Game 129: The quest for .500
ByBut Mike, the Yankees are 32 games over .500 and haven’t been under .500 since May 13th!
Well, yeah, but a win today would be the club’s 81st win of the season, guaranteeing them a .500 record or better for the 14th consecutive season. Without looking it up, I think it’s safe to say that’s the longest active streak in the majors. The Yanks were the first team in baseball to reach the 80 win plateau this year thanks to their win last night; the two LA clubs are both sitting on 76 wins. If things go right, the Yanks could surpass their 2008 win total of 89 in about two weeks.
On to the injury news. Jorge Posada is getting another day off to rest his bruised ring finger, so Jose Molina’s behind the plate again. If worse comes to worst, Jerry Hairston Jr. is the emergency catcher. September callups are just three games away, so hopefully Molina can hold down the fort until Frankie Cervelli comes back. No point in risking a more severe injury to Posada when the team has a six game lead with 34 games to go.
As for Brett Gardner, he experienced “a little soreness or pain” while hitting off a tee, and Mark Feinsand says it’s unlikely he’ll get into a rehab game before the minor league season ends on Sept. 8th. It’s a shame, because Melky has been teh suck lately.
Here’s the lineup that will face our old buddy Jose Contreras this afternoon:
Jeter, SS
Damon, LF
Teixeira, 1B
A-Rod, 3B
Matsui, DH
Swisher, RF
Cano, 2B
Hairston, CF
Molina, C
And on the mound, Sergio Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitre.
The weather’s ugly but it’s not raining, so it looks like they’ll get this one in. If you’re going out to the Stadium, I feel bad for you. That pitching matchup is as bad as it gets.





Well, if you’re me and you like home runs, that pitching matchup is fucking gold.
I don’t like it when our pitcher gives up HRs in bunches.
If the Yankees go on a 34 game win streak to end the season, they will match 1998′s record. Goes to show how good that team was. I think the game has changed from that time. It takes more offense and power both offensively and pitching to be really good. I don’t think we will see a team win 110+ games for a while with the emphasis on younger players because those players lead to struggles which is part of their development.
i was thinking that earlier today lol
robbie gave us a huge lift last night.. i hope that shot was the start of those streaks he’s been having this year!!
this year has been a hot streak for Cano. He is batting like .315 and he has been pretty consistent, fewer peaks and troughs and more consistency this year.
yeah i was going to say… he’s been hot all year
Mitre, i have faith in you today
LETS GO YANKEES!
I think Mitre might benefit from the weather. Wet grass slows the ball down so maybe fewer ground ball hits.
yeah but in chicago on wet grass he slipped while fielding the ball, causing an error and a chi-sox win. I am hoping he took some PFP (pitcher’s fielding practice) since then.
14 consecutive seasons over .500 is awesome. Look at the Pittsburgh Pirates, they are in their 17th consecutive season under .500
Latest Elias Rankings shows that Hinske, Hairston, Nady and Matsui are all type B’s and Damon is a Type A. Who do you think we let leave, who do you think we resign and who do you think we offer arbitration?
matsui will be gone, hinske might go, and everyone else will prolly come back
I expect Damon back, Hairston back, and Nady and the rest all gone.. idk about ARB..
Bring them all back.
I agree.
Bring back Pettitte too.
Yeah they’re going to have too.
You wouldn’t offer arb to Damon or Matsui because they would accept and you would be stuck with a $15 million dollar contract which is way over market. Nady is someone you would consider because $8 million isn’t too much for him but with the Yankees looking to cut costs, they might be cautious. Hinske and Hairston are people you probably would offer arb as they are good bench options and they will only accept if they are ok with being on the bench which they probably will look elsewhere and thus we can pick up the picks.
I’m calling it, today will be a pitcher’s duel.
Gutsy prediction. I have to disagree, but you can’t predict baseball.
You can predict all you want. You’ll just be wrong a lot.
stupid MLD extra innings not giving me the game on it. I got to watch it on WGN.
That made my day too. I love WGN and their freaking loopholes.
I love the no HD. Terrible.
I got the MLB audio package and just watch the screen with no sound. I won’t listen to Steve Stone.
Nady gone also just to clarify.
man i wish they would bring paulie back
i love paul & cone together with some singleton added in
+1
They’re probably trying to tighten the food budget.
He only agrees to to about 20 games a year or so. It’s no that they “won’t bring him back” it’s that he doesn’t need the work and just comes in to do the games he wants to do, or aren’t that far from his home.
Sergio Suuuuuucktre
Just woke up 30 mins ago and my first task is watching the Yanks game. Life’s good.
Mitre didn’t slip!
i thought the same thing!
Low the ball to strike ratio so far.
now lets get the 3rd out please?
Perfect game.
Great inning Surge
HOLY COW A 1-2-3 INNING!!!!1111!!!
WOW, 3 up 3 down, is that the first time he’s ever done that int he first inning?
i think he did it against toronto in toronto, but that’s all i can remember… haha
I love getting the third out right after the second out.
Odds of Guillen asking Contreras to bean either Cano?
Let them, take a free baserunner.
There’s more than one Cano?
WHO BUT?
Jeterian
Nice start Jete
Heh, the “experiment” of leading Jeter off.
Jeter or Tex MVP? Or does the team have an MVP, is this more like the WS teams that had no MVP candidate just solid up and down.
i dont care who the MVP is, i just want #27
same here
Possible to have the entire infield with 20 homers
i think the marlins did that last year or two years ago too
HAHA! thanks Nix
That’s what he gets for not knowing how to spell Jason.
yay for errors!
This reminds of Contreras’ game against the Sox, let the errors begin!
He was safe on the glove issue, the only question is did he pick the ball up and have his foot ont he bag begore Jete was in, that was close.
Jeter was out for sure.
It’s like the yanks got 2 extra outs there.
whitesox announces saying that the 2nd base ump always has a problem with the white sox.
You’re watching the White Sox announcers? I feel bad for you.
Agreed, they are beyond annoying.
I have to. I don’t get YES and extra innings don’t have Saturday day games. I’m lucky that I’m getting WGN. Of course no HD. Who doesn’t broadcast in HD?
Maybe the ump has an issue with how the team malnourishes Alexei Ramirez.
http://www.theonion.com/conten.....ries_petas
Jeter decides when he’s safe or not, Nix.
Until the ball beats him to the bag. Then he’s out.
Yeah, on that play he should have tagged him.
Should have bunted
cmon A-rod, no DP…drive in a run or 3
wow when did tex stop seeing fastballs?
I got the stupid be gone guy. Man I hate not watching these games on YES.
Is it me or does Matsui never get a clutch hit?
(Using RAB reverse curse)
its funny, back in june i called for the yanks to bench him, then he went on a tear
He has NEVER gotten a RBI with 2 outs
Damn, Reverse Curse worked in reverse. I can never get this thing right.
contreras still has the wicked movement on his pitches. Lets hope they move to the head of the bat of the yanks
ah cmon guys, cmon Hideki
Matsui was limping a bit yesterday. Let’s see how he looks today.
If anything that was good inning for the pitch count
Ah damn, 0-3 with RISP already! Oh well, we burned 23 pitches
I like how there’s nothing to complain about with this team, so we’re reduced to charting how they hit with RISP on an at-bat by at-bat basis.
amen, i love having this problem
Ironically, we are one of the better “hitting w/RISP” teams…
Ranked #2 w/RISP
Ranked #7 w/RISP and 2 outs
Ranked #8 w/bases loaded
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/st.....eason_2009
wow i had no idea
Yes.
As far as 2009 Yankee Complaint Memes are concerned, this one is the least worrisome.
damn
im shocked 3-4-5 produced no runs
oh well, we’ll get em next inning
darn.
0-3 with RISP.
The drama continues.
8 inning game now.
Vaccination Day == worst promo ever
i can think of worse ideas
such as swine flu day when we played the rangers with padilla
But this one is REEEAAAAL!
well that is true!
How about all you can eat cabbage day
Worse than “Smelt Night”?
4 up 4 down
Close for Thome, bu 5 up 5 down
Not a fan of Contreras, especially how the Yankees gave up on him and he promptly was a big reason of why the Sox won in ’05.
hey, Sox helping Mitre out.
four outs in a row for mitre…what is the world coming to?
Mitre isn’t looking half-bad
oh, that looked good.
aight mitre
one more
6 up 6 down for Mitre, 21 more outs to the perfect game.
Mitre!
Teh No-Hittaz!!!11!
MITRE WAS MURDA!
Perfect through 2.
Better offspeed stuff from Sergio today so far. Looks like he’s hitting the glove consistently too
Will be interesting to watch Contreras as the game wears on. The stat Kay cited is interesting – 1.98 ERA in innings 1 & 2; almost 7 after that.
His FB velocity was pretty inconsistent in the first – and his inconsistency is what drove Mel and Joe Torre wild
Huh it might not be a slugfest at all.
I’m pleasantly surprised with Mitre’s performance thus far.
Mike, is the lefty prospect the Rays got any good? He has like a mid 2 ERA and like 149 K’s in 147 innings.
from what i have read, this kid is the real deal
He’s good, but Sweeney is the better prospect.
there you go swish!
Gimme another dinger Robbie
Is the Kazmir deal really that bad for the Rays? They have guys they can plug in, and get out underneath Kazmirs salary. Seems like a good deal to me.
Scott Kazmir hasn’t been the pitcher he was a few years ago and the Rays have pitchers they can toss into his spot. With tons of guys needing to be resigned on a tight budget, these are things that a team like that has to do. Sure, it’s a dump, but it doesn’t indicate they are throwing in the towel. Dumb question.
I disagree, not a dumb question at all, Kazmir is coming off some injury issues, but I don’t think that you can concluded that he isn’t what he once was. He’s pitched well in his last couple starts and the Angels will use him well (probably against us in the ALCS). It’s a salary dump and it indicates they are looking towards next year and beyond. Otherwise they would not trade a quality starter for a prospect or two.
‘but I don’t think that you can concluded that he isn’t what he once was’
decreasing velocity and KRate say otherwise
The question was: Are they throwing in the towel with this trade? The Rays have lots of pitching options, get back a solid prospect, and save money to pay for guys that have been very valuable to their team. Yes, we agree it’s a dump, and Kazmir has been coming off injury issues (since 2006, basically), and this helps more long-term, but it doesn’t indicate they’re giving up on this year.
Nice bunt cano
cano!
great job robbie
Would have been nice if he ran after hitting it, but whatever.
BABIP correction!
That works too! Cmon Jerry!
see, molina’s catching and mitre’s tossing a no-hitter. coincidence? i think not
No, I think it is.
…sarcasm, right?
Cano with a double!!!
Why isn’t he bunting?
good AB by hairston
Jerry!!
THATS HAIRY FOR YA!
I have a man crush on Jerry Hairston Jr.
HAIRSTON with the HUGE DOUBLE!!!
2-0!
JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!
Seriously, I love this dude
Hairston is awesome.
Hairy Ballsagna!
Yay runs!
I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the at-bats Mr. Hairston has put together since the trade.
same here
his ABs are swisher-esqe
Jerry “Postseason is Mine” Hairston!
but Cash cant build a bench!
JH can play, he’s always a good fantasy pickup because he can play any position, hit for a good average, and produce. An awesome bench player.
Definitely. It would seem that he’s going to be back next year, as well.
The White Sox announcers are joking about Arron Boone getting back from open heart surgery faster than Jose Reyes for his hamstring injury.
haha i dont know whether to laugh or shake my head
That’s laugh-worthy.
Why isn’t Molina bunting???
Can I blame you for that Jeter bunt just now?
JH= Luis Sojo, only better
Cash happens bitches
http://www.nomaas.org/images/cash_happens.jpg
nice job molina
Do we have Hairston through at least next season, or is he a free agent? I hope we keep him. It’s nice to have a Hairston coming off the bench who contributes, as opposed to players like Cairo.
Did Jose Molina just walk?
WHY!
Situational grit.
Jeter bunts? What is with this small ball?
Why the hell is he bunting?
Why did Jeter bunt and give up an out?
Good baseball there, people with bitch, but good baseball.
i completely agree
Sigh. It is not. he just walked Jose Molina. JOSE MOLINA. He had thrown 42 pitches. Trust me, the number one thing he wanted there is an out. ESPECIALLY when he is facing someone who has been hitting .400 or so over the last three weeks.
It’s the 2nd inning, Conterars was on the ropes, Jeter is up batting about .330 and Mitre is pitching. It’s not the time to play for a run or two.
Teh bunt!
great bunt there
All y’all who get to be around when Jeter’s nearing 3000 hits will be lucky bastards.
i will do my best to even be at that game whether it be on the road or home
Now they’re just bunting out of spite.
IETC
Is Jose Contreras the grandfather of Aroldis Chapman?
Great grandfather.
Angel Berroa?
/Abe’d
wouldn’t be surprised
Maybe Jeter felt a DP coming on? Always thinking, Captain
Ha, I did not see this comment before posting mine.
I’ve to grips with Jeter bunting when I don’t think he should.
Go Damon!
*come
I love it when they face Contreras…
Damon!
Why the hell did he bunt? Your answer children, your answer.
So Damon wouldn’t have done that if Jeter didn’t bunt? It’s impossible that Jeter, one of the hottest hitters in the league, would have gotten a hit off a guy who is always ready to completely blow up?
Faulty logic here.
teh bunt worked!
4-0 thanks to damon
Why give up a free out with the have been hitting Contreras? Jeter is hitting over .330. Already a runner in scoring position. Why not to go for the jugular and have a huge inning?
Sorry! Wrong reply.
They went for the jug after the bunt and scored only 2 runs, so your argument makes no sense. You stay out of the DP, advance two runnders into scoring position instead of one, and increase the chances that you score. IT”S NOT THE NFL
Bunting in the position is not at all going for the jugular. And by bunting there, you’re decreasing the probability of more runs because you’re giving away a free out.
It’s clear that you’re going continue believing what you want, so I’m not going to go into it any more.
Also, Walter Johnson isn’t on the mound for the Yanks. I wouldn’t exactly be saying that 4-0 is the end of it.
He is more likely to get a hit, then to ground into a double play. But no, give up an out with your .330 hitter with our middle of the line up coming up. So why not try to knock him out earlier? I’m not saying it didn’t work, but the inning could have and should have been bigger.
Well gotta admit the bunt helped. Great job Damon.
We actually don’t know that the bunt helped. What if Jeter had hit a homerun? Or gotten a hit? Whether one should bunt when trailing by one run in the 9th is a debatable question (see threads from a couple of days ago).
But in the second inning against a struggling pitcher with a .330 hitter who is even hotter than the women he has been known to date…it is unquestionably the wrong move.
Ugh, damn that bunt!
(Jeter bunted because he felt a GIDP inside him and didn’t want to do that.)
Maybe Jeter would have hit into a double-play. Instead, he bunts, and Damon drives in two. 4-0 Yankees.
He also could have hit a home run. He also could have dropped trow and taken a dump on home plate. It’s impossible to know.
/That’s baseball.
Dropped trow? I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t happen, but it would be interesting to see how that was handled on Baseball Tonight, or in Jeter’s Yankeeography.
He is more likely to get a base hit, then to ground into a double play.
He was actually even more likely to hit a homerun than hit into a double play.
…although I should add to my own post, I’m not a fan of the bunt, and agree with Michael Kay in this case. We’re up 2-0 already, it’s only the second inning, Jeter is hot, I’d have let him swing away. Can’t complain, though, with the results this time.
That thinking is why Torre is gone and why the Yanks don’t have as many rings
Yes, bunting has been the problem of the last 8 Yankees teams. Why not just field a whole team of David Ecksteins. Think of all the bunts!
Was Torre not given multiple shots after 2000 to win another one? I was pretty sure he was here through 2007.
aight a-rod, lets go
Not a hit – but Teixeira and ARod both hit it on the screws
Jose’s body language reminded me of 2003. Looks like he got sinkers up in the zone, and they were smoked.
Sacrifices win MVP’s!!!!
Molina being incredibly slow contributed to that bunt
bad luck for Texy
damn, beckham was in the perfect spot
great inning! more crooked numbers to help out mitre please?
Mre reasons why the bunt was smart, otherwise it would still be 2-0, maybe 3-0 on the damon double.
I used to get pissed at Torre for not playing small ball.
But look at the situation. We had no outs and everyone was getting on , even Molina walked!. That’s giving up an out. Jeter is on fire too.
Nostradamus in the house.
It could also be a lot more than 4-0 if there is no bunt. Giving away outs isn’t the business you want to be in.
Yeah, because Derek Jeter couldn’t POSSIBLY have done anything better than move the runners over, right?
No Halladay, you are just flat out assuming that Jeter would not have gotten on base against a pitcher who had thrown 42 pitches without getting anyone out in the second inning, he had gotten a hit off of in the first ininning, and while he is in the midsyt of one of his better hitting streaks in his hall of fame career.
That’s quite a stretch.
GCL Yankees will be playing bonus baseball. They’re in the playoffs.
No Heathcott in the GCL game today =(
they DFA’d him 2 days ago…
7 up 7 down, 20 to go
I do not like looking at Alexi Ramirez’s face on Game Day
its even worse on TV
I love it when a no talent hack like Kay or some fantasy baseball nerds start questioning a bunt by Derek Jeter. Why did he bunt? Because he wanted to. End of story.
Now he’s going after the Blue Jays for salary dumping a “two-time all-star” in Rios and wanting to dump Wells. Toronto was lucky to find a taker for one of those terrible contracts. Kay is killing me today.
Al’s trying hard not to laugh at Michael while explaining why dumping a Rios makes sense
It’s allocation of limited resources, Michael. I guess Kay doesn’t follow the NBA – or his head would explode
Yeah, he’s being extra dumb today.
Sure he wasn’t told to?
If it was called for from the dugout, I’d agree it was a bad move given the situation. If Jeter decided to do it himself, I’m not really one to argue.
You should sleep with him to if he wants to, no doubt you’d do it.
atta boy mitre
8 out of 8 19 to go
Perfect through 3.
Mitre!
Kay you fuckin jinxer
Jinxes are not real, they would count against you on a Mental Status Exam
Are they really criticizing the Jays getting rid of Rios for “nothing”? Getting that bloated, wasteful contract off their payroll was a blessing. It’s addition by subtraction.
kay is a moron sometimes. That salary dump was one of the best large salary dump moves in years
I hate Rios. Not personally, but simply because he keeps hitting against the Yankees, but seems to be incredibly mediocre against all other teams. Is it that the Yankees can’t figure out how to pitch to him (along with every pitcher on the staff), or can he only bring his “A” game when he plays the Yankees, which is pretty lame.
I put the Chone Figgens, Howie Kendrick and the entire California Angels in that class. I mean the Anaheim Angels, or is it the Los Angeles Angels, or the California Angeles of Anaheim, or the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, or the Anaheim Angels of California? Whatever, that annoying team out west we can’t beat.
man 3 great innings for mitre!
on to teh BOTTOM!!
9 up, 9 down, 18 outs to the perfecto!
quick inning, get the bats back out there now
Baseball immortality for Mitre through 3 innings
Pretzel bread? I dont think there’s a blimpie near my house. The closest one is probably 45 min away
Wienerschitzel (sp?) has a pretzel dog.
there prolly isnt a blimpie 200 miles from my apartment here
I’m surrounded by Blimpie’s so I’ll send you all some pretzel bread subs.
Heh thanks!
that evil empire story never gets old
It always brings a smile to my face and the imperial march thumping in my head.
+26
I can’t imagine Kay having friends.
“Yeah, yeah , yeah Mike, whatever….Hey, do you think you can get Jeter’s autograph for me?”
That’s how he has friends.
That’s how he picks up women, by offering them autographed balls.
Dude, you said balls.
He would post “Guess who just told me she’s pregnant!!” to Facebook and call people’s parents to tell them that their son just got engaged.
Robbie is half-way to history.
Past a diving Nix!!
cano, great job
smoltz played the nationals and padres..
he will get lit up against the good teams i am betting
This!
I have a Cardinals fan in my office who was bragging about the 7-in-row Ks, asking when the last time Pettitte did that.
I told him Pettitte didn’t need too. He can just win games in the AL East.
Mitre’s pitch count?
38
That’s low, on track to go the distance if needed.
Hairy walk!
Hip Hip JOSE!!
Make ‘em pay, Jose!
WOW Cano only 26
4.17 P/PA for Hairston. Me like it a lot.
Gardy beats that out
damn, any other player might have beat out that throw
Damn, Evan Longoria dropped to sixth in the order. I had no idea he was slumping like that.
.218-.318-.402 since May 31st.
holy crap!
maybe he needs a few days off?
Are you going to be ok Mike? Just compare his numbers to Melky’s, that will make you feel better.
Heh, Melky’s hitting .239-.310-.388 in that time.
So Longoria has a #9 spot waiting for him in the Yankee line-up.
Wow I had no idea, that’s insane
Damn thats bad. I had a feeling as I havent heard anything about him in the headlines or highlights.
heh you mean he’s not better than Alex Rodgriguez!!?? I’m sure it’s just a slump but it’s funny how some people get captivated by “the next big thing.” Whether it was Evan vs Al, Wright vs. Al, Reyes vs Jetes… It always seems to work it self out.
I wonder what Molina’s 40 time is. Eight minutes?
40
Come on Mitre!!
10 up 10 down, 17 to go for a perfect game!
Michale Kay is that you?
ugh..
11 up 11 down, 16 to go for a perfect game
12 up 12 down, 15 to go for a perfect game
Perfect through 4.
Kay sure loves to throw in perfect as much times as he possibly can.
mitre is doing great!
46 pitches through 4!
He’s doing a pretty good job throwing the sinker, curve and change for strikes. And it looks like this team likes to swing.
Hell yeah
Mitre holy shit!
DAYUM.
Did Mitre go to Nebraska since his last start?
MItre is the greatest!!!!
/Longoria’d
FEZ POWER!!!
Should have bunted.
No Halladay, thoughts?
I’ll resist the low hanging fruit.
Thats why you dont bunt Jeter
jeter with another hit
Who needs Brad Penny? Mitre is just fine.
It’s a good thing Jeter bunted in the 2nd. He just can’t seem to figure Contreras out.
#2707
Come on Michael Kay. Surely you’re not assuming the predetermined outcome. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.
its so odd to see how much of a pull hitter damon has become
Playing in this stadium? Really?
Jeter has an Edge
HAAHA BAD NEWS SOX
Rudy Stein and Tanner Boyle are insulted right now.
That’s bad baseball. Damon should have bunted him over to second, not have Jeter steal. Maybe Damon will bunt him to third, since second base isn’t scoring position.
THAT WAS FUCKIN HILARIOUS!
HAHAHAAHA what the hell was contreras thinking
Cue Benny Hill!
Hah, defense fail. And fail. And fail and fail.
Anyone else notice that this was a rough week, and fake Michael Kay took the week off his Twitter account?
Coincidence?
i thought fake kay took off because real kay took time off?
YAY ERRORS!
Hawk sounds so dejected.
Mark, stopping swinging at that pitch.
Cmon Alex, drive in at least one
there ya go
“We can’t do anything right” – White Sox Broadcasting Team. They REALLY depressed right now.
Yeah that’s them.
Attaboy Al
Mark Teixeira ain’t lookin to hot today..
good job a-rod!
Unclutch stat padder.
Bad News White Sox.
Chico’s wouldn’t even sponser them right now.
I’m enjoying the Jermaine Dye RF Experience.
pastAdivingKonerko!
how the hell is Nix EVERYWHERE to prevent errors
Intangibles.
Man I thought Thompson was going to send him when dye fell on his bum.
Haha. Remember when people said Dye was a better defender than Swish? At least Swisher doesn’t throw to the infield from his back.
Nice Hideki
0 0 3
THat’s a tough line for your team, in the 4th inning.