Yanks embarrassed at home by Astros, lose 9-1

April 29, 2013 by Mike Axisa 57 Comments

I only caught the bottom of the ninth inning of Monday’s game, so needless to say I’m glad I missed this disaster. The Astros marched into Yankee Stadium and embarrassed the home team 9-1, knocking Andy Pettitte out of the game after 4.1 innings. He surrendered seven runs on ten hits, and from what I understand he was getting hit hard all night. Lots of rockets, few bloopers. Hopefully it was just an off-night. It happens.

The offense did very little against right-hander Lucas Harrell, who recorded 18 of his 19 outs on the infield. The Yankees managed to string together three singles to plate a run in the sixth inning, but the game was basically over by then. At least they didn’t shutout, I guess. Oddly enough, the top three hitters in the lineup went a combined 6-for-11 with a walk. Usually that leads to more than one run, but alas. Oh, and congrats to Vidal Nuno for firing three scoreless innings in his big league debut. That’s something he’ll never forget in an otherwise forgettable game.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some additional stats, and ESPN the updated standings. Every team has a few clunkers like this each year, sometimes even against bad teams like the Astros, so just wake up tomorrow and move on. What else can you do? Hiroki Kuroda will look to turn things around against Phil Humber in the second game of the series on Tuesday night. RAB Tickets is to place to do if you want to attend.

Bob Buttons

Better lose one against them than against the Jays.
Eddard

Every dog has its day. This is why the season is 162 games long. You brush this one off and win one tomorrow.
Deathstroke Heathcott

YCPB. Let’s go out and get the next two though.
Deathstroke Heathcott

And in more devastating news, Casper Wells to the White Sox.
hornblower

I object to the use of the word embarrassment when referring to the loss of a baseball game against a major league team regardless of it’s record. Baseball is about pitching and if the other club gets a good effort on the mound it has a chance to win. We have all been ruined by talk radio.
- Winter
  
  I think it was a reference to the score rather than the team. A 9-1 score is an embarrassment no matter who you’re playing.
  - Bob Buttons
    
    Even against 1927 Yanks?
    - Winter
      
      I went to go look up the 1927 Yanks stats to answer your question. They averaged 6.3 (!) runs per game and only 3.8 against.
      - Bob Buttons
        
        I kinda knew that, roughly 900+ runs over 144 games would be around that. However, you can’t account for the difference in talent level. If a team today faced the 1927 Yanks (or basically any “all-time great” teams) they’d probably get slaughtered worse.
        
        LK
        
        Are you saying the ’27 Yanks would beat a team from today worse than another team from 1927? If so, I definitely disagree. While there were fewer teams back then, the population was much smaller, and baseball wasn’t pulling any talent from Latin America and Asia. A team has to be looked at in the context of its era and the 1927 Yankees are arguably the greatest ever, but they never had to face change-ups and I’m guessing there weren’t too many guys throwing mid-90s.
        
        Now Batting
        
        A team today could beat the 27 Yanks. Take away everyone but the white players and it’s another story.
        
        RetroRob
        
        I think any team, including the Astros, would beat the 27 Yankees if they were transported into the future. They would have too many disadvantages working against them from the start. I would give the 1927 Yankees a better chance if the 2013 Astros were transplanted back in time and had to play in their parks, with their umpires, strike zones, equipment, etc. Yet even with that, I’ll take the current teams.
        
        That has nothing to do with the greatness of the 1927 Yankees. Comparing a team from 90 years back to today really is pointless, even though I will play that game myself and have many times! The 1927 Yankees were one of the all-time great teams. The 2013 Astros are a horrible team.
        
        Give me the genetics of the Ruth’s and Gehrig’s and Dickey’s and give them to me at the start of their careers with all the advantages of today, and I’ll take them.
        
        The 1927 Yankees were an all-time great team. Nothing more needs to be said.
- Robinson Tilapia
  
  That’s not what the game thread told me.
Robinson Tilapia

That was a pretty crappy game, but it happens. Those are still major league players in the field, and they can beat anyone on any given night. Still counts as one game in the standings, just like any other.
Pat D

I really hate it when the Yankees have days off during the season and don’t play. Makes the day much more boring.
Pour some cougar on me

There were several hard hit balls, but there were also quite a bit of unlucky dribblers just outside of the reach of the middle infielders, as well as a weird double (was it a double? I forgot) that went off the third base bag and trickled into foul territory.

We just have to move on. Remember, the 2009 Yankees lost a home series to the 57-105 Nationals and got blown out 4-22 by the 65-97 Indians.
- Robinson Tilapia
  
  Amazing the difference between actual informed fans on the recap thread and what shows up in game threads
  
  Good night, everyone..
  - Troll
    
    Thank god. I thought he’d never leave. The pathetic sod practically lives on this site.
    - Pour some cougar on me
      
      Erm what? I don’t live on the site, this is honestly my first time commenting here. I often check this site for five minutes to see the MiLB stats (I’m usually too lazy to go the MiLB website)
      - Troll
        
        Not you. Officer Tilapia.
        
        Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
        
        Man, on my blog, you would have been banned like immediately. No, I won’t link to it, because it’s political and I don’t want you there.
        
        There’s no specific reason for me to say this. I guess I just wanted a more creative way to express my intense dislike of you.
        
        Why Mike keeps a guy who actually calls himself “Troll” around who ALSO acts like a dick all the time, I will never understand.
        
        Troll
        
        Thanks “Dirty Midget Whores”. I appreciate all forms of feedback.
        
        Troll
        
        Also, you have a blog AND it’s political. Classic. I can only WISH to be so original. Do you also live in trailer park, inject heroin into your veins, and spout conspiracy theories concerning the US government’s funding of Al Qaeda and the Taliban?
        
        Please. PLEASE! Can I please be invited to your blog?!
        
        Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
        
        I never said I was original. It was just my special way of point out that you’re a dick.
        
        I also have no idea what the rest of what you wrote has anything to do with…anything, really. I guess you’re an idiot too.
        
        Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
        
        *pointing
        
        Ah, typos. They’re so annoying.
  - DInnings
    
    Amazing that you’re an asshole during and after game threads, but not really.
    - Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
      
      I don’t get it. He didn’t call anybody out in particular. He made the good point that more trolls tend to be in the game threads than the recaps. He’s right.
    - Troll
      
      He’s your prototypical “big man behind a computer screen”. He’s nothing more. He’s sad, he’s lonely, and he’s miserable. This is the only outlet that’ll allow his comically inept presentations of authority. He’s undoubtedly hated anywhere he dares to show his ugly mug. He and jjyank almost manage to make the threads unbearable because of their joint penchant to appear cooler than they actually are. On the internet you can choose to be whatever you want. They chose to be insignificant assholes with inferiority complexes. Strange . . . I at least tell people that I have 12-inch schlong . . . Make that 16 inches. Yeah. That’s right. Who’s the big man NOW?!
      - Get Phelps Up
        
        You just described yourself perfectly.
        
        If the commenting guidelines were still enforced with any sort of regularity whatsoever, you (and several others) would be so done.
        
        Troll
        
        Ok. That’s fair. You’re entitled to your opinion. I wish you well, friend.
        
        Get Phelps Up
        
        You kind soul.
      - Pat D
        
        Wow. This would be high comedy if it came from most people other than you.
        
        But like Get Phelps Up said, thanks for giving all of us a spot-on description of yourself.
        
        If you think your last statement was supposed to be in some way ironic, just know you failed.
        
        Troll
        
        You’re so sweet. Good tidings to you and may your dreams be filled with saccharine bliss.
        
        Pat D
        
        Yuck. Please don’t wish me good tidings, even sarcastically. I’ll be better off without them.
        
        Troll
        
        How adorable! You remind me of my youngest grandson. Precious. Just precious . . .
        
        Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)
        
        I’ve just reported you directly to Mike. Just so you know. I wanted to make sure he didn’t miss out on the fact that you’re a dick.
        
        Pat D
        
        You have grandchildren? Yea, that’s believable. More like you made a reference to an Adam Sandler movie.
        
        Not good enough. F minus minus.
    - Pat D
      
      Man, when’s the last time he went after you for anything? Would it kill you to try to be nice? He didn’t attack anyone in particular, he made a general summation which happens to be true.
      - Robinson Tilapia
        
        At the end of the day…hell, whenever he even moves to another tab on the Internet, he stops being “Troll.” I’m sure he’s proud of “Troll.” I hope he’s just as proud of who he is when he’s not “Troll.”
qwerty

I wonder what the odds are of the Astros either sweeping this series or taking 2 of 3. It would be interesting to see what happens at the end.
- Bob Buttons
  
  A plague on the Astros’ houses if that happens.
Mik

The Astros are a good team. We’ll get them tomorrow. On the plus side, I was impressed with Austin Romine. Got some good hacks in.
LarryM

One game in the whole scheme of the season is already forgotten.
- high heat
  
  Amen to this.
  
  0.62% of the season.
Long-Past-His-Day-Rod

Holy Christ. I’m usually always present in the background for game threads, only commenting on occasion (or when drunkenly motivated to make some kind of stupid point) but I usually enjoy following the general banter. Last night though…

It was a bad game. I get that Andy having an off night against a bad team is really annoying but damn. It sounded like people were ready to kill themselves and the whole Yankee team too. I stopped following less than halfway through the game and looking back at the thread now, I’m glad I did.

Why can’t we accept the fact that during the course of a 162 game season, the better team is not always going to win? There are going to be some horrendous losses and some glorious wins and a whole bunch of games in between. It’s the last day of April, there’s a lot of ball left to be played. We’re all here because we enjoy the game of baseball and enjoy rooting for the Yankees right? Can’t we just try and be a little more reasonable, even in the face of a bad loss?
- Robinson Tilapia
  
  Yup. This ain’t the NFL, and its already a new day. Andy Pettitte will, god-willing, be back out there in five days time.
- jjyank
  
  Thank you.
- RetroRob
  
  That’s right. The worst team in baseball can beat the best team on any given night, or even in a series. Remember the outrage when the Nationals beat the Yankees in 2009 at the Stadium? Fans just never seem to learn, or more likely many let their emotions rule their brains.
  
  Remember. The worst team in major league baseball is comprised of some of the most talented baseball players in the world. That’s why they are in the majors. Cutters that don’t cut are batting practice fastballs to be crushed by players of this level talent.
- aluis
  
  I think that he problem was that the Sox swept the Stros. I myself, right or wrongk was expecting to see the Yanks do the same. Unfortunately, last night was a huge disappointment especially given that the expectation was that the Yanks were going to get fat on the Stros as the Sox did.
RetroRob

So I missed the game. Obviously Pettitte did not have his cutter from what I read, but is it possible that pitching to Romine contributed to the problem? A merging of two bad events. Andy was off and Romine just didn’t know what to do with him having never really caught him or the cutter.
- Long-Past-His-Day-Rod
  
  I suppose that could’ve played into it a bit. My initial reaction is that since Andy is an established veteran pitching to a rookie he would pretty much be calling his own game. And his stuff was just simply not there last night. But I think there is definitely something to developing a certain level of comfort and rapport with your catcher. I just think Pettitte would theoretically be one of the least likely pitchers to be affected by throwing to a new guy.
JLC 776

Let’s hope now that the worst loss of the year is behind us! After a game like that, I just think back to losing 4 out of 6 to the Nationals and Marlins in 2009.
Vern Sneaker

Just caught up with this thread ’cause I was busy last night (and thank God missed that turkey of a game!). In addition to liking RAB because it totally gives me my minor league and overall Yankees fix all year and because most of the commenters are so very baseball knowledgeable, it gives an old old old guy like me a fun Internet education — e.g., I can’t believe commenters like “Troll” post their kind of stuff. I mean, why make yourself look so bad in public to so many people? I also wonder why people bother to respond, even when he insults them directly. If nobody ever responded (I mean EVER), Mike wouldn’t have to think about banning him, he’d just go away by himself from the lack of attention.
- RetroRob
  
  I’m not sure what conversation you’re talking about — meaning here or in the game thread — but I agree with what you’re saying. Just don’t engage with known trolls. And anyone who goes by the name of Troll sounds like he is having fun by telling people right up front he is a Troll and then having people still engage him.
  - Vern Sneaker
    
    Scroll up, starting around midnight.
Neil

It’s already in my rear-view mirror. Look, if you’re going to get spanked by a bad team, it’s pretty good to make sure that:
1. You can bulk out the innings not pitched by your starter with a couple of not-every-day long relievers.
2. You don’t hit for a lick. Really, I’d rather get smacked 9-1 like that with no hard-hit balls than go down 9-5 with a late rally against their relievers. Save all the hitting for another day.
3. Suck against their ‘best’ pitcher.

The Yanks managed all three of those, and they have two tasty morsels coming up, Humber in particular who’s been terrible for a year now (and frankly I don’t recall if he was any good pre-perfecto either).
Ken

Not sure why you only caught the ninth inning, what with being the Yankee blog guy and all. I am just a geezer in the desert and I manage to catch all of the games, thanks to mlb.com. same thing annoys me about announcers like Paul O’Neill, who make no secret of not following the team. He’s the only announcer who grates on me. Now if you have a full time job, I understand why you might not see all of the games, but i didn’t know that.