Daily Archives: September 5, 2009

Robbie Cano drives me crazy sometimes – you guys know the deal: he rarely walks, sometimes he doesn’t exactly bust it down to first, and once in a while he falls so in love with one of his own home runs, Manny-style, that you can practically see steam coming out of the opposing pitcher’s ears. Today he didn’t cover second base for what should have been the last out of the fifth inning. But he also homered, and doubled, and singled and even walked, and then he’s got that smile. I think it’s bigger than Marco Scutaro’s entire body. How do you stay mad?

Anyway, Andy Pettitte came back to earth a bit this afternoon, and the Yankees didn’t exactly play their tightest game in the field, but it was good enough and they beat the Blue Jays 6-4. “I thought it was a real important game for us to win,” said Girardi after the game. Sure, Joe. It was a slow lazy afternoon game on the last real weekend of summer, and it didn’t really have any effect on anything except maybe Cito Gaston’s indigestion. But winning, as a wise man once said, it’s like, you know, better than losing.

The Yankees scored first, on Melky Cabrera’s RBI single in the second and then Robinson Cano’s fourth-inning homer, but the Jays promptly tied it up in the bottom of that inning. That lasted all of two pitches, as New York got out ahead again in the fifth thanks to Mark Teixeira’s solo shot,  tacked on two more in the sixth with RBI singles from A-Rod and Posada, and added one to grow on in the ninth as Melky plated Cano. Pettitte left after six, having allowed four earned-ish runs on four hits and an unfortunate five walks, but with a slim lead, and the bullpen made it hold up. Phil Hughes continues to be an aburdist work of art in relief and retired all four batters he faced with very little muss and zero fuss.

The Yankees’ division lead is now at eight and a half, and they haven’t lost three games in a row in almost two months (that was against the Angels, of course). Enjoy the long weekend, gang – and don’t forget, Monday night is Hand Sanitizer Keychain Giveaway Day at the Stadium for the first 18,000 fans 21 and older, so be sure to get to the game early! God.

The steam-rollin’ Yanks were shut out by one of the game’s best last night, ending a seven-game winning streak. The boys are back at it again this afternoon as they aim to start a new one. I won’t be able to catch it, but Emma will and she’ll be back later on with a re-cap. And our boy Dimelo is up in Toronto with crew reppin’ NYC and the Banter.

Meanwhile, it is gorgeous up here in Vermont, so I’m a cool out with Emily’s family–it’s reunion weekend don’t ya know?–and try not to peak at the score on my blackberry too much. Helps have a seven-and-a-half game lead, don’t it?

So Roy Halladay wasn’t going to be bump forever and he turned in a beaut, a one-hit shutout as the Jays rolled 6-0. According to Jonathan Abrams, writing in for the New York Times:

Johnny Damon veered straight into the clubhouse after Friday’s game. Not in anger, but in amazement. He confirmed what his eyes had just seen but his mind could still not quite grasp.

Just as in his previous three at-bats, the ball came out of Roy Halladay’s hand in the eighth inning with the velocity of a fastball and the zigzag movement of a changeup. Damon had struck out on three pitches in his fourth and final at-bat. Now, he smiled.

“Just making sure that it wasn’t just me that thought that pitch was impossible to hit,” he said.

I’m up in Vermont with the wife’s family this weekend so I missed the game. But it doesn’t take too much to imagine how last night’s game panned-out. Fortunately, the Red Sox also lost so New York’s lead remains at seven-and-a-half. Turn the page and keep it movin’.