Postgame notes: In the Nick of time
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Apr 12, 2012 
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With their bullpen quickly running out of pitchers, the Yankees got two very different hits for a much-needed lead. Mark Teixeira dunked a two-out double into no-mans land in shallow left field — “The most beautiful double I’ve ever seen in my life,” Nick Swisher said — and Swisher followed with a massive home run to right-center. A series sweep was in the hands of the greatest closer in the history of the game, and Mariano Rivera closed out his second straight save on his third consecutive night of work.
“I can’t believe Swish’s ball went that far,” Teixeira said. “That shows you how hard he hit it. Swish’s ball might have gone 500 feet in the summertime. He crushed it.”
It was the big hit the Yankees had been waiting for. They’d settled for just one run after loading the bases with no outs in the fifth, and they’d left two runners stranded again in the seventh and eighth. On this night, the Yankees bullpen wasn’t equipped for a long, drawn-out game. The relievers had already given more than enough, and they were running out of innings.
“I couldn’t be more proud of those guys, man,” Swisher said. “Those guys pitched what, 7 1/3 last night, four-something tonight? What an amazing job, man. So excited to get out of here with that sweep. You win those first two games, you really want to come back and get that (third one).”
The Yankees only had Clay Rapada and Rivera left in the bullpen. They had Phil Hughes in an emergency, but the plan was to give Rapada the ball if the game stayed tied and go to Rivera if they had a lead. Swisher’s home run made the choice easy, and Rivera closed out a series in which the Yankees bullpen delivered 13.1 scoreless innings.
“Hopefully we can continue to do the same thing,” Rivera said.
• CC Sabathia’s pitch count reached 74 after just three innings, but he wound up giving the Yankees six innings on 112 pitches. Of course, Sabathia thought he could have gone longer. After the way he started, the Yankees were thrilled to get that much. “I was riding him out,” Girardi said. “Even when you look at CC’s struggles, he still only gave up four runs. He keeps you in the game. A lot of other guys when they struggle, you’re looking seven, eight, nine. That’s the amazing thing about CC.”
• Sabathia said the comeback chopper in the second inning hit off his middle two fingers. He was completely unaffected. “The ball was right there and I felt like I could catch it,” he said. “It just bounced off me.”
• Sabathia on his outing: “I was just trying to be too fine with my fastball. I had good command and my pitches were doing what they needed to, I was just trying to make too good a pitch. … My cutter was pretty good, I threw some changeups good late. I felt a lot better than I did in my first start.”
• Rafael Soriano said he put medicine, super glue and tape on his torn fingernail today. He’ll do the same tomorrow and Friday, but he has to take all of it off to pitch in a game. He said Larry Rothschild told him his slider was a little slower than usual, but he still used it effectively. “I don’t think about (the fingernail),” he said. “I think about making people out, and that’s it.”
• Soriano on the decision to walk the bases loaded to face Adam Jones in the ninth: “It’s better for me to face the right-handed hitter than the lefty, so I feel comfortable when the pitching coach tells me, you’re going to walk the guy and make a good pitch to Jones.” Soriano struck out Jones to end the inning and keep the game alive.
• Girardi on the decision to pitch to Jones with the bases loaded: “I’m sure I’m going to be asked about if it doesn’t work, but you’ve got to manage what you believe in your heart to win a game. That’s what you do. Sori is not a guy that traditionally walks a lot of people. He has more success off right-handers. He’s had success off Adam Jones. The one thing that beats you possible is a wild pitch, a walk or an infield hit. Any other base hit with two out and Reimold on, I believe he’s going to score. That’s why I took a shot.”
• Eduardo Nunez said he slipped on the wet dirt when he was trying to steal second base in the 10th inning. That’s why he retreated. “I think if he keeps going he’s out,” Girardi said. “I think he had a better chance of being safe going back to first.”
• Rivera said he was ready to pitch three games in a row and felt fine doing so. “I don’t like to, especially this early,” Girardi said. “But we were in a bind and he said he was OK. If he would have said he wasn’t OK I wouldn’t have pitched him.”
• Teixeira said his bloop double was exactly the kind of hit that didn’t fall in the Rays series. It was a nice gift on his 32nd birthday. “That was definitely a break that we got,” Teixeira said. “I didn’t get any breaks in Tampa, any of those lucky hits, but I got one tonight. It made up for a little bit of the frustration in Tampa.”
Associated Press photos
CC looks a little “deflated”.
Headed home on a winning note!
Kind of sad a day off is breaking up the momentum of this win streak, but they deserve and need one. Hope they get a nice relaxing home opening win on Friday.
The fact of the matter is, the Yankees haven’t been able to beat anyone but the Orioles this season.
Think about it.
“I don’t think about (the fingernail),” he said. “I think about making people out, and that’s it.”
Gotta love that.
NY Rangers…it begins tonight. Can’t watch the Yanks so, tune in.
“Not to mention, using the incredibly small sample size of the first 6 games of the season, Montero would be the third highest average on the team.”
——
And the worst OPS on the team
after reading last night’s post-game thread you wonder how long some of you would obsess on the end of a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship-if the Montero-obsession is any indication you might get arrested for stalking…
add to that the appearance of new trolls-who are either self-loathing Yankees fans who couldn’t enjoy the game if it hit them over the head or just Yankee haters and this blog has reached new lows, I’d rather have root canal than have to read the game threads.
That’s the beauty of CC and the thing folks often miss when talking about him……he almost always gives you a shot…..even when he’s bad. He’s just doesn’t have these 7 runs in 3 innings this starts…..last night coukd have been a disaster if he had to.come out early….he hung in there…..
It did just look like he was nibbling and trying to make perfect pitches…..which is unlike him…..I agree his actual pitches looked good aside from the velocity wasn’t quite there .
True MG.
This seasons class of game-thread posters/trolls seem especially dimwitted. The knocks on CC were getting on my nerves big time.
Soriano thinks about making out when he pitches?
Or did I read that wrong?
Could have been a really nice start if he just kept his meat hook out of the way.
Soriano thinks about making out when he pitches?
——–
With “people”
I’m cool with that.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player as polarized as Nunez……I think his nickname should be Ying Yang because he’s good and bad all wrapped into one…..when he does something good he almost immediately does something bad to maintain the balance.
MG
The game thread is like looking at a room full of mirrors.
If you pick the right one they all disappear.
I was thinking the same as your GF-BF analogy.
add to that the appearance of new trolls-who are either self-loathing Yankees fans who couldn’t enjoy the game if it hit them over the head or just Yankee haters and this blog has reached new lows, I’d rather have root canal than have to read the game threads
———————————-
Thank goodnees most of them aren’t awake for the breakfast club crew!
I’m developing a mental ignore list-unfortunately I have to ignore about 80% of them during game time.
YT
YT ,
I think there a many fewer trolls than you think with multiple IDs. But I agree they are very annoying
rm-
Definitely, multiple screen names.
Trolls seek attention….not responding to them is the best attack.
Jeers, Maine-every year it gets worse, doesn’t it? I guess ‘Troll University’ has lowered admission standards because of the huge growth in the number of blogs and discussion groups, there just aren’t enough idiots to go around.
Yankees getting slow starts from A-Rod, Teixeira
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....9XiWtYjegL
Little concerning considering that the Orioles were last in the league in team ERA in 2011 with ERA 4.89 and A-Rod wasn’t hitting this series. Hopefully the cold weather was a factor and the meat of the order will warm up.
Just here for a short visit. Have a great day.
I’ll check back later:
1st manager to get fired:
Ozzie Guillen
Bobby Valentine
Fredi Gonzalez-Braves
Other
Trader,
Id probably go with other…..though I think Freddy’s seat may start to get warm soon if the Braves don’t win this year….he was hand picked most Cox and a lit of folks in that organization though so he may have more rope than we think…..
bobby v is annoying….but you can’t pin the Sox struggles on him IMO…..he didn’t put a roster together full of holes…that’s on Cherington and their ownership…..
And Ozzie……he’s always one dumb comment away from being fired anyway….but how he really is……what a predictable fiasco
Im not quite there yet after two outings…..but im getting closer to putting a two arm prospect bear hug on Jose Campos.
Morning LoHudders
http://tiny.cc/50jncw
Why does CC get paid much more than Verlander and Halladay?
Yep, it’s official – CC looks like a half inflated air mattress
From a baseball perspective, it’s great to be able to actually see the O’s getting better and better and better. Weiters is a monster and their bullpen is the best we’ve all seen in YEARS…when the starters catch up and Markakis/Jones get even more consistent, look out, especially if Roberts ever comes back.
YT- Ozzie
Blake-
Promote him if he keeps it up.
Nuevo threado —->
i wasn’t on last night, but i see the montero debate flared up again.
i’ve been telling you all for ever that the kid can catch.
no offense, but most of you can’t tell much about a catcher until you see some results.
you simply don’t know enough about it to watch a catcher briefly and tell if he has what it takes.
but hey, i can’t write software or play a piano either. that’s among a myriad of other things that i can’t do that people on this blog can do without breaking a sweat.
but it took me 30 seconds to watch him and know he can catch.
a person knows about what he or she has spent time doing. it’s a rule in life. that’s just the way it is.
anyway, the reason that it’s still an issue about montero is not because people are fixated on him. everyone gets it that he’s gone. the problem is the person or persons who made the evaluation that he couldn’t catch are still making evaluations for the yankees.
who else are they going to evaluate wrong?
if you care about the yankees, you need to care about people in management who made the montero mistake and who make be making others even right this moment for all we know.
no one is looking backward. it’s a present problem.