Add us on Facebook
Follow us on TwitterWe can bemoan the Yankee pitching as much as we want. We can blame bullpen management or poor starting pitching. We can blame bad weather and freak injuries. But all of that pales in comparison to the real problem.
The Yankees, folks, are just not scoring any runs. They are ninth in the American League — and 16th overall in baseball — with 113 runs scored. That figure puts them behind such power-packed offenses as the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland A’s. What is more mysterious, however, is that the Yankees are fourth in the AL with a .772 OPS. They’re just not getting their hits when it counts as we saw yesterday. That will change, but for now, we just have to grin and bear it.
Today, the Yanks face a familiar foe, one they saw last in the ALDS and one many think could be in pinstripes next year. C.C. Sabathia, who pitched a fairly pedestrian game 1 in the ALDS against the Yanks last year, will take the mound for the Indians. He’s 1-3 with a 10.13 ERA, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. In his last start, he threw six shutout innings against the Royals, walking two and striking out 11.
The Yanks counter with their ace. Chien-Ming Wang is 4-0 with a 3.94 ERA. But his last two starts have been a bit rocky. Against the Red and White Sox, Wang threw 10 innings, giving up 11 earned runs on 19 hits. Over that stretch, he’s walked five and struck out seven as his ERA climbed from 1.23 to its current 3.94. A solid start from Wang against a team that seemingly took batting practice off him in October would do wonders for the Yanks.
Hideki Matsui sits for the second straight day. He’s 0 for 9 in his career against Sabathia. No word on any potential call-up for Darrel Rasner. He’s set to start today for Scranton in Syracuse, and if he goes today, he won’t be ready to pitch again for another four days.
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Duncan 1B
Ensberg DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Wang P
Update 1:03 p.m.: As per Suzyn Waldman — what a lovely soundtrack to my shower, by the way — Jorge Posada is a scratch from the lineup today. After he gunned out Grady Sizemore yesterday, he seemed to be wincing a bit. I hope this isn’t a setback from his shoulder problems. Everyone moves up, and Molina’s hitting 9th.
Popularity: 8% [?]
what i don’t understand is why, when they really couldn’t possibly stink it up more than farnsy and latroy and ohlendorf (though i have some faith in him - his problem, at least, is walks, not hits/hrs), don’t the yankees bring up the guys who have been dominant at double and triple A, and send kyle and latroy and ohlie to AAA to get into a rhythm and work on command?
You can’t send guys with service time like Hawkins and Farnsworth to AAA. That just doesn’t happen.
I figured after yesterday they’d swap Ohlendorf for Rasner, but that doesn’t seem to be happening.
or ohlendorf for patterson
Patterson doesn’t sole the long man problem the Yanks seem to have and his numbers aren’t particularly impressive in the short going this season. I think we’ll see Rasner before we see Patterson.
To explain a little further, they don’t have options; they would never voluntarily accept a Minor League assignment; and it would be deemed pretty insulting to send down two guys with a combined 24 years of MLB service time.
Once a guy has 5 years of service time, he can’t be sent down without his consent, regardless of how many options he has left. That’s how Giambi was able to refuse a minor league assignment a few years back, even though he technically has two options remaining.
Jorge’s a game-time scratch. I’m thinking he tweaked his shoulder during those two throw-downs yesterday.
girardi has lost his mind…..to have ensburg over matsui as the DH is absolutely nuts.
he put out a freaking crappy line up yesterday, and he’s done it again today.
Matsui is 0 for 9 against Sabathia in his career. It makes 100 percent sense to start someone else over Matsui today.
Just to put the ‘pitching problems’ in perspective: the Yankees are on pace to allow 771 runs this year and score 732. Last year, the Yankees allowed 777 and scored 968.
There is nothing wrong with the pitching so far. If we assume that Hughes and Kennedy improve (even slightly) and the team starts to score like they should, then they’re going to win a ton of games this year.
except the Yankees had a pitching problem last year too. So this year’s complaints are justified
They were pitching scrubs last year. This year’s problems are luxury problems compared to last year.
They pitched scrubs last year and won 94 games… the upside for this team is very high this year.
LOL, the sky is falling. I hope Posada is ok.
When did the Yankees bring back Hideki Irabu as a bat boy?
878 Career RBIs for Lance Berkman and no walk-off runs driven in? He is so not a gamer.
Lance Berkman hit .431 with 41 HR and 134 RBI in 68 games his last year at Rice, and wasn’t selected until the 16th overall pick that year. He wasn’t even the first player taken out of Rice in that draft. Crazy, huh?
41HRs in 68 games? How is that humanly possible? Seriously, WTF!?!?
Who was the first Rice player?
Matt Anderson, Rice’s closer, was taken first overall by the Tigers. He had a few productive years out of the Tigers’ pen (22 saves in 2001), but he destroyed his shoulder throwing an octopus at a Red Wings game. He retired in 2006 after an unsuccessful comeback attempt.
41HRs in 68 games? How is that humanly possible?
Metal bats and a ton of talent my friend.
Nice strikeout by Wang. Ensberg just missed that pitch.
The Pirates ate $10M and cut Matt Morris. Do trades get any worse?
MLBTR proposed that as one of the three options that would be taken as Pirates management met with Morris after his last start, which was again horrid.
Cavaliers and the 2008 NBA MVP LeBron James.
Again, if you want to argue name me a player on the Cavs roster you would want on your squad.
West and Joe Smith.
Who averaged a combined 16.4 PPG between them. While the Hornets’ Peja Stojakovic averaged that by himself and David West averaged 20.6 PPG along with Tyson Chandler’s 11.8. The Lakers had Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol average from 11.7PPG to 18.9PPG.
Like I said, Kobe is not in the discussion. It’s James and Paul, and James wins.
LOL, ok. Lebron James is barely in the discussion because his team struggled in the Leastern Conference.
Ben Wallace!
(that’s the only other Cav’s player I know, other than Big-Z, I just couldn’t spell that guy’s name if my life depending it)
That slider looks just nasty thus far.
They’re making Wang work. Maybe Britton will actually get in this game.
I have seriously come to hate the Indians this series. They are so damn annoying.
Shelley!!!
Heartattack Jeter!
Jeter isn’t having the best of luck today. Good play Garko
How many times is Derek Jeter going to rake one into an out? Got to feel bad for him.
The Indians are all assholes, how many times are they going to continue with this bitchassness?
It ends today.
Good job, Wang.
How is everybody’s NFL teams doing in the draft?
Giants picked up Mario Manningham (WR-MICH) in the 3rd Round to my delight. Guess the writing is on the wall for Sinorice Moss who the Giants liked over the Steelers’ Santonio Holmes (WR) mainly due to his speed. I did not agree with the decision at the time but hey, they couldn’t have predicted the immense struggles he’s had learning NFL routes.
Chiefs entire draft thus far and the Jets 1st RD, FTW.
I like the Bryan Kehl pick for the G-Men. Dude can play.
For a guy who has struggled with his control minus one start, the Yankees are being very aggressive at the plate.
ATL @ NYM, John Smoltz vs. Nelson Figueroa, the score is 4-0…New York.
Oh, and Raul Casanova (TB backup C last season) jacked a two run shot off of Smoltz. Got to love baseball.
Rasner is on the mound for Scranton right now, so he won’t be called up anytime soon.
According to Gameday, Wang’s Sinker has been breaking double-digits in inches all day, nasty.
Only a jerk can say CMW is not an ace, or does not have ace stuff.
I believe it was BP who noted that CMW’s K/9 has risen from 4.7 all of last season to 5.1 so far this season, if the rise continues we basically acquired a top ace at no cost of money or prospects. Owned.
the strike zone seems huge today…and both pitchers seem to be taking advantage…
Robbie needed that hit worse than a crackhead need a hit.
And then he fucks it up. Erg.
I wouldn’t say he fucked it up, it was probably a called steal and he just was probably a bit too aggressive going on the first pitch. Or maybe it was a hit and run and he was a bit too agressive on C.C.’s delivery.
Or maybe he just fucked it up.
Yeah it could be that. He’s my favorite player, give him a break, LoL.
Who is that guy and what has he done with Melky Cabrera?
Hopefully, he has his sights set on kidnapping Cano and Hughes, too.
Life is so not fair.
Melky continuing his hot start though.
Heh, Melk stood and there and watched it go out. Awesome.
Way to go melky. Show those RAB writers what your made of.