Hey Rob, we expect you to field all of the balls that come your way, not just half of them.

cano having a rough night.

We're getting lazy Robbie tonight.

Was Phil rattled by the mistake?

Ugh - that 5-pitch first inning is getting erased right here.

Uh oh.

Come on Phil, use the Force

It's not the pitch count I'm worried about.

oh crap. That's on you, Robbie.

God dammit, this is all Cano's fault.

So much for that

Hooooooo boy.

I'm gonna go get a beer. Somebody fix this while I'm gone.

OK, it's not entirely on you, Robbie, after seeing that hanging curve.

Hughes deserved that. He needs to focus.

I really hope we get red faced Larry Bowa in Cano's face telling him to cut the bullshit out.

there goes the game..

I had a feeling this would be a rough start for Hughes after hearing he was from nearby. He looks totally rattled, it's easy to forget he's very much a rookie.

17 I'm not ready to concede yet.

Walks to the Angels always seem to score.

I really wish O'Neil was in the booth. The first time Kay suggests that this is okay because "Anaheim has our number" Paul could break his jaw.

WTF does Hughes expect? You can't find the zone? with a 1-0 lead he is pitching with such a tight schvincter - THIS REALLY SUCKS!

20 I'll trade you for the Angels booth right now.

he can't throw a curveball for strike to save his life

18 I'm not conceding, hopefully he can settle down and stop the bleeding. I think the Yanks will score some more runs yet.

Hughes got lucky with that K...He is really biting it right now. You just can't let the Angels do this do this to you.

Weird.
I think he should stick with the fast ball for a while.

Nice high heat. One more.

I'm thinking you guys will actually bang out a bunch of runs tonight. If he keeps it to 3 runs, I'm pretty confident the yankees will win. Maybe Hughes will bear down now.

Do these Angel announcers ever shut up?

25 Can't give a bases clearing double to their worst hitter..

Holy shit. A ball was hit to Robinson Cano and he tried.

The game really is turning around.

He's thrown some nice pitches. (I feel like I'm watching a different game from some of you.) But he's thrown some really bad ones, too.

I don't like being nervous when the ball is hit to Cano.

Hughes is definitely capable of limiting the Angels the rest of the way. That being said, I still wish he hadn't lost velocity so soon. I hope he gets the mechanics back that allowed him to work at 93-94 MPH. I would think that would help how batters handle his curve.

It's like a boxing match. Hughes took a good shot to the chin, hopefully that will wake him up and he'll settle down -- and the Yankee's bats will beat on their rookie a little.

As far as announcers, you guys could be listening to Sutcliffe right now--I'd rather listen to cats mating. He just said that Hughes has "struggled with Jorge catching this year." Yeah, in which one of his 5 freaking starts that you have to choose from? You're able to discern a trend already?

22 No shit. Wasn't this game supposed to be on ESPN?

27 I agree. And our bullpen isn't too bad either tonight: Mo and Viz. So it's up to Phil now, he has to smoke from here on in.

For a pitcher that is supposed to be as dominant as Hughes, it seems as if he is reticent to attack hitters. There was no reason to pitch so carefully to Kotchman and Kendrick in the 2nd inning. Whether it's Hughes or Posada, they need to be more agressive with the hitters.

35 Has Sutcliffe started his annual push for Jason Varitek as the AL MVP yet?

28 Better than the ESPN annoucners.

33 Funny, I checked Gameday and it says his heater is consistently 93ish.

35 Heard that shit also.. my ears are bleeding already

34 Our guys have to hit something other than fly balls.

39 Not yet, but I'm waiting for the Chone Figgins case to be made any second now...

Damn, I thought Lackey was fugly, but they just had a closeup of Saunders. Why do all of their pitchers look inbred?

44 No. He would never betray Varitek like that.

41 Yeah, he's actually been around 94-95 tonight.

46 To be fair, that was a John Kruk argument a few years ago, not Sutcliffe. "He plays so many positions, and you can bat him anywhere in the lineup. And he can steal a bag."

I know that Joba is being limited as far as innings and whatnot, but is Edwar available on consecutive nights? I would imagine he could come in later if not Joba.

Why is Giambi sitting tonight? With a righty on the mound?

My take is that Hughes just had mechanical of physical problems. He couldn't locate the curve.

41 47

On YES, the highest I saw pop up was 91.

We are hitting the ball well. Its just a matter of time.

This pitcher has settled down, and is owning us now. Our guys better get their shit together.

50 I think Moseley has better numbers against lefties.

yeah, we're having pretty solid contact off this guy right now

52 The guy on 2nd rattled him. He was not paying attention to the guy at the plate.

Check it out: our righties have three hits. Our lefties have none.

In other words, Duncan should have been the DH tonight.

51 I think (hope) Hughes less than dynamic performances since coming back are the result of the injury he suffered.

There is no reason the Yankees shouldn't hammer Moseley, but already you see less than encouraging body language on the field. The nine men in gray are much better than the nine for the home team. If the Yankees drop this game, it would be a big dissapointment, especially with Escobar and Lackey lined up for the last two games.

58 Might have been a good game to have Duncan playing..

oh Fuck Hughes- are we gonna fall behind EVERY hitter?

Sudcliff simply does not know what he's talking about.

59 We may see him if Damon keeps weakly flying out...

He's still missing with location...argh, c'mon Phil, you're better than this.

52 I've observed the same...Hughes has topped out at 92mph on the YES gun.

We have yet to see the Hughes from Texas since he returned from the DL.

I actually don't mind Kay's comments. It isn't "ok," but it is up to the team to shut him up, because as of today, they absolutely do have our number. There is no denying it.

And yet another hitter fell behind.

A lot of early swinging there by the Angels, seems like.

holy shit Prince Fielder caught A-rod ...

prediction: A-rod doubles, Matsui Single, Posada Walk, Cano Homer

69 To be fair, PHil os only giving them about one pitch per AB to swing at.

FYI, here are Moseley's OPS splits:

vs. righties .837
vs. lefties .648

72 The Yankees have three hits...Jeter, Arod and Phillips...all righties.

70 When was Arod's last HR anyway? I think it helps the Yankees keep him, as there are a few guys out there capable of equalling Arod's numbers, or surpassing them. Hard to ask for 30 million when you finish the year behind four or five guys.

Hughes' control has been off, hes nibbling etc. Thats the problem, not velocity, which, at least to espn has been around 93-95. Just remember Hughes is 21, hes still developing strength and as a pitcher in general, and will be for at least 3 more years. Add that to that he has consistently needed some time to adjust to each level (not much) and had almost no AAA time, plus is rusty from a long time off, and it all adds up to: DON'T WORRY!

I'll take 5-6 innings and 3-4 runs from a 21 year old. We have just come to expect more since a) he does and b) hes that good...

75 Plus the Angels are not the Rangers, they actually take pitches.

That is a very nice season ticket seat.

God I hate the Angels. There is no reason we shouldn't be killing this guy

Argh, and Mosely looking like Cy Young right now. Sigh.

67 Definitely. As much as we don't like to listen to those obnoxious tools from Orange County talk about how their team owns us...they do. It's like the Yankees are afraid of the Angels.

Hi-Dek-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Nice Hideki, the rare 3 bagger!

Holy shit, a hit! Someone mark the date and time.

Nice Hideki, way to make Matthews eat that wall.

Go go Godzilla!

Nice triple - I'm kind of surprised Matthews didn't get that one.

Too bad A-Rod wasn't on base.

75 Sorry if I was misunderstood. I'm not worried about Phil long term. I am worried about this game though.

Interesting, I'm sure Hideki was looking for that pitch! Low and off the outside corner.

GODZILLER!

76 Exactly. A much better offensive team.

Wow, that was very satisfying! Getting the run in from 3rd on an out!

Damn, just a couple feet short on that. We'll take the run on Jorgie's groundout though.

We can certainly win this game...but it does seem like the smell is off the roses that were Arod and Posada.

They're hitting the ball fairly sharply all over the field, but most of them seem to be finding Angels' gloves. This is shaping up to be a very frustrating evening. Just like that near miss by Cano.

That is beyond fan interference.

74 Arod is the league's OPS leader playing gold glove 3B...I am not sure four or five guys will finish "ahead" of him.

Wow - that WAS close. I think it's about 6 inches foul, though.

87 Ok, good. Not allowed :)

92 Sorry, A-Rod was something like 9-24 against the Tigers. That's bad?

It would have landed foul, but the rule is that if the fan touches the ball in fair territory or otherwise interferes, its a double, which is exactly what the fan did.

Dammit! Rob just missed a round tripper.

97 Like I said, Rocket had an over 4 ERA his rookie year. I think he turned out pretty ok.

Isn't that interference?

92 huh? Arod is hitting .371 in his last 10 games.

Unreal.

92 You think? A-Rod is the VORP leader.

Hey, there is a reason that we're having trouble with Moseley: he's very good against lefties. That's the reason. It isn't some weird, inexplicable thing!
We need a few walks, and we'll be okay.

...and the return of ol' hacking Cano.

ehe, that Cano Homer predict came about 3 inch close lol

98 No, I just don't remember seeing him pound the ball recently. I'm not being critical, just an observation.

92 Arod's August OPS is .999; Posada's OPS in August is .927. That still smells pretty good to me.

92 Do you literally want him to hit a HR every single AB? He's leading the majors in HRs, RBI, SLG and he's second in VORP to Hanley Ramirez. He'd be first if he was still playing SS.

108 I guess if you mean he's having a worse month than April, then sure. He's slightly less than Roy Hobbs this month. This month he's just one of the best hitters in the game.

109 Mmmmmmmm.

Okay, I'm gonna go smell that beer now. Get Hughes into line while I'm gone.

110 I love that Hanley has turned into an absolute beast, far more valuable than Beckett :)

106 I think he is anxious to make amends for his two misplays, the last of which is probably responsible for all three runs.

110 Yikes, I wasnt being critical, just noticed he has been hitting a lot of singles lately is all.

I would love to see a chart of Hughes' last three starts that show the location of his pitches vs. what was actually called a strike, b/c it sure seems like he has been given a very narrow zone to work with, and he keeps trying to nail the corners despite...therefore falling behind...

For you Sutcliffe fans, guess what the first name that came up was when the other idiot started talking about Little Leaguers in the majors. "The Red Sox captain!!!!!"

Cathers wear white nail polish so the pitchers won't miss the signs. I didn't know that.

116 I'll agree with that, I think he was getting squeezed earlier.

Hughes is over-throwing. Do you see how many of his pitches are head high?

Nice inning Phil!

Have a seat son.

Let's go guys!

I'm sorry Vandelay, but your string of comments in recent weeks have just been ridiculas, every time a guy goes 0 for 2 your on the brink of talking about releasing him or something

Hughes is way more efficient this game. I know the Angels are a bit of a free swinging team, but the kid seems to learn.

116 I think he was squeezed abit in the Kendrick AB. For some reason, Hughes seems to have an inning where he loses confidence and starts nibbling. It's almost like the Cano misplay made him more concerned about preventing that run than making quality pitches.

Wow, even with that "Cano" inning he's only at 51 through 4. I'll take that. Now, RUNS, people.

120 The fastball appears to have good movement though.

118 Its white out. Jorge was doing it earlier in the year too.

120 127 Agreed Jeremy, and the Angels seem to be swinging at it. I think its some overthrowing and somewhat on purpose

75 At least he figured out how to pitch to Mathis this time. I know he's only 21 and recovering after being out for a while, but that second inning was Igawa-esque.

Hopefully, he's settling down now.

Is Wakefield good in all domes?

you just said plenty of guys being able to catch him, dude, Gary Sheffield with 10 less HR is 4th in the AL, your essentially saying Sheff is going to hit 10+ for the rest of the season and A-rod isn't gonna hit any... AND another guy will do the same!

Andy Phillips...you can only hope to contain him.

GO ANDY.

very strangely, Phillips seem to hit righties that does better against lefties or lefties that does worse to righties better

Oh man, please do not bunt.

130 No need to use the I word. Lets keep this civil.

135 confusing..

Please, someone forbid Melky from bunting.

Maybe Melky and Posada should swing right-handed.....

130 I put a little of the blame on Posada. Not only did he not "make" Hughes throw to the middle of the plate, but he seemed to call first pitch curve on every batter after Anderson (and Cabrera/Vlad) jumped on 1st pitch fastballs.

130 I think Igawa-esque is a bit harsh. He lost some control and gave up a double. That is hardly Igawa, who would have given up at least three HRs...

135 Moselely is Phillips dream matchup.

Most of the Fox and ESPN announcers are bad, but Sudcliff makes me sick to my stomach. He is one long running verbal blowjob of the players.

130 Unlike Igawa though, he recovered, got out of the inning and is pitching well since.

123 Dude, I haven't talked about releasing anyone, relax. I was just making an observation. He has three home runs in August. His AVG. and OBP. are fine, I was simply pointing it out.

143 Then buy him and trot him around the country with us. Anything to prevent a Stink return.

144 The only time I enjoyed Sutcliffe is when he went on as a guest in San Diego, but just happened to also be drunk.

I hate the Angels...

Way to run yourself out of an inning. Morons.

Geez, you think you should slide Phillips?

Well that failed.

Perhaps Melky wanted a tee.

Absolutely no excuse for that.

Is it any wonder why the Yankees lose to the Angels? That's an awful job by Cabrera and a bad send by Joe, I think.

117 What the hell is a Sutcliffe fan? some kind of brainless mutant?

chill actual Sutcliffe, if you do actually exist, just poking fun at one of the few guys to challenge Joe Morgans Supreme Idiocy.

WTF kind of steal was that. Someone better have missed a hit and run sign or something...

Wow! Ugly play. I hate the Angels, but they so play some fundamentially sound baseball.

Nice job Melk...that was shit on a shitstick.

And now Damon will hit a double.

That's not exactly an ideal situation to send the runner.

Now the Angels are bringing out the overmanaging in Torre. This team is a curse.

Sutcliffe some how manages to mix up Hughes and Phillips

154 Kay said, "Do you send him on 3-2?" And I yelled (to myself), "No!"

My mind can not comprehend what just happened there. What were they thinking?!?!

See, you could have 1-2 with 1 out and Jeter up.

Yup. That just makes it even worse.

Jeter is going to hit a HR

154 can't blame Joe.. Melky should have swung the bat there..right down the middle..

162 "Textbook" managing though :-p

160 I think he sort of hoped that Melky might protect the plate in a two strike count.

156 Other than the whole loafing-on-a-easy-fly ball by Vlad thing that led to the first run. But that's the great thing about selective memory, I suppose...

This would be a nice time for Jeter to pull a ball over the fence.

166 He doesn't do that anymore.

Why do ESPN announcers insist upon worshiping at the altar of the Angels?

167 et al, K-zone had that pitch to Melky right on the inside, somewhat high. Not right down the plate.

167 I can blame Joe. Its the 4th inning. Andy Phillips is slower than slow. He has no chance to steal the base, hell if the ball is hit hard to an infielder he might get thrown out at second anyways. Its the 4th inning, you're down a run against a spot starter and you have the best offense in the majors. Why play small ball? You don't trust Damon, Jeter or Abreu to get a run in?

174 It was a little inside but not exactly a borderline pitch. He shoulda swung.

167 I blame Joe for sending Phillips there. This is not a game, and that especially was not a circumstance, to gamble with baserunners. Cabrera failed in execution, but Tore (or whoever made the call) put his players in worse position to succeed.

How can a manager possible be intimidated by Torre? Respecting Torre is very different than being "afraid" of Torre. Suckcliffe is an idiot..

172 I think he would hit more if he batted third. Which is what makes Alex such a freak, he can hit for power and average. I'm sure Ichiro could hit 30+ too, but he wouldn't be batting .300.

177 I don't think it's a horrible move, but Phillips lack of speed combined with Moseley being a flyball pitcher seemed to suggest that you don't send the runner.

176 Don't know what broadcast you're watching, but K-Zone had it right on the inside, well placed.

If the Yankees lose...let's take a look at this fucking debacle!

Jeter went to the Cano Golf School on that one.

177 That was meant for 175 .

And there the runner went on a hit and run, forcing Jeter to fish on a low ball. That's just squandering opportunities.

166 Well, that didn't work.

173 Why do the Yankees insist on playing their most bone-headed baseball against them? Ugh.

Sutcliffe just said that some managers don't "manage" against Torre (i.e. call pitch-outs, etc.) because they like him. Huh?

170 or the double play. Look Sciosia just is super duper aggressive. Sometimes it works and then everyone goes, wow, see how the Angels put pressure on teams. Sometimes it doesn't and no one says anything.

Its like 2 years ago with the White Sox. Everyone said they were winning because of Ozzie ball, but really they were winning because they were like second in HRs in the AL. They'd have scored more if Ozzie had bunted and ran them into stupid outs.

178 I tend to agree. Again, I hate the Angels, but Mike Scoscia is a very good in game manger. I don't know how he is with the players, but he is as good as anyone out there when it comes to managing the game on the field.

Very bad AB by Jeter...2 runs against Moseley in 5 innings is unacceptable.

And now we can't hit Shane Mosely.

Quite the half assed effort by everyone involved.

186 Worse than that. He said b/c they "are intimidated" by him

181 Dude. What are you talking about? I said it was inside but not borderline. In most people's worlds, that means an inside strike. Not a questionable call at all, as I said.

And I'm watching the YES broadcast.

Yankess 6 hits 2 runs
Angels 3 hits 3 runs

HR in the AL

1.A-rod 39
2.Monraeu 28 <---

IF ANYONE in the league catches A-rod there, i'd eat my hat

187 That's "had not"

188 Everytime someone praises Scioscia, I like to point out how he basically single handedly cost the Angels the 2004 playoffs.

193 Yankees 0 BB
Angels 2 BB

There ya go. The Yanks are really making Moseley work the zone here I guess.

This is just some terrible managing from Torre, trying to out-Scioasa Scioasa or something.

hey Reggie,back to that batting cage you call a house!

Hughes now seems to be spotting the fastball well, and low in the zone.

192 For the third time, what i am saying is that Kzone had it right on the border. right. on. the. border.

and now Kzone just had Hughes' strike 3 a couple inches outside. ho hum

188 Scoscia is good, but the Yankees are losing because:

1) Cano misplayed an out into a double.
2) Hughes had a momentary bout of wildness.
3) The Yankees have hit balls hard right at people and run themselves out of inning.

In other words, the Angels are winning because the Yankees are playing poorly. If anything, I don't think the Angels play particularly well against the Yankees, but instead the Yankees play poorly against the Angels.

201 Right, and I'm agreeing with you. But whatever.

Hughes is gonna be up and down in starts and even within games. As he develops and gains confidence and learns how to pitch major league hitters, he'll seem a bit spotty at times and probably throw more pitches than he should, but so be it. He does seem to be jamming the Angels a lot

201 So he shouldn't be protecting the plate on a 2 strike count hit and run?

Definitely not the guy to walk.

There ya go, Jorge. Great play.

A 3-2 breaking ball to Figgins? That's what I don't get. Sure Hughes thre the pitch, but Posada has to demand the fastball.

I would not have went with the curve on the 3-2 count.

Dear G-d Jorge Posada is good.

Of course if you're gonna gun him down....

Way to go, Po!

That Soscia, terrible manager!

208 , 209 Now, that's more on Jorge than Phil, right?

198 Agree totally! Tha Angels are sucking the Yankees into their game. They 'put pressure' on the opposing team, or whatever--that's what the announcers keep saying. So, down by one run in the fourth or fifth inning, and Torre decides he has to put pressure on the Angels. So, he runs with Phillips (a slow runner), and tries to bunt with Cabrera (a terrible bunter), and then finishes the hat trick with a hit and run (or so I assume) with Jeter.

I'm not saying never bunt, or never try to steal...but you have to maximize your personnel's individual talents.

F'in Hughes- Posada bails you out and you go three and o to Cabrera WTF!

Jorge doesn't seem to be the best at calling rooks, probably b/c he has had to do it so rarely...

214 I would agree, but I guess he just wanted to throw out that pest.

That first pitch was a strike by the way...at least it has been all game.

216 Dude, take it easy. You have been all over Hughes all game...

Phil can't really be walking Orlando Cabrera. He'll swing at everything.

Phil is DETERMINED to have someone on base for Vlad.

This whole walking the Angels thing is not working for me, at all.

C'mon Hughes, throw freakin' strikes!

The walks kind of concern me a little, more so in the short-term than the long-term.

This is about to be Ballgame. Not a good combination. Hughes to Guerrero. Disaster

215 Well said; one of the fundamentals of baseball is to not rashly get away from the approach that has brought you success - but the manager seems to think that doesn't apply to overall game management, at least when the Angels are involved...

See, no sweat

Phew, Phil!

OK= gotabreak. But I don't think a high fastball was the best pitch.

wow, Hughes got Vladdy out 3 strait time with basically the same thing, fastball up and in.

I trust Phil.

I just hope Torre doesn't panic and yank Hughes after 75 pitches or something crazy like that. Yeah, he's walked a few, but he is not pitching that bad of a game overall. He deserves a longer leash than Mussina got in that disaster on Thursday (which ruined my annual trip to the Stadium, by the way).

227 Remember that missed hit and run in 2005?

231 That's tempting fate :)

Hughes looks like crap in a lot of ways, yet you can still see where he's going to be a good and probably great pitcher. As opposed to a guy like Desalvo, who can look good but you can see is going to be a crappy pitcher.

230 it is against Vlad, he's a guy with a very weird zone, they went there everytime this game against him and got him out

236 That's a pretty strong indictment. I would hardly say Hughes looks like "crap." He may not be blowing everyone away (a la Joba), but he's certainly looking pretty good all things considered.

Gotta strike quick here, before the real Angels BP comes calling.

Shane Moseley out of the game. Good job boys. You really took advantage of a poor starter.

Damn it! Moseley is one pitcher you don't want out of the game. Not piling on runs against a mediocre pitcher is a real shame.

Wow, we're into the Angels' pen already.

so, why is mosely done already?

Alright, I've been switching back and forth between the Angels feed and ESPN and the ESPN radar is a consistent 3mph and sometimes 2mph ahead of the Angels radar. So I'm not sure whether Hughes is sitting around 95-96 or 92-93. Probably 92-93 since that's much more realistic. At first I was shocked to see him throw so hard but this helps explain things.

sweet!

Come on Alex.

243 He's utterly terrible in that 75-100 pitch range.

238 Crap is too strong, but he's walking guys, missing spots, and really, really missing with his curve.

243 cuz of 241 and 242 ....

Way to get'r going Bobby. And shut up Shitlift

Hows that suttcliffe "the style" of an annoying fucking announcer...are you on crack or something?

243 Scioscia is quitting while he is ahead. Moseley was going to get tagged sooner or later.

236 People disagree with me, but I really think DeSalvo was the worst of the whole lot of AA pitchers we saw this year. Even in his good games you saw disaster around the corner.

247 ok. I was surprised because he was at least good on getting ahead of the hitters. this guy has gone 1-0 on both abreu and arod.

248 Changeup hasn't been great either - he uncorked a number of em.

244 Ah. that helps

Nice, Alex!

WOW!

that was for vandelay! :)

Kay had the good kind of jinx

There's that A-Rod bomb, take that Prince!

Just what we needed.

That was beautiful!! OH HELL YES!!

yeah, he has now power anymore.

There's your power.

A-Rod just isn't driving the ball lately. Only singles. The bloom is off that rose.

How do you like me (A-Rod) now, Mr. Vandelay Industries?!?!?!

How you like me now, Prince Fielder!

That one got out in a hurry.

Cashman should hire Boras as the new equipment manager.

Meh.. expected

238 I agree, I think he looks exactly like a 21-year-old pitching phenom should look.

and YAY AROD.

Wow, did you hear those #s A-rod had against this pitcher? How can you let him face him if you are Soscia?

Nice of Mikey to take out Mosely...

I love Was Watching, but I can hear Steve typing his A-Rod likes to hit in Anaheim and is going to sign there story already.....

Here it comes now. Payback for all those sharp liners right at outfielders in the earlier innings.

270 because his Soscia, he got balls, he manage a gritty team.

OK...no hit and run, no weird bunting by Posada, etc.

272

: )

That's funny stuff!

Also Scioscia is a great manager. Taking out a guy with 72 pitches who has basically kept the Yankees down, to bring in a guy that A-Rod has dominated.

Ouch Jorgie...those were two nice pitches to hit!

3-2 count...I'm going on record...DONT send the runner.

C'mon Jorgie, get on base. I want a big inning.

270 This is a man, who, in a do or die situation in an elimination game in extras on the road in the playoffs, brought in any old lefty to pitch to David Ortiz.

He's not NEARLY the genius people think he is.

nice AB!

I really like Bootcheck...

277 To be fair, you can't blame Scioscia too much for pulling him. He's a spot starter, and opposing batters hit .400 off of him after he reaches 70 pitches. They got exactly what they hoped for from him--five or six innings and only a couple of runs.

Good to see Joe having another not-so-fast runner going on a 3-2 pitch with no outs...even if Jorge did walk.

You guys did a GREAT job while I was gone. I passed a screen that showed the K-CS DP and was getting irritated, but you juiced one for Hobbes, so no problem.

Didn't we kick the crap out of Bootcheck earlier in the year too?

Come on guys, good opportunity here.

You win a WS and you are all of a sudden a genius.

284 I agree...Moseley was a candidate to get rocked too. I would have pulled him and went to the bullpen for 4 innings.

284 I know, but I'm sick of people pointing out every great move he makes and ignoring the ones that don't work out.

279 I agree with you. But he did send Matsui (though fortunately the pitch was a ball).

does sutcliffe have a clue?

Oops.

I repeat: I hate the Angels.

More bad luck...I think...crap.

I love Cano, I hate Cano, I love Cano, I hate Cano, I love Cano, I hate Cano, I love Cano, I hate Cano, I love Cano, I hate Cano, I love Cano, I hate Cano.....

Sutcliff is da jinx!!!

Bootcheck is great gets bombed

Cano will hit it hard yeah.. but right back at the pitcher

Crud... I was hoping for one more...

Need more runs..

297 That wasn't Cano's fault. He hit the ball hard and Bootcheck had to basically defend himself.

Not scoring more runs gives me that "this could come back to haunt them" feeling.

297 Decent approach by Robinson though, going up the middle. Real good pick by Bootcheck. Bastard

From Pete Abe:

Most 40-home run seasons
Babe Ruth 11
Barry Bonds 8
Hank Aaron 8
Harmon Killebrew 8
Alex Rodriguez 8

That's some rarefied air up there, huh?

If you looked at this game aside from results, you'd think the Yankees were the much better team, yet, it is still 4-3.

Ahh, unnecessary Nolan Ryan love...

Fox talks about Nolan Ryan, Mets fan commite suicide

C'mon kid.

Kay does a lot of little things that irk me that I should probably overlook.

But the fact that this man CAN NOT READ OUTFIELDERS is unacceptable for a baseball announcer. His inability to read the ball of the bat isn't even as bad as this.

He seems to look at the swing, decide what he thinks the ball "should" do and call that play, completely ignoring the massive right fielder that is standing waiting for the ball to land in his glove. He thought that ball would bloop, so he was going to call it a blooper as Vlad stood under it.

It DRIVE ME NUTS.

c'mon hughes ... mow 'em down

See guys, all I had to do was point it out and BANG, Arod dinger. You should be thanking me :)

306 Never unnecessary. Nolan's the man.

309 At least on TV you can judge for yourself. False hope only btohers me on the radio.

Great story Sutclif! That was fantastic! Thanks for sharing!!!!

313 I'm not always staring right at the Tv though. I was typing here when he made that call.

312 To me, always unnecessary. Nolan's the overrated man. Me, I'll take Gibson any day.

Only 77 pitches? Does Joe bring him out for the seventh if he gets out of this inning with 10-12 more pitches?

hughes looking good now. (knocks on wood)

Hughes is just crrrruuuuuiiissssingggg

315 I know. How dare he put the K record and BB record out of reach forever!

great, sutcliffe. glad you were going to try and hit the guy in the head and ruin his career. ass.

Def Phil for the 7th

This ump is just terrible. For both sides. Phil got a very generous call there.

215 227 I didn't like all the running and small ball tactics against a spot starter and flyball pitcher early in this game, but I think it's a bit extreme to complain about "getting sucked into" someone else's game. We "got sucked into" their game when we beat them 14-9 in our house, and though it wasn't pretty, we got our share of runs going first to third and getting extra bases.

But if A-Rod wants to hit HRs like that last one, I'm OK with that too.

i'd keep him in for the 7th ... get The Deuce stretching at the beginning, though, just in case ...

289 See also: Guillen, Ozzie.

I don't think Ozzie is a genius either, but he does manage his bullpen very very well. Come to think of it, that's supposed to be Scoscia's hallmark too.

So, Hughes back out for the 7th, Viz and Mo to finish?

Hughes first strike curve seems to be a much loopier than his out pitch curve. It seems as if when he gets hit on the curve, it's the get me over variety.

Even though his velocity seems to be down, his fastball is definitely explosive. If he refinds the extra 1-2 mph, he definitely as ace potential. If he stays at 92mph, he may "only" be a Mussina-type.

322 Yeah, because then Viz and Mo can finish. Though I think Phil is tiring -- the fastball is a little slower.

Hughes can go 8 maybe? He's only at 81 right now.

Who would want that folder?

324 Well said.

327 Dude, Moose was a legit ace earlier in his career.

316 I just love Nolan. He may be overrated to some. Not to me.

Hughes is looking SHARP right now. He's attacking the hitters like he did in the 1st inning, which seems like he does in the 1st inning of every game. Now why can't he have the same approach every inning?

It is a sad day indeed when Rex Hudler and company here on the west coast are more professional and better "broadcasters" than the "Worldwide Leader." Shouldn't Sutcliff be drunk by now anyway?

I am surprised they found the time to braodcast an MLB game with all their mouths wrapped around Goddell's cock so tightly.

Bootcheck has nothing.

333 I find it had to believe that Nolan Ryan is considered overrated by anyone. But then again, some think Rose was overrated too. Go figure.

327 Moose wasn't an ace type?
What will make or break Hughes is not is velocity but his control, thats always been the case. He has been throwing 91-93 all game and for the past few starts. Thats good. He may add a mph or two as he ages and gets stronger, but, like Santana, his games is control and nasty off speed stuff

332 I was being a little facetious (hence, the quotes around only). Moose had several season of ace quality and is a border line HoFamer, but he lacked the consistency of a dominant ace. If Hughes could have Moose's career, I'd sign up right now.

332 Hell, he was an ace in 2001. I still don't understand how he not only didn't win the Cy Young, but finished no where near it.

337 I sure hope the Sox don't have the prospects to get him next year.

336 Why is it hard to believe? The guy is often cited as the greatest pitcher ever or even in the top ten almost entirely because he could throw very very hard...

333 Fair enough

334 Anyone else hear the priceless audio of Sutcliffe drunk in the San Diego booth last year (or two years ago)?

Nolan Ryan has seven no hitters. He played for something like 26 seasons. Overrated? Ummm....

Um, no Giambi PH here?

341 Those no-hitters were kind of impressive, even if he did get them just by throwing very hard.

342 That rings a bell.

336 Yeah, I don't know what else you can ask for in a pitcher. I know he walked a ton, but c'mon, 7 no-hitters!! The man was a machine.

340 Oh they do. And If I were them, I would, without a doubt, offer Bucholhz and Ellisbury for Santana. They have the $ to sign him long term, and a big three of Santana, Dice-k, and Beckett would be sick

Exactly what we didn't need.

This game has that bad feeling.

339 He didn't win 20 games. Everyone who knows baseball knows that's the only benchmark for a pitcher. Not this fancy shmancy WHIP stuff. You into bondage? (Ok, I'll stop channeling Chass now).

Great job Johnny.

Damn, that was a good play.

Wow... shitty luck

Another missed opportunity forfeited by bad luck...there goes that queasy feeling again.

Could our luck get worse? Geez. We will score some more.

I have a bad feeling about this.

344 Anyone to PH. Duncan. Betemit. Molina. Damon could be the worst hitter on the team right now.

343 Yup yup. There isn't a guy pitching right now who will have more than two, if that. One can be a fluke, two can be lucky, but seven is seven is seven is seven for God's sake. Who was the last pitcher who could walk to guys on purpose because he knew he could strike out the third guy and get out of the inning?

340 Boston is a "lucky" because from what I have read, their can't miss prospects really aren't as can't miss as the Yankees. I've already started reading some scouts back away from Buchholz' projections.

I honestly think the Red Sox could offer Alex Cora and Doug Mirabelli and some dubious can't-miss* "prospect" for Santana, and they'd get him. Look at what they gave up for Pedro- a whole lot of overhyped nothing.

*per Peter Gammons and Baseball America

Very, very strange. When Bootcheck was completely distracted by Melky, he threw only strikes (except for the pitchouts), and decent ones. With nobody on he walked Melk on four, and can't throw strikes to Jeter.

358 Cone, David.

336 343 Nolan Ryan is definitely overrated by those who think he was the greatest pitcher of all time, as 341 points out. An all time great? No doubt. One of the very few best? Nope. No matter how many no-hitters he threw.

348 And the Yankees won't, and shouldn't. But that makes for one scary rotation in beantown.

347 he also walked 2,795 guys, lost 292 games, had a career era+ of 112. Yeah, the no hitters are awesome, don't get me wrong. And I'm not even saying he wasn't a very good pitcher. But even top 50? Nah

363 Agreed.

363 How do you figure? Just curious.

If you go to the Hall of Fame, look at the wall of no-hitters. Ryan is all over the place. It feels the way looking at the Babe's numbers feels.

360 That is silly. They will have so many offers, and the Pedro situation could not have been more different. A stud vs. a skinny "maybe."

368 If you go to the hall of fame, you won't see Burt Blyleven's plaque, or Goose Gossage's. What's your point?

369 Skinny maybe? What about the NL CY Young award in the season before?

Or Jim Rice.

let me put it this way: if i wanted a pitcher to throw the ball really hard or give me a lot of innings, I would choose Ryan. But if I wanted a pitcher to win me a game, pitch a huge inning, or even strike out one guy, would I take Ryan? Nope, strikeout record and all. And I would probably take about 50 guys before Ryan to win the game...

370 Huh?
That the seven no-hitters are mind-boggling when they're displayed graphically.

What do Gossage and Blyleven have to do with it?

365 I'm not being funny, but I think wins/losses are a terrible way to judge a pitcher. I see what you're saying, but he played for some pretty lousy clubs.

Here we go. The double plays come back to haunt us this inning.

Ugh, now Joe will pull Hughes. This game makes me nervous

Uh oh...why does that hit feel like big trouble?

369 I'm being facetious of course...

Bunt this!...lol

Look, if you are going to get one great season, take Pedro or Koufax or someone else. But for a career? Ryan is in the stratosphere. Maybe Rocket is up there too, but who else?

371 There was still a lot of speculation about his frame and ability to stay healthy. Not the case with Johan. Hey I like Pedro, but many were right, the guys career is over and he is in his low 30's. Clemens has pitched for more than 10 years past the age that Pedro is now.

381 I don't think Ryan is even in the top-20 to be honest.

367 See 365 . Ryan was a freak, no doubt. He was super-durable and threw really hard. He was teh greatest K pitcher of all time. But he was wild, and his career ERA was not all that good. A few days ago there was a debate over whether Glavine belonged in the HOF, just because he was very good (but not great) for a really long time. But looking at his ERA+, Glavine has had a better career than Ryan. In fact, Ryan only had one season with a peak ERA+ (1981) better than Glavine's peak seasons. Now, I'm not saying that one is better than the other, but if you look beyond the Ks, Ryan had some real weaknesses as a pitcher.

374 My point was that the HOF isn't always the great arbiter of things.

I think there's no question that Nolan's a slam dunk hall of famer though, but yeah saying he's the best of all time is pushign it, he's career ERA+ is significantly worse than a guy that many here are bashing into oblivion these days... Mike Mussina

It's ridiculas, Mike Mussina, if he has either 2 more good seasons or a great playoff performance... is a hall of famer. he's career is really exactly equal and somewhat better than Curt Schilling's minus the post season dramatics

382 I think Pedro's 1995-1997 seasons dispelled those notions.

382 Longevity doesn't make a career great per se. Like I said, i would take at least 50 guys before Ryan. But that's me...

I love how Gameday has that ball literally on the corner (outside and low) but called a ball.

That's how important Melky's arm is...if that's Damon, Kendrick is on 2nd.

384 And Mussina has had a better career than Glavine and he gets no Hall consideration.

It really is a sham in a lot of ways.

391 If Moose were a self promoting blowhard who made sure everyone knew he had a bloody sock, it might be a different story

384 Fair enough. But ERA+ is an average statistic. It ignores the length of Ryan's career.

seems to me, the purpose of pitchers is to prevent runs ... on the whole, nolan ryan wasn't exceptional at that ... his career era+ is only 112

he had one exceptional year when he had a 194 era+, he had another 2 at 130+, everything else was good but not great (in the context of preventing runs)

for comparison ... santana's had 6 consecutive years of 150+

ryan threw a ton of innings and had a wonderful career, he's a hall of famer, but he's nowhere close to my idea of a guy i'd pick for 1 season or 1 game ...

391 I disagree...Glavine's 1,000 extra innings count for a lot.

Come on Phil...don't lose the zone now...we all know Willets is taking.

385 I wasn't appealing to it as an arbiter.

Come on Phil!

3-0 to a guy he's struck out twice?

381 Look objectively at his career ERA and ERA+, and at his peak years. There are plenty of comparable or better pitchers--Rocket, Seaver, Carlton, Glavine, Maddux, Unit, Blyleven, just to name some guys since the 1960s.

Damn I hate that pitch out! Why put the kid in the hole of the bat.

386 I will say it until I'm blue in the face. Mike Mussina is a Hall of Famer. But he doesn't have OMG WINS, so the idiots that consider this overlook him.

Ugh, not good. And here comes Joe to bring in the bp.

argh ... fucking walks

Ugh, come on Phil.

Crap. I thought he had Willits.

that stupid pitchout

I hate the Angels

Fucking Joe Torre sometimes. He let Hughes walk right into that with the unessesary pitch-outs and throws over. UGH!

395 Thats 1000 estra innings in 4 more years.

It's amazing...these games against Anaheim are all the same. The Yankees squander opportunities and then give it up late.

I think Torre's decision to pitch out is going to loom large here. Willet's MO is to take a strike, so there was no need to throw one wide.

So now we have Viz for an inning+

411 You think Torre would pitch-out to Wade Boggs on the first pitch too?

393 I agree. Mickey Mantle must be horrible because he wasn't a .300 hitter at the end right?

410 And? Glavine has an ERA+ of 119 in 4,200 IP, while Moose is at 123 in 3,300. If Moose pitches 1000 more, he wont be at 119.

414 And Mays.

I can barely watch this.

I feel like I am watching a horror movie.

dispite him doing well for a while now, i have little faith in the Viz

393 Ryan had a 27 year carer, though his first couple of years and last year were abbreviated. Nearly all the guys I mentioned in 400 pitched 20+ years. At a certain point, longevity produces diminishing returns.

I do like this move. At least Joe is going to his best option first!

Come on Viz!

Every foul ball scares me even more.

Again, another reason why even if Farny were any good, it was a bad signing, too much money for a piece of shit who can't pitch two days in a row.

414 well, you might have a point if ryan had a decline phase, but he was essentially the same pitcher right until the end ... if anything, the end of his career saw an increase in his era+, he pitched fewer innings but was more effective

I feel the same way about Viz as Don Corleone felt about Hyman Roth: I respect him but I don't trust him.

414 You can do better than that. BA is a relatively silly average stat to look at. Why not focus on Mantle's career OPS or OPS+?

I fucking hate the Angels and Chone Figgins.

fucking walks, fucking angels

Fuck, who didn't see that coming. F'ing Angels and f'ing Figgins

Yuck.

419 oh lord...

Sigh. This game is so predictable.

FUCK! Was it too much to ask to just let Hughes go after the batters without all the damn pitch-outs! He's 21, let him go after the batters, don't screw with him!

This day started off bad, with my passenger window bashed in and my CD player ripped off. And now this, the same old freaking story.

Incredible...I don't know if the Yankees think they can't beat the Angels, but I know I don't. All those opportunities really hurt now...if the Wild Card means playing the Angels, the Yankees better win the division.

And the Yankees ONCE AGAIN invent a way to lose to this fucking team.

We'll meet them in the playoffs and lose to them in humiliating fashion AGAIN because they're in our heads.

Freaking inherited runners and LOB

A DP would be huge here. Otherwise, Vlad with a chance to break it open...

Oh hell, we're losing this game.

Why did I even bother watching?

Ridiculous.

I want to say fuck you Viz, but he really just isn't that good to begin with

Stellar. Just stellar. Maybe Luis Vizcaino saying his arm is sore is a warning sign, not an invitation to bring him in after just a day off.

Well, just think if Joba Rules didn't apply, they would have won tonight.

jesus, i can't stands no more ... i'm just glad i didn't go to the game tonite ... goddamn angels

434 I agree...maybe I am looking for a reason to blame Torre, but I really think that pitch out set up the inning.

Viz was bound to implode...he really isn't a good matchup for an Angels team that slaps the ball the other way.

Another text book loss to the Angels...fucking incredible.

Yankees lose.

THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Yankees lose.

Fucking embarrassing. No other words.

Ouch. That one really hurt.
Late inning rally?

Might as well bring in Kyle Farnsworth at this point.

Don't worry, now that both IR have scored, we
'll get the dp.

And now Sutcliff is saying that being fast on the basepaths is better than hitting hrs...

Edwar up a day late and a dollar short, Torre.

445 The Joba rules are a good thing

445 and if your aunt had balls, she'd be your uncle ... as they say

I fucking hate the Hell's Angels so much!

449 No. We can't beat this team. Why even bother trying?

Our BP has to lead the league in inheritted runners being allowed to score..

Did Jeter forget how many outs there were?

What can you do? They are simply better than we are head to head, year after year, nothing more can be said.

Jesus, they can throw a 55 mph meatball to A-Rod now leading off and it won't matter that much.

I wouldn't bring in Edwar here. He threw 2 innings yesterday. Bring in Kyle, this game is over anyways.

alright ... i gotta run an errand ... anything to switch this shit up ...

so vizcaino goes to joe and tells him he's too sore and tired to pitch, joe gives him the day off, then puts him in the biggest situation of the next day's game.

458 no chance at the DP there.

453 If we're going to bring a player up only to handcuff ourselves, we might as well leave him in the minors.

Don't hate the Angels. That isn't where the anger should be directed.

Great...if I ever get to sleep I am going to dream about a pitch out.

This game is most likely over. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt that I am.

453 Not saying it's bad. I agree with the rules. It's just that if Joba was in, he would have held the lead.

Finally! A Yankees Suck chant that I actually agree with.

These Yankees suck chants are so ball-less it blows my mind. Anyone can chant that when their up, I didn't hear a peep before this inning. Assholes.

Can't say I disagree with the crowd.

459 No, the problem is, they aren't better. They just seem to outplay us and Torre screws things up often as well.

Ok, down by two, we can do this.

Sure.
Now.

This is all on the rook. Walking the number 9 hitter and giving up a bases clearing double to Jeff Mathis? Sorry, it's nice to blame the Viz, but he didn't walk into an ideal situation.

We need to win this gane. We need to shut these guys up.

we're done. Vizcaino sucks and the Mariners just won't lose and we can't beat the Angels in LA. Can't wait to watch K-Rod embarass us again and do his histrionics. UGHHHH!

465 That's a ridiculous statement. I'll take 3 IP of Joba a week over Bruney/Proctor/etc.

That fucking pitchout... what a retarded decision..

465 Matt,

Joba is like sex when you're single. It's better to enjoy it when you can, rather than not at all.

465 Are you kidding me? We bring up a player, who is lights out, helps us when games but we should leave him in the minors because he can't pitch on back to back days? Hell, Kyle Farnsworth can't do that, sucks and we keep him up here. If losing a game or two this year means Joba is healthy for the rotation next, I'm fine with that. What? no one else on the Yankees can pitch an inning every other day?

Ye of LITTLE faith!

453 They are a very good thing. It's too bad the team doesn't utilyze them more effectively. Like not burning him for one inning with large leads (like 6-1 on Friday, or even 3 runs on Sunday).

481 how does that change when you're not single?

Viz' job is to not let inherited runners score. He threw two pitches right over the plate and they got creamed. He did not do his job. He sucks.

Viz' job is to not let inherited runners score. He threw two pitches right over the plate and they got creamed. He did not do his job. He sucks.

i meant 480

You can blame Torre/Hughes/Viz, but to only score 4 runs against Moseley and Bootcheck is the reason why the Yankees lost.

467 You know what? Fuck the pitch out. How about the "Next Roger Clemens" rebounds from the DEVASTATING 1-0 count and shows some fucking balls against REGGIE WILLITS.

Sutcliffe is so glad the Angels are back ahead so he can return to orally servicing them

I wanna know how is Pete Abe going to defend Joe's decisions...

PH Duncan for Phillips and Giambi for Damon. You have to do that.

Ill say one thing. Not only would neither Piniella or Leyland have oitched out, neither would have pulled Hughes from the game.

Man, I would love to see what those guys could do with the talent the Yankees have.

488 lost?

489 Agreed here. It was a stupid call by Joe, but c'mon its 1-0. Its not like Joe called 3 straight pitch outs after 2 IBB.

489 Hughes is 21...expecting him to be the Rocket is silly. I said it at the time, so I stand my criticism of the pitch out. I think it put Hughes in an unnecessary hole.

Fuck yeah!

Woah, so much Hughes hate here. The guy tires in the 7th and suddenly hes not man enough or something? Easy.

Ha!
Still breathing. Bring on K-Rod....

489 Dude, chill out--the kid ran out of gas. It would be nice if the BP occasionally didn't let every inherited runner score.

11 freaking hits, 4 runs...thats the issue here

I would have taken 6IP 3ER out of Hughes any day .

As for head and head, but in the amazing sample of 1 game, your still suppose to go out and win it instead of drop down and die. and look, even being the best team against us, the Angels only barely beat us more than half the times, this isn't the same thing as the Royals in YS.

and Ryan: you know, you have a poitn if Ryan didn't have 2 of his top 3 season after the age 40. he's a incrediable pitcher, but his overall result still were somewhat overrated.

Everybody shut up and watch the game!

That's my boy.

C'mon, Matsui, shut this horrendously ugly city up.

Can the Yankees get back to back hits?

494 Not yet. But like I've been saying, this team will lose most every game in which they fail to score seven or more runs from now until the end of the season. Which is why I have little hope we will overtake Seattle or Boston in the end. I sure hope I'm wrong, but we cannot hold teams down, and that means we have to score to win.

"It's the pitching stupid."

the good news at least is that the final parts of the Angel bullpen have been crapy lately. but it's against Boston, who owns them more than they own us

that first pitch to Matsui wasn't even close to being a strike

496 So fucking what? If a pitch out and a 1-0 count intimidate Hughes to the point where he's going to shit away the game, he's far too young and immature to be in the major leagues.

Thanks Matsui...that's an awful swing.

FUCK!!!

506 Uh...don't all teams have to score to win?

I'm calling that the Gator Phone!

500 He ran out of gas? I thought Joe Torre sabotaged him. By asking him to pitch to Reggie Willits with a 1-0 count.

509 i guess we should call igawa back up

C'mon Jorgie!

503 post of the day

506 Dude, our staff just held the Tigers to 6 runs in the last three games. The Tigers are the best non-Yankee run-producers in baseball.

Shields is not available for the Angels in this game as the team thinks his mechanics are out of whack.

OH HELL YES!!!!!!!

Holy shit!

Jorge!! See, no worries!

ok so everyone can calm down maybe?

YES

Jorge!

HA!

serves y'all right for giving up on this game. punks.

509 Purposely throwing balls a two feet off the plate can take any pitcher out of their rhythm, especially a rookie.

Hip hip!

forget about A-rod winning the MVP, Jorge for MVP!!!

Yep...pitching and defense wins every time. Slapping singles is so much more consistent than HRs.

See? Tsk tsk. Count on a Mets fan to will you guys thru all this. ;-)

Jorge! Who loves the PO man!

I take it all back! We are almost at my seven run rule, one more run and we win!

That's what I'm sayin.

Speaking of guys we smack around...anyone notice how fat Pedro looked in his latest rehab start?

Didn't you doom and gloomers learn your lesson while the team was busy making up all that ground?

now lets make it back to back robby

Come on Cano...patience please!

The Yankees better score more here...the pen is empty today.

517 No kidding.
I'm crediting YF in Chi with that homer.

Wow, Spier just had his best Jeff WEaver impression there

Does Sutcliffe ever sound not drunk?

Who pitches the 8th?

I have to say I enjoyed the high strike zone of the 80's a lot more than this four foot wide plate we have today.

534 - He's on the El Guapo rehab regimen.

He just missed that.

damn, Jason just missed that one

Tie game. But now the fun of watching the BP v. the Angels' dinks and dunks...

541 I hate to say what I'm thinking.

541 I suspect Farnsworth. Or has Edwar earned his spot on the wheel?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This game is still following the script...usually the Yankees have a lead, cough it up...come back and then lose it late. If they can get through this inning, Mo has to pitch the 9th, ahead or tied.

Oh good, Joe is taking my advice an inning too late.

548 No, Edwar threw too many pitches last game, right?

Oh God Joe why????

Oh damn it! What's the point...I am going to sleepwalk through the day tomorrow for this?

That's just silly. Joe shouldn't even be able to do that.

uh oh

I can't believe he's going to Farnsworth instead of Edwar. I mean, I believe it, but I'm extremely unhappy about it.

I'm in a pissy mood tonight to begin with. This game has done nothing to change that.

HOLY CRAP

Where's Edwar?

Farnsworth? OK, he DID have that one good outing.

But.

Eek.

557 Edwar did throw 2 IP last night.

I can't believe Farnsworth is still on this team.

It's like one of those formula horror movies where you're yelling at the screen, "Don't go in there! Don't!" and the character marches to their scantily clad doom anyway.

Chris Britton would be perfect in this situation.

I hate to say it, but he's the best option available to him. He did try to go to his best option first. Although that stunt in pulling Viz after the break to get more time shouldn't be allowed.

Can't you just see Sciosia chortling with glee when he sees this loser jog in from the bullpen?

561 And then they run up the stairs instead of out the front door.

Here comes the walk...great.

Good lord. It's bad old Farns.

Could we invite some broads into this forum now? Just in case we need to ease the pain.

I can't watch. Freaking 3-0

I need a drink

Um, is the YES gun a bit off? Kyle throwing 87?

I can't believe with all the talent this team has at its disposal, Farnsworth is going to cost them another precious, valuable game.

what the fuck was that??

A JOB!

I can't believe we're out-hitting the Angels 12-6, and have two homers, and the game is tied.

What the hell! He cannot move two fucking feet to the side of that rail?

Yeah, Alex, that was an odd route.

Why didn't arod just move over a foot where he could get further?

Kay so desperately wants Worthless to be good that he's blaming A-Rod.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Catchable ball...Kyle needs all the help he can get.

This is quickly becoming a Torre loss.

umm... MO plz?

You suck Kyle Farnsworth. Why the fuck is he still on this team? Chris Britton. Say it with me: D F A.

I HATE HIM.

Oh God I hate freaking Farnsworth. Bring in Edwar now. Period, Farns sucks Joe, and no matter how many meaningless innings he throws won't change that.

Why not bring in Henn? Letting Farns blow games is absurd.

blaming arod? catchable ball? it was right next to him and he stood there watching

You know, for a second there, I actually thought this was the 9th inning.

The only silver lining of this game, is might it finally convince Joe that Kyle sucks once and for all.

I HATE HIM.

Not a Torre loss. Too many LOB. Sloppy and lax defense, and then Arod fails to catch a pretty easy pop up. No one is to blame, they are all to blame.

Joe Torre must be drunk

This is painful to watch

YOu know, i didn't think this game could get worse after last inning, and yet, here we are. TAKE HIM OUT RIGHT NOW!!

3BB!

Why aren't Mo and Henn up? What is Torre doing in that dugout? Did they really not expect this? Really?

589 Nothing will ever convince Torre or Cashman that Kyle sucks. He'll be on this team until we die.

JOE TAKE HIM OUT

In A-Rod's defense, it's not his stadium, so as he was looking mostly up at the ball, he couldn't know exactly that going around that corner was going to work.

Is someone at least warming? I'd rather have Guidry on the mound.

589 how many times has that been a possible silver lining?

He's a piece of shit.

What does Jorgie say? You completely suck..here comes Joe.

591 It's a Torre loss because in spite of everything it was a tie game and yet he brought in a pitcher not capable of performing in a key situation. Everyone knew Farnsworth was going to blow the game...so why not Joe?

Forget anything else, this is on Kyle and Joe's "trust" in him. Yeah, the offense should have scored more, but they tied it up...

Yes, this game is all A-Rod's fault. He's gone 3-4, with 3 RBI and 2 Rs scored. He's responsible for nearly their entire offense. But he sucks for not catching a foul popup after Kyle Farnsworth went 3-0 on every hitter the Angels have.

How is it possible that I can hate fanrsworth more? Somehow, he makes it possible

I really, really, really, really, really, really hate Kyle Farnsworth.

589 Joe is incapable of learning...the Yankees have to win in spite of Joe.

606 Michael Kay agrees.

599 i'm pretty sure he could have caught it where he stood if he had lunged a little. he recoiled stupidly

610 What about Cashman? WHY IS THIS MAN STILL HERE?

Hmmm.... am I wrong in walking this guy and gambling on a DP? Probably.

A Rod causes feline AIDS too! :-)

I am on record that I do not agree with pulling the IF in here. I know it's the right move, but I wouldn;t do it.

that was incredible

Awesome play Wilson!

Kyle needs to buy Wilson a watch.

Wow, holy crap, Betimit just saved our ass!

WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON! WILSON!

thank you Wilson, looks like lady luck hasn't completley abandoned us yet

WOW

Great play. That might have been a game-saving play, in fact.

616 And I would be wrong. I am happy to admit that mistake.

Oh my Wilson...Joe...that bullet is your signal to get Kyle out of there immediately. He didn't get an out...an out got him.

Ok Kyle, you now have a chance

Betemit saves his ass.

That's our team, boys.

Chalk one up to the Jim Dean Memorial Bench!

606 what does his offense have to do with him missing an easy pop up?

Well, the YES gun is 3 mph slow, so was Hughes really sitting at 94 tonight?

629 Here here!

There was a game in Oakland in extra innings earlier this year that was similar. The ball was hit to Mink the Stink. He fell down and Oakland walked off.

Hopefully this is a good omen that times have changed.

Farns is almost comical

Kyle you lucky lucky lucky bastard!!!!

Farnsworth, you do not deserve that scoreless inning.

Bailed out by Blue.

630 Because he sucks on pop ups, we all know that. The idea that this loss could in any way be A-Rod's fault just ticks me off.

Wow, Kyle, you suck so much and yet you manage to stay on the wheel of guts.

Duncan for Damon?

He didnt go there.

We need to capitalize on these gifts.

Siddown you fat overmanaging fuck

YES!!!!!!

I can't believe we got out of that. I am sending Farnsworth my cardiac bill from my doctor.

I don't need to see Soscia run ever again...Tweedledum

Super Kyle notches another scoreless inning!
The guy is unreal. He's worth his weight in gold.

so i guess farsworth just won his setup man job back

Whew...thank you mr. umpire.

In the post game, Torre will laud Farnsworth's guts. Cashman...that is your queue to eat the contract and DFA him immediately and recall Britton.

Can we dump him? PLEASE?

He didn't get out of it. He got a sac bunt, a great play and a bad call.

Too bad Scioscia he couldn't bunt the ump over

630. Calling a pop-up where you have to run around a camera well and reach into the stands "easy" sorta makes taking your argument not seriously pretty easy.

hard to belive but i agree with O'brien / Sutcliff somewhat that from the thrills perspective this game is pretty good... back and forth and close plays and lots of management.

646 he won't. Its Pavano but taller.

I love how none of you guys criticized Torre for bringing in Farnsworth right away, but then decided to criticize Torre after he gave up two hits. Had he done a good job, you would have said, "Oh well, it was his only option."

A bunch of hindsighters.

BTW, I love Betemit. Another amazing pickup by Cashman. No more Cairo's for years to come.

638 we all know that mientkiewicz is an awful hitter, but that doesn't stop anyone from rightfully calling him out when he sucks

652 What are you talking about? I said it was a bad move right off. Before he brought him in.

Why the heck do you need your coors light bottle to tell you when its cold enough?

That wasn't a swing...hopefully the good fortune translates into some runs.

Is Jeff Weaver up in the bullpen?

Not so, SF Yanks

Now...will Joe use Mo next inning?

655 Alright 1, maybe 2 people said it right away. Everyone else waited.

652 Yeah, I think we all were pretty horrified, and said so

649 you mean a pop up that lands in the field of play about 3 feet from where the 3rd baseman is standing and watching it? he didn't even lunge at it from where he stood.

652 That's sarcasm, right? There were at least half a dozen posts decrying the call to Worthless before he threw a pitch.

652 I did in fact say it was his best available option.

652 Are you kidding? Go back and read the thread.

Do u think Michael Kay calls himself K-Rod when he dances naked in front of himself in the mirror?

661 I count seven people.

So who comes in for the 9th? Edwar? Mo?

667 I know Kay is big, but is he big enough to actually dance in front of himself :)

667 if i had the power i would ban you for life for bringing that image in here

Does Sutcliffe work for the Angels or something? I mean, its like every inning is "stuff you didn't know or care about but I'll tell you anyway about the Angels" time

No Mo in the 9th...no Arod in the 10th. It's that simple.

That might have been the best slider Ive ever seen.

oh well

669 Didn't you read? the Yankees claimed Jeff Weaver off waivers. He's warming in the bullpen. Its a tie game, on the road.

Seriously, Edwar threw 2 innings last night. I'd go to Mo first, since you have Abreu, A-Rod and Matsui due up in the 10th. Then if Mo has a short inning, trot him out again. If not, go to Edwar. Then Villone. Then Henn for however long it takes.

krod just fell down throwing that fastball

Whose throw day is this?

Figgins leading off next inning. blah

i wonder if krod will accidentally hurl himself into the stands one day?

678 Andy

667 - OK, that was really funny.

I don't see Abreu turning this into 1-4

682 He has Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benetar playing on the radio.

Alright I take it back. I'm just as pissed as everyone else that he was brought in and I started reading the comments and I keep forgetting that I'm a few minutes behind on the thread. I interpreted it as everyone waiting. That's my own stupidity and for that I apologize.

btw what is that sheep's bladder on abreu's arm?

681 Belay that, Mo, Edwar, Andy, Villone, Henn.

closers usually only have one pitch, like mariano?

684 No knocking Pat Benetar.

685 No worries, we're just all a bit on edge methinks.

Sweet.

hey, that pitch used to be a strike!

love is a balk-lefield

K-Rod up to 19 pitches.

C'mon I gotta got to BED!

689 I'm sorry. I got my hair cut today at this palce near my apartment staffed by all gay men, and well, they had Pat Benetar playing, and then 1980's Madonna. I had to throw it out there.

Dangit Bobby

oh come on that pitch never looked like it would be close

K rod gives a shout out to the god of bad glasses

FFFF..........KKKKK!!!!

This just doesn't seem meant to be...it looks like things are setting up for another Arod clutch 9th inning and then Abreu swings at a pitch in the dirt.

Hey, Posada gave us a shot. We just didn't capitalize.

Mattingly needs to get with our guys to help them recognize a pitch near the dirt, and not to swing at them.

Matsui is 4-9 with two HR and a double against K-Rod.

Get it to him.

no way

Come on MO! Show me the four seamer up in the zone. Please, I beg of you.

MO!

Let's go sizlak!

Shut up Kay...there is only one move here...it's Mo. Any second guess would be moronic...win or lose.

ok everyone who has wanted this for 4 years (including me), you gotta know he's gonna lose this game here

Wow! The ump is calling that inside pitch tonight.

We are strong. No one can tell us we're wrong.

Nice, Figgins=big out

Wow, Mo actually does the right thing (he NEVER brings in Rivera in this situation) and Kay is criticizing! Perhaps he wanted to see Farnsworth blow it.

Holy, wow, he brought in Mo! Whatever happens, this was the right move.

710 If Mo blows this, at least I'll get one hour of sleep. If Torre let Villone lose it here, I wouldn't sleep all night.

Darren Oliver sighting!

Unfortunately I don't have much confidence in Mo at the moment but I'll feel better with 5 more outs

We two are one...heartache to heartache

Here comes Big Bad Vlad.

Come on Mo!

that was not a good pitch

We are young, heartache to heartache we stand

718 I always have confidence in Mo because I know he has confidence in himself.

714 Michael Kay also criticized the RJ trade because we'd never be able to replace his 17 wins. There's a great post at FJM with a radio call in:

http://www.firejoemorgan.com/search?q=kay+randy+johnson

Do I stand in your way, or am I the best thing you've had?

cutter looks better today, not as loopy as it's been

sometimes i wanna get meta and start a FJM FJM blog

MO! That four seamer at the letters is what, a wooly mammoth? Saber toothes tiger? Glacial Ice?

That was ridiculous and oh so typical of the Angels vs. us

Jesus Christ.

Come on Mo.

Oh man...stupid bleeders. At least Mo is Mo again.

OK...the Yankees just aren't meant to beat the Angels. How ridiculous.

Fire Ken Tremendous!

no promises no demands

Please don't let steroid boy win the game

I hate Michael Kay. I blame him for this. Noting that Rivera had thrown five pitches...

They're all Sux fans anyways

Come on Mo. You're the right kind of sinner to release my inner fantasy.

729 put to rest by andruw jones on 6/18/99

I wonder why Rivera doesn't ever break out that change up he deployed so well in spring training.

739 Dude! LOL.

742 I'll try anything.

Mo is dialing it up

Every one of those way outside pitches used to be a high fastball at the eyes! Throw that fucking pitch! There are only a handful of guys who can hit it, but yet you never throw it.

HE GONE!

whoa cano wake up

This is torture.

This game is heart attack city. I feared another chop hit there.

I heart Mo

Get it to Matsui guys.

whew, though it wuold have been fitting if the game ended on a shitty chop like that

Yeah. Shit my boss is gonna hate me tomorrow.

741 It might mess with his cutter. I've heard Pettitte and other SP talk about how it's difficult to throw both effectively.

This game is taking years off my life.

741 i'm pretty sure he mixed it in a couple times at the beginning of the year and it was messing up his control.

745 he still throws high pitches, but i don't think he ever throws a straight 4 seamer anymore.

take me down to heart attack city where love is a battlefield

749 Me too, I thought for sure that was an infield hit. Whew! Now if they can't score on Oliver, they don't deserve too win.

755 So are you asking it

Why do you hurt me so bad?

753 I have to wake up at 5:30am ET...if the Yankees lose, I may call in sick.

How the heck can oliver still be pitching?

That was a little too close for comfort.

751 Nevermind

You come on like a flame

Then you turn a cold shoulder

Fire and Ice

i blame the moose in seattle

THIS IS DARREN OLIVER!! For the love of God

Damn Arod...can't you do it every time!

Matsui is 1-2 and Posada hits Oliver.

told ya

763 The deepest cuts are healed by faith

Sorry. That was Kaz Matsui

Roberto Hernandez is coming down from LA. I don't suppose they could hit him either.

He's throwing meatballs, come on guys.

Can they at least get one good swing against Oliver?

So... Farns if they don't score?

it's 1:40am to them too

Posada is guessing here...I hope he guesses right.

Giambi crushes Oliver if we can get it there

Ok, that was ridiculous. Darren freaking Oliver.

Now Henn has to come in after having pitched rarely

Giambi already pinch-hit and Farnsworth already pitched.

2:45pm here in Japan, listening to the game online, zero work getting done...Enjoying all the commentary, thanks everyone!

Farnsworth and Giambi are already out of the game.

779 Horrible inning, I'm thinking 51cq24 is right--they're asleep now.

All right guys I have to go to bed -- you're gonna have to keep the faith for me and I MEAN IT! We CAN beat the Angels! GO YANKEES! nite

That was an awful inning...now we get treated to the perils of Sean Henn. I wish Edwar could go 1 IP.

WTF we got shut down by Darren freaking Oliver? ... oh lord with Henn comming in.. cuold this possibly work out?

And no Shields.....come on guys.

Does Land Rover think that people that can afford $80,000 cars actually live in flood plains and avalanche areas?

lefty

or what 781 said.

782 A lot of ugly talk tonight. Don't hold it against us.

Duncan is still on the bench. I'd have gone with Edwar here, but he might be tired. Joe is running out of pitchers and he did go to Mo. I can't hate him here.

I dont wanna give in
Id be playin with fire
You forget, Ive seen you work before

All Fired Up, Now I believe there comes a time, All Fired Up, When everything just falls in line, All Fired Up

Shut them down and end this!

Oh nerts

Not good, damn it.

My head feels like it is going to explode. I need sleep...a loss here is going to be insult to injury.

And I wont be takin in by fire and ice

The Humanity!

I think Pat may have failed us.

Of course that couldn't go foul...anyone think Henn has a chance to egt out of this?

Hey, its the Angels version of Will Nieves. Wanna bet we lose to him?

801 There's a chance

what a joke

fuck. just like Bubba Crosby.

Wow, a guy with a .091 OBP hits a game winning double. That hurts.

HOW?

F'ing pathetic. What a waste. What was that guy hitting, .091? Figures. I hate the Angels

I just stayed up until 2 a.m. for this shit. Lovely.

Mother fucker...that has to be caught.

Ryan mother fucking Buddy...incredible. This series has sweep written all over it.

that's like a comical ending to a drama... jesus

Seemed like Melky was a step or two slow all game, just missing this shit...

But when you go down meekly against Darren Oliver with your three best hitters, well, you deserve this fate

HOW DOES NO ONE CATCH THAT?

I can read it already, "The Yankees, following a defalting loss on MOnday, went on to drop the next to games to the gritty Angels, falling 3.5 games behind the Mariners, and a game behind the Indians in the Wild Card race."

I don't understand this team. I really don't.

Should we have expected anything else? Fu*kin LAME

Terrible stuff from Henn, he served that one on a f-ing platter. Send his sorry ass down. I'm sick of having a "long man" just to have one. Give us Chris Britton already.

I hate to be so negative, but this has sweep written all over it. Ugh.

Rule 5 Unprotected guy.

813 because it's a righty, the CF usually shift toward LF queit a bit and RF will shift towards the line.

813 The communication issues which Abreu and Melky have had all season finally come home to roost. That's how, by not fixing what has been going on out there all year between the two of them.

The Yankees got what they deserved tonight, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They had plenty of opportunities to get ahead in this game, and keep a lead.

The Yankees had no business being in extra innings in this game. Like I said before, this team folds when it comes time to play the Angels. Winning the WC is not going to mean much if they continue to blow games to the Angels. If they were going to blow this one, they should have done it 2 hours ago.

They got their ass beat by two backup catchers today.

820 oh yeah, of course that's the issue! instead of you know, umm the Yankees playing the OF by the books against a right handed guy and he dunks one in the hole against them

"I hate to be so negative, but this has sweep written all over it."

Yep.

Here's where we look at all the mishaps that would have won the game for us.

I'd like to look at Robinson Cano's three run second inning.

815 How does it feel to have a slice of what Sox fans went through? A team which starts badly, gives you hope that they will get to the promised land, and then falls apart in situations which are clearly winnable.

Bad offense, bad managing, bad defense and bad pitching...why do they even get on the flight.

819 That suggests that you think the shitbag player at the plate is going to pull the ball.

Look on the bright side. The NFL was purged of yet one more pile of human garbage. Maybe his piece of shit brother can join him.

I don't think that was a Melky/Abreu issue. The outfielders were positioned poorly and Sean Henn — scrub — threw one of the worst pitches to a 28-year-old rookie who was 1 for 11 with 4 Ks in the Majors. The fact that it was almost caught was a testament to the efforts Bobby and Melky put in. That was otherwise just pathetic pitching.

830 I'd really have preferred that society would lose him for 15 or so years.

Henn doesn't belong in the major leagues. Chris Britton is wasted in Scranton while guys like Henn and Farns blow games. This stretch is way too brutal to give away games, especially when the matchup favors you heavily. After 4 fucking hours, I am still going to have a sleepless night thinking about a pitch out. Thanks Joe!

I hate to say it, but I think that, mentally, have made up their minds that they are no match for the Angels. That's what the Yankees' performance says to me every time these teams play. It's pathetic.

I'll ask this question again.

WHO IS THE OUTFIELD COACH?

Who in this staff of catchers and infielders is positioning the outfield to play for Gary Sheffield?

829 unless you know a righty is particularly good at going the oppsite field, that's the way you play. though i suppose with the game on the line and a single probably woulda scored it anyway, they probably shoulda shifted more toward middle than that

Let me say this again: Sean Henn served up a meatball to a 28-year-old rookie, fourth string catcher who can't hit much. It ain't the outfielders' faults.

Seriously, do the Yanks need a long man right now? There's 10 days left until expanded rosters, they can patch it together until then. Call up Britton, who is actually, well, good. They keep calling up Henn, and I don't see any usefulness in the guy. So he throws hard and with his left hand. So what? If you can't get Buddy out, you're not a pitcher.

Then again, it's the Angels, Tony Danza is out there in the outfield every time they play the Yankees.

832 It is a testament, in some ways, to baseball. If a pitcher had refused to correct his mechanics for seven seasons, he's be pitching in Staten Island. If you can run in the NFL, you just haven't been given the right opportunity to succeed. By far the least athletic of the three major sports...but I digress. I cannot help but think that Petrino is happy as a clam right now. He has a QB who will take direction, not spend seven years throwing off the wrong foot and blaming everyone around him.

836 I think you sort of have to assume he's no good at anything and isn't going to be getting around on any kind of fastball.

839 I really dislike the NFL. A baseball player gets arrested what, once every 6 months or so? It's a weekly occurrence there. By and large, football players are morons.

839 I disagree. The 97 mph fastball is to baseball what speed is to football

836 I think so. Not to mention that it was still a catchable ball. What can you do though? Until proven otherwise, the Angels are the only team in the league better than we are year after year head to head, and the record shows it.

841 I do love it when they say things like Russell won't be able to play because he won't have time to learn the system and coaches work 20 hour days because its so complicated. It's not, and it isn't, and he'll be fine. Football is in many ways the least complicated of all the sports, but since ESPN is had by the balls by them, you have to be preached to that 45 guys who couldn't change their own oil are learning rocket science or something.

842 When it hits the backstop it isn't effective, and when all you can do is run, but have rotten mechanics or cannot catch the ball, you are equally of little use. While in baseball, many who can throw 97 MPH are given the opportunity to pitch, a guy like Vick is given the opportunity to pitch and fail. He should have fixed his mechanics or gone the way of Rick Ankiel and done something that would have been of use to his team. Speed is great, yes, but as with baseball, the NFL gives it a front seat to skill. Jerry Rice was never faster than most over the DB's that covered him, but yet, he was pretty damn good. Speed aint everything, in either sport, whether it be MPH, or a 4.3 forty yard dash. Vick was a freakish athlete, but either a lack of skill or a lack of disclipine kept him from being as effective at his chosen position as he could have been. I don't think that anyone would argue that Manning or Brady are fast, but they are very good QB's.