Game 23: April showers bring May wins
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We all knew Mark Teixeira wasn’t going to set the world on fire in April, but I don’t think we expected this. Tex is hitting just .200-.367-.371 and heard a nice chorus of boos last night after grounding into a rally killing double play and striking out looking with the bases juiced and two outs. He has just one extra base hit in his last 51 plate appearances, and that was last night’s double. Luckily Tex hasn’t been a total drain on the offense because of his 17 walks (third in the AL), although the Yanks aren’t shelling out $20M this season for something Marco Scutaro can do.
Now that the calendar has rolled over to May, it’s time for Tex to start heating up and being the player everyone knows he can be. I’m not asking for .350-.450-.650, but .280-.370-.530 (roughly his career line) would be nice. The Yanks have scored the fourth most runs in baseball this year; just imagine what it’ll be like once Tex starts hitting and A-Rod comes back.
The lineup:
Jeter, SS
Damon, LF
Teixeira, 1B
Matsui, DH
Cano, 2B
Posada, C
Swisher, RF
Melky, CF
Pena, 3B
And on the mound, the Crazy Boring Old Texan, Andy Pettitte.
Photo Credit: Reuters Pictures
269 Comments
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KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE
Kay spent 20 minutes today with a beat writer talking about how Alex is a “jerk.” How can we take him seriously with stuff like this being said by him and his contributors? IS it me, or is it completely out of line for him to be talking about one of our players like this?
“IS it me, or is it completely out of line for him to be talking about one of our players like this?”
Why? He’s entitled to his opinion, and he can air it on his ESPN show all he wants. Just because you pay someone doesn’t mean you own him; he can say whatever he wants about any Yankee when he’s not on YES. It can impact your feelings about his credibility when he says things about ARod in other contexts, though. Kay clearly dislikes ARod, so it seems possible that there will be a negative bias in Kay’s reporting on ARod-centric stories. You’d like him to be enough of a professional that that doesn’t come through, and maybe that’ll be so, but I don’t really believe it.
Right, that’s my point, perhaps his ESPN gig is overlapping into his YES gig. While commentators that call games for ESPN, FOX and other outlets are “supposed” to be objective, YES is a different story. We as Yankee fans want a guy that isn’t routing for another team or rooting against one of our players. If he think the guy is a “jerk,” how can we expect him to give Al a fair hake every time he comes to the plate.
What does ARod having a fair shake have to do with ARod being a jerk?
When he hits a HR Kay will go nuts.
When he strikes out with men on, he’ll say another disappointing at bat.
I’d rather have that then announcers making excuses for their home team players
Well, in general, when you have negative feeling towards someone it’s nearly impossible to judge and react to them unbiasedly.
Kay has his own talk show, if he wasn’t honest about ARod do you know how much he would get killed?
On the field baseball is baseball whether you hate someone or love them:A HR is a a HR whether John Sterling calls it or Micahel Kay calls it, and a strike out in a big situation is a strike out for Kay or Sterling.
Deep down inside you don’t think John Flarety hates ARod too? He started for only 4 years and was a back up for 10, he nevercheated to get that big payday, just played baseball because he loved it.
Marginal players probably “cheat” just as much or more than stars, and there are big money stars who care less about the money and more about the game than career backups. Huge generalization.
And yeah I’m sorry a guy who made $16 million over 13 years never got a big payday.
The jerk store called and they’re out of Kay!
What’s the difference? You’re their all-time best seller!
The “take Michael Kay seriously” ship sailed years ago.
I’m depressed, I was going to buy bleacher seats for $5
While I’m buying them they sell out, FML
Oh well, guess i’ll have to listen to M Kay, aka the new A Rod basher.
Look on the bright side. Our former first baseman is batting .212/.307/.303. Also I just learned that his middle name is Gilbert.
What’s the weather look like up there? I’m down at school so I’m not sure.
i want that yankee stadium cake.
It’s not nice but looks like the rain shall be staved off. They’re gonna start the game on time.
oops that was supposed to be for Will.
Glad to see the weather cleared up. Figured it would. 60 and sunny here in Pittsburgh, means the rest of the nation’s weather must be looking at least halfway decent.
Mmmm, one-pitch outs.
Gary Matthews Jr. now there’s some money well spent.
OMG that slap almost left CF, damn.
bandbox!
we play today, we show a replay of jacoby ellsbury stealing home today
What else is knew? Kay is so enamored with the way the Red Sox play the game he probably tells the producer to play the highlight.
C’mon AP… Throw strikes.
Vintage Pettitte there.
Nice pickoff, Andy. Lets get some runs early.
I would have rather seen Napoli retired. Now he leads off the 2nd.
OMG GUYS!
I’m gonna be an aunt in a few hours! I am beyond stoked!
Congradulation. I gotta tella ya it’s pretty cool being an uncle.
Congrats Rebecca.
Congrads! So being an Aunt isn’t like being a grandma, right? You don’t feel old then too?
Nah, my brother’s six years older than me, so there’s quite the age gap.
Weaver got squeezed on the 2-1 pitch.
He got squeezed at least twice on that AB…it’s going to be a long night with a strike zone that small.
Wow, a really tight zone tonight.
Please Tex
At this rate we’ll be in their bullpen in no time.
C’mon Tex. It’s time to redeem yourself and earn those stripes.
Nice way to start the inning… Lets go Tex, start May off right.
5/1 = brand new tex
ahhh… hit it hard, was a nice play.
I’ll take it. Get the other one in, Robby.
Man I love watching Robbie right now.
Cano is Ridiculoso
Robbie Cano is money these days.
Gotta love two-out, run-scoring hits.
I love Robbie.
Yeah I love seeing the clutch hitting in RISP.
didnt cano end last year with a hitting streak?
He did. It got snapped earlier this season and he started another one.
Jorge goes yahtzzz
Man, that pitch was right over the plate. Weaver’s get squeezed like nobody’s business.
Haha Joba dancin.
Was that who it was? Thats pretty funny.
That was complete WIN. I want replays of that every game going forward. Forget the stupid base stealing replays.
Dream weaver.
HIP HIP JORGE!
Totally a pop-fly to the second basemen in the 29 other parks.
the matsui sac fly should have been lol
It’s like the Yankees are saying “congratulations Rebecca!”
I love it!!
Posada, you be awesome
total domination
forget about it
I love that commercial.
Walk it off Swish, walk it off.
oy
What is this “injury delay”? Who’s hurt and how bad is it?
Tell me it’s Weaver and not Swisher…
Swisher got hit right on the elbow. He has no guard on there so it is hurting him bad..
Gameday tells me he stayed in. So I take it he shook it off? Musta hit a funny bone.
If you have 5 dollars and Robbie Cano has 5 dollars, Robbie Cano has more money than you.
Twitter update from @TrentonThunder: Trenton leads New Britain 3-1 in the 4th inning…Jorge Vazquez with a monster solo home run in the 3rd inning!
I enjoyed watching him in the WBS, another good young 1st baseman in our system. (Miranda the other)
*WBC
Nick Swisher doesn’t feel pain. Pain feels Nick Swisher.
Iight Andy Pettitte, do ya job and maintain this lead.
chan ho park is pitching ineffectively in citizen’s bank park. shocker
Why did they try and turn two?
C’mon AP… Just gave you a 4-0, don’t walk the leadoff man.
Kendrick with the sparkling .296 OBP.
“but he’ll be a batting champion one day”
It’s impossible to throw strikes and not get hammered with this strike zone.
That is OBP is Brian Hunteresque
so is control the ability to paint the corners or is that command? people mess that up so much that i’ve never known which is which lol
Cano, nastyyy
No my first name ain’t Baby, it’s Robbie, Mr. Cano if you’re nasty.
Robbie Cano, don’t ‘cha know?
Cano: Top 3 defensive 2nd baseman?
people actually wanted to trade cano
i didnt.
Me either.
heh, you were waiting for someone to say that weren’t you. And no I didn’t either
Nice job btw
Don’t lie.
Yeah, for Zach Greinkie and Matt Cain – which I would still do.
Or Matt Kemp.
How’s that gonna work, again? The Royals get him until the All-Star break, and the Giants get him afterwards?
I would totally do the mom from those rollover minute commercials.
She’s a definite MILF.
Very feisty, I dig that.
PPPPPena
Making things happen, nice play, Pena.
Dayum Peña got legs.
LoHud was arguing earlier to keep him up here, but I think it’s more important he gets to play every day cos I really like what I see, small sample size and all.
What do you think? I’m open to being proven wrong.
How did your paper go, or how is it going?
Finished about 11 this morning.
I actually had to give a presentation on it and it went really, really well.
Very nice, that and the whole Aunt thing and the Yanks playing well. Good day so far, huh
He’s going to start MAYBE once a week if they DH ARod once every few games. Other then that he’s a PR and defensive replacement for 3B/SS.
No reason to keep him on the bench for that, let him play everyday in the minors and keep Berroa for that role.
Except Berroa is no defensive replacement and not much of a pinch runner.
Bottom line is that Pena will help the team more as a bench player than Berroa will.
Will it retard his development? Yes. But this is a business and our business is winning championships. Granted, business has been a little slow lately, but it is more likely to pick up with Pena on the bench than Berroa.
Yeah, you and I agreed yesterday on him going back down. While we could use a slick fielding backup infielder (who couldn’t), it’s important that such a young guy continues to develop his not so refined skills (stealing, hitting, bunting) down in the minors where he can play everyday.
Pena is doin his thang rite now
I love coming back from dinner to find a 4-0 lead!
no mercy. let’s wipe the smirk from scioscia’s face
No commercials, no MERCY!!!
iight Tex will hit a homer on this abat.
or not.
First two pitches to Tex were def. outside.
Wow. So was the called strike three. The umpires have been real nice to the Angels on the outside corner vs. lefty hitters.
At least is was consistent, I would be much more angry if he was all over (not taking the rest of the game into account, haven’t been watching Gameday too closely)
I’ve been waiting for Ramiro to steal, dude’s got wheels.
Good grief, that pitch was in the dirt.
Looked a little low… Hold em’ down, AP.
Yeah, how about we stop expanding the zone from inning to inning, ump.
Mo, I fucking hate the Angels.
Aybar is a sick little player.
SARS, or Swine Flu?
Mad cow
Everytime I see Chan Ho Park, I keep saying to myself, how the fuck he got 65 Million.
Plus, you don’t think Joba see starters like Silva and Park make combined over 100Million, and saying to himself hey I betta than those guys and want to get paid.
guerrero = predator
Dude’s got like, 10 kids with 9 women, none of whom he married.
Ur kidding!!! Vlad Guerrero,
swish is out i hope he is ok.
ahhh man… I hope its just precautionary with Swish. Can’t afford to lose him for anytime.
Wow, nice job, YES, we wouldn’t have even known about Swisher had a ball not been hit in the outfield.
Really pathetic. You’d think Kay would’ve noticed considering, ya know, he’s at the f***ing game!
Hopefully it’s just a precaution.
Eh. Gardners arm is friggin useless.
Gardner is ussless period.
That’s not true.
How is he useful, so-so defense with no arm no bat? I guess he runs fast..
So-so defense? His arm isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be and yes he’s very fast, he’s basically a 4th outfielder. Thats not “useless” at all.
Yeah, I overstated my bounds a bit there but I’ve been vastly unimpressed with his defense and arm in the young season.
I know but he kinda set that one up though.
Wait, so you think his arm is useful? Now I’m confused.
No of course.
Ayayay Swisher…here’s hoping it’s not serious.
I hope Posada is awake right now. Aybar wants to run.
Man, it’s in Andy’s head now.
Woahwoahwoah what happened to Swisher?
HBP on the elbow.
HBP in the elbow.
Goddammit.
Damn Bobby didn’t pick up Posada’s mask, that’s kind of messed up.
Ayayaya Andy.
Damnit… C’mon, AP…
that jose reyes story was pretty funny. c’mon Andy. STOP NIBBLING.
Dangerous spot here for Andy.
Way to work out of it, AP.
Gritty, gutty, Andy Pettitte?
Pettitte became a redsox?
Good job Andy.
I was writing my paper when I heard Kay say Joe ran out to the mound. I saw Girardi real animated but why did he run out there?
AP was preoccupied with aybar at 3b.
Wish I cudda lipread it.
Cuz Pettitte was bothered by the runner on 3rd and still had ellsbury stealing home in his head and wanted him to focus.
Hey look, there’s people sitting behind home plate.
Blue has gotta call that outside pitch. Been giving it to Weaver all night.
Mike Pelfrey: Ace.
randy gumpert is the trivia answer. my dad would kill me if i didn’t know that.
i get a gold star for the day!
No. You don’t.
Mike, could RAB ever do an open-thread during the day? This way we can discuss the morning and previous night’s happenings without straying from the threads that you make.
Really? Napoli stealing second? Yeesh.
Best inning for Pettitte yet.
FINALLY got that call.
We have given up 4 hits but no runs. And we have gotten 3 hits but 4 runs. Efficiency is awesome.
Amen, brotha
Kay is pissing me off
So the ump is giving Weaver a nice wide zone to make up for the first inning?
I saw Gardner go down looking on 3 straight strikes, but they were all on the edge of the zone.
One of those pitches to Gardner was a strike. This guy is giving Weaver so much off the outside corner to lefties. Fuck that noise.
Nice AB by Gardner there.
Good thing we got those four runs early, huh?
TSJC and The Artist formerly known as Steve chillin’ at the game:
http://tinyurl.com/dz7ggh
I’ll be there tomorrow…theoretically.
Life keeps getting in the way of my Yankees games!
when was this?
reply fail.
Talkin’ to me? Tonight, they’re at the game now.
Be there too, weather willing.
Those are two ruggedly handsome sons of bitches right there…
Those two need to switch diet plans.
So . . . Ian Kennedy’s best case scenario: Jered Weaver?
I think it’s hilarious the way Weaver mopes when things aren’t going his way.
Why are the Yankees so fucking susceptible to the big inning?
Call me speculative, but I think Joe Maddon called for the unintentional-intentional walk with Jason Bay at the plate and the bases juiced with two out. The next batter, Mike Lowell, grounded out to Jason Bartlett on the 0-1 pitch.
Oh, forgot to mention that Andy Sonnanstine walked Bay on just four pitches.
Didn’t he give Hamilton the IBB w/the bases loaded last year? It worked out too, no?
Anyone else like Girardi showing some balls and goin out to tell Pettitte to fuck the guy at third and focus on the hitter.
So I have tickets to tomorrow’s game. Whether I go/how long I stay is currently up to my sister in law, but who else is going?
Hughe sigh of relief re: Swisher
what they say?
Phew, x-rays negative for Swish. What Kay didn’t tell you is that the radiation from the x-ray made Swish even stronger.
And you won’t like him when he’s angry.
Nice pitching by Pettitte.
Thank god Swisher is ok. We can’t afford any more injuries.
lol cone, Jeff Weaver has had trouble everywhere.
Cmon Tex!
I don’t blame Tex for apparently chasing that pitch–it was called a strike his last time up.
The only player who looks worse at bat than Teixeira right now is Brett Gardner. That kinda says something.
So how many Rangers fans did Kay just piss off? He is such an idiot.
What did Kay say> I just walked in…
Picking on one of the cameramen for wearing a ranger shirt. Good-natured ribbing but then before the commercial he was like go get him a Capitals jersey. Kind of dick for all the upset rangers fans.
I wouldn’t be completely opposed to this game being called early due to rain after 6 innings.
Me niether.
Me neither, I have to finish this damn paper before midnight.
Yo Mike, http://riveraveblues.com/2009/.....ent-360263
Okay, so if the game gets rained out, it becomes official and the Yankees win (assuming they are still in the lead). But some games that get rained out are continued from play later on in the season. How is this determined, which games are officially called and which are ‘postponed’? I remember a few years ago the Yankees played the Orioles and they called a game in the 8th due to rain, 3 weeks later they had another series and continued that game in the 8th before playing their normal scheduled game.
yea I wonder that too
It’s a weird rule, and it has to do with the score and stuff. If a team scores in that inning or the half-inning before, or if the score is tied, they suspend it. Something weird like that.
Let’s see if this help:
(a) A league shall adopt the following rules providing for completion at a future date of games terminated for any of the following reasons:
(1) A curfew imposed by law;
(2) A time limit permissible under league rules;
(3) Light failure or malfunction of a mechanical field device under control of the home club. (Mechanical field device shall include automatic tarpaulin or water removal equipment).
(4) Darkness, when a law prevents the lights from being turned on.
(5) Weather, if the game is called while an inning is in progress and before it is completed, and one of the following situations prevails:
(i) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to tie the score, and the home team has not scored.
(ii) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not tied the score or retaken the lead.
(b) Such games shall be known as suspended games. No game called because of a curfew, weather, or a time limit shall be a suspended game unless it has progressed far enough to have been a regulation game under the provisions of Rule 4.10. A game called under the provisions of 4.12(a), (3) or (4) shall be a suspended game at any time after it starts.
NOTE: Weather and similar conditions_4.12 (a) (1 through 5)_shall take precedence in determining whether a called game shall be a suspended game. A game can only be considered a suspended game if stopped for any of the five (5) reasons specified in Section (a). Any regulation game called due to weather with the score tied (unless situation outlined in 4.12 (a) (5) (i) prevails) is a tie game and must be replayed in its entirety.
Oy, this is what you want:
If the home team has the lead, then the away team takes the lead and the home team doesn’t get a chance to be AB again cos of rain, they’ll finish the game.
I haven’t listened to a lot of YES games this year, but this broadcast is amazingly brutal. Has Kay been doing this all year, talking about inane bullshit for 75% of the game? I can’t stand it.
He does all the time. It was so nice when he was on vacation.
Yes, Kay has been brutal all year long. He’s awful.
Miranda pulled for no apparent reason
http://community.thetimes-trib.....eason.aspx
They’ll probably call him up as insurance in case Swish needs to ride the pine for a few days.
Probably going to let the pitchers hit and DH Miranda for Gardner.
Alright, Andy, enough of this. I don’t like the tying run being on deck. Get them out so we can call it a game, k?
Agreed. Lock the state.
I’ll take a backwards K of Quinlan. Now get Mathis, please.
You guys didn’t really think Andy would get out of this without getting scored on, right?
I predicted 7 5 3 3 3 5. So far, I’m right on the walks and I’m, unfortunately, probably about to be right on the runs as well.
Ayayay Peña.
This is like slow torture. One. More. Out.
Mark Melancon, fireman?
Oh yeah. Love how Girardi’s going to the kid in the hi-lev situation.
Does Pettitte get the win if we keep the lead?
Course.
It’s moot now.
Come on Andy. I can see this bases loaded situations for Pettitte being an issue all year, due to the Ellsbury steal.
This could get kinda bad kinda fast.
I swear Andy, you better get GMJ here.
lotta trust in Melancon, hope he lives up to it
He’s all business. I think he comes through here.
I was just kidding.
Big spot here for Melancon.
Do it up, Mark.
Wow, welcome to the big leagues Melancon
come on powder!
Girardi giving Melancon a big challenge here.
*$^^&#%$*&^@#*&#$^#P$(*^#$*%^@#)*&^@#)*&@^#O*@&^@(&^%@#*^&$%@#
Bah, brutal. That was a meatball.
Gardner plays so freaking shallow. Sweet.
wow.
fuck
Love the bullpen.
Figures Mathews would swing first pitch FB.
Tonight would be a great game for Tex to hit a 3-Run homer. I envision another K and a walk possibly.
The Yankees are so good at not holding leads.
isn’t gary matthews the prototypical first ball-fastball hitter?
blah
damn
there goes the lead. Hopefully Girardi doesn’t lose too much trust in Melancon. I would hate to see that one pitch cause Melancon to be sent down.
I disagree, hopefully.
Well welcome to the big leagues kid.
Man. Why can’t we get this last out?
Yucky game.
Wow just wow.
6 runs all with 2 outs by a brutal offensive team. This inning is all on Pettitte though.
That’s why Gary Matthews shouldn’t be given a freaking triple, maybe Gardner should move back a little in Center field.
Yankees are still winning this game.
Does that ball have springs in it? No one can keep it in their gloves.
WHAT THE FUCK. this is just SLOPPY baseball right now..
God sent down the Angels to help the Angels.
Dude, we gotta get a motherfucking out here before we can win this game.
GMJ? Really? At least it’s not bunts and first-to-thirds this game.
Jesus the Angels just run at will.
and girardi fucks up again