Aug
22
Game 124: Escape from Chicago
By
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
It’s been a miserable trip to Chicago’s south side for the Yankees, where their pitchers haven’t pitched and their hitters haven’t hit (enough). Tonight’s pitching matchup is pretty lopsided — Cy Young candidate Chris Sale vs. homer machine Phil Hughes — and if there’s such a thing as momentum, the Yankees don’t have it. Squeeze out a win tonight and head into tomorrow’s off-day on a high note. Here’s the starting nine…
SS Derek Jeter
RF Nick Swisher
2B Robinson Cano
1B Mark Teixeira
DH Andruw Jones
CF Curtis Granderson
C Russell Martin
3B Casey McGehee
LF Ichiro Suzuki
RHP Phil Hughes
Tonight’s series finale is scheduled to start at 8:10pm ET and can be seen on YES locally and ESPN2 nationally. Enjoy.
554 Comments»
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The Tyler Austin Watch
Pithcing has been the number 1 problem for the yankees this year. it all started in the winter of 2012 when cashman traded a burnet to the pirates for michael piennda. why did cashman trade aj big member?was it worth it? i do not know. well i analised there stats and i gotta say cashman made some very silly mistake……
AJ Burnett- 15 W, 3.65 ERA
Mike Pineda- 0 wins DUI
stats dont lie folks. aj bunett has been an ace while pienda is the second cuming of carl pavano. mr aj burnett has 4 more wins than the highest people with wins on the yankees, kuroda and hughes who has 12. thus aj burnett has been much very better than any pitcher on th yankees.
why thnking about the past big member? becasue apparently my friend told me that players still can be traded in august. i laughed at his becasue everybody knows that the trading players deadline is on july 31st. he told me some very stupid things and hard stuff about some whafles lines and how players can be put on these whafles. i laugh and laugh but then he show me wikipedia article on it and i got that he is true. so yankees CAN trade in august and thats good folks becasue i have a plan to get aj back in pinstrpes.
today an insder on a special prgram called “twitter” send me top secrte informaion that ivan nova has a shoulder trouble. cashman quickly has to offer nova and freddy garcia to the pirates so that they can trade aj back to us. its a 2 for one trade, 2 good pitchers for an ace and it looks fare in my books. the thing is the pirates gm needs to sign the trade quickly so the news of novas shoulder does not go public.
GOLD.
But Mr. Member, I want to know your thoughts on Bartolo Colon! Enlighten me!
you should read my testoseterone theory that i posted awhile back here. basicly through medical research i found out that man of dominican desscent has higher testosterone levels then man of white and black descent.that is why melky,arod, ortiz and now colon are falsly accused.
Thank you, good sir.
Top notch post, from beginning to end.
LOL…AJ could NOT handle pressure in Ny . No pressure in Pitt or Tornto! Would have Released him after all his “stuff” never was seen here, good riddance! Forget Pineda lets see Hughes, Nova, Phelps, Joba step up!
look at the stats buddy. aj had atleast 10 wins every single year he has been in new york. hughes biggest acomplishment is one 18 wins season, joba is a pretty bad middle reliefer, felps is a rookie and garcia is freddy garcia. now tell me they are better than aj
http://weknowmemes.com/wp-cont.....-wonka.jpg
I nominate this for best post of all time.
I know lol is overused, but I LITERALLY laughed out loud when I read this. As jjyank said, GOLD.
A+
Definitely your best work to date.
It takes a lot of effort to put a piece of art like this together.
I mean you have to really try to be this fruity.
Well done.
Cashman did not trade Burnett. He got two useless minor leaguers and is paying the pirates 13 million for him to win maybe 20 games. In thehistoryof baseball that has never happened. I was only all for trading him if the pirates had given us something of value or taken his entire contract. Otherwise why not just try to get something out of him. Cashman gotfleeced.
Cashman got fleeced by the pirates. I was against the Aj move because they should only have traded him if theygot something of value or if the pirates took the entire contract. The yanks are paying the pirates 13 million for him to win 20 games. This is crazy. When Alex rios went to Chicago and wells to the angels those teams took the contracts. Idiot cashman could not do this.
Cashman wasn’t an idiot for the contract part of the trade, that was the market for AJ at that time last year and instead of trying to fix AJ for the third straight year Cashman chose to cut bait. Nobody would have taken any more money than the Pirates. It was either make the deal they did or try and fix AJ. Most Yankee fans and the front office were sick of AJ let’s just admit it. It was a fact that everyone was sick of him.
How does it keep getting better?
Tampa has taken care of business and won today. We need to do the same or this lead is down to 3. Mr. Sale is the quality of pitcher that we’ll see in the postseason so this will be a good test for the offense.
Reverse lock anyone?
http://www.google.com/imgres?q.....s:12,i:136
I’m turning into the sort of Yankees fan other people hate: I’m pissing and moaning and WHINING and angry at every loss and feeling ENTITLED to win and win and win again.
Seriously, I lost my baseball equanimity when Alex Rodriguez got hurt and I haven’t really recovered it. I did check in long enough last night to see Russell Martin’s single (He’s a MAN!!!) but missed his homer and realized that it wouldn’t even have cheered me up. Bad sign.
In this state I dare not watch Phil Hughes pitch as I have an irrational (?) dislike for him even on a good day. . .
But enjoy the game, all. I’m just waiting for our escape from Witch Mountain–er, Chicago.
Just briefly before the first pitch, I would like to revisit last night’s game and the question of whether Girardi could have possibly taken out Nova before he allowed Youkilis’s slam. I would argue that other than if the pitcher is injured, there is no other circumstance in a regular season game in which a manager would (or should) ever pull the starter in the bottom of the fifth of a 2-2 game with the bases loaded.
Any other thoughts?
It is time for all of us to take up pitchforks and go drag Skip Bayless out of his home by the ears while he whines that he didn’t mean anything he ever said.
What did that clown say this time?
http://espn.go.com/new-york/ml.....nsinuation
I was wondering when somebody would accuse him of that.
These blanket accusations of any older players having good seasons needs to stop, not to mention that steroids improve power and that we’ll all be thrilled if he reaches 12 HRs…
He pretty much said, “Look, I’m not saying he’s taking anything, I’m not saying that he’s not…but he is.”
Well he has 12 HRs already, but your point is exactly right. Jeter is not having the kind of season where you would need to wonder whether he’s on steroids.
Yeah, he’s having a great season, but he’s a a future Hall of Famer. Maybe he’s having a good season because, I dunno, he’s good at baseball. Crazy, I know.
Yeah, whatever on the HR count, the point is it’s not a lot of home runs.
If he hit none for the rest of the season I wouldn’t really care.
Ugh. I second your proposal.
He made me agree with Stephen A. Smith for one…
It is a sad fact that there are people out there who would love nothing more than the see Derek’s squeaky clean reputation shattered. It’s a sadder fact that there are reporters and analysts out there who will make the accusations in the off chance that one day they may be able to say “Look at me! look at me! I was right!” just to get more page views or sell more newspapers or get the ratings.
Some men just want to watch the world burn.
You’re giving Skip way too much credit. The Joker was far more clever.
Skip is just an attention whore who hates everybody not named Tim Tebow.
I haven’t seem a lot of people talk about this, but Cano has lost the ability to hit LH pitchers this season… he’s been atrocious against them
Hmm. I smell an upcoming post by Mike.
He’s batting .235 against LHP this season with .292 OBP and .337 SLG. So he definitely has been a *lot* worse against LHP than RHP.
Nice, Robbie. I thought that was sneaking through.
tight zone tonight?
C’mon, Hughes!!!
And of course Phil can’t put away Konerko after getting ahead. ATTACK!
The 3-2 pitch had the plate, tight zone. Also, if he had thrown him a legit strike, Konerko hits it out and you’re complaining that he’s not going for the corners.
Phils arm angle man.
Whew. Thanks, Tex.
I’m stuck between listening to Hawk Harrelson or Jon Kruk on ESPN for this game. This sucks
Does anybody else suffer from chin sweat? It happens to me all the time. No messing around, Phil. Win.
Kay’s moral judgment act is really nauseating. He’s going on about the ChiSox attendance as if it makes him morally superior to the people of Chicago because they don’t fill the stands ChiSox fans are more working class than the Cubs’, the economy sucks, and it’s expensive to go to baseball games, especially when the ChiSox have special higher ticket prices for games against the Yanks. Fuck you, Kay.
I think you’re being unfair to Kay. I don’t really think he’s “judging” anybody. He’s just pointing that it’s surprising and sad and, for the White Sox themselves, disappointing that a first place team can’t sell out even when playing arguably the best and easily the most popular team in baseball. And he’s right-it’s even worse when they can’t sell out to their cross-town rivals. You’d think at least that the Cubs fans who come would fill it out…
I don’t have a problem with what he’s saying.
Kay has always severely rubbed me the wrong way–I find him pompous, overbearing, ignorant of baseball, and humorless–so maybe I’m reading more into than is there in this case.
I agree with this.
Heh, fair enough.
Reminds me of a comic I heard (I don’t remember where) who said something along the lines of, “When you really hate somebody everything they do starts to annoy you. ‘Look at the way he brushes his teeth that bastard, side to side like he knows better. Who the fuck goes side to side? Asshole.’”
Swing at everything.
Great approach.
This thread’s already making my head hurt between “sports journalist” Skip Base-less and Big Member.
Oh great. Did anyone else notice Tex wincing and grabbing his wrist after he slid into 2nd?
That’s making me nervous.
Sales has to be the skinniest guy in the majors.
Listening to the White Sox radio broadcast. The announcers are certainly speaking their minds. Complaining about how the White Sox fans barely show up to support a first place team, how Yankee fans are comfortable in Chicago but the home crowd is much more supportive in New York, etc. They weren’t criticizing NY fans at all, saying they’re gracious on the train afterwards, just pointing out that Yankee fans treat their team better.
So what are the plans for the Yankees and their pitchers? Pettitte won’t be back this season, Hughes is a 4 inning pitcher along with Freddie and Nova. This does not look good.
Hughes can only pitch four innings? Pettitte won’t be back? Where do you get your information, exactly?
gloombagger-pedia
Pettitte can barely put pressure on the leg. It is not going to heal in time. Hughes, is already at 22 pitches. He will be at 45 at the end of the second, unless he settles down but he doesn’t have his out pitch, already has 2 walks, so estimation on 4… maybe 5.
45 by the end of the second…or 30.
45 … 30
same difference
Care to make any more useless predictions?
1. Everything I (and everyone, besides you) have read suggest that Pettitte’s setback was very minor and is still on track to be back in September. The only questions seems to be how many regular season starts he can get before the playoffs, not if he’ll be back at all. In fact, the reports I’ve seen suggest Pettitte is moving around just fine.
From LoHud: “For now, Pettitte is just trying to get to the point that hitters are necessary. He said he hasn’t felt any sort of discomfort for a few days now, and the most recent X-ray was extremely encouraging. Yesterday, Pettitte said he wouldn’t rule out playing one more season, but he’d like to finish this season first.”
2. Do you watch baseball? You can’t project a starter’s innings bases on pitches thrown in the first inning or two. A couple of 1-2-3 innings and he’s right back on track. And I’m not talking about tonight, I’m talking about Hughes over the last few months.
Some of Big Member’s twitter inside sources?
^I like this response best.
Big Member’s thread kick-off post today was outstanding. I really think it’s Axisa or one of the other RAB staff members.
TROLL
LIsten Lord of the Rings, you bitch as much as most of us on here but are the first to call someone a troll. Seriously? Is this like a power move? I don’t get it, but then again, I understand the rule you follow – selective exemption. You should run for public office with rules like that.
At least when I do it, I don’t do it for enjoyment and kicks like you.
your a tool. That answers lacks any creativity and any moxie.
I’m surprised you even know what those words mean, if you pull facts out of the air like you did to begin this post.
Where do you get this stuff? Hughes has gone 5 or further in all but 3 starts since the start of May.
Is your head hurting worse? Are you feeling pain like Robert Vaughn felt in BASEketball?
Hahaha YES!
Went to YouTube to find a clip, but the only one is pure crap.
well the 4 innings is really a frustrated, I am sick of Hughes comment more than factual. He should be a better pitcher than he is
I agree. He’s got very good stuff, and he should be a number 2 with how good his stuff can be. But, look at AJ Burnett, there where times both in Toronto and New York where I though he had some of the nastiest stuff in baseball. Some people never live up to their full potential, and I am perfectly content with what Phil has been this season.
Nothing you said was factual, besides Nova maybe.
Teixera could have taken a nap at 2nd and it wouldn’t have made a lick of difference, he wasn’t going anywhere.
TROLL
Because you only come here when the team is losing.
Well, according to you the Yanks won’t win the WS anyway so I guess I’ll be here for a while.
I don’t EXPECT them to win the WS.
You said yesterday they WON’T win the world series.
Beat me to it.
I don’t think they will. The playoffs are too much of a crapshoot. But I leave it at that. I don’t exacerbate negativity like some people on here do.
I don’t exacerbate negativity like some people on here do.
Yes you do.
Not anymore I don’t. I say “They lost, oh well” and move on
When did you say that? Yesterday? Only because the Rays lost. If the Rays won yesterday you’d be here saying the Yankees were going to undoubtedly lose their division lead.
I would have said nothing at all. I would have left this place to the trolls.
You exacerbate negativity by pissing everybody off Greg, not for being negative about baseball.
Believe it or not, most of us don’t care if somebody is negative. We care if they’re making stupid comments. During losses, the stupid comments tend to be negative.
Stop giving two shits about negativity, Greg.
Well I do. It ruins what could be be perfectly well conversation.
The fact that you care is the reason we’re all pissed at you.
There are several interesting discussions in this thread. There were several interesting discussions in the last thread. Maybe you should pay attention to them instead of getting all hot under the collar about “negativity”, Greg.
At least, not anymore.
Above and beyond the AL East, I hope the Yanks take a nice lead and keep it this game so that we don’t kill each other in this thread.
I hear ya! On the otherside, the LL WS game between Texas and Tenn right now is rather entertaining!
Hughes looks good so far. May it continue ever thus…
And he even threw a change-up to a righty.
Why does it seem like every time Hughes pitches I find myself on his B-Ref and Fangraph page realizing people are actually dumber than I’m giving them credit for.
I do the same thing. I actually had Hughes fangraphs page up before the game started. It’s sad, really.
Because people are almost always dumber than one tends to give them credit for, regardless of context?
Its not that people are stupid, it is that during an in game thread comments are purely emotional. With Hughes, Yankee fans were promised a Golden Egg and what they have received is scrambled eggs. Inconsistent, injury prone, marginally effective most innings – yes I could be describing 80% of the pitchers out there but if they do not wear Pinstripes, they are of no importance.
That pitch didn’t hit anything.
It hit the bat handle right on the bottom.
Is that a HBP?
I don’t think it hit anything at all but if it hit the handle then it was the correct call of a caught 3rd strike.
No.
Thanks, guys.
It hit the bat and ended up in Pierzynski’s glove
Random thing I just looked up about Ichiro because the White Sox broadcast mentioned a comparison to Sandy Koufax (since they both played 12 MLB years).
Sandy Koufax played 12 seasons and compiled 50.3 WAR. Ichiro has played 12 seasons and has compiled 54.5 WAR.
Watch Jeter pull an 0-fer tonight. Then in the postgame interview when asked why he didn’t get a hit, he’ll say, “Well, I just decided to not try tonight since I’m sick of carrying this team offensively right now. But mostly I did it just to fuck with Skip Bayless and prove I could have a bad game so maybe he’ll back off before I sue his stupid hick ass for slander.”
At least…that’s what I’d like to see.
I’d like to see Jeter go 6-6 and then go piss on Bayless’ face and say “Test that, BITCH!”
Jeter joked that Bayless should be tested.
That wouldn’t help, though, because every test Bayless could take would come back with a result of “negative.” Particularly the tests for intelligence, aptitude and self-awareness.
He might test positive for meth, though.
I doubt he knows what meth is.
That’s a good point.
Ok, I guess I missed all this Skip Bayless shit but why is anyone listening to him at all? He is always wrong.
Damn, Swisher’s really gotten a good arm.
Whoops, shouldn’t have been a reply, sorry.
Oh here we go again…
Fuck. A DeWayne Wise bunt.
Oh no here we go again
He was out.
He’s out.
Bad call!
Wow he was out.
I’m beginning to hate Wise now.
Watch how the Sox manufacture runs in a game where runs might be at a premium. This is how you win in the playoffs. Not sure why we got rid of a .300 hitter in Wise when we only have two .300 hitters in our current lineup.
Oh look, more negativity.
This has to be a Big Member-like post on his part. Don’t take it seriously.
No Greg, more stupid comments. The negativity is not the issue.
I counted 7 negative comments above this that I had no issue with at all I don’t really see anybody taking issue with them, actually.
What makes this comment stand out is the stupidity. Not the negativity.
You mean Wise of the .228 career batting average (over 10 years) is a .300 hitter? Interesting.
Wise is a career .228 hitter.
You cannot seriously be complaining that Dewayne Wise isn’t on the team.
Dewayne Wise has a career .228 BA in 978 career PA coming into tonight.
Try again.
I’d hate to see what the team would look like if you were the GM.
You’re the same guy that said the division was lost if the Yankees didn’t win last night. Yeah, like we can take anything you say seriously after that.
Hughes is throwing his change for strikes and to righties. A good sign
here we go… ugh!
Oh so THAT’s what hitting WRiSP is.
They didn’t even get a hit. The bunt was a blown call and the other was a sac fly.
See what I mean? Negativity that is factless.
Greg, are you really saying that with no trace of irony?
You used to post factless negativity all the time. Now it’s rarer, and somehow you’ve switched to nonsensical optimism more often (for example, yesterday’s game meant NOTHING because the Rays had lost). But given how often you used to post how games were over in the 2nd inning, I don’t think you’re one to complain.
(Also, I hope Chilango’s post was sarcastic. If not, it was ridiculous.)
Weren’t you also the idiot that used to complain that you needed the Yankees to win to feel good about yourself? Either you’re the most elaborate troll ever or you’re just an ass.
It’s amazing how the ESPM broadcast actually stops the replay with his foot in the air above the base and the idiot Kruk saying “it’s amazing how good these guys (umps) are”
or ESPN
ugh Mike I get an answer to my email or tweet? i have many other offers regadring writing positions inlcuding very well known papers but i will consider if the benefits are suficent. dont miss out this rare opurtunitey.
For real, let the man get a guest post!
2nd’ed
I predict a Big Member guest post could reach 1,000 comments. Site traffic Mike, get it done!
You get offers for writing? Is there bonus points for grammar and spelling mistakes or something?
You must be soo fun at parties.
MIKE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GET HIM A GUEST POST.
That would make my year.
+1
+2
-1 = 1
This team
…has the best record in the American League
…but is playing badly in this series. The series we’re watching and discussing.
means nothing just like run differential. Fabrication of the truth because it does not discount winning streaks as it should.
Oh so wins mean nothing? Didn’t a famous football coach say that winning is the only thing.
Bad umpiring crew is bad.
Phil is not pitching badly. Keep it close, hope our guys step up.
Get this fucking third out, and Hughes is still pitching well with a decent count.
Should be two outs, nobody on. It was close at first but not that close.
shoulda woulda coulda they got the runner in from 3rd and lead 1 – 0
The run would’ve scored regardless, yes, but this particular umpiring crew isn’t all that good. That’s all.
I’m pretty sure he knows that and was complaining that the umpires probably helped the White Sox get a run they most likely wouldn’t have scored.
I’m willing to bet he knows the score.
Let’s get this elusive fourth out of the inning!
It is always the toughest.
Cano…with a double…off of a LHP?! I are confused?!?!?!
That’s not confusing. Confusing is why I went to Yahoo a few minutes ago. I was going to search for something but I got distracted by a news article regarding Natalie Portman in some ad campaign where she’s pretending to be naked.
Almost 9 weeks of unemployment and my brain has turned to mush.
Being intrigued by “Natalie Portman” and “naked” in the same sentence does not mean your brain is mush.
Yes, it does, because I forgot what I was going to do in the first place. I can only keep one thought in my head and that one thing will always be replaced by anything involving hot women.
That just means you’re a straight man. I’m only 24 and the same thing happens to me all the time. I like hot women more than most things, so unless I’m snowboarding while listening to Bob Marley and drinking expensive tequila, chances are I would drop whatever thought was on my mind. You’re not alone!
That’s enough to distract any man. How’s unemployment treating you so far btw, do anything interesting with your time off?
I’ve done next to nothing, really. I might be able to get extra benefits, go back to school and still get paid, but we’re waiting approval on that.
I think I’d rather do that than just got some other job, but if we get approved for that, we still have to “prove” we’re looking for work in the meantime.
Send out a bunch of resumes to Monster/Craigslist adds, and then show the people the emails. Just never go if you get a call back lol
Might as well, I guess.
Nice Robbie. Hopefully that one is the slump-breaker.
Of course that one didn’t get out.
Watch him get stranded now.
BA RISP always the story with the Yanks. Ajones terrible unproductive AB with Tex at 2nd with zero outs and Youkilis flyout to right.
little things make all the difference..
the team looks half asleep. let’s give Cano a 7 year deal at $25 mill. after all he is a 300 hitter (barely) and he may drive in 90 rbi’s this year and he steals 4 bases a year………….
team is sleepwalking
That’s 4 stupid negative comments.
its stuart a. all of his comments are stupid and negative………
Hey buddy. I’m sorry the kids are on your lawn. I promise I’ll build a fence over the weekend.
Your comment might carry more weight if Cano, ya know, actually ever did steal bases.
The offense misses me.
Another lead off double. Let’s plate him this time guys
There was one out. Not a lead off double.
I thought Swish made out before Cano’s double?
1 out double what did I miss
I think Swish popped out.
This Chris Sale kid spent all of what 12 innings in the minors, the kid is good!
Plot Twist: Big Member actually believes everything he is saying.
The spelling errors make it too obviously intentional. Otherwise, maybe.
Not possible. Big Member is a brilliant parodist.
From 94 to 79 with control. Sales is on tonight.
fucking awful Andruw
Yep.
Game of inches not rewarding Robbie or the Yankees right now.
Careful, you said something negative. Don’t want Greg complaining, right?
No. That’s just being depressed. I can take depressed. I can’t take negativity for the sake of being negative.
Ahhhh, okay. You have a system marked out. My mistake, I need to keep track of these things.
I know this is sarcasm. I’ll throw in a somewhat serious response anyway – I don’t care.
I’ve never understood the internet way of thinking. We’re all anonymous to each other. I’m a poor schmuck trapped a thousand miles away from New York. I’ll likely never meet any of you guys. Why should I get butthurt over what others think of me?
Besides, my real life character is getting back in shape the past few weeks, and I’m fairly satisfied about that.
Greg is the resident blog shrink with his bullshit analysis and judgement of people he doesn’t know. When and if the Yankees start playing better, he’ll get a flood of positivity here.
You’re right, it’s sarcasm.
RISPFAIL.
Axisa, just a general question. Why do you like Andruw JOnes so much?
Holy shit, what a swing.
Cashman got fleeced. He got nothing for Burnett. The yanks are paying pirates 13 million to may be have Aj win 20 games. I was all for trading him but only if they got something of value or the pirates took the entire contract
Oh stop.
From Andruw to Liriano to AJ. I can only imagine what’s next.
Paranoia about Ron Wood taking his job. He keeps ignoring it, but he knows it’s coming.
Bahaha…with how bad he was for two straight years, the fact that another team took him AND paid any of his salary? I still think we should count our blessings…the NL Central isn’t the AL East.
And here’s the 5th stupid negative comment.
You make me miss Duh Innings.
We’ll always have Duh Innings.
well said my freind.
As if those 20 wins are just an automatic no matter where he pitches, no matter the competition.
Is this secretly Michael Kay?
1 and 2, Andruw takes one close as fuck and then K’s on one neck high. Awful
Nice 2 strike fastball down the middle.
Phil got a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate against Rios…hopefully it was a momentary thing…
Mike I know you don’t like people posting political things…but this is just too funny: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tum.....o1_500.png
As long as everyone goes and votes like they need to.
I kinda miss Rose at moments like these.
At least the Orioles are getting wrecked.
BUT THEY ARE FOR REAL!!!!!!
Their run differential is certainly not going to be improving tonight.
Andruw’s sole job on the team is to crush LHP. His OPS vs LHP- .737
Dewayne Wise’s OPS vs LHP – .923
Casey McGee is a better option at this point than Andruw and that’s sad.
McGehee might be a better option (at DH anyway) but people really need to stop lamenting the loss of Wise. He’s about as replaceable as it gets.
Oh for fuck’s sake.
26 plate appearances. 26 fucking plate appearances!!!
I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised that you cited a sample of 26 place appearances.
Maybe Joe G should give him more opportunities against leftys instead of leaving Ibanez in to face them.
Andruw jones fans unite. He has come twice with a runner on second and failed to drive him in. The second time he struck out on a pitch way out of the zone. He should be dfa because he is doa
I DFA you. BOOM.
Do we have an RAB commenter waiver wire?
We should. Good project for the offseason. Mike you have two things on your to-do list, now. Guest post for Big Member, and RAB commenter waiver wire.
I’m gonna lock you and stuart in a room with Andruw and A-Rod.
Ichiro moves like nobody else in the game
I like these change-ups to righties.
Well even if we lose this game, Phil Hughes has shown himself to be the 4th starter in the playoffs and possible 3rd if Pettitte doesnt come back.
based on 3.2 innings in one game?
Based on his work against 2 good offenses. Remember the Red Sox runs were unearned and came at the expense of his fielding.
My point is, his start today is far from over, and there’s several weeks left in the season. What he’s done in the first 4 innings doesn’t show anything except that he would be in the rotation if the playoffs started today. They don’t.
Too small a sample size to risk it in the playoffs.
Whichever one of Hughes, Garcia or Phelps is pitching the best at the end of the season is going to be the 4th starter in the playoffs.
2 strikes. You know a fastball is coming.
WUT?????
3 HRs for Beltre…and it’s the 4th inning.
I hope Baltimore gives up 4 home runs to one guy twice in a season.
On the same team, no less.
Ok, now some runs, svp.
Looks like from September 3 to September16th perhaps, could determine the division – 6 against TB, 3 against Bal, with a splash of soon to be fired Valentine Red Sox in there.
Rays have a difficult stretch coming up. They get the A’s, Rangers, Jays, Yankees, Rangers, Orioles, and Yankees again.
As much as I would love to see Bobby V fired, I doubt it happens until the off season.
You know what, on second though, I never want to see Bobby V fired. I hope he gets offered a lifetime contract.
And is forced to keep Beckett, A Gon and the rest of the whiners.
Also a lifetime catering contract with KFC and Natty Light.
Sale is eating Curtis alive.
Let’s give Sale a 5 or 6 pitch inning. That’ll work.
Hey! HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE! NEGATIVITY! ON THE GROUND, HANDS ON YOUR BACK!
Hahaha
DON’T TASE ME, BRO!
If he wasn’t ‘roiding it up that never would have happened.
Sincerely,
Skip Bayless
I have no idea why I responded here.
Now that is creativity!
Chicago is a wonderful city, but I can’t wait for the Yankees to get the hell out of there.
Fucking Granderson wow he sucks.
Martin. I hate you.
is this Sale guy for real? or a one hit wonder.
Check back next year.
His stats for his three years in the majors suggest that he is a real-deal outstanding young starter.
too bad we can’t develop pitchers.
It feels like Cano has not been ahead on a count since I can’t remember when.
Whoops. Wrong place in thread.
nope, stil don’t see how all these platoon players are even remotely a good idea.
You got a better idea with the A-Rod and Gardner injuries?
Thank you. This should be classified as a stupid negative comment.
Are people really bitching about the offense tonight? This guy’s a Cy Young candidate.
There’s bitching a plenty every night.
There will be more bitching in the post season if we don’t start plating runners on 2d who get on with less than two outs.
man mcgee is fucking slow.
Sale doesn’t ever throw a pitch at the same speed twice in a row.
Right, that’s what impresses me, the change of velocity, combined with control.
Yeah. This kid seem like the real deal. And he has a very calm demeanor.
granderson does not suck but he is not great. he is a decent fielder with power. who strikes out a friggin ton….he never steals a base any more also.
this team is sleepwalking. the russel 1 pitch outs especially help… what a train wreck this team is……
they suck against lefties .. btw they friggin miss dewayne wise, that is a scary statement….
lifeless.. no productive outs. add no homers and you get no scoring……
if they do not have homefield advantage for the playoffs they will lose… no short right field porch and this offense is offensive…………
The real problem is the fact that Arod’s last RBI was on July 23.
Thelma?
I told you, I’ll build the fence over the weekend! For now you just have to shake your fist at the kids on your lawn.
Spray them with the garden hose.
I’m not sure poor stuart is mobile enough to get to the hose, it’s on the side of the house.
The Yankees lead baseball in road offense by a mile.
Andruw jones fans unite
fuck this guy is on tonight. This does not bode well to preventing a sweep.
TOSS HIM!!!!!!!
Ha. Pretty much the exact same pitch that was just called a ball.
“The Kia Scoreboard shows the White Sox with a 1-0 lead.”
So wait….is there a different scoreboard that I can look at? That tells me an alternate score?
I messed that joke up.
Whatever. Dog days of August affect my comedy exertion too……
Such is the way of baseball
If we had Phil Hughes on either of the first two nights, we would be in good positions to win either of them.
It’s in hindsight, but just shows how baseball is luck.
FALLACY!!!
I said it was in hindsight. Plus I didn’t say that the Yankees would win.
Saying the word hindsight doesn’t negate it, it only makes it even more obvious. You really need to never use that word again if you have no idea what they are.
And saying they would win vs. being in better position has no effect on it. You’re asserting that he would have essentially the same results under completely different circumstances.
If it wasn’t the “Greg” Negativity Police he’d be jailed for misuse of logic.
what teams clenup hitters hits 212 ? lame
Michael Kay is unamerican
JOe might get run protecting Ichiro tonight
He didn’t swing. Not a good night for umpires.
How the hell was that a swing?
Fucking umps.
God mode
JETER’S JUICING!
lolz
Fucking Jeter!
Jeter is amazing.
<3 Jeter
Jeter imagined Bayless’s head out there.
I hate having to decide check-swing calls, but that looked like he checked.
‘Atta boy, Captain.
That was for the asshole that said 50-game suspension to Jeter while heckling him about 15 seconds ago
Which feed are you watching? I’m on ESPN and the dude heckling by the mic is insanely annoying.
YES on MLB pkg. COmpletely forgot that game was on ESPN, thanks
I only asked because there was a guy heckling on the ESPN feed too, but I didn’t hear that particular line. Thought I missed it.
I heard it on YES.
CLONE the Captain
/Big Boss’d
I will be best friends forever if anyone gets that reference (without Googling!)
PED user!
TEH PEDS!!!!
can someone get my boy jeter the Most Valuable Player award.
Must be the roids. Right Skip?
Jeter’s on fire and I was one last year that thought he had very little left at the plate.
Bob. Sad face.
Cano swung at a WP for fucks sake.
I betcha Skip talks about Jeter tomorrow. I might have to tune in to see the hilarity.
Don’t. He’s a parasite on the skin of society.
Oh, trust me, I know. He had a vendetta against Eli Manning last year that makes me want to have his eyes as souvenirs. I’m just looking for more reasons to hate him.
Hate is a powerful tool when you adhere to the Dark Side.
It feels like Cano hasn’t been ahead on a count since I can’t remember when.
Robbie can get into really out-of-touch-with-reality modes. Like he’s dazed and confused or would rather be anywhere but on a baseball field.
Hughes didn’t like having a lead
He didn’t have one.
Oops. God, I’m really messin up tonight.
Either that, or a tie feels like a lead lately
It took three pitches to give the lead back.
Three fucking pitches.
Pitches don’t get much more down the middle than that one.
ahh, shit. Of course.
smh Phil
Who didn’t see that shit coming?
1 pitch pitcher.
Meatball.
Flying Balls Phil and the Choke show is back in town
GENERAL NOTICE: Any negativity after this home run will have you jailed with a bail of 200 Greg-dollars. You have all been warned.
I love it.
But…but…Officer, I only have 190 Greg dollars…DON’T TAZE ME BRO!!
You await trial in the morning. Maybe if you’re not negative for the rest of the night you’ll get a slap on the wrist tomorrow. Just don’t arouse the Wrath of Greg. And that was NOT a sexual pun, so get your mind out of the gutter.
Come on, Mind. Get outta there. I don’t care if it’s a steep gutter, figure it out! The Officer said so!
I was inspired. thanks
I’ve spent thousands on my Get Out of Greg Jail Free cards, however.
Creed Bratton sold them to me.
You spent thousands. But Big Member has immunity from Greg-jail for life.
The Phil Hughes mantra: “Shutdown innings: who needs ‘em?”
Might want to try something other than fastballs down the middle to Rios… that’s 3 fastballs he’s hit on the nose
oh brother.. nothing like seeing Nova right behind Hughes on that home runs allowed graphic..
So THIS is what it feels like to be a Red Sox fan.
This is nothing what it’s like to be a Red Sox fan.
Being in first place is what it feels like to be out of contention?
Watching a 10 game lead erode in 3 weeks kinda reminds me of the Suxies.
??? If they lose they’ll have a 3 game lead.
An irrational negative comment. What else is new?
It was 5 weeks, they still have (at least) a 3 game lead, and the Yankees are 15-17 over that span. Basically, it’s not like the Red Sox going 7-20 in September and completely blowing a 9 game lead.
?
I posted a question mark because that’s all I could think of initially. But I am disliking your commenting more with each passing day. The Red Sox are 5 games under .500 and 13 games out of first place and they are rife with clubhouse drama. The Yankees have the best record in the AL, and there is literally nothing in common between those two teams, or their respective fans.
there is the Phil that causes people’s heads to explode… Right on cue.
2 runs in 6 innings against a first place team? Can I sign up to have my head explode more?
gave up the lead, again. be my guest
What lead?
I would take 2 R in 6 IP every day for Hughes. If you’re gonna bitch about him “giving up the lead”, then you should be more focused on the offense only scoring 1 run.
or the fact that he never had a lead to give up this game.
That too.
Still like what Hughes gave tonight. 6 IP 2ER.
Overall this has been an excellent outing for Hughes so far against a very good lineup. We just need to score some fucking runs.
Well, we’re going up against their ace and a Cy Young contender.
hughes only gave up 2 runs calm down
I’m sorry but you have dialed the wrong number.
Do something useful please Andruw.
Last start Hughes mixed in a change quite a bit to throw the hitters off balance. For whatever reason, he’s back to primarily just FBs, many of which are not very good. He’s only down 2-1 but I counted at least 3 FBs hitters just missed and popped up.
He threw a few changeups to righties tonight.
This happens every game. I saw 2 or 3 that Sale threw, one to Jones and one to Cano. Phil pitched well. We’re not getting any runs for him.
Uh-oh. Time for me to get my nightstick ready.
(Also not a sexual pun).
Oh well. We get the struggling Indians next.
Oh Greg, do you really want your own police force to jail you? Don’t make me do this. Just think for a moment and realize why this was a stupidly negative comment that makes you very badly hypocritical if you uphold it.
I’ll wait.
Prepping myself for disappointment. If they come back and win, I’ll be happy.
And this makes a difference why? You made a comment that was stupid and negative. Just accept it and get off of your high horse.
Fine. I apologize.
Well, I give you credit then Greg. Progress!
Have you considered trying to just watch the game and experiencing events as they occur, instead of constantly micromanaging your own reactions?
You mean people do that?
If only Michael Pineda won this award instead.
https://twitter.com/BloggingBombers/status/238455801029742592/photo/1/large
Too soon?
Nah, right on time.
So sick of the fucking white sox.
Damn. That”ll do it. Hope they can win tomorrow night, other wise different city, same results.
This game is over after 7 innings? These aren’t minor league doubleheaders, you know.
I forget which game it was, but it was a couple of months ago. The Yankees were down a couple runs, and he declared the game over in like, the 5th or 6th inning. I responded that they play 9 innings for a reason. And sure enough, the Yankees game back to win in the 8th. So yeah, de ja vu, Athenian. Reserve judgement in a 1 run game until it’s over.
you all are funny. I thought it was the 8th inning, Also, i thought today was Thursday, shows how involved I am with the days of the week. But won’t make a difference. 2-3-4 coming up in the 9th, won’t matter. Sox have the Yankees number.
Point being it’s a close game. Stop saying it’s over until it is.
I guarantee they will not win tomorrow night.
They don’t even play tomorrow, asshole.
Where’s my police when I need them?
With serial offenders I just wait until the end of the game then ride around and cram them in the backseat against each other.
And yes, that one WAS meant to be sexual.
[Wait a moment. You said literally THE EXACT SAME THING. The only difference was that you remembered that they didn't play tomorrow. Come on Greg, you can't be serious. This is ridiculous.]
I apologized for that remark.
Good man! Progress!
How anyone could be complaining about Hughes in this game so far is just beyond any realm of reason.
This is off topic, but would anyone miss Texas if it wasn’t part of the United States?
I sure as hell wouldn’t. I hope I don’t offend too many people, but there are times where I think Lincoln would have been better off not fighting the Civil War.
The Civil War, you say?
The reason I posted this is because I just saw a story where some judge in Texas said that he’s preparing for civil war if Obama is re-elected.
I’m reminded of the scene in Austin Powers 2 where the president played by Tim Robbins was about to nuke the moon until Charles Napier stopped him by saying, “Are you seriously suggesting we blow up the moon?” To which Robbins just replied, “Would you miss it? Would you?”
Yea, that’s my feelings on Texas.
Let them secede. Please.
martin swings at ball 4
Also Gordon Beckham is not this good. Hitting everything on the screws this series
This game means nothing… the series was already lost coming into today, so today’s game means nothing.
Just like when you win the first 2 games and the “logic” is well the last game is gravy because they won the series and that’s all that matters.
So everyone CALM DOWN!
#Greg Logic
well that second comment is what Girardi says all the time. “Win series”
So this game also means nothing then, since they can’t win the series no matter what?
Last I checked the final standings did not include “series won” and the sequence of wins is irrelevant.
What Girardi says is either a meaningless phrase that every manager says just to say something that sounds good, or is a way to psychologically motivate players that doesn’t have any basis in reality.
I guarantee you that Girardi still makes an attempt to win the 3rd game of a series even if the first two were both won or lost. In fact, he makes the same attempt on the 3rd game that he makes in every other game, because he knows that every game does in fact count the same.
No, not exactly. If the Rays had lost, then this game would truly MEAN NOTHING. Since the Rays won, however, this game does in fact count in the standings. But as you note, they already lost the series, so it only counts as half.
Love,
Greg
Pretty good Phil.
Runs please.
sick lineup
Dear God.
A magnificent performance by Chris Sale.
LOL at anyone caring what Curt Schilling has to say.
I for one am shocked that Ichiro struck out three times tonight.
This is exactly what is going to happen in October when a pitcher like Sale starts 40% of the games in a 5 game series. You just can’t hit a bunch of HRs off these guys.
So much wrong with this ….
Chris Sale might not even be in the playoffs.
You’re starting to sound like the media.
Brett Myers angers me. The guy should have been locked up and had the key thrown away. Women beaters do not deserve a second chance.
I wish the most interesting man in the world was in the lineup. Maybe he’d help the yankees score some runs…
Big Member?
Another loss in this horrible run. When is it gonna end, when we are 5 back of Tampa. This is unbelievable.
You sound like a fun person.
What horrible run?
They just came off a 5-2 homestand!
Police!
You’re right. I haven’t seen him much.
DROP THE GUN NOW AND GET YOUR ASS ON THE GROUND. FUCK THE MIRANDA RIGHTS, YOU’RE COMING WITH ME.
this horrible run of 3 games?
They won 9 of 12 before this series.
A very good outing by Hughes. Just ran against a better pitcher.
Hmm seems like Joba lost a bunch of weight
It’s always Youkilis, huh?
He stands on the plate. He deserves to be hit every single time.
Hughes looked good. Hopefully he can build the starters momentum moving forward,
That did NOT hit him, I call BS.
Sigh. I’m not feeling this team at all. This offense has been on a downward spiral since 09. Cano and Grandy have been awful since the ASB. I’m not confident about the Yanks chances of making it past the Tigers, White Sox, Texas or any other contender for that matter in the playoffs. The offense and pitching (besides Kuroda) have been frustratingly inconsistent. Holy shit. I’m not worried about our record or place in the standings. I’m just worried about the way we’ve been playing. This team doesn’t look like it could survive in the playoffs.
So?
See Greg, the other responses to this post were pretty good. This one is why we’re pissed at you.
You know what? Yes, I think winning in the playoffs is significant. I care about that, and if they do not win in the playoffs I will not be happy.
We’re allowed to care about that, Greg.
Greg parents used to argue a lot. He blames himself for their divorce. He can NOT deal with anyone saying anything negative or even a discussion.
Hey, even I know that’s too far. Not going there.
Were you this worried during their awesome ~.700 ball stretch? Baseball is a streaky game. The Yankees are just as capable as any other to get hot at the right time.
“This offense has been on a downward spiral since 09. ”
Definitely. They’ve dropped from being the highest scoring offense in baseball to the second highest scoring offense in baseball. When will this spiral end?
They’re playing like shit, of course it doesn’t look like they could survive the playoffs.
These White Sox announcers are awesome. Just speak their minds.
About Valverde:
“Yeah, I’m not a fan. I don’t really like him.”
“Well, his teammates seem to like him.”
“I’m not a teammate of his. I’m not a fan.”
not a fan of Hawk Harrelson
By the way, is Robertson in to get some work in?
Hughes was only at 95 or 96 pitches and looked pretty strong.
This game is still winnable, as long as Robertson can do his job! Get em D-Rob!
Wow, where was that pitch?
Whoa, nice play Robbie!
Very nice DP there, boys.
Robertson really scares me.
Men on base, hits all over the place, chaos – that’s D-rob at the top of his game.
The strikeouts haven’t been there lately though.
Yikes…. not even close
oops….
Okay, now we win this friggn’ game and then go catch a jet.
SCORE RUN(S) NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One time
Do you play hold’em by any chance?
Okay Ninth inning Franklin Covey
1A. Score a run
1B Score another run
1C Score one more run
2A #Untuck
Reed isn’t that good. Just win the game.
Damn.
Thank you, Robbie C.
Let’s do this!!!
Let’s do this.
jinx!
shit!
C’mon, TEIX!!!!!!!!!
runner on less than 2 outs…let’s go Tex
That looked so outside.
That was a strike?
What?
WOW, awful call
Go to hell ump! Go to hell!
up and away wtf
Damn.
Gameday has that right on the corner for a strike.
Fuck, whatever that breaking ball is it’s nasty.
Change up.
Come on, Eric.
how many Ks tonight 16?
nice job Tex. Really nice at bat.
That terrible call changed the entire AB.
That’s awful.
bitch ass umpire with the horseshit 2-1 call
Fucking umps. That 2-1 pitch was up and possibly away too.
Please, Chavez!
0-45 and 2.5 in front by the time we play Cleveland. Unbelievable.
3.5 dumbass.
Should he call you a dumbass for clearly not even reading his comment before jumping to insults for no reason?
Why do you even follow this team if you already know they’re not going to win the World Series?
Rays won tomorrow’s game already?
FUCK these umps, putridly disgusting.
Fuck.
This was a brutal series.
Damn.
Buenos noches, peeps!
Bad luck, bad umpiring.
Whatever helps you sleep.
Woah, a sweep, errrggggg…………..^&%$*(&###$(*)!
Homeplate ump FTW!
When does ARod get back again?
pathetic
The police is gone, so I could say this:
Fuck man, this fucking sucks. We’re playing like shit.
What a fucking awful series. Off day tomorrow will be brutal.
Team just isn’t clutch.
Tex took that 2-0 fastball that split the plate. That’s the way the team is going right now.
Playing like trash.
3 game lead. and 4 game lead over Baltimore. Awesome job all around. The 2011 Red SOx choke has nothing on this awesome Yank choke job we are all watching.
You think the Orioles are going to come back from down 9 runs?
…They didn’t. And losing 5 games or whatever it is to a team playing almost .700 ball over the course of 2 months is in no way comparable to going 7-20 and choking away a 9 game lead in September.
Wow. Not even close.
2.5 by the time we play Friday. This is unbelievable. I can’t believe 4 one run losses against Oakland has put us in this god damn tail spin. I am so upset I don’t even know who to blame but this has been a team wide effort except for Jeter and Kuroda. We would be in second place if it weren’t for those two.
The Red Sox hold the records for biggest collapse of all time percentage-wise AND biggest collapse of all time going by number of games ahead.
The Yankees weren’t even close in either category.
*aren’t, not weren’t
The Yankees aren’t choking. They just had a 5-2 homestand. The Rays are just playing out of their minds right now.
Just move on and sweep the Engines.
We made a team that was horrible against KC look unbeatable. This is shocking how we will lose 8 games in one month. This is similar to Boston last year.
Fortunately, this team won’t match the Boston collapse last year since it’s before the final month. They will fail miserably in the playoffs though.
Thank god for the second wild card.
no chance they’ll be the second wild card
the 2-1 pitch to Tex was a horrible call, changing everything; but he should have swung at & crushed the 2-0 fastball (right down the pipe); this blows
Yanks better figure this out soon.
Gonna vent real quick, Ichrio and Tex must’ve had carnal relations with this terrible umps daughter and or wife, as they each had awful strike zones all night. The Yanks lost, yes, but the umps were the equivalent of Hawk Harrelson in the booth…TERRIBLE. You win some and you lose some but the ump-assisted losses always burn more. That is all, go Yankees!
This one’s not on the umps. We had runners on 2d twice with less than two outs. This is what happens when a team that doesn’t hit for avg meets a good pitcher. They lose.
Except for all the times that the Yankees have beaten great pitchers this year.
They don’t count. They didn’t happen today.
Do teams that hit for avg not lose to good pitchers?
(Yankees are 4th in AL in team AVG, btw)
All in all, I blame Nova and Garcia for this series. We had horrible starting pitcher and Hughes pitched great. Sale is 15-4 for a reason. But they have to get healthy and healthy fast, at least Nova shoulder “injury” is enough for him not to pitch and Girardi has to realize we are in an actual pennant race and stop experimenting. The margin is all but gone.
It’s a good thing they’re going to sorry ass Cleveland next, losers of 8 straight. That’s about the only thing that can save them now. You run up against great pitchers like Sale and you’re just not going to hit 4 solo HRs a game. The only hitter worth a darn right now is Jeter. You run into Price, Sale, Verlander 2 times in a 5 game series and you’re looking at another 1st round exit sorry to say.
LoL …Verlander’s next great postseason start will be his first.
Yes
Let’s hope for a sweep of the native americans.
Let’s hope not to get swept. The worse the team, the worse this team will play.
I do that in bed. I do poorly with the pigs, but really step up my game for the 8′s.
Just think of how good you would feel with a 10!!!!
Yep. They can’t beat good teams and they can’t beat bad teams. It’s why they are in last place.
Sucks, but I’m still confident about them going forward. Next two games started by CC and Kuroda, and the Rays’ schedule is tougher than the Yanks from now on.
It’s hard to imagine success in the playoffs with a shaky rotation and only two players hitting for avg. The Yanks are a creaky old team that has been patched together with a lot of retreads. I would rather have them take a few years to rebuild and do it right. Of course that’s not going to happen. Bu I think it’s worse having them lose in the first round than simply not making it.
Granted this team won’t go too far in the playoffs but not making the playoffs is most definitely better than not!
umm, eliminate a not there
I disagree. Every team in the AL has weaknesses, the White Sox are a similar version of the Yankees but with shittier players, the Tigers are too dependent on three players, the Rangers have no starting pitching, the A’s and Rays can’t hit for shit, the Angels are almost out of it and if they are in it, their pitchers (besides Weaver) have no guts. We have many weaknesses but so does anyone else. If our pitching gets it together and once the Rays cool off a little bit, we will be OK. But I admit I am a little panicking.
“Rays can’t hit for shit”
The Rays hitting should improve with Longoria back and Scott taking over Pena’s duties. They seem to have been underperforming.
Of course I want to see them in the playoffs but NOT at the expense of rebuilding.
Hughes has a very good outing today against a playoff contender, it’s just the lineup didn’t help him at all.
The Yankees last won in 2009, so they are WAY ahead of other teams in winning world series. Don’t forget there are 30 teams in mlb, you can’t win every year. once every 30 years it would be with even teams.
It’s hard to imagine every team having success in the playoffs when they’re in the midst of a losing streak. Look at any other team in the major leagues during one of their losing streaks. They all have them.
Look at Texas in July (9-14 in the month, 5 game losing streak to start it out) and you’ll have a hard time picturing that team having success.
Also, hitting for average is not better than hitting for power. Teams that score a larger % of their runs via the homer perform (a little) better in the playoffs than teams that score a smaller % of their runs via the homer.
Yes but in general there are fundamental flaws in the rotation, pen (middle relief especially) and lineup. Slump or no slump if you don’t hit WRISP it’s tough to win games. Against good pitching, you’re not going to win with the long ball. Swish (admittedly hot lately), Tex and Granderson strike out way too much; Ichiro is avg, and Martin is shit. Aside from Jeter and Cano (who will start hitting again), that leaves jouneyman fill ins to do the heavy lifting. The Yanks would be better off taking a few years to rebuild IMHO.
Yes to some extent, but this team is likely into the part of the distribution where they score too many of their runs on the home run, at the expense of other outcomes.
Even in 2009, the offense went dead in the playoffs outside of a few guys. The difference was guys like A-Rod picking up those clutch home runs to bail them out. They could have very easily lost that series to the Twins when you consider how close Games 2 and 3 were without some of those guys stepping up.
Many of the teams this year can match the starting pitching that the Yankees have at the top of their rotation. The difference will be which team is picking up the clutch base hits, and which team’s bullpen can hold the score long enough for their offense to get those hits. The Yankees, unfortunately, are weak in both of those areas, and it shows even in the regular season with their struggles in one-run and close games.
Too many escapes, is there any place we enjoy being there? It was escape from Detroit last week. We got swept by the ugliest and dirtiest team in this country! I think on the positive side, kudos for Phil H for doing a great job of pitching! It’s just the offense in a funk!
Are we going to keep hearing the excuse that there is a “big division lead?” The division lead is not big anymore, not even close. It’s not just because Tampa is hot. If they played .500 ball instead of .300 ball over that 2 week stretch, they would lead the division by 7 games still.
It’s time for the players and manager to start treating these games seriously. Put your best players on the field, and stop with this matchup nonsense. Chavez needs to be in there against both lefties and righties. Ichiro needs to be on the bench because he can’t hit a lick, and offense is a bigger problem right now than defense. No more nonsense with bringing in Eppley and Rapada for one batter to matchup. Treat these games with some urgency, and maybe the players will follow your lead.
It’s a shame that they are throwing away so much hard work with a few weeks of this type of performance. They don’t seem ready to play until their backs are against the wall, so they better be ready since they have nobody to blame but themselves for being on the verge of that position.
You want Chavez and his .284 OPS (yes, OPS!) against lefties to start against lefties?
Prior to tonight, Ichiro was hitting .312 with an .817 OPS for the Yankees. It may not last, but he’s not the biggest problem with the offense right now.
Using Eppley and Rapada for one batter is really his only choice because of how they decided to build the bullpen. Using them for more batters would be less of a sense of urgency than their current usage patterns because that would mean he doesn’t care about the likely outcomes.
The thousand platoon offensive players and too many OOGY’s is very frustrating, but there isn’t much they can do about it at this point given how they chose to build the roster.
Chavez has all of 20 AB’s vs LHP. He has been holding his own against them in the limited AB’s he has had since he has had his hot streak.
If you take out those 2 HR’s that Ichiro hit against Beckett, his OPS drops to .704 with the Yankees. Ichiro’s OBP is just .323 with the Yankees despite a .302 batting average. Russell Martin is hitting .196, yet his OBP is just 20 points lower than Ichiro’s! Ibanez and Jones are much more of a threat at the plate than Ichiro right now, and even though Jones is slumping right now he will at least make a pitcher work. Ichiro has seen just 3.56 P/PA this year, while Jones has seen 4.00 P/PA and Ibanez 3.95 P/PA.
Actually Rapada has no problem facing the average RHH. If you watch him in those limited at bats, his deception applies to both types of hitters. You don’t want to overexpose him, but there is no reason to yank him immediately when a .220 hitter is coming to the plate. And Eppley is garbage against both LHH and RHH. Don’t use him, period. He should be DFA’d right now. Righties hit over .270 against him. Any RHP could do that, and at least do better than .300+ vs LHB.
There is a ton they could do about this roster, it’s just that they have fallen into the usual patterns of assuming players can only fill certain roles, yet not realizing that it is in large part because they never give them a chance to show them otherwise. Posada last year started off in a slump vs LHP, and they never let him hit vs LHP for the rest of the year. It’s no shock that a guy who never bats from one side of the plate will not be very sharp when you do ask him to hit right handed. Logan can clearly get RHB out, but they used him only as a specialist prior to this year and never gave him a chance!
In fact, Cory Wade would probably be a better option than Eppley at this point. He was burnt out earlier in the year, but he’s had a track record and can give them some more length out of the bullpen. I don’t expect him to necessarily be as good as he was earlier in the year, but if he has improved his control even a bit he can’t be worse than Eppley.
did not see the last 4 innings.. yanks have not comeback in the 9th yet this year….
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!!These overpriced homerun hitting pieces of s, have not comeback once in the ninth inning in over 45 chances…
THAT IS A JOKE. cano doing zilch, tex doing zilch, the 38 year old SS is carrying this team right now and btw they lost 3 in a row…..
lifeless joke.. there starting catcher is hitting 195……..
there CF is hitting less then 240 with 160 + K’s…andruw jones is a guess hitter hack, hitting 215…………they are a team of hackers…
So stop watching.