Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
The Yankees struggled against Adam Loewen again yesterday afternoon. Fortunately the Orioles had even more trouble with Chien-Ming Wang, who allowed just one seventh-inning run in 7 1/3 innings on his way to his major-league leading 17th win.
For their part, the Yanks got two off Loewen in the fifth when Kevin Thompson drew a one-out walk, Nick Green singled, Johnny Damon singled Thompson home, and Melky Cabrera plated Green with a sac fly. Loewen was pulled after throwing 113 pitches over seven innings and the Yanks picked up an insurance run against displaced starter Rodrigo Lopez when Damon lead off with a double, Melky Cabrera bunted him over, and Derek Jeter singled him home.
That third run proved to be the difference as, with Mariano Rivera still on the shelf, Joe Torre turned to Kyle Farnsworth to protect a two-run lead in the ninth. Farnsworth did so by striking out Jay Gibbons, giving up a solo home run to Kevin Millar on a jock-high first-pitch fastball down the middle, then getting the final two outs on six pitches. Yanks win, 3-2.
The absence of Rivera highlights the far more significant story for the Yankees right now, which is the need for the team to get healthy. There's no real time table for Rivera's return from a muscle strain in his right forearm, though he plans to throw on flat ground today, just as he did on Friday, and Joe Torre claims he's improving. Jason Giambi received yet another cortisone shot in his left wrist yesterday and won't play until the Yankees return to the Bronx on Tuesday. Mike Mussina, who would be on regular rest today, has also been pushed back to Tuesday due to right shoulder soreness, this following his first start after being activated from the DL due to a groin pull. Alex Rodriguez, meanwhile, has come down with a stomach flu for the second time in Baltimore this season, and everyone else just needs some rest.
The good news is that the Yankees' lead in the East continues to grow as the Red Sox managed to lose a 12-inning game to the Royals by a score of 10-4 last night, dropping to ten games back. The Yankees win over the O's, meanwhile, officially eliminated Baltimore from the division race. Oh, and Matsui went 1 for 3 with a double and a pair of walks in the Thunder's 4-3 loss to Portland.
Today the Yanks send Jaret Wright to the mound in Mussina's place while the O's counter with September call-up Hayden Penn. Wright hasn't pitched at all since hurling 6 1/3 strong innings against the Tigers on August 30th. The 21-year-old Penn, meanwhile, was excellent in triple-A this year, but didn't make it out of the first inning against Oakland a week ago in his only major league appearance this year. Last year he came up straight from double-A to make eight starts for the O's, four of them during interleague, only to walk more than he struck out and post a 6.34 ERA.
With Giambi on the shelf, Joe needs a DH.
Any case, great design Pete, idea Sliced, marketing Bama, and everyone's input. Hopefully someone else tries in the Bronx.
It was a fun game. But man there's so little life at the Yard - it's like half the stadium was asleep. I guess all these years of Angelos beating the fans down. Or maybe B'more is just a more staid town.
3 Great effort! We'll get 'em up in the Bronx somehow.
4 The plan was to hang up a poster of a worm for every ground ball out (worm burner, get it?) Wang accumulated. Yesterday there would have been 16 worms a hangin'. Bummer. I imagine the Yankees Stadium security types would be more lax about such a show of support for Mr. Wang.
Anyway, if the Yankees don't at least marginally get to Penn today, does it confirm the theory that they can't hit young pitchers they haven't seen too many times?
Here were the printouts, courtesy of pistolpete and Bronx Banter critiques, in case any one else wants to give it a try:
www.workwithpete.com/files/worm_burner_final.pdf
www.workwithpete.com/files/worm_burner_text.pdf
5 By "superior stuff" I mean better than Lidle. I guess it will come down to who Joe thinks will be less likely to get smacked around in the playoffs, Lidle or Wright. Toss a coin, and hope for the best.
If they both get smacked around, well, I hadn't thought that through. ;-)
Johnny Damon DH
Melky Cabrera LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Bernie Williams CF
Aaron Guiel 1B
Sal Fasano C
Nick Green 3B
·Alex Rodriguez, 3B (Day-To-Day) $16 million
·Jason Giambi, 1B (Day-To-Day) $20 million
·Mike Mussina, SP (Day-To-Day) $19 million
·Gary Sheffield, RF (15-Day DL) $11 million
·Hideki Matsui, LF (15-Day DL) $13 million
·Mariano Rivera, RP (Out) $10 million
Carl Pavano (60-Day DL) $8 million
That's $97 million worth of players injured. And the Red Sox were complaining...
And as that injury list shows, we are beat up. Damon DHing two days in a row. His bad foot acting up?
Speaking of Nick Green...I was going through some old games on my DVR, clearing space, and found a Tampa-NYY game from April. When Nick was playing for the D-Rays. We lost in the 10th inning, and Nick Green was a big part of it. He drew a walk that moved a runner over (who eventually scored the go-ahead run), then he scored an insurance run. Played good D, too.
However, Nick is possibly the worst baserunner I have ever seen. That play a few days ago when he went too early and got thrown out by a mile...that wasn't a fluke. If Joe even thinks about using him as a pinch-runner again, someone stop him. "Wheels" Wright would be better.
I wonder if Joe would ever consider starting KT in CF? Bernie in CF with Wang on the mound is one thing. With Wright on the mound... o_O
I'm for a discussion of Torre... pros and cons in what I think has been a great year for him, and also PS issues we need to think about.
Any ideas? Should Torre 1006 be todays thread?
Is the umpiring crew stuck in line at Boog's BBQ?
1. I think the Yankees may need home field advantage in the playoffs, so these games are important.
2. I was pleased (and surprised) that Baseball Tonight last night showed Ortiz making a key out and showed Jeter driving in a key RBI.
The ALDS HFA (Home field advantage) against the WC
The WS HFA (thanks to the All-Star fame)
And will have the ALCS HFA EXCEPT if the Tigers are in it.
Yes, winning is good and we could overtake the Tigers... but todays game is gonna be a sleeper (and Sal Zappa has given us a nice lead).
Damon has 22. Second highest is Jeter with 12. Then Bernie with 11.
It won't take a "radical" change in the standings for us to take home field thru-out.
1. Yankees - 97.8
2. Tigers - 97.4
3. Twins - 93.5
4. White Sox - 92.1 (would not qualify)
5. Athletics - 91.0
This suggests that the most likely scenario is for the Yankees to capture Home Field. However, one can see it is (a) probably too close to call, and (b) realize that these projections do not take into account injuries, who is pitching well lately, etc. but simply are a probabilistic model based on scheduled games, a team's winning percentage, and which team is home.
Jared Wright is pitching well so far, isn't he?
Genius, pure genius.
(trying to get some Torre comments going here)
39 You're right. I surprised to see Detroit has a relatively easy schedule left. 3 against the White Sox is the worst of it, none against the Twins, 6 against KC, Texas for 2, Baltimore and Toronto.
...in bad new, the BoSux just scored off Redman in the bottom of the 1st. 1-0, but Tek is up and he's been sucking royally (no pun intended!!!)
However, since the HA award is hardly mentioned, we sometimes wonder why the guy with the best stats doesn't get MVP.
Er, the good, Nick Green type, not the bad, amphetamine type.
(Hayes, right? not Fielder?)
Besides, where does he play? OF is Melky, Damon & Abreu. DH is Matsui. And I'd trust Giambi at 1st over Shef.
2004 be damned. As far as the AL East is concerned, the Red Sox are done.
Assuming Minn. Pitches Santana, Loriano, xxx, xxx, Santana
are we better off going:
RJ, our #4, Wang, Moose, RJ
figuring we win with Wang and Moose, and hoping RJ can split against Santana (both at Yankee Stadium)
Here's another question: How would you rank the Yanks starters?
Wang, Moose, Unit, with Lidle & Wright a toss up. Torre will go with Unit, Moose, Wang though. I guess the rest of the month is the audition for #4, between Lidle & Wright.
75 The question is: who's the best pitcher to throw 2 games against Minn.? Wang has been our best/most consistant, RJ has been eith great or terrible, little inbetween. Moose, if recovered, is pretty reliable, especially in big situations.
Its a GREAT forum question.
Who throws TWO games against Minn.? and why?
(assuming a 4 man rotation)
I'd like to see Dotel pitch an inning at some point today.
We should be ashamed...
I swear, Villone and Proctor need to be put on the 15-Day DL to recover from this Raping Torre id giving them.
I loathe Torre. This will be yet another postseason where we come in with a dead and gassed bullpen.
...see? Give Scotty a break already!
Anywho, we WIN! Just pray Proctor's arm stays attached to its shoulder!
Though being used so often probably didn't help...
The scene: So I snuck down to a seat about ten rows behind the plate. And all day I gave Bernie a hard time every time he came up (except against Chen) about hitting righty against the right-handed pitching. I mean ALL day and loud too.
Now, as I'm leaving the Yard's parking lot on my bike (yup, my peddling variety bike), I'm stopped at a crosswalk. All of sudden I hear people yelling "Berrnie...blah blah blah...Bernie..." So I look to my left and there's Bernie - right next to me!
A stream of consciousness comes out. Basically I start by apologizing to Bernie for riding him so hard all game, and then I thank him for all the great years he's given us.
Then I proceed to ask him about his splits this year. And then he's asks "Did you check my splits from last year?" He tells me how he was terrible from the right side last year. I ask him if he knows what the problem is and he says he doesn't.
Long story short I walk with him for maybe three minutes and followup by pointing out the same things I have here (twice as many AB's from the left - maybe more tired?, HR's, etc.) and ask the retirement question ("I don't know. I'll think about it after the season". I reply "Well, either way, we're going to miss you. You're greatest."). And with that he shakes my hand and he heads to the hotel and I head home.
Gotta say he really is a class act. I am going to miss him.
Now if only I could ask Cashman why John Kelly Fasano has been the backup catcher for the last four years...
(By the way, I have two tix for tomorrow night (12 rows from the field off third base - sec. 58) that I can't use. If you'd like them for below face price, email deanzj AT gmail dot com.)
Those Manning commercials are annoying too. F- the Mannings. A fish rots from the head and it all starts with their dad.
A big difference between baseball and football is you gotta wait a freakin week in football to get over it, while in baseball it's generally 24 hours.
Saw a lot of good things though, even with the L
Every time the NFL season starts I am reminded of how much I love baseball.
Stinking lousy refs - interference my ass.
Rivera continues to improve but still isn't ready
BALTIMORE - Mariano Rivera seems likely to miss at least another week, and perhaps more, because of elbow tightness.
Rivera threw about 40 times, saying he used greater intensity in the final 15 or so. "It was 70 percent, maybe more," he said.
This is not good. 70%? Another week? Moose, Giambi AND Mariano NOT in PS form? Not good.
And the refs in last night's game were infuriating. How about just letting the guys play football. The NFL is becoming too obsessed with rules.
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