Any reports on when Grandy might be back? Missing 2 regulars is a bit much. With NJ out for God-knows-how-long, and the rash of injuries we've had, I wonder if Cashman has anything up his sleeve.

TB is for very real and Boston may even come back. I don't know if we can afford to skate for 2 months.

Posada can't play, either. Um, who's the Yankees' emergency catcher these days?

sounds like we should have some tooptimism per lohud chad :

Curtis Granderson
The Yankees just finished batting practice, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to Granderson, but he looked pretty comfortable taking fly balls in center field. He ranged to his left and right, reacting to the ball off the bat and making throws to second base. It’s purely an outside opinion, but from where I was standing in foul territory, Granderson seemed to be moving better than I would have expected.

[2] pena is the emergency catcher

[2] Pena

[0] good SI article, Cliff. I gotta admit, seeing 2 of the top 5 AL pitchers (top 3,even) in the Tampa Bay rotation doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies. ugh.

on a side note, my son and I were watching the Shout! '09 WS Champion Yankees DVD today, and it was so cool to see/remember all the ups and downs. Well, the ups. Johnny's 1st-to-3rd SB in game 4 was awesome all over again! JJ was cheering. It was fun!

[5] Check out the OPS+ of Tampa's starting lineup. Should bring the fuzzies back.

Greetings from the Todd Drew seats. My first Bos/ny game in years.

[8] have fun, Diane! Enjoy the game.

Ahhhhhhhhh.............relaxation. Go Yankees!

[7] TB's OPS+ may not be all that great, but they're scoring at nearly the same rate as the Yankees.

[8] Enjoy!

[8] Enjoy, & have a beer in honor of Todd.

OK Hughes, we need Captain Phantastic tonight.

uno dos tres. es facil!

There must be something wrong with Jeter. He only got one hit in that at bat.

Man.... Gritner really turmed on that one!

Hey team!
Ah, mehmattski [14], good to have you back, man.

Um, that pitch was real low.

Oh, Dice-K. What are you doing?

I'm going to have to flip over to the NESN broadcast, they must be going nuts.

let's hope matsuzaka doesn't start drilling people out of anger.

[19] That's tomorrow.

c'mon Arod! sterling just said Alex is 1 for 16 career v dice-k.

Remember when we were all freaking out about the Gyroball? Those were the (hype-filled) days, huh?

Remy and Orsillo are taking it pretty calmly. Very professional.
I'll have to flip on the radio...

Oh, come on, Alex! Geez. Be smart...

Yes!

good score truck work alex!

I hope Weeping is watching. A-Rod shortened up his swing.

That's the first bases-loaded hit that Dice-K has allowed since 2007!

A Grand Slam would've been nice, but I kinda want Gehrig to keep that record.

Arod flashing the ol CDL!

Did YES point that out, about Dice-K's uncanny bases-jacked ability/luck? Remy did.

Run prevention!!!!

[29] ESPN did.

ha he misplayed it - nice drive robbie

[6] Even mentioning Damon's first to third makes my heart skip a beat, remembering the gasp of terror I let out when he took off for third before realizing what he was up to.

ribbie for Robbie.

Gah.

C'mon Alex, you're usually a better baserunner than that.

Sweep the leg!

[33] That's (yet another) strong argument for regular use of a decent panoramic camera. It really sucks how infrequently we get to see the whole field.

[19] has dice-k ever donw that?

a ribbie for Robbie! atta boy!

Well, now we're into the Mighty Mites portion of the lineup ...

Omg, just tuning in and it's 3-0, no out in the first!

Hot diggity damn!

ESPN is Dan Schulman, Aaron Boone, and Nomah. Refreshing to not have Miller/Morgan, but Nomah is particularly bad- captain obvious to the extreme so far. (talking about A-Rod's 19 grand slams "And he has a chance for one here!" ....... derrrrrrr)

wow - maybe frankie b does have an rbi skill set.

GAZOO!!!!

[35] If Hermida played it right, A-Rod's base running would have been the perfect move. Bad luck, but...

Franky!
Oh, fer cripes sake. Terrible coaching. Ugh.

Damn it.
Dig Brains' short, sweet swing!

You can't stop Frankie brains.

[37] not to my knowledge no, i was being facetious.

[33] no joke. My heart jumped into my throat again even knowing how it all ended.

How close was it? Heads up by Brains for moving to 3B.

Poor Dice-K. What a shame. lol......

[40] i saw nomah on one of their studio shows a few weeks ago and he was abysmal - definitely captain obvious and master of the cliche.

and oh good - a "fallacy of the pre-determined outcome" in the 1st inning.

[47] Close enough so that it would have been reasonable in another situation.

BEFORE that hit, Frankie was hitting .729 with RISP.
I don't think that's sustainable, though.

Score is not quite there yet, but I am reminded of:

"When the Yankees score eight runs in the first inning and slowly pull away."
-Col. Jacob Ruppert, when asked what he considered a perfect day at the ballpark.

Anything interesting happen in the top of the 1st?

[52] does a 1-2-3 groundout/K/flyout inning count as intersting?

[52] [53] Drew battled for a while, that's about it. The others went down easy.

Yeah, Nomar hasn't found his post-playing-days niche yet. He's kind of dumb and he has a whiny little voice. Kind of fun to have Boone on the show, though.

damn that ugly.

Okay, now we can relax. No no-no for Hughesy, and already rocked Dice-K. Now we can enjoy the game.

goddamn... there is a NKOTB commercial on the radio between innings. WTF kind of warp zone am I stuck in!?! Claudell Washington on deck...

only mk could refer to the present as "the days of now"

[58] Gritner messin' with the space-time continuum, just for kicks.

Did you all see that clip of the collision on the ground between (I think) Asdrubal and Peralta? Ouch. Saw it on ESPN.

Phil seems a little nervous...

That had some AJ like bite to it. Wow.

[60] toooptimistic continuum... in a vacuum.

Um, I guess you better not mess up the URL at mybobs.com

[63] Continuuum? Vacuuum?

Lame.

Phil seems a little off tonite

Crap! That was a cheap fucking run. And it damages Phil's ERA.

Evening.
Ouch. Phil just gives up a hit/run.
None the less, that 5 run 1st inning takes some of the edge off the game.

Good lord, Nomar really is insufferable. He's blathering endlessly about how good Beltre is at third.
Now Boone is chiming in.

And weird... I'm getting the game on both ESPN and NESN. Yankees on 49 and 51 for me!

Meh. 40 pitches already.

[61,67] if there's ever a night for Phil to be a lil shakey, methinks a 5-run lead to start'er off is definitely the night to have it happen.

Keep it close, make it into the 6th, and set yoself up for win #6.

[71] Me too! Flipping back and forth.
The NESN broadcast is a lot better. On ESPN I did get to see a clip of Boone's famous homer, but besides that NESN has all the advantages.

phil is probably just missing throwing to jorgie.

The Ramiro Pena Experience!

Oh, wow. The old stadium is completely gone, even the part by the train station.

[76] His fielding is stone free, but unfortunately at bat he's in a purple haze.

Mini-boom I thought that was gone.

Got that run back!

I'll take that!

Nice!

Sometimes, being Mr. May *isn't* a bad thing!

[78] leaving me in a manic depression ...

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict neither pitcher pitches a complete game.

hey RIYank, I think Sterling's trivia question is all about your game... ya know the one I mean. :)

[84] Ummmmm.
Nope, no clue. I'm not listening to the radio.
What's the question?

Phil seems to be missing his spots a lot tonite.

[85] I forgot. Something about the first post-season playoff game between NYY/BOS. But whatever the hell it was I was thinking Bucky Dent in 78.

Looking at the game summary online I see that Gardner was at first when Teixeira hit a double. Did Gardner go from first to home naturally or was he stealing? Was it close? Hard to read the boxscore with Gardner - cause he's always using the force.

[87] Ohhhh.
I thought you meant, some stupid game that I like to play in the comments section. I was trying to think which one you had in mind.

[88] don't know if he was running on the pitch, but it was 2 out, so he was running on contact ... scored easily.

Ha, Brett's got more SB just by himself than the whole RS team.

Yeah [90] [88], it was just a monster double.
And the wind cried "Brett"... (See [76] [78] [82])

[92] hahaha

[91] But the Sox are at an unfair disadvantage: they don't get to steal against V-Mart and 'Tek.

[88] [92] Thanks. Once upon a time they used to call those kinds of monster doubles: "triples"

[94] LOL!

America runs on Boston catching.

[88] It was a hard-hit ball, but Crabman McDonald probably should have caught it.

[92] at the plate you can hear him say, "that's a disgrace"
as he slams the bat in the umpire's face ...
that pitch was quite outside
and all the jokers start to heckle and boo ...

Whoa.

Well, better than walking the fat bastard ...

i liked it better when that fat fuck was striking out.

Hah, via David Pinto:

Update: “You’ve been Cerved!” seems to be the new catch phrase among Yankees fans.

http://twitter.com/beeeebzy/status/14190869307

Oh my.

Run, Randy, Run!

[102] Ugh.

Run prevention, baby!
Love V-Mart.

[105] mk was just bemoaning this fact.

[98] Hey Joe, where ya going with that clipboard in your hand?
I'm going down to yank my old LOOGY
You know I caught him walking another man....

Time for push-ups, Slappy!

yuck two pop-ups in a row.

90mph fastball thigh high, middle of the plate.
Something's wrong with Teix. The Yankees had better straighten this out, or they're pretty much finished.

[110] dead center of the plate. You are right.

[110] How could I have overlooked this when I voted over at RAB today???

We're *totally* doomed.

=)

I wonder if his family ever plays Marco Scutaro in the pool.

More Pinto:

"Edwin Jackson is pitching a no-hitter through four innings against the Diamondbacks. He walked two and struck out five. The DBacks are out to a 4-0 lead. We’ll see if Jackson can keep the bullpen out of the game."

And yes the team with 4 runs has no hits. Wasn't it Ron Davis who did that in the lost decade of the 1980s for the Yankees, losing a no-hitter 4-0?

Jesus, Scutaro and Dusty are driving Phil crazy, huh? Robbed him of a full inning.

Cervelli looked kinda pissed off there.

[114] Andy Hawkins, 1990. Jim Leyritz's first date with infamy.

Fucking little pony.

Not so hot Phil tonite.

I'm predicting at least 1 inning for the CHoPster tonite ... meh

One more out Phil.

[119] Looks like Boone.

[117] Thanks.

[114] And Jackson pitches for the Dbacks, and just gave up his first hit, still has a shutout.... What kind of drug is Pinto taking, and can I have some?

Oh fuck. FUCK!

Crap.

Was that you, RI, who had to start flapping your yap about Hughes having a bad start?

Oof.

BUGGER, BUGGER, BUGGER!

Phail for Phil.

Ugh.

What a time for Drew to come out of his freaking slump. Goddam it.

Fuckitty fuck fuck.

Teix rules.

[126] Hey yeah.
Well, at least it's on a night when we score a ton of runs.

Good job, Teix.

Okay, let's get some more!

Well, thank you Teix!

He's got the lead, at least, time to see what the bullpen has ...

And if that means Boone Logan, I'm gonna have to eat your spleen, Coffee Joe.

Just sayin'

[123] I dunno. Sounds like some fun drugs.

Well, maybe this will be the end of those silly pre-game interviews with Kim Jones.

What a steamin' pile of horseshit. Blow bases loaded one out and then this shit.

Incredible AB by Drew. Looks like Hughes and Cervelli fell in love too much with the cutter. All those missed opportunities against Dice-K don't look so trivial now.

[133] See [107].

How does Alex miss an 89mph fastball right over the dish?

Man the YES announcers were jinxing the **** out of that half inning. Drew is at the plate and they are talking like Hughes has goddamn 3 outs already. I literally yelled to the TV "He could give up a three run dinger and not even be out of this!" I'm knocking on wood and everything. Both these douches had long monologues about what a job Hughes did considering lack of stuff or command, meanwhile there is still baseball to be played, assholes

Hughes's ERA wayyyyy up to 2.25!

Have no idea where the Yankees get the 6th and 7th inning from. Without Aceves, the Yankees are basically down to a two-man pen. I have a feeling the winning team will have at least 9 runs in this game.

The Yankees really need to win this game. If they blow two games in a row, it could set up an ugly week, especially with the Rays coming to town.

(Btw, did I hear Suzyn say that NJ's surgery is official?)

Well, NOgan is still up ... looks like it's gonna be spleen eatin' time, Joey Joe Joe ...

[144] Or, as I might have said ... you've got some 'spleening to do, Joe!

[143] Yes.

[143] You know the game is on ESPN, right Weeping?

Think Joe will cut Phil off at 90 pitches?

Web Gem Czar is going to get very tiring very quickly.

Shouldn't they be playing Brains a bit shallower the other way, like they do Brett?

[143] It was official the day he signed.

Wakefield up in the pen. So that means they're very confident that Beckett is ready to pitch tomorrow.

[147] Cheers, I have it on YES. Was in the car earlier...

THEY CALL HIM, MISTER THAMES!!!!

That guy sucks. I think that was a playable ball.

But yayyy!

Oh yeah!

Great throw, Dusty! Run prevention, baby, run prevention.

That's a big hit by Thames.

Brains & Thames.

Wow, that's the third near-homerun hit by the Yankees tonight! What does it take for us to get one outta there?

[151] No kidding.

nice run. clap clap clap. NICE RUN! (good time for it)

[148] Think Joe will cut Phil off at 90 pitches?

He's thrown 104 pitches. So, no. :-)

Yankees and Jorge can't be stubborn here. They need to call up a third catcher and then make Cervelli the catcher at least 3 of every 5 games, with Posada serving as the DH. It makes sense in every way imagineable. It also gives the Yankees a chance to see exactly what they have in Cervelli.

[162] oh. I heard sterling talking about 90-something pitches and thought he was talking about phil.

Thames needs to be alert!

Eric Hinske has a HR tonight and is batting .396.

[163] Wow I sure hope Posada doesn't factor in to the decision too much. That reminds me of this job I once had (and briefly; you'll see why) where the guy deciding if I could do it was the guy they were letting go and I was replacing.

[163] I concur. I'm not going to worry about Montero -- make him an OF.

[168] There's no need to write off Montero as a catcher. As long as the DH slot is open and Cervelli is playing well, there is no reason to not make use of both players.

Booooooooooooone!
Go get 'em, Boony. Aaron in the broadcast booth tonight must be a good omen.

If Park is active, why not use him here? Isn't this his role? Logan is not going to get through an inning. Incredible that Girardi would trust him here.

Oh, fer fuck's sake ... it's Boone NOgan.

ChoP sighting!

Obviously.

They aren't booing. They're shouting, BOOOOOOOOONE!

FUCK YOU JOE GIRARDI.

Boone FUCKING Logan???

FUCK.

They are not chanting Boone.

When Girardi brings Logan into a game, does he honestly expect good results? With all these injuries, Girardi is really going to cost the Yankees a ton of games. They need to get healthy to mitigate against his poor managing more than anything else.

[175] I'm booing.

0-2.

[177] Okay, maybe you're right. Just thought I'd give it a try.

BOOOOOOOOOOOne.

[179] I'm shouting Boone.

I like the way this game started off better. Blame those scummy YES announcers and their jinxing ways.

I smell a DP here. Or a two run home run

Nice.

[178] It's time for Cashman to start managing the roster to hedge against Girardi's weaknesses, like he had to do with Torre.

Love that Rob.

[184] Do they smell similar? In any case, you have a hell of a nose.

[186] It's long over do, although to be fair, Cashman's decisions have helped create some of the present situation.

Yaaaayyyy!!

Oh, no. That's horrible. Whoever is chanting "Boston Sucks" should be tossed from the game.

Good job, Boony!

Kind of.

[186] How much can you hedge against shenanigans like yesterday's with Joba/Mo? There's no stopping Girardi. You have no idea how far he's willing to go.

Phew.

Now get some more runs.

[188] When someone like Logan is pitching they do smell very similar. It's rough

Is Boone Logan really the best we can do? Maybe we should give Melancon or Albaladejo another shot.

[191] What happened?

Yay! I love V-Mart again!

Run prevention, baby.

Thanks VIc!

Although I fully expect the RPE to squander the 2nd chance ...

The first to nine wins....need more runs Yankees.

Pena's bat has been very week. Yankees might have to reach into the farm for another ultility guy.

[195] No. Yes. No.

[196] Well, nothing. Just some Yankee fans, chanting "Boston Sucks."
That's for losers.

He did make that one step towards second.

Three Boston infielders lying on the ground. Fantastic!

RUN PREVENTION, BABY.

[198] Obviously, Pitching-n-Defense trumps the suckitude that is the RPE ...

Brett Gardner giving hitting lessons?

[201] This.

[186] now, don't get me wrong.. I'm not defending Joe G.. but MLB manager really is a no-win situation, in the long run. Especially for the big market media-frenzied teams. Think about it, if the Yanks lose, Girardi is a putz. If anything goes wrong, he's a putz. If they go on a win run, he's just along for the ride. What a shite job. I mean, after the $2.5 M a year. hehe

Fuck you, Aaron Boone. You struck out in Florida in extra innings--with what, one out and the bases loaded?--and it cost us the game.

[204] Or ... *their* RPE (Run Prevention Experience) is worse than our RPE

Man, Derek just cannot see the baseball these days, can he?

I'll be sorely disappointed if Pena does not run at some point. What the fuck?

Not stealing?

Jeter's ABs aren't improving.

I have faith in Brett here.
He'll get it done.

What was the reason for not doing that sooner?

Good god.
V-Mart is really bad.

Damn.

Knuckler + Boston catching? That just isn't fair.

If anything goes wrong, he’s a putz.

He is? Coffee Joe threw those shitty cutters to Ortiz and Drew?

On the other hand, he *does* keep bringing in Boone Logan ...

And that would have been a sac fly.

[217] Hm, good point. Maybe Ramiro can score on a PB...

[219] Fallacy of the Predetermined Outcome!!
Hah ah aha h ha ah !!

What a freaking circus.

Fucking bullshit.
Bull fucking shit.
Shit for Bulls.

So a Pony and an Ugly collide in a bar.....

That was very bad inning for the offense. Speed on with no outs against Wakefield should have been a gift wrapped run.

I'm starting to get an eerie feeling from this game. Things are just too weird to end well.

[226] I just pray Youkalis doesn't get hurt.

[218] as I said, I'm not defending him. I wanted Hughes to come back out to start the 6th. Loooogan coming out and giving up a dinger was a forgone goddamn conclusion. The only surprise in that half was his 3 outs.

I mean in general, cult. it's a tight spot.

Who's it gonna be now? Robbie Robertson? Garth Hudson?

[227] LOL

oh yeah... CHP-the-RHP.

[226] The only hard hit ball by Brett Gardner as Derek and Teix go meekly into that goodnight.

Christ, Chan Ho, are you going to be horseshit too?

Tonite's CHoP time begins well ...

[226] Not sure who will win, but the Yankees wont if they dont score more runs.

That AB to Drew could really wind up being a short-term turning point for both teams.

Nice job, Marco...

[234] On the other hand, the Red Sox won't if they don't score more runs.

Yankees middle relief and bottom of the order is very weak right now.

[236] I am basing my opinion on the complete lack of faith in this bullpen.

WHERE IS THAT PITCH, BLUE?!?!?!

That's a goodamn strike.

[236] Trivialities!

That was a strike!

Oooooh. The overhead view was much closer than I thought.

Bite my ass, Marco. Fucking scrub.

MAR-co...

This is really the inning that will decide this game. If Joba is available, you have to use him now. I know Girardi would never use his 8th inning guy in the 7th, but regardless of the outcome, it's the right move to make.

Uh oh. Think Chan Ho members him?

[238] I think Girardi is trying to act like Darkseid, developing an Anti-Faith Equation.

/tortured metaphor

Very scary breaking ball there.

Eat shit, Dusty.

You rule, Frosty!

Very smart play by Cano.

Oh, no way. Unbelievable! What a play.

Dusty may be right, though.

Robbie, don'tcha know!

[243] As was that slo-mo.

I haven't seen a replay, but Dusty definitely got jobbed on the pitch call, and maybe on the play at first too.

[256] Looked out at first on the replay.

Yeah, I figured. NESN cut away to commercial immediately, but I'm sure I'll see it a few times...

Oh, no, it's too close to call. It's maybe an inch either way.

Damn Indians suck. Sizemore makes that catch.

Oh, that's hysterical! Tito was going to argue, but the "God Bless America" made him take off his hat and stand at attention, and by the end of the song he'd lost all his momentum and just said a word or two.

[259] YesMo had a great look. Ball hit Tex' glove just before Pedroia hit the bag.

Btw, shouldn't that be an infield fly? Is there some official rule about how high the ball has travel to be eligible for an infield fly?

God, first Teix with the weak-ass foul out and then Alex.

You can't win this way.

Need more runs.

[263] No infield fly with only one man on.

[261] Hah ah ah ah ah ah !!!
Hilarious!

[263] Only 1 man on ...

God, these swings are ugly.

Grrrr. Fuggin Knucksie.

What the fuck is he doing trying to pull that ball?

Joba and Mo, take two.

[270] That's what Rotten Robbie does ... Ripper goes the other way.

[263] No infield fly, but it's true that you can't deliberately drop a pop fly to get a DP, even with one man on. But Rob didn't -- he just chose to play the hop instead of field the soft liner. That's legal.

Why do I have a feeling we are going to see Marte to start the 8th?

Needless to day, this is a huge inning. Boston has the middle; the Yankees have the bench.

[271] Not Chan-Ho for another? He looked pretty good...

[265] Oh yeah, that's right.
I've never understood that but I suspect if you explain it to me I won't, so whatever.
In fact, I think we just had this conversation a few weeks ago. I can be quite obtuse.

[273] Tell that to Bill Russell.

[274] To be honest, I'll take Frankie and Thames right now. They're hitting better than, well, the rest of the team.

what's up, people?

just getting in...

i see Pepto is back.

This I don't get. No Joba?

[273] But it amounts to the same thing! What's the diff? Something like that should be at the umpire's discretion. In other words, if it can't prevent the play we just saw, what's the point of having it?

[276] It's simple...the infield fly is designed to protect baserunners, not the batter. With one man on base, no such risk exists because the batter can take the place of the man on first.

Why the hell is Joba not pitching?

how's the game been? quick overview...

I understand leaving in Chan Ho. But why the fuck is Marte warming???

[282] Oh, yeah, ok. I guess I get that.

It'll be a miracle if they get out of this inning with the lead...

[281] That's not the play the rule seeks to prevent. Instead it is trying to protect those runners who have to hold their base on a fly. The batter/runner is not so restricted.

[284] Started awesome. Rolled the Dice for five in the first.
Then Hughes looked a little shaky.
Then two great at bats by Scutaro and Dusty, followed by a disgusting Drew homer. Ugh.
A few dribs and drabs here and there, and, here we are.

[284] Should have been an easy win, but now on the verge of a very costly collapse.

Marte is going to give up a dinger to Ortizzle.

Pepto.

[287] No such thing as miracles.

Ooooooh.

That's not all that surprising, really.

My bad.

FUCK

Yeah, that just ISN'T surprising in the least.

Sigh.

Why are these outcomes so damn obvious to everyone but the manager in the Yankees dugout?

[291] Nope.

Welcome back, Chop. cack!

[289/290] thanks. i think ... : /

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

oh my lord, is he ugly.

Man, our pen is just preposterous.
Preposterous.
They come in and serve it up.
Day in and day out.

I wish I'd been keeping track more closely all season, but Joe Girardi has been an integral factor in so many of this team's losses.

What's the deal with Joba? Did he pitch seven innings yesterday or something?
Or did his cat die?
Wtf?

[293] You can see into the future.

[304] No argument.
For a while I thought it was serviceable, that we had to sort out the wheat from the chaff. Now it's looking like a whole lot of chaff.

Way to bounce back, Chan Ho. Good job.

[290] verge?

I'm going to vomit.

Pepto Abysmal.

Ack.

It's almost funny.

Oh, look, here comes Joe!

Is Girardi awake on the bench? I really wish the Yankees would hire a manager who has a damn clue.

Chan HOMER.

fuck you. : /

!@#@%$#%&%$$!@$!$^#%#@#$$#!!!!
!!!!!!!!

If the Yankees don't win this game, it will reverberate over the next stretch of games

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

[315] Or a GM who doesn't sign CHP.

A manager can only work with what he's given.

[319] Hehhe heh heh heh heh.
Nice.

Well at least Park got a few outs before he spit the bit, wait, what?! He didn't get ANY outs in the inning? Gave up TWO back to back dingers and NO outs in three batters? What?

[320] You'd think it would be common sense to not use the pitcher coming of an injury for over 30 pitches, no?

Park was okay for an inning. Not excellent, but okay.

Oh, thank god, Marte. Now everything will be fine.

What were we (i.e., Cashman) expecting to get out of NJ this year, btw?
Oh, good, here's Marte to save the day.

I knew it was going to take nine runs to win this game.

Marte v Ortiz. fuuck.

this sucks.

[309] Lefties light Park up, so I can't be surprised by the results when he faces 4 of them

Chan Ho Park, the Run Fairy Baton is Passed to Thee.

An L is an L but I reallllllly dislike come from behind (fall from ahead?) losses. Here's hoping for the first walk off win of the season.

[329] I meant 3 of them...

[323] Girardi wouldn't say who's not available. No Joba in the 8th. Is he injured?

Is Robertson not available? Bullpen looking thin.

[327] You did call it.

The Yanks had so many comebacks last year but I'm not feeling it now, not with this weak ass bottom of the order/bench.

[333] Yeah, I'm sure Joba is unavailable for some reason they aren't saying.

William, you mean it's going to take TEN runs to win this...LOL

[333] If Joba is hurt, then fine. If, however, he is unavailable because he used 23 pitches yesterday, then the Yankees need to cut the crap with babying everyone and start trying to win games.

well, at least we can beat bard and papelbitch...

I keep thinking back to them giving Boston their first out of the game at home plate with nobody out. Terrible decision to send the runner back then.

[337] Sadly, no, I mean nine, which is what I said when the score was 6-5. The Yankees are not going to score 3 runs with the bottom of their lineup against Bard and Papelbon. The chance to win was on how Girardi used the bullpen, and he did his usual bang up job.

thank you Damaso.

[338] Have to agree. They've been babying a lot of guys.

[338] Yeah. There's just so much we don't know. But when Joe starts playing coy you know something's up.

I was underwhelmed with the Park signing. This is why.

Thames, Winn and Pena have NO chance. They might as well just take every pitch and hope for a walk.

Who was that bullpen guy we had years ago from Cleveland who was supposed to be the next Jeff Nelson? Back in the Charlie Steiner days, he was our EIG for like a couple of seasons?

[320] Park is effective if deployed properly. He has a significant platoon split.

[333] I guess Rivera wouldn't be available either...

[335] Hurts even more b/c with the lineup they thew out there they still managed to score 7 runs... Games like that the Yanks HAVE to win.

This 8th inning defines the state of the Yankees right now...they have no lineup depth and no bullpen depth. Aceves, Johnson and Granderson are huge losses. This team has already started coughing up games because of it, and it looks to only get worse in the near term.

I would not be surprised if the Yankees find themselves 5 or 7 back on June 1.

And remember Farnsworth was on this team once?
And Aaron Small?
And that guy from Houston?
Can't we develop our own relief pitchers somehow? Or something?
This is just sick and twisted.

fuck. Po is hurting? goddamn sunuva...

The personnel employed in this inning has been disgraceful and reflects badly on this organization.

That's exactly what Thames and Winn should have been doing.

please tie this, jeter...

please.

Work a motherhumping walk, Derek.

[352] Indeed.

Bard might be losing it.

As well as he's played, the thought of Gardner coming up if Jeter reaches is not exactly comforting.

[349] The Yanks have developed their own relievers, but I would say most of them have come from outside the organization. Such is the nature of relief pitchers

Why are you swinging 2-0???

Why is Jeter swinging there?

Mo pitched to 3 batters yesterday, he should be available -- once the Yankees take the lead. And you can't get to 10 runs unless you get to 9 first.

[346] bob wickman?

And on 3-1?

Christ.

Jeter just no longer has any plate discipline.

BALL FOUR.

FUCK!!!

Fucking hell.
Ball motherfucking four.

Oh, Derek.
Brutal.
Fucking brutal.

Ball four, Jetes.

Every game, Jeter looks worse. The Yankees have some really problems looming.

It's sad to say, but at least Miranda's walk cleared Jeter for any chance at a comeback in the ninth.

He had to swing at that. It was too close to leave. And, it was a really good pitch, too -- almost unhittable.

It's like he has zero fucking plan up there.
Wow.
Ok, I wasn't worried before, just mildly concerned.
I have to say I'm inching towards genuine wtf?-concern.

This game is a bunch of no good fuggin horseshit.

Ah, I was wondering who'd play third. So, no DH.

[369] But he didn't have to swing at the 2-0 or 3-1. And I'm not sure that was too close to leave, but whatever.

He just looks totally overmatched these days.

[369] It was well below the zone, according to PitchFX. Also, because it was unhittable is exactly why you don't swing at it. Jeter's plate discipline has been among the worst in the game this year. I think his days has a well above average hitter are coming to an end. He looks like a hitter who is starting to make up his mind more and more before the pitch.

Jeter is starting to concern me a litle bit. He looks completely lost.

[371] He didn't have to. But, those were strikes, so I'm not sure what you're getting at.

i hope joba's not injured.

oh good, another hit. : /

[374] But Pitch f/X doesn't really know how low the strike zone is. It was low, I agree, but just.

[376] One of them was bordeline, so Jeter could have gotten the call.

[378] The version I am using incorporates a corrective measure. It still can be prone to error, but the margin wasn't close. It was well below the strike zone.

tex is 0-7 vs. papelbitch? huh. time to make it 1-8, w/ a 2-run game-tying homer!

get marte outta there. this is ridiculous, cousin larry.

Ladies and gentlemen, Damaso Marte.

I have a feeling Friday is going to be a matchup of two very beleagured teams.

If Javy comes in how does he NOT give up a 3 run dinger?

[381] By the time Girardi awakens, it will be more than a two run deficit.

They're gonna use Vasquez here? Good lord.

[376] The 2-0 didn't look like a pitch he could do anything with and it may well have been inside. He might easily have dribbled it to second had he put it in play. I just think he should go up there thinking walk with the way he's swinging the bat these days, especially following a walk and with a hot hitter on deck and the game on the line.

You CAN'T bring in a starting pitcher like Vazquez here. Just too screwy.

Oh, Christ. If JV shits the bed here he'll need a team of shrinks.

Guy is getting booed like crazy at home and you bring him in like this? WTF?

Vazquez v. Youkilis.
And that's your ballgame, folks.

Vazquez? Girardi really is an awful manager. I hope the Yankees dont wait until they have a bad team before hiring a manager who knows how to run a game.

Well, this game couldn't have gone much worse, huh?

from pete abe:

Daniel Bard throws wicked hard. He fanned Thames, got Win to fly to left, walked pinch hitter Juan Mirada then struck out Jeter. The Stadium was rocking with "Lets' go Yankees" chants and fell silent.

Papelbon warming up. He'll get Gardner, Teixeira and A-Rod.

[385] A miracle?

Um, Javy's supposed to be the long man, so who's left in the pen besides Joba & Mo?

Not liking this.

Why does Girardi hate his pitchers so much? What in hell is he trying to do to Vasquez's brain?

settle in for the apocalypse...

[389] Indeed. Especially *this* starting pitcher against *this* ball club.
Fucking Wonderland; Girardi's managing like the Mad Hatter.

I think Javy will be fine.

But it is pretty weird to go to him for one out. One key out.

Just a bad mojo move here. It's like asking for it.

[395] what a moron. he needs spell check.

i used to like that guy...

javy? this is sooo stoopid. : /

Got away with one there.

Don't throw that again

Told youse.
Javy rocks!

Wow!
We got our miracle!

honestly, you just KNEW that was gonna happen

let's hope for a walkoff win.

i'm starving...

Well, there's the ONE bright spot...

YES!

Didn't they skip Vasquez to avoid this situation?

WilliamNYY23, I'm with RIYank - the Jeter at bat ended badly but Jeter's swing selection was excellent. He swung on a 3-2 pitch at 97.1 MPH that was moving and just missed the zone, in the middle of the plate, by inches.

I'm glad it worked out but I'm sorry it worked out because it will only encourage Girardi and his machinations. Aw who am I kidding, he's unstoppable anyway.

[411] Unless you just don't believe the normalized PitchFX chart, the pitch was well below the strike zone.

Bloop and a blast and another blast.

[413] How does Pitch f/X know where the batter's knees are?
My theory: it doesn't.

[412] If Mitre is starting on Friday then we can lament.

[415] Normalized maps attempt to correct the Y-Axis on this graph by using the sz_top and sz_bot values in the PitchFX data for any individual hitter.

If Yankees don't win this game, I'll go on record and say they go 2-5 this week and wind up 5 games behind the Rays.

[412] 2008 proved that the rotating DH was a disaster. He's just going to keep trying, because he just knows it can work.

When he has his mind set on something, he'll make it work damnit.

All balls, stupid face.

Brett really just has amazing plate discipline/pitch recognition up there.
He's so confident, so impressive.

I hope if Gardner gets on the Yanks don't take Kay's approach. What a tool

that's it Gardy... good eye baby. good eye!

This is a great ab.

GRITNER!!!

now, steal 3rd.

Smart Gardy....no need for a triple.

YAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!

My man BRett!!!

And *that's* how it's done, ladies and gentlemen.

That's how you hit the baseball.

You. Cannot. Stop. The. Gritner.

Gritner!

Fucking textbook ab.

[416] It's unforgivable if they don't start Vasquez. I can't believe that will happen though

ooh. that was power vs power.

c'mon Tex!!

[417] Uh. But how do the positions of the knees get on the maps???

Pleeeeeeease don't try and hit it out. Just hit it well

[426] Yeah, that was probably 3 any other time of the game, but not necessary now.

Just need the base runner, Teix. Let Alex, Rob, Frankie do the rest.

c'mon Tex. DISCIPLINE! be patient with this whistle-lookin fuck.

Where's Granderson when you need him?

oh man.

not quite enough...

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Argh! He was going for the fences.

I've never seen an announcer less skilled at reading outfielders than Michael Kay.

Dang.

Just missed that. Bah.

AWESOME!!!

Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.

YAY-ROD!!!!!!!!

YYYYYAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOHOO!

Arod just loves hitting off Papelbon.

Dope.

DFOUGSPOJCIEWOEMFWE12390EJDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

AN A-BOMB, FROM A-ROD!!!!!!!!!!

Still need one more though...man I wish that was a walk off.

HE'S BACK IN KATE! I KNEW IT!

gorgeous!!!

GO A-ROD!!!!

It's like, I didn't like Tex for trying to hit a home run, but I did like A Rod for actually hitting one. It's a fine line ya know.

Thank you, Alex.
Thank you.
And thank you for setting the table, Brett.

I do believe we've just seen some baseball.

HEY PRIVATE PYLE ... YOU LIVE IN A WORLD OF SHIT!

GOT TO WIN IT NOW!

Alex Belth, prescient?

c'mon cano. win it here, baby!

[454] I know, I'm really wishing Teix was on, too. Grrrrr.

back-to-back, Robbie. do it.

That was cool, Alex. That was cool.

would be awesome if Javy gets the win here. : )

Papelbon really doesn't look good tonight. Finish it here

Woo Fucking Hoo!

And winning team did score 9 runs.

Hot springs soothe my soul
Miss Mariano granny
Home in time, A-Rod

YayyyyyY!

I would dearly, dearly love to see Cervelli come up with Rob on second.

You're getting a fastball down the middle here Robbie...get ready1

Wow, 2-1 splitter.

[466] Ha ha. True.

Cano isn't getting around lately. I can't wait for him to get hot again.

what a dumb face he makes.

wicked stoopid

Just @#$%ing missed that one.

Ohhhh. Not enough.

Frankie, let's go, babe!

Dont need a HR. On the other hand we can NOT get back into the Yankee bullpen. Also, I would like to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. So let's do this.

if we don't win here. i'll have to follow online. must go inside and eat. no tv in there...

[475] like a whistlin dorK

Cano is off. Three weeks ago that would have been gone. And now, there's the weak ass bottom of the line up to deal with...

Frankie's like, "No RISP, WTF? Fuggidaboutit."

Um, who is left in the pen?

Frankie, hit it out here please.

fuck. Rays just win in the 11th.

we best pull this out...

[475] The kissy face?

I think its supposed to be intimidating

A hit here is big because it extends the lineup.

Fuck you, asshole.

Don't **** with the Brains

you goddamn cocksucker. fuck you straight to hell, assface.

Oh, now I'm pissed.
Not that he did it on purpose, but that pisses me off.

Where's Mickey Rivers for a sucker punch?

It might sound crazy, but you have to send Cervelli. Paps doesnt hold runners and Vmart hasn't thrown many out.

fuck. FUCK YOU, DUM DUM!

[484] With Rays winning every day, the Yankees better bury Boston.

TIMS!!!!!

OOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY FUCK!!!!!!!!!!

FUCK YES.

Fucking AWESOME.

MARCUS THAMES!

I'm normally a live-and-let-live kinda fella, but Private Pyle pushes my buttons in so many damn ways.

C'mon Thames ... time for pie!