I covered the significance of tonight’s game in yesterday’s pre-game post, but there are two corrections that need to be made to what I said yesterday.
The first is that, while the Yankees will indeed erase the half-game in the standings between themselves and the Red Sox for better or worse tonight, they will not do so with regard to the Indians until Monday as Cleveland opens a four-game series in Kansas City tonight, but will be off on Monday. Of course, the Yankees hope that half game with Cleveland is a moot point as, with a half-game lead in the AL East entering tonight’s game, their focus is entirely on winning the division, as well it should be as they still trail the Indians by a half game and the White Sox by three.
The other correction is that Joe Torre appears to have backed off his six-man rotation idea. Last night the YES announcers reported that Aaron Small would be the odd man out, but on today’s Mike & the Mad Dog show on WFAN, Torre claimed not to have made up his mind yet, though the choice does appear to be between Small and Chien-Ming Wang, one of whom will start thus Sunday against the Blue Jays and, barring a disaster outing in that game, will return to the hill in Game One of the season-ending showdown with the Red Sox.
Assuming that Torre goes with Wang, who I think is not only the no-brainer choice between the two, but the Yankees second best starter at the moment (behind only Randy Johnson), this is how the rotation would project over the remainder of the year.
Thu 9/22 v Bal: Mussina
Fri 9/23 v Tor: Chacon
Sat 9/24 v Tor: Wright
Sun 9/25 v Tor: Wang
Mon 9/26 @ Bal: Johnson
Tue 9/27 @ Bal: Mussina
Wed 9/28 @ Bal: Chacon
Thu 9/29 @ Bal: Wright
Fri 9/30 @ Bos: Wang v. Wells
Sat 10/1 @ Bos: Johnson v. Schilling
Sun 10/2 @ Bos: Mussina v. Wakefield
Of course, having Small and Leiter in the bullpen gives Torre the option of using either one in place of Wright (should he struggle this Saturday) or Mussina (should he tank tonight and/or Tuesday), or of using either or both in tandem with the starter listed above to complete a must-win game (as if there are any that aren’t at this point). After all, if the season does wind up coming down to that final game on October 2nd, the starting assignment is merely a formality. Any sign of struggle and the hook comes out and everybody, perhaps even the previous day’s starter, will be available to pitch.
In other news, Jason Giambi will sit tonight due to the sore back that drove him from yesterday’s game in the middle innings. Tino Martinez, who walked and doubled in two plate appearances in relief of Giambi last night, will start at first base. Bernie’s back in center after last night’s day off. Matt Lawton, who went 2 for 3 last night with a two-run dinger that accounted for all of the Yankees runs last night, will start in right in place of Bubba Crosby (also 2 for 3 last night) against the left-handed Bruce Chen.
Speaking of Chen, he was bounced to the bullpen after a few rough outings in July, but quickly returned to the rotation and has turned in eight quality start in his nine outings since doing so, the one exception being an start against Cleveland in which he allowed just one earned run in five innings. Since returning to the rotation he’s posted a 1.84 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP.
Mike Mussina, meanwhile, will likely be on a short leash with Al Leiter ready to come in as a second-leg starter if need be. So that’s your match-up, Chen against Mike Mussina on 23 days rest for a guaranteed half-game swing in the AL East race. Gulp. Here’s hoping the first-place Yankees, the hottest team in baseball right now (yes, they’re even a game better than the Indians over the last ten games), finds a way to pull this out and go a full-game up on the reeling Red Sox.
1. Wow! Hideki earns his paycheck today.
But I sure hope no one hits one like that in RF.
2. Dammit. First and third no out and ARod strikes out and Sheff pops up. Crap.
3. We are definitely leaving too many stranded. :-P
And it looks like Moose is gonna need some run support tonight.
4. "And it looks like Moose is gonna need some run support tonight."
Am I getting a slow feed? I'm seeing Moose ok through 1.2, including a 3-pitch K, and (importantly) few pitches.
5. That's it, I'm on the Big Papi for MVP train. ARod better turn in some ridiculous plays at 3rd to make up for that k.
6. I've seen one Moose fastball at 90, anyone see anything higher? He's been at about 91 at best all year, from what I recall anyway. 19 pitches through two innings, gotta like that. Hideki's catch could be huge.
7. He looked a lot better in the second inning. The first inning, he looked like he was struggling, and Matsui saved what would probably have been a double.
8. Jeter is an average SS, at best.
9. How bad was that error for us online?
10. Terrible. It was an easy DP ball and he let it play him.
11. Three soft ground balls = two hits and an error, first and second no outs, 1-0 O's. Drat.
12. Mick, he flat-out Bucknered it, through the wickets as he shifted his weight toward second to make the 6-6-3.
13. Awful. Not an error Jeter would usually make. And it prove be costly.
14. Yeah, Jeter sucks let's trade him. And let's DFA Giambi cause he hasn't hit a home run in a few days. And Mariano should be talking some sense into all those crap ass pitchers in the pen, let's trade his ass too.
This message brought to you by Sarcasm International.
15. He's throwing hard.
16. Gamecast is moving at the speed of smell.
17. I guess between Jeter's error and Hideki's error, Moose is even on the night. A DP here would be huge.
18. Jeter doesn't suck, but he is an average defensive SS. Even last year when he won the GG his UZR was 0.
But sorry, we can't tell the truth about him.
19. Jeter just redeemed himself.
20. Well, Jeter made a decent play on Tejada's liner, but that's what average SSs do. One good, one bad.
21. Damn! Not the DP I expected, but that'll do just fine. Okay, Jeter is even, Moose is back up one.
22. "But sorry, we can't tell the truth about him."
Sorry about those guys who keyed your car, Rich.
23. Rich, I never said he was a great SS. I was just being comedic. We can tell the truth about him and for that matter, he also needs to do something with that Kid n Play fade.
24. Huh?
25. I don't think "one good, one bad" accurately describes Jeter's defense. He may be overrated, but he's better than "one good, one bad."
Moose is throwing hard, but I dunno...I think his location is off more than usual.
26. Jeter lacks range up the middle. A-Rod should be the SS, and Jeter should play CF.
27. Schteeve, word to the fade. Though I kind of like Jeet partying like it's 1991.
Hey how many times does a guy make a great play then bat second in the next inning?
28. No Huh?'s on second. Who's on first?
29. Moose still got through that third on just 15 pitches. Not too bad. 34 through three IP.
30. Jetes is old school. "OG" if you will. For the playoffs he should come out with a Eazy E style jheri curl.
31. If A-Rod goes to SS, who plays 3rd? Remember the huge hole that used to be? We need A-Rod in the hot corner.
32. Yankees couldn't hit the water if they fell out of a boat.
Sorry, I'm talking too much aren't I?
33. "Sorry, I'm talking too much aren't I?"
Somebody's got to pick up the slack with Stormer away.
34. ROFL!
35. If A-Rod had switched to short before the season, I would have signed Koskie to play 3B. I don't know who is available this off season.
36. Schteeve, the jheri curl is Pedro's turf. Derek could go with a nice high-top box, though, maybe shave "#2" and the NY logo into the back?
37. Umps usually hate Mussina. Good job tonight.
38. When did they start the crack down on the clues/guessing on the trivia question?
39. K
Some runs...
40. 21
Cliff, it contains the damage, but does not undo the earlier damage. A DP would have erased both baserunners, and he would have been out of the inning when Mora was out.
This is why Sterling is annoying. Jeter is the one responsible for the one run that got in, and he continues to blow him for the defensive play he made later for the DP later in the inning, when the damage was already done by his previous error.
41. 5 Ks, 48 pitches through four. I'm totally impressed.
42. Good point, Sam. That one run on the board is Jeter's all the way.
43. Why can't Yankees hit Chen? They are just making a procession: coming in, going out.
44. Eh. I don't think Koskie and A-Rod would be an upgrade over A-Rod and Jeter. Think of the games A-Rod has saved with his defense at 3rd. Remember Aaron Boone's horrible performance there in the post-season. We would not be #1 now without A-Rod at 3rd.
IMO, the Yankees should be looking for young talent. Jeter's too old to move to the outfield. A-Rod and the oft-injured Koskie are about his age. We need young blood. Is there any more where Cano came from?
45. It's a freakin' enigma and it's pissing me off.
46. No.
47. randy,
Who will be the Yankees' CF, and how much will the Yankees have to surrender in prospects and/or salary?
It's not merely Koskie and A-Rod v. A-Rod and Jeter.
Jeter would be a great CFer. He has speed, and is great a catching fly balls.
48. Sam and Rich, see the penultimate paragraph of the above post. This is how Chen has been pitching over the past couple of months.
49. Cliff, are you advocating Jeter going to see Anthony Mason's barber. Because I think that would be fantastic.
50. Rich is right, it would be Koskie v. Bernie. Koskie is an excellent defensive 3B, though he does get hurt a lot. I won't even bother to mention Andy Phillips backing him of (Koskie bats L, Andy bats R). That ship has sailed, as have Eric Chavez, Aramis Ramirez and Troy Glaus.
51. Cliff, then the Yankees need to score their 1.84 runs.
52. Token whine about the Red Sox: when they play the Orioles this weekend, they will miss both Lopez and Chen. We will see both of them once more.
53. Nice play by Alex.
I demand a rally.
54. I think Jeter's too old to switch to CF. Mabye Bubba can play center.
Damn! Now that's why we need A-Rod at 3rd.
55. Another great play by the MVP, another 10 pitch inning (54 total for Moose through five). Time for some runs from the bottom of the order?
56. Po is coming on when we need him most.
57. Jorgie!
Man, he's hot these days.
58. Yes, Jorge!!!
Man, this year, he is getting better as the season winds down.
59. Why is MVP-Rod striking out a lot lately?
60. Yount's first year in CF was his age 29 season.
Bubba's already 29, he's not going to become a starter at his age.
Oh, and there's that run I called for. Just 0.84 to go!
61. They aren't going to entrust CF to Bubba. He will be 30 next year.
They will either overpay for Juan Pierre and his .320 OBP, or overpay Damon, or overpay the Twins for Hunter.
62. Rodriguez has been K-ing more than usual, three hat tricks in the last five games. I think he's pressing some, fortunately it's not effecting his fielding.
63. Another great situation, IMO, would be Yankees v. Chicago, Indians v. Angels in the ALDS. Chicago can't play Cleveland in the first round.
64. I'll take Bubba in the lineup right now
65. A-Rod has been pressing ever since Klapsich interviewed for a column he did in which he said he has to be Reggie this September.
66. Jorgie, you gotta give Jeter some hitting tips. (Hey, it worked for Bubba.)
67. Cliff,
See your point about Chen. I guess he is indeed pitching well, he K's 7.
Tino steals a base? Lopez must have one of the worst arms.
68. Did they take BP today?
69. Castro was late covering 2B and he dropped the ball.
70. Pierre has a career .354 OBP, but it's highly dependent on his average, usually about 50 points higher than his AVG. He's 28 this year and having his second worst season ever. Bad sign. What's more he's a below average player on both sides of the ball and gets caught stealing too often to make his legs an advantage.
And yes, Tino just stole a base.
71. Is Jeter turning into Knoblauch before our eyes?
72. I'd take Bubba in the line-up too, but that's because he's hot and the other options are no better. You can't start the season with him as one of your nine starters, he's just not good enough.
73. The thumb on his throwing hand is ouchy.
74. Good analysis of Pierre, Cliff.
75. Bubba would have had that.
76. Lawton didn't seem to get a good jump on that ball.
77. Cliff, if his thumb is the reason for his struggles, then he needs to sit a day. He can't get around on a 90mph fastball and he can't throw accurately to 1B. He's only hurting the team right now......and Lawton is god awful
78. Moose is pissed.
79. God, did Tino butcher that.
80. Tino Buckners one! ugh.
Leiter's warming.
81. Damn, we have Buckner syndrome tonight!
Mussina has some luck when he pitches well.
82. Dave Cash is a fiesty 1B coach, I like his style.
83. Gawd. What a horrible, sloppy game. Lawton is no surprise, but Tino and Jeter both screwing up like that...argghhh.
84. Gets out of it.
Props to Torre. He had a conviction about Moose pitching today, and it turned out to be correct.
85. 76 pitches through six for Moose. This is the best he's pitched since he was last healthy:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=250819104
Props to Joe & Mel for taking the chance on him. I was unsure, but a healthy Moose in September is a mighty fine thing.
Think he'll pitch the seventh?
86. How about Props to Moose? 6, with 1 run? I'll take it.
87. Yeah, that fielding in the sixth was just inexplicable. No communication between Lawton and Cano--strange error for Tino. Fortunately, Moose pitched out of it. Man, he looked terrific tonight. You got to figure that's it for him.
Dude, is Chen a magician or what? How is he slipping that mediocre fastball by guys? Gee-zus. Let's go, don't want to let this one slip away.
88. Tejada gives one back, a rocket off his left forearm.
89. Luckily for us, the Orioles have been just as bad.
90. I think we've got to push him into 7. He's had his way with the bottom of the order. Newhan's the next lefty, due up 3rd in the 7th. Save Al for him.
91. randym,
I second 83. Now Tejada boots one.
A-Rod up, Cano on base, now is his turn to turn it on. We can forget his earlier K that way.
92. Good thinking Rags, except that Young, due up first, is a lefty. Still, I put him back out there with a quick hook.
93. I guess instead of forgetting the earlier K, he can just add to it also :(
94. Check that. I can't say from here. It's all about how he feels. Up to Joe & Mel and Moose. If he's comfortable & effective I leave him in there as long as I can.
95. Sheff singles to RF.
96. Yay, Sheff!
97. Come on, Mat.
98. Woo-hoo! Go-go Godzilla!
99. Mat with the ribbie single.
100. Leiter still throwing, so I guess Moose is done.
101. Classic Banter thread tonight - very nice. And a nice pitchers' duel as well - best 'cause we're leading!
I honestly keep waiting for Chen to unleash an eephus. Maybe this is how Moose can last until he's 40 - throw slow, slower, and really slow.
102. Has Chen gotten any of those rainbow curves over?
103. Meanwhile gamecast still has Surhoff batting in the 6th.
I kinda miss Stormer and his Manifestos. Gives me something to amuse me while I wait for gamecast to catch up.
104. So that's why there's only 103 comments so far. I wondered who was missing. =)
105. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
106. JORGIE!!!!!!!!!!
I guess he's not washed up after all!!!!!
107. Upper deck job!!!
108. Jorgie!!!!!
Man, he wins the game for us today.
109. Holy schnards! Upper deck jomer by Jorge! 5-1!
110. JORGIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Damn, I wish he got along better with the Big Unit. It's gonna hurt, having him out every time Randy's in.
111. I have been killing Jorge all season.
Pass the salt for my crow.
112. Hey #103,
Yahoo Sports is up to date:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=250922110
don't waste your time with gamecast.
113. Gorgeous Jorge.
114. Sam, don't jump the gun on us, we know how tentative those four-run leads can be.
115. Jorge and Hafner with 3run bombs at virtually the same time.
116. Jorge could catch RJ, no problem, and Torre should let him.
117. Have a day Jor-HAY!!!
118. Thanks Don, I'm at work and have firewall issues with Yahoo.
119. Jorge's stats v. Chen before tonight (13 ABs):
.154 .267 .154 .421
120. Sorry Schteeve. The Banter is all the update we need, methinks.
121. Holy schnards? I spit apple juice out of my nose on that one.
122. Yeah the Banter is the second best website on the entire web. I can't talk about what the first best site is.
Cliff and Alex rule.
123. Well, maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Jorge should be well-rested, getting every fifth game off.
124. I've got MLB Gameday going here (while watching it on TV) and it's been fine.
125. randym77, great point. We've all said how Jorge needs rest.
Its a whole 'nother story for the playoffs, though.
126. Same here...Yahoo is actually a little behind Gameday for me
127. Yeah there's no way Fl'rty should start playoff games, but you better believe he will.
128. I know they're saying Leiter's coming in in the seventh, but this is a nice rest for Moose. I still say put him back out there, unless he's starting to tire.
129. The idea of Flaherty starting in one out of every four, if not three, playoff games is sickening.
130. Cliff didn't they have Moose on a hard stop pitch count today? 80 or something like that?
131. Joe said on WFAN today that Flaherty is catching Johnson through the end of the season, no question. I would assume that would continue if they make the playoffs.
132. I'm with ya, Cliff. If it gets bad quick, Leiter is ready to go.
Let's go, Cap'n!
133. Schteeve, on the FAN, Torre said it wasn't a hard count, it would be more about how hard he was working and how he felt. He said it could be 75 if he was laboring, could be 100 if he was cruising.
134. Thanks, Don, gamecast is always a batter or 2 late.
I'm kind of hoping the WSox fall out and Cleveland takes them out of the WC. I would rather face the WSox over either the Tribe or Boston, but Boston or Cleveland will be better games and more fun to watch. I think Cleveland is a better team than the White Sox. It will be hard to knock the White Sox out, but I think they'll leave quick if they make it in.
135. If the Orioles have a player named Byrdak, shouldn't the Marlins have a player named Fyshak? Seems to make sense along nomenclature lines.
136. The reason Torre is sitting Bubba, even though he is on fire in Sept., because Lawton had one good game, is that Lawton has experience, which Torre has made an obscenity.
137. What's the betting the next three innings will take longer than the first six?
138. But for the errors, Moose would be at 50 pitches.
139. Four run lead, 3 innings left, starter is done, your best reliever/prime crutch is not available. Ideal situation for seeing what we can salvage from other relievers with a weak-hitting team ready for vacation.
Or to find out just how black a black hole can be.
140. Leiter, the anti-Embree.
141. Yo I was cursing Leiter out while he was pitching in that inning but what a nice job. Think I'll curse at him some mo...
142. C'mon, Yanks. Let's see some more runs. I want Leiter to finish the game. Let Flash rest today.
15 or 20 should do it. Maybe.
143. Where did that hit?
144. Matos is a dog.
145. Luis Matos plays like a loser. Man, watching him is upsetting. Has talent but is a complete shithead.
146. Cano = the future. A-Rod = the best.
147. WOW. HE'S DEFINITELY BACK.
148. SHEFF!!!
Now this is more like it. Keep going, guys. We don't want Torre even thinking of putting Flash in.
149. I think the Yankees inquired about trading for Matos at one time. If so, they dodged a bullet.
150. Nice swat, Shefff. Think Senator Al can get the last six outs without too much drama?
151. warming up: chien-ming wang?!?
152. bnoj- youre joking, right? It has to be his throw day...
153. Wang better stay in the rotation.
154. Cano's ball hit about six inches from the top of the wall in RF, on the yellow add out there.
I don't like seeing Wang in the pen, good thing it's his throw day. He'd better be starting on Sunday.
155. Late inning insurance runs. I like them a lot.
I like the way this is playing out also because the Orioles' best relievers have barely broken a sweat this series. Assuming the Birds can actually give our divisional rivals some trouble at home this weekend, Ray and Ryan will be fresh.
156. Don't you think Sheff's walk up music should be Issac Hayes?
Also, don't you love non-sequitors?
157. Po's Sept. stats before tonight:
.340 .453 .528 .981
158. Thanks Cliff.
159. This is why A-rod's the MVP. He's K'd twice, but he's picked up an RBI and saved a few base hits.
160. KC tied up Cleve.
161. Granny for KC.
162. From reading post 157, it seems like Posada's drawing walks again, something he hasn't done this year. Wasn't his OBP last year an even .400?
163. Jorge has to be the one catching Johnson in playoffs, what if Johnson starts on 3 days rest? We are going to have Flaherty start two playoff games in a series?
139, About relievers, Joe has to be thinking:
"I dont know if this bunch scares the opponents, they sure scare the hell out of me."
But props to Leiter.
164. Leiter is afraid to throw strikes to good right handed hitters. He's a LOOGY.
165. Leiter get lost. Experiment over
166. yankz, you're right: an even .400 OBP in '04, and a .405 OBP in '03.
The Senator is having problems. Alex, did you stop cussin' at him?
BTW, Kitty better be right that Mo is just stretching out a bit.
167. Ah, Leiter.
168. Leiter is OK to pitch to lefties.
He swung.
169. Leiter's splits:
v. Left: .247 .307 .333 .641
v. Right: .297 .430 .457 .886
170. Looks like they want to put Tanyon in. Yeek. I dunno if I trust him with two on and no outs.
171. Why not bring Tanyon in to face Mora and Tejada?
It's hard to figure Torre out.
172. Dammit. The bullpen blows.
173. Hey Al: BOOOOOOOOOOO!
Get off the mound, ya old bastid.
174. We'll win tonight. We'll also see in Mo in the 12th. But we will win tonight...
175. No one, I repeat, no one, handles a pen worse than Torre.
176. I'm beside myself right now. It's gunna be at least 7-5 before this inning is over. Get ready for another one-run game.
177. I get the gas face for premature celebration.
And for calling our most recent runs "insurance runs". They weren't insurance runs, they were runs to pump our lead up to the point that our bullpen could show off just how much they suck.
178. Bullpen to Gordon and Rivera: So you fools think you're getting a night off?
179. Damn it Al.
Ungood. Can someone get some outs please?
180. Isn't Surhoff a lefty...
181. Could Colter Bean really be worse.
182. I hate this fucking bullpen. I hate this fucking bullpen
183. I hate this fucking bullpen. I hate this fucking bullpen
184. I hate this fucking bullpen. I hate this fucking bullpen
185. What the fuck, is sucking daily a new tradition for these weakass "pitchers"???
186. I don't freakin' believe it.
Well, actually I do. Not again!
187. Weren't lefties hitting something like .176 off Stanton?
188. Rich, I could be wrong, but I hear bean gets lit up in Spring Training every time he faces ML players.
189. Still only one out
190. Insurance. Now
191. Matos got jobbed on the 2-1 pitch, called strike, but it was low and outside. Then whiffs.
Thank goodness.
Good gosh, people.
192. Alex, good call on the score (unfortunately)
193. Please, please, please don't bring in Mo.
194. Phew.
But I guess this means Flash has to come in.
Unless the Yankees score about 30 runs in the 8th...
195. Tanyon pitched well, it's just that Torre brought him in too late.
Matt, a pitcher with these minor league stats deserves a shot given the available alternatives:
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/colter-bean.shtml
196. Thank you, Luis Matos.
197. By the way, for those of you who are not in New York right now, it is really lovely out. It's pleasently breezy, and if you were at the stadium you'd probably want to be wearing a sweatshirt. It's not exactly that fall chill yet, but it's getting close and it doesn't feel like the summer anymore.
198. Rich, if a player cant get Big league hitters out, then his numbers against the Andy Phillips and Bubba Crosbys of AAA aren't all that impressive to me.
199. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, this bullpen of ours is ri-got-damn-diculous.
200. Words fail me on so many levels right now.
There was no reason to leave Leiter in that long. Sigh.
Sturtze better come out to start the 8th. No way Gordon can pitch two full innings - and I won't even say the rest.
201. Damn you Alex. I'm living in 90 something degree Washington DC right now.
202. Alex, you're making me homesick. There is nothing like Autumn in New York... it's always even more special when The Bronx rocks.
203. "Words fail me on so many levels right now."
Numbers, too. Too tense to count myself.
204. Mattpat11, since when do Spring Training stats mean anything? Remember what Weaver did in '03? 1.29 ERA in 5 spring starts. Whoops.
Bean has pitched a total of 2 innings in the big leagues. That's no record to judge him on.
Further, minor league stats DO translate to the majors. Bean's minor league numbers clearly suggest he could succeed in the bigs.
And like Rich said: how could he POSSIBLY be worse than what we've got now?
205. Gordon won't have to pitch two innings, it's going to be the top of the 9th. Right? This sportsline is kind of crazy...
206. Hey Mattpat — wanna trade that for almost 8 straight weeks of fog, wind and not even a hint of sunshine? Welcome to summer on the San Francisco peninsula...
207. Alex, the weather is similar up here outside of Boston - though it was 85 this afternoon. Slight hint of rain in the air. North of the pike, they say some of the leafs are starting to turn. My favorite time of year.
BTW, please ignore what I said above 200 - since its already the 8th, Gordon can pitch 1 inning. My bad.
208. Hey, the peninsula is an awesome area...i'd take the weather anytime, even over the supposedly fantastic southern california weather
209. its the only thing we can reasonably judge him on. The parade of AAA pitchers AND hitters that we have brought up in recent years tends to indicate that the quality of AAA players is quite poor and we should take anything they do with a grain of salt.
This isnt Wang or Cano climbing up the ranks through AAA. This is a man whos stalled in each level of the minors for several years
210. No problem Shaun, but I got kind of worried. I've seen sportsline screw up the score, inning, player on the field, etc. so I thought we might really have 2 innings left!
211. Wow - anyone catch the score for ChiSox-Twins? McCarthy matched Santana pitch for pitch. Damn. 1-1, top of the 9th, no one out, Mauer up.
Meanwhile, KC has taken a 6-5 lead over Cleveland. I'm not sure if I should cheer or not.
212. Wow! Nice coverage by Flash!
213. oh my
214. Ruh Roh Raggy
215. 7-6. Mora HR.
Well, we specialize in 1 run games. I just hope we still win.
We do win!
216. yes!!!!!!!
217. There we go.
218. Yay. But another one-run game??? This is ridiculous.
219. There we go.
220. There we go.
221. Rosbif — Definitely. After our "summer" the rest of the year is beautiful. Also lived in LA, always reminded of Robin Williams in "Good Morning Vietnam" and his daily weather report: "Hot and shitty."
Whew! First place Yan-keeeees!
222. Coco Crisp 2-run shot.
223. oh, man, thank goodness...
these games are too stressful for me.
224. Mattpat11, some of the dregs that came up from '01-'03, for example Craig Dingman and Randy Choate, had nothing like Bean's minor league track record. The man throws strikes. That skill almost always translates to the bigs. We know Embree and Franklin such - why not try Bean out?
BTW, Orioles - THAT'S how you cover first base. Just pay attention, folks, you'll see how its done.
Full game lead, baby. Break out the brooms - time to get Toronto!
225. Not only is a win is a win is a win — either holding on or coming back to win 1 run decisions is huge this time of year...
226. Yankees bullpen shaving points?
227. Welcome to the 2005 Yankees. Even when they're playing .900 ball, it still feels like .500 ball, with a needless nailbiter every other game.
But a win's a win, and that half-game is gone. Game lead in the division. Let's do no worse than holding that lead by the time the homestand is over.
228. I'm glad our bullpen could give the O's hitters some confidence heading into the weekend. I think that was Joe's plan all along.
229. Nice, atc. Let's hope the Orioles take out their pent-up frustrations on the Red Sox, shall we? Baltimore does always play them tough.
230. Every other game? It's more like every game.
231. Okay, okay, so from here on out no matter how big a Yankee lead is so long as we fully expect the pitching to blow it, we can't get too pissed. And by blow it I mean let the other team get to within a run.
If it wasn't so infuriating/harrowing it would be comic. (Guess I picked the wrong week to quit smoking.) However, the good news is that they won.
The pen could suck, blow leads and they could be losing these games. So long as they pull out the victory in the long run, they are just driving our collective blood pressure up and that's all.
By the way, Gordon's hustle getting over to first to retire that speedster for the second out turned out to be a pivotal play. Saved the tie right there.
232. Seriously, should we be rooting for the Indians and/or White Sox to win or lose?
233. I think...the Indians.
234. to lose
235. atc, I'm rooting for both to lose. But if there's a choice for who I want to make it to the playoffs (as long as the Yanks do as well) then the choice at this point is obvious. Any team that ever had Timo Perez batting fourth is not a threat in the post-season.
236. Next year, I really want these guys in the bullpen gone. I dont care who Yankees have in our farm, but those guys really could do no worse than these Felix Heredia wannabes.
Give a chance to Anderson, DeSalvo, Bean if he is around, Cox if he is progressing well, DePaula, Steve White, Henn, anyone that can throw strikes. Sturtze and Gordon, thanks for your Yankee tenure, you had been valuable at times. The rest, well, good luck finding jobs elsewhere.
237. I think our three goals, in decending order of importance, should be:
1)make the playoffs (obviously)
2)Red Sox miss the playoffs entirely
3)play the White Sox in the first round
238. Root for everyone to lose, but when the Indians and White Sox play eachother, root for the White Sox to win.
Also, Sheff already uses the Theme to Shaft for his (I think third) at-bat music.
Finally, minor league stats translate to major league performance, directly. The only thing you have to watch out for are park and league factors. The key stat for mL pitchers is K/BB ratio. Bean's is excellent, as was Lilly's, as was Halsey's, as was Wang's. The only catch on Bean is that he's no longer young (now 28), but that's the fault of the Yankee front office, he should have been installed in the pen last summer.
239. Alex, I agree with you, but the tightrope walking only gets more risky when you're on the road and starting to feel the effects of so many games in a row. The margin for error is suffocating enough as it is, and as nice as the current streak is, just a slight dip in the crispness of play over the last ten games could easily lead to a major letdown.
Also, it's got to really wear on the offense that even when they pile up runs, they simply can't take a break and have to sweat out 3 or 4 tense innings at the end (when a starter can't go past 5 or 6).
But yeah, as long as we can actually pull these out, it's nothing but crazy stress and crankiness in the end.
240. As far as what I'm rooting for, I'm rooting for us to make the playoffs and play the White Sox in the first round. Whatever combination of wins and losses from other teams it takes, that's what I want.
Unfortunately, given current trend lines, it seems more likely we'll get the Tribe in the first round (if we can survive the final ten games).
241. I vote #226 'Post of the Night' ;-)
If nothing else, this is how the 'other half' has been living for most of the past decade — in a pennant race. A good bud of mine always busts my ass about wanting a nice, neat 10 game lead every year. He says "As a baseball fan, how could you not enjoy a good pennant race?"
Since he grew up a Tigers fan in Detroit, I remind him that my pennant fever usually begins in the Divisional Series — absolutely freaked by even the slightest prospect that a Texas Rangers team could have knocked off the '98 Yanks in a short, opening round series.
This has been one helluva year so far, I'm exhausted just getting to this point. The next ten days are going to be gut-wrenching. Then, if we're lucky, the real pressure will begin. I'm postponing my decision to quit smoking until all of this sorted out. Good luck on that tip, Alex ;-)
Now let's run the table!
242. The way things shake out now, the Central will produce the Wild Card and the team with the best record. The East winner will have more wins than the West winner. Thus the matchups will be:
Central winner vs. West winner
East winner vs. Wild Card
For the Yanks to play the White Sox in the ALDS, the Sox would have to lose the division to the Tribe, but hold on to the Wild Card, then it would be (we hope):
Yanks v. Chisox
Angels v. Indians
So actually, root for the Indians and White Sox to win, and the Indians to win head-to-head and the Yanks to pull out the division and you'll get your wish.
243. No team scares me like the Red Sox do, so the only thing I am wishing for is for us to somehow be up enough games that the last weekend doesn't matter and the Sox don't make it. Whatever that takes.
244. Even though we last dropped 2 of 3 at Jacobs in early August (both close games) — that was before we got hot, and before The Tribe caught fire — I'm not fearing this team for a PS matchup. My gut is telling me the Angels are the ones to look out for...
245. Comment #1:
Before the Cleveland game is over....we are currently the 3rd best team in the majors. 4th if the Tribe finishes off the Royals.
Comment #2:
It's firmly Autumn in northern Japan today. The leaves haven't started changing, but the weather is New Englandish. Cool and crisp. Watching the Yanks down the stretch matches the weather!
Comment #3:
Our pitching seems sorted out right now. We might see an occasional blip from a 3-5 starter, but I think Mussina and Johnson are locked in. The pen will be alright. You have to think that we'll get solid long relief from Small and Gordon/Rivera will be tough. The question is about who Joe's match up lefty will be in the end and who we'll trust with the 7th if needed. Sturtze is shaky.
I go with Johnson, Mussina, Wang, Wright, Chacon as starters. Small as long man. Sturtze, Gordon, and Rivera as 7-8-9. My match up lefty might have to be Embree for now, and maybe in a big game later you have to go to the Big Unit.
246. I think I'm rooting for the Tribe to win and White Sox to lose, but honestly, my head is pounding from trying to figure out what I want.
247. Whatever, let's stop worrying about other divisions. Our boys are going to roll into October and then flatten whoever's unlucky enough to play them.
248. mikep — That's the rotation and relief, maybe you flip Wright and Chacon... either way... but our lefty matchup stud is still up for grabs.
Off topic: Are you into MMA competition? Pride, K-1, etc? If so, have you attended any events?
249. 1. Great game. With Moose in the rotation now someone decent will go to the pen which should help immensely
2. We found out Leiter's useless trying to hold a lead in the pen. Idon't know why he goes to Joe and tell him he can do it if it ends up the same old shit. What makes it great is we confirmed his uselessness without losing a game though it was obviously touch and go.
2. Unfortunately I don't think we're in that great a shape to get into the post season. cleveland continues to feast on KC as suspected and is pretty much as hot as we are. Beating the Sox will still be tough and now the WC is not opening up for us. I'm not saying we're going to lose but we pull off a very difficult 4 game sweep to add to our streak and we still have no breathing room. We're not going to win every game going forward, we're not one of those A's teams that pulled things like that off. If we make the post-season one way or the other it will be a tremendous accomplishment. Hope we can pull it off.
250. I haven't been able to see much K-1 actually. I'm a big boxing fan....at least I used to be until a couple of years ago. I like the skills involved in the "sweet science" more than the actual violence. K-1 is more about violence, but I'd like to see a little more before I write it off.
It's kind of a glorified tough man contest, with a little pro wrestling showmanship built in. I forget the Japanese guy's name who bought the rights to k-1 a couple of years ago, but he tried to fire things up by introducing the wrestling rant to the sport and the colorful intros, etc....
I'm not into it. I like my sports unfiltered and raw. Let the fight itself carry my interest or it's not worth it to me. The NBA turns me off for all the flash and extra-curricular crap that they have to throw in to get people to watch their watered-down league.
The little K-1 I've seen is okay, but it's really just huge monsters pummeling each other. I'd rather watch legit Muy Thai.
251. Wang starts on Sunday; Small to the pen:
http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1127451145286840.xml&coll=1
252. Thanks Cliff for the Shaft confirmation. That sounds dirty.