Tim links to an article by Buster Olney in which he discusses the fates of Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina. According to a “close friend” of Pettitte, the lefty wishes to return for ’09. Further, he says there’s a “growing sense” that Mussina will be up for the task as well. While these aren’t wholly substantive rumors, it gives us something positive for the afternoon. After all, you can’t have too many options in the rotation.
Yanks have options to fill coaching spots
Frank Della Femina at NJ.com runs through the list of people who could potentially fill the Yanks’ new-found coaching vacancies. The usual suspects — Willie Randolph, Larry Bowa — appear on the list. I’d be less surprised to see Randolph return than I would be if Bowa came back, but I can’t imagine Joe Girardi will feel too comfortable with Randolph, an obvious candidate for the managerial spot, hanging around.
Brackman’s struggle with command continues
AzFL Peoria (5-4 loss to Pheonix)
Kevin Russo: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K – played left field for what I believe is the first time in his career … he threw a runner out at second, so I’m sure he’ll be seeing a little more action out there
HWB Waikiki (14-5 loss to North Shore)
Damon Sublett: 1 for 4, 2 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K – 15 strikeouts in only 38 at-bats … yikes
Andrew Brackman: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 WP, 1 HB, 4-4 GB/FB – only 45 of 84 pitches were strikes (53.6%) … the wheels kinda came off in the 3rd, when he allowed 3 runs (walk, homer, walk, steal, wild pitch, single) on 31 pitches … he’d thrown just 16 pitches in the first & 15 in the second
The straight and Lowe-down
Picking up on some rumors that the Yanks may make an offer for Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe, SG at Replacement Level Yankees Weblog ran the numbers on Lowe yesterday to see how the sinkerball specialist may fare in the Bronx. SG’s analysis turns out a pitcher who could fill the middle of the Yankee rotation at a good price for three years. While SG would rather see the Yanks sign Andy Pettitte for one season, Lowe seems to be a better bet for less money than A.J. Burnett would be be. I’m still not, however, sold on the idea.
Ortiz, A-Rod know the vagaries of fandom
David Ortiz would probably like nothing more than to see his last eight baseball games erased from the collective conscious. Since the start of the playoffs, the Red Sox’s three hole hitter is 5 for 31 with eight walks and eight strike outs. He has a double, a triple and an RBI.
All over New England, the whispers are building, and the rumors are mounting. As The Wall Street Journal’s Numbers Guy noted Wednesday before Ortiz’s 1 for 4 performance last night, Boston fans are questioning the clutchiness of Big Papi. Carl Bialik, of course, uses New York’s favorite whipping boy as a point of comparison:
In his last 16 postseason games, the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez has collected eight hits in 56 at bats, with one home run and one run batted in. In his last 13 postseason games, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has 10 hits in 51 at bats, with no home runs and five runs batted in. Rodriguez is famously un-clutch; Ortiz famously clutch. Yet both have had ups and downs in their playoff careers, which provide too small a sample size to reach definitive conclusions…Now Ortiz, the hero of the 2004 playoffs, is beginning to experience what A-Rod has: doubts about his clutch abilities.
Now, we’ve all been where the Rays are right now. We all know what it feels like to be in the drivers’ seat against the Red Sox in a short series, and we all know what the Red Sox — or any team, really — can do with three very good pitchers lined up to pitch their next three games. If I’ve learned nothing since the start of the 2004 postseason, it is not to celebrate until the last out of the clinching game is within hand.
But David Ortiz’s struggles present a very apt parallels to those of Alexander Emanuelle Rodriguez. For years, Ortiz has been a fan-favorite in Boston. He seemingly comes through in every conceivable clutch situation, and the fans expect him to pick up this team and carry them to promised land.
As Ortiz nears his 33rd birthday in a month, though, his body, never really a fine specimen, isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. Various joints ache, and Ortiz’s weakness — that he is a one-dimensional player — are laid out for all to see. David Ortiz without his power and hitting is nearly as a dead a weight in the Red Sox lineup as Jason Varitek currently is.
On the other side of things is A-Rod. Unlike Ortiz, A-Rod doesn’t carry that clutch reputation. He’s won two MVP awards in New York and through the first seven games of the 2004 playoffs, he was as hot a hitter as any in baseball. But over the Yanks’ last few postseasons, A-Rod hasn’t lived up to his billing.
In the end, of course, it’s an issue of sample sizes. It’s bad practice to aggregate playoff appearances over the years, and it’s bad practice to assume that Ortiz isn’t any more or less clutch than he used to be based on 31 at-bats in October. But fans will be fans, and as the Red Sox stare down the looming threat of elimination on Thursday, Ortiz, if he doesn’t start hitting, will hear something familiar to A-Rod: boos in his home ballpark. The fans can be quite fickle as they wonder, “What have you done for me lately?”
Steinbrenner Family donates $1M to MIT
Bryan Hoch reported this evening that the Steinbrenner Foundation has donated $1 million to MIT. The money will go toward improvements for the school’s athletic facilities. On the face of it, it’s a rather random donation, but George’s dad Henry graduated from the Massachusetts university in 1927.
ALCS Game 4: Rays @ BoSox
Things aren’t looking so great for Bahston, and the Red Sox propaganda machine is already pumping out the excuses (sorry, subscription req’d). Their problems start right here: Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, All-Star Catcher Jason Varitek & Jed Lowrie are a combined … wait for it … wait for it … 0 for 40 in the series. Oh for forty. O 4 4T. That’s not gonna get it done.
The Rays, on the other hand, are cruisin’. They’ve put up 18 runs in the past two games, mashin’ seven homers in the process and powering past Lester The Invincible. Tim Wakefield draws the task of trying to stop them, but he had a 5.87 ERA in 3 starts against Tampa this year, and his postseason track record isn’t encouraging: 6.36 ERA in a not small sampling of 69.1 IP. Joe Maddon wants to sweep the leg tonight, adding Fernando Perez’s speed to the lineup against the knuckleballer.
First pitch is set for 8:07, you can catch the game on TBS. If you just can’t get enough Frank Caliendo, check this out.
Tampa Bay
1. Akinori Iwamura, 2B
2. BJ Upton, CF
3. Carlos Pena, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Carl Crawford, LF
6. Willy Aybar, DH
7. Dioner Navarro, C
8. Fernando Perez, RF
9. Jason Bartlett, SS
– Andy Sonnanstine, P (13-9, 4.38)
Boston
1. JD Drew, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Mark Kotsay, 1B
7. Coco Crisp, CF
8. Kevin Cash, C
9. Jed Lowrie, SS
– Tim Wakefield, P (10-11, 4.13)