Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
The Yanks can get an easy series win tonight of Mike Mussina can pick up where he left off in Toronto. Moose returned to the rotation with 5 2/3 shutout innings last Wednesday. Of course he walked three, struck out only one, and got a great deal of help from his defense, but considering how quickly things went all kablooey on him and the resulting jolt to his confidence, it's not impossible that a few innings of good fortune could turn things around just as quickly by confirming his belief that he does in fact still know how to pitch.
Opposing Moose will be Jon Leicester, a 28-year-old righty who had a solid rookie season in the Cubs bullpen in 2004, but pitched his way off the team the following April, struggled in the triple-A rotation, was flipped to the Rangers that winter, lost the 2006 season to a knee injury, joined the Orioles as a minor league free agent, suffered a shoulder injury in May, and has been fighting his way back through the Orioles' minor league system since returning to action in July. Leicester, who posted a 2.29 ERA in 74 2/3 innings across three minor league levels this year (most of them coming in triple-A), will be making his third start for the O's. He beat the Red Sox and Angels in his first two, but for vastly different reasons. Against the Sox he gave up four runs in five innings, but his offense scored eight off Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2 2/3 and went on to a 11-5 win. Against the Angels, however, he turned in an outing that was nearly identical to Mussina's outing in Toronto.
Doug Mienkiewicz, who is 3 for 4 with a pair of walks over the last two games, gets his third straight start today, with Jason Giambi being the odd man out (Matsui plays left, Damon DH).
also, if you look on the right, ian is set to pitch saturday.
I don't think Minky deserves anything. He's made some nice plays, which is what he's supposed to do, but we need to avoid the siren's song--he's just not that good and the more he runs out there, the more his bat will be exposed.
Maybe, but their pitching not the best, with starters who often do not go deep and a BP weak in middle relief (and especially tonight, with Mo, Viz, Joba, and Farnsworth [ack] not available). They need, in general, to score a lot to win. To think that they can sacrifice two of their better bats on a given night and expect the rest of the line-up to "carry' the Minky's is flawed startegic thinking; indeed, it's much of what got the team into such a deep whole at the beginning of the year.
What's the deal -- is Leicester throwing really well, or is it URP syndrome?
I know the O's suck, but Moose is terrific.
34 Second. Would love to see some 'Dorf, see what he's made of
You could have done that at the beginning of the game.
STOMP STOMP STOMP. Baltimore = Tokyo.
We're riding this Hoss to another championship.
Must. Resist. Innuendo.
DET 4 CLE 4
Pop that Cherry, Captain!
0.1 IP, 4 ER
2.0 IP, 0 ER
2.1 IP, 1 ER
2.0 IP, 0 ER
3.0 IP, 3 ER
1.2 IP, 0 ER
Following the pattern, he should give up some runs this time out. His performance in the American League thus far has been... ahem... Rocky...
That's almost as good as Yare Yur-Yens.
Sounds like a flavor of ice cream.
Mmmmm, ice cream.
Tribe: 4 runs on 3 hits.
I just tuned in to MLB.TV a few minutes ago to hear Kaye say: "Rocky Cherry on the mound". This had me baffled for quite a while.
Remember earlier when we were Bantering about 'great dirty' baseball names? I guess Rocky Cherry and Dick Burns should be considered a tandem.
Next stop is 250.
I mean, even 'Moonunit Cherry' wouldn't have been as bad.
118 I'm thinking he didn't get that first name from his parents. Unless they really loved John Denver?
Here's to hoping we go up to 4-1/2 over tonight.
I think maybe the fact that the Orioles are planning their Fall vacations may have helped.
K/9 = 9.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Cherry
I used to make the same mistake when I worked for the CIA. So embarrassing.
Man, it would be great if he was really back.
I like having a 6 man rotation.
Everyone stays fresh, no one is overworked.
Maybe after we clinch, we move IPK/Moose to the BP to give the BP a little rest going into the PS?
So the thing to do is get all of the cold into, say, Dougie, then bench him.
Ya know...
these days...
it seems every player is named Cabrera.
http://tinyurl.com/yvykgp
reed vs gagne is an epic battle of horrid facial hair
That balances out Okajima being worn out.
Sox will have an easy time of winning this game once they get past the Big Hurt's spot in the lineup.
We have to score ten runs/game to break 1000, so keep piling it on, boys.
I really hope good Moose sticks around for, oh, another 6 weeks or so.
And predictably the next guy got a base hit, and the pinch runner moved up one base.
Oh well, the funny quirks of scoring rules.
177 Just one more run to go!
I almost hesitate to bring up music here, you guys are way over my heads--I'm like Manny Ramirez and hitting: hear song, like song.
Yay! Gagne just walked in the tying run! This may work out for the Jays yet.
Yay! Jays!
This is a very good night for me.
Oops. Tek grounds out to 1st. One out.
One out!
But one thing's in the bag: Eric Gagne still sucks. So that's a very good evening when you combine it with a big win for the Yankees. And a loss for the Tigers?
Two out in Toronto . . . (crossing fingers)
(Lugo homers. I figure everyone here is also tracking that game, though.)
uh oh, Lugo just homered.
BOSTON SUCKS!
BOSTON SUCKS!
BOSTON SUCKS!
Boston 36-15
Baltimore 25-27
Toronto 24-27
New York 21-29
Tampa Bay 21-29
September 19, 2007
Boston 90-62
New York 87-64
Toronto 76-75
Baltimore 64-86
Tampa Bay 63-88
So much for Detroit.
I have nothing against Ellsbury, myself. I'm really delighted about Gagne, though.
The Mutts down by 2 in the 9th.
After tonight, we should be 3.5 games ahead of them, for best team in NY.
15 appearences, 14.0 innings
9.00 ERA
23 hits
2+ WHIP
3 blown saves.
Sleep well, banterers.
And of course great big thanks to:
Moose!
Scrabble!
Going... going... GAGNE!!!
God, I love this team.
btw, how do you directly respond to a previous posting?
Here's a historic collapse on the part of the Mets AND the Red Sox!
I'm ordering some shirts & hats as soon as the budget allows it.
But here is the Red Sox upcoming sched:
at Tor: Tavarez vs. Litsch ----> Pick em -- Bos could lose
at Tampa: Beckett vs Kazmir ---> Pick em -- Bos could lose
at Tampa: Matsuzaka v Sonnanstine ---> Dice-K should win but which Dice K shows up???
at Tampa: Schilling vs Jackson ---> Schilling should win, though he is due to have a bad game since he has pitch several good games in a row
Then at home, Oakland for 2 games and Minnesota for 4 games.
With a bit of luck, the Sox could go 5-5 in the next 10 games.
Now the Yankees should be able to go 7-4 in the next 11 games and win the division.
But given what I have heard Torre say on the radio. If the Yanks clinch the wild card, they will rest everyone. So realistically, the Yanks won't win the division.
It just would be real nice to keep that division streak going. And to have the Red Sox have another collapse.
"As far as I know, my son's deal with the Yankees expires this year, then he's gonna become a free-agent", Jorge Posada Sr. said about his son current situation at the Major Leagues.
According to his statements, Posada doesn't think of moving because he intends to sign a three-year deal for $ 36 million. "Jorge belongs to the Yankees, he's played for the team
Give it to him
Better?
"I wouldnt consider it a choke from 14 and a half, more like 5.5 It hasnt been 14 for months."
Bottom line is getting into the playoffs.
Closing the gap to 3 games or under is a bonus.
Winning the division? That would be absolute paradise.
1 out.
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