Baseball Toaster: Bronx Banter : Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

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Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

2007-04-22 20:52

by Cliff Corcoran

I must say, I think the Yankees acquitted themselves rather well this weekend. Facing the Red Sox three best starters, the offense scored at least five runs in each game and, save for the eighth inning on Friday and Scott Proctor's outing last night, the bullpen shut the Red Sox out over 9 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, that eighth inning on Friday and Proctor's outing last night led directly to two of three loses in a weekend sweep that will loom large as the AL East race heats up toward the latter part of the season.

The Yankees got out to an early 2-0 lead on Daisuke Matsuzaka in the top of the first on a two-out Jason Giambi double and added a third run in the third when Giambi singled home Johnny Damon, again with two outs. Chase Wright, meanwhile, stranded two runners in each of his first two frames, then started the third by getting Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz to fly out. Then Manny Ramirez homered. Then J. D. Drew homered. Then Mike Lowell homered. Then Jason Varitek homered.

To get the trivia out of the way, it was just the fifth time in major league history that a team had hit four consecutive home runs and just the second time ever that all four homers were surrendered by the same pitcher. No pitcher has ever given up more than four homers in a single inning, consecutive or otherwise (the last to do it was Randy Johnson against the White Sox two years ago). The first time a team ever hit four consecutive homers, the fifth batter was Joe Torre, and the one previous time that a single pitcher surrendered four consecutive homers, the third was hit by Terry Francona's father Tito.

Wright struck out Wily Mo Peña to end the onslaught, the inning, and his start. Colter Bean came on in relief in the fourth, and Derek Jeter tied the game up with a solo homer of his own to lead off the fifth. The Yankees then took the lead in the sixth on singles by Robinson Cano and Doug Mientkiewicz (who had his second multi-hit game as a Yankee going 2 for 3 with a ground-rule double to dead center).

With the top of the Boston order due up in the bottom of the sixth, Joe Torre brought in Andy Pettitte for his second throw-day relief appearance of the season. Pettitte issued a one-out walk to Kevin Youkilis, but got David Ortiz to ground into a double play on the next pitch, ending the inning after just nine pitches, seven of them to Youkilis.

The Yankees entered the seventh inning nursing a slim 5-4 lead, but before one could begin to wonder about handing that lead over to Mariano Rivera, Scott Proctor came on to surrender a single to Ramirez, a double to Drew, and a three-run homer to Mike Lowell to make it 7-5 Red Sox.

Luis Vizcaino finished the inning without further damage, and the Yankees mounted a rally in the eighth. Alex Rodriguez led off with a single that drove Matsuzaka from the game after 108 pitches. Hideki Okajima came on and got Jason Giambi to pop out, but Robinson Cano followed with a single. Joe Torre then turned to Jorge Posada, whose thumb is still too swollen to allow him to catch, but not so bad that he can't hit, to pinch-hit for Mientkiewicz. Posada, making his fourth pinch-hit appearance of the young season, drew a walk to load the bases (he also has a pinch-hit double on the year), driving Okajima from the game in favor of Brendan Donnelly. With Miguel Cairo running for Posada, Melky Cabrera grounded into a fielder's choice that plated Rodriguez to make it a one-run game.

That's when Torre, who had already made two great moves by using Pettitte out of the pen and the sore-thumbed Posada to pinch-hit, made his most impressive move of the day. With the still hitless Wil Nieves due up, Torre didn't concern himself with the fact that Posada was out of the game (and couldn't catch anyway). With two outs and the tying run at third, he sent Josh Phelps to the plate to hit for Nieves, knowing full well that Phelps would have to catch for the first time since 2001 in the bottom of the inning. Phelps fell behind quickly 0-2, but sent Donnelly's third pitch screaming toward center field just to the right of second base, but as the ball started to sink toward the grass in shallow center, Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia lept seemingly out of nowhere to make a game-saving, inning-ending catch.

In the ninth, Bobby Abreu drew a two-out walk against a dominant Jonathan Papelbon to bring Alex Rodriguez to the plate as the potential winning run. Rodriguez, like Phelps, fell behind quickly 0-2, then grounded to third to end the game and a series that was far more exciting than the word "sweep" would suggest.

Incidentally, according to Pete Abraham, Wil Nieves dislocated his left thumb in the fourth inning, but trainer Steve Donahue reset it and Neives, knowing Posada was already out with a left thumb injury, caught four more innings. Neives also hit a pair of screaming line drives off Matsuzaka, but they were right at Lowell at third and Pedroia at second, thus his hitless streak is intact. As for Phelps, he caught the bottom of the eighth without incident. Supposedly Phelps was moved off the position because of his terrible throwing arm. Still, now that I've seen it done, I do tend to wonder if the Yankees would consider having him catch an entire game in Posada's stead just to see if he might make a viable backup catcher since Posada's thumb has been slow to heal and Nieves's is likely sore as well. Then again, it could be a disaster. The Devil Rays could steal bases in the double digits off Phelps if they get on base enough against Igawa, and the last thing the Yankees need after those four consecutive homers last night is to set another unwanted record.

Finally, I was rather impressed to learn that the Red Sox had not swept the Yankees at Fenway Park since 1990, when the Red Sox were AL East Champs and the Yankees had the second-worst record in baseball (to the Braves). The Yankees were outscored 29-5 in that three-game series and the winning Red Sox pitchers were Gene Harris, Mike Boddicker, and Tom Bolton. That said, those Stump Merrill-era Yankees have come up once too often this past week, even if both mentions have produced a positive contrast (the aggregate score of this weekend's series was 21-17).

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Comments (189)

Show/Hide Comments 1-50

2007-04-23 03:23:40

1. Chyll Will

Not strangely as it sounds, I was not really as amped about this series as most seemed. Sure, I didn't get to watch, but with half the team hurting and Torre like a kid in a candy shop with the bullpen, I figured this series was an experiment for what could work best and what not to do with Boston down the line when winning their games was more imperative. That said, last night sounded not only really good from a pure baseball perspective, but important in that the Yanks aren't as bad off as it seems, and we also can take their best pitchers even when we're down. Good show.

2007-04-23 04:56:42

2. Jim Dean

I appreciate the perspective but this reads like "Always look on the bright side of life..."

Fact is they lost six games in what will be the pennant race. Nothing else matters. And they were all very winnable games. It might be just me, but they lost more because of decisions made (Cashman and Torre) than because of the play on the field. That's a much tougher chum to swallow.

Me, I can't figure out out why, if Torre was willing to go to those lengths late in the game, he didn't just DH Jorge and play Giambi at 1B.

Though with how well G has been hitting in the DH slot, I do wonder if we'll ever see him at 1B in an AL game again. Once Matsui returns I'm afraid that spells the bench for the young Melkman. It might make more sense to send him down and keep him playing everyday with Thompson as the 4th OF, than have him playing once or twice a week.

But at least that's a way to keep Mfhrsdkgealhisfd's hot bat in the lineup.

Otherwise, it's a complete fantasyland to think that Phelps could ever be the BUC. During the Spring, Torre laughed off the suggestion of giving him even emergency innings there. You know, because Phleps was in the middle of a platoon at 1B.

2007-04-23 05:01:50

3. Cliff Corcoran

2 Again with the absolutism, Jim. I did write "a weekend sweep that will loom large as the AL East race heats up toward the latter part of the season." But other things do matter. The whole point of analysis is to look for signs within each win or loss that indicate how the team will fair in the near (or distant) future. If all that mattered was the actual L or W then why bother reading this blog? The scoreboard would tell you all you needed to know.

2007-04-23 05:08:15

4. C2Coke

1 Definitely a good show in April.

I was thinking the Yanks should try Phelps at C and forgot they are playing Devil Rays next. Further, Wang is pitching on Tuesday, I just hope God will give Jorge his finger back.

2007-04-23 05:24:56

5. rbj

2 Jim, I am sorry, but I am just going to haave to stop reading your comments. Far too doom & gloomy -- and unrealistic to boot.
Yankee's offense scores 6, 5, and 6 runs in three games vs. Boston's best three pitchers and yet the line up & Torre are the problem. Not the fact that the usually reliable Mo had a bad inning (happens to everyone, heck even Sandy Koufax lost games) and the Yankee's starting rotation is in shambles due to injuries and Torre had to start two rookies -- one making only his second start above AA ball (where he's only had two starts anyway).

Nope, it is obviously the fact that Doug Mientkiewicz (who had two hits last night) and Nieves (robbed twice last night, youch -- having a dislocated thumb reset in the dugout) played.

Me, I just wish Moose & Wang had pitched the last two games.

2007-04-23 05:26:38

6. Simone

I am disappointed that the Yankees didn't take at least one game. The offense was outstanding. I never thought they could score so many runs off the Red Sox top starters. The Yankees' starters were okay. Wright had a bad time of it, but those are the breaks sometimes. It is unfortunate the the bullpen imploded. They let the team down, but it happens. Now the Yankees move on and have to rebound.

2007-04-23 05:26:50

7. Sliced Bread

Thanks for accentuating the positive this morning, Cliff.

The anti-Yankee chatterboxes of sports radio sure are chirping and cheery this morning.

They're thinking Pettitte's inning of relief smacked of pinstripe panic.

Not me. Though I hope the Yanks will not make a habit of turning to Andy between starts -- especially this early in the season, especially against teams the Yanks play 19 times.

Fug it. We'll get 'em next time.

2007-04-23 05:28:06

8. The Mick 536

Minky and Nieves didn't lose Sunday's game. Good defense kept the Janks hitless. Chase's not holding the runner led to the steal. Weak pitching to Boston's big bats cost the game. 5 dingers. Commmmmmme onnn?

I hope A-Rod doesn't get down on himself. Had two real bad ABs. He nodded yes to an outside pitch called a strike. He swung softly and missed an outside slider. Dice K had him looking out and got him looking at a ball right over the plate. His dejected look as he strode from the plate didn't inspire.

Not that I adore Joe Morgan, I don't, but he did a valid analysis of how the opposing pitchers get A-Rod out. At the end of the ever wearing mid-game manager's interview, Torre bid good-bye to Morgan by calling him "Joseph." Is that his nickname?

2007-04-23 05:30:22

9. Dimelo

Good write up, Cliff. There's still a lot of game to be played.

2007-04-23 05:39:36

10. Sliced Bread

8 Morgan also made an astute observation about Chase Wright early in the game, noting the only pitch Wright was consistently throwing for strikes was his change up.

Morgan was right, and before you knew it, it was BP time for Boston's hitters.

Proctor is also good for what ails the Sox hitters. His 1.2 innings of work looks like this: 16.20 ERA/ .444 BAA/ 3.60 WHIP

In his short career against Boston (25.1 innings) Proctor has a 7.82 ERA/.324 BAA/1.70 WHIP.

2007-04-23 05:40:57

11. Jim Dean

3 Not so cheery under the surface - eh?

The analysis is very slanted to look at Torre's "inspired" moves. Surely I can point that out can't I? Why not mention that he was throwing Proctor for the third night in a row? And to start him against Manny?

5 My problem isn't with the runs they DID score, it's the ones they never had a chance of scoring with Mfhdjlgk and Nieves. That's what burns. We knew they could get by this year with mediocre pitching. But that's only with exceptional offense. A lineup that features those bums isn't one I can take much good from.

I'm sorry but I crowed when those decisions were made that they could very well decide the race. And so far I've seen nothing to forgot that. They lost three games by four runs - every bit of offense mattered.

2007-04-23 05:49:53

12. Knuckles

Coming into this series, I was hoping for a split among the six Sox games this past weekend and next...given the state of the Yankees pitching staff.
I've now amended that hope to 2 out of 6, though taking all 3 from the Sox this weekend would be ideal. I'm glad we got a good # of runs off their 'aces' but keeping 3 games close is no moral victory- if anything, it says to me that we have to leave Boston last night with at least one win.

2007-04-23 05:53:07

13. manila boy

3 Thanks, Cliff, and for the cool-headed analysis. Considering how dinged up the lineup is, it's amazing the Yanks even had the chance to pull each game out.

The game threads over the past few days have been particularly negative and hard to read, what with all the expletives and snarkiness. Glad to hear the world hasn't ended after all.

2007-04-23 05:56:58

14. manila boy

Since I haven't been watching the games, I want to ask: how bad does Melky look at the plate? The comments in the game threads make it sound like he's really struggling.

Would it make sense to send him down, when Matsui comes back, so he can get regular ABs? Then Thompson becomes the fourth OF.

2007-04-23 05:58:19

15. rbj

11 So the Yanks have to/are supposed to score 8 runs every game? I think a 1300 run season would be a record breaker by far.

Far too early to panic, people. Good news is Wang is coming back Tuesday, and I hope Moose isn't too far away either. I'll be enjoying August, when our rotation is full & healthy (Rocket going for win #360) while Beckett & Schill are on the DL.

2007-04-23 06:00:23

16. chrismarz

Can we take any consolation from the fact that Matsuzaka was by no means dominant, and in fact looked pretty ordinary last night?

I believe that we'll get another crack at him next weekend in the bronx. Can't wait to face him again, with Matsui & Jorgie back in the lineup.

More important, having Wang and Mussina back will probably make more of a difference.

2007-04-23 06:05:34

17. Jim Dean

15 Their average going in was what - 6.2 runs a game?

Well, they didn't get that in any of the games.

And me, I'm not panicking. As I've said once or twice before, this race is going to be close. But it's the decisions already made (and somes still being made) that will make the race much closer than it should have been otherwise.

Yanks were at least ten wins better last year. The Sox improved more because the Yanks went on vacation in mid-December.

2007-04-23 06:06:59

18. Jim Dean

16 If the schedule holds up, we also get another look at Chase Wright against him.

2007-04-23 06:20:24

19. rbj

16 Exactly. Matsuzaka had looked pretty durn good against lesser teams, but not against the Yankees' lineup. With us having some decent starting pitching, I think he's vulnerable. As are Beckett and Schill.

I just wish Clemens would hurry up and sign already. He knows he wants to. The question is, do you just go ahead and pre-empt and assign the 7th inning to Proctor, and the 8th to Bruney in his starts?

2007-04-23 06:27:02

20. vockins

I thought it would be a hell of a lot worse considering the Nieves/Mink time, the Karstens/Wright starts, and how the bullpen is working overtime. Hopefully the starters can go the distance during the Tampa series and give everyone a break. I won't hold my breath, but it would be nice.

2007-04-23 06:44:03

21. mehmattski

2 Sending the Melk-man to the bench will also provide quite a few more runs:

Cabrera 66 AB .197/.229/.197

I don't think it's unfortunate at all. I hope he turns it around, but he's rapidly approaching a point at which he is no more than a place holder for Jose Tabata.

2007-04-23 06:44:29

22. AbbyNormal821

7...yeah, what you said! The NY Post is already saying that Steinbrenner is going to have a knipshen fit. Whatever dudes!
16 - yeah, I wasn't overly impressed by him either! He was good...that's about it.
Was it 2004 or 2005 where the Sox took 5 of the first 6 games between them & the Yanks?
There must've been a Sox fan in my apartment building last night (and I live in Queens, for sobbing out loud!) because at one point I heard someone screaming "WOOHOOOO" about a million times. Sure enough, I get back to the TV and those Sox hit those 4 home runs! (I'm going to find my traitor neighbor, and put a bag of flaming poop at their door!)

2007-04-23 06:45:43

23. seamus

so, is this the lineup to expect tonight? we have such a lefty heavy lineup.

Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Hideki Matsui LF
Josh Phelps 1B (one can dream)
Wil Nieves C

2007-04-23 06:52:38

24. seamus

With Posada healthy, I'd like to see this. But I cannot get over the notion that Cano hitting 8th is beyond bizarre.

Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi DH
Hideki Matsui LF
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Josh Phelps 1B

2007-04-23 06:58:52

25. monkeyball

The Ship Be Sinkin', folks. And judging by these boards lately it's sinking into De Nile. At random:

1)Time moving in one direction like it does, Yankee pitching is not going to get any better this year. Maybe Wang comes back and pitches like the solid #2 starter he is, but that's it. Mussina, Petite, Pavano will all be able to share one jersey this year since they will not be on the active roster at the same time. On the back it can say, "Injury Prone Journeyman".

2)This lineup can hit for real. So much so that three lucky fans can hit at the bottom and they'll still score five runs (eg last night). But it's slow and brittle.

3)All the people who saw last night's game and come away thinking "Matsuzaka's not so hot" have evidently never seen a baseball game before. He gave up some runs, hit a few guys, evidently has some problems pitching from the stretch, ok. But all night long he had A+ stuff, and pithced into the 8th inning. It was a vintage Pedro Martinez performance.

2007-04-23 07:01:34

26. seamus

25 don't recognize monkeyball, but sure sounds like a Sox fan who has drunk some serious koolaid. Let us know when you come down from that sugar high!

2007-04-23 07:19:16

27. monkeyball

26 Nah, I'm just a Yankee fan who remembers what a good team looks like.

2007-04-23 07:21:02

28. C2Coke

14 Don't believe every post you've read here in the past few days. Like you said in 13, some of the posts here in the recent games are enough to make a sober person drunk and a drunk person an alcoholic.

Sliced, some of us are counting on you for some comical touch that is sorely missed.

2007-04-23 07:29:16

29. mehmattski

25 To be fair, Pedro Martinez did, at one time, pitch into the eighth inning against the Yankees and have a similar result:

7.1 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

http://tinyurl.com/27q6cn

As for the rest- come on. The Yankees lead the league in runs scored (108) and have three starting pitchers on the DL. Doesn't the fact that they can do that with three fans at the bottom of the lineup instill at least a tiny bit of confidence? And who's slow and brittle, other than Giambi? Damon, Jeter, and A-Rod are all considered plus runners. Abreu leads the team with 4 SB. Slow and brittle was a poor choice of words.

So too was Journeyman. Mussina and Pettitte are "Injury Prone Journeymen?" I don't see where the Journeyman part comes from, given that only one of those pitchers (Pavano) has ever pitched for more than two teams.

And Matsuzaka did have some impressive stretches, striking out Abreu and A-Rod back-to-back with runners on. But as Steve Lombardi noted... any pitcher who allows two screaming line drives from Wil Nieves cannot be the Best Pitcher in the world, as advertised. Not to mention the booming double from Doug Out.

2007-04-23 07:32:52

30. Max Nomad

5 He had his thumb reset on the MOUND. I saw him wince when it happened. Very gutsy.

11 The only thing I agree with is that Torre used Proctor heavily, three games in a row. It wasn't like he didn't throw pitches each time out. He threw an awful lot, great mechanics or not. The rest is way too absolutist.

14 21 I was a supporter of sending down Melky before the season started, but I realized that he doesn't NEED a lot more seasoning. He's not gonna be a great player, but for now he is a solid backup because of his defense and speed, and slightly better than Thompson because of his bat. That said, he pretty much IS a place-holder for Tabata. But batting .197 ain't all that bad, considering Giambi is up to .280 after his long slump. It's so early in the season that a few games fixes an AVG.

19 I wouldn't jump to assuming Clemens is signing with the Yanks. While I've thought that for a while, he HAS said that he'll figure in the standings as well, and the Yanks are losin'. In the end, he probably just wants money and special comforts, but the Sox suddenly have an edge in winning percentage. And the Sox rotation IS NOT THAT GOOD. I think it's comparable to the Yanks. Schil is old and fat, and almost as inconsistent as Beckett. Dice-K might be the best and he's yet to prove it. Maybe if Lester is good when he comes back, but not if he's the Lester of last year. They have innings eaters, like we have Pettitte, Moose, and Wang.

25 Yea, seriously, get of the Kool Aid. Dice-K might end up good, but he's not CLOSE to vintage Pedro.

2007-04-23 07:37:20

31. Max Nomad

Oh, and the starting pitching will be fine enough to make the PS. It's the great bullpen that is being overused that lost two of these games. If not for Mo and Proctor, including that Oakland game, the Yanks would be 11-6 or something, not 8-9.

2007-04-23 07:39:06

32. Bob B

To me, the loss Friday night was the only disappointment. I figured the Rookies were going to get lit up and the bullpen would not be able to stop the bleeding. But Friday made me wonder if Mariano is starting to lose it. He's not really ever done that well against the Sox the past three years and there was a noticeable decline in the velocity of his fastball. Game one was in the bag as far as I was concerned but I guess no lead is too big against the Sox. The meetings later in the season will tell us a lot more of how they really stand, toe to toe when the Yanks are healthy(if that time ever comes).

2007-04-23 07:41:11

33. monkeyball

29 That's my point, Pedro Martinez would frequently get roughed up by the Yankees, but nobody is going to remember it when he's in Cooperstown. If you just look at his line last night, he looks ordinary; if you saw the game, he's a bona fide Ace.

I did not say that any given player on the Yankees was both slow and brittle. I said that as a whole they are slow and brittle. Johnny Damon therefore does contribute, by making up in brittleocity what he lacks in slowness. Also, I did say they could hit so they may lead the leagues in runs, and finish 3rd in the AL East.

The term 'Journyeman' does haven anything to do with travelling. A journeyman is someone who's been around for a while, knows their craft very well, is better than average, but not great. It comes from the Medieval guild system, ie Apprentice, Journyeman, Master.

2007-04-23 07:41:17

34. williamnyy23

Cliff's silver lining analysis is valid because the fact of the matter is the Yankees SHOULD have won 2 of 3 in spite of being at a significant disadvantage. You can't really make light of the relative state of both ball clubs.

Having said that, Jim's point about Torre and Cashman coming up small in this series can't be swept under the rug. We've rehashed the BUC debate to infinity, but my biggest gripe with Cashman is his intent on withholding the Yankees best pitching prospects in favor of guys that at best project to be bottom of the rotation fillers.

The real culprit to me, however, was Torre. His Friday decision making was borderline incompetent. There were so many obvious head scratchers that I think Torre's ability to manage this team needs to be called into question. On Sunday, Torre's mismanagement reared its head in a more subtle way. On the surface, brining in Proctor seems like a reasonable move, but when you examine his work load, it becomes the height of foolishness (why was he pitching in the Indians' blowout?). Some here keep saying "it's the players who failed", but it is Torre who is putting them in vulnerable positions. Proctor isn't alone…everyone jumped on Viz for his Friday blowup, but it shouldn't have surprised anyone. On Thursday, he labored through a 30 pitch inning and looked tired while doing it. So, what does Joe do…he brings him right back. It boggles the mind how Torre simply does not know how to manage a bullpen. Unfortunately, Torre's ineptitude is going to turn a strength into a burnt out weakness.

Injuries tied one hand behind the team's back, so I agree with Cliff that a weekend sweep isn't doomsday. However, Torre (with some help from Cash) tied the team's other hand. Sure, the team should get healthier, but if Cashman doesn't relent on Hughes and Torre doesn't have an epiphany, these issues are going to plague the team going forward.

2007-04-23 07:42:53

35. ric

"And the Sox rotation IS NOT THAT GOOD. I think it's comparable to the Yanks. Schil is old and fat, and almost as inconsistent as Beckett. Dice-K might be the best and he's yet to prove it."

theyve pitched pretty well... they struggled this weekend against the best lineup in baseball... its like having your pitchers pitch three all star games!

2007-04-23 07:48:45

36. williamnyy23

If people want to paint 6 runs in 7 innings as a good performance, then god bless their generosity. Personally, I think Dice-K's performance was not even as good as the numbers indicate. It may be anecdotal, but all the evidence I needed were the ABs of Will Nieves. The Yankees heralded BUC smoked two line drives off Dice-K. Without exaggeration, I don't think I'd have ever seen Nieves make close to solid contact. What's more, Melky and Minky also had very good ABs.

What saved Dice-K in the game was that Abreu seemed completely baffled. Three Ks in the middle of the lineup really hurt the Yankees momentum. Dice-K gets credit for that, but the solid contact up and down the lineup leads me to believe that Matsuzaka may not be an elite level pitcher.

2007-04-23 07:50:20

37. Max Nomad

33 WHAT? First of all, I saw the game fine, and Matsuzaka was gutsy, but puh-leeze. Maybe he's good, but last night sure wasn't an indicator.

And Journeyman may have some medieval roots, but in baseball it means you travel a lot, a la Aaron Small, or even Kenny Lofton, though it is usually used to refer to a lesser player.

34 Totally agree that Torre is not always thinking clearly with the bullpen. He does believe in getting his "trusted" players back out there after they've been hit hard, to build back confidence or something, but he sure is good at using the wrong relievers. I'd love it if he managed a little more agressively, a good start to that idea last night offensively. Besides, I think Phelps will hit righties just fine, and the kid is CLUTCH. Play him!

2007-04-23 07:59:49

38. Max Nomad

35 My assessment was not on the last three games, but overall. Schil is still a good pitcher, but not a consistent ace (just when he needs to be). Beckett has yet to prove ANYTHING. He went to 200 innings for the first time last year, and he did it in poor fashion. I panicked last year when his line through the first 3 starts was 21 IP with a 1.29 ERA, and then he just started sucking, dropping to a 2.54 ERA his 4th start to begin it all. This year, lo and behold, he had a 1.50 ERA through his first 19 IP, and then while his 4th start was not as bad as last year's, he was lit up, and sports a 2.55 ERA.

He's gotta be consistently good against good lineups and without a big lead before I'm convinced. Otherwise he's just current day Randy Johnson (who's good, but nobody in this blog would want him, 200 innings or not). And like Randy, he's a stubborn as a mule and thinks he's better than he is.

2007-04-23 08:01:31

39. Jim Rice

I'm a Sox fan, and would have liked to see more dominating performances from the pitchers-- I was most disappointed by Schilling's performance, and most encouraged by Beckett's. Matsuzaka's game was not great, but he got some big outs and pitched into the 8th, meaning the bullpen didn't have too much time to screw things up. (Of course, anyone who thinks Matsuzaka equals vintage Pedro is crazy, but he could still be very good.)

Anyway, the main reason I'm posting is to pass along these stats, via a poster at Sox Therapy:

Red Sox: 363/454/647
Yankees: 269/325/417

Those are the offensive numbers from the series. One can probably make the argument-- though I'm not certain I would-- that the Sox outplayed the Yankees more dramatically than the final scores indicated.

2007-04-23 08:01:57

40. Chyll Will

25, 27 Okie-dokey :D

But seriously, isn't this a bit too early to deconstruct the team's efforts and pronounce them to be also-rans already? There are entire regions in this nation that either do that out of first nature or don't even aspire to good baseball out of habit. I would be willing to petrose that (if he had the time and inclination) Cliff could pull up an analysis of the teams from the past six years that show the Yanks are a better in-season team (and the most consistent) than anyone, and that less-than stellar starts are a pattern. This almost reminds me of the year when the team started 11-19 and then came ba