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Given a Chance to Extend Their Lead, Yanks Blow it

 

The Yankees weren’t hitting much but Phil Hughes was cruising through the Twins’ line-up. The Orioles had lost to the Blue Jays by the time Russell Martin hit a lead off home run in the seventh inning giving the Yanks a 3-1 lead. It was difficult not to start thinking ahead, calculating, fantasizing, but that was the last moment of pleasure for the Yankees on this night.

Hughes had a low pitch count but loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning. Still, he got two men out before he was pulled in place of Boone Logan despite having handled the batter Denard Span all night. Logan threw the first pitch in the dirt. It got away from Martin and a run scored. Span then dumped a fly ball into center, good for a double and Joe Mauer followed that with a single and just like that, the Twins were ahead 5-3. Logan’s sliders were flat and that, as they say, was that.

Well, almost. Andruw Jones, who hasn’t had a hit since Christ was a Cowboy, cranked a solo home run with two outs in the ninth. But Jayson Nix whiffed to end the game, end of report, good night.

Final Score: Twins 5, Yanks 4.

You want to nominate this one for worst loss of the year, go right ahead. Other games have been more brutal but given the circumstances, a chance to take a two-and-a-half game lead on the Orioles, and this one really smarts.

The Orioles have the day off tomorrow. It’ll be CC to try and push the Yankees’ lead to two. If they lose, it’s down to one game with seven left.

[Featured Image Via It’s a Long Season]

Categories:  1: Featured  Game Recap  Yankees

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22 comments

1 cult of basebaal   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:14 pm

Ugh.

2 Mattpat11   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:16 pm

If the Yankees, for whatever reason, won't fire Girardi, they need to consider handcuffing him to the bench

3 thelarmis   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:17 pm

so, that's where TooL got the title "disgustipated"!

yeah, that loss was brutal. we better not lose this fucking series.

total bollocks.

4 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:17 pm

Bad loss, but doesn't feel as dire like the ones a few weeks ago. I guess the 2 game loss column lead brings complacency. Hughes deserved to try and keep his win, but Joe will say that he had a lot of pitches in the inning, and the team needed to win. Didn't work...

Hughes pitched well, and left nothing to atone for. Arod on the other hand...

5 Bruce Markusen   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:19 pm

This was not one of Girardi's better nights. He pulls Hughes after only 99 pitches and goes to an overused Logan, who was just awful.

And why, oh why, was Robinson Cano DHing and Jayson Nix playing second base? The time for REST is over. The Yankees are playing for their division and playoff lives. The best lineup needs to be in there everyday. I can't believe this actually has to be said.

6 Boatzilla   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:19 pm

Forgive me for playing Wednesday morning quarterback (Japan time), but why would anyone in his right mind take Phil Hughes out of that game?

One can only conclude that Joe does not trust Hughesy to clean up his own messes. And that kind of managing will fuck with a guy's psyche.

7 Mattpat11   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:20 pm

[4] The answer is gonna be that Span is lefthanded. Its always the answer. Its why Girardi isn't a good manager.

8 Alex Belth   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:29 pm

Yanks need CC to be great again. Tomorrow is a huge game for the Yanks.

9 Bruce Markusen   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:31 pm

Sometimes Girardi just has no feel for managing a game. It's always matchup, matchup, matchup, instead of taking into account how a guy is throwing, how the hitter has been faring that day, how overworked the bullpen guy might be.

There are other factors to consider beyond lefty/lefty and the past history between a hitter and a pitcher.

10 Boatzilla   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:36 pm

[9] I believe that is one reason why the Marlins let him go, in addition to his personality clash with the owner.

11 Ara Just Fair   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:40 pm

I checked out of the ending of tonight by I am grateful to have learned about the interrobang. Never heard of it. You learn something new ever day. My mac has 82 different fonts choices for it. WTF‽ And are you fucking kidding about tonight's loss‽ Nice work, Boone. Meat.

12 Mattpat11   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:40 pm

[9] I've really never seen any indication that he factors in past history.

13 Bruce Markusen   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:45 pm

Girardi just mentioned that Logan "had a ton of success against Span." He definitely factors that information into the equation. I think it's in that dreaded binder.

14 Boatzilla   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:46 pm

[11] Wow. Gotta check that out. But it is hard to decipher at a glance.

15 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:50 pm

No excuses for Girardi, but Hughes had 26 pitches in the inning, and Boone is the guy who gets it done usually when facing one lefty batter. Boone was off, and Nardo got it done. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.

16 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:52 pm

And...goodnight‽‽‽‽

17 Mattpat11   ~  Sep 25, 2012 10:59 pm

[13] I think he's very selective with it. If it fits with his extremely strict rules on platoons (every righty is Walter Johnson/Manny Ramirez, every lefty is Sandy Koufax/Babe Ruth) he'll pay it lip service.

If, for example, we face a lefty with no splits or even a reverse split, he'll ignore everything to stack his lineup with bad righties.

18 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Sep 25, 2012 11:04 pm

[9][10] Hard to tell from outside the dugout but he does seem tightly wound with a real matchup obsession..worrying.

19 RIYank   ~  Sep 26, 2012 5:55 am

I'm going to buck the tide and say that Boone Logan was a perfectly sensible move that just didn't work out.

Hughes does not pitch well after 90 pitches, you could look it up. He was not pitching well at all in the seventh inning. Logan is a very logical choice to retire Denard Span and escape the inning; then Robertson and Soriano could pitch an inning apiece FTW.

I hate bullpen rouxlette, and I'm not fond of the Match-up Game, but last night the problem wasn't Girardi. It was Logan.

20 Jon DeRosa   ~  Sep 26, 2012 8:38 am

If Girardi had left Hughes (not a great pitcher, in trouble, gassed, and right handed) in to face Span (left handed, not related to Emma) and he had given up the lead himself, I am confident all of us would be wise enough to sing the praises of the manager all morning long despite the bad outcome.

21 William Juliano   ~  Sep 26, 2012 8:43 am

[19] Lifting Hughes wasn't an awful decision, but considering Span is split neutral, that would have been an ideal time to use a batter pitcher instead of simply one who throws with a left hand. Also, once it became apparent that Logan did not have his best stuff (after the double and walk), leaving him to face Mauer is nearly impossible to defend, especially with Rapada available and no chance in hell the Twins are going to pinch hit for him.

For me, it comes down to not wanting to ever use a pitcher like Logan with the game on the line unless you absolutely must. Last night, Hughes, Robertson, Joba, and Rapada were all better options, especially considering Logan had pitched 10 games in the last 12 days.

22 BobbyB   ~  Sep 26, 2012 9:22 am

Hughes should have never started the seventh.Too close a game and the chance to bury the Orioles deeper. I would have liked Chamberlain, Robertson and Soriano to close out the game. Said so at the time.

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