Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Of the seven four-game series the Yankees have completed this year, six have been splits (the other was a 1-3 loss to the Rays in May). With a win tonight, the Yankees will make it seven of eight. The good news is that there's just one four-game series left on their schedule.
The Yankees have the right man on the mound for the job tonight, as Mike Mussina looks to pick up his 15th win of the season. Moose won 15 or more games in nine of the 12 seasons from 1992 to 2003, but has won 15 just once since then. If he stays healthy, he'll have nine more starts after tonight to see just how high he can get his win total this year.
Opposing Mussina is Scott Feldman, who beat Mussina in the Rangers' 2-1 victory at the Stadium on June 30. The only Yankee run of that game came on an Alex Rodriguez solo homer off Feldman in the fourth inning. Fortunately, runs have been more plentiful in the Texas heat (the average score in this series thus far has been 6.7-5.3 Rangers). Even better, the Yankees are averaging 6.2 runs per game in the second half to go with their .632 winning percentage since the break. All of that syncs up nicely with the fact that Feldman isn't that good (6.67 ERA and 11 Ks against 16 walks in his five starts since facing the Yankees).
With Ivan Rodriguez nursing the knee he bruised in last night's home plate collision with David Murphy, Jose Molina's turn as Mussina's personal catcher is well timed. He's joined in the lineup by Wilson Betemit, who will give Derek Jeter a half-day off by manning shortstop while the Captain DHes. With the DH spot again used in that manner, Johnny Damon will start in center for the second day in a row while Melky Cabrera rides pine for the fourth straight game. Rodriguez hopes to be back in the linup tomorrow.
As for Murphy, he's on the DL with a strained posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his right knee. Brandon Boggs will likely replace him in left field, as he did last night. Jason Ellison, a marginal righty-hitting outfielder who spent time with the Mariners last year, replaces Murphy on the roster. Also, for those who missed it, displaced Rangers closer C.J. Wilson was placed on the DL after Tuesday night's game due to bone spurs in his pitching elbow. He was replaced by Joaquin Benoit, who was activated off the DL and pitched in last night's game. Eddie Guardado, who picked up the save on Tuesday night, appears to be the team's new closer.
My niece, knowing how I felt, got me an Everyday Eddie Guardado fishing lure, a Metrodome giveaway. Their freebies put ours to shame. (And I adore my niece.)
Elizardo's the third guy I was looking for.
Let's take this punk's lunch money!
Oh Jeez Robbie...
We're just crushing Feldman and he's through the second inning with just 26 pitches.
Just tuning in. Nice dp, Mike.
What's with the Betmeister at short?
Derek just getting a day off?
41 thanks! he can probably squeeze out 6 or 7 innings though..
no fargas sightings yet; i think gene fell on the ball girl
A bottom-of-the-order rally is in... order.
62 if they fall out of the race, what about adding Action Jackson to the 40-man?
some more bizarro type plays/calls
Nobody actually knows what "pitching like Carl Pavano" means.
Uh, I mean, welcome to Bronx Banter.
Did anyone think JD's contract was worth it?
Alison -- welcome to the Banter!
I'm glad he walked, but honestly, it looked too close to take with a guy in RISP to me.
Not Een. But Ian. : )
If there's no one on base and he takes that pitch and it's strike three, I shrug it off.
If he takes that pitch with a duck on the pond I'm frustrated.
100 and Don't ever talk bad about Shelly Duncan, Allison. Trust me.
Mike just blew the fastballs by him! And then fooled him with the breaking ball. And Young is a damn good hitter.
"Phil Hughes is finished in Scranton. 4.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts. 68 pitches, 40 strikes and he was sitting 93-95 with his fastball and had good movement.
68 pitches means Hughes can get around 85 his next time out. That would line him up for a MLB game if needed.
Carl Pavano is also finished in Trenton. 3.2 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, 2 wild pitches."
cone's wild side was trying to come out when he said he took the yes job to get out of the house, but he has been too tame this week.
In that particular case, I'm just responding to the fact that it looked like, by taking that pitch, Derek was trying to work a walk when a blooper over the second baseman's head gets the run in.
I'm not saying he did something egregious, I'm just saying that imo, that pitch was too close to take. It was borderline (or sure as hell looked it to me) and he got the call. Great, but I'd rather have seen him protect there, giving him a chance to have something fall in and thus score the run by making decent (not perfect) contact.
We need a Jewish pitcher.
Hey guess what Banterites? I saved up my money and bought a Yankee Stadium Seat.
Can we resurrect Sandy Koufax?
It seems like there are a lot of us expatriates here these days.
Wtf just happened?
I just learned that yesterday. (I've recently taken up birding!)
great job mooooooooooooooose - i want my candy damnit - mussina
What do you guys and gals think about Melky on the bench for four days? Or, more importantly, what should they do with him this season if he is not going to start: should he be shipped down to AAA (where he can start) or stay with the club as a 4th OF?
I got it from a super nice guy here: http://www.yankeestadiumseats.com/
Seriously, what's the date? I'll get tickets tomorrow.
Point taken.
That's really funny. I don't know quite why I had it in my head he was dead.
Probably because he left the game in Gehrig-like degeneration of skills, right? So he must have wasted away or something.
That's too funny.
Seriously, yes, I think a trip down might be the only option.
Either that or some kind of commitment on his part to...to...I don't know what.
So I hope Melky is in CF tomorrow. =)
Besides, the AAA season is basically done in 3 weeks (though SWB has a great shot of making the playoffs). I don't see Melky getting much out of a demotion.
Anyway, I always think of Mariano as an honorary Jew.
I've thought about just buying tickets for both, general admission seats being so cheap, but I'm not there yet.
If it's a newer seat it's going to range from $700-$1,000. I have heard that when they break up the stadium they're going to sell them in pairs for $1,923 because it's the year of the park's birth.
(the same person making that decision added the $191 to the bid for Igawa)
If there were more time left in the AAA season I would say demote. It might help him. But as things are, I don't think it would help at all, and he really is an excellent fourth OF.
I'm sorry, but Christ, what the hell is this world coming to when a backup catcher isn't even mandated by the Rules of Baseball to be able to execute a sacrifice bunt, no excuses?
Really, I'm asking.
Oh. Uh. Well, see...
Not at all surprised.
My neck of the woods (New Haven) is pretty much the last outpost of Yankees country and even here, it's already about 60-40 Yankees.
(cruise control)
Nice play, Betemit.
Nice play.
And Moose.
Anyone notice, btw, Moose is pitching one hell of a little ballgame here.
Where's this guy been the past couple of years?
catastrophic-injury-to-Posada-backup-and-back-to-being-the-backup-if-not-for-I-Rod's-collision-
and-Moose's-proclivity-to-pitching-to-him catcher ought to be able to bunt perfectly, if anyone
on the team can.
(Hope I cut it off in the right places to not screw up anyone's browser.)
What a Moose.
He fouls off way, way too many very hittable pitches.
He just can't catch up with a decent fastball.
600 miles worth of pitches. Thanks, computer calculator.
That was huge.
I wonder where Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas rate on the Public School system....
Folks.... plase keep this stuff in mind when you vote in State elections.
Did I miss any?
Hit a hr, Alex. Or something.
Good call on the HR. It's clearly the wrong approach to lead off an inning trying to get a HR instead of just getting on base.
Well, who's pitching the eighth?
We actually could have used that run.
At least Nady managed to strike the ball soundly.
So, Nady out, Melky in. Hmmm...Who's a better OF, Nady or Abreu?
granted this a big game to hold on and win, but...
Like even when he was 0-32 or whatever it was, he never even approached the kind of flailing away Soriano type bad. His balance is pretty consistent, it looks like.
He just never managed to hit the ball quite hard enough to go through or dunk in.
His plate discipline must be what keeps him at .280 despite the fact that he rarely really seems to scorch the ball.
The Oakland A's were ahrad of us in the standings at the ASB, right?
Since then they have gone 2 and 16.
TWO and SIXTEEN!
Moose now 9th in the AL in ERA.
174 - Boston, 1990
172 - Minnesota, 1996
171 - Boston, 1982
171 - Boston, 1983
170 - Philadelphia Athletics, 1950
170 - Oakland, 2006
169 - Boston, 1949
169 - Boston, 1951
169 - Boston, 1989
166 - St. Louis, 1958
166 - Toronto, 2006
165 - Cleveland, 1980
Erin Go Bragh.
WOW11!!!!
What a thing of beauty, that AB.
Wow.
Perfect.
I love August Robinson.
hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things,
Hamilton is strong.
Or, in light of the religious revelation, the Moe Show.
Not only will Mike Mussina win 300 games in his career, He will go down as the last 300 game winner in MLB history.
Also, Moose is 15-7!
Mariano Rivera, ladies and gentlemen.
I just giggle watching him paint that outside corner.
I just giggle like I'm on nitrous oxide and stamp my feet like a Roman in the circus.
That's the flourish on the series.
Now let's get the hell out of here.
8 pitches, 3 outs. Moose gets his candy, but Mo is the real treat.
277 yes, let's get the hell out of there and say hello to the weaver brother
He shouldn't have to be brilliant to win.
This just isn't a very good team, we have to face it. They aren't going to win 115 games this year.
just gettin' in from my gig, looks like a nice victory!
go king felix in seattle!
One of the sheer beauties of baseball.
Put this man in the Hall.
(Right, Travis?)
And yet...
Don Sutton, with 324 career wins, only won 20 games once.
300 wins? Possible but actually I doubt it. It can be very, very hard to get those last few: I watched the seemingly ageless Tommy John get oh so close: 13-6, 187 INN, 110 ERA+, 277 career wins in 1987. Two years (and two bad teams) later, he was finished with 288 career wins. Then again, Mussina is well ahead of John's win totals at the same age.
Last 300 game winner ever? I doubt it, though it is harder to pile up wins in these days of pitch counts and innings limits for younger pitchers. I remember when the talking heads claimed that there would be no more 300 game winners after the 1980s, when Seaver, Carlton, Niekro, Ryan, and Perry tallied their 300th each.
And they were the last...until the 2000s when Clemens, Maddux, Glavine, with Randy Johnson (293) soon to follow. Two of these four exceeded 350 wins! We'll see another 300-game winner, I think. The key is longevity.
Possibility that Mussina wins 300 without a 20 win season? It would be an oddity, but not as odd as it appears on the surface. Sutton had only one 20 win season. Ryan had only two (21 and 22 wins). Randy Johnson has had only three, two of which came in his late 30s. Niekro had three (20, 21, 23). Again, for recent 300 game winners, longevity has been more important than piling up huge win totals in individual seasons.
How true. 20 years @ 15 wins/yr.
Seems pretty tough these days, but not out of the question.
We are 5.5 games behind TB but have the same run differential. We can catch them.
i dunno, i sure hope moose sticks around long enough and is productive enough to reach 300/3,000. i don't really see anyone else reaching 300 wins...
303 i think we can catch them, too! we have 6 games remaining against both TB & BOS...
that's what everyone said in the late eighties when the likes of Niekro were winning their 300th games, all the while overlooking Clemens and Maddux.
Sabathia is a posibility, with (so far) 111 wins at age 27. Clemens had 116 wins by the end of his age 27 season, and CC is right on pace.
Less likely, but plausible: Halladay (124 wins, age 31), J. Santana (102 wins, age 29), Zambrano (94 wins, age 27) Jake Peavey (84 wins, age 27).
Longevity is the key.
besides longevity, it's health. Hudson and Mulder were on that list not too long ago...
Rubber-Wing or whatever his name was.
Man, they should geek out like that more often.
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