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E. Ramirez BR BP BC E mi
B. Bruney BR BP BC E mi
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J. Posada BR BP E MLB
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BR = Baseball-Reference
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S. Henn (L) BR BP BC E mi SD
H. Phillips (L) BR BC mi TB mL
S. White BR BC mi

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D. Mientkiewicz BR BP BC E MLB PIT mL
A. Phillips BR BP BC E MLB mi CIN mL
J. Phelps BR BP BC E MLB STL mL
M. Cairo BR BP BC E MLB SEA
K. Thompson BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT
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W. Nieves BR BP BC E MLB WAS mL
R. Clemens BR BP BC E mi
T. Clippard BR BP BC E mi WAS
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S. Proctor BR BP BC E LAD
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C. Bean BR BP BC E mi ATL mL

2007 Campers and mLers:
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A. Cannizaro BR BP BC E MLB mi TB mL
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K. Reese BR BP BC E MLB mi
R. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT mL
O. Santos BC mi BAL mL
T. Pratt BR BP BC E MLB
T.J. Beam BR BP BC E mi PIT mL
B. Kozlowski (L) BR BP BC E mi Japan

Molina Trade:
J. Kennard BC mi

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J. Sanchez mi PHI

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Like Rubbah

2006-04-27 09:54

by Cliff Corcoran

The three-game series is baseball's perfect package. It exposes enough of each team's pitching to prevent any single hurler from dominating the competition, but doesn't go on so long as to overstay is welcome. Five games may not be enough for a postseason series, but they are way too many for a regular-season confrontation, particularly when a team such as the 2006 Royals, Orioles, Mariners or Devil Rays is involved. Two games are unrewarding, over too fast and often without exposing the true nature of the teams involved. Baseball is a game for people who savor the moment and chew their food before swallowing. Until recently it wasn't uncommon for teams to have two games scheduled on the same day. A two-game "series" is as big an affront to the game as artificial turf (which may be why the Yankees always seem to play two against Toronto). Four games are fun for marquee matchups, such as when the Red Sox come to town, but the possibility of a 2-2 series split just doesn't belong in a game that refuses to end in a tie. Indeed, it's the fact that a three-game series must have a winner that, above all else, makes it baseball's ideal regular season sample size.

Tonight, the Yankees play their third rubber game of the year, having previously dropped their first in Oakland and won their second this past Sunday against the Orioles. I guess that makes it something of a rubber rubber game. At any rate, they'll be digging in against lefty Mark Hendrickson, who needed just 106 pitches to hurl a three-hit, one-walk shutout against the O's in his first start, but has been on the DL with tendonitis in his pitching shoulder ever since.

Last year, Hendrickson made a whopping five starts against the Yankees, posting an ERA more than a full run better than his overall mark. As one might expect from a 6'9" lefty, Hendrickson is murder on fellow southpaws (career .225 GPA), but he's rather useless against right-handed hitters, who hit him to the tune of .312/.356/.504. Taking a closer look at his five starts against the Yanks last year, he gave up at least four runs in four of them, but only once gave up as many as five. He also lasted a minimum 6 2/3 innings in four of those starts, pitching a full five in the one exception. That surprisingly consistent, and suggests that, if Hendrickson is fully healthy and on his game coming off the DL, Shawn Chacon will have to do his part tonight.

Chacon, meanwhile, is coming off a tremendously lucky outing against the Orioles in which he held the O's to one run over seven innings due almost entirely to a .182 opponent's average on balls in play. Prior to that, Chacon had racked up a representative 8.03 ERA across two disappointing starts and a pair of ugly relief outings. Here's hoping he gets a few lucky bounces tonight.

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Comments (124)

Show/Hide Comments 1-50

2006-04-27 14:50:05

1. unmoderated

lucky indeed.

2006-04-27 14:54:09

2. joejoejoe

low BABIP magic = "the Force"

2006-04-27 14:54:57

3. Mattpat11

yes, but will Hendrickson walk people?

2006-04-27 16:01:24

4. tocho

Again, the stupid Rays' announcers. If the yanks are not pounding Hendrickson from the 1st. inning, I'm going to suffer in this game.

Good news everyone, Bernie's playing CF!!! and the cherry on the top, No Phillips v a hard-throwing lefty!!!

2006-04-27 16:08:44

5. Mattpat11

I'm still not all that impressed with Phillips.

2006-04-27 16:10:13

6. Zack

Well thats the who point Matt, theres nothing to be impressed with yet. He was just starting to look better, and Joe relegates him to the bench, and now we are stuck with Bernie out there...ugh

2006-04-27 16:11:29

7. unmoderated

5 I would just like to see him get a chance, like Nick Johnson did before he was shipped out. If he plays and stinks, I'll jump off the AP bandwagon like it was filled with fireants.

2006-04-27 16:16:20

8. Mattpat11

Nick Johnson was also six years younger when he got his shot.

And 6 He hasn't shown me hes any better than bernie. Yeah, he's improved a little, but he started at absolute bottom of the barrel bad. Ans he still has trouble with breaking pitches.

2006-04-27 16:16:50

9. Zack

This whole Matsui streak thing is getting out of control, if anyone needs a day off it is clearly him...

2006-04-27 16:18:12

10. Mattpat11

At least he swung.

2006-04-27 16:18:29

11. Zack

Yeah, but we KNOW Bernie will give us nothing, we don't know what Phillips can give us. And 30 ABs doesn't prove anything. We know that Andy's minor #'s project him to be better than Bernie, but not if he is used like Luis Sojo

2006-04-27 16:19:05

12. Cliff Corcoran

Seems Damon has an ouchy foot from smacking into the wall in Toronto, thus he's DHing for the second day in a row and thus, since Giambi's mad hot, there's no room for Phillips.

2006-04-27 16:19:33

13. BklynBmr

Cap'n MVP!

2006-04-27 16:20:06

14. Simone

Jeter is hitting just about anything.

2006-04-27 16:20:37

15. Mattpat11

I may very well be wrong. But when I see a 29 year old minor leaguer, I assume there's something wrong with him. And when he doesn't exactly do anything at all to disprove that early, I'm not big on "Lets just give him four months to work it out"

2006-04-27 16:20:52

16. Simone

Damn you, Gathright.

2006-04-27 16:21:35

17. Mattpat11

What the hell was Jeter doing? A-Rod needs to talk to him and explain that you should try to walk off those 0-2 pitches in the middle of the strikezone.

2006-04-27 16:21:35

18. BklynBmr

@%$@! Great catch. That always seems to happen to us, rarely the other way around...

2006-04-27 16:21:39

19. rilkefan

11 - good luck getting through.

12 - then why not sit him against a lefty?

2006-04-27 16:21:49

20. Cliff Corcoran

I think that was gonna hit the top of the wall, but I mean the top, could have bounced over.

2006-04-27 16:21:58

21. tocho

WOW!!!

2006-04-27 16:23:59

22. Zack

Andy's #s in the minors, if you look at them, only show that there is something wrong with those in charge of calling him up, not with him...So you are saying that when Bernie started badly all those early years, we should have just given up on him?

2006-04-27 16:25:19

23. monkeypants

15 Mattpat11--I basically agree with you. But what's the option? Trot Bernie out there for 400 ABs? Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that sticking with Phillips is right now the better option out of a number of unpleasant (realistic) choices.

2006-04-27 16:25:43

24. Mattpat11

22 And no one traded for him. That's what really got me. The Yankees, and apparently every other team, did not want him. he was not called up, he was not traded for in any of the 9 million bad trades we made, he just stayed in the minors. And then he comes up and cant hit a breaking ball.

2006-04-27 16:25:59

25. rilkefan

22 - he's eleven years old, give him a break.

2006-04-27 16:26:52

26. Cliff Corcoran

15 What's wrong with Phillips is he missed the 2003 season due to an elbow injury and thus wasn't on the radar to fill Soriano's shoes at second base (which is where he played until the injury) following the Rodriguez trade. Pushed to the corners he got burried behind Rodriguez and Giambi and, as I've been bitching about for two-plus years now, hasn't been given a chance to take the DH/righty slugger off the bench role he should have held for the past two years. So the reason he's showing up now as a 29 year old is that he's essentially lost three seasons to injury and mismanagement.

2006-04-27 16:28:37

27. Mattpat11

and 22 There is a difference between waiting for a 22 year old or a notoriously slow starter to find his groove and waiting for a 29 year old who may not be all that good to find something he never will.

2006-04-27 16:29:43

28. Mattpat11

Damon Hollins looks 65 years old.

2006-04-27 16:30:28

29. unmoderated

27 - even if he does flop and can't hit, at least he doesn't have a four year 40 million dollar deal.

2006-04-27 16:30:41

30. Zack

Don't mean to come across as harsh, just don't feel like rehashing the debate. Much easier to just state it as it is...

2006-04-27 16:31:13

31. Cliff Corcoran

27 Last thing I'll say about Phillips on this thread: minor league numbers translate to major league production. He's not a future star, but he's the ninth-best hitter on the team, which means he should be playing.

2006-04-27 16:31:35

32. Zack

Nice, Broussard hits a first inning slam of Josh "I play the game right and you don't" Beckett...

2006-04-27 16:32:19

33. Cliff Corcoran

Like I said, Giambi's hot.

2006-04-27 16:32:47

34. monkeypants

"or a notoriously slow starter"--We've been waiting over two seasons for this particular slow starter to get it going.

2006-04-27 16:32:53

35. Mattpat11

29 We're not paying him a lot, but when we have to deal with this division, I'm not a big fan of waiting around for minor leaguers to find their groove.

2006-04-27 16:32:54

36. Jeteupthemiddle

Well, only about 12? of Phillips' ABs came without a bajillion years between them. And by the end of the 3rd start (against Kazmir the pitcher who ended his season last year) he stopped looking so overmatched.

Hopefully, Damon is ready for the field again soon, so we can go back to the Phillips at first, and Giambi at DH matchup we had going. I truly believe he deserves 50 regular ABs before we can determine anything. And I see no harm in giving him 50 at bats because he is only taking them away from Bernie who, let's face it, ain't doin well.

2006-04-27 16:33:43

37. rilkefan

If 30 is in reply to 25, that was me urging you on.

2006-04-27 16:35:27

38. Mattpat11

I just growled. I have never growled before. IS IT THAT FUCKING HARD to swing at strikes?

2006-04-27 16:35:48

39. Zack

Ahhh, it all makes sense now Rilke! :)

This is starting to look just like last year's games against this big galoot and all of the games against the Rays...

2006-04-27 16:38:41

40. tocho

looking at our options at back-up 1b, its a shame that Lee got hurt so quickly, when he was with the yanks.

He would have been a long-term solution there, amazing glove and solid bat.

2006-04-27 16:38:47

41. Cliff Corcoran

Roster change on the D-Rays I missed. Cantu's ouchy foot turned out to be broken. He's on the DL, Greg Norton takes his roster spot.

2006-04-27 16:39:38

42. Cliff Corcoran

40 Solid bat? Lee can't hit.

2006-04-27 16:40:22

43. Jeteupthemiddle

38 They don't want to swing because they don't think its a strike. If they expand their zone then they may wind up expanding their zone further and swinging at completely obvious balls.

At least in my opinion anyway.

I imagine people would complain if they look absolutely foolish swinging through a ball that is low but they had 2 strikes on them.

Strike outs looking are a product of a patient team. And really, the Yankees have struck out 104 times entering tonight--11 teams struck out more often in the AL and EVERY team in the NL struck out more often.

2006-04-27 16:40:26

44. Mattpat11

39 It reminds me of last nights game already.

2006-04-27 16:41:45

45. unmoderated

i think he meant that his bat was solid wood. he had been using a papier mache model.

2006-04-27 16:42:59

46. Cliff Corcoran

45 Oh, my mistake. Sorry.

2006-04-27 16:43:20

47. rilkefan

DRay ueberprospect Delmon Young expresses his disagreement in re balls and strikes by tossing his bat into the ump. Oops.

2006-04-27 16:46:44

48. Mattpat11

43 But they ARE strikes. They are obviously strikes. They are not bad calls, they are not borderline. They are strikes that get called strikes 8 out of 10 times. I couldn't care less if they strikeout, flyout ground out whatever. I care VERY much when they're so fucking conderned with taking EVERYTHING that they start taking two strike pitches right in the zone. A-Rod did it twice last night with two outs and a runner on third, and the explanation i got was "leave him alone, he's trying to work a walk!" As if taking the 0-2 pitch in the strikezone will somehow HELP him achieve that goal, or that working a walk will be more beneficial that getting a hit off the pitch in the fucking strikezone.

2006-04-27 16:49:58

49. Mattpat11

Cano should have taken that pitch. He looked foolish fouling it off.

2006-04-27 16:52:29

50. unmoderated

did kaat just say it's tough to hit a ball fair down the lines at the stadium because there isn't a lot of foul territory?

Show/Hide Comments 51-100

2006-04-27 16:52:45

51. tocho

42 I think he can hit better than Clark '04 and Tino '05 (except for April '05).

2006-04-27 16:54:59

52. rilkefan

48 - 'the explanation i got was "leave him alone, he's trying to work a walk!"'

Just for the record, that was more of a mocking than an explanation. I had tried to explain the concept of not swinging at bad pitches and the related concept of not always detecting good pitches before without success, as had others, and it had grown tiresome. (I rather suspect you're confused about the strike zone sufficiently to be wrong about the location of the pitches in question, esp. given that it's ARod, but that's beside the point.)

2006-04-27 16:56:26

53. unmoderated

look for mr. gomes on next week's sopranos playing 'johnny bats.' he will be the second big leaguer to appear on the show, follwing tony womack's character 'tony eyebrows.'

2006-04-27 17:00:34

54. Mattpat11

52 I understand not swinging at bad pitches. I do not understand not swinging at a pitch you know will be called a strike when you already have two strikes. What the hell ever happened to protect the plate with two strikes? Does that just die with little league?

2006-04-27 17:00:36

55. Jeteupthemiddle

48 They aren't always "obviously strikes" and sometimes they aren't strikes at all, but are called as such. And then there are cases when the pitcher just froze the batter by throwing a pitch completely unexpected for the situation...curve in fastball count and whatnot. It happens, it is part of the game, there are plenty of other things to get more worked up about.

2006-04-27 17:07:25

56. randym77

Man, Jeter's hot right now. He's batting .400

2006-04-27 17:07:46

57. BklynBmr

53 Didn't Schilling appear once as 'joey baggadonuts'?

2006-04-27 17:10:34

58. unmoderated

There was a working script that included him as the character 'EverQuest Eddie,' but the script was destroyed by a level two mace.

2006-04-27 17:12:24

59. Mattpat11

Now we can't hit the immortal mark Hendrickson. This team is going to kill me.

2006-04-27 17:19:42

60. tocho

I hate the yankees that play the rays. they just fold when they see them.

hendrickson, orvella, miceli, mcclung... c'mon!

2006-04-27 17:21:14

61. Bob Timmermann

Hendrickson already shut out the Birds this year. He's apparently of the "not too bad" variety.

2006-04-27 17:23:45

62. Mattpat11

Oh, he's quite bad. Career ERA north of 5.

2006-04-27 17:24:15

63. unpopster

It's almost official, this might very well be the most overrated offense of all time!!!

I heard Torre on Mike & The Maddog today making excuses for this offense by saying that he's not worried because he likes their "personality," I shit you not!

2006-04-27 17:24:40

64. Mattpat11

I guess they'd be a good date.

2006-04-27 17:27:35

65. rilkefan

"This team is going to kill me."

All things come to those who wait.

2006-04-27 17:28:17

66. Mattpat11

perhaps they're not aware that they're facing Mark Hendrickson

2006-04-27 17:30:53

67. weeping for brunnhilde

I had a revelation the other day: the Yankees bore me. It's hard to get worked up about them sometimes. This occurred to me the other day when I wanted a cigarette. Coming up next inning were Sheff Arod and Giambi and I thought "You know, I really don't particularly enjoy watching any of them hit." Sure, there's something exciting about Sheff's ferocity, something poetic in Arod's effortless swings and something compelling about Giambi's eye, but really, they're hard to get really jazzed about the way I do about say Cano or Jeter or the way I used to about Johnson and Sori.

This team really lacks character and that saddens me. I'm realizing that I really don't enjoy waiting around for the long ball, which is basically what this team offers. It's just kind of uninspired, is all.

Just thought I'd share, anyone feel similarly?

2006-04-27 17:31:42

68. unpopster

oh, and by the way, it IS official that Bernie's done! I love you, man, but let's be honest...

I say just insert Phillips in as the everyday DH/1B and alternate him with Giambi. Sit Bernie and keep him around on the bench for old times sake.

2006-04-27 17:36:15

69. tocho

67 I understand your feelings on days like yesterday and today, when they can't seem to find the ball. However, I would say I get bored when Bernie or Posada are coming up, nobody else. I enjoy the AB's by all of the others, even if they do K a lot or attempt to go for the long ball.

this year in particular Giambi's at-bats are great, as somebody said in this site it seems that the ball drifts away from him like a magnet against another pole.

2006-04-27 17:39:03

70. rilkefan

Cleveland up 9-1, all against Beckett.

2006-04-27 17:40:13

71. Cliff Corcoran

67 I too liked that comment about Giambi's body repelling strikes. Apologies to whomever it was who coined that when I eventually steal it like I have the Posada between two cupcakes thing.

68 Hate to say I told you so.

2006-04-27 17:42:07

72. Cliff Corcoran

Anyone feel better about the fact that the Yanks haven't walked once tonight?

2006-04-27 17:43:03

73. weeping for brunnhilde

69 tocho, yeah, part of my malaise might not be objective. While it's true that I am singularly uninspired by homerun derby, that's not the only reason I'm bored. I'm also bored because I have so little invested in the success of those big three I named. I just don't particularly care for them as ballplayers (although to be fair, I do love Arod's fielding).

There's just something very artifical about the whole thing.

2006-04-27 17:44:27

74. BenYankee

67 I've felt that way for a while even though I still get worked up watching up them struggle. This team is not nearly as interesting to watch the O'Neill-Brosius-Tino teams were by a long stretch.

2006-04-27 17:44:48

75. weeping for brunnhilde

71 Cliff (or someone), do please enlighten me, I'm not privy to the "Posada between two cupcakes thing."

Thanking you in advance.

2006-04-27 17:45:10

76. Cliff Corcoran

72 Man, I love how that works.

2006-04-27 17:46:01

77. Cliff Corcoran

75 Someone wrote last year that Posada runs the bases like he's caught between two cupcakes and can't decide which he wants to eat.

2006-04-27 17:50:17

78. weeping for brunnhilde

77 That's got to be one of the funniest metaphors I've ever heard. That's just too funny because it's so *apt."

thanks.

2006-04-27 17:51:59

79. Cliff Corcoran

78 That's why it's stuck with me. I rank the Giambi strike repellant along side it, though the latter isn't as humorous.

2006-04-27 17:54:50

80. Cliff Corcoran

Hendrickson still hasn't given up an earned run this season . . . man didn't even have time to type that one!

2006-04-27 17:55:19

81. Simone

Yeah! Finally something goes the Yankees way.

2006-04-27 17:55:30

82. randym77

Well, Matsui's showing signs of life.

2006-04-27 17:57:14

83. Cliff Corcoran

80 Ah, turns out none of those runs were earned, so Hendrickson still hasn't given up an earned run this season, despite trailing this game 3-1.

2006-04-27 17:57:46

84. rilkefan

80 - weren't those runs on the 3b?

2006-04-27 17:58:23

85. rilkefan

"man didn't even have time to type that one" myself...

2006-04-27 17:58:24

86. marc

Ok, no more groundzilla comments (though Sterling did say it was a seeing eye ground ball).

2006-04-27 17:58:51

87. Cliff Corcoran

Hope the bullpen's active here.

2006-04-27 18:01:42

88. Cliff Corcoran

Myers should stay in through Branyan, that's four batters, three lefties and the switch-"hitting" Perez.

2006-04-27 18:02:12

89. randym77

Cue the theme from "Halloween." Mike Myers is coming in.

2006-04-27 18:04:35

90. Cliff Corcoran

Matsui's good at keeping catchers from taking the extra base.

2006-04-27 18:05:07

91. SF Yanks

Why do I feel like I've seen this movie before?

2006-04-27 18:06:00

92. Cliff Corcoran

88 Unless he can't throw a strike, of course.

2006-04-27 18:10:18

93. Cliff Corcoran

Mmmmmm, lefty specialist.

2006-04-27 18:22:00

94. BklynBmr

Der-ek Je-ter!

2006-04-27 18:22:19

95. Cliff Corcoran

Damon's foot looked fine going first to home on that double.

2006-04-27 18:22:48

96. singledd

67... While I d