Baseball Toaster: Bronx Banter : Hells Angels

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Hells Angels

2006-08-25 17:21

by Cliff Corcoran

The Yankees can break even on their current west coast swing and their season series against the Angels by taking two out of three in Anaheim this weekend. Not that it's going to be easy. All three pitching matchups favor the Halos and the Angels always play the Yankees hard with or without that up-front advantage.

Tonight the Yankees sent Jaret Wright to face John Lackey. In the finale of their series two weeks ago in the Bronx, the Yankees put 15 men on base against Lackey in seven innings, but managed just three runs before finally breaking through against Brendan Donnelly in the eighth. Two days before that, Wright held the Angels to one run on just two hits but four walks in his usual 5 1/3 innings. Wright hasn't started in eight days, but has pitched a pair of innings out of the pen in that span with mixed results. Lackey's turn has come up just once since that outing in New York, in that start he was roughed up by the Mariners for five runs on twelve hits in 4 2/3 innings despite an excellent 7:1 K/BB.

The Angles have only made two roster changes since we last saw them, swapping out righty reliever Chris Bootcheck for another in Greg Jones and replacing Curtis Pride, who landed on the disabled list, with switch-hitting rookie outfielder Reggie Willits. They have however shuffled their line-up somewhat, with Robb Quinlan finally getting the majority of the starts at first base, Howie Kendrick platooning at second base with Adam Kennedy, and Mike Napoli getting the bulk of the starts behind the plate.

For the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez returns to the line-up and third base, while Aaron Guiel gets his first career start at first. Guiel had never played first base in the majors before joining the Yankees, though he has appeared their three times already for the Bombers. The Guiel move is very encouraging, as it is the left-handed Guiel, not switch-hitter-in-name-only Bernie Williams, who should be platooning with the struggling Craig Wilson (.258/.290/.394 as a Yankee). Here's hoping Guiel is solid in the field and comes up with a big hit or two, rewarding Torre for his creativity.

Comments (594)

Show/Hide Comments 1-50

2006-08-25 17:52:16

1. Bob Timmermann

Just so no one is confused:

Howie Kendrick - black
Reggie Willits - white

That is all.

2006-08-25 17:52:22

2. Cliff Corcoran

Mike Scioscia of course contradicts the last sentence of my third paragraph with his lineup tonight, which has Jose Molina behind the plate and Howie Kendrick at first base, though in fairness, the latter is part of that complex platoon that has the lefty Kennedy in and the righty Quinlan sitting against righties.

2006-08-25 17:54:05

3. JL25and3

1 Yeah, I was pretty surprised the first time I saw Kendrick.

2006-08-25 18:01:19

4. Cliff Corcoran

1 I'm more surprised about Willits, whom I've never seen. Can anyone think of any other white guys named Reggie, other than the infamous Reggie Cleveland, of course?

2006-08-25 18:03:16

5. Travis

1 I knew about Kendrick, but not about Willits. The only other white "Reggie" I can think of is the one from the Archie comics.

2006-08-25 18:10:21

6. randym77

Guiel was playing 1B regularly in Columbus. Not sure if it was the Yankees' idea or not. The Clippers have a surfeit of outfielders, so they may have done it on their own.

He's batting .400 against Lackey, which probably had some bearing on the decision to start him at 1B tonight.

2006-08-25 18:32:41

7. JL25and3

The only reason that Kendrick particularly registered was that I'd heard a lot more about him.

Khalil Greene still tops them all.

2006-08-25 18:33:43

8. randym77

Pavano's line for tonight:

6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR, 3.00 ERA.

The announcers said his fastball was 90mph, and he was hitting his locations well.

I don't think he's quite ready for prime time, though.

2006-08-25 18:37:59

9. mehmattski

8 Banter cliche #891: "Who?"

2006-08-25 18:50:18

10. Bama Yankee

1 What you talkin' 'bout Willits?

2006-08-25 18:55:27

11. Cliff Corcoran

10 If only he were teammates with Jason Arnold.

2006-08-25 19:05:52

12. Bama Yankee

11 They do have a (Mrs.) Garret on the team...
"What you talkin' 'bout Mrs. G?"

2006-08-25 19:09:14

13. mehmattski

I saw every game of the Red Sox sweep. I saw none of the Mariners games. Therefore, my return to Yankees watching means good things tonight.

Let's Go Yank-ees!

2006-08-25 19:12:58

14. BklynBmr

7 Not sure of the accuracy of this, but it was buzzing around the publishing industry a few years back — Jet Magazine's flacks set up an interview with Khalil Greene sight unseen. Needless to say, the interview never appeared in print...

2006-08-25 19:15:16

15. Travis

In other news around the majors:

Manny's out of the lineup again tonight.

Barry Zito has a no-hitter through 6.

2006-08-25 19:18:16

16. anaconda

It appears that Dotel is starting to come around and Torre is starting to gain confidence in him, according to Sam Borden:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/446638p-376040c.html

2006-08-25 19:24:33

17. matt0620

Is it just me.. or does Wright load the bases every time in the first inning?

2006-08-25 19:24:38

18. JPost

Jaret Wright... 1st inning...bases loaded

What a surprise

2006-08-25 19:25:06

19. JPost

matt,
i guess we are telepathic

2006-08-25 19:26:56

20. mehmattski

Two ground ball singles and a walk... got past Guerrero okay... I think that wasn't so bad, for him...

2006-08-25 19:27:03

21. seamus

jaret is painful to watch, no matter how many runs he does or doesn't let score.

2006-08-25 19:27:58

22. mehmattski

John Lackey is throwing a no hitter!

2006-08-25 19:28:32

23. BklynBmr

Speed kills... wow, what a terrible call...

2006-08-25 19:28:51

24. seamus

22 a little early for that jinx! now he REALLY will throw a NO HITTER!

2006-08-25 19:29:22

25. Travis

Horrible call.

2006-08-25 19:29:47

26. BklynBmr

22 Make that a no hit shutout...

Let's care of two birds at once ;-)

2006-08-25 19:31:18

27. BklynBmr

Well, the Halos' D is encouraging if nothing else...

2006-08-25 19:31:42

28. tommyl

A-Rod, stop guessing with two strikes. That was a very hittable pitch.

2006-08-25 19:31:52

29. JPost

UPDATE:
Seattle 1 Boston 0

2006-08-25 19:32:03

30. mehmattski

24 I take complete credit.

2006-08-25 19:32:22

31. pistolpete

Infield single - so much for a jinx.

Anyway - does anyone think A-Rod should be moved down to 7th in the order until he starts hitting consistently again?

2006-08-25 19:32:29

32. BklynBmr

Guiel goes yard here...

2006-08-25 19:33:39

33. seamus

our guys have been hitting the ball well but right at guys. Well, not all of our guys, but many of them.

2006-08-25 19:33:53

34. randym77

32 About 4/5 of a yard.

2006-08-25 19:34:46

35. seamus

34 too bad we aren't playing horseshoes or hand grenades!

2006-08-25 19:34:48

36. Mattpat11

Is Lackey the ugliest player in MLB? Its either him or Jay Gibbons.

Its sad when Randy Johnson is a distant third, at best.

2006-08-25 19:35:24

37. BklynBmr

29 We gave the M's confidence. Let's hope they're still feelin' it...

34 Exactly. Not what I had in mind ;-) ...

2006-08-25 19:36:45

38. mehmattski

36 Don't forget Youk and that guy with the weird, flaky looking face... can't remember his name... maybe on the Astros?

2006-08-25 19:37:53

39. pistolpete

36 A friend and I at work were just discussing that - we agreed he looks like the 'special' cousin of AC/DC guitarist Angus Young.

2006-08-25 19:38:24

40. BklynBmr

Send that centerfielder back down to Columbus!

2006-08-25 19:38:34

41. Mattpat11

38 Youk is pretty bad to. As is Mench.

I just think Lackey's worse because he's that ugly with really bad teeth that for some reason they always close up on.

2006-08-25 19:38:43

42. randym77

Well, that was ugly.

2006-08-25 19:40:15

43. randym77

Good thing it went into the stands, or it might have been another triple. :-P

2006-08-25 19:40:39

44. pistolpete

Sheesh.

Can we petition for the Angels to be swapped to the NL for, say, the Cubs? This way we'd only have to play them 3 times every 3 years or so...

2006-08-25 19:41:24

45. Travis

Zito's no-hitter ends in the 8th.

2006-08-25 19:41:56

46. seamus

i'd like to see them ask the third base ump if he swung

2006-08-25 19:42:01

47. Mattpat11

Jaret Wright appears to be getting fatter as the year goes on.

2006-08-25 19:42:49

48. Mattpat11

47 Perhaps even as the game goes on. He seems fatter now than when I posted that.

2006-08-25 19:44:08

49. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

the day cannot get here soon enough when Pavano and Wright are gone and laughed about like Whitson and others...

2006-08-25 19:45:10

50. monkeypants

I was just about to predict that Wright would be out by the fourth, before that baserunnign gaf. Do the Angels actually like running into outs. Why bother, when they seemingly can just at will single the Yanks to death?

Show/Hide Comments 51-100

2006-08-25 19:45:12

51. unpopster

36 and don't forget David "Corky" Weathers

2006-08-25 19:45:37

52. BklynBmr

36 In the 80s, the SF Giants had Jeff Leonard, nicknamed 'Penitentiary Face'. Once, he demanded the press refer to him with his full name of Jeffery — and the nickname also became more formal: 'Correctional Institution Face'.

I loved his HR trot: 'One Flap Down'...

2006-08-25 19:48:55

53. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

I just got back from the Braves-Nationals game down here in Atlanta......NL ball is awful...I manage to get to one game a year down here just to confirm that...

Atlanta fans also deserve every bit of shit they get about being horrible fans

2006-08-25 19:49:35

54. Max

I don't know why, but seeing Wright's Gameday mug shot next to Itzuris' makes me laugh.

2006-08-25 19:49:43

55. randym77

Gawd. That was just the second out?

2006-08-25 19:50:07

56. pistolpete

53 "Atlanta fans also deserve every bit of shit they get about being horrible fans"

How so?

2006-08-25 19:51:09

57. Travis

53 You left before the end of the game? Booooooooooo.

2006-08-25 19:51:15

58. Stormer Sports

How about trying to sell out a playoff game now and then?

2006-08-25 19:51:56

59. Mattpat11

56 Well, they don't show up half the time, for one.

2006-08-25 19:52:32

60. pistolpete

Ugh - they're just teeing off on Wright.

Go Mariners.

2006-08-25 19:52:33

61. randym77

I blame the mustaches. Kill the caterpillars!

2006-08-25 19:52:47

62. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

56they are generally poor fans a la Southern California types....arrive late, leave early, not very into the game, etc...

Turner Field is like an amusement park with Cartoon Network land, batting cages, face painting, etc....

They did not sell out most playoff games

2006-08-25 19:53:00

63. Mattpat11

I dislike Jaret Wright

2006-08-25 19:53:23

64. Stormer Sports

Oh well.

We better hope for a Boston loss.

2006-08-25 19:54:06

65. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

56
it is all Atlanta sports....Hawks, Falcons, Thrashers, etc....although the Falcons are trendy now...

College Football and NASCAR rule down here

2006-08-25 19:54:52

66. seamus

seriously, good thing our pen is rested.

2006-08-25 19:55:11

67. pistolpete

62 Yeah, I know about the playoff situation - I just thought you had something extra that maybe some of us who don't attend Braves games wouldn't know.

Like they don't know what a ground-rule double is or something... ;-)

2006-08-25 19:55:21

68. monkeypants

Typical Angels. Some line drives, a blooper, silly baserunning, a shot by Vlad. This is painful.

2006-08-25 19:55:46

69. seamus

65 speaking of college football. One week and my fighting irish invade georgia!!!!

college football is my favorite of all sports.

2006-08-25 19:55:56

70. Max

60 64 Can't depend on bad teams to help us out with the people chasing us. This team needs to take care of its own business.

2006-08-25 19:56:16

71. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

The best thing that can come of signing Wright, Pavano and renewing The Big Mullet are the living examples of blowing money on marginal players or HOFers farewell tours

Wang, Hughes, etc....homegrown is the way to go...with the odd Lidle, Chacon, etc..mixed in

2006-08-25 19:56:29

72. Travis

65 The Falcons might be trendy now, but just wait until Vick leaves.

Atlanta must have the worst fans in professional sports. I can't think of any city that comes close.

2006-08-25 19:56:43

73. seamus

Wright has thrown 58 pitches in 2 innings! Against an impatient batting team!

2006-08-25 19:57:24

74. Travis

72 Worst as in nobody shows up, not as in bad behavior.

2006-08-25 19:57:38

75. pistolpete

70 Yeah, but we're all just fans. We can't do anything about this mess.

Go Mariners.

2006-08-25 19:57:53

76. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

totally agree....have a bad feeling about this weekend....the ass end of our rotation against the Angels...

Just glad the Sox stay out here for three with the A's while we get home

2006-08-25 19:58:08

77. seamus

do EVERY team's wives do fundraiser promos when they play the Yankees?

2006-08-25 19:58:22

78. monkeypants

Come on Damon. This is shaping up like the the third out of fourth game of bull shit.

2006-08-25 19:58:28

79. Stormer Sports

I kid of like Rex Hudler. Please don't ban me from the Banter for saying that.

2006-08-25 19:59:28

80. atc

77 she was pretty hot

2006-08-25 19:59:35

81. seamus

79 AWAY!! AWAY!! AWAY!!

you muskrat!

2006-08-25 19:59:45

82. singledd

wow... Jetes swung at that after the catcher caught it.

2006-08-25 19:59:52

83. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

Both Florida baseball teams, D'Backs, Padres, etc.....

any of your fabricated cities (e.g. Orlando)

2006-08-25 20:00:09

84. pistolpete

79 Broke in with the Yanks - nothing wrong with liking him.

2006-08-25 20:00:54

85. Stormer Sports

Lets start simply. Try to get a runner to second fucking base! Maybe later they can try to score.

2006-08-25 20:00:55

86. seamus

80 yeah, they always are.

2006-08-25 20:01:12

87. randym77

73 Pretty frightening. He may not even make it 5 innings tonight.

I had high hopes for Wright earlier this season, but now...the guy's killing our bullpen.

2006-08-25 20:01:34

88. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

No fear...this is the stretch of the season when A Rod puts the team on his back and carries them for a week.....

2006-08-25 20:01:48

89. pistolpete

Is it me, or is this ump trigger happy? He looks like he's ready to break into a strike call on every pitch.

2006-08-25 20:02:42

90. pistolpete

C'mon, Jason - you and that 'stache please tie it up now.

2006-08-25 20:02:49

91. Travis

83 Yeah, but the Florida football teams have sold out their games for years, the Heat and Suns sell out, etc. 3 of the 4 Atlanta teams don't come close to selling out, and the 4th only does because Michael Vick (check their attendance for their Super Bowl year and the next, you'll be surprised).

2006-08-25 20:03:00

92. Kirribilli Yankee Fan

I live in Atlanta and Wright was a mirage created by Leo Mazzone...

2006-08-25 20:03:04

93. Stormer Sports

You mean piggy back around the clubhouse?

2006-08-25 20:03:34

94. atc

BTW, I'm getting dragged into going to Williamsport tomorrow. Anyone ever been? Are there any bars around the stadium or in town?

2006-08-25 20:04:41