It is irrelevant HOW the team scores runs (or how they prevent them). I don’t care if they hit poorly with runners in scoring position or get guys in from third base with less than two outs…provided they are scoring at other times. So maybe game 3 turns if the Yankees hit better with RISP, or maybe it turns if they jack an extra solo HR or two. In either case, it’s all about the runs scored, not the path to scoring those runs.

My point is simply that the Yankees (so far in this series) have let a lot of scoring opportunities go by the boards, and that is behavior we hopefully won’t be subject to over the next 2 games.

In Game 7, unless Cliff is off his game, we will really need to have timely hitting, and well as very good Andy.

Total RISP: 8 for 50: .160 BA

Now, in reality, we weren’t winning Game 3.
Game 4 (AJ) was actually close until we were Molina’d… but even that game was winable, and we don’t know how things would have gone had we converted a few of those RISP situations. Maybe if we are ahead by 3 (instead of 1), there is no IBB before Molina is up. Who knows?

No one has to tell me we have a very strong offensive team. And over 162 games, offense often wins. But we know in a short series, you have to take advantage of scoring situations when they avail themselves.

In Game #1, all of our 3 RISP hits came in 1 inning, and along with 2 walks, we were able to eek out a win. So ONE key hit ended up being the difference between wWinning or Losing.

Over 4 games, SF is ahead 3-1. My guess is, is over those 4 games, you subtract 2 or 3 critical (2 out RISP) hits, they are down 3-1.

We know that Philly is a much, much better hitting team. In terms of total runs scored, they are EVEN. So why is SF up 3-1???

In the WS against the Marlins, we out hit them and out pitched them and out scored them, 21 to 17. But they Won in 6 games. We lost 2 games by 1 run, and 2 games by 2 runs.

Scoring Runs is imporant.
Scoring runs at CRITICAL times is more important.

(And we won’t even talk about all the man-on-3rd-less-then-2-out situations we have had, where we didn’t even need a hit, and still didn’t score. You just can’t do that in the PS)

5 games is a small sample size, and RISP is NOT a repeatable skill. Its just as likely that in Games 6 and 7 that the Yanks will outperform those numbers, than repeat them.

So you’re right, this is part of the story of why the Yanks are down 3-2, but it doesn’t mean they are finished.

[33] The Yanks’ poor pitching, especially the bullpen arsonist committee has, of course, helped a great deal in terms of Texas’s RS vs RA differential.

I just checked stubhub …. I can get a standing room ticket for game 1 for $500

(sigh)

Team, R/G (2010 PS)
Rangers, 5.3
Yankees, 4.4
Phillies, 3.9
Rays, 3.3
Giants, 3.1
Twins, 2.3
Braves, 2.3
Reds, 1.3

So, despite all the complains about failure to hit with runners on base, to score batters from third, etc, the Yankees have scored the second most runs per game of any team in the 2010 postseason. The real problem has NOT been that the team is not hitting (though they are underperforming relative to what they did during the regular season)—in fact, overall their offensive production has been relatively very good. Rather, but they have had the misfortune of running into a super-hot Texas team that has outscored their opponents in the 2010 PS by a wide margin.

Story #2: 2010 Post Season: 2 Out RISP
San Francisco: .345 .457 .448 .905
TexasRangers: .229 .372 .400 .772
Philadelphia:::: .161 .381 .226 .607
NY Yankees:::: .156 .206 .219 .425

Now of course, these numbers include the Minn Series, where we hit very well with RISP…. so if you have the stomach for it, you can image our RISP numbers for just the ALCS.

Now we all knew SF got here with great pitching. And they have continued to have great pitching in the PS, although we all expected this. However, they have a 2 out RISP of .905 . And that is why they are where they are.

And we have a RISP of (lost for words…. looks in public toilet).
And that’s why we are where we are.

End of story.

[30] Also producer of “Caligula”, contender for worst big-buget movie ever made.

Giants vs Marlins.

Snacks Pontoon started for the Giants (bleeech).