I hate to break it to you, but the American League races are pretty much over. With roughly 20 games left (less for the Yankees and Twins), the closest race remains the Wild Card, where the Red Sox hold a four-game lead over the Rangers. The Yankees lead the Angels by five games for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Tigers lead the Twins by 5.5 in the Central. The Angels lead the Rangers by six in the West, and the Yankees’ lead over Boston in the East is a comfortable seven games.
Unless something wild happens (and I’m not saying it won’t), the Yankees will host the Tigers in the ALDS, and the Angels will host the Red Sox. If the Yankees advance, they’ll then have homefield advantage over their ALCS opponent, which given the recent playoff history between the two teams (the Angels have won just one game in three ALDS series against Boston since 2004), is more likely to be the Red Sox than the Angels. It’s thus very possible that tonight’s make-up game, and the three games the Yankees will play in Anaheim next week, are in fact a preview of nothing, and could have no significance for the postseason at all as the Yankees would automatically have home field advantage against the Wild Card Red Sox.
Still, an ALCS matchup with the Angels remains a distinct possibility, and the Angels team that arrives in the Bronx tonight is a much better one than the one that swept the Yankees in the final series before the All-Star break. In that last series, Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter were on the DL and Scott Kazmir was a Tampa Bay Ray. All three of those players are on the Angels active roster now, and while the Yankees will face Jered Weaver, not Kazmir tonight, they make the Angels a far more dangerous team. The Angels have been winning at a .661 clip since the break, just four-games behind the Yankees’ remarkable pace.
The Yankees would do well to remember that they took two of three from the Angels in the Bronx in May, and that they’ve had some modest success against Weaver this year, scoring eight runs against him in 12 innings and connecting for three home runs (by Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez, and Eric Hinske).
Joba Chamberlain takes the hill for the Yankees tonight. After a rough beginning to his last outing, Chamberlain settled down and retired the last eight men he faced in order. He’ll move up to four innings tonight, hoping to build off that performance.
Yankees added journeyman minor league utility man Freddy Guzman to the 40-man roster. Guzman is on his fourth organization this year and will serve as a pinch-runner, defensive replacement, then vanish back into the ether from whence he came. Standard lineup tonight against the Halos.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2009 Record: 86-56 (.606)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 86-56 (.563)
Manager: Mike Scioscia
General Manager: Tony Reagins
Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Angel Stadium (103/102)
Who’s Replaced Whom:
- Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter (both DL) have replaced Gary Matthews Jr. and half of the catching platoon in the starting lineup
- Scott Kazmir has replaced Matt Palmer in the starting rotation
- Trevor Bell (minors) has replaced Justin Speier
- September call-ups: IFs Brandon Wood & Freddy Sandoval, OFs Reggie Willits, Terry Evans & Chris Pettit, Cs Bobby Wilson & Ryan Budde, RHPs Sean O’Sullivan, Rafael Rodriguez & Rich Thompson
25-man Roster:
1B – Kendry Morales (S)
2B – Maicer Izturis (S)
SS – Erick Aybar (S)
3B – Chone Figgins (S)
C – Mike Napoli/Jeff Mathis (R)
RF – Bobby Abreu (L)
CF – Torii Hunter (R)
LF – Juan Rivera (R)
DH – Vladimir Guerrero (R)
Bench:
R – Howie Kendrick (2B)
S – Gary Matthews Jr. (OF)
R – Robb Quinlan (3B/1B)
R – Jeff Mathis/Mike Napoli (R)
R – Brandon Wood (IF)
R – Freddy Sandoval (IF)
S – Reggie Willits (OF)
R – Terry Evans (OF)
R – Chris Pettit (OF)
R – Bobby Wilson (C)
R – Ryan Budde (C)
Rotation:
R – Jered Weaver
R – John Lackey
L – Joe Saunders
R – Ervin Santana
L – Scott Kazmir
Bullpen:
L – Brian Fuentes
L – Darren Oliver
R – Jason Bulger
R – Kevin Jepsen
R – Jose Arredondo
R – Trevor Bell
R – Matt Palmer
R – Rich Thompson
R – Sean O’Sullivan
R – Rich Rodriguez
60-day DL: RHP – Scot Shields (knee surgery), RHP – Kelvim Escobar (shoulder tendonitis), RHP – Dustin Moseley (nerve condition in forearm)
Typical Lineup:
S – Chone Figgins (3B)
S – Cesar Izturis (2B)
L – Bobby Abreu (RF)
R – Vlad Guerrero (DH)
R – Torii Hunter (CF)
S – Kendry Morales (1B)
R – Juan Rivera (LF)
R – Mike Napoli (C)
S – Erick Aybar (SS)
Notes: Kendrick and Izturis are in a strict left/right platoon at second base. Mathis and Napoli are splitting the catching duties evenly, though Mathis bats ninth behind Aybar when he plays. Rivera will bat sixth ahead of Morales against lefties.
Yankees still can't beat the big boys!
Sorry, I had to get that out of the way.
very nice start joba
i still miss abreu a bit
The only things I care about this game is can the Yankees play well against what I presume will be their ALCS opponent & Joba?
Good first for Joba.
this is a new weaver look - hating jered was much easier when he looked just like jeff
nice swing - hope tex catches fire again
Nice throwback unis on MNF. Even the zebras are wearing throwback uniforms.
Well I can't be upset with the Vlad homer. He's going to do that. As long as no one's on base the Yankees can get that run back.
I still wish the Yanks had gotten Vlad back in the day. Wasn't it gonna be him or Giambi?
[8] IIRC, Vlad did not want to play in NY -- didn't want the pressure of the white hot spotlight.
[8] him or sheff - supposedly torre wanted vlad and steinbrener sheff
[8] I wish they'd gotten him, too. I think they passed on him because Torre was so in love with Bernie.
[9] I thought it was concern about his back, or something like that.
Maybe it was both.
[8] It was either him or Sheffield. Giambi was already with the team.
[10] Geez that's even crazier than Giambi. I'd have gone for Guerrero over either, but over Sheffield is a no-brainer.
[3] well, if the Halos are our LCS opponent, i'll be happy for 2 reasons:
1) means we've advanced
2) means the shit sox have been outed.
of course, there are a plethora of reasons i don't wanna face the angels, but that's a whole 'nutha story! ; )
[9] i remember Vlad not wanting to play in NYC, also...
that's not funny jd!
LOL, did Johnny do that deliberately, or did he think there were two outs again.
my, my robbie
[12] That is correct, there was concerns with his back, and the contract that he would demand.
swisheroo!!
Nicky Baby!!!
glad he's starting to feel it at home : )
[17] what he do now?! : o
[23] faked like he was going to throw a ball into the stands when there were just 2 outs
The Angels are doing it again...
[24] he funny!
where be everyone?
one more out here, joba.
Good Job(a)!!!
Hey all.
I'm trying to watch three sporting events! And the best is tennis, tonight.
RIP Patrick Swayze, dead at 57 from pancreatic cancer :-(
that was decidedly inconvenient, robbie. : /
Wow. I hadn't realized Joba had been going only 3 innings until Kay pointed it out. And we used to complain about Jaret Wright.
[29] Wow. I had no idea.
The US Open has a new champion. What an upset!
i thought they were trying to stretch Joba out. 67 pitches thru 4, just under 17 per inning. i figured he'd go 5.
[31] please don't bring up that guy! ; )
[32] what doi win?! ; )
CHONE!!!! (shaking fists angrily. it's like: CHOATE!!!)
i really thought Joba coulda gone 5.
[36] Hey that's my line. : D But I use CHOAD. Man I hate the fu#$ing Angels. The fact that they roll over for the Shit Sox makes them even more deporable. UGH. I could on and on........
SWISH!
If I had a dollar for ever time I did that. : /
I am still so perplexed at what they are doing with Joba..just put him in the pen as a long-man!
Vlad..love watching that guy hit..
Mike Sciosia..seeing him on camera is irritating..am i crazy or do others feel that way too? He just looks smug..
Nick at Nite!
get him over, get him in...
This seems like a good situation: two on, nobody out, top of the order.
Slightly less good now. (I missed the play -- was he even maybe bunting for a hit??)
captain is quite fond of doing that.
bring 'em home, Johnny!
[32] wow - how did that happen?
[31] but they were intentionally limiting his pitch count - wright just couldn't go more than 4 innings or so.
[39] it's not perfect, but i'm not sure it is that bad either. they should have skipped him and limited him more ealier in the season, but the lmited his innings some and now are building him back up in time for the playoffs.
My love for Jeter slowly rots away every time he bunts..just fir that he should not be MVP!!!
a new yankee baserunning blunder!!
Ouch.
In both the figurative and literal senses.
CHOAD!!!!!!! MELKY!!!!!!!! #$#$#$#$#$##@@$@$@
unbe-FUCKING-lievable
[46] i take that back - melky tried to get out of the way
[44] Well, not sure what you mean. Del Potro is really good; it sure seemed like Federer was out of sorts in some way.
yeah tex!!!
Dear Teix
Thank You!
Me
That was a rather awkward play by Hunter.
[51] well you basically answered what i was curious about - whether del porto played a near flawless match or whether federer was a bit off.
damn, would have like that extra run - but good to get the lead
Why is Ace not a starter?
nice pitch ace
[56] and good to keep it! (the lead, that is...)
for fuck's sake robbie - bad baserunning
but it was a nice hit
leadoff walk. my favorite : /
The Yanks saw with Mattingly what back problems could do to a player. I believe that was the main reason they stayed away from Vlad.
Anyone see Melky carrying the family jewels after he ran into Aybar?
Why was Teix asking for catcher' interference on a shot that looked like a HR?
Is Lincecum pitching tonight against the Rockettes? Hope the Giants win, would like to see Tiny Tim and Grumpy Old Redwood (R.J.) in the playoffs together..
what's with the goddamn walks?! infuriating.
Oh, jeez. Come on, Ace.
Bye, Ace.
why, why, why - bring the other phil in - i don't care that this is not the 8th inning!!
Why is Girardi so afraid to go to Phil in the 7th, for 2?
substitute 2 walks for 2 hits and Ace did just about what Joba did in almost half the innings...
Cokey.
[62] Melky: yes, no doubt about it. On the fourth replay, Kay said "You know, I think Melky may have injured himself." (It was the SS's glove, right in the crotch.)
Teix asking for CI: no idea. Maybe he was just cross that the ump didn't notice it? (I think the rule is that the batting team can 'decline' the interference if the outcome of the play is better.)
ooh choade - sit the hell down
Hitters 1-8 in the LAA batting order are hitting .300. I know BA isn't the best stat but still.
Albaladejo warming.
Somebody explain this to me.
striking out Chone is a very good thing!
now, get Maicer. what kind of name is that anyway???
Those two pitches were not low.
albie in to potentially face vlad rather tha hughes - c'mon girardi
[72] ugh. i really hope you're kidding (though i know you're not.) : /
Nice!!!!!!
yes!!! nice job team
If Vlad bats this inning, the smart call is Mo, I believe.
Jeterian and Angelic all in one. : O
[79] Mute.
My mlb.com feed is obviously behind, maybe 30 seconds.
Yeah COKEY!!! : )
please be Phil-Mo...
and some Geico runs would be nice!!!
Hate to channel my inner William but..if Girardi doesn't use Hughes as his fireman in the playoffs then things could get verrrrrry ugly round here...
Hey, Team. Just tuning in. Nice play, there.
Yo, weeping.
Not bad.
Joba was pretty good tonight. Not efficient, but pretty strong, against a scary-good offense.
[85] Yeah, I'm surprised to tune in and see we're ahead 3-2 with Joba starting. Nice to see he can actually pitch once in a while.
[83] yeah ok jazz - i was wondering myself if girardi might have used phil there if this were the playoffs - does girrardi have no recollection of mo back in 1996?
Okay, here we go. New Phil.
Does Kay really refer to them as the Philthies? I mean, I know we talked about this before, but I kind of tuned it out because it's just so preposterous. But he really just said it.
Oh, man, what a fabulous 1-1.
[86] I'll give him a retroactive pass if they've been saving Phil's innings during the season to use him more extensively in the playoffs.
I sure hope that's what we see happen.
[89] hahahahhaha - yes that jackass says it regulalrly
Damn.
Nice hit.
Oh, motherfucker.
Uh oh.
needs some outs hughes
How did he pull that?
Grrr.
dammit. not a good start. it's tough keeping boBBy off the bases for an entire game...
i really hope for a DP here!
watch for boBBy stealing though...
ugh. this is terrible.
Come on, Phil. You can do this.
[87] He would HAVE to realize what a weapon PhilMo would be in the playoffs..not even the BoSox WagBardPap tprile-headed monster can match..Papelbon is shaky with the baserunners this year, and Bard is untested and easily rattled..I just really really don't want to see too much Phil Coke in the playoffs..and if ev ever faces Vlad I may have to take some kind of opiate to relax...
Gutsy.
Nail biting time. Crud.
shit
Sigh.
Phil having a bad night?
107 Had to happen sometime, it even happens to God... I mean Mo. Sucks that its against the LAA.
at least he got the dp
Okay, good play.
His fastball is coming up 95-96 on YES.
now phil needs to channel his inner papelbitch.
load 'em up, knock 'em down.
no harm, no foul
Meanwhile, the Patriots are going to lose to the Bills!
[107] Well, I wouldn't say so. Abreu had a long ab, shortened up and lined it up the middle. He challenged Vlad and Vlad laced one into left. He walked what's-his-name, Hunter, but on a 3-2.
He's not very sharp, but he's still coming at people.
[112] Wait, you're behind? Run-scoring DP?
Halos pen is booty (and I don't mean bootylicious)..we'll win this one!
[113] shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Too soon. : )
Whew.
Nice work, Phil.
well, at least we're not losing.
unfortunately, tex-ass is... : /
not the greatest command tonight, but the bright spot is he managed to get out with minimal damage
[117] But not anymore!
Eleven points with 5:30 or so in the game.
[115] what else is new?! : ~
Yeah, I'd say giving up the lead counts as "harm."
Especially if this game ends up going into extras.
[119] stick a big fat fork in them, because they are done, D-O-N-E, done
121 I hope Buffalo hangs on, the Pats fans in the stadium look like they're attending a funeral.
yes, nice hit tex - maybe he is heating up again
Very nice hit, Teix!
C'mon ICR, I wanna see some Mo ... with a lead!
[125] They expected to win by four touchdowns.
There were some bad calls, actually (that Roughing the Passer call was stupid), but still, a Superbowl team doesn't lose to the Bills by a couple of bad calls.
Oh, Alex!
wait for a strike alex
[121] Up here in Bills country most folks thought the Pats were going to win by 40. I still wouldn't put anything past Brady. bastard.
OBP!!!
please get the lead here...and then: WIN !!!
129 I think it's going to come down to Bill's next possession, if they can run out the clock they win.
Has Soscia gotten fatter?
[132] Brady was off in the first half, huh? Looks real good now (the Pre-vent D will do that, of course).
Mats vs. Oliver. i'll take Godzilla. do it up, 'deki !!!
Just go the other way, Hideki!
[136] That roughing the passer call WAS bullshit. SHITE. I can see it now. Touchdown. On side kick. Touchdown. Typical Bills.
松井頑張れ！
Well, I'll be. The Pats have all their time outs, maybe they're still in it?
TD Pats. C'mon Bills get 1st downs.
2 pt try fails, Pats will need a TD.
Think they'll kick on-side? I say no, kick deep.
yes gritner!!!
Well that'll do. Screw you Sciosia.
Holy fuck, what a stroke of Fortune!!!
Oooooooh, THAT was sweet.
Some of your own medicine, Angels.
Ho ho ho! It's the Score Truck showing up in a most unlikely guise!
Football on Banter
Mr. OK Jazz crying
Baseball, the ONLY game
144 They might go onside, Pats D not what it used to be.
What happened?
Oh my god. The Pats recover the fumble on the kickoff!!!!
Bad ab, Hideki. Good thing it matters a lot less.
[144] You are officially on my shit list. lol. : )
[152] Double steal, errant throw, run scored.
[152] Brett stole, catcher's throw to third went into LF, Brett scored.
Come on, Robbie. you're a stud. Now get a lousy base hit.
'Deki-San!!!
[152] in the baseball game - gardner pinch ran for tex - stole 3rd (didn't seem to get a good jump as a slightly better throw would have got him) but the ball got away from figgins and gritner scored
156,157 in replay throw wasn't that bad, Figgins missed it.
[155] Oops, sorry.
(I have no particular stake in this game. I don't hate the Patriots at all.)
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease....
Not football talk
Winter is close enough already.
YAYYYY!!!
That's what I'm talking about!
See?
How hard was that, Robbie?
yeah robbie, nice hit with risp
ROBBIE!!!
c'mon Swish, SWEEP THE LEG!
The effin kicker recovered the fumble.
Yea! Let's talk about Cano.
Wow, that was just beautiful, Rob!
Holy cow. Are the Pats really going to come back and win this?
Um, and yay, Robbie.
[159] um, oopsie! i only saw a score change and not what actually happened. doh!
at least i got my double steal! and it worked : )
so this guzman kid is fast too
163 Sorry
Taking Tex out for Gritner was downright Torre-like.
Unbefuckinglievable!
Brady is very godlike, is he not?
ROBBIE!!!
[162] I hate the Pats plus I feel bad for all my Bills friends. They've lost every which way over the years. And there it is. F.U.C.K.
settle down yes cameraman
[177] I do feel bad for Bills fans, yeah. They are the ultimate hard-luck team.
For some reason it's harder to feel bad for Raiders fans.
What's this review for (football, sorry)?
Holy crap. Pats come from behind. Unreal.
I can't stand the NFL, football coaches, "steely-eyed" quarter-backs, prancing recievers, endless time outs, 60-minute games with 10mins of "action"..I know it's America's game now, but I 反対！！
Robbie with the clutchity-clutch though, time for a falafel lunch to celebrate!! Mo to close it out?
The Sox have been playing well but....
TB loses 11 in a row?!?
ELEVEN?????
Who could have seen that.
And yea... Texas is done.
i hope Mo isn't rusty...
182 definitely Mo time.
[183] Yeah, I didn't realize that until this morning. Unreal.
Really? 35 in a row is Mo's career high? How can that be?
One out.
1 down.
[182] It's more like one hour of action in a three hour game. Kinda of a funny complaint for a baseball fan, though. ;-)
I love baseball, but football has an excitement that baseball doesn't. There's the clock. And the fact that except for half time, there's no real break. With baseball, it's all wiped out when the inning's over. With football, how a team does on one drive affects the next drive. Makes it really hard to turn off. At least for me.
Heh heh eheh heh.
Nice wave, there.
[187] In a row! In a row. Not in a season!
[191] No, yeah, I get it, but I seem to recall him going longer back in the Day.
Then again, I guess 35 in a row is pretty long.
[189] Football is just awesome on tv. I'm sorry, I love baseball, and basketball is my first true love, but on television nothing can beat football.
Two out.
Swisher playing a flawless 1B.
i love watching mo field grounders
I hope Phil is watching Mo carefully.
And the Brady legend swells.
what the hell ump?
[193] Yeah. Football is really a sport made for TV. They've tweaked the rules so the game fits TV perfectly.
And what a wild ending tonight.
wow, the Jays really fucked up late vs. the Tiggers...
I'm sorry, that really was strike three.
is this over yet? i'm seeing CHONE stuck in an 8-pitch AB...
Fuggit.
Okay, no problem. Mo against Maicer, good matchup.
[199] It's got to curve 6 pitches around the plate to Matsui to be a strike. Oy.
ah, fuck. i'm seeing it now...
Well done, Mo, well done, Team.
Yankees win.
prasies to mo
nice win team
joba looked a bit better, tex hit very well, and speed kills
And that'll do it.
Though I have to say on the replay it looked like Molina was right, not a foul ball but a K.
But, good enough.
Mo does the Mo thing. Yankees win.
What a way for Buffalo to lose, man that blows.
Not for nothing, but a good throw nails Lil' G at 3rd. And then what? Bad news.
very nice!!!
took Mo 26 pitches, but i'm glad he got work. 40 saves for Mo.
this was a very good win!!!
[189][193] On tv..yeah maybe but..just so rare to see interesting plays..too much running into a pile of giant men, i just don't see the complexity..whereas every pitch I can see something different..
Mo.. nothing more to say, he is simply the GOAT!
[212] Doesn't matter. Because the throw wasn't good (and it was probably as much Chone's fault as anyone's), the Yankees are now better than the Angels, and are guaranteed to win the ALCS. The Angels just cannot win big games against good opponents.
Signed,
WilliamLAA
[215] Beautiful!
215 you forgot the 23
[216] Why, thank you!
Also, kind of unfair, I'm the first to admit. But William can take it.
"F*@# Derryl Cousins, Mo Rivera's complicated"
Yeah, I wouldn't mind if umpires go on strike again; maybe we can weed out the bad ones permanently this time...
[217] Oh, well, I wasn't sure what the analog of 23 would be for the LA version.
[214] i agree!
what does GOAT stand for?
[219] Angel Hernandez, Marty Foster, Balk-A-Day Bob...
220 Garrett Anderson?
221 Greatest of All Time
[220] 6 for steve garvey maybe
[224] ah, thanks. seeing it as a word, not an acronym, with no periods, is confusing. esp since the word 'goat' and Mo in the same sentence is just weird...
225 Garvey was a Dodger.
[214] I think you'd find it more interesting if you learned more about it.
The thing about football is that even if you don't know that much about the game, you can kinda follow the exciting plays. There's less of a learning curve. (A lot of hardcore football fans love the low-scoring defensive games, but they're boring to the casual fan.)
With baseball, if you don't know a lot about it, it's baffling. All the pitches look alike, and most of the game seems to be spent waiting for the pitcher to throw the darned ball, or waiting for the batter to get back in the box.
[225] nevermind - i don't know why the hell i was thinking of the dodgers
225 Perhaps Carew or Erstad?
[223] Yeah, maybe. What about #29? Carew did play for the Angels for seven years.
[229] Because I only said "the LA version" and you forgot why?
[230] There ya go, Carew. Erstad as the analog of Mattingly, ewwwwww.
yes, i think carew is the most analagous
[228] That's true.
Football is incredibly complicated, actually -- when I hear guys who know a lot about it, I feel like the Chris Farley character, "Uh, yeah, you remember when the QB threw it real far? Yeah, that was awesome."
But you can appreciate a lot without being able to analyze it.
[228] Oh, I grew up watching the Giants on tv. I just lost interest once I fell for baseball and basketball..It kind of amazes me how many people love the NFL and hate soccer..Soccer is a much more fluid and artistic game in many ways, though the lack of goals does put some people off..
Brandon Phillips just reached 20-20 for the 3rd straight year! he's the 6th member this season:
Kinsler
Reynolds
Granderson
Kemp
Hanley
Phillips
[234] Yes. I've been a football fan for a lot longer than I've been a baseball fan, but I'm still learning about it, and I think I will be for the rest of my life. I'm still learning about baseball, too, but baseball doesn't seem to evolve as fast as football. With football, there are new offenses and new defenses every few years, as teams innovate and other teams adjust. There's some of that in baseball - like the time Pete Mckanin pulled an outfielder and replaced him with an infielder - but not nearly as much.
[235] I came late to baseball, and now I would say I like baseball better. But my feeling is that most people are going the other way. Especially Hispanics. They come to the US with a deep interest in baseball, but end up being lured away to football (or their kids are).
As for soccer...it'll never catch in the US. The fluidity is the problem. No commercial breaks. ;-)
[215] : )
[113, 117] Sticking in my craw. D'oh.
aubrey huff pimped his game tying 3-run job in the 9th tonight. asshole.
[237] Yeah, that's true, baseball is much slower in evolution as well as within the games. The season is also time-dilated by comparison to the seventeen week, sixteen games of the NFL. Interesting. Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, they say...
[236] I think Brandon Phillips could be a truly great player...if he weren't such a bonehead. He just won't make adjustments. Swings at balls out of the zone. Doesn't believe in on-base percentage.
Great win for the Yankees, but very sad to see football infect the game thread. The NFL is glorfied reality TV enhanced to be a perfect vehicle for gambling. Baseball is a sport.
[242] i agree. me no likey the pigskin.
were you at the game tonight?! if so, did boBBy get polite applause in his first AB?