Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Last night's match-up of Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay was the sort of pitching confrontation people circle on their calendars weeks ahead of time, but while it did turn out to be a low-scoring, one-run game, it was ultimately a disappointment for more reasons than the ultimate result.
For one thing, the best pitching duels are the ones that reach the last three innings in a tie or with a one-run lead with neither team having scored more than three runs (a rule I just made up). But last night the Yankees broke a scoreless tie in the third when Miguel Cairo singled, stole second and scored on a Johnny Damon double, then added single runs in the fourth (Alex Rodriguez double, Posada single, Bernie RBI groundout) and fifth (Melky infield single followed by a Toronto error on a stolen base attempt that sent Melky to third and a Cairo sac fly that plated him). With a three-run lead after four and a half innings and Mussina cruising (just two Blue Jay base runners, both on singles, one that didn't leave the infield, and six strikeouts through five), the suspense had gone out of the game. This appeared to be the Yankees' night.
Then Aaron Hill led off the sixth with a double. He was moved to third on a groundout by John McDonald as the Blue Jay order turned over to face Mussina for a third time. With Reed Johnson up, Joe Torre played his infield back, willing to trade Hill's run for an out, but Johnson hit a hard grounder right at Alex Rodriguez at third, giving him an easy play at home with Hill going on contact. Rodriguez fielded the ball cleanly, but his side-arm throw home tailed to the left of Jorge Posada who, once again frozen by the prospect of a charging base runner, failed to make a full effort to catch the ball. Hill was safe because of Rodriguez's bad throw and Johnson went to second because of Posada's failure to glove the ball, though only Rodriguez received an error on the play.
That play opened the doors for the Jays, who promptly plated Johnson when Frank Catalanotto dumped a single into shallow right. Vernon Wells followed with a soft single to left and both Catalanotto and Wells scored on a rocket double down the third base line by Troy Glaus that gave Toronto a 4-3 lead.
From there Mussina settled down, retiring the next (and last) five batters he faced. Meanwhile, Roy Halladay was doing the same. When Derek Jeter lined out to second for the second out of the eighth inning, Halladay had retired the last six men he had faced, but despite his having thrown just 93 pitches his manager didn't want him to face Jason Giambi with a mere one-run lead. Four outs away from victory, John Gibbons replaced Halladay with dominating lefty closer B.J. Ryan.
Giambi took Ryan's first four pitches to run the count even at 2-2, then poked an outside pitch through the shortstop hole vacated by the shift for a two-out single. Joe Torre sent in Bubba Crosby to run for his lumbering DH, and Ryan pitched around Alex Rodriguez, issuing a five-pitch walk to the Yankee third baseman, who never took his bat off his shoulder. Ryan's next pitch bore in on the righty-hitting Jorge Posada, snapping his bat off at the handle, but Posada was able to get enough of it to loop it into left for a game-tying single. Having blown the lead, Ryan struck out Bernie Williams on three pitches to end the inning with the go-ahead run on second.
With the game tied, Torre turned to Scott Proctor in the ninth despite the fact that Mike Mussina had thrown just 92 pitches through seven and had retired the last five men he had faced. Fortunately, Proctor was able to pitch around a two-out Wells single in the eighth and, after a Ryan similarly stranded a one-out walk to Melky Cabrera, worked a perfect ninth. Seemingly discovering a miracle cure for Jeff Weaver Syndrome, Torre next turned to his own dominating closer, Mariano Rivera. Rivera set the Jays down in order in the tenth. The eleventh was another story.
After the Yanks went down in order to Justin Speier and Brian Tallet in the tenth and eleventh, Frank Catalanotto lead off the eleventh with a 0-2 single off Rivera, but was then gunned down by Posada as he tried to steal second. With one out, Rivera's first pitch to Vernon Wells was a ball inside, but the second hung over the plate and Wells crushed it over the wall in left for a game-winning home run, the first off Rivera since Bill Mueller took Rivera deep almost two years ago exactly in the game best remembered for Rodriguez's fight with Jason Varitek. Thus, in a game that looked like a must-see pitchers' duel, neither starter factored in the decision, and two of the best closers in the majors gave up the lead. Yuck.
Oh, and if you think I'm disappointed because my team just happened to lose, check out my take when the Yankees lost a pitchers duel to Halladay and the Jays that actually lived up to the hype.
Tonight the Yankees get their first look at A.J. Burnett in a Blue Jay uniform. Burnett, one of the more misguided signings of the offseason, has already had two stints on the disabled list due to torn scar tissue in his surgically repaired right elbow (Burnett had Tommy John surgery in 2003). Between those two stints he made two undistinguished starts (10 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 4 HR, 2 BB, 10 K). Since being activated in late June he's made five more with results varying from shutting out the Nationals to giving up seven runs in 4 1/3 innings to the Phillies (or, perhaps worse, six runs in six innings to the Royals). The similarly injury-prone Jaret Wright, who followed up his career-best 10 strikeout game against the Devil Rays by striking out just one White Sox in an otherwise solid outing, takes the hill for the Yanks. If this game ends without either pitcher wincing and walking off the mound while holding their right arm like a dead puppy I'll be impressed. That said, wouldn't it be fun if this turned out to be the pitchers' duel last night wasn't?
Jorge had the plate blocked properly.
If A-Rod had made the proper throw, the runner would have been out by a mile. You can't bitch about Jorge not blocking the plate and when he does, blame him for not anticipating that his 3rd baseman is making an errant throw.
Jeter SS
Giambi DH
A-Rod 3B
Posada C
Guiel RF
Phillips 1B
Cabrera LF
Cairo 2B
Joe's letting Guiel play. Yay!
Guiel hits his way into the 6 hole. Interesting...
Let's go, Yanks!
I hear ya! Funny though, when the playing of Guiel elicits a "YAY" we must be in bad shape.
I don't see a "blockbuster" trade coming down the pike this year. We may pick up Sanders, but that's the extent of it. Abreu won't be moved this season, to the Yankees or anyone else for that matter. We don't have the chips to get Sori and Schmidt and Zito aint moving.
I for one like our chances if we can keep it close into August.
Damon
Jeter
Giambi
Alex Rodriguez
Matsui
Cano
Posada
Sheffield (Late August)
Williams
If we cannot compete for the AL East and Wild Card with that group down the stretch, we don't deserve to be there.
Anyone catch Cashman on the Jim Rome radio show this morning? I couldn't get out of an f'n meeting. Just wonderin'...
Agreed. Jorge did nothing wrong during that play. Not to mention he has been providing clutch hits and solid pitch calls and throwing out runners as of late. There is a case to be made that he is the most valuable player on this team right now.
Arod threw the ball away. I support him, but that error had nothing to do with Posada. He was blocking the plate as the runner was bearing down on him. What should he have done, become plastic man in the .5 second he had to make a decision on the errant throw?
It's not the lineup, it's just the players we should have on the field down the stretch. Trying to assuage the panic around here.
""Jorge Posada who, once again frozen by the prospect of a charging base runner...""
What???? Don't you remember the Texeira play a cpouple months ago??? Posada stood there like a rock, knowing he was gonna get crashed in to! He had a good, on-the-line throw by Derek Jeter, and he made the play.
Why blame Posada for A-Rod's terrible throw? In the past, Rodriguez has made that play correctly, and Posada has gotten the runner! 100% Alex Rodriguez's fault.
Bad call by you, man.
>> Not much going on before the game. The Yankees watched that truck evading police in Houston for a while on CNN. Everybody was getting on Bubba Crosby, who is from Houston.
"That your father Bubba?" Johnny Damon said. "My brother," Crosby replied. Mariano Rivera, of all people, couldn't take his eyes off the screen. Who knew the greatest closer ever loved police chases? <<
And good news on Dotel: doc didn't find anything wrong. He'll continue to pitch.
It's typical. We should all lighten up on Arod, while bashing Posada for doing nothing wrong is utterly acceptable? I agree that this Arod mess is out of hand, but I will not make excuses for him at the expense of another player.
There's no 'gotta get him' bat out there, everyone is flawed in one sense or another. Let's pay Donnie M. double overtime and get him to step up his work with this offense.
Bolster the pitching if we can, but yeah, if we can't roll with the lineup you listed, hat's off to Boston.
however: there might be people trying to follow this game through filtered internet access. i have personally been shut out many a time during the school year.
again, i curse like a sailor on my couch, but let's try to stick with what tommyl did in 21 on the board so no on needs to miss out.
;-)
http://indemand.com/about/contactUs.jsp
I think he needs some playing time in the field.
Oh, Cano, oh GodZilla, where art though bastards?
1)Damon - CF
2)Jeter - SS
3)A-Rod - 3B
4)Giambi - 1B/DH
5)Posada - C
6)Matsui - RF
7)Cano - 2B
8)Andy/Pena - 1B/DH
9)Melky - LF
He's playing like a wuss period.
Wright in trouble in the first.
SHOCKING!
I am baffled! All he said was that Arod isn't right and needs to get back to where he should be. Pretty inocuous, but inocuous doesn't get people to tune in, now does it? I thought his comments about Damon and Bernie warranted a sanction. Not because of what he said, but what he intimated. Grow some balls and say it, don't pussy foot around. Moose is the one who couldn't get the Jay's out after the E.
Remember, Moose is a FA at year end.
Wright is his typical 1st inning disaster.
I expect nothing from Wright, so I cannot be too disappointed.
Though not that one...
Apr -- .344/.554/.852
May -- .233/.386/.422
June -- .256/.358/.695
July! -- .196/.329/.411
Funny that, Arod's are the opposite, weak April and June, strong May and July.
Anyone in a fantasy league, pick up Giambi in August. Til then . . .
WTF, we gain 3 games on the Sawx in the span of 4 days and now we give them back EVEN FASTER!
Damn.
AH, we can still win this, I think...
In Giambi's defense, watching as many games as I have, it appears he isn't getting the calls at the plate that he has in years past. His strike zone seems to have widedned a bit. Unclear as to why that might be, but it seems to be happening to Arod as well. I hope Selig is happy he let the Umps walk, now we are stuck with sporadic umpiring in a league that for years had bar none the best officiating in any professional leauge.
Yes.. easier said then done. A fast jugement and quick play must be performed.
ARod made a bad throw and it was HIS error. If was not Jorge's fault... but it would have been a smart and good play if he realized when he saw the throw was off line, that there would be no play at the plate, and his job was NOW simply to catch the ball.
So it was not Jorge's fault, but he could have made a better play.
Good luck Yanks, I can't deal with another bad loss. I'm out!
51 - I hope it is only a 1st inning disaster.
Blue Jays up in the 2nd - gotta turn on House Hunters on HGTV
;-)
OK. Either Wright settles down and we claw back or Damon is pitching by the 8th inning...
Lets. Go. Mariners.
An Out!
Yankees need a Starbucks Red-Eye to jolt their asses into getting some runs! (DAMMIT!)
Yea, but 4 runs may as well be 40 with our offense.
And yes, bit players chipped in.
Jetes and Giambi carried the team in June.
And yes, bit players chipped in.
However, when Jetes AND one of our 2 impact guys are not hot together, the rest of the team is NOT enough to score what we need to win consistantly.
Hence the need for another impact bat.
ID, Jorge and Cano have all has ggod years. But this team has been riding Jetes, Giambi and ARod. To gamble that 2 of these guys will be hot at one time for the rest of the year, is to gamble with the PS.
I myself am not a gambler. I would rather get Abreu or Sori, and enjoy the 30 or so RAA they would bring us this 2nd half.
And I believe ARods problems have a trickle down effect on the team.
Tell me about it. I remember when you could get some insight and thoughtful analysis on ESPN. It's nothing more than a reactionary tabloid now with Stuart Scott pretending he grew up in the hood and more pinstriped suits than the Heisman ceremony. Take away Outside the Lines and the main network has nothing to offer an intelligent fan.
2000TH HIT!!!
He needs to play the field. Joe doesn't get it. I will gladly trade Phillips and his .250 to see if some field time can straighen out Giambi.
Yeah, Alex. You show us all.
Wait, I thought Phillips was a fat white cock, no?
134 Heh.
Now it's time to win the game.
I have faith in Wright.
His 1st inning always sucks. Today was just worse then usual.
Good for him. 450 HR. I couldn't believe my discussion yesterday when I was trying to put Ted Williams in perspective. Arod should finish with 700+ HR, 3200+ Hits and 500+ SB's while playing short and third. I just don't think anyone outside beantown can think Williams can match that.
People need to remember that he is only 31. If he gets on track there is no reason he shouldn't hit 755+ with 3000+. Only one player, Palmero, I think, has 500+ and 3000+. And he has just barely 500 and just barely 3000. Just to put it in perspective.
Sorry, that's bad enough for Sterling to glom onto. My bad...
I stand corrected. Although he only has 504. Still puts it in perspective.
He should have won it last year.
See if you can close it out now--big dawg!!
I think it's in the mid 60%'s. For the Yankees it must be like 30% this year. Wright K's Hill. Now if he doesn't walk Glaus, we could be within 1, not 2.
Help us, Obi-Shawn, you're our only hope...
Come on Shawn!
I heard today that Arod has been firing Missles at Haifa.
I can't watch! I just can't!
A 'Phillips' is hereby now a 'fat white c@ck'. BB Man/Woman Law.
Not to be confused with a Morgan.
A 'Morgan' is a 'fat black c@ck'. BB Man/Woman Law.
OK?
(although please understand I can NOT give personal veracity to 'fat'.)
Arod is responsible for high gas prices.
Not signing Pedro and Beltran, letting Contreras go and signing Damon (I can let that one slide) and signing Pavano is eveidence enough to me that Cashman is far far far less competent than most think.
"Fortunately, in that inning, Chacon did not suck a Phillips.
Where does a boy have to go on a Friday to get his Phillips lubed?
To me, the two biggest mistakes were letting Pettite and Leiber go. Leiber would be a solid 4 or 5 man in our rotation.
Especially after paying him for a full year when we knew he would be injured for that year. It made no sense not matter how you look at it.
A 'Morgan' works for me. Maybe we add 'stumpy' somewhere into the offical language.
I am pretty sure we can't use "Morgan" to describe a fat white cock, no?
Pedro: Do you honestly think he would do what he did last year in the A.L. East. This year? Next year? 2008?
PASS
Beltran: Big, big mistake.
KEEP
Contreras: I wanted to keep him, but we did invest a lot of time in him, and we needed someone who could win now
50/50.
Damon: HATED IT at the time
KEEP: LOVE IT NOW
Pavano: Boston wanted him too. Best name out there. Overvalued at 10 mil, worth 8 mil, but still a good talent.
KEEP (but it just didn't work out. That's life)
Pitch 2 - Ball
Pitch 3 - Ball
Pitch 4 - Ball
Frank Catalanotto walks.
DAMN IT
He's Pedro. He'd certainly be better than Wright! Not mention he's what 33, 34 years of age. He's not 40 for Christ's sake. When you can sign Pedro, you sign him, period.
In Wright's defense, wasn't he at an ERA of 3.00 his last 5 starts?
253 You're right. The rat b@stard S. Phillips has earned his own. We'll figure it out...
a-rod designed Rogers Center and the metrodome, he is responsible on all accounts for missing that ball. If they end up losing this game, it was because he did not catch it. it will be the highlight of all baseball shows tonight and tomorrow
This after he missed that popup because he couldn't see it.
Joe needs to DH Alex for a few games and land Giambi at 1st. He has to get a break from the fielding follies.
An Out!
A 'SteveyPhillips' is hereby now a 'fat white c@ck'.
A 'StumpyMorgan' is hereby now a 'fat black c@ck'.
Please NOTE the use of upper case and used as demonstrated above.
Yea or Nay?
Meanwhile, anyone still think this team needs a bat more than they need a starting pitcher?
Thus, JDs throw home sucked a SteveyPhillips; whereas Wrights performance sucked a StumpyMorgan.
also... i think the yankees needs:
(C) a bat AND a SP
Yea.
As Ramses said unto Moses (or Yul Brynner said to Chucky Heston) in "The 10 Commandments:
"So let it be written...so let it be done"
If not, a plague of locusts on my house!
However, I'm for better pitching if we can get it, but we can't (I don't think). Maybe next year with Hughes.
i like a little positivity.
The Tigers are up 7-1 because of solid pitching and timely offense. You know, those things the Yankees used to have. You can't win forever, which is why I tried to savor every moment of those 4 championships.
We could grab Abreu of we are willing to pay him and extend his contract, but I would recommend against that.
Yes, in general, great pitching beats great hitting. In general. But not every team, not every year.
But the issue is not generalizations but WHO WE CAN GET.
Also, great pitching usually means great pitching in 2 or 3 out of 5 games. Great hitting is 5 of 5 games.
But again, in the Pitching vs. Hitting debate, WHO CAN WE GET this year?
I fear the answer to that is "nobody." No one that would be a real difference-maker, anyway.
;-P
(and i don't remember the last time 3 runs felt like and overwhelming deficit)
Defensive switch from designated hitter to designated hitter for Bengie Molina.
F**K YOU BURNETT!!!
I doubt the M's will even put up a fight against the Sawx.
What happened to all the 10 hit games?
What happened to the march to 1000+ runs?
Boy, does that sweep of the Chisox seem so long, long, long ago.
Let's go, boys!!!!!!!!!
A ShefSui is a two headed, pin striped monster who annually hits 55 HRs, drives in some 230 runs and has a 1.750+ OPS. We now instead have a 2 header GOBMelkDud rodent who will hit 20 HRs, 135 RBI and an OPS of 1.460.
Figure it out.
break out of your slump... NOW!!!
And someone just slap Arod already. My 9yo has better throwing mechanics at this point. In fact, last night after the piss poor throw home that started the rally for Toronto, my son said, "dad, he had him pegged, what's he doing?" To which I replied, "he's was throwing it to his life coach sitting behind the backstop."
bunofasitch!
glaus is so unclutch.
Hey — ebb and flow. We'll pick it up.
Wright sucked, Chacon sucked, the players all sucked! Even A-Rod's newest milestones are sucked up in all the suckage!
And no, 18 runs in 5 games is not enough. We flat out stunk up this series. No excuses, just bad play all the way around.
Let's see if Joe gets his head out of his ass and puts Giambi at 1st for a few games and DH's Arod for a few games as well. I have faith that Joe understands that Phillps is not an every-day 1st baseman, let alone an every-day player of any kind.
Cano, Mats, we need you guys badly. Get well soon.
Exactly! They play the game to win, not to pile up stats. I wouldn't be talking about any accomplishments following a sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays. No one deserves to have their name mentioned after this disaster. Buck up little Arod, it's been this way in NY for over 100 years, get over it already. Same for you Jete and Giambi. Play like you at least pretend you want to win.
MelkDud: 4 HRs
AGon: Red Sox, worst hitting SS in AL? Hits his 7th HR.. Sox up 3-0.
I need to throw up now and go to bed.
It's epidemic, from the NY Times to "bloggers" sitting there in their underwear pounding away at helpless keyboards. This too shall pass. The 'noise' will be tuned out. Sooner or later, it always is.
Ninety percent of this game is half mental, the other half is physical.
Yogi was right after all.
It sure is interesting, well, that something can get so stuck in your head, that no matter what you do, you cannot get the body to respond correctly. I do feel for the guy. It's not like there is much he can do about it. I can only become angry when a player is doing something within his control. It's not like it can't be remedied, but fixing the body is a whole lot easier than fixing the mind . . . and NY isn't the easiest place in the World to do it.
Padres just won the division.
Bklyn,
They had a talking bottle of Mikes Hard Lemonade on Sportscenter tonight.
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