The LoHud Yankees Blog

In some ways, it seemed fitting that the first playoff hit by a Yankee – and the first home run – at the new Stadium would come from Derek Jeter. The Yankees captain added to his reputation as an October performer by reaching base all four times up tonight as the Yanks took a 1-0 series lead.

“That’s Derek Jeter this time of year,” Joe Girardi said.

It is. Jeter has hit safely in 38 of his last 46 postseason games, including 16 multi-hit games. His homer was his 18th in the playoffs, tying him for third on the all-time list with Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson. Decent company, no?

“I think this is the fun time of year,” Jeter said. “It’s not taking anything away from the regular season, but this this is when you like to play as a player.”

There’s no denying that Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia had important games tonight, both of them improving on poor playoff track records. But none of it would have mattered much if not for Jeter – the guy who always seems to be there in the games that matter most.

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That’s it for me tonight. Chad will have a wrap-up post but let me just say this: over 2,000 comments and well over 100,000 page views on the blog tonight shows just how committed you all are to this team and it’s pretty incredible. Thanks for watching along with us.

I’m on a deadline but here’s some quick audio from Alex Rodriguez. He said all the right things, praising Derek Jeter and CC Sabathia, but also admitting that, “It felt good to get that hit out of the way.”

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UPDATE, 7:35 p.m.: Over 1,000 comments in the fourth — you guys are bringing the October game. The LoHud Yankees blog goes all night.

UPDATE, 7:42 p.m.: That was a very aggressive send by Rob Thomson, especially after the ball kicked right off the wall to Young. But he was counting on the Twins not making two good throws in a row, and Orlando Cabrera obliged. A good throw home and Cano is out by a few steps; instead, the Yankees aggressiveness pays off and it’s 3-2.

UPDATE, 7:58 p.m.: That’s three times on-base in three ABs for Jeter. Duensing has been good, but leadoff walks can be killer.

UPDATE, 8:02 p.m.: Wow, the wind gusts are silly. That ball started out over Cuddyer and ended up halfway between first and second.

UPDATE, 8:04 p.m.: We can all rest easy now: A-Rod drove in a runner in the playoffs. Sharp single to left-center, it’s 4-2 Yankees and Duensing is done. Francisco Liriano coming on.

UPDATE, 8:10 p.m.: Liriano comes in, Matsui takes him out. That was his seventh career postseason home run. I don’t know what the Yankees are going to do with Matsui this winter, but there aren’t too many other players I’d want up in a big spot. The guy delivers. 6-2 Yanks.

UPDATE, 8:23 p.m.: CC looking strong, his pitch count is at 95 through six. Nice play Punto to get Cano; Punto is one of those scrappy, do-it-all players that can give the Yankees fits.

UPDATE, 8:28 p.m.: Huuuuuuuuuughes warming in the pen.

UPDATE: 8:30 p.m.: Chad here. Just sent a text to my friend Donnie Collins, who is covering this game for my old newspaper and spent a lot of time covering Nick Punto back in the Red Barons days. After Punto made that nice charging play in the sixth, Donnie wrote: “The amazing thing is I’ve seen him make that play before more than once. He can play on my team.” I said it a lot on my old blog, I’m a big Punto fan. That guy consistently makes plays.

UPDATE, 8:35 p.m.: That was right off CC’s left foot. Two on, one out. Hughes looks ready in the pen.

UPDATE, 8:39 p.m.: That’s it for CC, who gets a huge ovation and tips his cap as he walks off. Sabathia pitched great, though you know he’s unhappy about leaving two men on. Huuuuuuughes on now to try and get out of it.

UPDATE, 8:47 p.m.: That was a 10-pitch (and felt like 10-minute) at-bat for Cabrera, but Hughes wins the battle. Six outs to go for a 1-0 series lead.

UPDATE, 8:59 p.m.: 5-4-3 rally-killer by Teixeira. That’s 0-for-4 for Tex, one of the few lowlights for the Yankees tonight. Jon Rauch – who, by the way, is like 10 feet tall – is coming on for Minny.

UPDATE, 9:07 p.m.: What do you know, two RBI tonight for A-Rod. He’s a new man.

UPDATE, 9:10 p.m.: Interesting. Joba up in the pen.

UPDATE, 9:17 p.m.: Apparently Girardi wants to get everyone a taste tonight. Hughes out, Coke in.

UPDATE, 9:20 p.m.: Brilliant work by Phil Coke. The crowd doesn’t seem to know what to do for a guy who gives up an absolute rocket that happens to go right to the first baseman. Cheer? Boo? They do, however, love Joba – he gets a big hand as he comes to the mound.

UPDATE, 9:23 p.m.: Well, Joba is clearly ready for the big stage again. Two pitches and a groundout from Delmon Young.

UPDATE, 9:32 p.m.: Nothing better than Metallica and Mo on a cool October night. Three outs to go.

UPDATE, 9:46 p.m.: Mo gets the job done and the Yankees have a 1-0 series lead. Strong night all around for the Yankees, who got just what they needed from Sabathia and – yes – A-Rod. Back with much, much more from the clubhouse.

YANKEES
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37 regular season)

TWINS
Span CF
Cabrera SS
Mauer C
Cuddyer 1B
Kubel RF
Young LF
Harris DH
Tolbert 3B
Punto 2B

Pitching: LHP Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64 ERA regular season)

TIME/TV: 6:07 p.m., TBS

WEATHER: October-ish. Cloudy and cool. Forecast calls for temps in the 50s tonight and windy conditions. Gusts could get up to 40 mph (though probably only towards right field and when Johnny Damon is up). The flags on top of the stadium are whipping around the stadium very, very loudly. Check out the full forecast here.

STATE OF THE STRIPES: No better or worse than anyone else since everyone is 11 wins from a title today. The Yankees did, however, get to sleep in their own beds last night while the Twins were flying east in the wee hours, so they’re certainly more rested than their opponents.

CC’S NEW BEGINNING: As good as Sabathia has been in the regular season during his career, the postseason hasn’t been nearly as productive. He’s 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in five playoff starts and has a 10.93 ERA in losing the last three. He does have good career numbers against the Twins, though: 9-4, 1.91 ERA in his last 13 starts.

EYES ON ALEX: Alex Rodriguez has done all the right things in staying out of the spotlight this season but he won’t be able to avoid the focus now. A-Rod’s October struggles are well-documented (one homer, one RBI, 35 LOB in his last 16 playoff games) but his best Yankees postseason series was against Minnesota in 2004: 8-for-19 (.421) with 3 RBI.

NUMBERS CAN BE MISLEADING: Yes, the Yankees swept seven games from the Twins during the regular season but it wasn’t exactly domination: Four of the seven were one-run games, six of the seven were two-run games and two of the seven were extra innings. During a May series at the Stadium in the Bronx, the Yankees won three of four games with walk-off hits.

TWINKIE FILLING: The Twins won 17 of 21 to close a seven-game deficit in the final month of the season and beat out the Tigers for their fifth division title in eight years. They also won an epic 12-inning tiebreaker on Tuesday night, using six relievers over the final seven innings including star closer Joe Nathan for 1 2/3 innings.

OLD FRIENDS: Duensing was a college teammate of Joba Chamberlain’s at Nebraska. The Yankees only encounter with Duensing came in July, in his third career appearance. Pitching in relief, he allowed four runs, two hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings of a 10-2 loss. Duensing was 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA in his nine starts this year.

IF THERE WERE WALK-TO-THE-PLATE MUSIC IN REAL LIFE, TODAY’S WOULD BE: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. Is there a better pre-game song out there?

Back with much, much, much more later on.

UPDATE, 2:42 p.m.: First things first: It’s really windy here. Like, loud windy – flags hitting the facade, paper blowing everywhere. Joe Girardi was asked what he thought about it affecting the game and he basically said he didn’t know. He’s just happy it’s not frigid.

Here’s his press conference audio.

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UPDATE, 2:47 p.m.: Twins manager Ron Gardenhire just announced that their Game 3 starter is now TBA. Could be Carl Pavano, but he also mentioned Scott Baker as a possibility.

UPDATE, 2:55 p.m.: Here’s a picture I took of the flags above Yankee Stadium. Not a good shot, but you can see those things blowing out to right. It’s really windy here. This is Chad posting, so I don’t have as much experience in this park as some other folks, but I’m surprised at just how noticeable it is. The press box is open, and those flags are pretty loud flapping in the wind.

UPDATE, 3:19 p.m.: The Yankees are on the field and, at this moment, the captain, Derek Jeter, is in the cage. Jeter is wearing a gray hooded Yankees sweatshirt and everyone is in sleeves. It could get chilly tonight.

UPDATE, 3:23 p.m.: Don’t forget to check out John Flaherty’s analysis of the pitching match-up tonight. It’s in the post below or you can click here to go directly. Some interesting stuff to watch for in there.

UPDATE, 3:54 p.m.: I meant to mention it before, but I think the Yankees made the right call in taking Gaudin on the first-round roster. Girardi confirmed that they look at Gaudin as a primary long man, which indicates that Joba Chamberlain is an option for one-inning, big-spot duty.

UPDATE, 4:05 p.m.: Nearly 200 comments and we’re two hours from game time. You guys are coming to play tonight. Think we’ll need three posts?

UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: Yankees are coming off the field, Twins are coming on. Girardi is standing off to the side of the batting cage doing his pregame interview with John Sterling.

UPDATE, 4:25 p.m.: Not a ton of people in the stands but that’s understandable given the time. Monument Park, on the other hand, looks absolutely packed. BTW, for those who have asked: Yes, I think Robertson is/should be ahead of Chamberlain in the bullpen pecking order; and yes, I will break up the game post if the comments become unmanageable.

UPDATE, 5:06 p.m.: The winds have (sort of) died down a little, which is to say that the flags on top of the stadium are only half-way extended instead of blown straight out. Twins are off the field and the grounds crew is raking. We’re an hour from first pitch.

UPDATE: 5:10 p.m.: Chad here. Just got back from the field where A.J. Burnett spoke briefly about the Molina/Posada decision. “It’s making me out to be the bad guy,” Burnett said. The short version is that Burnett said he’s gone to Joe Girardi in the past and told him it doesn’t matter which catcher he throws to. He’s comfortable with either one. Burnett said that when has a good game, it’s because he’s pitched well. When he has a bad game, it’s because he hasn’t pitched well. “People don’t know me here, so they don’t know how to take me,” he said. “But when I’m good, it doesn’t matter which one is behind the plate.”

UPDATE, 5:33 p.m.: CC is in the outfield, standing in front of the bullpen getting ready to warm up. We’re a half hour away.

UPDATE, 5:43 p.m.: Introductions are starting. Twins trainers and such running out on to the field now.

UPDATE, 5:45 p.m.: In an upset of 1980 U.S. hockey proportions, Carl Pavano was roundly booed when introduced. When Ron Gardenhire was introduced, he ran out and hugged Pavano before going to his spot on the line.

UPDATE, 5:47 p.m.: Upside of early starts: Kids can watch. Downside of early starts: Tons of empty seats when the home team is being introduced.

UPDATE, 5:49 p.m.: Hey, what do you know – Chien-Ming Wang is here.

UPDATE, 5:51 p.m.: Big ovations for Mo, Hughes, Tex, CC. Biggest, of course, for the Captain.

UPDATE, 6 p.m.: Admiral Eric Olson, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, just threw out the first pitch. We’re minutes away.

UPDATE, 6:05 p.m.: CC warming up to “Big Poppa,” beloved song of the LoHud Yankees Blog.

UPDATE, 6:07 p.m.: And we’re off. Sixty-two degrees at first pitch. Enjoy the ride, everyone.

UPDATE, 6:11 p.m.: FYI, the wind at first pitch is officially listed as 24 mph and out to RF.

UPDATE, 6:13 p.m.: I thought it was Burnett and Posada who weren’t on the same page; Posada looked crossed up on the passed ball.

UPDATE, 6:15 p.m.: Nasty slider to Mauer, who is now 5-of-24 with 10 strikeouts against Sabathia.

UPDATE, 6:18 p.m.: No damage done as Cuddyer skies to center. Seats are starting to fill in now and the crowd is juiced.

UPDATE, 6:21 p.m.: Sometimes it feels like Jeter will someday lead off an over-50 softball game with a hit. He just doesn’t know how to do anything else.

UPDATE, 6:25 p.m.: Just for context: Jeter was 95-for-244 (.389) when leading off any inning this season, with seven homers, 16 doubles and 17 walks. That’s pretty good.

UPDATE, 6:28 p.m.: Of course A-Rod’s first AB would come with a man on base. Might as well get the first one out of the way early.

UPDATE, 6:31 p.m.: Soft fly to right. Inning over. That’s 36 LOB in Alex’s last 17 postseason games (including tonight).

UPDATE, 6:34 p.m.: (Josh here) I talked to Twins GM Bill Smith before the game. He said the decision of who to pitch in Game 3 lies with Gardenhire, but here are his thoughts on the Idle one: “He’s healthy. Carl Pavano, since we got him, has been phenomenal. He has taken the ball. He has pitched well,” Smith said. He then added: “He’s pitched. He’s healthy. He’s strong. And he’s going to pitch in this series.

As I mentioned to Sam and Chad before here on press row, don’t be surprised if Baker, the Twins best pitcher, throws Game 3 and then Pavano replaces Dunsing in Game 4. The club obviously preferred Pavano, who started on Sunday on short rest over Dunsing. Of course, Dunsing could change a few things by tossing a gem tonight.

UPDATE, 6:41 p.m.: Remember what Flaherty said earlier today? CC isn’t falling off the mound on his follow-through at all. He’s landing straight down the middle and his slider is nasty; all four strikeouts so far have come on that pitch.

UPDATE, 6:50 p.m.: That was an Andy-esque hook from Duenseng to get Cano. He’s thrown 30 pitches through two and isn’t looking much rattled by the situation.

UPDATE, 6:58 p.m.: Only fitting that the Yankees get a double-play there since Sabathia got a terrible call on a strike – that somehow wasn’t – to Punto.

UPDATE: 7:04 p.m.: This lineup might not be terrifying, but Mauer and Cuddyer can hit. A bigger concern for the Yankees, Sabathia and Posada were clearly not on the same page on that pitch to Kubel. That’s another passed ball and a 2-0 Twins lead. Sabathia has thrown 64 pitches.

UPDATE, 7:14 p.m.: And the Yankees are right back in it as the Captain delivers. That was a smoked liner over left field fence on a 1-0 pitch and it’s 2-2. That was Jeter’s 18th career postseason home run, 10th in the ALDS. The 18 homers tie Jeter with Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson for third all-time.

UPDATE, 7:21 p.m.: And Alex swings at a breaking ball in the dirt for strike three. The LOB count is at 37. Meanwhile, you guys are approaching four-digit comments. We’re going to a second thread shortly.

UPDATE, 7:29 p.m.: First clean inning of the night for CC. He’s at 76 pitches through four.

UPDATE, 7:31 p.m.: They just played the subway race on the big screen. I was pulling for the 5 train. … This is Chad, by the way.

UPDATE, 7:35 p.m.: And we just broke through the wall into a second thread.

Former Yankee and YES Network analyst John Flaherty has agreed to break down the pitching match-up for every Yankees postseason game exclusively on the LoHud Yankees blog. Be sure to watch John on the YES pregame show at 5 p.m. and immediately after the last out on the postgame. Here’s his take on Game 1:

YANKEES: CC  Sabathia (19-8, 3.37 regular season):

Strengths: “CC has three above average pitches – fastball, slider and change-up – and I love the way he establishes the fastball. The slider is the big pitch, but I think the most important pitch is the change-up. If you’re a right-handed batter, you’ve got to think about 95 mph with the fastball, the slider coming down and in and then he’s got this change-up that he throws on the outside corner and they have to respect that. For a right-handed batter, it’s a lot to handle.”

Weaknesses: “If you’re the casual fan and you see him falling towards the third base dugout and not finishing towards the plate, it’s a sign that his arm is dragging behind and the slider isn’t as tight. It also throws off the location on the fastball. … I think his last outing (when he was hit hard in Tampa) was good for him because he’s been so good for the last couple of months. In some ways, it was the perfect wake-up call.”

TWINS: LHP Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64 regular season)

Strengths: “Like all those Twins pitchers, he throws strikes. I would say his stuff is average. His fastball is anywhere from 89-92, and his slider is short; it’s not a big breaker. It’s mid-80s with five or six inches of break. His change-up is a decent pitch. If you have to categorize him, he’s your average lefty. Ironically, a lot of his strikeouts were fastballs up in the zone, which would tell me that he throws pitches a little backwards – change-ups and sliders early in the count, and then sneak a fastball by a hitter late.”

Weaknesses: “He’s in for a tough assignment, stepping into this situation at Yankee Stadium. That’s an environment that’s hard for anyone. If he doesn’t throw strikes early in the count, the Yankee will be all over him. Everything I read about him, the Twins are raving about his makeup but we’ll see. If he can’t locate, it could be a short outing for him.”

Edge: “Big edge for the Yankees here. Sabathia is an ace and Duensing is a flip of the coin. The Twins are also rolling on so much adrenaline right now that there could be a bit of a letdown.”

Good news for fans living in the Northern suburbs. Metro North has added more trains for postseason games. Beats paying $50 for parking.

… is usually pretty cloudy. At least for me. But as I mentioned in the last post, I predicted a Yankees sweep over the Twins in my scouting report, so we’ll start there. Pitching kills in the playoffs and, for me, the Yankees have it in this series.

How about the rest of the Division Series? Here’s how I see it breaking down:

Phillies over Rockies in 4
Dodgers over Cardinals in 5
Angels over Red Sox in 5

Then I’ve got the Yankees over the Angels in 7 in the ALCS and the Dodgers over the Phillies in 6 in the NLCS, setting up the Joe Torre Reunion in the World Series. As much as I like Torre, though, he can’t stop this train. Yankees in 6 for the title.

So there you have it. Bet your house on No. 27 coming this fall. Just don’t bet mine.

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UPDATE, 10:40 a.m.: Yankees final roster is out: Cervelli, Gaudin and Marte are in. Guzman is out. Not much surprise since the Twins are so lefty-heavy.

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Live chat starts at noon. Get in the Game 1 mood with Chad Jennings and me right here.

Chemistry, bonding or whatever else you want to call it, the Yankees just like being around each other and that’s one thing that’s helped them as they get set to begin the chase for 27. Kudos to talented artist Chris Brown for the killer illustration that went along with the story.

In the biggest news to come out of yesterday’s workout, Joe Girardi announced that Jose Molina – and not Jorge Posada – will catch A.J. Burnett in Game 2 against the Twins. Josh Thomson has that story.

Mark Teixeira isn’t feeling any pressure as he enters his first postseason with the Yankees, Chad Jennings writes. And CC Sabathia says the comfort he feels in the Yankees hitters may help him get over his previous struggles in the postseason.

Derek Jeter is glad to be back in the postseason after a one-year drought. Josh and Chad also have news in their notebook on Brian Bruney joining the Yankees taxi squad in Tampa and Girardi’s thoughts – including a reference to carrying two lefthanders – on playing the Twins instead of the Tigers.

Here’s a quick position-by-position breakdown of Twins vs. Yankees – needless to say, the Yankees have the edge in nearly every category and my prediction was a Yankees sweep.

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Don’t forget, live chat with me and Chad Jennings at noon. Go here to get involved.

Quite a day today with Yankees news and a marathon play-in game, but tomorrow figures to be even better. Remember to join Chad Jennings and me for a live chat at 12 p.m. – it’s been moved up a half hour – to get you set for Game 1 against the Twins. Go here to take part.

Wednesday is going to be a big day for the Yankees and on the blog. See you in the morning.

The New York Yankees emailed some Joe Girardi quotes after tonight’s Twins win. It’s all pretty standard stuff, but this seems to tip the Yankees’ hand about their roster construction.

“The Twins have more left-handers (in their lineup),” Girardi said. “A second left-hander would possibly get more work against them. The one thing we talk about is, we want to make sure that when we use our bullpen, w’e're covered if the game goes extra innings.”