Postgame notes: “We can’t sit around and wait for him”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on May 05, 2012 
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A four-run lead in the ninth inning wasn’t exactly unfamiliar territory for Dave Robertson.
“That’s a situation I’ve been in before,” Robertson said. “It’s usually one where, if I walk a guy, Mo comes in.”
Of course, there was no Mo tonight. It was the first time CC Sabathia had ever started a game for the Yankees without Rivera being on the active roster, and it was a game the Yankees badly needed to win after a three-game losing streak and the stunning news of Rivera’s injury.
In the clubhouse before the game, Rivera addressed the team.
“He just said, ‘Don’t feel sorry for me, I’m going to come back’” Robertson said. “‘We’re a good team, injuries happen, let’s turn it around, get stronger, go from there.’”
In a ninth inning worthy of the Yankees closer, Robertson struck out the side — he joked that Rivera could have done it on eight pitches — and the mood in the clubhouse was back to normal after the game. Truth be told, the mood was pretty much back to normal before the game. Rivera made sure of that. When he showed up today with a smile on his face and a comeback on his mind, a weight seemed to have lifted.
“Everyone knows how hard Mo works,” Derek Jeter said. “It’s a challenge for him. He’s going to accept that challenge, and he’s going to go out there and do whatever it takes to get back on the field. It’s great for us to hear that, but then again, we can’t sit around and wait for him.”
Tonight the Yankees began the process of moving on.
• Sabathia was terrific. He’s won four straight and pitched into the eighth inning each time. Tonight he gave up two runs in the first, but pitched the next seven innings scoreless. “Just making sure that I was getting the ball down with two strikes,” Sabathia said. “I left the ball up to Alex Gordon and to Dyson (in the first inning). I was in good counts, just not making pitches when I needed to.”
• The game hinged on the seventh inning. Bruce Chen was pitching well, but Eduardo Nunez’s two-out, go-ahead triple seemed to spark the Yankees offense. Chris Stewart added and RBI single before Jeter delivered the big blow with a two-run homer. “I think (Nunez) put pressure on him,” Stewart said. “We started to see some pitches, he started elevating some, and we took advantage of it.”
• Speaking of that seventh inning, the home run was Jeter’s fifth of the season. He hit six all of last year. Jeter’s hitting .404 after another two-hit game. “I don’t think about it one minute,” Jeter said.
• Mark Teixeira hit his seventh home run in 20 at-bats against Bruce Chen. He added a single off Chen later in the game. “It’s really all about that I see him well,” Teixeira said. “There’s certain guys that you just really see the ball out of their hand. You see their pitches break, you see the spin. Other guys it’s the opposite. It doesn’t matter if they throw it right down the middle. You don’t see it well, your timing’s off and they just own you. That’s a lot of what baseball is all about is just timing and seeing the ball.”
• Teixeira’s home run was his first since April 21.
• Robertson said he wasn’t thinking about Rivera when he came into the ninth inning. Not really, anyway. “I wouldn’t say I really thought about it, but I knew I had to get three outs, finish the game,” he said. “Going to be like that, I guess, from now until the end of the season. I can’t sit there and dwell on it, just got to go out an throw as well as you can. That’s it. We don’t have him anymore, and it stinks, it really does.”
• Rafael Soriano was getting loose in the eighth inning so that he could come in if Sabathia got into trouble, but Girardi said his plan all along was to let Robertson handle the ninth. “We wanted to get him a little experience in that sense,” Girardi said. “But he also hadn’t worked in three or four days and you like to keep your relievers going. We thought we’d get him in there.”
Associated Press photos (and yes, Chris Stewart is in every single one of them)
With NY thin on the outfield depth at AAA, I wonder if NYYs make a run at picking up Clete Thomas, who was DFA’s by the Twins.
god, how good is derek jeter?
clete would be great for the aaa roster
KD, Thomas is a solid defensive outfielder at all three spots, he can hit a little with line drive power and runs well. NYYs just need him as an emergency.
Yeah, Jeter doesn’t think about hitting .400 just like he wasn’t thinking about 3000.
Jeter’s resurgence gives me hope that A-Rod and maybe even Tex can be big-time hitters again.
Jeter went 2 for 5 and his BA went down.
Watching DRob K the side in the 9th I really noticed how he has a little skip on the mound when a batter swings threw strike 3. Pretty cool. I really like that dude.
I love MO but DRob is fun to watch too in a different sort of way.
Checking in from Santa Cruz, CA. The tide is turning. Victory is assured. Goodnight.
Good Morning.
We’re back on track.
And so am I.
Hike day today.
Morning, Mister MTU,
Have a good hike. Today is Reverend Tom’s debut as East Nowhere, Georgia’s “Marrying Sam”. To tell the truth, I’m a little nervous about it, too. Well, we’ll muddle through, somehow.
Mister Tom-
Thanks.
If you think you’re nervous imagine how the groom feels.
MTU,
I’m also a little concerned about the reception. The groom is Bosnian, so in his honor I’m attempting to cook “Cevaps”, kind of a Balkan ground meat sausage. Never tried before; hope I don’t poison anybody.
Good lord, why am I up so early? Would somebody please get the dog to stop gnawing on my wrist?
Morning MTU, countdown is at 7 days until I’m airborne and headed your way
Tom-
Oh so that’s it.
Wouldn’t go for pulled pork, huh ?
JCPD-
Zion, Bryce, White Pocket await.
You’re lucky it wasn’t this weekend.
We have an Ironman competition going on.
Town’s a zoo.
MTU, Zion, White Pocket and slot canyons sure as hell better be awaiting for me. Or you’re in some serious kind of trouble
JCPD-
You’ll get a chance to put all that new-fangled learnin’ you’re doin’ into practice.
Big time.
If we had more time I’d also take to where I’m going today.
Take a gander :
https://picasaweb.google.com/109721757058432487394/YantFlatColorBowl?authkey=Gv1sRgCOGRk_CcuKXTgQE#
for good order’s sake, let’s keep the consecutive post streak going: MOntero, CAshman, Hughes, Joba, Freddy, K-Long, Girardi, binder, you stink, you’re a troll, you’re an idiot, …did I leave out any top buzz words or phrases?
MTU, NICE….wish I was going, for now it’s off to work and chop another day off the countdown. Later
Good morning folks — It really feels like a weight has been lifted since hearing Rivera will be back giving it another shot.
All though I’m bummed MCA passed away yesterday
Last night was a great win and one that the team needed.
It was nice seeing Dewayne Wise come in and as a lefty stroke a nice hit to the opposite field. Not sure if that’s his game, but it’s so rare to see anyone do that left handed on this team right now.
I also liked that that bottom of the order came through to break the tie. Jeter’s HR was sweet but it’s the work Nunez and Stewart did there that won the game.
Robertsen in the 9th was interesting. His ball was moving more than ever to me it seemed. I almost thought for a second he was really trying to throw Mo’s cutter exclusively in his own way since he only tried I think one curve and he missed. it.
The Yankees need to go on a roll now. Girardi has more bodies on the bench and he needs to use them.
We really should never see Ibanez in the field while he has Wise on the roster. I liked the way he moved in LF and he only played a few innings.
alright, since I’m up and youse guys aren’t interested in BS’ing, I’ll go work on the generator. Plus, my pooch has a date with a beautiful, all-black German Shepherd this morning. Then onto lacrosse. Sure would have been be nice to hold a conversation with someone of my own vintage here, as long as we had this quiet opportunity with no hand-to-hand combat going on around us yet today.
G. Love May 5th, 2012 at 7:43 am
Last night was a great win and one that the team needed.
It was nice seeing Dewayne Wise come in and as a lefty stroke a nice hit to the opposite field. Not sure if that’s his game, but it’s so rare to see anyone do that left handed on this team right now.
—————-
I’m not sure hitting at all is Wise’s game.
Nice pics (as always) MTU. Very humbling, like the great Mariano
Hassey
After the generator you mind coming over and giving my lawn some attention. It looks like a freaking jungle.
Glad you enjoyed them Tar.
“We really should never see Ibanez in the field
while he has Wise on the rosterever again”Fixed
Very nice MTU….morning all……
Yeah, wowza, those pictures are incredible.
Eric Hosmer has been killing my fantasy team, I really need that guy to heat up. Conflict of interest!
Good morning-
Dewayne Wise, previously a light hitter, wasn’t too shabby at AAA:
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats.....8;sid=t531
This month was supposed to be the time to turn on the after burners and put some distance between the Yankees and the alsorans.
I feel the Yankees will need one more arm in the bullpen-will that be Hughes?
Cano is killin mine.
Glad you all enjoyed them. The pleasure is all mine.
Heading out that way today.
rr212 May 5th, 2012 at 8:23 am
Cano is killin mine.
————-
Yeah, he’ll turn it around. Maybe grab a utility guy who can cover 2B, anyone hot out there? I grabbed Robert Andino as my starter.
I mentioned this yesterday that Yovani Gallardo also had a right ACL repair in May of 2008. I thought he was back for ST the following season. I didn’t know this:
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....9j1G9foBpL
Jeter is killing “it” on my fantasy team….
And for those of you that said Rivera at the age of 43 next season would be hard pressed to be able to make a comeback:
Even though Rivera is 42 years old, Dr. James Gladstone, co-chief of sports medicine and associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, is confident age won’t be an issue.
“I don’t think that factors in that much,” Gladstone said. “It shouldn’t matter if someone is in their 40s or 20s. It is a long, tedious rehab. But he’s going to go through the same rehab even if he doesn’t continue playing. And the fact that he is such a disciplined athlete portends well for a successful recovery.”
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/.....z1tzxYhdEZ
blake May 5th, 2012 at 8:33 am
Jeter is killing “it” on my fantasy team….
————-
I bet. Tulo’s doing all right for me thus far. Imagine if Jeter actually hit .400 this season? That’d probably top 3,000 hits
MTU-
The blog this morning only wants to talk about “fantasy” teams. Do you have a fantasy…………………………………………………………………….team?
YT,
Thanks for that article!
Do you agree that Rivera, if he has no post-op complications, and puts in the rehab work, will be back by ST next year?
so it looked like the yankees were only going to get one more year of mo.
it’s just going to be in 2013 instead of 2012.
now the question is how much it affects the overall bullpen as everyone moves up a notch.
“I don’t think that factors in that much,” Gladstone said. “It shouldn’t matter if someone is in their 40s or 20s. It is a long, tedious rehab. But he’s going to go through the same rehab even if he doesn’t continue playing. And the fact that he is such a disciplined athlete portends well for a successful recovery.”
YT – this is one of the reasons I had a feeling he might come back rather than just retire. Not only his competitive nature and still having the ability, when you get this surgery you still have to recover from it along with having the full rehab. It might affect him as injuries can alter the way the way you move, but Mo will at least give it a try.
Another portion is this gives him some time off with his family, so the itch to be with them might be scratched enough to have him come back for one more go.
I do think he was leaning toward retirement this year, but he just seems to want it to be on his terms, with it being his choice.
I thought he was a lot more upbeat and in some ways welcoming to the challenge ahead of him. It could be him hearing the talk that he was done because of this injury might give additional motivation.
YogiMantle-
Good post!!
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