It would be evident to the most novice of baseball fans that Robinson Cano made a bad play in the seventh inning. He was too far away from Derek Jeter to try that flip. The error opened the door to an awful 7-6 loss.
Joe Girardi knows this, he has to. He’s been in baseball all his life.
But in another moment that strained his credibility as manager, Girardi refused to criticize Cano. In fact, he compared him to future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, saying Cano has a “smoothness” to his game.
Kim Jones of the YES Network, much to her credit, did not let the comment skate by and asked a series of questions about the play. Girardi repeated the same theme.
Here is the audio:
I get that a manager doesn’t want to be truthful about injuries, most of them are that way. You want to be positive after a loss, that’s also understandable.
But when a player botches a game in front of 53,273 fans and hundreds of thousands of others on television, you can’t pretend it’s OK and then compare him to one of the best second basemen ever to put on spikes.
In any sport, the manager or coach has to be credible. He’s the face of the organization. Yankees fans are not stupid.
Meanwhile, Cano left the clubhouse without speaking to reporters. Derek Jeter, Darrell Rasner, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and Edwar Ramirez all made themselves available and he did not.
Part of being a big leaguer is being accountable, especially when you sign a $30 million contract extension before the season. Teammates hate that. If Alex Rodriguez can stand there and talk about his bad day, so can Robinson Cano.
Bad performances all around today. Third place is not an accident.
Notes: The Yankees have won two straight and five of their last seven. … They remain 10.5 out in the division and six out in the wild card. … The Yankees have not finished 10 or more games out of first place since 1992 when they were 76-86 and finished 20 games behind the Blue Jays. … Roy Halladay goes tomorrow for Toronto against Andy Pettitte.
A-ROD IN AUGUST: Alex Rodriguez is 23 of 95 this month (.242) with five homers and 14 RBI. He has grounded into 10 double plays and struck out 29 times.
G.O.A.T (GREATEST OF ALL TIME): Mariano Rivera has allowed one hit and no runs in his last 8.2 innings. He has walked one and struck out seven.
WELCOME BACK: Now that he has recovered from the injury to his elbow (shhh), Damaso Marte has thrown three scoreless innings in his last four outings. He hasn’t allowed a hit.
ROUGHED-UP RASNER: Rasner is 1-5, 6.22 in his last 11 games. In 55 innings he has allowed 77 hits (10 HR) and 21 walks.
OUT OF SIGHT: Wilson Betemit has one at-bat since Aug. 17.
VERAS VERY BAD: Jose Veras in his last nine appearances: 8 innings, 12 hits, 8 runs, 8 earned runs, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts, 2 home runs.
RACE IS ON: The team leaders in RBI are Abreu (82), Giambi (82) and A-Rod (79).
Joba threw 35 pitches off the mound this morning to Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom. There were no breaks, 35 pitches straight through.
No swings were allowed until after 10 pitches. Neither batter had a hit. Joba had poor control out of the wind but when he missed, he missed low.
He threw two curveballs for strikes, one beauty to Gardner on his 30th pitch. To my semi-educated eye, he looked like he needed some more work because of the rust. Another bullpen session could fix that.
Joe Girardi, of course, revealed nothing about what Chamberlain will do next. Joba said he’s ready to be activated. All Girardi would say is that Joba would be going on the road trip. So if nothing else, we know he’s probably not headed to Scranton or Trenton any time soon.
I’ll upload some Joba audio later on. He and I chatted a little bit after the cameras were off. I asked him whether he could come back and be himself on the mound, challenging hitters with his fastball and being aggressive. “You know me,” he said. “I’m going to let it eat.”
UPDATE, 12:47 p.m.: Here is Joba Chamberlain’s interview after he threw BP:
UPDATE, 1:15 p.m.: Great note from the Yankees today in the pre-game notes (via the Elias Sports Bureau): Carl Pavano went 1,221 days between victories at Yankee Stadium. The last Yankees pitcher to go so many days between wins while pitching for no other big league team in the interim was Tommy Byrne, who went 1,751 days between wins from 1943-1948.
Byrne’s reason? He was fighting World War II.
The Idle, he’s historic.
UPDATE, 1:21 p.m.: Sweet catch for Vernon Wells. He went a long way for that ball.
UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: They’re stopping the game to present Alex with the ball for getting a hit with a runner in scoring position. It’s a very touching cermony. Mayor Bloomberg gave him a key to the city, Challenger the Eagle is soaring across the field and the Harlem Boys Choir is singing.
UPDATE, 1:29 p.m.: And Giambi comes through as well. Amazing. I wonder how often those two have had back-to-back hits with RISP? Not often enough, that’s for sure.
2-0 Yankees and Rasner didn’t up a run in the first inning like he usually does. Looks good so far.
UPDATE, 1:43 p.m.: The Artist Formerly Known As Pudge Rodriguez has 5 hits in his last 38 at-bats and is hitless in the last 10.
UPDATE, 1:51 p.m.: Darrell Rasner has faced 10 hitters through 3 innings. 26 pitches/22 strikes
UPDATE, 2:08 p.m.: And Darrell Rasner is back. Alex Rios rolls a single into left and Vernonm Wells drops a ball onto the net above the retired numbers beyond the fence in left. Now it’s 2-2.
Rasner has allowed 11 HR in his last 59 innings.
UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: Now this is funny. Johnny Damon caught a fly ball to end the inning. As he always does, he turned to throw the ball into the bleachers. But his throw was short and hit the black-and-orange Canon sign on the front of the stands.
The fans out there booed ad Damon threw his hands up. Just a guess, he’ll bring a ball out there next inning and make it up to them.
I’m sure many of you know this. But Johnny is great with fans, especially kids. He’s a tremendous guy and he plays hard every day.
UPDATE, 2:19 p.m.: Cano goes the short way, dumps one over the fence in right and it’s 3-2 Yankees.
UPDATE, 2:20 p.m.: Hey everybody, it’s Pudge Rodriguez. He jacks one over the fence in left and the Yankees lead 4-2.
He has seven on the season (really?) and two for the Yankees. Both his pinstriped RBI have come on solo homers.
It’s the 10th time the Bombers have gone back-to-back (and belly-to-belly).
UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: 1-2-3 inning for Rasner. That’s what he needed. If they can get two more innings out of him, he’ll have done better than they could have hoped.
UPDATE, 2:42 p.m.: Bases loaded, one out, up 4-2. This is where you need to drive a stake into the heart of the Blue Jays. This will be an interesting at-bat for Xavier Nady.
UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: And he fouls out to first base. Up to Godzilla with two outs now. He needs a hit badly, he’s been struggling since coming off the DL.
UPDATE, 2:47 p.m.: And Matsui rips one into the right-field corner for a double. Big hit for him and the Yankees. Gets ahead in the count, keeps his hands back and gets a fastball he can drive. The man knows his business.
UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: The Met Life Countdown continues to be a letdown. The lever today was pulled by two people who were described as “loyal fans at Yankee Stadium for many years.” No names were on the scoreboard. Apparently one of the women is blind and has come to the Stadium for many years. That’s nice to recognize her. But how about explaining it better?
How can a team with as much tradition as the Yankees have botched this thing so badly? It’s really quite simple. You make a list of the games, the dates and what number will be on the countdown. You then figure out what retired players either wore that number or did something significant on that day.
You fly that player in, let him pull the lever, the fans enjoy seeing him and then that guy tells everybody how great the Stadium was. Everybody’s happy. It becomes a special moment every day.
Instead it’s been a series of people nobody knows, YES announcers or insurance company executives. Only once in a while is it a former player or celebrity and that’s only because that person happened to be at the park that day.
I know I rant about this all the time. But I really hoped that this final season at the Stadium would be a lot like what the Cardinals did at Busch Stadium, something cool every day. Instead it has been just another year at the ballpark outside of the All-Star Game.
Thousands of people came to the ballpark today for the last time. They deserved something special.
UPDATE, 3:18 p.m.: Man, Cano drives you crazy. 6-2 game, just make the simple play. Now Toronto is a swing away from tying it.
Meanwhile, given Rasner’s history, Girardi should have had somebody warming up to start the inning. Rasner hasn’t completed seven innings since June 6.
UPDATE, 3:25 p.m.: Here’s the other issue with this inning: You need to try and keep Mariano Rivera on the bench today. He has worked multiple innings two days in a row and should not pitch today.
Cano’s error opens the door to a close game in the ninth. What happens then?
UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.: Rasner pitched better than his line. But in the end, he allows four earned runs over six innings and that’s not any good.
Blame Cano for part of it. But Girardi should have been in a position to pull him after Lind singled. When it unravels for Rasner, it usually happens fast.
Meanwhile, A-Rod struck out and the crowd booed. We’re getting back to 2006 A-Rod hate levels now. Booing today is unfair, he had an RBI single in the first inning.
UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: Wow, League is nasty. He’s hitting 98 and sinking it.
UPDATE, 3:52 p.m.: I suppose there is a way this ends well, but I don’t see it. Ramirez needs two strikeouts here. Wells has good speed at third.
Up 6-2 in the seventh inning, you need to put the game away. This is some pretty awful baseball by the Yankees. But this is why they’re in third place.
UPDATE, 3:55 p.m.: Now it’s 6-6. Toronto has six hits (and counting) in the last two innings.
UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: The crowd is really getting ugly here. Cano was booed before, during and after his at-bat.
A 6-2 lead, facing Roy Halladay tomorrrow and you let the game get away? This would be a brutal loss.
UPDATE, 4:24 p.m.: A-Rod either wins it or ends it, right? That is usually how it goes.
UPDATE, 4:28 p.m.: Jeter gives them a chance. Great play by Rios to keep that to a single.
UPDATE, 4:29 p.m.: It always comes down to A-Rod. Amazing.
I bet he wins it. He’s due for one of those.
UPDATE, 4:32 p.m.: GIDP. They’re booing Alex like he’s the Son of Sam. Unreal. 11 GIDPs this month,
Notes: The Yankees start the day 10.5 games out in the division and seven out in the wild card. … The Yankees are 6-8 against Boston this season. … According to Cool Standings, the Yankees have a 2.3 percent shot of making the playoffs. … The Yankees will not take BP today. The players did not have to report until 11:30 a.m.
MOOSE TRACKS: Mike Mussina is 1-2, 5.52 against the Red Sox this season but pitched well in his last start against them, throwing six shutout innings on July 5. This the first of seven possible starts remaining in the season for Mussina as he tries to win 20 games for the first time in his career.
LESTER’S LINE: Lester is 2-0 against the Yankees this season. In 16 innings he has allowed 14 hits, two earned runs, walked three and struck out 16. He is coming off his worst start of the season. Lester lasted 2.1 innings against the Blue Jays on Saturday, giving up seven runs on eight hits.
RUNDOWN: The Yankees are on a pace to score 738 runs. That would be 185 fewer than last season.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 10:27 a.m.: RHP Alfredo Aceves is in the clubhouse and has apparently been called up. No move has been announced. Presumably he will be in the rotation this weekend.
UPDATE, 11:53 a.m.: RHP Dave Robertson was optioned to AAA Scranton. He can return in 10 days or when their season is over. … Aceves is here to pitch in relief but Brian Cashman said they seem him as a starter and that he could start at some point this season.
Joba threw 45 pitches in the bullpen. His next step will be throwing batting practice on Saturday before the game against the Jays. At that point, he could be cleared to pitch in relief in a game.
So it’s posssible he could be in the big leagues sometime next week.
UPDATE, 12:33 p.m.: Here is a good portion of Brian Cashman’s session with the media today. He talked about the state of the team, Alfredo Aceves and some other matters.
UPDATE, 12:39 p.m.: Here is Joe Girardi’s pre-game press conference.
UPDATE, 12:42 p.m.: Alfredo Aceves wanted No. 91 because he was a fan of the Chicago Bulls and Dennis Rodman. “But I’m not nuts,” he said.
Aceves seems like a very personable guy who was thrilled to be here. He has gone from the Mexican League to playing in the majors in less than a year. It’s a nice story.
The Yankees purchased five players from Monterey last winter. Aceves cost them $450,000, of which he received 25 percent.
Cashman also is excited about lefty Manuel Banuelos, who is 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA in the Gulf Coast League.
UPDATE, 1:09 p.m.: It’s 80 degrees at first pitch, a picture-perfect day in the Boogie Down. The stands aren’t quite full yet, but they will be. The Moose going for No. 17.
Enjoy the game. We’ll keep you updated here from time to time.
UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.: The Yankees waste singles by Jeter and Abreu. They are 2 for 17 with RISP in this series with 18 LOB in 19 innings. When you have a chance to get to a pitcher like Lester, you have to take advantage of it.
UPDATE, 1:46 p.m.: Cody Ransom up, pressure on. He’s 2 for 2 with two home runs.
UPDATE, 1:49 p.m.: They hit him. Chickens.
UPDATE, 2:21 p.m.: Moose and Lester are each pitching gems.
Moose: 4 1 0 0 2 3
Lester: 4 3 0 0 0 5
Jason Kidd in the house. No gold medal around his neck, however.
UPDATE, 2:31 p.m.: That HBP of Cora (on a 1-2 pitch) opened up the inning for Boston and now the Yankees trail 2-0.
They could have gotten away with one run but Cano was a indecisive for a split-second on Ellsbury’s grounder and he avoided a double play.
UPDATE, 2:41 p.m.: The countdown lever was pulled by “four long-standing team employees” who were introduced without mention of their title or anything else. The crowd did not seem to notice. Another special moment here at the Stadium.
UPDATE, 2:51 p.m.: Dustin Pedroia just ran on the grass from second to third to avoid being tagged by A-Rod but wasn’t called out. The Yankees complained to no avail
Big spot for Moose to try and keep at 2-0. Two outs, runners at second and third.
UPDATE, 2:54 p.m.: He strikes out Kotsay. Big out. Now the Yankees have to get something going with the top of the order.
UPDATE, 3:06 p.m.: Another big day for Clutch-Rod. 0 for 3, two Ks and a foul pop. He has left four runners on base, two in scoring position.
The crowd booed loud and long.
UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.: Great job by Mike Mussina this afternoon. Seven innings, five hits, two runs, two walks and six strikeouts. But he’s down 2-0.
UPDATE, 3:34 p.m.: Jeter is 3 for 3, Ransom is 1 for 2. The rest of the Yankees are 1 for 19 with seven strikeouts.
UPDATE, 3:36 p.m.: Now hitting for Molina, The Big G. This would be a good spot to put one in the upper deck.
UPDATE, 3:38 p.m.: Out to center works, too. Damn, he crushed that pitch. 2-2 and the Moose is off the hook.
UPDATE, 3:41 p.m.: Moose is done (I believe he was at 113 pitches) and Brian Bruney is on. Pudge is catching and The Big G at first.
UPDATE, 3:58 p.m.: Good job by Girardi in the 8th inning, using his rested relievers to get through the heart of Boston’s order.
Now Terry Francona will try rookie Justin Masterson against A-Rod again. He got Alex to GIDP with a slider on Tuesday night. He’ll be hammering him with sliders again. Masterson is sort of their Joba in that he’ll pitch out of the ‘pen the rest of the season and then start in 2009.
This would be vintage A-Rod, to climb back from a horrid day and hammer the game-winner.
UPDATE, 4:03 p.m.: A-Rod fans on a 3-2 pitch. The crowd is letting him have it.
He’s 2 for 13 in the series with 5 Ks, two GIDPs and one RBI.
UPDATE, 4:13 p.m.: To the bottom of the ninth tied 2-2. Nady, Cano and Matsui due up. Masterson remains on the mound. He’s pretty nasty but somebody could pop one here.
Let’s see … how about Godzilla? Matsui deserves some love for rehabbing and coming back.
UPDATE, 4:18 p.m.: Cano can’t bunt. This could be a disaster.
UPDATE, 4:19 p.m.: Like I said, Cano can’t bunt. Missed two then lined to third. It was a rocket but right into the glove of Lowrie.
Here’s Matsui. He’ll win it one way or another.
UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: Damn, foiled by Terry Francona as Matsui is intentionally walked.
Pudge Rodriguez? He’s due, that’s for sure. But if he doesn’t GIDP, Giambi will win it.
(You get the feeling I want this game over? I’d predict that A-Rod would win it at this point. Well, no. But anybody else.)
UPDATE, 4;25 p.m.: The bases are juiced (no pun intended, really) for Giambi. He will face the very popular Jonathan Papelbon. The Yankee fans are wishing their worthy competitor well.
UPDATE, 4:26 p.m.: OK, let’s look at this. Infield is back, a little shift but not the usual one. Giambi is 1 for 6 against Papelbon with 4 strikeouts.
I say The Big G finds a way.
UPDATE, 4:29 p.m.: He sure did. Good W for the pinstripes. Had to win the last game here against Boston.
Here is Joe Girardi’s postgame press conference in its entirety:
If you don’t want to listen, here’s a quick recap: It’s not the end of the world, tomorrow’s a new day and sometimes you don’t get the results you want.
The Yankees are now 10.5 games out of first place in the division and seven out in the wild card with 30 games to go.
Notes: The Yankees are 6-7 against the Red Sox this season. … Mark Kotsay is expected before game time but will not be in Boston’s lineup. … The Yankees have 35 home runs in August. Only the White Sox (47) have more in baseball.
SIR SIDNEY: Ponson is 3-12, 6.92 in 21 games against Boston in his career. He faced the Red Sox on July 27 and allowed seven runs in four innings.
THE IRON HORSE: Well, not quite. But this will be the 12th straight game Jason Giambi has played at first base. That’s his longest such streak since playing 19 straight from Sept. 1-20, 2005.
GET INTO THE GROOVE: A-Rod had one RBI in the last seven games.
BYRD MAN: Paul Byrd is 2-5, 4.90 against the Yankees in his career. Since 2007, he has throwing 14 innings against the Yankees, giving up 16 runs on 21 hits.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 5:09 p.m.: Here is Joe Girardi’s pre-game press conference:
He walks about A-Rod, Giambi and other topics. It’s fairly brief, about eight minutes. Among his comments is that A-Rod has hit in the clutch his whole career.
UPDATE, 7:04 p.m.: Hank Steinbrenner is at the game. It is only the second game he has attended in person this season.
UPDATE, 7:17 p.m.: Jason Bay’s double makes it 2-0. Sir Sidney has already allowed three hits.
The Yankees are going to have to mash if they are to win this game. Ponson is already at 21 pitches and isn’t going to last long.
UPDATE, 7:24 p.m.: Apparently Bobby Meacham tied up Red Sox third base coach DeMarlo Hale, donned his uniform and then sent Jason Bay into that sure out. Talk about cutting Ponson a break. Shows you what they think of Alex Cora.
2-0 Boston, Yankees coming to the plate. If they can score 18 here, Ponson should get the win.
UPDATE, 7:30 p.m.: Johnny Damon never, and I mean never, complains about a call. He had a right there. Tim Timmons missed it.
The crowd - for now - applauds Alex as he comes to the plate.
UPDATE, 7:35 p.m.: And A-Rod delivers an RBI single. See, Joe Girardi was right.
UPDATE, 8:07 p.m.: Well, I must admit, I did not expect the Byrd-Ponson matchup to be 2-1 after three innings.
UPDATE, 8:28 p.m.: Big hit there for Cano to tie the score at 2-2. And Matsui goes first to third on the single. You have to give Matsui credit for rehabbing like he did to come back. A lot of players would have had the surgery when the doctor suggested it.
UPDATE, 9:33 p.m.: Pudge Rodriguez is 10 of 51 with the Yankees with one RBI in 18 gamesand has struck out nine times.
It’s only 4-2. But there is little evidence the Yankees can overcome that. The last nine batters have gone in order and they’re three outs away from getting Papelbon.
UPDATE, 9:47 p.m.: Jose Veras is in the process of putting the game out of reach. One run in, no outs, bases loaded.
UPDATE, 9:50 p.m.: Now it’s 7-2. That should do it. Now they need Mussina to avoid a sweet.
The Yankees will be 12-18 since that eight-game win streak. The Yankees used to get in position then put the hammer down. Not this year.
It’s going to be interesting to see what these final 30 games are like.
UPDATE, 10:00 p.m.: Time to option David Robertson, no?
A 4-2 game turned ugly in a hurry. So far, the Yankees have been outscored 18-5 in the series they said they had to win. Can even Sunny Side Joe Girardi spin this in a positive fashion?
UPDATE, 10:23 p.m.: Giambi is 4 for 4 against Timlin this season with three home runs and a double.
Notes: The worst road trip since the Joad family went to California has two games left. The Yankees are 2-6 and have been outscored 49-31. … Joe Girardi is 141-140 as a manager. … The Yankees start the day nine games behind Tampa and five games out in the wildcard. … Hey, the leading hitter in the AL is playing.
MIGHTY MOOSE: Mike Mussina is 22-6, 3.06 in 32 career starts against Minnesota.
GUESS WHO’S BACK: Damon is 13 of 22 on the trip with five runs scored and four RBI.
NOT INTO THE GROOVE: Alex Rodriguez is 5 for 26 on the trip with two RBI and five GIDPs.
Back later with updates.
HANK SAYS WAIT ‘TIL NEXT YEAR: Hank Steinbrenner has emerged from seclusion. Here are his comments to the AP in Tampa.
“I’m not writing off this season. They’re trying hard to win. There’s only so much you can do. They’re not supermen. I think it’s very simple, we’ve been devastated by injuries. No team I’ve ever seen in baseball has been decimated like this. It would kill any team. Imagine the Red Sox without (Josh) Beckett and (Jon) Lester. Pitching is 70 percent of the game. Wang won 19 games two straight years. Chamberlain became the most dominating pitcher in baseball. You can’t lose two guys like that.”
“It’s not making excuses. It’s reality. That’s part of the game. That’s clearly our problem. We’re going to win it next year. If we need to add a top veteran pitcher, we’ll do that. We’ll do whatever we need to do. Next year we’ll be extremely dangerous.”
UPDATE, 7:12 p.m.: Hank’s excuses will register with a lot of fans. But I agree with a recent blog entry from Joel Sherman. Every team has had problems, including the wild-card leading Red Sox.
When the Yankees were three games out on July 26 (only 17 days ago), there were injuries then, right? They added Marte, Nady and Pudge and everybody was talking about the pennant. This collapse can’t be blamed on injuries. This team remains capable and is simply playing poorly. The injuries might have been what kept them out of the Series. But there is ample talent to make the playoffs.
UPDATE, 7:24 p.m.: Phil Hughes is underway for Scranton. 1-2-3 first inning, 12 pitches. He’s throwing 103 with a 99-mph slider and now has a knuckleball.
UPDATE, 7:48 p.m.: Here’s Joe Girardi’s pre-game:
UPDATE, 8:10 p.m.: Here’s a fascinating concept, you play the good players and they do good things. Johnny Damon hits a home run on the second pitch and it’s 1-0.
That’s an 12-game hitting streak for Damon.
UPDATE, 8:26 p.m.: Phil Hughes so far: 4 2 0 0 0 4. 57 pitches, 35 strikes.
UPDATE, 9:23 p.m.: Hughes is finished. 5.1 3 2 2 1 4. 84/50. He left with a 2-0 lead with two runners on base, having reached his pitch count. Mark Melancon then allowed two hits, leaving Hughes charged with two runs.
Meanwhile, Bobby Meacham is having another rough night at third base. Among the many things the Yankees need to address is the makeup of Girardi’s staff. Their inexperience is certainly a factor in this season.
UPDATE, 10:15 p.m.: Scott Proctor has a sore elbow that will need surgery and he may not pitch again this season. They should still try and trade Wilson Betemit back for him.
UPDATE, 10:54 p.m.: I take it all back. Betemit is awesome, even if they did just intentionally walk Cano to get to him.
Meanwhile, is it really 19-16 Boston at Fenway Park?
UPDATE, 11:10 p.m.: Unbelieveable. First blown save for Mo. Costs Mussina a win that he should have had.
Marte has been brutal. 7.1 innings, 9 hits, 9 ER.
UPDATE, 11:31 p.m.: No idea what is wrong with Jeter. He did foul a ball off his foot earlier in the game.
UPDATE, 11:42 p.m.: Jose Veras warming up for the Yankees. You really can’t like any of the options in the bullpen at this point.
UPDATE, 11:54 p.m.: There’s a woman sitting in front of the press box with a Doug Mientkiewicz Twins jersey on. He last played for the Twins in 2004.
Meanwhile I can spell Mientkiewicz without looking it up.
A-Rod is now 5 of 31 on the trip with two RBI. … Good fans here in Minnesota, not too many folks have left.
UPDATE, 12:15 a.m.: Nice work by Jose Veras. Edwar Ramirez is warming. He’ll face the top of the Minnesota order.
Meanwhile, the good people of Minnesota are fleeing the Metrodome in droves now.
UPDATE, 12:17 a.m.: OK, I’m calling a HR for Alex here.
UPDATE, 12:19 p.m.: Wow, I was right. Mark Feinsand of the Daily News is my witness. Just ask him. Not that calling a HR by a guy with so many of them makes me a genius. But still.
Notes: Johnny Damon is 13 of 32 on the road trip. He has hit safely in 11 straight and 16 of 17. No word yet on why he isn’t playing. … The Yankees are 2-5 on the road trip, getting outscored 45-31. … They have fallen to 27-29 on the road. … The Yankees are 5-2 against the Twins. … Minnesota is a half-game out in the Central and 1.5 behind Boston in the wild card.
WE GAVE UP JEFF KARSTENS FOR THIS? Damaso Marte has appeared in eight games for the Yankees. His line: 7 innings, 7 hits, 7 earned runs, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts.
TAMING THE TWINS: Sir Sidney is making his fourth start against the Twins. He is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA against them this season. 20 innings, 22 hits, 5 ER, 4 BB, 11 K.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 5:39 p.m.: Spoke to Johnny Damon, who had no idea until he showed at the park and saw the lineup that he wasn’t playing today. “I feel fine,” he said.
Hey, it’s not like the Yankees are 8.5 games out and he’s leading the AL in hitting.
UPDATE, 6:42 p.m.: Damon is out of the lineup because Girardi decided not to play him. That’s it.
“I put a lineup up,” Girardi said. “Johnny’s played a lot.”
If turf is the issue, why not DH Damon and play Nady in left? Damon is hitting .292 against lefties.
Meanwhile, Girardi would not discuss the final play of yesterday’s game, refusing to get into it other than to say it has been addressed just like everything else has been addressed.
Audio to come.
UPDATE, 6:58 p.m.: Joe Girardi said that Joba’s throwing program would start on Friday, not tomorrow as the player said.
That will make it 10 days of rest, not the week as was first reported. Girardi would not comment on what the throwing program would entail.
If the throwing program starts Aug. 15, it’s going to take at least 7-10 days to get his arm ready for a game. At that point, the Yankees will have some decisions to make. Do you bring him back if the team has fallen out of contention?
UPDATE, 7:10 p.m.: Here’s the audio of Girardi’s pre-game press conference. It’s interesting.
UPDATE, 8:25 p.m.: Great throw by Jeter there. I’m not a big believer in defensive metrics because it’s impossible to account for all the variables, particularly how players are positioned by coaches. But I do think Jeter is having a much better defensive season than last season.
UPDATE, 9:18 p.m.: The Justin Christian move isn’t going down as a great one so far. But the Yankees look flat regardless.
Meanwhile Sidney Ponson is giving them a good start.
UPDATE, 10:24 p.m.: A four-hit shutout in two hours and 14 minutes. Nice to see the Yankees grind out a big game. But Johnny got some rest.
* The Yankees were 2 for 12 with RISP. They advanced a runner to third with less than two outs seven times and scored only three runs.
* You can debate whether A-Rod should try and steal third with Nady up. But once he gets thrown out, it’s a bad play. It doesn’t matter that he might have been safe, it was close enough to get called out.
* Joe Girardi said he didn’t want to use Mo for six outs, only four or five. I can’t fault him for not intending to use him for two innings, not with a game tomorrow.
That said, Marte can’t walk Mike Napoli.
* Wilson Betemit has to field that ball any way he can. Instead he turned and ran for the bag. You have to know the situation better than that.
* The Yankees had leads in all three games this weekend and lost them all.
The Yankees have dropped 10 of their last 15 and play nine of their next 12 on the road. You can’t declare the season over, not with a four-game deficit in the wild card.
But the Yankees are not playing with any sense of purpose and haven’t for about two weeks now.
Here’s Joe Girardi’s postgame:
Sorry for the poor sound. The press conference was held in a hallway, so there are carts going by and random fans passing through.
Joe Girardi was looking for a spot to vent his anger today and he found it.
A radio reporter from a local station out here asked him how it felt to watch the eighth inning. As questions go, it wasn’t a good one. But there have been a lot worse.
“What do you think? You think it’s fun watching that crap?” Girardi snapped. “Silly question.”
Understand that until today, the strongest word Girardi has used around the media is “patootie.” Chris Rock he ain’t.
Have a listen:
Watching Veras, Ramirez and Robertson give up 10 runs on 11 hits in two innings drove Girardi over the edge. That’s certainly understandable.
Meanwhile Edwar apparently took some interview advice from Ian Kennedy. “That’s part of the game,” he said.
It didn’t much change the game given what happened. But I was curious, so I asked Girardi about Jeter’s bunt in the seventh inning. He ordered it because he wanted two runners in scoring position for Abreu.
Abreu was hitting .292 with RISP, about what he hits without RISP. He grounded into a force at the plate. Then A-Rod whiffed and that was that. We’ll never know what would have happened if Jeter took his hacks.
I believe teams shouldn’t give up outs, especially with a lead and when it’s a good hitter at the plate. Outs are too precious to give them away. It’s a reasonable baseball discussion to have. You can make an argument for both schools of thought.
What you can’t argue is that the Yankees have lost nine of their last 14 games are in serious trouble with 45 games to play.
Notes: The Yankees are 9-3 since the break, the Angels 10-2. … The Yankees are 15-23 against the Angels since 2004. … Los Angeles has won three straight and seven of their last eight.
GUESS WHO’S BACK: For the 1,987th time this season, Chris Britton was called up from Scranton. Chad Moeller was DFA’d.
WHO’S HOT: Bobby Abreu is 18 of his last 45 (.400) with 10 extra-base hits, 12 RBI and 15 runs scored. … A-Rod is 10 of his last 21 with four RBI and two HR.
WHO’S NOT: Robinson Cano is 3 of his last 18 with one run scored and no RBI. … Wilson betemit is 8 of his last 45 with 15 strikeouts.
HOW CAN THEY DO THAT TO ANDY PHILLIPS: Pudge Rodriguez will wear No. 12.
Check back for lots of updates and Pudge audio after his press conference.
* * * * * MINOR TRADE FOR YANKS * * * * *
4:13 p.m.: INF Alberto Gonzalez to the Nationals for RHP Jhonny Nunez.
UPDATE, 4:18 p.m.: Nunez is 2-8, 5.22 for AA Harrisburg. He’s 22.
Meanwhile three of the four players obtained for Randy Johnson (Gonzalez, Luis Vizcaino and Ross Ohlendorf) are gone and Steven Jackson isn’t much of a prospect. But they did get a draft pick for Vizcaino, which proved to be Jeremy Bleich.
* * * * * MANNY RAMIREZ HAS BEEN TRADED * * * * * *
So says the Boston Globe. No details yet. Seems to be the Dodgers. This may be the best news for the Yankees all day.
UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: Meanwhile, back in the Bronx, here is audio from Pudge Rodriguez’s press conference:
OK, back later with updates.
UPDATE, 4:37 p.m.: IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT
Was this is the greatest trade deadline or what? Sabathia, Harden, Nady, Blanton, Teixeira, Pudge Rodriguez, Griffey, Manny. Holy smoke!
Sounds like it’s Manny to the Dodgers and Jason Bay to the Red Sox. Jason Bay is a decent player but he’s no Manny. Good news for the Yankees.
UPDATE, 4:46 p.m.: Here is what it seems to be:
Red Sox get: OF Jason Bay.
Pirates get: RHP Bryan Morris and INF Andy LaRoche from the Dodgers, RHP Craig Hansen and OF Brandon Moss from the Red Sox. Maybe another Dodgers prospect, too.
Dodgers get: Manny Ramirez and $7 million from Boston.
The team options were taken off Manny’s deal. He also will agree to decline arbitration so they can get draft picks when he becomes a FA.
I get it that Boston wanted to get rid of Manny. But the Red Sox traded three players (including Manny Ramirez) and $7 million for Jason Bay. That’s a hell of a lot for Jason Bay.
* * * * * EDWAR RAMIREZ SUSPENDED * * * * *
6:01 p.m.: Edwar Ramirez was suspended for three games for throwing at Kevin Millar. He appealed.
Daniel Cabrera got six games for actualling hitting A-Rod.
The Yankees have now had five players suspended this season for various offenses.
UPDATE, 6:20 p.m.: Here is the latest on our old pal Phil Hughes. He will pitch for Single-A Charleston on Saturday and be elevated to 50 pitches. Hughes could be a handful of starts away from being ready.
Cashman mentioned Hughes, Kennedy and Aceves as possible options in the rotation.
UPDATE, 6:22 p.m.: Here is some bonus audio for you. Brian Cashman’s interview from today. C-Money talks about what did happen and what didn’t. He would not bite on commenting about Manny.
UPDATE, 6:24 p.m.: Shameless plug: I will be on ESPN News around 6:45 p.m.
UPDATE, 7:02 p.m.: Huge cheer for Pudge when the lineup was introduced.
Is you listened to the audio, you could tell how excited he was to be here.
This is a huge game for the Yankees. With Rasner and Ponson pitching in this series, they need Pettitte and Moose to win their games. The Yankees can’t expect to win the season series against the Angels with six of the games on the road, but they need to go 5-5 anyway. Just hold your own.
UPDATE, 7:07 p.m.: Lt. General Ray Odierno threw out the first pitch. He was the head of the division that captured Saddam Hussein in Iraq and will soon be the Army’s top man there.
UPDATE, 7:12 p.m.: OK, gang, I have a ton of newspaper work to go. I’ll update some later on. Enjoy the game.
Oh, and the Yankees have signed RHP Victor Zambrano to a minor-league deal. He’ll stay in Tampa and work out. He’s one of the huddled masses yearning to breathe major league air. I doubt he’s a realistic option for this season as he’s coming off surgery.
UPDATE, 8:05 p.m.: Hmm, it would seem Pudge and Pettitte have some kinks to iron out. One thing about Andy this season, when he gives it up, he really gives it up.
UPDATE, 8:10 p.m.: How’s the Pudge Rodriguez Era going? The Yankees are down 6-0, he’s made five trips to the mound to talk to Pettitte and he just stuck out on four pitches in his first at-bat. Other than that, it has been great.
UPDATE, 10:24 p.m.: Sorry for the lacks of updates. Bad game and lots of newspaper work to do.
The Yankees have had some brutal pitching the last five games, just awful. While getting Nady and Rodriguez were no-brainer moves, this team will rise or fall on the strength of the five starters and right now, they’re struggling (outside of Joba).
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Peter Abraham
