Postgame notes: “They’re hitting everything”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Aug 06, 2012 
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Joe Girardi left no wiggle room. In fact, he seemed surprised by the question. In the face of overwhelmingly bad starts, is Girardi fully committed to Ivan Nova’s spot in the rotation?
“I mean, yeah,” Girardi said. “This guy has won a lot of ballgames for us so, yeah.”
Nova allowed seven runs on 11 hits tonight. In his previous start, he allowed nine runs on 10 hits. Before that, he walked six guys. Nova’s ERA is above 8.00 since the All-Star break, and he’s won once since June 17. He has allowed at least six earned runs four times this year, three of those coming in his past five starts.
“They’re hitting everything,” Nova said. “It’s not one pitch in particular. They’re hitting everything.”
As he paced around the mound tonight, Nova’s confidence looked shaken, and Girardi pulled him after just 68 pitches. Nova, though, said his confidence is the same as ever. He’s just not making pitches.
“His slider didn’t have much bite to it,” Russell Martin said. “Made a couple of mistakes with that pitch. Tried to get the curveball going too, but then it was a little bit inconsistent. You just really have to rely on your fastball. Against a good offensive team, it’s going to be a tough day, and that’s what happened. … I don’t know if confidence, it’s just executing pitches when you need to. When you get ahead of a hitter 0-2, you try and put him away and you leave a breaking ball over the plate where it gets hit. It’s frustrating. I don’t know if it’s a confidence thing more than just a feel thing on the mound.”
Whatever it is, Nova’s going to have to get it figured out on a big league mound, because the Yankees plan to hand him the ball in five days. Martin and Girardi both specifically mentioned Nova’s slider needing improvement — “When he’s been pitching good he’s had that slider, and lately we haven’t had that,” Martin said — but Nova seemed to think the problem was bigger than a single breaking ball.
“I’m not the only pitcher in baseball who is going through a bad time right now,” Nova said. “I know I’m going to get out of this one. … I’m not worried about (losing a spot in the rotation). I’m not worried about ERA or anything like that. I just want to help the team to win games. That’s the most important thing, help the team to win games. I’m not worrying about ERA. The ERA is more like a personal thing. I want to win games, no matter how, just win games for this team.”
• Justin Verlander is really, really good. Of course, we already knew that, but tonight was a reminder. Verlander matched his career-high with 14 strikeouts, and the only Yankees runs were unearned after Verlander’s own error in the fifth. “We’ve faced him before and we scored, (other times) he’s shut us down,” Derek Jeter said. “Lots of times, great pitchers get a little nastier when they have guys on base. They seem to bear down a little bit. He did that today. We scored those two runs, but the other opportunities, he pitched well. There’s a reason why he’s one of the best in the game. He showed that tonight.”
• The Yankees weren’t too happy with the strike zone early in the game, but afterward, they didn’t seem particularly worked up about it. “It looked like was a bit generous,” Martin said. “But he was pretty consistent on both sides. Verlander just seemed like he was hitting those spots more than we were.”
• Girardi got into a shouting match with home plate umpire Tony Randazzo in the middle of the second inning, and it got a little heated when — according to Girardi — Randazzo stared into the Yankees dugout as if asking for a fight. “I didn’t care for some of the strikes early in the game,” Girardi said. “And we were talking back and forth and he looked at me and stared at me. I don’t get it. When the inning’s over, walk the other way. It’s pretty simple.”
• Tony Pena seemed to be keeping Girardi from being tossed from the game, but Girardi said that wasn’t a huge factor in keeping him calm. “I threw Tony off me pretty easy,” Girardi said. “If I want to go, Tony’s not going to hold me back.”
• The Tigers first two runs came on solo homers by Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera. The fourth-inning shot by Cabrera was a monster, estimated at more than 450 feet to center field.
• The Yankees got their two runs after Verlander dropped the ball while covering first base on what should have been the final out of the fifth inning. Jeter and Robinson Cano followed with RBI hits, but that was the extent of the scoring.
• Jeter had his 43rd multi-hit game. … Cano also had two hits. … Eric Chavez had a terrific game with three hits and a great night in the field. … Martin had the only other Yankees hit. He also reached on an error.
• Joba Chamberlain’s second appearance off the disabled list was much better than his first. Chamberlain allowed two hits and struck out one through 1.2 innings. His fastball reached 97 mph on the stadium gun. “Everything just felt a little rushed in the first one,” Chamberlain said. “Today just felt more compact, more fluid and I was able to throw everything for a strike. Obviously there’s still stuff we have to continue to work on but as far as being able to go out and throw any pitch in any count, I felt really good with it.”
• Last word goes to Nova: “I’m giving up so many runs the last two times, but I still have my confidence up, and I know I can do better than this. I’ve got to work harder than what I’m working, try to make the next one better. … I’m trying to get the pitch, my slider, to what I need it. I’m trying to make pitches, going into the bullpen and thinking like it’s the game, and doing what I’m supposed to do during the game, and then bringing it into the game.”
Associated Press photos
Yu Darvish sucks right now, just thing what will happen when the league figures him out. No matter, Jerkface, Patrick, LGY and company just wasted … oh about .. 6 months of time begging the Yankees to squander 100 million dollars on him.
Mystery meat.
Yu have a 4.57 ERA. Why Yu so stupid?
Hitman…….Where ever our pal GB is right now, I just know he can’t wait to unload on the Darvish season……
Pat M.
Patrick once tried to scold me for doubting Darvish. I called Master Yu “mystery meat” and he posted “Why you so stupid?”
I love when the most arrogant (and frequent) posters make major 100 million dollar blunders. They become easier to talk to.
And half the reason they wanted to squander 100 million on Darvish was because they were desperate to protect Montero and didn’t want to trade away him and his .600′s OPS and DH skillset.
for a pitcher.
Yu isn’t done yet.
Sure, stick with Nova, but if he doesn’t find his command, of all his pitches, not just the slider, he will continue to get pummeled.
Yeah I know but imagine if we spent 100 million on him and he pulled a Kei Igawa impersonation against the Red Sox all while Montero was fumbling around in AAA and Cashman was acting to proud to DFA DH Johnny Damon.
Yu is just in a bad stretch, you gotta stick with him.
Hey, pretty much everyone who wanted Yu –or at least was Yu-curious — still wanted him after January 13th. It just made it much less likely — if it was ever likely — that the Yanks were going to get him.
And don’t forget Abreu and Matsui roaming the corners with Swish and Gardner on the DL.
The bulk of the lobbying for Yu came well before the Montero trade though. They were nervous Montero was going for a pitcher. Yu was deemed savior of the savior. I think that clouded some people’s judgment and made them more interested in an unknown commodity. Every time I came in here it was a Yu-fest. Yu this yu that Yu Yu Yu
Eh, I think people were just really excited about Yu.
As will I be once again once he wins his 13th game. Don’t screw me over, Yu.
And by “don’t screw me over”, over course I mean “I’ve never lost faith in Yu.”
Yu all would be killing cashman ten times over if he signed Yu Darvish with the way he’s pitching now.
Nick check out this video. Bookmark it and watch it with a little help from your friends sometime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLO7tCdBVrA
Yu all would be killing cashman ten times over if he signed Yu Darvish with the way he’s pitching now.
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The people who didn’t want him would, those that wanted him would not.
Yu dare assume a LoHud Fallacy???? Well, maybe some would. I think Yu’s strongest supporters would defend him still.
the thing about YU is this … he is an unknown commodity untested in MLB… texas is already paying him about 100 mil, so if that talent is realized it’s still not a huge bargain as oppose to a guy like cepedes or a chapman. There are other variants in evaluating Yu. but the end of day, it’s move that’s debatable in terms of risk and reward. Yanks drop the ball on the younger and cheaper dudes is what I am saying.
I wanted Cespedes at first but some here changed my mind about him. After first seeing his YouTube though I was struck by his raw talent. i got too cynical about him. Pat M. nailed that one.
Hitman…….It’s not that we’ve all misread a player’s skill and usefulness ( some here like to remind me of my fondness for Randy Winn and how he’d contribute ), but it’s the matter of fact smugness that is tough to handle at times……..Pruff tonight and his ragging on Martin’s error tonight and he immediately pulls Montero into it as if that is going to illustrate his point…….The only point he’s making is that he still over value’s a back-up / partime catcher who would be in the minors if he wasn’t playing for a very bad ballclub……..Darvish has talent, but to think he’s coming to the Big Leagues throwing 20 different pitches of which none can be counted on for strikes……..You just know that some in the Rangers Front Office are still shaking there heads over letting CJ walking and spending over 100 million on the Japanese Rock Star…….
Pat M.
I hear ya. It’s one thing to be wrong, quite another to be smug and wrong. I enjoy reminding them when they misfire … doesn’t seem to humble them though … strange.
Pruff has set himself up for a giant body slam. He took the Montero stuff so far that he can’t walk it back. The guy had a meltdown and just slung insults at anyone who tried to steer him towards this thing I like to call reality.
Yu probably just needs to adjust, realize that US major league players are not going to swing at some pitches players in the Japanese league would.
I’m still wondering when Pruff’s boner for Betances is gonna go soft.
Yu will still shuuto up a lot of doubters, I
thinkhope.Hitman……..Said this before, Betances will see Yankee Stadium more in road uni’s greay than in Pinstripes……Yu Darvish will be or can be the best of the Japanese pitchers that have crossed the Pacific…….Nomo and Kuroda were able to make the adjustments and have had great success…..Darvish has more talent in his arm than either of the two I mentioned……..The key is making it work against the best hitters in the world …….
Yu carved up the Yankees pretty bad earlier in the season. I liked the logic of signing him, Cespedes and Soler as big middle finger to MLB for putting the clamps down on Intl. Free Agents. It was just money and our team is made of it and charges through the nose to support it in person and in carriage fees/advertising rates on YES.
Crowing about him being a bust is a bit premature just as it’s premature to say Pineda will come back with the stuff he had in the 1st half of 2011 in Seattle after having major shoulder surgery.
That said, I’m more upset we passed on Cespedes and Chapman. Both of those players would’ve owned NY. Could you imagine the frenzy Cespedes would be generating in our OF for the next 5 years or so? Short sighted to pass up on both of them over the past few years when we paid guys like Marte, AJ & Pedro Feliciano not to pitch for us.
Darvish is doing the same stuff that Matsuzaka did when he came over. hes nibbling and not attacking hitters.
sticking with Nova is dumb. all the base runners he puts on are finally coming around to score. its not rocket science. everyone forgets that this guy is someone that the Yankees let go to San Diego in the Rule 5 draft. its not live Nova was some sort of super prospect. his ceiling has always been a back end of the rotation candidate. at this rate i would bump him out of the rotation when Andy comes back and leave Garcia.
I like Nova but two more starts like this one and he should be replaced by David Phelps.
No way would I entrust him with a slot in the postseason rotation the way he’s been pitching lately. I think the ALDS rotation will be Sabathia/Kuroda/Pettitte/Hughes (L/R/L/R) no matter what Nova does from hereonin unless Pettitte doesn’t come back, Kuroda sucks, or Hughes sucks, so why not give Phelps a 3-4 starts look?
This offense is fraudulent: they can smack around 3, 4, and 5 starters but can’t touch 1s or 2s e.g. King Felix and The Big V (Verlander.) They better start touching a 1 or 2 at some point or they will be swept or eliminated in four games in the ALDS and if they are, it’s firing time – Cashman, Girardi, Girardi’s entire crew – and time to blow up this team. I’m talking trade Cano and Granderson, say goodbye to Swisher, Ibanez, Jones, Martin et.al., tell Jeter next year is his last as a shortstop, tell A-Rod he’s not wanted anymore and to accept a buyout or be benched so he never ties or breaks the homerun record (a $12M savings, $18M if he doesn’t reach 714 homeruns) etc.
Enough with Granderson in the leadoff slot. He is a homerun or nothing strikeout machine who can’t hit for average or get on base. He’s 2002-03 Soriano with worse BA.
Duh Innings II……Kuroda sucks ?????Hughes sucks ????? Keep in mind that Hughes was lights out vs. Verlander a few months ago and the Yanks smacked Justin V. around……..You come here ripping and ragging on guys yet you offer no input as to improving the club
“tell A-Rod he’s not wanted anymore and to accept a buyout or be benched so he never ties or breaks the homerun record ”
You keep posting this nonsense. You do realize that ALL MLB contracts are guaranteed, don’t you? Why would A-Rod accept even $1 less then he is owed under the terms of his contract. You could bench him. You could cut him. Doesn’t matter. You still have to pay him. So he has to wait 5/6 years to get every last dollar he is owed. He would care why? He is going to wait that long even if he is playing. Tell me what A-Rod gets out of this “buy out”. And why he would even consider it? Simple logic should tell you that A-Rod (and Boras) would laugh right in your face.
Granderson has the second highest batting average on the team with runners in scoring position, and the highest ops w/risp. The complaining about his strikeouts here is excessive.
jacksquat…..I’m am and have been a Curtis Granderson fan since 2006…..That being said for the betterment of the club going foward, they need to see what he’d bring back in a trade……He’s going to be expensive come December 2013……
Pat M.
I agree that Granderson should probably be shopped this winter. I think that the major drawback is how much would be coming back in the deal. Granderson is owed $13M next year (the Yankees would obviously have to pick up his option before any trade). How much is a one year rental (because that is what it would be) of a $13M Granderson worth to another club? I just can not see a lot coming back in that deal. Cashman should certainly make the phone calls. I just have doubts about how much of a return we might get. Some think he is worth a haul of prospects. I disagree. Not for a one year rental. But if the Jay’s can trade Vernon Wells (and get players back) anything is possible.
I’m not saying they should resign or extend him, it would probably be too much given his age. I probably wouldn’t trade him though as I don’t think with only one year left he would bring enough back.
Just saying people here make too much of his k’s. He’s a good player, even with that fault.
Good morning.
Tough stretch here for Ivan Nova. I hope he can re-find his slider. Jeter is right; everyone goes through something like this at one time or another. Key is to come out the other side of it.
I wonder if Granderson does not have much more value to the Yankees than he’d have elsewhere. Other clubs will surely look at that short port in YS, and whether it’s valid or not, they will attribute some of his HRs to that. With fewer HRs, the strikeouts are not as dismissible, I’d think. Anyhow, I have to confess I’d like Curtis to stick around.
Don’t know what to make of this season, and trying not to think too hard or delve to deeply, and just enjoy the highs and not get too bummed by the lows. Taking more and more breaks from the Lohud and from watching the Yankees on TV from pre-game through post-game, which helps to refresh the perspective. It makes me think of some works of art – get too close and it’s just a bunch of dots that don’t make much sense. Step away, even just a little, and it’s a masterpiece.
The short port – also known as the short porch. SMH
Opposing hitters are hitting. 291 off Nova.
Yanks have lost 11 of 16. You wipe last nights game asay…..verlanser was dominant…..but its time to start winning games and playing better.
They need more professional ABs from people besides Jeter, Cano, and Chavez
Let’s hope we can get it going tonight……Verlander can’t pitch them all
Folks say BA doesnt matter.
The Yanks have 3 hitters hitting above .260 (Jeter, Cano, chavez)……..
If pitchers dont walk them and somebody doesnt hit a 3 run homer then they really struggle……
Nova lost the game last night …..but this offense needs help….it needed it before Alex got hurt but now it really does
Nova lost the game last night …..but this offense needs help….it needed it before Alex got hurt but now it really does
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I agree…….too bad there wasn’t someone in the minors that they could bring up to give them a spark…..a la Shane Spencer
Ichiro has zero walks since becoming a Yankee…..he never has walked much but if he cant get hits at a rate like he used then maybe he should take a few pitches and just try to get on base.
I am afraid that Ichiro won’t change his ways….he has never walked much…….he clearly doesn’t belong at the top of the order as some on here have espoused……….he does improve our defense and he can run a little………….let’s hope he can get on a roll hitting………
I find Bret’s chest pounding regarding Darvish incredibly ironic given the number of moronic trade and FA pickup suggestions he’s demanded on this board over the last few years.
Speaking of $100M+ disasters, I wonder if Carl Crawford rings a bell.
Verlander does get a lot of calls……umpires definitely buy into the reputation
One thing about Yu is that he never experienced failure before……hes getting a taste now as hes finding out how good big league hitters are.
the only pitchers that deserve to have $100M spent on them are proven pitchers in ML…….Japanese League success is not an indication of success in the Majors
Time for Hughes to continue his recent form and be the stoppah again here. Big test for Hughes….chance to show hes arrived…..
Go get em Hughes !
Yanks have lost 11 of 16.
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when do we start to consider this a trend and not just a slump?
There probably isnt anything they can do about it now…..and there may not have been at the deadline either without greatly over paying…..but Cashman has some decisions and work to do this winter.
His job is to prevent the Yankees from becoming the Phillies…..to orevent them getting old more quickly than they can refresh…..now a big part of that is keeping prospects …..but the prospects do have to do their part in that for it to work.
They need to get younger in the lineup…..they need more balanced hitters that can hit for some average and routinely make solid contact…..the book is out on how to beat them……dont walk them and make homers solos….
Cashman needs to inject some youth and more variety into their offensive attack this winter….the rub of course is doing it inside Hal’s budget and doing it without gutting the farm system…..not going to be an easy task.
Love Jeter…..but they cant count on him hitting. 315 again bext year…..cant count on Alex to stay healthy a year older…..cant count on Granderson or Tex to imlrove.much given that they are exiting their prime years……..youve started seeing chinks in the offense the last couple of years…..Cashman needs to prevent the collapse.
Big problem is the Orioles are winning with their young pitching prospects. Who is our best AAA starter right now? Ramon Ortiz? I’m not picking on one individual player (besides Granderson), but the Yankees may fail to miss the playoffs altogether. Tampa will make a run with Longoria, no doubt about it.
Longoria will help but hes not going to make their other 8 hitters be any better…..Im.not really worried about the Rays or the Orioles to be honest…..
I think the Yanks will hold them off for the division but how they stack up in a playoff series Im not sure……..
I think they can pitch with the teams they will play…..Sabathia, Kuroda, Petttite, Hughes would be a pretty good playoff rotation …..
but I do have concerns about whether they can score runs consistently enough to win a series when theyll face a good pitcher every game
Good morning.
Nova looked good except for the two solo homers the 1st 4 innings. He had 5 ground ball outs and no fly outs-except for those two homers, one of which was just reported to have landed on Mars by the Mars lander Curiosity.
I also noticed the Yankees have three players with an average over .260. They also are the oldest team in the MLB. That is not a recipe for long term, or perhaps short term, success. Trouble looms. Their upper level minor leaguers aren’t going to provide much trade material or replacement ability and decent free agents will require actual money in 2014 as well.
YT,
Nova looked good the first inning. After that he got shelled again.
“Nova looked good except for the two solo homers the 1st 4 innings. He had 5 ground ball outs and no fly outs-except for those two homers, one of which was just reported to have landed on Mars by the Mars lander Curiosity.”
Nah….he was in the middle of thr plate all game….gave up 11 hits……hes hanging the slider and just throwing too many fastballs down the middle.
Honestly hes pitching a lot like AJ used to with the Yankees…..ok a lot of the game but just a few periods where he makes bad pitches and it kills him…..Nova doesnt have much deception….guys see the ball well out of his hand so if hes not on the corners and down sinking the ball then he gets hammered…….and when he doesnt have the good slider to keep guys off his fastball it just makes it worse.
Our best AAA starter is 38 yo Ramon Ortiz a soft tosser.
Pettitte might not be back now until mid September. One key to the Yankees getting to the playoffs will be how well the bullpen holds up, especially if the starters can’t give quality starts. We saw what happened last year with the Braves, who had the best bullpen in the majors and tanked.
Tex struck out 3 times and left 5 men on base. It didn’t even look like they were using the shift on anyone last night. I guess when you have the strikeout king mowing down about 2/inning you practically don’t need the 7 other players behind you!
“Tex struck out 3 times and left 5 men on base. It didn’t even look like they were using the shift on anyone last night.”
Tex had no chance last night…..he was having to start early to get to he fastball and Verlander just ate him alive with CUs…..
Austinmac-
Nova did strike out the side in the second……………after Fielder torched him.
The 3rd inning was clean 1-2-3
The 4th inning SO-Cabrera crushes one-unnerved he hits Fielder-DP.
OK Good was a bit exaggerated!
Ichiro had no.chance either…..Verlander used that backdoor curveball to perfection on him and the way Ichiro bails he just couldnt do anything with it.
Those are the only 3 times Ichiro has Kd as a Yankee……stilk hasnt walked yet.
Why aren’t they using Phelps to caddy Nova or Garcia’s starts again? I recall the rotation stepping up when Andy came into the fold.. maybe these guys just need a little fire under them. I don’t think it would hurt to let Nova know there are other guys nipping at his heels.