Archive for Game Stories
In celebration of our nation’s independence, the Yankees decided to stage an epic battle against our neighbors to the north. A few lead changes made the early innings interesting, and at the end of nine they were tied at five. The game wouldn’t end any time soon thereafter.
The story of the day, as we all knew going in, was Chien-Ming Wang — though it wasn’t quite for the reasons we expected. He pitched well through the first two innings, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk. Even the runs — a bloop ground rule double to right by Vernon Wells followed by a chopper up the middle by Alex Rios — were forgivable. Things weren’t so nice in the sixth.
Marco Scutaro led off the inning with a double, and after an Aaron Hill groundout Adam Lind parked one over the right field wall, staking the Blue Jays to a 4-3 lead. After throwing one pitch to Scott Rolen Wang was done. Jorge Posada called out the trainer after he saw something. After the game he said that Wang “didn’t throw that ball.” Not good news, especially because of his effective early innings.
We’ll be sure to discuss the Wang injury in a bit more depth tomorrow morning. For now, all we have is the word from Girardi, which came after Wang had an MRI. “Shoulder strain and some bursitis,” he explained. “I’m confident he’ll be back, but I can’t tell you exactly when.” The plan for now wounds like rest and rehab, but that could certainly change. Wang, you will remember, had a rotator cuff injury after the All-Star break in 2005, and made it back for September with rest and rehab.
David Robertson didn’t help matters in relief, walking the first two batters he faced before allowing another Blue Jays run. Brian Bruney had his own struggles in the seventh, loading the bases with one out before getting Scott Rolen to pop out and Lyle Overbay to line out to finish the inning without any damage. It’s a good thing, because the Yanks mounted their comeback in the seventh.
Derek Jeter singled to lead off the inning, and Johnny Damon put one over the short porch to tie the game up. It was the fifth run the Yankees scored off Roy Halladay. How many runs had Halladay allowed in his last five outings against the Yankees? It was the most runs he’d allowed to the Yankees in six years. Yankees fans knew this all too well, making today’s game just a bit sweeter. He is human, after all.
The Yanks had chances in both the eighth and ninth, but trends from earlier in the game came back to haunt them. In every inning one through seven, either Robinson Cano or Brett Gardner ended the inning. That continued through the last two frames, as Gardner ended the eight with a strikeout, leaving Cody Ransom, pinch-running for Hideki Matsui after a ground rule double, stranded on second. The Yanks again put a runner in scoring position with two outs in the ninth, as Derek Jeter tagged up from first on a long fly ball. Can grounded out to second to end that frame.
After both teams failed to score in the 10th and 11th and Brett Tomko retired the Blue Jays in the 12th, Cano had another chance. Mark Teixeira led off with a double, leaving the door open for Cito Gaston to walk Alex Rodriguez. Girardi put on the bunt sign, which makes sense in this situation. Cano has been in a funk lately, especially with runners in scoring position. Shawn Camp let him off the hook, though, throwing three straight balls. but then on 3-0, Cano showed bunt again, tapping one in front of the mound. Raul Chavez pounced on it and got Mark Teixeira at third. Cano had just wasted an out on an ill-advised bunt attempt.
“Let’s just say that somebody missed something,” Girardi said after the game. “He misunderstood something.” The mental gaffe could, and probably should, land Cano on the bench tomorrow. Gardner, who is 0 for 15 since his five-hit night at Citi Field, could join him to give Eric Hinske his first Yankees start.
Ah, but the game is not yet over, at least as far as concerns this recap. Before pontificating on the near-term ramifications of Cano’s and Gardner’s slumps, we were left with runners on first and second with one out and Jorge Posada on the plate. After looking at two pitches, a ball and a strike. The third one would end the game. Jorge punched it into right-center, plating Alex Rodriguez to cap a 6-5 Independence Day win. I can’t imagine the horrors of having lost to Canada.
It wasn’t a pretty game, but a win’s a win. Combined with a Red Sox loss, the Yanks are just a game out of the division lead. Not that it matters at this point. We’re not even halfway through, so winning games is the only thing the Yanks, and their fans, need to worry about.
It was supposed to be Joba vs. Scott Richmond tomorrow, but late word came that Richmond will hit the DL. The Yanks will face rookie Brett Cecil for the series win.
A day after the Yankees disappointed by losing the finale of the Mariners series, they came back to impress by taking the series opener from the Blue Jays, 4-2. The Yanks had it working from both sides of the ball, riding solid pitching for all nine innings and getting a few key offensive contributions along the way.
Robinson Cano staked the Yanks to an early lead, taking a first pitch from Brian Tallet deep for a 1-0 lead. That would last A.J. Burnett for a few innings. He had a slip-up when Lyle Overbay doubled to open the fourth. While Burnett quelled a threat when Marco Scutaro doubled to lead off the previous frame, he ran into some bad luck with a wild pitch, and then Alex Rios took advantage with an RBI single. It was the closest the Jays would get for the rest of the game.
Tallet seemingly lost it in the fifth, walking Brett Gardner and then Derek Jeter to put two runners on with none out. Johnny Damon wanted to make that second and third with one out for Teixeira by bunting, but Tallet rolled his underhand throw to Overbay and everyone was safe. Tex drew a walk to take the lead back, and a passed ball gave the Yanks a 2-1 lead. Vernon Wells would get one back with a no-doubt-about-it shot in the sixth, but Burnett would easily finish that inning and the next.
Girardi continued his love affair with match-ups, trotting out Phil Coke to start the eighth and then calling on Phil Hughes once Coke retired Adam Lind. Hughes started off rocky with a single to Scott Rolen, but he retired the next two batters to hand the ball to Mo. A-Rod would tack on an insurance run with an opposite-field homer off Jeremy Accardo in the eighth to ice the Yankees 4-2 win.
The Yankees face two games straight which they should have one, and it’s a bit disappointing that they only took one of them. Yeah, it happens. Teams lose games they’re supposed to win. But tomorrow they not only face Roy Halladay, but have a handicap on the mound with Chien-Ming Wang. Who knows. Maybe Wang works some July Fourth magic. He’d better. We don’t want our team losing to a bunch of Canadians on Independence Day.
(I say that in drunken jest. Please take it as such.)
We knew the winning streak wouldn’t last forever, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t be disappointed by tonight’s loss. Let’s recap this one bullet point style:
- CC Sabathia was not sharp at all. He had plenty of hair on his fastball to quote Michael Kay, but he couldn’t locate it nor could he get any consistency out of his secondary pitchers. After a ten start run of complete dominance, Sabathia was due for an outing like this. It sucks, but it is what it is.
- The 1-2-3-4 hitters combined to go 1 for 15 with a walk. That won’t get it done.
- Robbie Cano (3 for 3 with a walk) and Hideki Matsui (2 for 3 with a homer) came to play. Good for them.
- Al Aceves was fantastic out of the pen, but was sending him out for a third inning really necessary? He was getting outs and had a very low pitch count, but can you trust him to go through the order twice? It’s a tough call, I can see the argument for either side.
- Jorge Posada’s thumb is bothering him, and he might not be able to go tomorrow. Jose Molina is due back next week, so reinforcements are on the way if needed.
Thankfully we have a quick turn around and the team will be back at it tomorrow at 1pm. AJ Burnett vs Brian Tallet in the boogie down. See you then.
It’s easy to forget that Andy Pettitte began the 2009 season as the No. 5 starter. After a stellar April he’s put up a few clunkers, causing a rabble among Yankees fans. That’s what No. 5 starters do, though. They’re going to get smacked around here or there. If they didn’t, they’d be billed as a No. 4 starter. So while we groan during games like Andy’s last start, we also get up and cheer when he posts a seven-inning, two-run effort. That was enough for the Yankees tonight, as they relied on the long ball to down the Mariners 4-2, ticking off their seventh straight win.
Pettitte used just 98 pitches in his seven innings, striking out five Mariners while walking just one. Even better, while he allowed six hits, he only faced runners in scoring position in two innings. The Mariners went 0 for 5 in those situations. On a nostalgic note, Ken Griffey Jr. hit career home run No. 621, a line drive to right. It’s a bit strange seeing him back in blue and teal, though he looks quite different than he did in his first Seattle stint.
The rejuvenated bullpen closed out the game with ease, with Aceves and Coke combining for a perfect eighth, and Mariano capping it with career save No. 502. Here’s to June’s magic rubbing off onto July.
Chicks dug Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, and especially Alex Rodriguez last night. All three homered, accounting for all four Yankees runs. Johnny Damon got things started with a lazer to right in the third for the first score of the game. The Mariners tied the game in the next frame, but Melky Cabrera came back in the fifth with a contested home run. Apparently this was too close to call at home. From my vantage point, which was perfect, the ball was clearly fair. There was so little question that I was actually a bit ticked when the umps went to review. All ended well, though, and the Yanks took the lead again. It wouldn’t last long, as Ken Griffey worked his magic a half-inning later.
A half-inning after his former teammate tied the game, Alex Rodriguez put one out to center field, far past the reach of Franklin Gutierrez, who gave it a valiant effort. That was a two run shot, and even though it was just the sixth inning at the time it felt like icing on the cake. One more inning from Andy, Hughes, Mo. Of course, we didn’t get Hughes, but it all worked out just the same.
Andy Pettitte is now 8-3 with a 4.25 ERA. If I asked you in February if you’d be happy with that at this point, I’m sure you’d have said yes. I’d say there’s no better fifth starter in the league, but with the way Wang’s been pitching, Andy is certainly the No. 4. Which just goes to show that these No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 assignments are largely meaningless. Pitch well. That’s all. Pettitte did that tonight, and the Yanks tallied yet another win. I’ll take it every time.
The matchup looked electric. Joba Chamberlain vs. Brandon Morrow. 2006 first round pick vs. 2006 first round pick. Electric arm vs. Electric arm. It did not meet expectations. Both had troubles throwing strikes. Neither lasted six innings. The disappointment in the matchup set the tone for the game.
The Yanks got a bit lucky in the early goings. After two straight singles, Hideki hit a tapper to third. Chris Woodward not only bobbled the ball, but threw it past Russ Branyan at first, allowing Robinson Cano to score. That also put Jorge Posada on third, and he scored on a deep fly ball to center field. Melky laid into one, but Franklin Gutierrez is quite adept in center. That’s two runs on the two mistakes by Woodward.
The M’s got one of them back when Gutierrez blooped one to where no one could get it. That’s baseball for you. That doesn’t mitigate the game Joba Chamberlain pitched, though. Ronny Cedeno’s jack certainly wasn’t a cheapie, after all.
Joba was a bit frustrating last night, as we’ve seen a in a number of his starts this season. Not only were the end results — 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K — disappointing, but in the process was as well: only 55 of his 96 pitches were for strikes. There was plenty wrong with Joba’s game, and all considered he might have been lucky to escape with those results.
One question I kept asking during the game is, why isn’t Joba throwing strikes? This is a guy who early in his pro career was known as someone who didn’t issue many walks. So why now? Why is he, like Hughes and Kennedy before him, having trouble finding the zone? All three had excellent K/BB ratios in the minors (5:1 for Joba, 4.59:1 for Hughes, 3.55:1 for Kennedy), but have all struggled in the majors (1.86:1 for Joba this year, 2.05:1 career for Hughes, 1.20 for Kennedy). Is there a connection here?
While you ponder that, back to the why question. Why isn’t Joba throwing more strikes? Is he trying to fool hitters and failing? Is worried about hitters making solid contact if he throws in the zone? These are, unfortunately, questions to which I have no answers. There’s nothing more I’d like to know right now, short of what color and type of panties Emmanuelle Chriqui is wearing right now, than why Joba isn’t throwing strikes. It’s frustrating, because we know just how good he is. It’s just going to take some more patience, I suppose.
After the game, Girardi mentioned that in long counts Joba slows down, which further messes him up. Is it really that simple? Pitch quicker? If so, can we beat Joba with a cudgel when he takes more than a few seconds to set up for a pitch? Something tells me, though, that it’s a bit more complex than Girardi is willing to admit to the press.
Once Joba left the game, the Yanks turned it on. Phil Coke came on with one out in the sixth and finished it with just seven pitches, including a strikeout. Phil Hughes followed with a nine-pitch seventh, also including a strikeout. In the bottom of the inning Alex Rodriguez foiled the Mariners plans to pitch him up and in, turning on one and parking it near the left field bleachers. It was 5-3 Yanks, and it felt like they were about to ride that lead to victory.
Brian Bruney had other plans. It’s easy to fault Girardi here. Not only had Hughes just dominated the M’s in the seventh, but he’s been generally awesome since his move to the pen. He’s capable of going multiple innings, so why not let him hand the ball to Mo? As Girardi explained after the game, the plan was to go to Bruney, the official 8th inning guy, the whole way if they had the lead. With this I take issue. Then again, I believe that bullpen roles in general have gone far beyond the point of ridiculousness, so my ire for this move is a biased one.
Still, it’s a chance for Hughes to pick up an inning. It’s a chance for him to face more hitters. It’s a chance for him to pitch in a close game in the 8th. Girardi said he wanted to get Bruney going, but tonight did not seem like the situation. With the offense generally sputtering at that point, why not stick with what’s working? Plus, the more guys you go to in the pen, the more of a chance you have of running into someone who’s having a bad night. That’s what Girardi did last night.
The six, seven, and eight guys singled off Bruney, bringing the game within one run. After a Cedeno sacrifice, the Yanks walked Ichiro to get to Russ Branyan. He’s cooled down a bit lately, but he’s still a dangerous hitter. He did his job though, hitting one deep to left. Johnny Damon had no chance of throwing out Woodward, and the game was tied. The second guessing became much, much easier at this point.
Something awakened the Yanks bats at this point. Maybe A-Rod’s homer jacked them up. Maybe they sacrificed a live chicken. Who knows? What we do know is that they came out firing in the eighth. Matsui doubled, and then Nick Swisher, with Brett Gardner running, laid down a pretty bunt that Sean White just couldn’t handle. Melky and Jeter followed with a double and single, giving the Yanks all they’d need to lock this one down.
It wasn’t the prettiest game, and for the first six innings it wasn’t the most fun to watch. It changed once the starters left, though, and in the end the Yanks came away with their sixth straight win. To make things even sweeter, the Red Sox and their indefatigable bullpen blew a 10-1 lead, losing to the Orioles 11-10. That puts the Yanks just two games back, even though that shouldn’t matter right now. All that matters is that the Yanks keep winning. They did just that, which means we can all be in chipper moods tomorrow. Andy Pettitte vs. Jarrod Washburn. I did not pick a good matchup to take my parents to.
*Chris Jakubauskas. I messed up at first by writing that Chris Jakubauskas fielded Swisher’s bunt. Just wanted to make sure Chris Jakubauskas’s name got into the recap. Chris Jakubauskas.
When Joe Girardi summoned Mariano Rivera into the game with two outs and two on in the bottom of the 8th, it was the 561st time in his career that Rivera would enter with a save on the line. For the 500th time, Rivera would complete it. He is just the second closer to reach that lofty mark and the first to do so while driving in a run as well.
The Yankees headed into tonight’s game with a sense of urgency. The Red Sox had lost earlier in the day, and the Rays had won. They could gain a game on first place while keeping two games ahead of the charging Rays. Furthermore, the Yanks needed to see Chien-Ming Wang get that first win. It had been nearly one year and two weeks since his last victory.
Early on, the Yanks seemed to be rolling. Derek Jeter doubled, and then Nick Swisher hit into what should have been an out. Daniel Murphy, an outfielder pressed into duty at first base, tried to get Jeter at third and failed. Mark Teixeira hit a booming double to drive them in. A few batters later — after Murphy dropped the relay on a potential double play — Posada hit a sac fly to give the Yanks a 3-0 lead.
That would be it for a while though, and in fact, the Yanks had a frustrating offensive night. Livan Hernandez gave up just one more hit after the 1st, and the Yanks would add one more against K-Rod in the 9th. However, the team worked out 11 walks against the Mets. It was all for naught though as the Yanks went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays. On another night, we would have bemoaned it. Last night was a night for celebration.
After the first, the highlight of the day came during the 9th. K-Rod had some problems finding the zone, and with the bases loaded and two outs, Rivera’s spot came up. On Friday, he had just his second career at-bat, and he nearly managed to knock in a few with a line drive. Today, he was more patient. He saw seven pitches from K-Rod — including one foul ball — and the Yanks’ Hall of Fame closer worked out a bases loaded walk. It would be his first RBI of his career, and the timing — coming on the same night as his 500th save — could not be better.
It is fitting that Joe Girardi was the catcher for Rivera’s first save on May 17, 1996. It was Girardi who handed Mo the ball in the 8th. Rivera has now saved 18 of 19 this year, and after a hiccup earlier this month, his ERA is down to 2.93. He has walked three and struck out 39 in 30.2 innings of work. Superhuman, indeed.
Lost in the hullabaloo over Rivera was Chien-Ming Wang. After dominating Atlanta last week, he wasn’t as perfect against the Mets, but it worked. He allowed two earned runs and four hits against the Mets in 5.1 innings. He walked three and struck out three while tossing 49 of 85 pitches for strikes. While his sinker wasn’t as consistent as it should be, he generated 11 ground ball outs and just two fly outs — one on the first out of the game.
It’s hard to understate the psychological importance of that win. After a terrible start that had many of us questioning whether or not Wang should be in the rotation, he is seemingly settling down. If Wang can get back to form, the Yanks will have a fearsome rotation indeed.
As the Yanks wrap up Interleague Play, they head into an off-day feeling good. They’ve won five in a row and five of six against the Mets this year. They’ll face Seattle and Toronto this week, and I’m feeling good about the team.
So how about that A.J. Burnett? Three starts ago, he couldn’t escape the third inning in a game against Boston, and Yankee fans weren’t sure the team would it get its money’s worth from a guy with a 4.89 ERA. So much for that.
Over his last three starts, Burnett has thrown 20.1 innings. He has allowed 10 hits and one earned run while walking 10 and striking out 26. His ERA has dropped to 3.93, and last night against the Mets he was nearly flawless. He gave up one hit and three walks while striking out a season high 10. The Yanks dominated the game again and won 5-0.
What else can we say about Burnett? He threw 108 pitches and 64 of them were strikes. The Mets couldn’t touch his breaking pitches, and his fastball was sitting above 94 for much of the game. Only Alex Cora, the leadoff man, managed a hit. It came in the sixth, when the Yanks already had a 5-0 lead.
For the Bombers’ offense, it was another night of efficiency. Nick Swisher hit a home run in the third to give the Yanks a lead, and the team took off in the sixth. Facing a tiring Tim Redding, the bats came alive in an interesting way. Through the first five innings, the Yanks hadn’t mustered much of anything against Redding, but they made him work. In the sixth, clinging to a 1-0 lead, they struck.
To start the inning, Nick Swisher flew out. After that, Mark Teixeira saw five pitches and doubled. Three pitches later, the Yanks saw three hitters go to the plate and four runs had scored. A-Rod singled in Teixeira; Cano doubled; and with runners on second and third, Jorge Posada took the first pitch of his at-bat and the last of Redding’s night over the wall in left center. Three run home run, five-run lead. Game over.
The last four innings for the Mets were simply a formality. Burnett threw scoreless frames before giving way to the bullpen. Brian Bruney twirled a 1-2-3 eighth. He needed just seven pitches to get through the inning, and Dave Robertson closed it out with a scoreless ninth.
In the AL East, Tampa and Boston both won. The Yanks hold their slim Wild Card lead through 74 games. Chien-Ming Wang, winless this year and searching for his first victory since June of 2008, will take the hill in the ESPN game. While the Yanks have already won the season series against the Mets, a sweep would be oh-so-nice.
As the second inning unfolded, I couldn’t help but laugh at the Mets. The errors simply reminded me of the Mets of my youth, that 1993 team that lost 103 games and featured Anthony Young amidst a record-setting losing streak.
The errors started early. David Wright threw the ball away on the first play of the inning, allowing Melky Cabrera to advance to second. Five batters later and with the Yanks sporting a 2-0 lead, Johnny Damon hit a tailor-made double play ball to Alex Cora who promptly threw it into right field. On the next play. Mark Teixeira hit a roller to first, and Nick Evans just couldn’t field the ball. He flat out dropped it. When the dust settled, the Yanks had a 4-0 lead, and it would be enough as the Yanks downed the Mets 9-1.
After the game, Mike Pelfrey, the Mets’ starter, tried to remain diplomatic about the Amazins’ fielding woes. It was easy to read between the lines. He was frustrated. “You can’t give that team six outs or how many ever outs we gave them,” Pelfrey said.
Despite the Mets’ ineptitude — Bobby Parnell topped it off by dropping the ball while coming set on the mound later in the game — Friday night was all about the Yanks. On the one hand, we had CC Sabathia. Five days ago, Sabathia was yanked from his start against the Marlins with bicep soreness in his throwing arm, and the Yankee Universe sat on edge to find out if Sabathia would emerge from this hiccup unscathed. On Friday, he he settled our nervous stomachs.
Over seven innings, Sabathia was nearly flawless. He gave up three hits and one run — all of them in the 5th inning — and struck out eight. He threw 99 pitches and 67 of them were strikes. He utterly dominated the Mets. With that win, Sabathia improves to 7-4 on the season with a 3.55 ERA. He has been, in other words, as good as advertised.
On the other side of the ball was the Yankee offense, fronted by an unlikely cast of characters. With Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter out with a flu-like virus going around the Yankee clubhouse, the lineup started with Brett Gardner and ended with Frankie Cervelli, Ramiro Peña and CC Sabathia. While Cervelli went hitless, the rest of those four did not. Sabathia went 1 for 4 with an RBI, and Peña went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.
The story of the night though was the Yanks’ lead off hitter. Brett Gardner went 5 for 6 with two singles, a triple and a Citi Field home run. He scored three runs, drove in two and stole a base. On the season, in 152 at-bats, he is hitting .303/.374/.441 and leads rookies in average, on-base percentage, runs scored and stolen base. Somehow, some way, Joe Girardi has to get Gardner in the lineup on an everyday basis. He’s certainly deserved.
And finally, we get to A-Rod. Left for dead a few days ago, A-Rod went 1 for 2 with a booming home run and three walks. Slowly, surely he is turning everything around. Now the Yankees just have to make sure he rests enough to remain as fresh as he’s looked over the last few days. He is, by the way, 18th in walks in the AL despite missing six weeks of the season.
When the dust settled tonight, the Yanks retired the Mets in order in every inning but the 5th. They’ve won three in a row, scoring eight or more runs in each game. Only two teams in all of baseball have better records. Sounds good to me.
For news and discussion on Xavier Nady’s rehab setback, please see our injury update. Try to keep Nady-related comments in that post, and use this one to discuss the game.
In the sixth inning Wednesday night, the Yankees bats broke out of a two-week slump. Last night they didn’t waste those first five innings. They scored in each of the first four, and then tacked on a few at the end when the score seemed just a little too close. In the middle were 3.2 shaky innings from Andy Pettitte, but the Yankees were ultimately able to overcome it and defeat the Braves 11-7.
Recapping the game chronologically just isn’t my style. Most readers already saw the game. For those who didn’t, it seems better to review the important aspects of the game, rather than relive it play by play. For that, you can always check the game log. This time, though, the important parts start at the beginning.
Things looked promising, as Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon hit back to back singles, putting runners on the corner with none out. Mark Teixeira then induced the always-uneasy feeling after seeing a player ground into a double play while (unofficially) driving in a run. Thankfully, Alex Rodriguez made it all better by parking one to dead center, giving the Yanks an early 2-0 lead.
The bigger story was Derek Lowe. It was clear from the start that he didn’t have his A-game, and the Yanks certainly took advantage. Alex Rodriguez hit an RBI single in the second, and then the Yanks struck what I — and probably many of you — thought was the death blow in the third when Johnny Damon tripled with the bases loaded. That put the Yanks up 6-1. As if that weren’t enough, Cody Ransom added two more with a double in the fourth.
On the other end, Andy Pettitte was having his own set of troubles. He held the Braves to one run through three innings, but he wouldn’t get so lucky in the fourth. Brett Gardner didn’t help by dropping a pop up off the bat off Garrett Anderson to start the frame, and Jeff Francoeur didn’t help by swinging at a pitch almost in the dirt and pulling it for a double, but Pettitte didn’t do much to help himself, either. When the inning ended the Braves had added five runs, and Pettitte was no longer in the game.
Al Aceves continued his winning ways, finishing the fourth for Pettitte and then allowing no runs over the next two. He did walk Javy Vazquez, a pitcher pinch-hitting for a pitcher, but still got out of the inning despite allowing a Nate McLouth double. It’s the kind of performance we’ve come to expect from Aceves. He’s given the Yanks far more than they could have expected when they signed him out of the Mexican League last year.
Despite the offensive onslaught and the solid relief effort by Aceves, the Yankees still led by only two in the seventh. After two weeks of loss after loss, the lead just didn’t feel safe, at least not from my couch. I’m not sure if the Yankees felt it was safe, but they weren’t about to find out. Derek Jeter got things moving with a one-out single, followed by a Johnny Damon walk. WIth Teixeira up and no chance of a run on a double play, Jeter and Damon executed a double steal. For some reason, the Braves thought it wise to throw two intentionally balls to Tex and award him first base.
A week ago, that might not have been a terrible strategy. Heck, even a couple of days ago it wouldn’t have been the worst move. Alex Rodriguez was struggling. He was mired in a long 0-fer before his RBI single last night. But he did have that single, and he had a homer and a single — plus a rocket at Yuniel Escobar — in last night’s game. A-Rod made them wait five pitches until showing them why walking Teixeira was a mistake, as he smacked a two-run single to extend the Yankees lead.
That would be enough to take the game, though it wouldn’t be without dramatics. With an 11-6 lead in the ninth, David Robertson allowed three hits, including a forgivable home run to Brian McCann. He recorded two outs, both by strikeout, but once the tying runner reached the on-deck circle, Girardi saw the bat signal. Save situation. Must go to Mo. Six pitches later and it’s save number 499. The move felt a bit unnecessary, but it was a short stint. It might keep Mo out of tomorrow’s game, it might not. Hopefully the Yanks hit Pelfrey hard enough tomorrow night that it’s moot.
Lost in all this is Phil Coke’s dominance. He retired six Braves with just 24 pitches, allowing just one hit along the way and striking out two. He threw two thirds of his pitches for strikes, which is exactly what you want to see from a reliever. Well, any pitcher really, but there’s nothing more frustrating than relievers walking guys. Both Robertson and Aceves threw plenty of strikes, too, and even Pettitte had 62 percent of his 95 pitches in the strike zone (or swung at, of course).
Despite the tension in the middle innings and the general ugliness of the game, it was a good win for the Yanks. Good, mostly because every win is good, especially on the heels of an ugly stretch of play. The Yanks will take the momentum back up to New York tonight and into Citi Field to cap off their National League tour. CC Sabathia against Mike Pelfrey tomorrow night. Three in a row would be a beautiful thing.
Correlation does not imply causation, so it wouldn’t be accurate to say that Joe Girardi’s ejection is what fired up the Yankees. However, the correlation grows a bit stronger. During the very at bat in which first base umpire Bill Welke tossed Girardi in the sixth, Francisco Cervelli knocked his first big league home run, tying the game at one. More importantly, though, it was the Yanks’ first run in 14 innings. They would go on to score in every subsequent inning, tallying a “big” win over the Braves.
While Cervelli’s homer came as a huge relief, it wasn’t the only highlight of the sixth. With none on and two outs, the Yanks mounted a rally. Jeter singled. Damon singled. Teixeira walked. So up strolled Alex Rodriguez, mired in a horrible slump, with the bases loaded and the game tied. Under normal circumstances, this probably wouldn’t be considered a big spot. But the Yankees have been hurting. There’s no need to detail the frustration of the past two weeks, but suffice it to say that the Yankees needed that hit right there.
Allow me to be bratty for a moment, won’t you? See, I’m told all the time — by friends, by family, in the comments — that Alex Rodriguez is worthless. People have told me as recently as today that he puts up fantasy baseball numbers, and that everything he does is for the sake of his baseball card. When a situation like this comes up, one in which he can make a difference in the game, he invariably fails. So when the ball he hit touched down in right center, I had to pinch myself, throw some water on my face. I’ll give the following sentence its own paragraph, because it’s that important:
Alex Rodriguez came through when his team really needed him.
Of course, it’s not the first time this year. There was the two-run, game-tying jack off Brad Lidge. There was the walk-off homer against the Twins. And then there was the two-run double against the Red Sox which the team subsequently squandered. Unfortunately, the myth that he never comes through in the clutch will never go away. Some of us, though, can see where he’s come through, and we appreciate it.
The rally might not have been possible had it not been for a fine pitching performance by Joba Chamberlain. Through six innings his only blunder was a hanging breaking ball to Jeff Francoeur. Understandably, it felt like the game was over at that point. The Yanks hadn’t a hit in the game, and hadn’t a run in 14 innings at that point. But then the Yanks put up their sixth-inning rally, and Joba set down the Braves in the sixth — which included a strikeout of Brian McCann, who had been causing the Yanks fits in the series.
Things got a bit dicey for Joba in the seventh. After allowing a leadoff single, he got an out, and then looked to have another freebie after Kelly Johnson bunted. But Joba threw it away, drawing Mark Teixeira off the bag. Pinch hitter Martin Prado singled in the next at bat, plating the second Braves run and chasing Chamberlain from the game. A second run scored when Nate McLouth hit a deep fly to right, on which Nick Swisher made a nice play. That saddled Joba with three runs, two earned, but his performance looked a bit better than that.
Not only did Joba pitch well — he walked none, a good sign — but he faced another challenge in his development. Starters need to learn to pitch when tired. Joba was wearing down in the seventh; his final pitch to Prado was up, and that’s usually a sign of fatigue. So while the scenario didn’t go so well, you can’t learn to do something without actually doing it. As many have noted, Joba’s learning the hard way. Hopefully he picked up a pointer or two last night. Hopefully we get a chance soon to see him try it again.
Some random concluding notes:
- Even though the Yanks scored eight runs, they were still 2 for 9 with RISP. One of those was Mo’s valiant effort in the ninth, one was Cano’s fielder’s choice in the eighth, and one was Swisher’s fielder’s choice. Though Cano’s was incredibly lucky.
- Tough inning for Bruney. He hadn’t pitched since Friday, so there might have been some rust. And he’s not going to set ‘em down 1-2-3 every time. It’s just…bad timing, I suppose. I’m sure most of us were pretty on edge in the eighth.
- Francisco Cervelli is one goofy dude, in a good way. It’s easy to see why people like him so much.
Yanks have a chance to take the series tomorrow, with Andy Pettitte taking on Derek Lowe. No getaway day for the Yanks, as this one will start at seven.
