150:1 Baby!
vr, Xei

I say the Yanks sweep the upstarts.

Upon gazing upon the manliness that is Mr. Giambi and his mustache, the Rays of Sunshine will simply give up. 2 game sweep, my friends. 2. Game. Sweep.

dag, ESPN says Cubs get Harden.
break up da Cubs!

Now, let's stomp these Rays Of Light.

nice pre-series write-up as always cliff.

well the only two of my pre-season thoughts that have panned out by the asb is the rays being for real and moose having a nice season - both have been interesting, with only the latter being good for the yanks.

i know the spot one hits in the order is overblown, but if there is the slighest chance robi is more comfortable in the 7th spot, i am okay with leaving him there.
though i am not looking forward to betemit flailing at pitches from the right side, so let's hope to avoid that one.
but i do hope to see the yanks few speedy guys, obviously particularly gardner, try to get on base against kazmir and put some pressure on him - as well as that 471 slg% version showing up tonight.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs have acquired pitcher Rich Harden from the Oakland Athletics in a six-player trade, a day after the rival Milwaukee Brewers landed CC Sabathia.

The Cubs will receive the right-handed Harden and righty Chad Gaudin for pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson, and minor leaguer John Donaldson.

Harden, scheduled to be a free agent after the 2009 season, is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts this season.

The oft-injured righty missed a month earlier this season because of a right shoulder strain. It was his sixth trip to the disabled list in his six-year career.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Does Girardi have access to splits? Melky is batting .216 as a righty, so naturally he is in line to get the most ABs.

4 That's a big move. Talk about seeing your Sabathia. Isn't this the game the Yankees and Red Sox are supposed to be playing?

hey, Cliff, fwiw, if you check out RLYW, they have #s that the Rays are 22 (twenty-two!) runs better defensively already at SS (Bartlett being around average, the guys he replaced being terrible....)

Betemit is just utterly terrible against lefties--we need a RH bench bat, but instead, we carry Moeller--hard to figure....Think the Mariners would basically give us Sexton if we ate some $? He still hits lefties...

6 wow, that's big. and yet, not big enough, imho, for harden AND gaudin.

Wow--does anybody the As get in that trade have a 50% chance to be an above-average MLB player?

If they get even 10 more starts out of Harden this season, that's a hell of a deal

....AND Gaudin? Frankly, it's not enough for Harden alone.

I mean, I would've offered IPK, Melky and any one minor-leaguer for Hardin alone....

10 and they threw gaudin in on top and he's been as good as gallagher this year ... a real head-scratcher from beane ... just weird to think that this was the best deal he could get, especially this far before the deadline.

10 Gallagher is a well thought of arm and Murton moonlighted as a top prospect. He is an Aa's kind of player, so I am sure they they think he'll blossom with playing time.

As good as Harden is when healthy, he has been on the DL six times. That fact surely lowered his trade value. I was kind of hoping the Yankees could steal him in a similar deal. He isn't a great bet to stay healthy, but he represents that kind of crap shoot that I think the Yankees need to turn it around.

frankly, i owe everyone whose trade deals i've insulted over the past couple of weeks a coke, i wouldn't have believed that brian sabean would make a deal that looked this bad, let alone beane ... especially not after the deals he made this spring.

of course, there was the tim hudson deal, that one looked pretty stinky at the time and even stinkier with hindsight (seriously, charles freakin' thomas???)

Speaking of big news, it was reported that Phil Hughes might not pitch until September. Not only does that not bode well for this year, it also means 2009 will be another work in progress year with an innings limit. Every time I read an injury update on Hughes, it feels like a Pavano flash back.

13 right, but the cubs were doing nothing with murton and the pressure's on hendry to do something to answer the brewers. the only way that this makes sense for beane is if he really has a gut feeling that harden's not going to stay healthy until the trade deadline ... otherwise you wait and let the pressure build on everybody else.

in any case, the nl central race just got a whole lot more interesting this week ...

15 well, at least it sounds like phil wants to be healthy and pitching for the yanks ...

16 Waiting to trade Harden has risk though. He has pretty much been one pitch away from the DL his whole career. Gallagher and Murton are not insignificant players.

Swinging at a pitch a good foot off the plate is not what you need from your leadoff hitter.

18 Gallagher + Murton= IPK + Melky, though, more or less...

No matter how badly we need a win, Posada does NOT catch, meaning we lose Giambi or another significant bat. I guess that tells us just how bad Po's shoulder is.

And Betemin is better against LHP then Giambi?
And Melky leading off against a LHP? What a waste.

And there he goes.

18 and i don't see gallagher as much more than gaudin. murton? well, who knows what murton is, he's been jerked around by the cubs so much. what has that done his development? he can't really hold down CF and nobody really thinks he has the bat to excel at a corner spot. and he was blocked. and he was down in the cubs plans. who knows? i hope i'm wrong, i'd like to see murton do well, since he was so mishandled by the cubs, but i think beane could have gotten more for his chits.

1-2-3.
Ugly-Ugly-Ugly.
Ugly.

20 Going into the season, I might agree with that assessment, but Gallagher, who is younger than IPK, has better "stuff" than Kennedy. I really think Kennedy hurt his trade value by being so awful and probably isn't viewed as highly. Gallagher, meanwhile, has probably improved upon his preseason rankings.

On the offensive side of the ball, Melky has value on defense, but I am sure the A's value Murton's patience at the plate. Even though Melky is only 23, his track record could now be scaring off suitors.

21 Get used to Posada not being behind the plate.

22 Not sure why you are so down on Gallagher. He has a mid-90s fastball with a very good curve. The knocks on him are command, which is something a 22-year old can learn. In many ways, his arsenal is similar to Phil Hughes, but without the polish.

since I'm forced to depend on John fucking Sterling, did Melky "drift back" or did he make a great "running catch" "against the wall"? both together seem rather unlikely...

26 The ball drifted, but Melky did make a nice catch, albeit one he should make.

It sounds like the Rays are set for a long run of being very good.

Kazmir looks unhittable...the real unhittable, not the kind that awful lefties and mediocre righties look when facing the Yankees' hitters.

wow, Kazmir is off to a great start. 5Ks in 2-IPs.
vr, Xei

Man, Kazmir's good, but have the Yankees come back from the off day yet?

28 I think they still need one or two of their prospects to emerge to cement that statement.

4-5-6
Fugly-Fugly-Fugly.
Ugly(2)

who are these hackers? it's like we're the Angels or Twins, minus the luck....

I don't see where Girardi has many options against left-handed pitching. If Posada can't catch, then he has to play a light-hitting catcher. Cabrera and Betemit have always been better as left-handed hitters.

This is yet another example of Cashman doing a poor job with the construction of this roster. Once it became obvious that Ensberg and Duncan weren't helping, Cashman hasn't been able to supply one capable righty bat.

It shouldn't be that difficult to acquire a Kevin Millar caliber player. (I'm not saying that Millar is necessarily the answer, but I'm just using his name to indicate the caliber of player.)Did the Yankees even talk to the Cubs about Murton, or the Cardinals about Phelps, or the Tigers about Thames? There are some decent role-playing righty bats out there that shouldn't cost an arm and a leg in return.

All right, I'm here now, this hacking must cease immediately.

35 Agree. Cash doesn't seem to like to work the edges. This team could really use any kind of RH bat - there are enough holes he could be a corner IF, OF, even a DH-only... I've advocated Josh Phelps because he could replace Moeller and be the emergency third catcher - if you're behind he could pinch hit in the 8th maybe and catch the rest of the game.

Before I say I'm unimpressed with the return Beane got for his TWO pitchers, anyone know the contract status of Hardin and Gaudin?

No bunt? Interesting.

At least Molina is putting together an at bat.

39 Score one for Girardi.

Molina power! he's actually a non-worthless hitter vs. lefties...

30. Jinx!
vr, Xei

See guys, grind out an at bat, good things happen. You remember, right?

Now the bunt?

42 721 OPS; 565 (!) vs righties...

The Yankees have to score here...I would absolutely try the squeeze.

47 I would've with Gardner...

Ummm .... I'm late to the party .... where is Michael Kay tonight (not that I miss him).

47 i would have tried the squeeze, isn't gardner supposed to be a good bunter?

50 and lord knows i have no faith in melky to manage anything

48 So would I...the Yankees have had so many situations that seemed ideal for the squeeze, but Girardi has never tried it. With Gardner and Melky prime K candidates, I would have thought this would be the right time. Girardi's sit on his hands approach (and his poor lineups) continue to cost this team.

Melky is really really reaching, swinging entirely off his front foot, arched over like crazy. Ugly.

2nd and 3rd, 1 out. I think Melky should swing harder.

we don't score here....leading off Melky against a lefty is borderline insane....

51 yeah, like that.

re: Cubs/A's trade .... the A's should have gotten Pie and Rich Hill at least ....

Good God!

Thank you!

YES! the Captain backs up his rep...

I remember this Derek Jeter!

phew. forget the team, I needed that hit.

gotta get on here Bobby...

I swear we've had more outs at the plate in any given month this year than all of last season.

Not to pick on Jeter, especially after he got the big hit, but he has really slowed down.

oh, man.....A-Rod on deck....

66 And apparently not directing the runner. Did anyone notice Aarod waving Jeter to the outside in the replay? I didn't even see him in the screen.

According to mlbtraderumors.com:

"Perrotto wrote that (Jack) Wilson is the Dodgers' primary trade target. He says "a Dodgers source indicated that Los Angeles might be willing to deal center fielder Matt Kemp."

How about the Yankees throw something together and get Kemp? How about trade Betemit back for him.

68 That would be insane.

Moose got away with one there to Pena...way to--doh! nice hop?!?! What the hell was that?

Betemit is good for something!

71 the sad thing is that Betemit is by far our best bench player....

I don't think the Dodgers have any intention of dealing Kemp; the LA media has a weird hate-on for him, but there's no actual evidence that they wanna deal him...

68 if colletti trades kemp for wilson (even if the trade expands and he gets bay back), i'm popping some popcorn and heading over to Dodger Thoughts for the evening!

Matt Kemp for Jack Wilson????? OMG!

70 Ya MOOSE is pitching pretty good today, that Moose, who's pitching today...

Matt Kemp is not a "ballplayer."

So why has every online source of info for this game come to a dead stop?

76 ESPN conspiracy?

How did the Yankees make the third out in the third?

"eight inches, ten inches, whatever", says Sterling--Susan doesn't take the bait...

78 Jeter thrown out at plate!

I don't see why Wilson (and I'm probably one of his biggest bantering fans) ever faces lefties, especially over The Stash. (OK I know, but will deny deny deny.)

Can we call up Ben Broussard already??

80
OK, from what I could tell, the Yankees third out was the result of an Executive Order.

again, singleton is extolling the virtues of hitting .250 ... kenny, kenny, it ain't 1976 anymore ...

76 Probably because the person inputting the plays screwed up the play at the plate and now they are in the process of undoing the error.

84 Giambi is hitting around .250. Singleton's point is still valid. Batting average means little...OBP and SLG tell much more.

86 except he was talking about cano (whose triple splits at .250 is that weak)and he wasn't really making that distinction, he was simply talking about batting average.

What are the restrictions on a Player to be Named Later? Is there a shortlist agreed upon by both teams as to whom it can be?

Ohayo Gozaimasu! up 2-0 on the TB Rays, nice start to the morning. the Cubs really got Harden?? got to check ESPN for the details on that..Big Z and Harden 1 and 2 in a series..ouch..

87 he was saying that once you get to a .250ish BA that's "respectable".

87 From what I heard he was...he specifically mentioned that there were lots of guys who hit .250 and knocked in 100 runs "because a lot of those hits left the ballpark". If anyone understands the value of .OBP over BA, it's Singleton, who was kind of a "walk" pioneer in the free swinging 1970s.

Hey Jonny's hitting like Manny . . .

and 67 pitches for Pettite after 5 . . .

88 Yep...usually an agreed upon list from which to choose.

Kazmir has got nothing. Take him out, Gardner.

Put him in a body bag.

Did you hear those numbers on Molina? That's insane.

Ha ha, a throw over for Molina. I bet Jose's flattered!

91 that quote's still a bit of a non-starter, since an quoting rbi amount doesn't really speak to the concept of a low ba, high obp, high slg player like jack cust ... or jason giambi ... whom i haven't heard singleton make the ".250 is now respectable" argument about. i've heard him make make that argument twice now, both times about cano. and cano isn't the type of player who can hit .250 and be very useful.

I like this Gardner kid . . .

speed kills! you watch yer ass, hacky mcheadfirstslide!

Man... Gardner seems to be up to full speed in 2 steps.

and Sterling tells me that Melky's bunt is "beautiful"--your job is not "play anticipation" man, Sterling, you dumbass...

103
IT IS SHORT!
IT IS DEAD!!!
it is foul.

101 hacky mcheadfirstslide, you're killing me. Who are you, Chyll Will?

3 at bats, 3 swinging k's on high fastBALLS.

pine time calleth, hacky.

Flash pulling no punches on Melky. Good.

It's as if Melky WANTS to get sent down or traded...

107 yeah, i'll give him that. he's been very consistently calling hacky out for his horrid approach in the games i've watched.

106 Trouble is - who's going to replace him? With no Damon, there's no alternative, save frigin Justin Christian, who I don't have the stomach for.

the point of a batting order is for your best players to bat more over the course of the season: putting Melky Cabrera in the lead-off spot does not exactly demonstrate an understanding of this principle....

110 Coco Crisp?

108 Two nice catches tonight, however...

112 Bite your tongue

110 oh, i know nothing's going to happen until damon returneth, but gardner's post-ab stock is rising, while melky's is ... well, not.

I missed the Jeter play at home. Should he have scored?
Oops... I recognize that guy.

110 Trade for Matt Kemp ;-)

115 It's now Melky.OB

Melky can't advance the runners and swings at cheese, Cap hits into a DP. Just another day at the office for the O.

(and yes, I know Cap got a big hit earlier, it just drives me crazy how many times this type of inning has played out this season)

That's a big missed opportunity. Not only had Girardi's stupid decision to bat one of his worst hitters against lefties in the lead off spot come back to bite him, but it appears as if the coaching staff has better things to do than actually teach Melky how to bunt. Missed opportunities have been a 2008 Yankees trademark, and part of the blame seems to be a lack of preparation.

113 two catches gardner makes (in all likelihood). melky's not a great CF (except for the arm) he doesn't get great jumps and his routes aren't that good either. he generally makes the plays he should, but he also has a tendency to make them more difficult than he should.

117 I wonder what it would take to get Pie or Kemp. I wonder if trading Abreu plus a minor league pitcher would get it done (not that the Cubs need a RF, but just in general). I think the Dodgers would jump at that, and be surprised when Abreu isn't an upgrade over Kemp even right now...

121 Get out of my head!

115 It's nice to be excited about Gardner, but he did enter the game with an OPS of .351. It seems like the Banter is turning Gardner into David Eckstein. I know he is gritty, but ...

man, i do enjoy a good andy start.

120 I agree. The coaching staff and Girardi must take some of the blame for Melky. With JD injured, it's tough. I would bring up JC (for a week), send Melky down, and do nothing but drill him on fundimentals, bunting, plate discipline and maybe get himto choke-up a bit.

121 The last time I checked, Melky rates very, very highly in most defensive metrics. I don't get all this Gardner love at the expense of Melky. Heck, Gardner is actually older than Melky too!

126 Hell, why not just let AJax get his feet wet.

124 It's not that Brett is so good, as much as Melky is so bad. When you consider his speed, it seems time to swap them (when JD comes back).

124 eckstein's career obp is .355 and his ops+ is 89. same as melky's actually. if gardner can hit like an average eckstein season, he's a better player than melky ... or at least this year's current version of hacky mcheadfirstslide. as i have repeatedly said with gardner, who knows if he can hack it up here, but he deserves a shot, because i think he's a better fit for this team's needs, even as an ecksteinian hitter.

129 Yes, but Gardner has been even worse in his short 30 PA stint. I know he has speed, but so do Tony Womack, Michael Bourne and Juan Pierre.

130 If Gardner can hit like Eckstein, that means he's also be hitting like Melky, so why does that make him a better hitter than Melky? Gardner has shown very little in his short stint to make me so anxious to install him as a starter.

Gardner's approach seem so much better. Gardner's making outs, and has on occasion been overpowered, but he at least seems to be having good at bats. Melky, by contrast, seems to be giving at bats away cheaply and carelessly.

Pettitte has to bear down here...the Yankees have squandered chances so he has no margin for error. With the middle of the order up, the game could be decided here.

I'm not exactly in love with Gardner just yet, but Melky has been incredibly useless on offense these days...Womack levels of uselessness. I'm just gritting my teeth and hoping the ASB allows him to clear his head.

133 I agree that he is more patient, but also doesn't take a full swing. I don't know how productive he can be slapping balls the other way. Of his three hits so far, only one has been struck well.

Major league pitching truly amazes me. I mean, I'm not too bad at it as an abject amateur, but it seems like a miracle that balls ever miss bats.

132 it makes him a better player than melky once defense and speed (and high SB rate) are accounted for. and, if he hits for the same ops+ as melky, it will be obp heavy, which, well, is more important, especially with that speed, especially in the 9 slot.

and frankly, melky's not shown me much since may to keep him as the starter, other than inertia.

135 But didn't RLYF do an analysis showing that Melky's defense was so good, he has pretty much been break even this year? If the Yankees had a clear better choice, I'd agree with the anti-Melky crowd, but I haven't seen anything from Gardner to suggest he is the answer.

Tremendous jump

re: Melky vs Gardner, the situation has actually made this pretty easy: They both start until Damon is ready to come back, then you decide. It should be enough time to get some kind of read on Gardner.

131 not a Juan Pierre fan? but he "sets the table" and is the "sparkplug" who "gets things going"...

122 Colletti + Torre + Abreu = You never know

I wonder if Cashman would be interested...

142 see 114

141 spot on.

meanwhile, NICE PITCH ANDY!!!

139 I don't think Brett is the answer. I just don't think you can let Melky have such bad ABs and continue to play him. Maybe I'm being parental, and I don't want to 'punish' Melky, but something has to change with him.

139 I don't think Gardner's a long-term solution either. But he does seem to be making some things happen. As a stop gap, his speed is intriguing. Melky seems to be going backwards, actively regressing before our eyes.

138 Again, RLYW did an analysis showing Melky as the third best CF'er in the league on defense. He has been so good with the glove, that it has almost offset his very poor hitting. So, if we factor in defense, I think the advantage goes to Melky.

148 With his speed, might Gardner be as good on defense?

Hell of a start by Pettitte and a hell of a play by Jeter!

149 Maybe, but we know Melky "has been" that good. Also, Melky has a + arm, while Gardner's is solid at best.

Great play by DJ...this is the kind of the game the Yankees will need from him until Matsui and Damon get back.

OK cap, attaboy! In fairness that's the play Jeter gets overrated on, but F it: Boo Ya!

Farns or Veras in the 8th?

Great start by Andy.

152 That was a great play. He was well into the OF. Credit where credit is due. Was Andy pumped after that play or what?

153 Good question - and a nice time to praise Girardi's BP management. He still does some of the orthodox baseball crap, like no closer tied on the road, and no closer at the highest leverage point even if that's the 7th. But besides that, I think he's been very very good. The relievers have been mentioning it in their interviews, but there are no roles in the BP besides Mo (and maybe Hawk as the towel boy), and Girardi has been getting yeomans work from the likes of Farns, Veras, Edwar, etc.

Okay, I don't mean to project bad things, but as nice as the 2-0 lead is, and as nice as it was to get rid of Kazmir early, the Yankees have had some horrible at bats (Melky thrice, Betemit twice), and are still in a vulnerable position.

Mariano was owned Upton so far in the young guy's career. I can recall at least three occasions where Upton whiffed, totally over-matched against Mo. But Upton is swinging a really hot bat. And if the Yanks don't score some extrie runs, looks like he'll face Mo. I just hope nobody is on base when he gets up. It'll be a good test to see where he's at.

148 as of june 21st, SG has him at -8 pBRAA and +4RS, for a total of -4, which places him tied for 10th among eligible AL CF's.

so his glove takes back half of the value his bat gives away.

Andy's era back under 4....100 pitches, 71 strikes--is he coming out for the 8th?

156 Who says Andy isn't going the distance?

156 Actually, Upton has been really struggling (.637 OPS over his last 28 games). Of course, you could probably argue that only means he is overdue.

Your main point is valid, however. The Yankees have not had many good ABs, but then again, they don't really have many good hitters in the lineup.

155 I agree completely. Girardi's bullpen management is the last thing I worry about.

151 Right, but its not like we have nothing to judge Gardner on. Only 30 ABs at the MLB level, so I won't look at those numbers . . . but his #s in the high minors translate very nicely. BP's Davenport Translations take his minor league numbers and give us .279/.401/.429. That's not what he should hit in the bigs right now*, but if he could manage a .350 OBP, and I believe he could**, he's immensely more valuable than Melky and his Neifi-tastic sub. 300 OBP over the last 2 months, defense be damned.

*Davenport explains: "Everybody, from every park, is translated to the same underlying
standard. Hitters go to a league that hits .270/.330/.420 with a .260 EqA"

**FWIW, the average AL line this year is .264/.332/.410, awfully close to the translated standard, so I think expecting Gardner to manage a .350 OBP is very reasonable.

159 Is he going for speed?

160 Roger that; the hitters Alejandro fairly called out both can't hit lefties at all.

157 Exactly...Melky's glove has been very good this year, so Gardner would have to hit much better than he has to warrant taking over the job.

164 Or chase 'em down as well - and I don't think that's a stretch.

160 we are playing three bench guys tonight (Molina, Gardner, Betemit)--I don't think this team can afford to EVER play three bench guys...

What kind of hat was Suzyn Waldman wearing? And fuck yeah, Pettitte!

162 He's rolling. His 5th 1-2-3 ??

I know you go to Mo for the 9th, but it would be nice if someone other than Roy Halladay could pitch a CG once in awhile.

eg: Molina should basically play only against lefties and late innings; Betemit against righties and late innings...

161 Gardner is a 24 year old in the minors. I wonder what numbers 23-year old Melky would put up in the minors, and then to what that would project? Besides, Melky already has a career .OBP of .334 in the majors, so I think that counts for more than a projection about what Gardner would do.

167 Here little hair hat there

http://www.stanthecaddy.com/hair-hat-discuss.html

BTW: for those wondering why Giambi sat, my guess is because his career numbers vs Kazmir flat out suck:

.125/.176/.125, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 singles, 16 AB

Besides, the Porn Stache of Doom is 38; what better time to give the 'Stache a night off? Seems pretty hot and humid in the Bronx tonight . . .

Andy!--114 pitches, 8 is enough...I'd send him out if he was under 105, but not here--

165 So basically, Gardner might be as good as Melky running down balls..and he might be as good as he is with the bat. Again, I don't see why that warrants taking Melky's job.

Sit that man!

Take that Melky haters!! That's my boy!

167 Maybe she is a whirling dervish in training?

http://www.sln.org.uk/re/images/whirlingDervish/dervish19bw.jpg

Redemption for Melkawitz!

The Gardner contingent (myself included) just lost the debate (for one evening at least).

good god! ok, I'll allow Sterling surprise on that one, given the situation...

Like we've been saying, Melky suxorz

172 I don't think it was a bad decision to sit Giambi against Kazmir...with Monday's day off, I am sure Jason will benefit from the back-to-back.

164 only if melky has a couple more aprils in his bat. which i'll gladly take. but he's not playing like a -8 yearly total player right now. he's much worse.

hahahah. i could take this post back but i won't. well done melky, no golden sombrero for you!

Some more platoon players, at least a RH 4th OF, could really help Melky (especially). My kingdom for Reed Johnson and Kevin Millar...

170 I don't know, but I'd like to find out.

Let me be clear - I think Melky is the better player in the end, and much more likely to have a better career than Gardner, because he got to the majors and preformed reasonably well at age 21. I do think Melky will bounce back.

BUT - he's been lost at the plate for over 2 months now. And while his career OBP is .334, the track record is:

21 - .360
22 - .327
23 - .312

Here's OPS+:

21 - 95
22 - 87
23 - 78

Those numbers are going the wrong way. Melky ought to be getting better. That he isn't suggests something is wrong. Hence, why not try Gardner?

183 Melky has been awful lately, but we have seen him have long stretches at league average or better, and his defense has improved so much to the point that he may actually be among the best in the game. Absent a clear alternative, I don't want to pull the plug on a 23-year old who still has potential, especially not for a 24-year old slash and bunt type.

173 Ditto. No reason to let him throw 125+ pitches. No way Girardi does that. Mo for a stat-padding Save.

184 The Yankees do desparately need a RH bat and someone like Millar seems as if it would be a perfect fit.

mommy, can i watch this team play EVERY night???

Didn't it look like Jeter slid into home and then just looked DEAD tired, and old?

187 it's edwar time.

187 Oops. Here comes Farnsworth. This game situation has A-Bomb written all over it.

bring in the RHP and we get happy!

Looking at bb-ref, our lefties hit lefties fine; it's our righties who, relative to league, can't hit lefties for shit: 76sOPS+

C'mon Alex!

187 Let Edwar get the 9th.

186 I'm firmly in the camp that there's no overwhelming reason to bench Melky for someone not much better than him, and a year older. Gardner is a nice 4th OFer type with pinch runner game-changing speed. I like him as a bench guy.

188 Kevin Millar has been a perfect fit for 2+ years running. Do you know how painful it is to type that.

Poor swing on the first pitch, A Rod reaching...

190

A-Rod kept Jetes up til 3 am last night playing Wii ...

190 My wife said the same thing.

Farns for the ninth...

185 If you agree that Melky has more talent and will likely wind up with a better career, the question should be, why would you try Gardner?

Drat.

Alright Giants, time to take Timmy Lincecum out behind the barn and shoot him.

C'mon Jorge!

190 dude, you're so literary!--cue the voice of Howard Cosell: "the aging Je-tah climbs up and heads for the dugout"

Arod is pulling everything...he usually goes into these mini-pull fests before quickly correcting it. Hopefully, he figures it out quickly.

There ya go.

C'MON ALREADY BETEMIT!

200 I think Gardner will make an outstanding 4th OF/PR. His ceiling is probably Brett Butler, which would be great, but not too likely.

Seriously, Minnesota? Seriously? Thanks.

cmon, pad those stats, Betemit...

189 Yes cult, there is a Santa Claus.

188 Would Angelos sanction a trade to Steinbrenner's team though?

Well, at least he put a good swing on it.

The Twins should have won both yesterday and today, but both times they refused to use their better relievers in the 8th inning. Damn it.

185 If you think resting or sending Melky down would help him now and in the future. Let him get his swing right. See if Brett can be lighting in a bottle while the team teeters in contention.

Again, it's all moot (mute?) now, Brett has Damon's slot. And if he can't pair his nice at bats to nice swings on hittable pitches, he'll be gone when JD comes back. I like his at bats, but agree his swings are pretty weak. Just like his book said.

The Twinkies freakin stinkies.

Minny choking for the second night in a row...ugh. It was shaping up to be a really great evening.

C'Mon Robbie!

god damn Twinkies had to come back to earth this week....I hate that team....

Crap...a nice win for the Yankees and then the Sox come back and you realize Ponson is pitching tomorrow.

196 Actually, having Millar, JD and Giambi in the clubhouse might be real good for these guys.

Jeez... Minn leading the Sox 5-2 after 7.5 IP, and then give up 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Sox up 6-5.

195 208 and i think melky will make a wonderful 4th OF. he's got the range and arm to fill in anywhere.

why not try something else?

you can always go back to melky until you can find something better.

200 Having Melky play through not hitting isn't working; the last week doesn't offset the past 2+ months. Having him sit for a week might clear his head, focus him, motivate him, get him back on track. At this point, its worth a shot . . .

Except that, with no Damon and no Matsui, its not happening now, and if Melky keeps hitting, its a moot point.

Robbie is cooking up something good here, I feel it.

221 Frankly, I think they're both 4th OFers, but there's one's got a higher ceiling.

Papsmear in for the Sox.

220 And never used Crain or Nathan, while only letting Reyes face two batters. Gardenhire made the same mistake yesterday when he went to Bass in the 8th. This is what sucks about being in the hole...you have to rely on other teams to do your dirty work.

222 Exactly...it's worth a shot if you have viable options.

222 and it'll be a mute point for us, we'll find something else to banter about ...

Dare I say, that was the best at bat of the season for robbie.

there's the RIPPER I know and love.

ROBBIE THE RIPPER!

I know this guy!

Bobby Meacham is really a horrible third base coach. Good thing Jorge isn't a kamikaze.

I will always contend that Jorgie was a worse, re: more reckless, base runner than Bernie, who was always knocked for his base running.

CANO IS BACK.

any career opportunities you'd care to suggest for Meacham, william?

My kingdom for Larry Bowa

227 like go-go bobby meacham and his indefatigable arm of waving!

234 I hear double-A needs a third base coach.

234 Third base coach for the Red Sox would be a perfect fit.

215 et al

F'in Gardenhire. He sucks. I was at last night's game. Baker baffles the Red Sox for 7 innings, 98 pitches. So with the heart of the order up in a 0-0 game, and Papelbon warming, what does Gardy do? Uses Brian Bass - he of the 55 IP, 9! HR, 18 BB and 22 K. His chief setup guy, Crain, doesn't start to warm up until after the damage is done. Of course Nathan rots on the bench for the save opp that never comes.

Then tonight - 3 run lead, top of the order up, Crain and Nathan sit again, he goes to Guerrier (47 IP, 4 HR but 21 BB vs 33 K). What a frickin' moron.

232 I never had high expectations for Jorge as far as baserunning smarts, given his wheels. Bernie, though, was more baffling to me, given his athleticism...but Bernie was a baffling guy generally.

But yeah, they both suck on the bases.

232 Man I miss Bernie.

Maybe we can trade Melky to LAD for Bowa.

the Molina OPB now above 250!

Nick Punto with a 10 pitch Ab so far... and a bloop single to CF... pastadiving Coco.
Lead off double!

232 Posada's career highlight as a baserunner:

YANKEES 12TH: Velarde struck out; Boggs walked; POSADA RAN FOR BOGGS; BELCHER REPLACED NELSON (PITCHING); B. Williams walked [Posada to second]; O'Neill flied to left; Sierra doubled to left [Posada scored, B. Williams out at home (left to shortstop to catcher)]; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Mariners 5, Yankees 5.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1995/B10040NYA1995.htm

Sac bunt. Man on 3rd, 1 out.

Bernie was absolutely my favorite Yankee...

Jason Kubel up. 1-1 count.

Houston, we have lift-off.

Edwar hitting 93!?...and ballgame!!!

Huge win.

Full count.

Has Edwar's command improved while I was sleeping?

245 I was at that game...the most fun game I've ever attended.

Swinging K for Paps. 2 out.

Edwar to Pete Abraham: "Suck....on...this!"

Bugz!

255 Why not keep Gomez in and squeeze? Against dominant closers, the squeeze play seems like such a potent weapon. This was such a poorly managed game by Gardenhire.

if when a batter strikes out on a nasty fastball, he gets the "gas face" ... when a batter strikes out on edwar's change-up, does he get the "laughing-gas face"???

Minn. loses... Sox win. Shit.

...and the horseshoe seems to have fallen out of the Twins' ass...

I wonder if the Fenway crowd just cheered, because TB lost and the Sox are on the verge of winning - or booed, because the Yanks beat Tampa? I'll bet they booed.

I took the Fenway tour yesterday, which was very neat - but it might as well have been a Yankees history lesson! Half the spiel was about our Bombers.

I'm guessing if one takes the Stadium tour, there is not so much mentioning of the Red Sox.

Oh, and one other thing - I'm no hip hop listener, but I'm pretty sure that Pedroia comes to the plate to the Intro from Dr Dre's "The Chronic".

Mike Lowell uses Sabbath's "Iron Man", which is awesome. I always liked that guy.

241 247 Agreed about Bernie. Even with his sometimes awful instincts and the GOB phase, I loved Bernie.

7 straight 900+ OPS for a CF is freaking awesome.

Man, the Yanks should have signed Beltran...

263 Oh, and never resigned Brosious, Lowell was the up and comer.

Nice win.

266 But can they win the Posnon and Rasner games, which will be the question that dogs the Yankees this summer.

267 oh ye of little faith, don'tcha know that carl pavano threw a BP session today???

239 I was there too. How frustrating that was! An incomplete list of things that I thought Gardenhire did wrong (before the results were manifest, i.e., not second-guessing):
1. Pitching to Manny.
2. Pinch-hitting for Kubel with the bases loaded.
3. Not trying a steal or hit-and-run with Castilla on first via bunt.

The relief pitching choices have already been addressed.

(Long time lurker, first time poster! Hi everyone!)

269 Welcome!

Yeah, I was surprised when he lifted Kubel for Monroe too. I know Kubel doesn't hit lefties, but Monroe doesn't either, and in that situation, you'd think he'd go with the superior hitter. At least it was a quick game.

Wow,it is interesting that a long term Yankee fan has no rights in the first amendment. I am 3 for 3. Great that the guys chat about this and that. Is this site covered by a Yankee (I'd say the word, but can't). I gave a fairly eloquent argument the other day. Deleted. Follow on, deleted. Tonights, deleted. Does anyone care? I am no idiot. Trust me, I forgot more than most know. The truth hurts. I am not trying to be malicious. I am trying to provide a point of view that is factual. I guess I am on the wrong site with the wrong crowd. So, #4. If per chance, drop me an email so we can discuss this. I would appreciate your perspective. I am moving forward either way. Many people are on the tracks. Train is running and they are going down, trust me. Not my problem. Bernie Williams number retired and the eradication of the person solely responsible for the current State of the Union. This is baseball, the Yankee drive is to win WS. Sell Girl scout cookies if you don't get my point.

Cashman needs a longgggg vacation

What the hell is this Tim guy talking about?

273 Beats me. He's no legal scholar, as the First Amendment keeps only the government from regulating speech. A private enterprise can do whatever the hell they want.