Archive for September, 2009
Game 156: Battle of the B lineups
Posted by: | CommentsToday’s Dan Shaughnessy column isn’t worth a link. In essence he writes off these Sox losses as the team putting on the brakes, and the Yankees still going full bore. Whatever that means. Both teams know their places by this point. They’re both playing most of their regulars. The Yankees won the first two games. Deal with it, Boston.
The Yanks would reach a couple of milestones if they win. First would be clinching the AL East. That would be especially sweet in light of the Red Sox recent comments that they’d celebrate clinching a playoff spot in the Yankee Stadium visitor’s locker room. That’s now an impossibility, as Texas has won their past two. They would also even the season series with the Sox at 9-9 after losing the first eight.
If the Yankes win I’ll have just one question. Where would I go to read all the articles declaring that the Sox can’t beat the Yanks?
Paul Byrd takes the mound for the Sox today. Signed in August and called up just before rosters expanded, Byrd has been nothing besides a fill-in fifth starter — kind of like Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre. Byrd has actually done a pretty good Mitre impression, rarely finishing the sixth and usually allowing a few runs along the way. The Royals destroyed him in his last start, pushing his ERA above 6.00.
For the Yanks it will be Andy Pettitte, making his second to last start of the season. After battling shoulder fatigue earlier this month, Andy came back with a strong start against Anaheim last Monday. He’ll get two more starts, both on long rest, to stay in his rhythm. Chances are he’ll be starting on seven days’ rest in Game 3 of the ALDS.
Jorge and his neck get another day off as the Yanks trot out a B lineup. It’s raining, but the word as of 12:38 is that they’re going to start on time. Tarp is off. Feel free to comment on the two football games as well. The remote’s going to get a decent workout today.
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Brett Gardner, CF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Robinson Cano, 2B
8. Melky Cabrera, LF
9. Jose Molina, C
And on the mound, number forty-six, Andy Pettitte.
Robinson Cano doesn’t like it when you call him lazy
Posted by: | CommentsRobinson Cano‘s resurgence is one of many reasons the Yankees are on their way to the best record in baseball. His hot bat (except with RISP) and slick fielding have made him one of the more valuable second basemen in the league. This wasn’t the case last year, when Cano struggled with the bat in the first half, and had troubles on defense most of the year. It led to a reputation among opposing players that he was lazy. Cano worked to buck that perception over the off-season — he was not motivated only by improving himself, but also by sticking it to the nonbelievers. Jim Baumbach of Newsday writes about Cano in his latest column. It’s a nice, short read on a rainy Sunday.
Saturday Night Open Thread
Posted by: | CommentsRemember when the Yankees were 0-8 against the Red Sox? That seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? It’s good to see them beat Boston in every way possible too – slug fests, pitching duels, extra innings, you name it. The magic number is down to a Murcerian one with a week left in the season, and life is good.
Here’s your open thread for the night. The Mets are down in Miami, and you’ve also got the Cards and Rockies on MLB Network. Plus there’s a ton of college football games spread around the various networks. Anything goes, just follow the guidelines and be nice to each other.
Game 155: Going for the jugular
Posted by: | CommentsWhen the Yankees won last night, they sent a message to a jittery fan base that the division was secure. With their victory, the Magic Number dropped to a Ruthian three, and the AL East finish line is looming on the horizon. With the distance between them and the Red Sox back up to 6.5 games, I guessed the Yanks would ease off the throttle today, but they aren’t.
Facing Daisuke Matsuzaka for the first time this year, Joe Girardi is trotting out his A lineup sans a stiff-necked Jorge Posada. With CC Sabathia on the mound, this is very close to the projected Game 1 ALDS lineup Girardi will use, and it’s a good one. A-Rod has 93 RBIs and 28 home runs despite missing the first month of the season, and while baseball writers are praising David Ortiz for leading the league in home runs since early June, Hideki Matsui is hitting .310/.401/.582 since June 30. Matsui’s name, by the way, hasn’t appeared in articles about steroid use.
And so today, the Yankees will look to clinch a tie. A win today gives them a Magic Number of 1. If the Yanks were to lose all seven of their remaining games after this and Boston were to win all of their remaining games, the two teams would tie.
In other Yankee news, David Robertson will be available to pitch out of the pen on Monday. That’s very good news for the Yankee relievers. Game time is at 4 p.m., and we’re stuck with a Tim McCarver/Joe Buck special.
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Sabathia P
Picking on someone your own size
Posted by: | CommentsFans of the Red Sox and the Yankees often debate over which team has more tolerant fans. This story is one for the Yanks. According to reports out of Baldwinsville, a town of 7000 in Onondaga County near Syracuse, a fourth grade student was forced by his teacher to turn his CC Sabathia shirt inside out because the teacher is a Red Sox fan. While Peter Addabbo’s classroom is decorated with Red Sox memorabilia, the nine-year-old at first thought his teacher was kidding but quickly learned that the request was a serious one. Other students mocked Nate Johns for his inside-out shirt, and the school’s principal is now investigating the incident. You stay classy, Red Sox fans.
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
