Let’s flip the cliche around. When a team is successful we say “they just find a way to win.” And when they are slumping, I suppose, they find a way to lose, right?
Okay, so Miguel Cabrera hit a home run and a two-run double off of Phil Hughes, that’s to be expected. The Tigers led 4-2. But the fifth and sixth runs, both driven in by Andy Driks (two-out triple against Cody Eppley in the sixth, and then a two out single against Joba Chamberlain in the eighth), were fatal. Because the Yanks rallied against Jose The Long Goodbye Valverde, good enough to close the Tigers lead to one. Russell Martin’s double in the top of the ninth with runners on the corners made it 6-5 but the ball was hit so hard that Ichiro, running from first base, didn’t have a chance to score.
Curtis Granderson, hitless in the first two games of this series, popped up a high fastball for the final out.
“Oh, that’s so painful,” my wife said. “I feel so bad for Curtis.”
“Fuck Curtis,” I said. Meaning, who cares about the player? Don’t be mad or sad for them, be mad for us. The fans who suffer most.
The Orioles won again, this time in 14 innings and now trail by four-and-a-half games (The O’s have won 12 straight extra inning games).
“There should be a high level of concern,” Eric Chavez said according to Chad Jennings. “Anybody who says that there isn’t is lying. You’ve just got to win ballgames, and we’re not finding a way to do that, and it should be a concern. It’s that time of the year when, yeah, it’s a concern. We need to start playing good and winning games.”
You wonder what will snap the Yanks out of this funk. Something surely will. Let’s just hope it happens soon…
And don’t call me Shirley.
[Photo Credit: Dana Oliver]
I still can't believe Girardi let Russell hit in that situation, and that he came through with the big hit. I was still trying to convince my wife that Martin had no business being at the plate at that point in the game, when Curtis popped out to fuggin' Prince.
Why exactly is Curtis leading off again?
[2] Section 7G, paragraph 11, point 2 in the Binder™ states that when you have a very good power hitter that strikes out a lot, the best spot in the lineup is leading off.
It's like, common knowledge, man.
Yeah, Curtis is an unconventional choice to lead off, and I wouldn't do it, but I think Joe lucked into a situation where you'd want to have Curtis at the plate.
I find Girardi's faith in Martin's bat, and his place in the 9 hole far more confounding than the decision to bat Curtis first.
[2] Rhetoric, Rhetoric!
[1] Yeah, me too, on Russell.
I can't get excited about the batting order. It's not important.
Hughes has to pitch better, that's it.
Why in hell did they stop Ichiro at third? It's two outs in the ninth, the most likely thing is for the batter to make an out, send Ichiro, he's fast. If it's a catcher, ok, hold him up, but not a speedster. Grumble grumble grumble.
7) I agree with you in theory but looking at the replays they would have had him by 10 feet. And if he was the final out we would all be bitching about R. Thompson sending him. It was just a really great play by the left fielder to get to the ball so quickly--he was back playing no doubles defense--and hit the cut off man so fast.
The incredible shrinking lead. Dog days are here.
The Yankees have plenty of time to win this thing or to blow it. I think they will win it, the lead is big, the competition is flawed, they have some calvary possibly coming in the distant future.
But I don't see a World Champion either way. This sure looks like a 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011 type of team.
[10] Calvary is coming! Jon, that's so apocalyptic. Waiting for Golgotha.
But which team do you think is the Champ? I see no team obviously better than the Yankees.
11) No, but you don't have to be the best to win, just hot. Right now, the Nats and Reds look good, same with the Rangers, even the Angels, though they are all flawed.
[11] I think the Rangers or Nationals will win the Series. If the Angels somehow got homefield advantage in the AL, where Weaver is unbeatable, then I think they would replace the Rangers for the AL.
As for the Yanks, without Pettitte and Arod, I think they are also clearly behind the Tigers.
No team is so stacked they couldn't falter, but the Yanks need two very old players to come back from very major injuries in very short order to get back to their peak level. I don't see either guy coming back to form in time.
[12] Absolutely. But my only point is, the Yanks could be the hot team just as easily as one of the other big boys. Not that they will.
[13] The Rangers have a lot of problems -- their pitching staff went south, and Hamilton cooled off. The Tigers might actually be a hair better than the Yanks, I guess that's true. But surely they aren't more than 55-45 favorites.
The post-season is a crap shoot. Don't forget it. As AB says, it's really a matter of who gets hot in October. Could be Rob. Could be Kuroda. Lotta could-be guys.
14) True. Very true.