Jeter, A-Rod & CC lead Yanks to Game One win
Note: We’ll also be supplying recaps for YES during the playoffs. You can check out the Game 1 recap over at YES’s site.
It’s been nearly two full years since the Yankees last played a playoff game (two years tomorrow, actually), but the bad taste left in everyone’s mouth was washed out tonight. Many questioned what CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez would bring to the table after such brilliant regular seasons, and the pair answered those questions with authority.
Sabathia started the game off with two quick strikes to Denard Span, but the count eventually ran full and Span dumped a well-placed double into the left-centerfield gap. CC rebounded to strikeout the annoying Orlando Cabrera with a series of heaters and a two strike slider, then did the same to imminent MVP Joe Mauer. The molten hot Michael Cuddyer (.325-.398-.675 since mid-September) lofted a broken bat pop up to center that landed comfortably in Melky’s mitt. It took 22 pitches, but CC and the Yankees escaped the first inning unscathed.
Derek Jeter, as he did so often this year, led off the bottom of the first with a first pitch single through the 5.5 hole. Johnny Damon followed with a 2-2 pop up just beyond the infield, and Mark Teixeira ripped a tailor made inning ending GIDP ball, except Jeter was running on the play and made it to second safely. Twins starter Brian Duensing quickly got ahead of A-Rod 0-2 before the third baseman spoiled a few high fastballs. He fisted the next one into right, but the wind didn’t give enough of a push, and the inning was over.
The second inning came and went without much fanfare, but Nick Punto led off the third inning with a single back up the middle after taking what should have been called strike three. The speedy Span grounded right to A-Rod for a rally killing 5-4-3 DP, setting up a nice and easy two outs, none on situation. Or at least what should have been nice and easy. Orlando Cabrera somehow singled after getting seven (seven!) pitches out of the zone, then moved to third on a Mauer double. Michael Cuddyer Jetered a nice outside pitch into the opposite field for a quick 1-0 lead, but the real damage was done when Jorge Posada allowed his second passed ball of the game, then made it worse by lolligagging it when he went to retrieve the ball. Mauer scored from third on the play, and Minnesota had a 2-0 lead. Sabathia rebounded to strikeout Kubel to end the frame, but the Twinkies were on the board and CC’s pitch count was already up to 64 pitches.
After beating out an infield single with one out, Melky moved over to third on a Joe Mauer passed ball. After taking a fastball out of the zone, Jeter did something we don’t see him do often: he pulled a ball for a homerun. The game was tied, the New Stadium was alive, and all was right in the universe. The score stayed that way until the fourth when Posada reached by dunking a single into no man’s land. He was out at second on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Robbie Cano, but exchanging an out for a faster runner would soon prove beneficial. Duensing drew a quick 0-2 count on 4th outfielder Nick Swisher, but Swish worked the count even, then drove Cano in from first with a double down the leftfield line. Expletives were yelled, high fives were had, but most importantly, the Yankees had the lead.
Perhaps just as important as the runs scored was the shutdown work by Sabathia in the next frame. After the Yanks tied the game in the third, CC went out and retired the next three Twins in order on just 12 pitches. When the Yanks went out and took the lead the next inning, Sabathia again tossed up a scoreless frame, this time with 11 pitches. Shutdown innings after scoring runs like those embody an ace pitcher, and Sabathia certainly qualifies as that.
A day without learning is a day wasted, and today we learned that A-Rod is able to pad his stats even in October. His RBI single in the 5th gave the Yanks a two run lead and little breathing room. After Ron Gardenhire replaced his lefty starter with a lefty reliever to face the lefty hitter with a reverse platoon split (got it?), Matsui dropped a bomb over Baghdad the centerfield fence, and the Yanks had a four run lead. It was all they’d need.
Even though he was somewhat rocky in the early going, Sabathia squashed the “he can’t pitch in October” meme by allowing two runs (one earned) in six and two-thirds innings. He struck out eight, including the uberhot trio of Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel, and Delmon Young a combined five times. 71 of 113 pitches were strikes, but he was getting squeezed a bit, particularly on that Punto pitch in the second. Sabathia retired 12 of the final 15 batters he faced, throwing 58 fastballs, 21 changeups, and 26 sliders while topping out at 95.3 mph. It certainly wasn’t his best night stuff-wise, but the Yanks ace battled and gave his team a quality start.
That four run lead became a five run lead late in the game, when Alex Rodriguez, he who can not hit in the playoffs, ripped a hard hit single off reliever Jon Rauch, scoring Derek Jeter, who was on base four times. A-Rod came to the plate with runners on base in three of his four plate appearances, and twice he drove home a run. It was exactly what we all wanted to see from A-Rod … from A-Rod and Sabathia really, two high priced imports with October demons, no matter how unfounded they may have been.
The relief corps of Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera made the late innings a breeze, and the Yanks took Game One in relatively easy fashion. Game Two of the best-of-three series won’t be played until Friday, when AJ Burnett and his personal catcher Jose Molina take on Nick Blackburn and his AL worst 240 hits allowed and AL worst 4.29 K/9. Talk about polar opposites.
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NLDS Game One Thread: Cardinals @ Dodgers
Earlier today the Phillies rode the left arm of Cliff Lee to a win over the Rockies in Game One of the Division Series, and now it’s time for the other NLDS to get underway. The Dodgers will start lefty Randy Wolf (11-7, 3.23) at home, while the Cards will counter with Comeback Player of the Year winner and Cy Young candidate Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24). If you’re an ESPN Insider, you can check out KLaw’s series preview here. If you’re watching the game, feel free to chat about it here.
ALDS Game One: Twins @ Yankees
Doesn’t it seem like it’s been a month since the Yankees last played a game? Maybe it’s because I didn’t watch too much of last weekend’s throw away series in Tampa.
Anyway, the Bronx Bombers will take the field this evening for their first playoff game in 729 days. They’ll get to take on a tired, but probably an adrenaline hungover Twins team that just spent 12 innings fighting for their season last night. We’ve already posted a long series preview earlier today, as well as a look back at what happened between these two teams this season, so I’m not going to waste bandwidth by regurgitating that info here.
If you’re looking for an expert’s take, Keith Law posted his advance scouting report on the Twins (it can be summed up as: they’re weak beyond Mauer), as well as a preview of the series (he’s thinking Yanks sweep). Both pieces are Insider only, so sorry if you’re out of luck. One scouting you can see without a subscription comes from Beyond the Box Score, who took a look at tonight’s home plate ump, Tim Tschida. Looks like Tschida’s a squeezer, which could be a big help to the Yanks since Minny’s pitchers rely on working the corners and inducing weak contact.
In case you missed it, here’s the Yanks’ ALDS roster. They went with three catchers and eleven pitchers. Here are tonight’s starting lineups:
Minnesota
Denard Span, CF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Michael Cuddyer, 1B
Jason Kubel, RF
Delmon Young, LF
Brendan Harris, DH
Matt Tolbert, 3B
Nick Punto, 2B
Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64)
Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Johnny Damon, LF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Hideki Matsui, DH
Jorge Posada, C
Robbie Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Melky Cabrera, CF
CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37)
Pregame ceremonies are supposed to start around 5:40pm ET, with first pitch scheduled for 6:07. It’s been hella windy all day in the Tri-State Area, and it looks like it’s supposed to stay that way most of the night. Could make for a very interesting night if Tschida isn’t giving the corners.
We’ve met before, haven’t we?
Update 4:45 p.m.: For those of you not watching the Phillies and the Rockies battle it out in the afternoon affair, WCBS 880 AM is doing a special extra-long pre-game show tonight starting at 5 p.m. The first 30 minutes will be streamed live online, and Yankee fans can listen via this link. We’ll be back with our game thread at 5:30 p.m.
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When the Yankees and the Twins face off in around two-and-a-half hours, it will be the eighth meeting this year between these two clubs. It is no stretch to say that, so far, the Yankees have utterly dominated the Twins in 2009.
On the season, the Yankees are 7-0 against Minnesota. They’ve outscored the Twins 41-25, and the splits are equally as dominant. The Yanks’ bats hit .300/.380/.490 with 10 home runs against Minnesota while the Yanks’ pitchers held the Twins to a .232/.337/382 line. Yanks’ hurlers put up a 3.27 ERA during those seven games.
Yet, the Yanks/Twins contests were closer than these numbers would indicate. Four of the games were one-run affairs, and two others were decided by two runs. The Yanks celebrated Walk-Off Weekend with Minnesota in town, and those games could serve as a harbinger of things to come this week.
As we preview the ALDS, let’s hop in the Wayback Machine and relive the Yankees season series against the Twins.
May 15, 2009: Yankees 5, Twins 4 (Box Score) (RAB Recap)
WP: Jose Veras
LP: Joe Nathan
HR: Justin Morneau (2), Joe Mauer, Derek Jeter, Brett Gardner
In a game started by Phil Hughes and Francisco Liriano, the bullpens had the final say in this one. The Yanks entered the 9th down 4-2 and with Joe Nathan on the mound. After a game during which the Yanks and Twins got into a shouting match over Carlos Gomez, this one, as Mike predicted at the time, had walk-off written all over it. Brett Gardner, who had hit an inside-the-park home run earlier in the game, tripled to lead off the inning. Mark Teixeira singled him in, and A-Rod walked. After two outs and an intentional walk to Robinson Cano, Melky came to the plate. He singled to left-center, and the Yanks walked off victorious.
NLDS Game One Thread: Rockies @ Phillies
Even though last night’s riveting Twins-Tigers game was for all intents a purposes a playoff game, the postseason officially gets underway today. Cliff Lee (14-13, 3.22) and the Phillies are at home taking on the Rockies, who are sending Ubaldo Jimenez (15-12, 3.47) to the bump. If you’re an ESPN insider, you can check out KLaw’s series preview here. TBS is carrying the game, and first pitch is scheduled for 2:37pm. Use this thread to chat about the game while we wait for the Yanks to start their own playoff series a little later this evening.
Yanks officially announce playoff roster
The Yankees have unveiled their roster for the ALDS. Let’s take a look. We’ll discuss afterward.
Starting Pitchers
CC Sabathia – LHP
A.J. Burnett – RHP
Andy Pettitte – LHP
Relief Pitchers
Mariano Rivera – RHP
Phil Hughes – RHP
David Robertson – RHP
Damaso Marte – LHP
Phil Coke – LHP
Alfredo Aceves – RHP
Joba Chamberlain – RHP
Chad Gaudin – RHP
Catchers
Jorge Posada
Jose Molina
Francisco Cervelli
Infielders
Mark Teixeira
Robinson Cano
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Jerry Hairston, Jr.
Eric Hinske
Outfielders
Johnny Damon
Nick Swisher
Melky Cabrera
Brett Gardner
Designated Hitter
Hideki Matsui
* * *
It’s interesting to see how Joe Girardi’s game plan shakes down through roster construction. The Yanks have opted to take eight relievers despite having three starting pitchers who can go deep into games. With Damaso Marte and Phil Coke on the team, Girardi can match up well against the Twins lefties. Still, I’d rather see Phil Hughes facing Joe Mauer or Jason Kubel with the game on the line in, say, the 7th inning.
With Jose Molina set to catch A.J. Burnett’s start in Game 2 (and potentially Game 5), the Yankees are carrying Francisco Cervelli too. I’m a bit intrigued by that decision because Hideki Matsui will DH when Molina catches. The Yanks can then remove Molina for Posada without wasting the DH spot. What Cervelli allows them to do, though, is pinch run for Posada with Brett Gardner if the need arises. Freddy Guzman, by the way, did not make the cut.
I’d be pretty surprised to see Chad Gaudin get into any of these ALDS games, and I wonder what Joba’s role will be. Anyway, 6:07 p.m. can’t come soon enough. And while we wait, don’t forget to check out Joe’s ALDS position-by-position breakdown.
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