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Nice Win, Bad Break
2007-07-03 05:24
by Alex Belth

Roger Clemens pitched a strong, efficient game against the Twins on Monday night, good enough for win #350 in his storied career, as the Yanks rolled 5-1. Clemens needed only 97 pitches to complete eight innings. He was helped out by an aggresive Twins offense; normally, Clemens uses up close to 100 pitches to get through five or six innings. But his splitter was working and the Twins were duly impressed.

It was a much-needed win the Yanks, but then again, aren't all their wins much-needed these days? Bobby Abreu absolutely plastered a ball high into the upper deck in right field and had three hits all told.

However, it wasn't a free-and-easy night as Alex Rodriguez came up lame with a strained hamstring after colliding with Justin Morneau at first base. He was able to walk off the field on his own. Still, the thought of Rodriguez missing a significant chunk of time is disheartening to say the least. He'll be checked out by a doctor today. Hopefully, he'll just miss a few games. Even if they have to shut him down until after the break, so be it, so long as he's not gone for a month or more. Pete Abraham is cautiously optimistic at best.

Drag.

Comments
2007-07-03 06:01:39
1.   rbj
Me confused. There was an "8" under Innings Pitched for Roger, and only Mo came out of the bullpen. Where was Proctor or Myers or Bruney?

At least A-Rod goes down with a hammy, which further confirms my theory that this season has been jinxed from the get go -- I guess that's what happens when your opening day starter is Carl Pavano.

2007-07-03 06:40:37
2.   JL25and3
1 I was also confused, but I think I've figured it out. The game was suspended after 9 innings with the Yankees ahead 5-1. it will be completed at a later date to allow Proctor, Myers and Vizcaino pitche, and to allow the Twins to score at least 5 more runs.
2007-07-03 06:57:55
3.   monkeypants
1 2 I know it's confusing, but you just have to accept that the world is more complicated than you learned in school. When a pitcher goes deep into a game and only one reliever helps him--it's not wrong, just different. Sometimes, a pitcher will actually finish a game! Embrace diversity!
2007-07-03 07:02:10
4.   JasonO
Wang tonight, and the Red Sox face Kazmir. A prime opportunity to pick up a game.
2007-07-03 07:08:42
5.   pistolpete
Completely had the feel of the Hughes game earlier in the season - impressive pitching performance, solid win, awful feeling in the pit of my stomach when it was over.

This game pretty much summed up 2007 in a nutshell. Even when we win and win handily, something bad manages to happen to the Yankees.

But hey, NY Rangers may have just signed 2 guys to get them back to the Cup, so it wasn't 100% horrible yesterday.

2007-07-03 07:12:14
6.   rbj
2,3 Thanks. I'm just worried that Proctor & Farns et al. are going to have their feelings hurt by not playing last night.
2007-07-03 07:18:01
7.   monkeypants
6 I'm just happy that Cairo gets to start some games now.
2007-07-03 07:19:53
8.   JL25and3
3 Sometimes, a pitcher will actually finish a game!

Sure, as long as it's not the same one who started it, right?

2007-07-03 07:55:50
9.   Alex Belth
What ever happened to the hot foot? Ah for the days of Roger McDowell. Since he likes to play the God of Hellfire, I think it'd be sweet if Proctor gave Farmadooke a hot foot. Also, if the team is going to keep stinking I want a good shower/locker room brawl ala Cliff Johnson and Goose Gossage--how about Bruney vs. Farnswacker?
2007-07-03 08:03:44
10.   JL25and3
9 Wasn't Arthur Brown the god of hellfire?
2007-07-03 08:46:57
11.   JL25and3
Why the big pause?
2007-07-03 09:26:31
12.   Count Zero
9 Bruney vs. Farnsworth -- now there's a main event I would order PPV for.

Who last year would have predicted that 99% of Yanks fans would this year be saying: "OMFG! We can't lose Alex...not even for a couple of weeks." I think this marks the first season where he would win the contest of "What Yankee player can we least afford to lose to an injury?" :-/

2007-07-03 09:37:03
13.   JL25and3
12 Posada - the winner of that title every year since 2000 - may still be slightly ahead of him. Usually it's not even close, though - this year it's a squeaker.
2007-07-03 09:41:21
14.   monkeypants
13 Sadly, the dropp off from Posada to Nieves is greater than from A-Rod to Cairo (or Phillips and probably even Basak).
2007-07-03 09:41:38
15.   pistolpete
13 Which would make for an interesting list, IMO:

My top 5 -

1) A-Rod
2) Posada
3) Jeter
4) Wang
5) Rivera (although he could probably have had the last 2 weeks off)

2007-07-03 09:45:36
16.   Count Zero
14 Undoubtedly true -- the prospect of seeing Nieves every day is horrifying as well. Lose Arod and see Cairo at third and Phillips at first every day - or lose Posada and see Nieves every day. Either one is enough to make me block the YES channel on my cable box.
2007-07-03 09:46:00
17.   mehmattski
15 Rivera... Rivera... Rivera... hmm... name not ringing a bell... is that the skinny dude that comes in to protect 4 run leads in the 8th inning?
2007-07-03 10:18:04
18.   Jim Dean
17 Skinny dude - yes. But the one who comes into 9-0 blowouts to get his work in.
2007-07-03 10:45:30
19.   Zack
5 The Hughes game was far far more painful. This had an echo of that, but the Hughes game was far beyond a gut punch, perhaps lower down the body...In fact, other than 2001 game 7, I think it was the most painful game I have experienced, in terms of going from one great emotion to one terrible one in so short a time.
2007-07-03 10:57:35
20.   Kered Retej
14 16 I know that guys like Cairo and Nieves get a lot of abuse here (and deservedly so), but every once in a while, I stop and think how awesome life is for them, even if they are barely hitting .100. 30 years from now they will be able to tell their grandkids that they started for the New York Yankees, they shared a locker room with hall of famers like Jeter, A-Rod, Clemens, even as the boos rained down. That's pretty cool.
2007-07-03 11:16:31
21.   51cq24
12 13 14 15 probably hard to say rivera is the most irreplaceable at this point, but i would definitely have stopped watching the games by now if i had to watch any of the other clowns come in to close a game. it's bad enough when the game is tied in extra innings of away games.

19 that's a bit extreme, isn't it? it was a terrible thing to happen, but what about games 4, 5, 6, and 7 in 04? what about that beckett game in 03? it was bad, but not end of the season when we should be champions bad.

2007-07-03 11:24:09
22.   3rd gen yankee fan
I just loved Cairo's little double play to end the game last night. hee hee
2007-07-03 11:28:49
23.   JL25and3
20 I also think how impossibly good the worst major leaguers are. The skill required even to play poorly at that level is mind-boggling.
2007-07-03 11:34:25
24.   51cq24
23 i think i could beat nick green at 1 on 1 wiffle ball

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