Archive for October, 2009
ALCS Game Six Spillover Thread IV
Posted by: | CommentsCore Four? No Joe Buck, these Yankees roll 25 deep.
Montero struggling early in Venezuela
Posted by: | CommentsThe Arizona Fall League was off today, so let’s recap what’s going on in Latin America…
Dominican Winter League
Abe Almonte: 2 G, no plate appearances
Wilkins Arias: 4 G, 4 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1.50 GB/FB
Ivan Nova: 2 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 5.50 GB/FB – just a few more weeks and he’ll be on the 40-man roster
Jon Ortiz: 3 G, 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1.00 GB/FB
Jose Valdez: 4 G, 5 IP, zeroes, 5 K, 1.00 GB/FB
Josue Calzado: 1 G, 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 0.00 GB/FB
Noel Castillo, Gabriel Tatis, Jairo Heredia, Hector Noesi, Juan Miranda, and Eduardo Nunez are all listed on various DWL rosters, bt have not yet appeared in a game.
Mexican Pacific League
Walt Ibarra: 8 G, 5 for 8 (.625), 6 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 CS
Humberto Sanchez: 1 G, 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 2.00 GB/FB
Danny Gil is on the same team as Ibarra, however he hasn’t played yet.
Venezuelan Winter League
Luis Nunez: 9 G, 8 for 31 (.258), 0 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 SB, 0 CS
Edwar Gonzalez: 12 G, 9 for 36 (.250), 5 R, 0 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 SB, 1 CS
Jesus Montero: 7 G, 3 for 22 (.136), 2 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 SB, 0 CS - ZOMG teh bust
Reegie Corona: 10 G, 7 for 21 (.333), 5 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 SB, 0 CS
Marcos Vechionacci: 5 G, 4 for 9 (.444), 2 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 SB, 0 CS
Josh Schmidt: 3 GS, 13.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 12 K, 2.11 GB/FB – he was great with Double-A Trenton, but I don’t think the Yanks will give him a 40-man spot this offseason … he could be some Rule 5 Draft fodder
Pat Venditte: 4 G, 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1.75 GB/FB
Romulo Sanchez: 6 G, 4 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 1.00 GB/FB – I think he got traded in the VWL, because he’s played for two teams … he’s still Yanks’ property, though
Juan Marcano, Jose Gil, Emerson Landoni, and Eduardo Sosa are all in the league, but haven’t gotten into a game yet.
The Puerto Rican League season doesn’t start until mid-November, so the rosters aren’t out yet.
ALCS Game Six Spillover Thread
Posted by: | CommentsJoe Saunders … hardly untouchable. They got this.
ALCS Game 6: Angels @ Yankees
Posted by: | Comments
In beginning-mid-September, many of us, me included, figured the AL East race was over. The Yankees had a big lead over the Red Sox, and it would have taken Mets-esque collapse for them to lose it. But over the next few weeks the Yanks dropped a few games and got hot, and some people started to doubt that the Yankees had it in the bag. This was a bit odd for me. The reason we called the division for the Yanks in the first place is that they had built up such a large lead that even if they had a slip-up, they still had a big margin of error. That’s the whole point of thinking it’s in the bag.
The Yankees certainly do not have the ALCS in the bag, but they set themselves up with a 3-1 advantage after a Game 4 victory. That’s not insurmountable, but it’s a pretty big lead at this late stage. It would take three straight Angels wins to win it, and that’s just improbable, especially against a team as good as the Yankees. The Yankees saw their advantage at work in Game 5, as they dropped a heart breaker to the Angels. Now they’re back in the Bronx, still with the advantage. Unlike the Angels, their backs are not up against the wall.
Then again, that could be an advantage for the Angels. As Sun Tzu says:
Soliders when in desperate straits lose the sense of fear. If there is no place of refuge, they will stand firm. If they are in hostile country, they will show a stubborn front. If there is no help for it, they will fight hard.
I expect this to be like the non-Game-4 games of this series: always close in score, can turn around in a matter of outs. The Angels aren’t going away, and it’s going to take everything the Yankees have to finish them off.
Without further ado, your Game 6 lineups:
Yankees
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Jorge Posada, C
6. Hideki Matsui, DH
7. Robinson Cano, 2B
8. Nick Swisher, RF
9. Melky Cabrera, CF
Pitching: Number forty-six, Andy Pettitte.
Angels
1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Bobby Abreu, RF
3. Torii Hunter, CF
4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH
5. Kendry Morales, 2B
6. Howie Kendrick, 2B
7. Juan Rivera, LF
8. Jeff Mathis, C
9. Erick Aybar, SS
Pitching: Joe Saunders
Eiland: Hughes’ problems mechanical
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the main reasons why we’re anxiously waiting for the clock to strike 8:20 tonight is Phil Hughes. The Yanks’ youngster who dominated the 8th inning this year couldn’t get the job done against the heart of the Angels’ lineup on Thursday, and he has now allowed nine hits and three earned runs in 4.2 innings this October. Speaking with MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli yesterday, Dave Eiland said that Hughes has to fix a mechanical flaw in his delivery. “[It's] just a minor adjustment and he knows it,” Eiland said. “It’s just staying within yourself — just trust it and not trying to make that good stuff you have even better. Because you do that [and] you get a little jumpy, you get a little quick through your delivery and you affect your command. And that’s what is happening.”
The Yankees still trust Hughes, as they should, and odds are good that he plays a key role in tonight’s Game 6. Hopefully, the work Eiland and Hughes put in yesterday and today have solved the problem, and the Bridge to Mo will remain ever strong.
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
