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Wash Out? Yup
2006-05-02 13:25
by Cliff Corcoran

Update: Indeed, tonight's game has been rained out. It will be made up on Friday August 18 at 1:05 as part of a day/night double header that will open what will now be a five-game series in Fenway.

If the rain allows, the Yankees will get a chance to counter the Red Sox victory in the first game of their season series and depart Boston where they came in, tied for first with the Sox.

If the rain allows, the Yanks will send Shawn Chacon to the hill to get the job done. After a couple of rough outings and an ugly stint in the bullpen, Chacon has come around in his last two starts working his low BABIP magic to hold the Orioles and Devil Rays to a combined .190 BABIP over 13 1/3 innings that saw just two runs cross the plate. That sort of thing won't continue, of course, and the Red Sox, even with their diminished offense, are exactly the sort of team in exactly the sort of park in which such a stat is likely to correct itself. Indeed, Chacon was lit up by the Sox in his one start against
them last year, a very forgettable three-inning outing in the Bronx on the Saturday Game of the Week.

Chacon's mound opponent, Josh Beckett, meanwhile, has been heading in the other direction. After three strong starts to start the season, Beckett has gone from bad to worse in his last two outings against the Blue Jays and Indians, failing to make it out of the fourth inning in his last outing against the Tribe. As a result the two pitchers have very similar season stats: both are 3-1 with an ERA very close to 4.50, K/9 close to 5.90, and K/BB close to 1.70 (startlingly, Chacon's K/9 and K/BB are both better than Beckett's thus far), while Beckett's .272 BABIP is actually more likely to regress than Chacon's overal .303. Hmmm. Could be an interesting night. If the rain allows.

Comments
2006-05-02 14:32:36
1.   JohnnyC
Anyone know what the weather looks like for game time? Likely, unlikely? I'm kinda hoping it gets rained out because...well everything you've all said since last night's game.
2006-05-02 14:40:48
2.   Marcus
1 From the radar it looks like it could go either way.

I don't know what would be worse, the game gets played and the Yanks lose again, or the game gets rained out and we wait until next series.

FYI, from Rotoworld.com:

Carl Pavano (back) allowed one unearned run and two hits over five innings in an extended spring training game on Tuesday.
Pavano threw 58 pitches and struck out three. "He was outstanding," catcher Ben Davis said. Pavano is probably about four weeks away from rejoining the Yankees.

2006-05-02 14:59:39
3.   Stormer Sports
Does anyone have an idea as to what changes will occur in the 25 man roster when Dotel and Pavano both come back some weeks down the road?

Who goes down and who gets designated?

2006-05-02 15:05:06
4.   randym77
Game hasn't been called yet, I guess. They posted the lineups.

Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Jason Giambi 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui LF
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Bernie Williams DH
Bubba Crosby RF

2006-05-02 15:08:43
5.   Stormer Sports
I sure would like to see Joe flip-flop Giambi and Rodriguez in that lineup. Well, at lest until Arod hits his stride. Otherwise I like it. I am a Bubba fan so I predict a couple RBI and a saved run or two out there in right tonight by Opie.
2006-05-02 15:11:48
6.   rabid stan
If they get the game in, expect a 5 inning job. The rain is blowing in from the ocean. New England is on the back-end of a storm stalled off the coast, which is not going anywhere for the next day or two.

It may be dry for the start of the game, but there's another band that'll probably hit around 8 or 8:30.

2006-05-02 15:21:32
7.   Shaun P
I don't know about in the Fens, but out here in Metrowest its still raining pretty well. They might try to wait it out, but I doubt we'll be seeing a game tonight.
2006-05-02 15:34:58
8.   standuptriple
When does GOB start getting benched? One good game every two weeks does not count as a productive DH.
2006-05-02 16:03:40
9.   Stormer Sports
Delayed by 1 hour. That is the most recent update.
2006-05-02 16:18:41
10.   Yankee Fan in Chicago
Odds on GOB pulling an 0 for 4 with at least 3 strikeouts against Beckett?
2006-05-02 16:31:36
11.   randym77
YES just said the one-hour delay isn't looking very realistic right now, though they're still hoping.

It's times like this I wish all stadiums had retractable roofs.

2006-05-02 16:34:02
12.   Mattpat11
10 Bernie or Bubba?
2006-05-02 16:43:00
13.   Paul in Boston
I work near Fenway, and as I was leaving today saw the usual crowds heading towards the game through the drizzle and cold. I briefly considered scalping a ticket (many many many for sale, I'm sure I could have gotten a good deal), but thought better of it -- tonight is not the night to be sitting outside waiting to see if a game is going to be called.

Yuck. On nights like this, I'd feel sorry for the players if they weren't playing professional baseball and making millions a year.

2006-05-02 16:44:00
14.   dwight45
Washed out.

Better luck next time.

2006-05-02 16:44:22
15.   rilkefan
Postponed, says yahoo sports.
2006-05-02 16:44:35
16.   dwight45
14 Go to mlb.com scoreboard.
2006-05-02 16:54:01
17.   JeremyM
I hope this means that they skip Wright's turn in the rotation.
2006-05-02 17:00:17
18.   Adam B
I go to BU and live basically 5 blocks (not on a straight line) away from Fenway. I went out 5 minutes ago for laundry and it was barely drizzling. Rain delay? More like Beckett shoulder worries. NESN showed an image of a heavy downpour before I went down which I'm now guessing must be from a game earlier in the year or last year. This to me is one of the most blatant attempts to avoid playing a game.
2006-05-02 17:29:04
19.   Adam B
I retract what I said as within 10 minutes of my posting that, it started raining outside of my building.
2006-05-02 17:45:08
20.   Cliff Corcoran
17 I'd hope so to, but thus far he's still tomorrow's projected starter.
2006-05-02 18:07:30
21.   Bill
Dream on. Wright goes tomorrow. Chacon is moved to Saturday. Why lose opportunities to use your worst pitchers. The Sox on the other hand took the opportunity to bump DiNardo.
2006-05-02 19:46:37
22.   Yu-Hsing Chen
21. LOL good point, to be fair though, Wright isn't nearly as horrid as DiNardo .. (must.. block.. fact... 7 million for 7 ERA..)

On the bright side though, I'm glad this game was postponed until August, I think by then we should really see the strength of this team (and would have rid of ourself of the few unsightly trash in favor of kids that Joe wouldn't trott out there in big situations)

And even better, the Yankees finally get out of this artic ring trip and goes to play in some real baseball weather places...

2006-05-02 19:51:15
23.   brockdc
8 Haven't you heard? Torre's going to give Phillips more consistent AB's, so Bernie will be riding the pine much more frequently and Phillips will finally get his...aw, f*ck it.
2006-05-02 19:52:43
24.   brockdc
Isn't today Carlos Pena's do-or-die day?
2006-05-02 20:07:18
25.   Cliff Corcoran
24 The way I understand it, today was his first opportunity to opt out, but he was not expected to do so. I think his next opportunity to end his Yankee deal is the end of May.
2006-05-02 22:12:55
26.   Zack
Another Chasticle article on his paper's beloved Sox, calling Papelbon "the best thing that has happened to the Red Sox since their magical postseason run in 2004." Oh barf...

Seems a bit early to make that claim, don't you think? I never ceases to amaze me how willing reporters are to buy into one month's worth of stats. Case in point, everyone hyping the Tigers, when most real fans know that come August the Tigers will, in all likelihood, be around .500 and well out of any running for anything. And perhaps Chass would be best served to wait at least another month to declare Papelbon el savior...

2006-05-02 23:18:37
27.   Yu-Hsing Chen
Well Zack, reporters make a living for writing stuff... wether real or not.. so I guess we can excuse him.

I think at least some of the "flukes" so far will turn out real though...
a. NL east: this might just be THE year for shake up... then again last years April look eerly similar.. and we all know what happened.

b.NL central: well, with only 1 team sucking, the rest (besides the cards and the astros) can't all be flukes... can they?

c.NL west: OMG the rockies are on top.. fluke? probably less of a fluke than Padres at the bottom? or that no one have died of old age on the Giants.. or that only 1 guy is out for the season for the Dodgers...

d.AL east: I think so far things are pretty much as expected here.... no real eye popers so far except that the Yankees are actually posing good ERA and have more people comming out of the DL than going on it....

e.AL central: which is the fluke... the Tigers owning or the Twins sucking bad? both? or only one?

f.AL west: worese than expected? or not really? The Mariners are playing like shite and only 2.5 games out of first? the As and Angels are putting up worse ERA than the Yankess and the Red Sox?

Reporters are kinda like trolls on the interenet except they get their stuff printed ;) see how many ppl are saying Wang is garbage etc....

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