Open Thread: Beatdown in the Bronx
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From left, Roger Maris' sons Roger Maris Jr. and Richard Maris, daughters Sandra Maris-Fallo and Susan Maris, widow Pat Maris, sons Kevin Maris and Randy Maris pose by Roger's plaque in Monument Park to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Roger Maris' 61 home runs in 1961 before the New York Yankees baseball game against the Boston Red Sox Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
See what happens when the A+ lineup starts against a left-hander? The Red Sox had no chance this afternoon. The Yankees scored eight runs off Jon Lester in less than three innings, meaning Boston’s bullpen will be that much more taxed for tomorrow’s doubleheader. Good times, good times.
Anyway, here is tonight’s open thread. The Mets are playing the second game of their doubleheader against Phillies (Gee vs. Blanton), and MLB Network will have the Rays and Blue Jays (Niemann vs. Romero). There’s also a ton of college football on, but talk about whatever you like. Have at it.
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if we have a 2-1 game lead in the first round, why don’t the do a semi bullpen game? have burnett start with the understanding he’ll go 3 inning, then go straight to the best of the bullpen? wouldn’t this make more sense? burnett is usually good through the first 3-4 innings and then they get stuck with our best arms in short relief? wade, soriano, 2 from roberston, 1 from mo. and if we have a big lead, you send in the lesser arms.
so a usual Burnett game then?
instantrimshot.com
yeah, just pull him before he gives up his contractual 5 runs in the 5th…or 4th…
My thought was we would do this in the 3rd game with Bart and Freddy.
i could see that, but bart has been giving it up early. i don’t see him as a guy you want throw as hard as he can in a short spurt. with all the movement he generates, he could end up losing that which has mad him successful this year.
Absolutely not. I’m gonna pretend I didn’t read this.
lets pretend you didn’t make this comment and you actually explain yourself. ok? good. it’s worked before. i know the theory that if you keep changing pitchers, one will have a bad day, but with our guys down there, those are few and far between. what is the alternative? throw cc on short rest and then not have him to open the next series? not a good idea.
And it’s a good idea to have A.J start a playoff game instead of CC to clinch a series?
That’s not a bad idea, that’s a stupid idea.
So you want CC to pitch games 1, 3, and 4?
Nope. I want the Yankees to win the series. I’d have my rotation look like this in a 5 game series:
1.CC
2.Nova
3.Freddy
4.CC
5.Nova
Wouldn’t be surprised one bit if they had a 2-1 series lead after game 3 and they’d have CC to slam the door in game four.
who starts the first game of the next series?
The same can be said for if CC pitches game 5. You want to avoid a game 5 at ALL COSTS.
Ah, see now commenter was talking about game 4. Still though, calling someone’s idea stupid is unnecessarily harsh on an internet message board. What’s your idea?
I disagree with the AJ part of the plan, but if the bullpen hasn’t been taxed at all, it may be preferable to a Bartolo, Hughes, or AJ start at some point. The idea is clearly not stupid, you just disagree with it. So do I, but I can recognize that it’s not stupid.
thank you plank. if i could edit my first statement, i would say start hughes ofr three and then go to the bullpen. he may not be stretched out enough for more.
so, you rather have cc start the last game of a 5 gmae series then the first of the 7 game series? that leads to less cc starts in more important games. if you don’t want aj, then go hughes for a few or bart. i’m just talking about the idea of throwing a bullpen game and not focusing on aj. forget aj exists (which would be easy for you) and the yanks don’t have a 4th but have a good long reliever, what’s wrong with trying this route? and now you can grow up and have a discussion instead of trying to insult someone else ideas.
When did I say that I want him to start the final game of a 5 game series and then pitch the first game of the next series? I’m pretty much saying I want my best pitchers to pitch as often as possible. And btw, if he were to pitch game 4 and win that game he’d be going on three days rest if he started game 1 of the next series which is no big deal at all.
And I don’t need an anonymous person to tell me to grow up. My God, you’re not my parent. I know a terrible idea when I see one, and starting A.J in a playoff game is a terrible idea. If you get insulted by what I said I suppose I’ll apologize, but that’s weak on your part to be offended by that.
Hey everyone, we’ve got an internet tough guy here.
Keep quiet if you know what’s good for you, that Jesse guy is a badass mothafucker.
If CC is ready to go in a win or go home scenario, he would start for 29 teams out of 30. If they win the game, he’ll still pitch 2 in the next series, if they lose, the season is over. There’s no decision to make.
What’s with the attitude? I disagree with that plan too, but I would never be a jerk about it.
Rays pitching failing when they need it.
Our best two hitters GOING FORWARD are Cano and Montero. Neither bats in the first inning. There will be changes coming.
This. You are correct, Sir.
Agreed.
I would change are to will be with respect to Montero. As long as they keep him (as they should if they’re smart given the age of their core hitters), he will bat high in the lineup. Cano wil probably bat 3rd or 4th next season.
Agreed. I can see Cano 3rd, ARod 4th and Montero 5th. Tex less likely to throw a tantrum than others.
I feel like Tex is actually way more likely to “throw a tantrum” than A-Rod at this point or Cano.
And 5th/4th are probably more important than third, who bats with the bases empty and no one on probably too much.
From a production standpoint though, I would see A-rod as the one that should be moved down.
Really for the short term I’d just flip flop Cano and A-Rod, have Montero bat in six spot. Montero will have his day as a clean up/three hitter, I might even prefer him in five hole, w/ A-Rod six, but from a realistic stand point it might be too much to ask A-Rod to drop that far down.
Tex has had an up and down year, too many pop ups, but at this point he provides more power/walk potential than Alex, really more suited to three spot than five or six in my mind.
if healthy… i refuse to believe there is a better hitter on this team than a-rod.
The Yankees still have a shot at 100 wins. They have to go at least 4-1 in the last 5 games which can definitely be done.
Meanwhile the Rays are really missing out on a big opportunity to catch up to the Red Sox. They lost on Boston’s off-day yesterday and they’re already losing 2-0 to the Blue Jays today.
The Yankees can’t win 100 games, they only have one lefty in their bullpen!
/McCarver’d
Sure, the Yankees could go 4-1 in the next 5 games, but we’re gonna see Scranton out there against 2 teams hungry for wins.
Triple A + Jesus >>>>>>> Wakefield/Lackey
Scranton can and will tee off against Wakefield and Lackey.
True. But the Yankees’ B team > at least half of the other teams in the MLB. Plus there’s the YCPB thing.
A decrepit Red Sux team may be preferable in the playoffs.
But a total Red Sox collapse would be the best thing in the universe. They’ll never be able to bring up 2004 again.
This x 100.
We just the Yankees take three of four from a Rays team with much more on the line this week. There’s no reason to fear them anymore than the other AL playoff teams.
Let the Red Sox finish out a historic collapse. Win the next two and then lay down against the Rays. A big, giant fuck you at the chowderheads.
We’re dealing with Sox fans here, no matter what happens from here on out we’ll always have to hear about 2004.
Sort of what I’m thinking.
Reply fail. Was meant to be a response to Monteroisdinero.
omg it’s like keystone jays in the first inning.
That was quite simply the most horseshit fielding performance I have ever seen in a half inning of major league baseball. Good though, since Rays tied it up.
I know the Os like playing spoiler, but we have tickets to Game 4 of the ALDS here in Arlington and I want to see the Yanks. So Detroit, get your sh*t together and beat the Os.
CMW beats the Braves and gets his first hit!
YCPB
Huh, he must have drawn a walk before rounding the bases in Houston while suffering that foot injury a few years back.
I think he reached on a FC bunt attempt.
I wish they would have started Nova in the day game so we could see a Lackey/AJ matchup.
The September Homerun Derby.
But that game would last 6 hours.
Aj/Wake is gonna be pretty bad.
Wakefield’s ERA in his lst 7 games is 5.54 with a .805 OPS
It could be dubbed the “Who’s 82.5 milion dollar contract is worse?” Bowl.
Imagine what our offense will be like when our 50M dollars of corner infielders get hot.
The Rays game is NOT on TV in the Tampa Bay area tonight, in lieu of Florida Atlantic/Auburn football.
Fucken bullshit at its finest. And then we wonder why baseball sucks in the TB market.
Verlander is getting crushed man.
Can’t finish the pursuit of 25 wins.
Choker.
imagine if the orioles would play like this all season… that team is not messin around
That’s a shame. I wanted him to get #25.
“This kid is something else.” – Freddy Garcia on Jesus Montero
Dear Lord Baby Jesus!
/Ricky Bobby’d
At 475K a year for 5 years: This kid is dinero.
Kontos for post season roster!
If Detroit goes on to lose (they’re down 5-1 in the 4th), Yanks secure home field advantage.
i’m not counting on anything yet. No one can pull defeat from the jaws of victory quite like the Orioles.
I’s slightly surprised that Chien-Ming Wang never had a hit with the Yankees ,as even though he was an AL pitcher, he still had 15 AB, not a ton, but enough that odds are he would have a hit. And he had another 18 with the Nationals. But lo and behold, I go to the Nationals game, and in the fourth inning, Wang gets a hit (RBI single), and I see that it’s his first one. So congratulations to him.
And so CMW3K begins. 2999 to go.
Two things were sealed tonight- Freddy’s #3 rotation spot in the postseason and Jesus Montero’s playoff roster and DH spot. Hell of a game. Sweep the Sox and let the Rays do the rest.
Yankees could be 1.5 games back of the best record in baseball if the Mets hang on.
Damn AS game h/f advantage rule…
Yeah that sucks, but to catch the Phils would be nice after all the talk about them and Boston and the start of the year.
hopefully verlander’s arm will fall off soon!
I ain’t afraid of no Verlander.
So outta Montero, Posada, Jones, Chavez, Nunez- who gets left off? and who would everyone go for as the game 4 starter come CS and WS? I think we can all agree so far it goes CC, Nova, Garcia and then…..
I think it would be Colon for #4. IMO the long rest would probably help him return to form. No way you leave Jones off the roster, honestly Posada is the most “useless” but even he has a good line vs. Righties, so I don’t know that’s tough.
First off, you can’t leave Nunez off the team, as he’s your backup middle fielder and pinch runner. I still don’t get the Nunez hate on this site (not saying you hate him).
Posada has the least value, given that Chavez and Montero hit righties, and Jones and Montero hit lefties. Jorge’s spot depends totally on whether Girardi MUST have Romine as backup catcher (even though he’ll never start unless Martin is injured) or not.
I should’ve mentioned Nunez as a given since that he can pinch run.
I don’t think you leave anyone off. That’s your bench and you go with the starting 9 and 11 pitchers for 25. No real need for a pinch runner since Nunez is there. No outfield defensive specialist but Gardner/Swisher/Grandy are fine. No back-up catcher is needed as Montero or Posada could catch in a pinch, if Martin gets hurt or pinch run for.
The Red Sox, in their 110 year existence have won at least 100 games 3 times.
The Yankees have reached 100 wins 4 times in the past 9 years.
Just found that amusing and thought I’d share.
And in case anyone is wondering, the Yankees have done it 19 times total.
+1
Aaaaaand for even more amusement, the number of times each team has reached 90+ wins:
Boston: 27
Yankees: 59
The rivalry between the hammer and the nail, my friends.
And the Phillies have only won 100 games TWICE in their 130 year history (three if they do it this year).
If I’m a fan of that team, I’m worried. Theyre going thru their annual hitting slump at the worst possible time, Howard’s banged up, and there really isn’t a bullpen. Their pitchers have racked up A LOT of innings, and you have to wonder if it’s gonna catch up with them in the playoffs or not.
They’re the oldest team in the MLB and they aren’t getting any younger. Howard, Rollins, and Utley are well past their primes. Ibanez is toast. Shane Victorino is having a breakout season but is on the wrong side of 30. Until they traded for Hunter Pence, Dominic Brown was the ONLY player in their starting lineup under the age of 30. Speaking of trades, they’ve pretty much tapped their farm system out acquiring guys like Halladay, Pence, and Oswalt. Of course with that rotation they should be World Series contenders for at least the next 2-3 years. But after that things get a little hazy with all those aging players with huge contracts and no one in the farm system to back them up (unless you still consider Domonic Brown a prospect). I’ve said it before, they’re the definition of a “win now” team.
they’re younger than the Yankees.
/Cliff Lee’d
Okay, I literally laughed for like 15 seconds at that comment.
The Phillies might never win again…
That said, as long as they lose three of their first four or five playoff games*, I think we’all all be happy.
*Wise-ass mathematicians would pick that statement if I had just left it as “three of their first five playoff games”.
*pick that statement apart
Damon! Still hurting the Red Sox!
Boom!!! 6-2 Rays
Johnny Rocket!
Always has been clutch….
Well it looks like the Sox will have a 1.5 game lead tomorrow sending Lackey and Wake to the mound. There’s a very real chance the Rays and Sox could be tied at this time tomorrow.
Fingers crossed. If for no other reason than to see Boston sweat.
Which would you rather see, the Red Sox flat out getting eliminated by regular season’s end, or being tied with Tampa and play a one game playoff? As a Yankee fan I want to see Boston eliminated, but as a baseball fan I’d like to see a one game playoff.
My ideal situation:
Boston choking away the WC, game 163 between Braves-Cardinals.
The one game playoff x 100000.
Just for the sheer drama, and for the Sox to have to use Lackey or Wakefield vs. one of the Rays starters.
BTW, if they had to play this one game playoff, would it be in the Trop or in Boston?
Given the collapse, you wonder if going on the road might benefit the Sox, as opposed to the fans groaning from the first inning on.
I think a game 163 between the Sox and the Rays would be played at the Trop because the Rays have won 12/18 this season.
It would be in Boston.
what am i thinking? it would be at the Trop.
Dang you, making me question myself!
Or, what he said, because I got it wrong.
Trop.
Even though the Rays would likely prefer Fenway. 7-2 there vs. 5-4 at the Trop this season.
I think Chavez is off the post season roster. Gotta have Montero, Jones, Nunez and Posada (for old time’s sake).
Montero hits righties well. All 4 HR’s off righties-3 of them off quality pitchers and 3 of them to right field.
I think they have Chavez on instead of an extra lefty or Ayala. Mo, DRob, Soriano, Wade, Logan and Hughes/Noesi is perfectly fine for the pen.
Miscounted there, they could also take Dickerson or Golson, or go with 7 in the pen.
Don’t you still have 2 more spots open there? I count 11 players, including the other regulars, you could take chavez too, and a player of your choice.
This extra wild card spot isn’t a good idea, IMO. A one game playoff in a sport where one game really doesn’t decide anything. I understand what they’re trying to do, but what if 5-10 games separate the normal WC winner and the 2nd wild card, even worse what if they’re in the same league? They could have the series be a 3 game series and give the team with best record in each league a bye. Have the series start the day after the regular season ends, or even have a double header in a neutral stadium with a dome to ensure they get the game in, that last part may be extreme. IMO, that’s better than a one game playoff and it still penalizes the WC while rewarding the team in each league with the best record.
Hell no drop Posada as Chavez is much more useful….
Adrian Gonzalez is a comedian
This is what happens when you’re surrounded by a sycophantic media – you lose all sense of reality.
“but at the same time we can come out tomorrow and win the two games and pretty much be a lock to be in the playoffs.”
Says the guy whose batting average against the Yankees this year is below the Mendoza line. And with Lackey and Wakefield on the bump for them, the Giant’s offense could probably sweep the doubleheader from the Red Sox.
Well, he’s right- you really just need to get your ticket to the playoffs punched and go from there. Obviously they have some serious concerns, but anything can happen really.
Well, they did say he was the perfect fit for the Sox…welcome to the insanity.
I don’t see what’s so bad about this. He’s not really wrong, is he?
He’s pretty much saying that the Sox are a lock for the playoffs, which isn’t close to being right. And he thinks they’ll win both games tomorrow which is pretty moronic on his part because they have Wakefield and Lackey going tomorrow. Granted A.J is going tomorrow, but let’s be honest. A.J>Wakefield>Lackey
I’d expect a member of any team to have faith in himself and his teammates, at least publicly. Gonzalez didn’t say anything offensive or arrogant. He said the Sox “can win” both games tomorrow, and he’s right. If they do, they’ll be sitting pretty as far as making the playoffs goes.
For real. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with what he said.
Even if the Sox win both games tomorrow, they might still need to win two out of three against the O’s in Baltimore to clinch.
Far from a lock.
When baseball expands the playoffs, if three divisions are kept, I still like a three game series. It’s pretty simple, have WC #2 host game 1, then have WC #1 hosts games 2 and 3 if needed, with no off days. The series is over in three days and then the Division series can start without too much delay.
If baseball insists on a one game playoff, do away with divisions and have WC #5 at WC #4 for 1 game, and then play seed #1. If you finish 4th or 5th in the league you can’t complain about a one game playoff. If you finish with the second best record and get stuck in a one game playoff because you are in the wrong division, that is unfair.
With realignment there will be a lot more interleague play so the break-up of the divisions will be completely random based on geography, so it would make sense to just eliminate them.
Orioles win. Yankees clinch HFA.
Best team in the American League? Best team in the American League.
Although it doesn’t mean crap because of the stupid All Star Game rule determining Home Field in the WS, but it’d be pretty sweet if the Yankees ended up with the best record in the sport. They’re 1.5 games behind Philly for the best record.
I think baseball should change it back to home field advantage in the World Series to the team with the better record. I mean, NO ONE played for the American League this year. They put way too much stock into an exhibition game that everyone sits out.
I think the only reason why baseball does this whole home field advantage to the winner of the All Star game BS is because the sport is dying and the sport needs more people to watch, so making an exhibition game important draws more viewers.
And amazingly enough, the game “counts” and the managers have to try and get every single player an inning, AB, etc.
Is baseball dying?
No, it is not dying, at all.