Tony came up huge with that double in the ninth. It was up to Damon and Renteria to keep the inning going long enough to get to Senor October and they didn't. Papi died on deck, the night air primed to receive another jack from the big guy.

Not a bad idea.

I think 'Yankees Nation' might be a little more down than usual due to the lack of sleep. I couldn't get mad at any one play or player in particular, but A-Rod really needs to start hitting.

I thought Wang was solid for the most part. I'd much rather have the hitting asleep right now than the pitching. This seemed to be the problem the last time we played LA in 2002, however.

One more thing - why can't Giambi work on some sort of 'slug bunt to left field' play? I must wonder this aloud every single time he comes to bat...

I distinctly remember a few foul balls...;0)

Just read it in Rob Neyer's chat transcript of today. I don't know where he came up with it, but that's hillarious!

(And for the Neyer haters out there, he went on to say that "Sturtze isn't a terrible pitcher. But the Yankees' middle relief . . . is awful." Sounds 'bout right to me.)

Alex, man, if I was a p-shrink, I think I could have a lot of fun with that dream. Great post.

Leiter's actually been looking pretty decent in 1 or 2 batter situations. I can't see any need for Embree in a potential ALCS if Al can come in and get the lefties in certain spots...

Actually, the Sox bullpen is quite fine since the restructuring, thank you. Worst in the league? Yes, if you included the numbers of the dear departed: Mantei, Embree, Schilling (saves, yes; good numbers, gawd no), Foulke, and a few bit players. Timlin has been lights out when starting innings; Papelbon has been at least as good as Gordon. Torre would kill to have Myers and Bradford, each of whom has an ERA more than a full run better than anyone Torre has now, short of the eighth inning. They're still a long man short, but noone other than Clement seems to need one. And, actually, when he gets done, it's mop up time anyway.

The Sox have problems but the pen is now not one of them. Their defense is nearly as grim as that of the Yankees. The starting pitching is woefully inconsistent. But the real problem is the offense.

Yes, they led the league in runs scored, but the runs have stopped. Damon's batting average and obp have come down to the point where they are good, no longer great. Renteria is a double-play machine. Senor October and Manny are positively scary, but can't do the job themselves. Varitek hasn't hit since July. Nixon hasn't hit since he got hurt. Millar hasn't hit since 2004. Mueller and Graffanino are solid and steady and good as gold fromthe 8 and 9 holes, but you're not going to pitch around either of them.

The Sox have become a two man offense. And as good as they are, they can't carry a team over the long haul.

One more thing, while the bullpen is finally in order in Boston, I still wouldn't entrust it to Terry Francoma.

My interpretation of this site is that it revolves, for the most part, around intelligent discussion of the Yankees and their immediate universe. Last I looked, the Red Sox fell within that orb. My post was not looking for commiseration; I was giving my sense of the real problems they face and the flaws in their current makeup. My sense is that, at the moment, the bullpen is the least of their problems.

And by the way, it's Girardi.

Good!

"Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated walked over and asked, "Is this the official end of the myth of David Wells, Big Game Pitcher? I know three of the runs were unearned, but he did have a 4-0 lead.""

Actually, I thought that myth died back in Game 5 of the 2003 World series. But it's fun to see Wells writhing as he declines gradually but decisively. Parading his self-absorption and complete lack of professionalism on the way down, down, down.

I wouldn't put it past the White Sox to collude in reviving the myth, though, by allowing a Game 5 to happen.

Interesting point about the offense. But even with only two guys hitting (and Graffanino and Mueller) the offense is still above average.

Myers does his job rather well (get lefties out), but not much better than Leiter (if he just faces lefties). Bradford, meanwhile, has terrible stats, his 3.86 ERA aside - a 1.41 WHIP, a .312 BAA, and a horrible K/9 (10 in 23 IP).

And I won't mention the middle relief since you didn't, but we all know its pretty bad.

The Sox's offense is in the doldrums for sure right now, but even if it was performing at average (5.6 runs/game) they still won't win with the pitching giving up an average of 9.5 runs a game.

Finally, mad props to AL Comeback Player of the Year Jason Giambi.

AL Comeback Player of the Year, Jason Giambi

A few days back you said you would take the Red Sox rotation over ours.

Moose did his stuff, and were it not for Sturtze and a bad Mo, it would have been a shutout. Wells' performance was good, and I dont think he deserved to lose, but from where I stand, Wang's performance was equally effective.

It seemed like at the time you were making your observations, you were willing to put your bets on Wells, Schilling and Wakefield having good reputations (in case of Wakefield, actually a solid Spetember), but unwilling to give much credence to that of Mussina's. I understand why, Moose's last start was just awful, but one of the more underappreciated things about Mussina is how good of a big game pitcher he has really been. His post-season ERA now? 3.02.

But the real thing was underestimating Chacon. I dont know if I would take him over Schilling, but there is not much to choose from the stuff that comes out of each pitchers hand, and Chacon has executed his pitches brilliantly for most parts. So I guess, the real point is, Yankees starting pitching was no worse than the Red Sox counterpart, although there is not much to separate the two.

I'd pretty much agree with everything you say. Moose was far better than I'd expected, give the aches and rust. He his spots, fastball had zip, and the curve he located well. Pretty shocking considering how little he's pitched.

I expect Schilling to come up as huge against Chicago as he did against NY. His velocity has been fine; his command spotty.

5 of Papelbon's walks were back in August in his MLB debut. After being sent down to Pawtucket, he came back and walked 11 in 28.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9574931/

FWIW, they rate the Yankees bullpen at 3 stars (out of five). The Red Sox get 2-1/4 stars, because only Wakefield has been both good and consistent.

The hapless Padres rate only 1-3/4 stars, while the Astros are the cream of the crop, with 3-3/4 stars.

It's great that Jason Giambi won the AL Comeback Player of the Year award. I confess, I was one of the doubters. I didn't want the Yankees to sign him in the first place. After he came to NY, I still thought he was a waste of money. And I was ready to write him off for dead at the beginning of this year. I was wrong, and I hereby eat my words. Congratulations, Jason.

And for those were complaining that Bernie never gets any love...The Sporting News gave him some:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9536136/

The article is about "Players to watch in MLB playoffs: Here's who will make a difference when it counts."

// Bernie Williams, Yankees. Tied with teammates Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada for most postseason games played since 2000 (65), Williams is tops in offensive production. He leads all players in homers (11), RBIs (42) and runs (43) and has a .360 on-base percentage. //

And ye gods. The Rocket is getting shelled tonight. The Braves ain't dead yet.

With Damon gone and a weak free agent pool, the only thing the Sox could get from a Manny deal is payroll relief at the expense of roster strength. Given the price of tickets in Beantown and the fact that they haven't had an unsold ticket in nearly three years, the folks won't stand for it.

Ugh. Play a game (probably late into the night), fly cross country, then immediately play again. Yankees need to sweep the two games at home.