Pregame notes: “We’re a different lineup”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Lineup on Oct 08, 2012 
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There was a point in the season — it wasn’t so long ago, and it wasn’t limited to a game or two — when the Yankees looked awful against left-handed pitchers. Alex Rodriguez was hurt, then Mark Teixeira went down. Andruw Jones wasn’t hitting, and neither were the Steve Pearce and Casey McGehee fill-ins. Ichiro Suzuki hadn’t gotten hot yet, Robinson Cano’s splits were surprisingly bad, and the Yankees had learned to limit Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez’s at-bats to right-handers.
Tonight, they’re facing a lefty, and a guy with 43 home runs is batting eighth.
“Our lineup’s deep, and we got some guys back,” Girardi said. “Against the lefty, we put (Granderson) in the eighth slot. This is a guy who’s produced a lot of runs for us, and we feel we’re pretty deep. … I think Tex makes a big difference in that. Ichiro had a great month against lefties in September. Swish is starting to hit lefties again, and Alex has hit them all year for the most part. Jeet hits them. So I think we’re a different lineup. And Russell’s really swung the bat, and it helps.”
Three things that have made a significant difference against lefties:
1. Rodriguez and Teixeira have good numbers against lefties this season — yes, even Rodriguez — and when they were hurt, it made Cano’s vLHP struggles all the more noticeable. Getting those two healthy brings some middle-of-the-lineup punch back into the mix.
2. Ichiro came to the Yankees with horrible numbers against left-handers, but his down-the-stretch surge included significant improvement against lefties. He’s been wildly successful against them with the Yankees — .397/.406/.574 — which keeps Jones out of the lineup, and which lengthens the lineup. If Ichiro is good enough to bat second, Nick Swisher can stay in an RBI spot, and Martin can add on-base percentage and slugging percentage to the bottom third.
3. Second chances are good. Eduardo Nunez wasn’t playing much when he first got his September call-up, but as the Yankees slowly gave up on Jones, they opened some DH at-bats for a guy who can hit but can’t always field. Nunez can be a dynamic player, and his bat is especially interesting at the bottom of this order. There’s a reason he made the postseason roster, and it’s for games like this.
“He’s done a good job in these situations,” Girardi said. “He’s swung the bat pretty well against left handers for us lately, so that’s why we have him here.”
• Carp is going to host another in-game chat during tonight’s game. Just like last night, the chat will be posted just below the game post, so stop by and bug him a little bit during the game.
• The Yankees faced the Orioles 18 times this season. Andy Pettitte didn’t pitch in any of those games. “It is unusual when you face a team 18 times and your Game 2 starter hasn’t seen them all year,” Girardi said. Is that an advantage for Pettitte tonight? “I sure hope so,” Girardi said.
• Didn’t come up after last night’s game, and it probably goes without saying, but Ichiro was running on his own when he tried to steal third base in the first inning last night. “You’ve got to be safe, that’s the bottom line,” Girardi said. Did he talk to Ichiro about it? “He knows,” Girardi said. “I could see it when he came in. He understands the game. This guy has played the game a long time. I could see it in his face. I wasn’t going to put anything on top of that.”
• Why would such a veteran player make such an easily understood, well-known mistake? “If you can get there, go ahead,” Girardi said. “But sometimes players make reads that aren’t as good as others. It happens.”
• Girardi said he was planning to send CC Sabathia back to the mound in last night’s ninth inning even if the game were still tied. Not that it matters, just kind of interesting.
• Random story from the New York Post, which is reporting that Maryland state troopers doing security during last night’s game actually asked Nick Swisher and Derek Jeter for autographs during last night’s ninth inning. “That I didn’t see,” Girardi said. “My focus is on the field. That shouldn’t happen.”
• Girardi said he hasn’t decided whether the Yankees will have a workout tomorrow. They might just take a full day off. If they do workout, it will likely be in the late afternoon.
ORIOLES
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Davis RF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Mark Reynolds 1B
Jim Thome DH
Manny Machado 3B
Robert Andino 2B
Associated Press photo
this is what happens when the team is healthy…sort of like their 10 game winning streak.
repost: nick did you get my order, meaning did you receive it from me?
So Christian Garcia is shutting down the Cards in relief? Hitting 97 on the gun? Along with Tyler Clippard, Quintana and George Kontos, there are a lot of talented Yankee farmhands pitching for other organizations.
Garcia looks like he has some good movement, seemed like he had some trouble locating though.
Why all the hate for the Cardinals on here?
Why all the hate for the Cardinals on here?
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sounds like a local thing…
this game is going to be played in the rain
This Chen guy is probably the worst of their 4 starters. He’s given up 4 runs or more in 6 of his last 10 starts, 13 HRs in his last 10 starts, hasn’t pitched 6 innings in half of those starts, and has an ERA around 5 since August.
Also has a 5.25 ERA in 4 starts against the Yanks this year.
Remember when playoff threads used to have thousands of posts and had to be broken into 3 separate threads?
Yankees
“The players on this team are very mature and very ?? adult. I’ve always wanted this type of atmosphere before coming to America.” – Ichiro
Remember when playoff threads used to have thousands of posts and had to be broken into 3 separate threads?”
Yea but 2/3 of them were pre-registration trolls
pat October 8th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Yankees
“The players on this team are very mature and very ?? adult. I’ve always wanted this type of atmosphere before coming to America.” – Ichiro
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there were talks in the past about him coming to the Yankees
Yea but 2/3 of them were pre-registration trolls
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Erica’s shower rallies > trolls
I don’t know why the regulars haven’t returned. Most of the trolls are long gone.
Davey Johnson said a couple weeks ago that the Nats are going to try to convert Christian Garia back into a starter for 2013.
I know there are a bunch of regulars who will not return because of a problem in the past with computer hacking. And yes, preregistration we had trolls and multiples of multiples!
When the Yanks make the World Series, you’ll probably have even more posters because there are some fans who are total frontrunners.
Last night didn’t really call for multiple threads because there wasn’t that much that happened in the game to call for a lot of frenzy (thank God!)
Can’t wait for tonight game… but pretty bummed out that the Texans play at the same time. We finally get a pimetime game and it has to be during a Yankees game. Oh well. We get the packers for sunday night football week 6.
Lets go Yankees and Texans! big monday night.
this has nothing to do with playoff baseball but, it is just too darn cute not to pass along…
Felix Hernandez ?@RealKingFelix
Just like his daddy pic.twitter.com/IUTGUgMr
realkevin, just posted the same in the preceding thread. Garcia’s arsenal is certainly good enough if he can stay healthy.
And probably a little rusty, b/c he hadn’t pitched in 5 days.
Someone said it would start at 7:37pm.
False. Tonites game will have rain delay.
Wed.’s game is 7:37; tonight’s was supposed to be 8:07.
Good evening everyone,
Hi YF,
Yup, the 09 team was much better than this one..Also a lot more fun to watch..But the comments I was referring were directed at how people posted about that 09 team here..I can’t comment on that since I wasn’t here then
@WheresKernan: Leyland on ending kiss controversy: “Everybody always says I’m from the old school, so I’d have probably hugged at first.”
Hah
Hi luis! how are you holding up? QFT about 2009. Any knowledgeable person knew had good that team was from the get go.
Fall league starts tomorrow. I wish it were televised.
Triple Short of a Cycle October 8th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Why all the hate for the Cardinals on here?
————————————————-
I have a great dislike for the overrated Cardinal fanbase. And their team that sneaks in as a wild card and gets hot for 20 games.
Hilarious quote by Leyland. If I could choose any current manager to manage my team, I’d choose him.
How’s Balt. weather?
Carp was delightful in last night’s chat. Plus e gets to filter the crazies.
Tyler says:
October 8, 2012 at 7:42 pm
Hilarious quote by Leyland. If I could choose any current manager to manage my team, I’d choose him.”
I do like Leyland….and I’ve tried to hate Verlander but I just can’t….he’s too awesome to hate.
Here we go again. Another rain delay.
YF!,
Still baffled and in disbelief…I know more today about what happened, but this isn’tthe place to discuss it…I will e-mail you with some details
If you want of course!
Yankeefem, my bad didn’t see your other post. In any case it is somewhat depressing watching Garcia with another team because his stuff is electric. But I’m happy for him and hope he does well, he has had to overcome a lot. And I can’t totally blame the Yanks for cutting him loose because he really had trouble staying healthy.
With the announced delay, I ain’t going to see much of the game tonight, have to get up too early tomorrow.
Boot our boys home, believers. Let’s go, Yanks, and pitch lights out, Andy. 28!
YANKEES AT ORIOLES IN CURRENTLY IN A RAIN DELAY
And what else is new?
That’s why Baltimore sucks
Luis, of course I want, please do.
Realkev, I too am thrilled for Garcia, and I don’t blame the Yanks. However, there was some thought that we’d bring him back after rehab, so of course I wanted that outcome.
I am not too thrilled about Andy having to sit around.
That is quite surprising… I have never heard of that before reading your post!
It makes me quite puzzled and angry too!
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