to eventually get a hit when it matters.
I am in such a horrible mood today. I guess we’ve been spoiled this season. We don’t usually cough up a lead so late in the game.
“There is no manager in baseball that would have brought in Mo in the seventh inning in game 5 of a 7 game series with the Yanks ahead in the series 3-1.
Maybe it is the theoretically correct move, but that is not the way the game is played in this era. Saying Girardi should have done it ignores reality. And if there was a manager creative enough to do it, it certainly isn’t Girardi. Maybe Bobby V, I don’t know who else.
The fact is, Hughes has been almost as good as Mo all year. He only needed to get one out. If Hughes does his job, Yanks win. Hughes didn’t get the job done.
As much as Girardi frustrates me sometimes, I don’t think that what happened with Hughes is on Girardi.’
I’m not blaming Girardi for going to Hughes, but suggesting an alternate move he could have made.
It’s just semantics, perhaps, but I see it as a difference.
At any rate, the fact that managers *won’t* do it is the point I’m trying to make–in not taking any risks, managers end up taking the biggest risk of all.
The thing about baseball is that it’s a game that changes and evolves.
Closers like Gossage pitched two, three innings at a time; now no one expects a closer to do that.
I’d like to hope that there’s a manager out there with cojones enough to try it eventually…
I would take our bullpen anytime, despite the occasional failures. It could easily have been Scioscia having to explain why he took Lackey out.
I might get blown away for this comment,I admit it’s a stretch.If for some reason the Yankees,don’t win game 6.You know CC will,but then can’t start game 1 of the WS…..
So do you start Gaudin,and then go to the pen? Before you answer,the Yankees won every game he started,even if he got a no decision.
No baseball game is decided by one play or one player but it’s the starting pitcher who has the most influence on game outcomes.
And last night – by far – the major reason why the Yankees lost was AJ Burnett’s gutless performance.
AJ wasn’t just bad – in this context, in the post season – he was absolutely awful. He killed the team.
And that is by far the primary reason they lost.
He puts them in a 4-0 hole right off the bat against the angels ace. A guy who is 44-1 in his career with a 4 run lead.
The offense grinds out a tremendous comeback.
And then with the lead – when the “pressure” was back on him – when he could have iced a trip to the world series if he just pitched like he did the inning before AJ starts to meltdown all over again.
And Girardi watched and let him do it by not taking him out after that first batter.
Randy had it absolutely correct before. The yankees are going to win this series. I am completely confident in that. Even last night I believed they would mount a comeback down 4-0. Wasnt’ sure if they could take the lead because Lackeye was on the mound but I knew they would make a serious charge, especially against the Angels poor bull pen.
But the importance of winning last nights game was that it would have given the yanks complete flexibility in aligning their rotation as needed for the World Series. And there’s no way to downplay that.
And AJ gave them zilch last night in the biggest game of his career.
Hughes wasn’t good either – but in no way was he the primary problem – he entered the game in an absolute mess against an excellent team, the team with the second best offense in the AL this year.
It was AJ. Hard to believe his start last night could be seen in a positive light.
This is the post season now – you don’t get gold stars for process because you were good for 4 innings and horrendous for two.
It is remarkable how low expectations are set for AJ Burnett.
There was no reason to pinch hit with Hairston, but I was hoping Fuentes would hit Swixh in the butt cuz that was the only way the Yanks were scoring.
FA — As someone who has volunteered for Special Olympics I found your comment to be among the most classless ever. Please schedule the lobotomy ASAP.
Stick w Swish….he’ll come through…the clouds will clear out and Saturday will be a special night at Yankee Stadium
SJ, OR SOMEONE who knows Johnny Damon, or yankee players. Please have someone Call out Phil Hughes, he needs to be aired out again with the way he’s been pitching.
Afterall, He said he wasn’t going to be affected by the big stage of the postseason. But his numbers and his performance on the big stage tells us, otherwise.
Angels are good. They have better hitting and better starting pitching than the Phillies. The bullpens are equally bad on both clubs.
What did we expect, every game to be 10-1? Let’s all grow up here. Yankees were two pitches away from sweeping this series, one pitch away from making an amazing comeback last night, and clearly look like the better club.
Girardi managed the game like he has all year. All of this talk from an “SJ44″ about how all the veterans are upset with his mananging smells like BS to me. This team is performing as well as it is due to Joe Girardi, and the vets know it. Is this therefore the real SJ44–unlikely, since I think the real SJ44 has a lot more baseball savvy than the one making comments recently.
Leaving AJ in was the correct call. Going to Hughes was the correct call. The early Mo/pulling ARod was a gamble to win the game or die trying in one swoop. Good for Joe–get occasionally aggressive and unconventional, when you have a series lead and can afford to do so. When you’re up 3-1 you can take those chances, just like when you’re up 2-0 you can take chances with Aceves/Robertson matchups.
Players have to execute and perform like they did all year. Hughes and Joba are young and excitable, they are not born bullpen guys, are getting too amped up, and therefore cannot locate their fastballs. The Angels are not dumb and they realize this. So be it–adjust next time. Had this been game 7, Mo would have been pitching in the seventh.
It’s been great baseball between the best two teams in MLB–sorry Phillies, you’re not in the same league (literally). Yankees clearly look like the better team, and the better team usually takes a 7 game series.
Saunders will give it his all Saturday (or Sunday if it rains). So will Andy. Yankees should take this one fairly easily and win in 6.
I’m glad the Yankees are trying to win for themselves, and not just for fans like some of the commenters on this blog. The way some of us are commenting on this blog, we don’t deserve to have our team advance to the WS.
any dipsh*ts out there want to defend the molina/burnett tandem this morning?
anyone?
last night was a tough loss..but yanks have done good job reboundin so hope yanks have a win tomorrow and end the series and weather corporates..andy pitches good game and yanks score alot of runs for him hopefully..
I can’t believe some of the fans here want Mariano pitching in the 7th.. Mariano cannot pitch 3 innings… What if he pitches the 7th and 8th and somebody blows it up in the 9th.. The same fans would start yelling again..
The fact is that Hughes has done the job all year for the yanks and he didn’t do it yesterday.. Joe has to stop bringing in Hughes with men on.. He should let Hughes start an inning.. Regarding Joba, he can be trusted for only one or two outs.. He hung a slider yesterday and that was it.. The hit to Aybar was a jammed infield hit.. It was a good pitch still.. Yanks had the Angels where they wanted (2 run Lead in the 7th with a rested bullpen).. too bad the bullpen couldn’t do the job.. We still had our chances in the 9th.. so stop worrying.. I would say Tex and Damon have started looking good.. Damon should have had a 3-4 night yesterday even though box shows 1-4.. I expected Tex to be patient in the 9th and somehow get on base in front of A-rod but he swung at the first pitch.. Still, lots of +ves from yesterday.. It was crucial that AJ buckled down and held it till the 6th inning.. We have seen games when the other team tacks on runs just like the phillies did in Game 5..
IF CC is needed in game seven and they win he’ll pitch Thursday on three days rest.
If Saturday is rained out CC will pitch game six and Pettite will either pitch game seven or game one.
CB, what are your thoughts, hughes coughing up runs when the yankees have the lead. read 10:53 am post
Rebecca,
It’s going to take a manager willing to commit to that type of strategy through the regular season to see closers coming in before the 9th. To start doing it now, when they work the entire season to try to find the right formula, is unrealistic.
It will also take an unselfish closer willing to sacrifice stats for the team. Mariano at this point in his career? Maybe, probably even. Krod, or somebody working towards their first big contract? No way.
It also puts a lot more onus on the manager to read the game situation and decide that this is, in fact, the most important point in the game. Because the first time he brings Mariano in in the 7th, and is left with, say, Bruney or Marte to blow it in the 9th, that experiment is over.
Anyone want to take up a collection to hire Stuart Smalley to travel around with AJ next year?
What does Girardi have against Robertson? He’s pitched very well both during the season and the post-season, yet Joe seems to have forgotten about him the last few games. What gives?
burnett solid start!!!!!!!!!!!!1
man your standards are chien ming wang low… 6 runs in 6 innings that is a solid start…you a previous pitching coach for the Orioles????????????
JZ
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:58 am
What does Girardi have against Robertson? He’s pitched very well both during the season and the post-season, yet Joe seems to have forgotten about him the last few games. What gives?
You go to the guy who has done in the past for you.. If D-rob gave up the lead yesterday, everyone will be asking why didn’t he bring hughes or Joba.. Hindsight is 20-20.. just because someone was good in the last 2 games doesnt mean that he would have been good yesterday.. you play by the book and not by your heart..
Oh, and about the nonsense of setting up the WS rotation?
(1) Get there first, the worry about it.
(2) CC will be just fine. So he only pitches 2 games (2 and 5, 3 and 7), not 3 (1,4, and 7).
(3) With the exception of the first inning yesterday, the Yankee starters have performed just fine.
Can we win Game 6 or 7 of the ALCS before we start whining about CC not being lined up for the WS?
Seriously.
Let’s get there first.
If Gaudin gets Game 1, so be it.
Judging by some of these comments it looks like it takes only one bad loss for people to start hitting the crazy juice.
CB-
What you say is fair, but too easy on Hughes, I think.
Hughes only needed to get one out. You ought to be able to get the out before you give up the hit. And if you do give up the hit, it ought to be because the batter beat you.
Hughes beat himself. That’s on him, I think.
Larger picture, Girardi should not have started the seventh with AJ. I know AJ’s pitch count was low, but AJ has been susceptible of the random melt-down inning all year. And, the Angels had been hitting the ball hard, even though they had not scored after the first.
With only three innings to go, and a 2 run lead, Girardi should have done what had worked for the Yanks the last two-thirds of the season, when they were far and away the best team in baseball.
Robertson should have been brought in to start the seventh. He did that most of the year with stunningly good results, now he’s the forgotten man.
Girardi never should have gone to Joba. Joba has been pitching poorly for quite some time – the bullpen hasn’t revived him. Girardi has fallen into the magical thinking trap – he think’s the 2007 Joba is going to suddenly appear and it isn’t happening.
Ugh…
“What does Girardi have against Robertson? He’s pitched very well both during the season and the post-season, yet Joe seems to have forgotten about him the last few games. What gives?”
To go along with that, his infatuation with Joba is extremely strange, and that is my biggest concern with Girardi as manager right now. He is leaning on Joba way too much and ignoring Robertson, which a lot of people have voiced correctly, and it simply doesn’t make sense. Joba is not executing his slider consistently at all, and his fastball command has not been good. He threw a really good fastball last night to strike out Mathis, but he has thrown a good number of upper-middle fastballs this postseason that have been hit hard into the gaps.
Robertson, conversely, while having the less flashy arsenal of stuff, has kept his fastball down and has been burying his curve when called upon. He has also gotten out of big situations, and avoided costly walks. And yet he is reserved for extra innings only, it seems. Bizarre to me, as Dave has pitched well all year long whereas Joba has stunk it up for the majority of the season.
“I can’t believe some of the fans here want Mariano pitching in the 7th.. Mariano cannot pitch 3 innings… What if he pitches the 7th and 8th and somebody blows it up in the 9th.. The same fans would start yelling again..”
Mariano doesn’t pitch three innings. The seventh, maybe starts the 8th depending on pitch count.
Yes, there is a risk the move could back fire. That doesn’t mean it’s the wrong move. Everyone here would agree that Matsui and not Gardner should DH, right? That’s the right move, even if Matsui strikes out and Gardner later hits a PH home run.
Sometimes there are risks worth taking.
For my part, I would not yell at Girardi for doing it, though I admit it’s easy to say what I would/would not do without being presented with the actual situation.
mo should not have pitched the 7th that is obvious.
my problem with marine joe are letting aj go to the 2nd batter in the 7th… i take him out as soon as anyone gets on base, my 2nd problem is the continued love affair with the shell called joba over giving robertson a try, and my 3rd complaint is pinch running for arod…
hughes did not perform but having him in was of course the right move..pinch running for arod was just foolish especially when #47 did not steal…
the move would have been fine to hughes, had he not called off posada’s curveball for a 93 fastball. the curve was the only pitch working for him. should never have shook posada off, and im surprised posada let him shake it off.
he also missed the target on the fastball by a foot.
Joba out Bruney in. Joba has been terrible.Might be hitting the firewater to hard.
Phil Hughes looked like a deer in the headlights, like he has since the playoffs began, I question his guts,
time for robertson to get his innings
Swisher out hairston in.
Here’s a quote for all you retarded haters out there : Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you’re still retarded
So I read through the comments. Some say yes some say no. Some say go with Robertson. Some say staying with Burnett made sense even if it didn’t work. Some say Burnett shouldn’t be there in the 7th. Some say Rivera for the 7th some say no way.
So I say who cares. It’s yesterday’s news and nobody cares what you think. You can’t all be right since there are so many that disagree with each other. Give it up. Move on.
yeah pinchrunning for alex made little sense. the burnett/hughes thing had an explanation, but taking a-rod out is weird. arod was running very well and like you said, guzman didnt even try to steal so what was the point.
Running for Arod was insane.
Leave Guzman home for the Series. The less tinkering the better.
giradi is not bill martin casey or even st joe –
for those who have forgotten – st joe threw away games 4 5 6 against the sawx and game 5 against the marlins with bad decision — joe g is on his way he needs to turn it around
he is not using his eyes and the most recent performance of his players to determine who plays — no manager seems to recognize where the game hangs in the balance and willl benefit from being managed
no matter what he did during the season hughes has not been effective in the playoffs — he therefore can’t be trusted in dire situations
swisher is in a monumental slump — he has opportunities to plare runners from 3rd with less than 2 outs or to move a runner — last night’s abat is not a one off – it is simply the latest in a string of futile efforts – easy to say tex, matsui, cano have been nearly as bad but there are no alternatives for them
firemen used to put out fires — either start a reliever with no one and no out or in a dire game saving situation use your game saver – MO — but we will not see the end of the closer crap in my lifetime
get swisher out of the lineup — go with hairston againt a lefty and gardner against a rh — if joe f does that he will get second guessed to death — but etter to have 3-4 effective ABs than one pinch runner
– get rid of a useless pitcher and activate Hinske for the WS
Swisher out hairston in.
__
Swisher out GARDNER in.
“It’s going to take a manager willing to commit to that type of strategy through the regular season to see closers coming in before the 9th. To start doing it now, when they work the entire season to try to find the right formula, is unrealistic.
It will also take an unselfish closer willing to sacrifice stats for the team. Mariano at this point in his career? Maybe, probably even. Krod, or somebody working towards their first big contract? No way.
It also puts a lot more onus on the manager to read the game situation and decide that this is, in fact, the most important point in the game. Because the first time he brings Mariano in in the 7th, and is left with, say, Bruney or Marte to blow it in the 9th, that experiment is over.”
All of these are good points. Let me address them.
1) Yes, I agree, no manager is going to start doing it now without having done it all season long. That doesn’t make my argument any less valid.
2) It is a lot to ask of a closer to sacrifice that–and like you, while I can see Mo doing it it’s harder to see some other relievers doing so. Again, not a reason not to try.
3) Again, agreed. If the move backfires then the first manager to try it is toast. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try it.
I will repeat again, that the biggest risk is not taking one.
did you hear they rolled the champagne into the Yankee clubhouse yesterday after they took the lead.
they always do that on the road
PLEASE CUT THE BS with all the WS talk !. .PLEASE STOP IT ! .
Girardi only has 3 veteran pitchers in his bullpen but really aside from Mariano pretty much all of his bullpen aces are inexperienced playoff performers. I may be crazy but Marte pitched 1.2 extra innings in a Game 3 WS game in hostile territory to earn a win for the ChiSox in 2005. I know leaving him in to blow the game would have put Girardi up on a cross by now but there is something to be said for players who have done it before in a hostile environment without getting rattled because getting rattled is a big reason why good pitchers melt down in the post season.
Top 10 reasons to explain Blockhead Girardi’s moves (or non moves) from last night:
10) Little Dante told him that Burnett always strikes out the side on his PS3 baseball game in the 7th Inning
9) Had just finished watching “300″ in the clubhouse in the top of the 7th with AJ, and Burnett told him “I got this one!!”
7) He overheard AROD say “Hip Hip Jorge” will passing by Posada in the dugout and mistakingly assumed AROD was complaining about his hip hurting – and so pinch ran for him…or
6) He heard the voice of Dr Philippon (spell?) tell him that it was time to rest AROD’s hip in the top of the 9th inning – so he took him out of the game immediately.
5) One of Swish’s Wishes was for him to play in every game in the postseason – and Girardi being the charitable man that he is has obliged..
4) FOX pays him an extra 100K for every game they play after game #4…
3) His turn ons are : crew cuts, looking clueless, no junk food in the clubhouse and playing games in 40 degree, rainy and snowy conditions
2) Being the religious guy that he is – he followed the WWJTD (what would Joe Torre do) mantra ..to a tee…
1) He absolutely, positively wanted to leave no doubt that winning the “Manager of the Year” award may be the most dumbest, assinine award ever given out in the history of awards…
“yeah pinchrunning for alex made little sense. the burnett/hughes thing had an explanation, but taking a-rod out is weird. arod was running very well and like you said, guzman didnt even try to steal so what was the point.”
I don’t have an issue with Guzman PRing for A-Rod. Maybe if there’s no one out I do, but at that time there are two outs, so you don’t have an extra out to work with. If Matsui hits any sort of base hit, you want A-Rod/Guzman to go to third, or if Matsui hits a double, you want him to score. A-Rod’s not a bad runner, but Guzman’s advantage still counts. At that point you still need to tie the game before you can worry about winning it.
Mariano should have been brought in in the 7nth because the heart of the angels line up was up at the plate and that was where the game was most likely where the game was going to be decided.
Hughes has been great this year – one of the five best relief pitchers in baseball.
But no one – no one – is Mo.
And when you have the greatest relief pitcher of all time you use him when it matters the most.
Mo should have pitched the 7th and 8th. And Hughes could have pitched the 9th with a fresh inning, facing the Angels weaker hitters.
I agree that no other manager would have done that. But cultural norms for managing a game don’t make the decision to not bring Mo in in the 7nth any less wrong.
Hughes needs his nap.
This aint the halcyon days of summer where you stretch out on your lounge chair in the bullpen and sun yourself.
He looks as tight as a drum. Granted these games mean something and I think Girardi realized Hughes is frightened which is why he is showing little trust in the bullpen in general, accounting for the erratic moves.
But Joe himself is panicking. Running for Arod? why didnt anybody call him on that? Enough of Swisher, the guy is beyond tight. Joba has been cast into the role of savior. Wrong!
Trust Robertson, the kid is good. All said, we will win because we are the better team, not because of a panicky mgr.
If the game gets rained out tomorrow night, would you skip Andy and start CC on full rest for what would be Game 6 on Sunday?
I wouldn’t…Andy can get the job done at home. Saunders is not as good as Weaver and I think we hit him hard this time in the Bronx.
We will need CC in Game 7 to match Jared if it comes to that.
Plus you don’t want to waste a CC start at home in the World Series if you don’t need to. Game 7 you obviously have no choice but Game 6.. I don’t know. He starts Game 6 and he wouldn’t be able to pitch until Game 3 of the WS. That might be an unnecessary risk to take. If it was between Joba, Guadin or CC, then the choice would be simple.. This isn’t Jaret Wright pitching. I have full faith in Andy to get it done in GM6.
I always said Yankees in 6.. They could have won in 4 or 5.. But lets not forget that if not for Alex in GM2, maybe LA is up 3-2. You can’t worry about the games that got away or how they got away. Just gotta focus on the next game.
Also.. I am pretty excited I have tickets for Game 6 & 7 and hopefully can see them clinch the pennant live in the bleachers!
Why are people so annoyed that Girardi pinch ran for Arod? I think that’s the right move. When you need 1 run to keep playing to you have a guy in that may score on a gapper, or will score on a gapper?
“You can’t really fault AJ for probably being a little PO’ed at the start of the game. Jeter and Damon lead off the game with singles and the rest of the team couldn’t move them over one base.”
This is our excuse for AJ pitching poorly in the 1st? Wow! He’s a major league pitcher, he’s got to go out and do his job. He can’t let the fact that the offense didn’t score get him “PO’ed” and impact his performance.
The team lost last night, no one player is to blame for that.
Plenty of opportunities to shut down the opposition and plenty of opportunities to put runs on the board, both of which were squandered at the least ideal moments.
Simple as that.
On to Game 6 in Yankee Stadium. I like our chances tomorrow night.
the only possible place to bring in Mo in the 7th last night was to face Guerrerro. He’s already pitched 2 1/3 in another game in this series and was rested so potentially could have done the same thing last night. But once you bring him in there is no way you can take him out with a lead, you would have to shoot him first to get him off the mound.
if it was me I would have seriously thought about it and asked Mo at the beginning of the inning if he wanted in, Mo had earned the right to make the call on that.
HE SAID tight like a drum….
that got me
))
CB–Nice to see you agree, and understand what I’m trying to get at!
As for a potential rain out tomorrow, my gut is to start CC on Sunday no matter what.
Game six is more or less a must win. Yes, you still have Game 7, but you do NOT want to fall back on game 7. Sabathia gives you the best chance to win Game 6.
Go with what gives you the best chance to win.
When I got in my car this morning the Stones “You Can’t Always Get What you Want” was playing. I’m using that as my motto for the day.
If game 6 is pushed to Sunday, does CC pitch?
Wave,
I agree with you on Robertson – his dissappearance in the post season has been mystifying.
And I agree with you on the 7nth. AJ should have been lifted after the 6th. And at worst once the lead off guy got on he should have been out of the game immediately.
Personally, I would have lifted AJ before the 7nth and used Hughes and Mo to get the final 9 outs of the game.
Much, much easier for Hughes to pitch the 7nth with a clean inning rather than coming in to clean up AJ’s mess.
Dave Robertson gets a quick hook in game 3 after getting two very clean outs and looking completely in control. AJ Burnett – one of the most erratic pitchers in baseball – gets more than enough slack in the 7nth to hang himself. Just hard to believe some of these moves with the pitching staff this post season.
Joe,
Absolutely.
If nothing else, Pettitte starts Game 1 in NY.
in a game 5 of the ALCS in the ’70s Sparky Lyle, the closer, came in early in the game (4th inning from memory) and pitched the rest of the way. Baseball has changed in the way pitchers are handled since then but the concept is still the same-go with your best in the playoffs when you have the opportunity.
Just to clarify – I would have brought Mo in to clean up AJ’s mess rather than Hughes.
If it was a clean start of the inning I would have just brought in Hughes and then let Hughes and Mo get the final 9 outs.
CB + Wave: I let AJ start the 7th and then remove him once Mathis reaches for Robertson.
There is something in my gut that says the only reason Girardi won’t use Robertson as he should is that he’s trying to mask some sort of wear-and-tear injury.
It’s just my gut, and I have absolutely nothing to back it up, so please, please don’t cite me on it, but Hughes and Joba have struggled all postseason and Robertson has carried the team in big spots.
There’s little reason not to use him if the opportunity presents.
Well, as to Mo and the 7th, I’m not upset.
The fact is, for Mo to have been ready to face Hunter, he would have had to start warming up after the single by Mathis at the latest. Mo is not used to jumping up and getting in warm in two batters. Could he do it? Probably. Would he be at his best? Probably not.
The Yanks were ahead by 2 runs after the Mathis single. Did that make it crisis time? In my opinion, no.
If there were less than two out when it was Hughes time, I think the argument is stronger. But if you need one out, Hughes should be as capable as anyone, practically speaking.
Cultural norms don’t get broken in the situation the Yanks were facing in the 7th last night. And Girardi is not the manager to break them anyway.
Going on about how it should have happened anyway is pointless. You want the closer to come in in the highest leverage situation? Fine. I’d like to see baseball go there myself.
Start demanding it in April.
I can think of a number of reasons the Yankees lost that are not limited to Swisher’s ABs:
1. AJ Burnett gave up 4 runs in the first inning before he sailed through the next five innings.
2. While Lackey pitched very well and I tip my cap to him for that, the Yankee at bats were not effective early on, meaning Lackey racked up far too many first pitch outs.
3. After dumping 6 runs on the Angels and taking the lead in the 7th, the bullpen fell apart, primarily Hughes who failed to locate his cutter early in the count and allowed the hitters to sit on his 4 seamer.
4. Swisher failed twice to drive in runs with two outs and RISP.
I am sure there are plenty of more reasons, but the point is this is a team sport and a team effort. No single person on the Yankees is to blame tonight. Tip your cap to the Angels for fighting back and extending the series.
The Yankees go back to NY with Pettitte on the mound facing Saunders. No need to shake up the lineup, their still putting up runs. Maybe this time around Girardi will go with someone like Robertson in the 7th or 8th instead of Joba or Hughes, although I’m not so sure that is necessary. Relievers have to get ahead in the count, simple as that.
“in a game 5 of the ALCS in the ’70s Sparky Lyle, the closer, came in early in the game (4th inning from memory) and pitched the rest of the way”
Game 4 in 1977. He came in with 2 down in the 4th and “closed” it out.
new thread
It is 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 pitching.
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.
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.
“Cultural norms don’t get broken in the situation the Yanks were facing in the 7th last night. And Girardi is not the manager to break them anyway.”
Who cares about what the culutral norms are though? That’s not what the debate is. The debate is what the right move was.
There have been many games lost because of sticking to some kind of misguided norm. Unfortunate outcomes that result from blindly following a misguided norm isn’t even something that is particular to baseball.
But that doesn’t make it any less problematic.
Your point on Mo warming up is a good one. It’s not his usual pattern. That said – Mo doesn’t take very long to warm up.
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.
what there even one question directed at Girardi concerning Robertson? I’m listening to Girardi’s press conference right now, just the worst questions. Here’s a sample:
“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”
are these people reporters or therapists? How about this beat writers, ask Joe question that you couldn’t answer yourself.
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.
CB-
The tone on my last post 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.
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
I’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.
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.
There’s no such thing as a “solid start” in the playoffs. You don’t pat a pitcher on the head for “settling down” in a playoff game like you would during the regular season.
Ask Any Pettitte. You either win or you lose. Letting up 4 runs in the first inning does not put your team in good position to win a baseball game. In fact, you could argue that the first inning is the WORST time to do that aside from the 9th inning. It demoralizes your teammates before all of them have even had a chance to swing the bat.
If Lackey gets that strike call we’re not talking about a “gritty” performance blown by Swisher and Hughes–we’re only talking about Burnett.
I think that’s the way it should be regardless.
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.
Even the announcers (surprisingly) mentioned the fact of relief pitchers shaking off Posada’s calls. He’s been in the game, has a lot more experience, and knows the hitters a lot better than Joba, especially. Plus, shaking off the catcher gives any hitter more confidence, thinking that the pitcher and catcher aren’t on the same page.
..