Yanks leave Anaheim empty handed

August 10, 2008 by Mike Axisa 69 Comments

Before we take a look at what went wrong in this game, let’s first take a look at the positives:

Andy Pettitte rebounded nicely from a pair of rough starts, gutting out 7 innings just when the team needed it most.
Alex Rodriguez broke out of a 2 for 20 slump, reaching base three times with a pair of booming doubles.
Derek Jeter didn’t ground into a rally killing/inning ending double play.
Both Boston and Minnesota lost, meaning the Yanks lost ground only to the ChiSox in the Wildcard chase.

So now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business and highlight the boo-boos.

A-Rod trying to steal third in the 8th inning. What the freak was that about? He was already in scoring position with the team’s hottest hitter staring down a 2-0 count with only one out in the inning. Sure stealing third means he can score on a wild pitch or sac fly, but sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. Classic example of a guy trying to do too much.
Joe Girardi‘s substitutions in the 9th inning. Why would you pinch-hit the guy with a .278 OBP leading off the inning while not using the guy with a .394 OBP until there were two outs. Isn’t that completely ass backwards?
Marte coming back out for the 9th. He had just thrown 17 stressful pitches to retire the Halos’ 4-5-6 hitters with a runner on first, and instead of using THE GREATEST RELIEF PITCHER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE (who was well rested after working just 3 innings total in the last 12 days) Girardi sends Marte back out there. Two men predictably reached base, and by then it was too little too late. After throwing 29 pitches today, Marte is likely unavailable for tomorrow’s game against the Twins, whose two best hitters happen to be lefties (on a sidenote, Marte’s IP total this year is already his highest since 2004). And spare me that “Mo struggles when the score is tied” junk, is there really someone on this staff you’d rather have out there in that situation?
The 15-hopper through the hole to end the game. Seriously Robbie, at least dive to make it look like you’re trying.

Things look ugly now, but there’s still 44 games left in the season and they’re only 4.0 games back in the Wildcard. Considering that the Yanks have endured injuries to basically everyone except Mo, Abreu and Moose, that’s not that bad. Anyone who thinks the season’s over hasn’t learning anything from last year.

The team does need to wake up though. It’s time to cut the shit and play with a little urgency.

A.D.

knock on wood on the injury bit
http://www.mvn.com/milb-yankees Ashish Skaria

Couldn’t agree with you more on most of what you said except that 15 hopper was so Wilson Betemit’s play to make. He has no mobility at first base whatsoever.
- Steve
  
  Yep. Instead of knocking that ball down as he should have, he “froze” (Girardi’s term) and then ran to cover 1B. Which was colossally stupid, since the runner at 1B was meaningless. Girardi mentioned it during the post game, YES harped on it a bunch of times.
  
  Even Mo (who never shows up his teammates) had a look of disgust on that play.
  - http://www.fullcountpitch.com Harry Doyle
    
    If you’re going to bat for Molina, do so with Pudge. Sub Giambi for Sexson, not Betemit. Say what you will about Giambi, his defense has been above average this year and he is a ntural first baseman who may have gone for the ball and not the bag.
A.D.

At least we don’t have to face our kryptonite for the rest of the regular season
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  Who, the Angels? The Yanks still have to make one more West Coast trip this year, from Sept. 5-10. Three games in Seattle, then three in Anaheim.
  - A.D.
    
    damn, i thought we were done with them
  - Chris
    
    The three in Seattle balance out the three in Anaheim…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=594331910 Jamal G.

The only two disagreements I have are the final two negatives you posted.

1. instead of using THE GREATEST RELIEF PITCHER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE

Couldn’t I validly state that Joe Girardi did not want to potentially use Mariano Rivera for six outs without a day off for the Yankees until Thursday, August 14th. Not to mention having to fly halfway across the country after today’s game which ended in the evening. I know the popular thing to do is manage for today and figure out tomorrow, well tomorrow, but with Minnesota a direct competitor in the Wild Card chase, I agree with the move. I don’t want Mariano Rivera out there for six outs and have him unavailable for one, possibly two games in the Minnesota series. You have preserve your bullets, during this time of the year you can’t just worry about today, especially when you face one of your top competitors in the following game.

2. The 15-hopper through the hole to end the game. Seriously Robbie, at least dive to make it look like you’re trying.

Now this may be a matter of perception, but from the look of the highlights it seems that the Angels’ base-runner that started the play on first base sort of screened Robinson Cano from making a full stride chase after the ball. When you check the replay just focus on Cano’s route to the ball, notice how when the base-runner comes into the shot you sort of see Cano hold up and alter his route as if he were being blocked.
Davi

I hate Betemit. Usually when he plays and I say how much I hate him, he gets a key hit, but this time I really hate him. He doesn’t seem to play well on the right side of the diamond. two plays that stick out in my mind besides the one today, was a pop fly to the infield, Cano called it, betemit was playing first and almost bowled over cano. The other one shallow fly to right, it was abreu’s ball and betemit def got to close to abreu. granted both plays were made (not by betemit) but either he’s deaf or gets too excited or something. anyway I hate him, sure he’s a decent utility infielder who would prob be better w. regular playing time, but still I hate him. and I feel that ny can pull out a sweep or at least 2/3 from Min. I think the Arod stolen base thing woke him up. I haven’t seen him show emotion like that in a while.
- Steve
  
  Betemit should have known the situation and what to do. He clearly didn’t and blew the play.
huuz

while i agree in principle that you never say never and that the yanks could still make the playoffs; in reality i’d be SHOCKED if we pull it off.

something is going to have to fundamentally change about this team, in order to make the postseason (like hughes or pavano coming up for the last 6 six weeks and making a huge difference, or Joba returning)
http://whentheunderdogwins.wordpress.com/ USA MENS BASKETBALL=GOLD

In some rather amusing news, Brett Favre has already gotten punished at Jets training camp! Check it out.

http://whentheunderdogwins.wordpress.com/
- The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
  
  Pandering like that is a sure way to make sure people NEVER visit your site.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=594331910 Jamal G.

Per PeteAbe:

A-Rod: “I’m always looking to make something happen. They have such a great bullpen. You can’t sit around and wait for things happen. … I was safe. Bill (expletive) up.”

Alex Rodriguez is the fucking man.
- Nady Nation
  
  Not really sure why that makes him the man
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=594331910 Jamal G.
    
    Although he’s going to receive some backlash (more than he should, but hey, he’s A-Rod, what else is new?), he is standing by what he did, calling out the umpire, and basically saying “I did what I did, I was right, that idiot was wrong”.
    - The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
      
      I’m with you on this one, I like what A-Rod said… But the criticism is that he shouldn’t have run in the first place, regardless of whether he should have been called out or safe.
    - Nady Nation
      
      Whether or not the ump blew the call is irrelevant. That was a dumb play, end of story. There is 0 reason for A-Rod to try to swipe third when he’s already in scoring position with our hottest hitter up. I’m not getting on him just bc he’s A-Rod, I blame Girardi and A-Rod for not making a smart baseball move.
      - Chris
        
        I don’t think it’s a bad play at all. A-Rod is now 16 for 18 in stolen bases. If he steals that base the Yankees are almost guaranteed to score a run. On the flip side, we could wait for Nady or Cano to try to get a hit. The advantage of being able to score on an out is huge, and with his success rate this year the Yankees are more likely to score if he attempts the steal.
        
        mustang
        
        “I don’t think it’s a bad play at all.”
        
        You have to be kidding me. It was a horrible play i don’t care if he was 18 for 18. Less then two outs at second with Nady up make no senses to take 3rd.
        
        Chris
        
        Except they’re more likely to score if he attempts the steal than if he doesn’t. Thus it’s a good play.
        
        mustang
        
        The guy batting .325 RISP please let him hit anyway you cut it it was a stupid play.
    - mustang
      
      And probably cost the Yanks a run.
      Oh! Yeah he is the man all right.
- Steve
  
  I didn’t like the play as it happened, but when you consider the Yanks were 2-12 with RISP this series, I can’t kill him for it. He tried to make something happen, and it didn’t work out.
  
  BTW-Alex can say whatever he wants, he was out.
  - The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
    
    I thought it was very close and I wouldn’t kill the ump over a close call like that, but he looked safe to me. Did you all think he was out? To me it looked like the throw beat him there, which probably affected the call, but it looked like he actually beat the tag.
    - http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
      
      It was close enough that you can’t pin this on the ump, and if he was safe there have certainly been worse blown calls, like this one:
      
      http://riveraveblues.com/2007/05/08/blown-call-the-least-of-the-yankee-problems-tonight-378/
      
      Bottom line, it was a bad time for an attempted steal of third.
      - Ivan
        
        LMAO just watching that pic. It’s hillarious that an Ump can blow a call like that.
- mustang
  
  “Alex Rodriguez is the fucking man.”
  
  Why because he made a dumb ass play with even a dumber ass excuse. Stay your ass at second and lets a guy with .324 RISP bring you in God knows you couldn’t do it.
A.D.

leaving JC on 3rd after the leadoff double was a big dissapointment

Glaring issue for me was why ph with betemit?? You pinch hit Big G to start the inning, then you can pinch run with betemit or melky if he gets on. JC bats, then you pinch hit pudge for Molina if there are runners on, he’s going in for him anyways.

I mean Betemit vs Sexson, kinda in different of who is batting Betemit/Sexson vs Big G, I’ll take Big G everytime
Ed

Mike, you forgot one other player who hasn’t gotten injured this season: Giambi.

That’s right, Giambi is the model of health for the Yankees this year. Our offense falls apart without Giambi’s health and our pitching without Mussina’s. That’s a scary thought.
A.D.

At least the Sox are going to have a tough go, with some tough teams, Wake heading to the DL and Buchholtz stuggling
Steve

As much as we all should blame Betemit for blowing the Mo 10 hopper, the reality is still this. We don’t have a single player on this team who can play adequate 1B defensively. Not Giambi, not Sexson and not Betemit.

Giambi is a statue who can’t throw, Sexson misses balls that are hit right at him, and Betemit is a SS-3B who doesn’t always know what he’s supposed to do.
- The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
  
  Yeah, we all knew from day 1 this season that we don’t have a good defensive option at first base. I don’t mean this to be antagonistic, but what was your point? Was your point that you can’t blame Betemit because he sucks defensively? I mean, the guy was out there and should have made the play, I don’t see how he’s absolved of blame. Are you saying the blame lies with the F.O. for putting together a team that lacks a first baseman who is adequate both offensively and defensively?
  - Steve
    
    No, I’m not trying to make excuses for Betemit. Half of Yankee fans (including Mike A’s above article) were blaming Cano for that play and everyone was trying to come up with what we should have done instead. Things like
    
    -Bring in Mo to start the 9th
    
    -Play Sexson or Giambi at 1B in late innings
    
    All of which misses the point. I’m simply saying that whatever we do, the fact remains that the Yanks simply don’t have anyone who can play 1B. The 1B blew the play that decided the game, so blaming Girardi or anyone else is pointless because there’s nobody else who’s any better he could have had at that position.
  - Steve
    
    Another thing. If you want to blame the front office for putting this team together, then remember this. This team lead all of Baseball in Runs Scored last year. They brought back the same group of guys, and they are currently 10th in Runs scored this year.
    
    The margin of error is simply too small when one fielding miscue by a 1B decides the game, and we’ve seen this a million times this year. Blame injuries, blame whatever you want. This team just hasn’t hit, hasn’t hit with RISP all year and nobody can figure out why. That was how it was built to win games.
    
    You look at guys individual stats up and down the lineup and none are so bad that you could pin anywhere specific. Melky? He’s the #9 hitter. Cano and Giambi have picked it up since a bad April. Jeter’s down, but not so much that he’s the problem. Damon, Abreu, A-Rod, Nady are all having excellent seasons.
    
    If you can explain why they are 7th in the AL and 10th in Baseball in Runs scored, I’d love to hear it, because I can’t figure it out and neither can Girardi.
    - The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
      
      I just want to point out that I did not “blame the front office for putting this team together.”
Old Ranger

If we don’t take 10 out of our next twelve (or better), we are toast. The maddening this is; if they make the play-offs…that’s it, until next year. There are way to many holes on this team, as it is now constructed.

Don’t get me wrong here (I want the team to win) but, the best thing would be for them to be out of it by Sept. call-up. I do not like to lose (at anything) but in this case I think it would benefit the team in the long run.
Call up the guys you want, for next years auditions. Because, if we don’t change the face of this team for next year…one can forget next year, age is age and slow is slow…nether can be changed. 27/08??
- Chris
  
  Really, the situation is not that dire. We still have 6 games against the Red Sox, 6 against the Rays, 3 against the Twins and 4 against the White Sox. There are also 6 games between the Sox and Rays. These games are really the key games we have to win. Even if we only pick up 1 or 2 games against everyone else, we can make up the rest head-to-head against the Sox.
  - Steve
    
    We could sweep the Rays and still be 3 out in the loss column.
  - Old Ranger
    
    We could sweep our way to the play-offs…then what? As things stand NOW, we run up against the other teams best pitchers. As has been stated many times; “Very good pitching shuts down good hitting.” And we don’t have timely hitting on this team, so, we’re outa here.
    What is the since of making the playoffs (and lose), we could see what we have and what we don’t…in AA, AAA. I know, “Anything can happen in the play-offs”.
    Just think of how it is; we bring up some guys but, because we are in a race…they don’t get to play, and really show what they are made of. If we are not in the race, they can play for a few games and see if there is anything there. The old adage of, “Don’t judge someone in ST or Sept .” sucks…on some other team it may pertain, but not the Yanks.
    Look at the history of guys coming up in sept. and making the team out of ST the next year. Done! I would like to see the Yanks win, but I don’t think this is their year. 27/08??
Ivan

For the first time in a while after the lost I felt pessimistic, I felt doubt, I felt like it was “over”. That lost really did bother me alot. Shook my confidence of this team. Not believing as much.

nevertheless, there’s that hope deep inside that says to you, we can make it. I still think that this team is one streak away from making the playoffs.

First off the pitching should pitch much better, secondly the yanks need to do much better in RISP and improve our situational hitting.

Things can happen, alot of things, but the yankees must make things happen.
austinNYfan

I get the feeling that this season is slip sliding away.

That game-winning hit was a disgrace. Sometimes Cano looks like a gold glover and sometimes he looks he is just going through the motions. A little consictency would be nice. Betemit, forget about it.

I look forward to the day the Yanks have someone who can field first base.

Why was Marte out there? Mo or Veras or anyone else? Marte has proven that he is a one inning guy. I think everyone but, Joe can see that.
http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

Wow, that was a helluva race for those watching the Olympics.
- The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
  
  That was f’ng awesome!
- Ivan
  
  Which Race?
  - http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
    
    The 4×100 freestyle relay. France led the entire race, but the USA ended up coming from behind in the last like, 10 meters to win. Shattered the world record by like, 3 seconds. Photo finish.
    - Ivan
      
      wow that’s incredible. I got a question, Does Michael Phelps ever lose?
      - Pedro
        
        Phelps is almost god-like, but he if he ends up breaking Spitz’s record, he owes it to that last guy, Lezak I think. He was a beast out there.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
        
        That Lezak guy is a man, he’s 40.
        
        Seriously though, that dude swam the race of his life right there.
        
        Chris
        
        What’s so amazing about Phelps is if you ask people who don’t follow closely how he did in Athens, most people will tell you it was a disappointment. They don’t realize he won 6 golds and 2 bronze, they think it was disappointing because all they know is he didn’t win 8 golds…
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
        
        He’s the A-Rod of swimming. What, only 35 HR and 120 RBI?
        
        http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=594331910 Jamal G.
        
        You have no idea how may people I wanted to decapitate because they said A-Rod had a “bad” season in 2006.
The Honorable Congressman Mondesi

Men’s 4 x 100 freestyle. U.S. came from behind and barely beat the French team, who were apparently favored and talking smack about the Americans all week.
- The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
  
  Crap, sorry. Meant that as a response to Ivan above.
- Ivan
  
  Do the french ever learn there lesson.
  - http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
    
    Hah, Phelps went down the line and shook the French team’s hands during the medal ceremony, flashing the Gold Medal right in their faces.
    - The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
      
      I’m actually going to France later this week (I’m fancy, I know). Sure they’re loving Americans right now. lol
  - Stryker
    
    plain and simple – no.
    
    ivan your statement can hold true in so many different areas though i was thinking history, primarily.
    
    well put.
Ivan

Usually when I watch the Olympics, it’s for basketball and Track and Field. I,ve always been a fan of the olympics.
http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

Wow, 5 teams broke the previous World Record during that race.
Axl

It’s the curse I tell you! The CURSE!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!
Bo

4 games out at this point seems like 10. They got no consistency.

Boston trots out Beckett, Lester, Dice K

We got Sidney Ponson as our 3.

It’s over.
Tim Sherman

The fact of the matter is that this Yankees team just isn’t good enough. They don’t play smart baseball, they lack intensity and desire and Girardi has made some huge mistakes this past week in games that they absolutely needed. For the most part he has done a good job this year, but lately it just seems like he is not thinking clearly in key situations. The inability to have the right guy placed in a situation where he can succeed has cost this team it’s season. Not only that, but this team just doesn’t have any heart.
- Old Ranger
  
  The heart may be there but, age and athleticism isn’t.
  No one is going to give this team a break, just because we have injuries. One makes their own breaks…take the extra base, hit WRSP, break up the DP, hit and run, steal a base and learn how to bunt the damm ball. And just as important, don’t over work the BP…that means you starters! Boy, have I ever jumped off my optimistic wagon this year! 27/08?@#?
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http://misusingmo godfather

what little joe did with mo sunday was reminiscent of what big joe did during the boston debacle; he let a boil develop, then called on mo to lance it…tony never did that to/with eck, and when you are asking a maestro like mr. rivera to conduct, you owe him a clean sheet of music
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Art

Be on the lookout for a Turd Burgler.