Oswalt's been pretty crappy this year other
than his last start. He's given up a lot of homers (17, his career high is 18) which is a result of allowing way too many line drives (15.5%, up from 11% last year). Both of those may be due to not getting ahead on many hitters- he's thrown 60% first-pitch strikes, down from 67% last year and 64% in his career. He's also gone 0-2 on just 16% of his hitters, down from 25% last year and 23% in his career.

Looking at his 2008 Game Log:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/gl.cgi?n1=oswalro01&t=p

He seems to do best when he gets a high number of swinging strikes.

BTW, I hate interleague play, but that is topic for another day.

This is only about the third game I have listened to on the radio, and the first not in the car. He's insufferable.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/interleague/records.jsp

I'm still waiting to hear from those who have a TV feed why/how Singleton has lost his mind.

Maybe I should go back on the phone, the Yankees put together a two-out rally! With some RBIs for Cano!

Cano needs to be jumped on by the older vets. There's no reason why he should be first-pitch swinging at this point unless he's deliberately trying to piss someone in particular off...

27 seems like this crew has been especially bad this series

26 are you having to help pack chyll?

just another awful at-bat from rotten robbie

If Robbie keeps swinging at first-pitches, he's eventually going to lose. If RBI hits like that one simply re-inforce the bad process, well then we can probably forget about Cano returning to 2006 form.

I've been bathing the dog and mowing the lawn.

and we see one of melky's sliding into first role models.

46 enjoy - hopefully you will stay on standby :}

So, that was a difficult 0-run inning for Wang -- has he been struggling, or looking good?

BTW why is it called the boogie down?

Did you like Yankee Stadium? We sent a lot of shout outs to you that day. Sorry the Yanks lost.

Yeah, the trip to the Stadium was great. I read the game thread later that night (thanks for all the shout outs). Everything went great (except the final score). You should take the Stadium tour if you get a chance, it was well worth the 20 bucks.

I think Wang would have been safe anyway.

Full count on Cap.

Fucking interleague play. Fucking National League.

Yay-Rod!

But if it's an ankle, those can take a damn long time - I'm still recovering from a bad one first week of March. And I just want to walk (and maybe run), not pitch.

Too damn bad Kennedy is still lame. What's up with Horne?

Ankle, argh--could miss two starts, could miss two months....

And yes I'm aware there's a zero chance of this happening.

I'd rather just see Giese finish this game.

I mean, coaching does not involve that many decisions--if he costs Wang more than a start or two, that outweighs everything else he's done all year in terms of wins and losses.

156 I blame you. It's because of your spelling. I haven't exactly worked out how yet. Something about 'feat'?

I'm out. I gotta go eat some shrimp...

Get well soon, Wang.

160 In so many ways!

You know, there is a chance it's just a foot cramp or something. That can hurt a lot and go away as quick as it comes on. We should be so lucky.

Seriously, what kind of foot injury does someone get running home?

But I do respect the other points.

That's what I meant earlier. You think any risk is unacceptable? But in that case, you'd have to remove him for a pinch runner. If not, then there is no way to make a rational judgment without knowing what the risk is.

Not only was Wang already at third base before the right fielder had the ball (because it was a 3-2 count and he was running on the pitch), but Johnny Damon was rounding second and was half-way to third. If Meacham had held Wang at that instant, then Damon would have been out.

I guess one could say that Meacham should still hold Wang in that situation and have Damon be tagged out. But with 2 outs and a 3-2 count, everyone is taught from little league to be running as far as they can on the pitch.

Pete Abe is speculating that it could be an Achilles. Even 'speculating' is too strong. He's speculatively wondering whether it might be. Also, he suggests that the replacement pitcher could be McCutcheon, Karstens, or IPK back from the DL.

I also don't get the argument that Pence made a bad throw anyway. As Meacham is sending Wang, he doesn't know what throw will be unleashed. If Pence fires a strike, it could have been a close play. Why you'd send your starter into that scenario is beyond me.

The blame goes on the National League for continuing to play under arcane rules of baseball. No one watches baseball to see pitchers stumble around the basepaths and swing feebly at breaking pitches.

Wang was running at full speed because it was a 3-2, two out situation. Demanding that he suddenly stop at third base would be unexpected, and may have led to an injury as well.

If not Giese, maybe time to get him a cup of coffee, depending on Wang's prognosis.

200 yeah pete used to cover basketball he should know what it looks like when you have an achilles injury

By the way, our team seems to be able to score lots of runs when they aren't trying to score. I'm pretty sure Cano wasn't trying. What does this tell us?

a. Baseball is a ko-an
b. Do or not do, there is no try.
c. All those people who complain about players not caring, not trying, etc., have everything backwards.
d. ________________

or we could call up david robertson for the pen and try giese for a couple of starts

i image IPK goes down to AAA for at least a couple of starts, he might be the long term answer, or it might be Horne

in any case, get well soon CMW, get well soon ...

That is, putting on the breaks is the unacceptable risk.

Oh, right, I see what you mean.

212 Oh, to the contrary! Exaggeration and tragic error in the same post is art.

---------
Those of you in the comments section blaming Bobby Meachem are wrong. Wang was running on the play and there was no play at the plate. He scored without a play even though he got hurt. It was just a freak thing.

Pitchers run almost every day before games and they run hard. Wang runs almost every day, either on his own or with the other pitchers. He just got hurt, it happens.

Unless Wang is Rickey Henderson, there is no way he was already close enough to third base that he couldn't have coasted with a quick stop sign. It's not like Wang was running with his head down with the intention of blowing a stop sign.

I don't see any way that Meacham could have stopped Wang in enough time to avoid the risk of pulling something by putting on the breaks.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2371925637874945895&hl=en

After the play, he was standing with hands on knees, pointing to what looked like his toes. So maybe a stress fracture, or something. i duno.

Instead of coming up with crazy analogies, I'll just simply state that sending your starting pitcher (who ran awkwardly to 2B a few minutes earlier) home on a hard hit single in a game you lead 4-0 is a stupid risk. You don't have any problem taking that chance, or don't think it is a risk at all. Regardless of who is right, Wang could be down for a long time. If I am right, or Meacham was willing to be wrong along with me, Wang wouldn't be on an examining table.

"Run on anything" is a fundamental rule of baseball that you learn when you are five years old. Running on the pitch when the count is 3-2 with two outs is something you learn as soon as your league allows runners to take leads. Departure from this strategy needed to be specifically instructed to all involved before the game. If it was not, then Bobby Meacham is not responsible for Wang's injury.

Of course, I could take your strategy and declare that anyone who doesn't agree with me isn't worthy of discussion!

Ironic, not tragic, maybe mildly exaggerated.

boys, I'm gonna say something that has never before been said on the internets:

it's a tough call--I understand the arguments on both sides.

I didn't say it wasn't worth discussing because you disagree, but because you are using silly exaggerations. When you equate not having your pitcher take extra bases to putting him in a bubble, that doesn't seem to indicate that you want to have a serious discussion.

Seriously, common sense would have allowed you to process the score, hit situation, and player risk instantaneously? So much so that you would have overrulled 100 years of conventional base-running wisdom?

That's not "common sense," that's "logical processing." I disagree with the logic, but even so, you can't expect Meacham to make that sort of call in a split-second. If there was preparation ahead of time instructing Wang about baserunning situations, maybe then common sense runs into it.

Also, "I also happen to think the outcome justifies my position." That's just obviously wrong. If someone claimed that Wang should never throw a slider and a sinker in the same inning, and then he injured himself throwing a sinker after a slider, that would plainly not justify the position; no more does the injury justify yours.

I think you both have good points.

The second part works both ways. If I said the Yankees shouldn't have Wang throw 140 pitches because might get hurt, and then he does, wouldn't you say the philosophy is justified by the outcome? Also, throwing a sinker and slider is fundamental to his performance as a pitcher. Taking an extra base is not.

Apparently Waldman in 'the next segment' will report on Wang. Why not now?!!

"If I said the Yankees shouldn't have Wang throw 140 pitches because might get hurt, and then he does, wouldn't you say the philosophy is justified by the outcome?"

No, of course not. By that one outcome? Of course not.

Anyway, I guess we've done this one to death.

Injury occurred when he hit the third base bag.

OYE

I think this has been done to death, so I'll let it go. Wang could be out for a while and that really sucks, and I don't the injury was just a bad break.

274 Seems like MLB would strongly encourage clubs to have x-ray machines at the stadium.

Come on William, you can do better than that. If you said he shouldn't throw 140 pitches because he might get hurt, you would be backed up by a good deal of research and anecdotal evidence and plenty of articles on the subject. And you would be right even if he didn't get hurt that time--ie, the outcome would not validate the opposing argument.

The same with not sending the pitcher from third, except there is no broad base of evidence on the topic (as far as I know). The fact that one player got hurt in one case does not really prove anything, and so it doesn't go very far at all to validate any particular argument.

Now, I would have been much more impressed if you (or anyone else) had said something before the injury happened: "Hey, i sure hope they are careful with Wang on the bases here with a 2-0 lead" (or similar). Otherwise, it just sounds like after-the-fact griping.

It doesn't mean anything because was sitting back watching the game and not participating in the game thread, but as soon as Wang reached base, I thought to myself that they'd better have him take it easy. When he stumbled into 2B (and Kay and Singelton discussed about how porrly he looked running), I further thought that the only way he should score would be on a gapper. This isn't a second guess for me...it is something that I thought beforehand, and which I think Meacham or the entire staff should have as well.

282 if it makes you feel any better i am not getting the yes broadcast on ei anymore - they cut it right after the game - no kim jones even

obviously a lot of diasgreement on the "why" - but i think we can all agree that an otherwise really good road trip has a long shadow cast over it - here's hoping for the best case scenario

"I feel sore. The doctors say I have to go to get an MRI tomorrow.Of course I'm disappointed. And on Tuesday, when I know more, I will talk."

Also, Girardi said he would "be shocked" if Wang makes his next start.

Basically: Hard sayin', not knowin'.

Look, I'm not trying to get cross-ways with you. It's just that even Peter Abraham -- a newspaper reporter -- has referred to JD Drew as "Nancy" Drew and I doubt his newspaper reprimanded him.

I'm still having trouble imagining fracturing my foot by rounding third base.

He hurt himself with a too-long awkward step onto the plate looks like. Bad luck. Period. This was nothing close to a 'play at the plate' it was a cruise control run to be scored.

Frustration and regret at a possibly bad injury are only marginal excuses for ranting at Meacham here. Not on this play, anyhow. Remember: 3-2 pitch. Just keep remembering it.

In happier news, the Yankees won a 2-1 pitching duel, an 8-4 game and a blowout. They just might be coming around and winning all sorts of games.