After two low-scoring games, I wonder if we are in for more of an offensive affair this afternoon. Aaron Small goes for the Yanks and geez, do you think it’s asking too much for another solid outing? Even if it is, what cherce do the Yanks have? Well, to pound Freddie Garcia for one. The Bombers hit the ball hard on Tuesday with nothing much to show for it. They’ll need the bats to do the talking this afternoon if they hope to win the series. Thunderstorms are in the forecast.
Bombs away. Let’s Go Yan-Kees.
1. So after 4 1/2, it's another pitcher's duel. What the hell do I know?
2. Sorry for the technical difficulties, we're back in action. Aaron Small has again exceeded expectations, and the Yanks and Sox are tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth.
3. 3 cheers for Aaron (so far). Would it kill either of our 1 or 2 hitters to attempt to work out a walk? How many quick innings have Jeter/Cano engineered?
4. It's an unprecedented duel between the People's Champion the Rock (Garcia) and Lotney "Sloth" Fratelli (Small) from the Goonies.
5. Personally I think Small looks more like Peter Garrett from Midnight Oil.
6. And the Rock just laid the People's Elbow on Booker T, Ricky the Dragon and Rey Mysterio in the bottom of the sixth.
7. Looks aside, 1-1 after 6? Small has 6 Ks?
Fortune smiles on thee, Brian Cashman! Thou has found another effective starter from ye olde scrap bin.
And best of all, even with 91 pitches thrown, Small comes out to start the 7th. Has he (sharp intake of breath) earned Torre's trust?
8. Incredible. First of all, Jedi and Cliff, both of your calls are great. J, I didn't know that dude's name but that is who Small reminds me of.
But dag, seven innings of one-run ball? Come on boys, get this man a "w."
9. I imagine it will take something better than Bernie/Flaherty/Womack to get him that W. Good news is Giambi starts it off.
10. And Giambi's playing the field this time - he's got to do something here, right?
11. Come on Jorge!!! prove me wrong from my previous post that you are not a fat little boy running around looking for your birthday cake!
12. Posada is something better than Flaherty. Good move there by Joe.
13. Birthday cake it is.
14. Way to take that pitch, Jorge. Way to work that count. Welcome to the era of having a zero offense and defense minded catcher. Welcome back Matt Nokes incarnate!
15. K by Jorge, groundout by Mowack. Sigh.
16. Small thew 109 pitches, Joe goes straight to Gordon, who had yesterday off and threw just 8 pitches the night before. That's the right move. If the Yanks don't go ahead in the bottom of the eighth, Gordon should pitch the ninth as well.
17. This game is almost reminiscent from yesterday? Learn from our mistakes...shouldn't we go with Rivera in the ninth even if we are tied?
18. Why not pinch-hit Crosby for Womack? If Bernie's playing CF, what the hell else is Crosby there for? To fetch green tea?
I never thought I'd say this, but . . . this is where Sierra is missed. He's the one guy on the bench (Torre would actually use) who could slug a homer (if the pitcher is a righty). Even if Guillen brought in a lefty reliever, and Sierra made an out, at least Garcia would be out of the game.
Note Andy Phillips could have filled Sierra's role nicely, if he ever got a frickin' chance . . . sigh.
19. Assuming Bernie is gone next season, who would be a good pick on the free agent market for CF? Watching Rowand play CF has me searching the MLB ranks for someone, anyone else. CF and some pitching and depth could make next year solid. A couple good catchers are out there if Jorge continues to slide. Molina, Hernandez, and Pierzynski are coming available. Any suggestions?
20. I think Cliff is right - with only 9 pitches thrown in the 8th, unless we take the lead now, let Gordon pitch the 9th. Then Rivera is available for extra innings, if need be.
Of course, if Gordon gets into trouble, Rivera has to be brought in asap.
21. According to Sterling, Pavano out for year - tendinitis in rotator cuff.
22. Reasons to appreciate Jeter :
1. these double plays he turns with ease
(just saw a great one in this game)
2. his uniform is ALWAYS dirty at the end
of the game
3. he runs out every grounder
4. the pop flies he goes back and gathers
in.
5. never a swear word, attitude, etc.
23. Mariano in for Gordon to start the ninth. Holy crap...dont tell me I am thinking like Torre now...this is bad...need a checkup with the Dr.
24. Joe,
He gets paid an awful lot of money to do exactly all of those things. I don't think he deserves praise (what did Chris Rock say: "What do you want, a cookie?"). I like 2, but we should expect 100% effort/professionalism from all of these guys.
I really have to try and get some work done today...
25. Agreed, Alvaro. Nothing disrupts a work day like an afternoon Yankee game. =)
26. What? Today's a work day? F*ck.
27. 9 pitch ninth for Mo?
He's done a ton of that lately- I like it.
28. Alvaro
I agree 100% with what you say. However (and I guess I'm getting old) ... how many guys play the way he does, never complains, plays hard, is always prepared, is a good role model, etc etc etc.
I have 2 sons (3 years old and 1 year old) and love having Jeter as a "role model" - (if any pro athlete is a role model...I guess he's the one.)
Sorry for the soap box speech. Let's win this friggin game !
29. "Neal Cotts replaces Freddy Garcia"
That's a recipe for somethin' about to be brewed!
30. Hmm . . . is Torre expecting that A-Rod or Giambi is going to win us this game with a HR now, or what? That's the only reason I see for bringing in Mo for the 9th.
31. here's another reason Shaun P:
Keeping us in the ballgame.
32. But why not let Gordon pitch to Rowand, Dye, and Geoff Blum? From Cliff's #16 above, Gordn "had yesterday off and threw just 8 pitches the night before" - and only threw 9 pitches in the 8th!
Its not like any of those guys has had any success against Gordon.
33. Shaun, great points about Sierra and Phillips (grrrr). Jedi, there's a huge difference between Gordon and Embree. Gordon's been fierce in his last couple of innings (today and Monday), I would have used him another inning to extend the pen, then gone straight to Mo for two more if necessary. That gets you through 11 innings with your top guys.
34. We.
Have.
No.
Bench.
And.
A.
$200M.
Payroll.
WTF?
35. The bench is in Columbus (Phillips, Russ Johnson) the DL (I meekly name Sierra), and LA (Navarro).
Oops.
36. Knuckles, I personally like the motto over at NoMaas.org:
"If we had $200 million to burn, the Yankees would never lose a game."
37. By the way, this has been a hell of a series, no matter the outcome, some fantastic low scoring games. Scott Long keeps saying this is how the White Sox have been playing all year. I look forward to watching them in the postseason.
38. Gordon has been up and down and you all know it regardless if he's been "hot" lately. One day he can throw like he is unstable the next he can serve up a gigantic sized meatball. In a must win rubber game, I go to Rivera everytime, to keep me in the game and to give my team a chance to win it, not come from behind. Rivera didnt even pitch yesterday, he can give at least 2 innings where we can have a chance to win it, rather having to bite our nails with Gordon.
39. Also, if this game goes long, the Yankees desire to have Proctor start Thursday could come into play for one of two reasons:
1) Torre will use Proctor, eliminating the possibility of him starting Thurs.
2) If the game goes long enough that Torre burns through Felix Rodriguez and whatever's left of Sturtze (who has pitched the last two days at least), he might go to Franklin over Proctor because of the hope of starting Proctor. Ugh.
40. And now here's the problem, jedi - Mo pitches the 10th. We have Posada, Woemack, and Jeter due up. Maybe we score a run - but not likely. Who pitches the 11th then? Whoever it is, they ain't Mo.
All this is potentially moot if Mo gives up a run here. I don't have a TV - was the triple due to Bernie in any way?
41. Doesn't matter anymore, since there won't be an 11th.
42. Was that triple catchable by Bernie?
43. Against a team with a weaker bullpen I'd agree with you, Jedi, but the Sox can stretch this game out and the Yanks need to try stretch with them.
That said, you can nevery really be that wrong in going to Rivera, even if he did just give up the go-ahead run. Anyone know if the triple was misplayed in the OF?
Yanks have Bernie, Posada and I assume Tino due up to try to salvage this game. Oh well. Tough loss.
44. Dammit. A fielder's choice? Did they throw him and not get Uribe? What fielder was this?
Watching on yahoo's game channel is very annoying.
45. I really like our chances with Posada, Woemack and Jeter in the bottom of the 10th...
46. As much as the Old Yankees (Bernie, Tino etc.) tend to be overrated by fans now that their skills have declined, they always seem to be able to draw a late-inning walk to get a key run on base. Kudos to Tino!
47. bernie terribly misplayed the flyball that turned into a triple and threw it back to the infield like a girl, its a shame that the yankees will likely lose this game on a sad play like that and the fact that posada was too scared to block the plate on podsednik's ground out.
48. Gameday's been terrible today, too.
49. Cliff, damn... I should just shutup next time, just like Torre and his moves. Sorry guys.
50. The triple was a bernie triple, he got a brutal jump at it and the ball was tailing away from him.
51. Yankeefan1, you're making me cry.
52. im sorry but its true, bernie i love him to death but he has no right to be in the outfield on this team anymore he is atrocious at the plate and in the field. same with posada we need to start looking at a replacement for him as well as he got super old super fast :(
53. Bernie just didn't have the speed to catch up to that triple. No misplay. Just age and declining skills. On play at home, Uribe got a great jump off third and when Cano made a decent throw home to Posada, he was barely safe. You could say the throw was a little to the first base side or that Posada didn't straddle the plate the way Sciosia would have but it's a moot point. Good play on Uribe's part. But, again to give Kaat his props, didn't he say the big problem for the Yankees wasn't necessarily pitching but CF defense? This series demonstrated that pretty well.
54. How the hell do you leave Bernie in CF? He made the last out.
FIRE TORRE!
55. Sigh. Thanks for filling us non-TV folks in , yankeefan1. Sorry you have to witness it visually. Its much easier to just read text.
56. Jeter's been pretty awful in big situations this year. What gives?
57. Although I'm not watching this game (I'm at work), it's great to have Kaat back in the booth.
58. well what can i say the yankees suck and need to start rebuilding they got the 2 best pitched games of the year and they lost because they are old and dont have any fire or passion anymore, combine that with the fact joe torre is the worst manager in baseball and you have a 208 million dollar team who will miss the playoffs :( it was good while it lasted
59. Just sad to see Bernie like this. I so wish he could just go back his '95-'02 days, but alas, the ravages of time has gotten the better of him. What kills me is the guy didn't exactly age gracefully. In '02 he almost wins a batting title. In '03, he gets hurt and looks old in the field and at the plate. I know he wants to play a few more years, but I wish he would just retire so I don't have to seem him struggle anymore. His career avg. is below .300 already...sigh..
60. Damn. Everyone is talking like the Yankees are the last place Devil Rays. Until we are clearly out of the Wild Card and Division Lead, I'm not calling it quits. 4.5 games is not big margin. Just ask the Red Sox last year when they were 10.5 games back midyear. Cowboy up. anyone?
61. Good job overreacting to losing a 2-1 game in extra innigs to the best team in baseball, YF1. The Yankees got outscored by one run in this series, a tough series loss, but not a catastrophe by any stretch.
62. Yanks 1-19 with runners in scoring position during the series.
Drat. Bested by the best.
63. jedi, want to keep the faith but unlike the Red Sox last year who made those deadline deals to re-jigger their team with better defense and speed, what's going to catalyze the Yankees? Scott Proctor?
64. What Cliff said!
But I'm very bearish about this whole thing. It's preposterous to expect Chacon and Small to pitch to this clip through September. I've got a real bad feeling that the Yanks are going to be eliminated from the postseason late in September the same way they lost today: tight game, tying run on and a ball lifted but caught at the wall.
Props to the Sox. They came into the Bronx and took 2 or 3 w/ commanding pitching performances. Curious to see how they'll fare in Fenway.
65. Don't blame the Yankee hitters. Only a perfect team can overcome Torre's incompetence. The Yankees are better than the White Sox.
66. I think Cliff has it right - its not like we lost these last two by a score of 27-3.
That said, the hole in CF hurts us again. Sigh. Isn't Juan Pierre available this offseason? I know he's been pretty bad offensively this year, but he's got a 101 Rate2 playing in Florida's spacious outfield. Anyone seen him play this year and care to share observations?
67. Juan Pierre is not more than an average defensive CFer, and he is not a FA.
68. Didn't it seem like the Yanks lost all their patience in this series? Even against El Duque they weren't working counts.
I think the only decent Offense/Defense combo CF available this offseason is Milton Bradley (no I don't count Damon). He comes with his own baggage, but I would love him on the team next year. He reminds me of a young Bernie, but with attitude.
69. Not a catastrophe loss, but if they could have "manufactured" another run in the last two games they might have swept.
70. Geez...... what did Torre do wrong this game? Except for be a manager of a team that only scored 4 ERs in 3 games? Should Bubba have been in CF? Considering Bernie made the last out... maybe yes. But that left little on the bench. I understand Bernie not catching that ball... but playing it into a triple? That (obviously) hurt.
Sorry guys.... gotta blame these loses on the offense. We saw their 3,4 and 5 pitchers. Didn't scratch out any walks when they were needed. Didn't go long into the count. ARod has 3 of our 4 RBI's. Where was the rest of the team?
When our pitchers only give up 2 runs, 3 games in a row, and we lose 2 or 3.... ya gotta blame the offense.
71. You don't put Bernie in CF. He's done. End of story.
72. My bad, Rich. I thought he had more service time from 2000. Looks like he's a free agent after next year.
Bradley would be an interesting pickup, though I'd be amazed if the Dodgers let him go.
73. cliff i respect your opinion but the yankees could have easily swept the series had they not given the last 2 games on a silver platter to the white sox. joe torre should seriously be forced to watch the games over again and asked repeatedly why he does such stupid things.
74. Also, perhaps if Giambi was moved up in the lineup they could score more runs.
I still hope that Melky is the eventual replacement in CF, but that might require a stopgap for 2006.
Torre cannot remove Small from the rotation for Wright.
75. I'm sitting here numb after these past two games, especially because the Boston offensive juggernaut is rolling on right nearby. It doesn't seem to matter that the Sox are giving up 6+ runs a game, they simply go out and score more.
But the 200 million dollar team scores 5 runs in 3 games. Yikes, that hurts.
76. Think it's already been decided that when Wright returns, it will be from the pen (at least early on).
77. We should have kept El Duque, which is not a second guess.
78. Rich, agreed on Melky - almost forgot about him. I think Bubba Crosby could be that stopgap, if the team will give him the chance.
If anyone goes anywhere to make room for Wright, it has to be Leiter to the bullpen (and drop Wayne Franklin). Maybe Leiter would make an effective LOOGY, dare we dream?
79. I think 9/12 is the pivotal date here. Yanks play 3 at OAK early in September and host BOS 9/9-9/11. We'll know if they have any shot by then.
80. Wright is expected to start on Monday, which is Small's turn, though if RJ isn't better, Small could pitch Tuesday giving Joe another round to figure out that Small just might be his best starter right now (eek!).
81. Not sure that I agree that this series was not a catastrophe. The Yanks lost 2 games they could have won. Now the season is 3 games shorter than it was on Monday, and at best we lost a game on Boston, at worst 2. Losing 2 games like this in May or June is not a big deal. Losing them in mid-August, at home, is.
82. Cliff, you are the best. I didn't watch the game but was frustrated by the outcome. I wanted to rant and bitch but I think you are right. Though the Yanks could have swept the series, you have to credit the White Sox and agree that it was an exciting, low-scoring three games. I'll take our chances the next time out against them.
Once again, you are the voice of reason. Thanks.
83. As much as I like you guys, I have to disagree.
Every loss now is either another game back in the standings or a failure to gain a game back.
When you need a winning streak to get into it, you cannot afford to hand away games, like the last two days.
84. I think Singledd is right. With our lineup, we should win games that are this low-scoring. Before this week, I'd have been confident that the Yanks could win if they held the other team to only 2 runs.
85. Why can't anyone give credit to the White Sox? There's a reason they have the best record in baseball. Boston has been playing TB (or was it KC?) and now Texas, not exactly pitching powerhouses. It was pointed out by several people here that the Yankees schedule for this stretch is significantly tougher than the Red Sox is. While I'm not exactly optimistic about this season, don't panic yet. We lost 2 or 3 to the best team (record wise) in baseball and were close to winning both.
Also, these calls for Torre's head are inane. Yes the guy makes mistakes, but do people on here have as much information as he does before games? Maybe Gordon looked tired to him before yesterdays game, I don't know. He really didn't do much wrong today as far as I can see it and last night if Bernie's shot had been a foot to the center or more down the line we'd have won the game. Relax people.
86. "Why can't anyone give credit to the White Sox? There's a reason they have the best record in baseball."
What is the combined ERA of the 3 starters we faced? 4.something? Its higher when they face the BEST line-ups, and lower when they face the easier line-ups. We scored an average of 1.33 ERs in 3 games.
Yes... They pitched well. But we did better against Pedro, which those 3 are not. They pitched well, but we hit VERY POORLY. One game... OK. THREE games? Unexceptable.
83)NetShrine is correct. If we finish a few games out, some might point to loses to KC and TB. But we weren't 'in the groove' as much then, as those games weren't close. Small and Chacon gave us FAR MORE then we could have hoped for. Our offense simply failed 3 games. We should have swept 'em.
These 2 games will be high on the list of games that cost us the PS.
87. I ignore all the negative game posts above. (So that's how you bold text, nice)
I just had to comment on the Pavano news though. So disappointing. I just hope that Pavano can recover fully. The Yankee pitching staff has just been the equivalent of burnt toast this season.
88. I'm always amazed at the number of people who are unable to distinguish realism from negativism.
89. btw, Chacon is the the Yankees best starter.
90. Another thing that wasn't mentioned is that the 0-2 pitch to Podsednik looked for all the world like strike three on the outside corner. Posada left it out there for a while, and even Rivera looked stunned. (The strike zone was consistently small all afternoon, though.) The next pitch was grounded to Canó...
I don't want to blame Torre for what's going on, but if he pulls Small from the rotation as he seems to want to do, I just might come over to the dark side.
91. "I'm always amazed at the number of people who are unable to distinguish realism from negativism."
What is it about the Internet that makes you and others easily toss insults that denigrate other people without any regard. You could have simply ignored my post like I did all the posts above and as I plan to with all your comments from now on.
92. "What is it about the Internet that makes you and others easily toss insults that denigrate other people without any regard. You could have simply ignored my post like I did all the posts above and as I plan to with all your comments from now on."
Huh? Not the internet, life.
You grant yourself the liberty of distorting the meaning of another person's posts, and then you complain when you are called on it. Just like when you have mischaracterized the posts of the people who have exposed Torre's persistent mismanagement with factual evidence.
The irony is a overwhelming.
I couldn't care less what you do, but when you redefine reality, I am going to call you on it.
If you can't take it, then don't dish it out.
93. Arghhh. I just saw the game highlights on ESPN. That last run was questionable, to my view.
And the Red Sox killed the Rangers tonight. Should be interesting to see how "the battle of the Sox" goes...
94. Attention Rich and Simone: Flame off.
95. Alex, although you like our chances against them next time, next time we'll most likely have to face their best two pitchers, Garland and Buehrle, who we luckily missed this time (although they missed RJ). And they probably won't start Timo Perez twice in the 5-hole next time.
I just hope they cool off their Red counterparts.