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End of the Road
2005-05-18 18:02
by Cliff Corcoran

The road trip that is. The Yanks go for their second sweep of the Mariners in a ten day span tonight, with Mike Mussina--who started this whole winning streak thingy by shutting out the A's a week and a half ago--coming off the three best starts of his season. His mound opponent will be Jamie Moyer, who hasn't made it out of the fourth inning of any of his last three starts, the last coming against the Yankees when he was run with one out in the third. Moyer has a 19.80 ERA in his two May starts combined.

Bernie Williams, who has always owned Moyer and went 2 for 2 against him last week with a double and an RBI single, is expected to start, which might mean Womack will sit and the outfield will be an adventure.

Speaking of line-up changes, I had this fantasy that Joe Torre decided that, with the series in his pocket, he could sit E-Rod tonight in favor of Andy Phillips or Russ Johnson, or perhaps a two-at-bats-each in-game platoon of the two. You see, E-Rod has played third for all but one inning this season while Johnson has just one at-bat in the majors this year and Phillips hasn't played since he took an 0-fer in Moose's streak-starting shutout back on May 7. With the Yanks headed to Shea to take on the Mets this weekend, it would help to have those two bats a bit warmer than they are now (which is ice cold) for pinch-hit opportunities. And it wouldn't hurt to rest E-Rod with the series in the bag and a 5-0 record on the current road trip.

Just a thought. I know it won't happen.

Comments
2005-05-18 19:20:21
1.   rilkefan
4-0. Too bad A-rod's in the game.
2005-05-18 19:23:08
2.   Cliff Corcoran
Yeah, heh, I uh . . . hey! Look over there!
2005-05-18 19:28:50
3.   rilkefan
Good thing I didn't get manage to post my intended "That is an excellent idea" comment today due to a power outage at my lab...
2005-05-18 19:29:03
4.   singledd
OK. Whens it's 8-0, we can rest ARod.
2005-05-18 19:32:56
5.   rilkefan
When it's 8-1, maybe.
2005-05-18 20:14:18
6.   singledd
Giambi!
2005-05-18 20:15:14
7.   rilkefan
Too bad Giambi refused to go to the minors.

Yeah, yeah, more 20-15 hindsight.

2005-05-18 20:57:04
8.   jayd
Now, before anyone asks:
The longest winning streaks in the major leagues since 1900:
Year Team League Wins
1916 NYG NL 26*
1935 ChC NL 21
2002 Oak. AL 20
1906 ChW AL 19*
1947 NYY Aln 19

* Had a tie game during their winning streak

2005-05-18 21:11:54
9.   Jen
Cano walked!
2005-05-18 22:12:27
10.   Hank
This game is really pissing me off. Third strike in the dirt and then fumbled? Sheffield's throw hits the runner in the back? And Womack -- what the hell? Can't this team just lose without looking like a train wreck?
2005-05-18 22:27:50
11.   Hank
And to think, I thought I was pissed off a few minutes ago...
2005-05-18 22:38:47
12.   Marcus
Well it's good to see Giambi is swinging that bat again- oh wait...
2005-05-18 22:57:10
13.   markp
E-rod? The best player on the team gets a derogatory nickname? I can see your logic though-let's sit the guy leading the world in HRs for the 28 year old rookie with a 531 OPS. How anyone can call themselves a Yankee fan and consistently deride their best player is beyond me. I think it stinks.

To the other poster-Giambi's 2 RBIs not enough? Womack let's a routine base hit get past him, Posada can't handle a third strike, and Giambi is the guy you want to blame?

I swear it just doesnt matter to some people what these guys do, Arod and Giambi are the villains and Jeter, Matsui, and now even Womack can do no wrong.

2005-05-19 04:35:33
14.   Simone
Do teams ever lose games not looking like train wrecks? No one looks good when they lose. The Yankees won 10 out 11 games try being happy. They just need to keep up the winning, starting with the Mets.

Back to the regularly scheduled whining/complaining/lecturing ...

2005-05-19 05:11:09
15.   rbj
Aw nerts.
Well said Simone.
2005-05-19 05:52:42
16.   Alex Belth
I second that, Simone. And it would be easier to get on Rodriguez if he wasn't also leading the league in homers.
2005-05-19 11:55:13
17.   brockdc
These days there seems to be a great deal of criticism of those who are critical.

And while it never feels good to lose, I don't believe all losses are particularly "bad" losses. Last night's was. When an entire team looks uninspired, exhausted, and maladroit (as was the case last night) it's a bad loss.

2005-05-19 13:11:00
18.   Cliff Corcoran
I'm with BrockDC, there are "moral victory" loses and games in which you have to "tip your hat" in which you "get beat" those are very different from "train wrecks" such as last night in which a team "beats itself" by "giving the game away."
2005-05-19 13:14:21
19.   weeping for brunnhilde
Simone, rbj and Alex,

With all due respect, of course teams lose without looking like train wrecks, only it's called getting beaten rather than losing. The train wreck thing is when you beat yourself, giving away outs and runs and looking at strike three and whatnot.

Losing without looking like a train wreck is when you play a good, solid game, but the other team just played a bit better or even just plain old got a break.

I don't want to be alarmist or anything, but losing in this fashion is deeply troubling because it's hard to beat good teams with such a gaping potential for sloppiness.

If we're still thinking postseason, something obviously must be done, streak or no streak.

2005-05-19 13:16:28
20.   weeping for brunnhilde
Cliff,

Thanks for saying concisely what I said ramblingly.

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