Postgame notes: “Four hour games that we win”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jul 09, 2012 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Four games in three days at Fenway. We all knew it was coming, and we knew there was no hope of making it quick and easy. The best the Yankees could hope for was to win a few more games and go into the All-Star break on a roll, which is exactly what they’ve done.
“I’d rather play four-hour games that we win than four-hour games that we lose,” Mark Teixeira said.
The Yankees took three of four here in Boston. They have the best record in baseball and a seven-game lead in the American League East. Monday will mark seven weeks since the Yankees lost that game against Kansas City, the loss that dropped them into a last-place tie with a .500 record. Since then they’ve gone 31-12.
“There’s a lot more attention paid when we play Boston,” Derek Jeter said. “But I think we’ve been playing good regardless of who the opposition has been.”
• Jeter was rolling his shoulder around quite a bit tonight, especially early in the game. “It’s fine,” he said. “Just a little muscle spasm.” He’s still going to Kansas City and still planning to play in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
• With that muscle spasm, Jeter had three hits including a first-inning single. He’s now hitting .400 in the first inning this season. He also tied Carl Yastrzemski for 16th place on baseball’s all-time runs scored list with 1,816.
• That said, which Jeter moment do you most remember from tonight’s game? “I wish I had a good story for you to say a bird hit it or something, but it basically was a popup and I dropped it,” Jeter said. “Nothing else to say. I think I’ve done it one other time in my career that I can remember, in Anaheim. I don’t know, man. I dropped it. I had two hands, and it didn’t go in my glove or my hand, so I dropped it. It’s probably, if you think about it, it’s probably the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a player on defense. Whether it’s an infielder, outfielder, catcher. I wish I could tell you the wind was gusting and blew it all over the place, but it didn’t happen. I just dropped it.”
• Jeter said absolutely no one on the bench gave him a hard time about the error. “No, you don’t do that,” Jeter explained. “Because then there will be more popups hit. I remember the last time I did it, I was laughing at Johnny. Johnny Damon missed a popup to left field the day before and I was laughing at him, and the next day I dropped a popup.”
• Girardi’s take on the dropped popup: “I’ve seen it happen twice and both of them were under my managerial watch, so it must be me. He’s as good on popups as I’ve ever seen.”
• Andruw Jones has four home runs in two days. Surely he’d rather keep playing than take an All-Star break. “Not really,” he said. “Not after yesterday. I barely made it today.”
• After throwing a lot of pitches early, Ivan Nova admitted that he didn’t think he’d be able to pitch past the fifth inning tonight. Instead, he started getting some quicker innings and gave the Yankees six innings with 10 strikeouts. “I wanted to keep pitching all day,” he said. “But (Girardi) said that I threw too many pitches.”
• This was Nova’s second double-digit strikeout game of the year. He said it’s beacuse of being aggressive more than anything else. “I’m getting aggressive, trying to get ahead in the count,” he said.
• Sloppy defense behind him and a lot of men on base tonight, but Nova never let the Red Sox take the lead after that two-run first inning from the Yankees. “He overcame some things tonight and I think that’s a sign of maturity,” Girardi said.
• Robinson Cano’s ninth-inning double extended his hitting streak to 15 games, tying Jeter for the Yankees longest streak of the season. He’s hitting .393 with five home runs and 16 RBI during the streak.
• Mark Teixeira hit .348 with two doubles, two homers, seven runs and 10 RBI during this road trip.
• Alex Rodriguez tripled for the first time since April 21, 2010 in Oakland. This was only his fourth triple since the start of the 2007 season.
• Folks, that’s it for me tonight. I’ll be back around tomorrow, but for now, I’m exhausted from a long weekend and I’ve got an early train to catch. Enjoy the break, everyone. Your team is playing very well.
Associated Press photos
http://www.abrahamesparza.com/.....havez.html
Thanks for everything, Chad. It was a good 5-game series for you!
Jones is pretty funny. Being honest about being old.
Great to take three. You sign up for that ever time. You could tell these guys had the break on their minds. Yes, the bats were hot, but the gloves were not. They had a brutal schedule playing some pretty good teams the last month.
Hopefully they can pick up where they left off after the break. Go, Robi! Go AL!
Youkalis has a .990 OPS for the ChiSox…..lol
Blake-
Good morning.
Wouldn’t you be happy to get out of Boston.
MTU,
Of course…I said at the time that the Youkalis deal could bite the Sox in the short term…Youk looks pretty motivated to prove Bobby V and the Sawks wrong.
Castelanos won the Futures game MVP yesterday. Will he be a Tiger past the trade deadline?
Blake and MTU-
Who is Castelanos?
Trader,
Nick Castellanos…..3B prospect for the Tigers…..really good player. Pretty sure the Yanks could have taken him instead of Culver in 2010.
Jeter makes fun of Alex’s troubles with popups all the time. I’m surprised Alex didn’t give him grief about dropping one.
Yup. Culver was the 32nd pick….Castellanos was the 44th.
Imagine what Rangers could do with a consistent offense:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/i.....1;mlb.html
Blake, I know you agree with Olney that the Rangers will get Hamels, but this article mentions that most of their pitching is due back soon after the ASB and they need more consistent offense?
I still believe Hamels, via comments I’ve read will test FA and will be a rental for any team unless the Dodgers get him before the TD.
Blake-
I want Profar or Machado.
Who did you like on the pitching side ?
Bundy looks like a potential stud.
I missed Cole.
Nova was Super last night. He did his homework, realized that the RS are good fastball hitters, and used his full repertoire of pitches to attack him. Garcia led the way by keeping them off balance Saturday.
I still don’t know how the RS are second in the league in runs scored, and amongst the leaders in most offensive categories.
YT-
One of the reasons I like Ivan the Great so much is that he those incredibly good 2ndary pitches.
His FB command was not excellent last night.
He still managed to manhandle the Sux w/o it.
There are numerous other reasons to love the kid bu that is just one.
Phil Hughes. Were you paying attention last night ?
edit :
“has those”. sorry
Blake-
Taijuan Walker was also very impressive.
Can there be any doubt that Valentine was behind Padilla’s comments about Tex? The man is pathetic. I’m really hoping that the Yanks take the season series by a lopsided margin and that the Boston papers give him the tar and feathers treatment.
Do you have a link to the box score of the futures game. I didn’t see it. Are there any Yankees that compare favorably to some of the players who played last night?
YT-
I think Tyler Austin would have put on a good show.
He was scheduled to play but was scratched due to injury.
If you follow the Yankees minors you’ll enjoy this report on the Yankees minor league players of the week. Do we have a lefty starting pitcher that might fast track to the majors before Banuelos? Vidal Nuno?
http://nomaas.org/2012/07/mino.....t-edition/
YT-
Doe he cut hair too ?
Or does he prefer just to give close shaves.
Sorry for changing the subject away from the futures game, but Blake and MTU, after you read the article on the Yankees minor league players of the week, will we possibly have more players that other teams will want other than our top 5 in a trade for a young outfielder. Are many of these players of the week the real deal?
GB-
Are you up?
Time to walk the pupperazzi.
They’re geting restless.
Vidal Nuno:
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats.....pid=573064
Does anyone know (or have any ideas) where Arod’s power has gone?
MTU-
Thanks a lot-now I’ll be talking to myself while you’re gone!
http://www.milb.com/gameday/in.....de=gameday
Trader, here is the box
MTU,
I haven’t got to watch the game yet….I DVR’d it so maybe I will later. There are a bunch of exciting players though and pitchers….Bundy, Skaggs, etc….
Trader,
I don’t know much at all about Nuno….if someone who’s seen him could enlighten that would be great.
“Does anyone know (or have any ideas) where Arod’s power has gone?”
I think some of it is age and some of it is mechanical….he’s just not using his legs like he used and maybe that’s due to the hip and maybe it’s a mechanical thing or a combo of both.
He’s still on pace for 25 or so homers and that’s a lot still….but I think he has more in there in spurts….last night he drove the ball a couple of times like Arod used to do….hit a 420 foot triple and then just missed another homer…..
I don’t know how realistic it is to expect a 37 year old to hit 35-40 homers anymore
Blake-
Thank for the box score. Nik Turley, Vidal Nuno, Rigoberto Arrebato- all lefty pitchers, doing well. Maybe Cashman can still put a package together, without lefty Banuelos in it, to satisfy Towers when Justin Upton is traded in the next few weeks!
I haven’t a clue where his power has gone, but I can’t remember him taking so many called strike 3′s that catch a lot of the plate. Time for a thorough visual exam?
Towers will probably be looking for position players if he deals Upton….Pittsburgh has Marte and Bell and some other guys they could offer…..
For the Yanks I would think Towers would want Gardner for sure so he could slide Young to a corner….then hed probably want Banuelos and another upside hitter at the very least.
Not real sure anyone will want Gardner anymore. This particular injury is troubling in that he had two set-backs in recovering, and he has yet to play a season injury free. His style of play makes him susceptible to repetitive thumb, wrist and elbow injuries.
I want an honest answer, as I have concerns about the bullpen coughing up leads, allowing inherited runners to score, walking leadoff hitters in a close game, etc.
Is there anyone in the bullpen, currently, that you have utmost confidence in, when coming in with runners in scoring position in a close game? That’s not fair-so any that you have confidence in to come in with no-one on base who can get 3 straight outs and make it look easy?
“Not real sure anyone will want Gardner anymore”
I think he still has value but the injuries definitely decrease it….depends on hownteams view it….would you rather have a guy who has proven he can play in the big leagues and is one of the better defenders in baseball but who is a bit fragile….or a prospect who has proven nothing? Probably depends on who is answering that question……
Villa Nova-Ya July 9th, 2012 at 8:53 am
Not real sure anyone will want Gardner anymore.
—————-
The ship may have sailed on selling high for him unless he puts together a stellar second half.. which doesn’t seem likely given that we don’t even know when he’ll be back.
Blake-
The Diamonbacks have lefty speedster and good glove, Gerardo Parra, who can play center. No-one will want Gardner, until he’s proven that he’s 100%
New Post———–>
Yankee Trader -
I’m holding concern in abeyance for now. I think the last 10 days particularly, the BP is just showing that it’s a bit tired. I think the ASB will help and I think CC coming back to the rotation will help. I think DRob is still getting back to 100%. I think Soriano will always give us heart attacks most nights. I think they need to find a solid replacement for Wade (and really, Soriano now that he is in the 9th), which will give the BP back it’s rhythm. I think Joba could be that guy. I’m anxious to here what the report on Aardsma is. He’s seeing the Dr. today.