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Yanks 7, Rangers 6

Have you heard about the lonesome loser/
Beaten by the queen of hearts every time/
Have you heard about the lonesome loser/
He’s a loser, but he still keeps on tryin’

“That’s all I was out there for,” Stottlemyre said. “I knew he’d be upset at himself. The ball got away from him and he was as upset as I’ve seen him all year. It was my job to stay out there until he cooled off. I told him I’d stay out there until he was ready to face the next hitter. It seemed to do the job. He was really upset, visibly, as I’m sure you saw.

“He’s generally relaxed and cool, but we all lose it momentarily sometimes. I just wanted to make sure there was no carryover.”

Vazquez got B.J. Surhoff to pop out, he struck out Luis Matos on a nasty change up, and Larry Bigbie grounded out sharply to Jeter to end the inning:

“Vazquez turned loose his fastball a little more to get out of the inning. He goosed it up there a little more,” Stottlemyre said. “It looked like it suddenly had more life on it. For me, that was the key to the ballgame, to have them just get one run there.”

The Orioles didn’t get another hit all afternoon. Alex Rodriguez had two hits, including a double and has now reached base in 41 straight games. Sheff had two hits too; Hideki Matsui followed Sheff’s game-breaking hit with an RBI single of his own.

What’s Next?

While the Yankees continue to solve Jose Contreras’ fragile noggin, the Times reports that the Mariners could be interested in the soporific Cuban:

The Mariners are in last place in the American League West and are open to making trades, said one baseball official with knowledge of their plans. The official said the Mariners remained interested in Contreras, depending on how much of his contract the Yankees would pay. Contreras is in the second year of a four-year, $32 million deal.

Unloading Contreras would be a coup for the Yankees, especially if they could get starter Freddy Garcia and the left-handed reliever Mike Myers in return. The

…Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said the Mariners had not told him of their interest. But Cashman said he expected teams to covet Contreras.

“There are people who feel the way we do, which is that this guy has a gigantic ceiling,” Cashman said. “Too many people have been at enough games and seen how exciting he is when he’s on.”

Work it, Cash, work it.

Drop off?

Pedro Martinez leads the AL in strike outs and has had some sterling outings this season, but he’s also been pounded at times too. Pedro’s main man at the Globe, Dan Shaughnessy weighs in on what the trouble could be. (Could it be the hair?)

The Sox are now two-and-a-half games behind New York. Boston will be in K.C. this weekend while the Rangers visit the Bronx. Ethan Coen’s favorite pitcher, the Gambler Kenny Rogers (who is having a fine season) will face Kevin Brown tonight.

David Pinto checks in on the Yankees and thinks they could be a regular menace to rest of the league this summer:

If they can score like this with their offense not hitting on all cyliners, what are they going to be like when everything is in place? What if Mussina regains his form? It’s doubtful that even the return of Nomar and Nixon will be enough to overcome this juggernaught.

Derek Jeter laid down a sac bunt in the first inning against the O’s today. The Bombers scored one run (on an RBI single by Alex Rodriguez); Javey Lopez hit a solo shot in the second. That’s all I caught during my lunch hour. Feel free to chime in with thoughts or comments on the game for those of you lucky enough to be at home watching.

Yanks 6, Orioles 5

The facts are the following: Jose Contreras didn’t make it out of the first inning last night. He threw 44 pitches, walked three, allowed three hits and a wild pitch. Derek Jeter made an error on the first play of the game (and another with two outs in the top of the ninth) and Enrique Wilson added a throwing error later in the frame. The Yankee offense was held to three hits all night. So? The Yankees managed to win the game before 50,000 fans anyhow, which according to Joel Sherman says more about the state of the Orioles than it does about the Yankees.

Still, after falling behind 5-0 in the first, what a nice win for the Yanks (and a discouraging loss for the Birds). Watching the Yanks toy with teams like Tampa Bay and Baltimore may be like watching paint dry for some, but hey, these are the games they are expected to win. If they were blowing them, we’d be hearing plenty about how this team just can’t get it done. For some reason, they always seem to play tedious, drawn-out affairs against Baltimore. The first four innings last night were no expection.

Gary Sheffield connected for a three-run homer in the bottom of the first and Derek Jeter added a solo shot in the fifth. Taynon Sturtze and Brett Prinz–?!!?!–saved the Yankees bacon, while Flash Gordon and Mariano Rivera closed the door in the eighth and ninth.

The Orioles have not defeated the Yanks yet this season, and Lee Maz must be wondering what he’s got to do to get a “w” against the Bombers. It doesn’t get easier today as the Yanks send Javey Vazquez to the hill in an afternoon game.

The Yanks picked up a game on the Red Sox who were ripped by the Angels last night. Senior Superfreak Vlad Guerrero had four hits (including two dingers) and nine RBI. Pedro Martinez (4.40 ERA) was rocked though he didn’t get tagged with the loss. One piece of good news for the Sox is that Nomar Garciaparra is expected to return shortly. Panic in the Nation? It’ll take more than this to rattle Ed Cossette, bro.

ETC.

Kenny Lofton told the local media that one of the reasons he has experienced hamstring problems this year is due to a lack of regular playing time. According to the New York Times:

“Ever since the minor leagues, I’ve been playing pretty much every day,” Lofton said. “So when your body gets adjusted to playing every day, your body gets used to that. When your body has to make a change, it reacts differently. My body is used to playing every day, or five days a week.

“Now, it’s not the same way. With me, the way I fire out of the box and go, I’m used to doing that on an everyday basis, not once every four days or whenever I’m in the lineup.”

…”They know I want to be out there every single day,” Lofton said. “I don’t want to be watching. I want to be a part of all this. I can’t be the main focus, but I want it to be, ‘When Kenny gets his thing going, we’re going.’ That’s what I’ve been used to.”

Sooner or later, you’ve got to think that Lofton will be traded with the Yanks eating a good portion of his contract. According to Newsday, the Yanks are a longshot to land Carlos Beltran. Meanwhile, Hideki Matsui’s left shoulder was heavily iced last night. No word yet as to what the problem is.

Bombers 8, Birds 7

Going into the ninth inning with a five-run lead and Tom Gordon on the hill, there was plenty of reason for Yankee fans to feel confident last night. After all, Paul Quantrill had his best outing in weeks and the Yankee offense carried Mike Mussina again. But Gordon only recorded one out, while allowing two hits and a walk. Mariano Rivera was brought in and retired Melvin Mora on one pitch for the second out. But even before Mo came in I had a feeling that the Yankees were going to blow the game. Migeul Tejada singled scoring two runs and then Rivera walked Raffie Palmeiro to load the bases again. He fell behind Javey Lopez, who stroked a single to left scoring two more runs. A cushy 8-3 was now down to 8-7. But Rivera got B.J. Surhoff to fly out to left to end the game and disaster was averted. (Man, am I glad when my gut-feeling is wrong.) After the game, Rivera told the New York Times:

“I just couldnít find the plate,” Rivera said. “I was missing a lot. I was falling behind, and the hitters have the advantage. You fall behind hitters and youíve got to throw strikes. I wasnít worried; I was just upset. You canít come into the game and do that.”

After a 45 minute rain delay, Mike Mussina labored through the first inning, allowing two runs and throwing 36 pitches. However, he settled down nicely after that, though he was still far from his A game:

“That first inning was tough, and I got fortunate. Matos hit the ball right on the nose, but right to (Wilson) to get out of it,” Mussina said. “From that point on, I got a little better, made some better pitches, and changed speeds a little better. . . . And we found a way to get some runs and get the lead.” (NYDaily News)

Sidney Ponson continues to show that he’s more chump than champ, unable to hold a lead. (He’s the east coast’s answer to Kelvim Escobar.) Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada hit homers. But Derek Jeter was the offensive star of the night for the Yanks, with four hits, including two solo dingers. Alex Rodriguez had a walk and a single and has now reached base safely in 39 consecutive games (a career high).

As Jason Giambi looks to rejoin the Yanks over the weekend, Kenny Lofton was placed on the DL due to a gimpy left hamstring.

Meanwhile, the Angels held on to beat the Red Sox last night in Anahiem. The Yanks are now a game ahead of Boston in the AL East.

Progress Report

Memorial Day is the first pit-stop of the baseball season, where we can check in and have some sense of storylines that will illuminate the season. The Yankees go into June tied with the Red Sox for first place. The Devil Rays beat the Yanks 7-6 on Sunday afternoon. The Yanks were down 6-0 going into the eighth. The Bombers end their longest road trip of the year, 8-4. The Sox and Yanks are tied for the best record in the game. I think that the best is yet to come for the Yankees, and of course the Red Sox will improve when Trot Nixon and Nomar return. Either team could also make a significant trade this summer too. The Yanks started off slowly, but have played very well since bottoming out against the Red Sox in Fenway Park. The greatest concern with the Yanks is keeping the team healthy, but that’s the greatest concern with every team, isn’t it? If they stay healthy, they will be rough on the opposition.

I’ve enjoyed watching the team a lot. I prefer them to the 2002 or 2003 editions. I loved Soriano and Nick Johnson, but I like Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield better. I like Kevin Brown better than Roger Clemens and I love Javier Vazquez. Not only that, but I like seeing Willie Randolph next to Joe Torre instead of Popeye Zimmer. And it’s great to see Roy White, uncle Luis, and Don Mattingly on the coaching staff too.

Here are some my loose impressions of the team so far…

Behind the Plate:

We are seeing Jorge Posada (.295/.440/.591) at his best. Posada hit for more power in April but reached base more often in May and for the second straight season, has been the most consistent bat in Joe Torreís line up. Itís not likely that Posada will play at a higher level than heís been playing right now. If he does, itís nothing but gravy for Yankee fans. When Posada called out his teammates after the Angels ambushed the Bombers in the 2002 playoffs, I thought Posada was really putting the pressure on himself to be like one of the old Yankees. To that point, Posada was known more for having the red ass than for being a team leader like Mike Stanton or Cone. But he put his money where his mouth was last year and it turns out he is one of those old time Yankees. As Jay Jaffe observed in his profile on Posada earlier this season, the Yankee catcher was wholly deserving of MVP consideration last year. So far this season, heís picked up right where he left off. I donít know how much longer Posada will play at this level, but enjoy it while it lasts: this is his prime.

First Base:

Iíve long been one of Jason Giambiís biggest supporters. I desperately wanted George to sign him after they lost the World Serious against Arizona, and was grateful when they did. Giambi got what he wanted, so everything should be peachy, right? Giambiís had two good seasons, in spite of being hurt last year. Heís off to a good start this year (.270/.406/.540), but heís not so much fun to watch.

April: (.222/.395/.397)
May: (.310/.385/.638)

Walk to whiff: 24/27

His body language is rigid and tense. You see him on the bench and he looks coiled, uptight. The only time he appears relaxed is when he’s talking with Mattingly, but I donít get a sense of comfort with his teammates. This is especially disappointing because Giambi was such a team leader with the Aís. I donít know what you can chalk it up to. Playing in New York? I canít call it. But heís not the same player. He doesnít look like heís enjoying himself much. Still, I want to like him, and I miss watching him hit.

Tony Clark (.260/.376/.494 in 77 at bats) is my girlfriend Emilyís favorite player this year. (splits) She is drawn to slow, patient guys. When we first stared watching games together in 2002, Giambi was her boy. Then came Posada

Serious

Last night Kevin Brown faced Tampa Bay for the fourth time this season. In his first three outings, Brown allowed one run over seven innings. Going into the eighth with a 5-0 lead, Brown had allowed just one hit. But Toby Hall hit a solo home run, then Brown allowed a walk and double and his night was over. Felix Heredia gave up a run-scoring single off the glove of Tony Clark–who has performed admirably in Jason Giambi’s absence–before Flash Gordon struck out Fred McGriff for the last out of the inning. It was a match-up that didn’t seem fair. Gordon threw two fastballs that McGriff couldn’t catch up to but fouled off. Then he threw a drop-curve ball and the Crime Dog swung about four feet over the pitch. Mariano Rivera came on for the save in the ninth as the Yanks held on for the win. They moved a half-a-game into first place after the Red Sox lost to the Mariners earlier in the day.

Considering how Brown was pitching, the game didn’t seem close at all. The Yanks hit three solo home runs (Bernie, Ruben, Enrique), and many of their outs came on exceedingly hard-hit balls. Tampa made a charge, but it was too little too late. I’ll be honest, I was dreaming about a one or two hit shut-out as the eighth inning began. As you can imagine, the self-loathing Mr. Brown wasn’t too pleased about his night ended. According to Newsday:

“If we had two runs and I gave up three, the perception is I didn’t do what I needed to do to win the game,” Brown said. “But because we had five runs, that’s a different situation. And perception is a tricky thing . . . I was what I was. It doesn’t change the way it was the first seven innings. And it doesn’t change what I was in the eighth inning.”

Jon Lieber is on the mound today against Carlos Zambrano as the Yankees go for the sweep.

In other Yankee news, the Times reports that Steve Karsay was impressive during an extended spring-training game in Florida. About a month ago I was under the impression that Karsay was done for the season. If he manages to come back and be effective, that would be an enormous boost for the Yankees’ bullpen.

Browsing the Sunday papers, here are a couple of links to feed your head:

Sam Borden has a nice piece on how Joe Torre deals with the New York media. Borden also speaks to Gary Sheffield, who feels that he’s being singled out by government officials with regards to the Balco case.

Gordon Edes, the top baseball man at the Boston Globe, answers fan mail today, including the possibility of Randy Johnson pitching in New York or Boston before the year is over (zilch).

Finally, Tom Boswell weighs in why Junior Griffey still matters.

I can’t think of a more depressing-looking ballpark in the American League than Tropicana Field in Tampa. Add to that the fact that the Devil Rays just aren’t a very good team and it’s hard to get juiced up for this series. Unless of course you are a Yankee fan. It’s probably tough for some of us too, but hey, a win is a win, and I’ll take it.

Javier Vazquez was good, if not sterling, and the Rays jumped on him for two runs in the first. Doug Waechter was decent for the first couple of innings, but when Ruben Sierra tied the game with a two-run blast, I thought Sweet Lou was going to hurt someone. When the inning was done, Piniella got in the face of his catcher Toby Hall. I guess Hall called for the wrong pitch in the wrong spot. The Yanks opened up their lead with four runs in the fifth, capped by a three-run blast off the bat of Gary Sheffield. Sheff only had one hit on the night, but continues to hit just about everything hard. (As does Hideki Matsui who had two hits and has quietly improved.)

Tampa Bay rallied against Vazquez and Paul Quantrill–who had another poor performance–and closed the Yankee lead to one run. But a solo home run by Derek Jeter gave the Yanks some breathing room, and Tony Clark made a nifty running catch in the ninth inning to help seal the victory.

The story of the night? Well, Mariano Rivera recorded the 300th save of his career, and Derek Jeter had three hits, and honestly is looking like the player we’ve been used to watching for the past eight years. If you had just watched the Yankees over the past week, you would have never thought that anything had been wrong with the Yankee captain.

Pedro Martinez wasn’t brilliant last night either, but he pitched well enough and Cookie Monster hit a grand slam as Boston beat the Mariners at Fenway Park. The Sox remain a half a game ahead of the Yanks. David Ortiz is the rebirth of Luis Tiant for the Sox. There was a touching moment in the clubhouse last night. According to the Globe:

And then there was the cardboard box sitting on a table in the locker room. It had a slot in the middle. Written on it in black letters was, “Please, any help you can donate to the people of my country — D.R. They got hit by the flood. Thank you, David Ortiz.”

It was after his second at-bat, in the fourth inning, when Ortiz, the designated hitter, walked back into the clubhouse after grounding out to third. He encountered Ellis Burks with his 9-year-old son, Christopher. Alan Embree had paid off an old bet to Burks with a pair of $50 bills. Burks handed the money to his son, who immediately dropped a fifty in the box.

“When I saw this I was ready to cry,” Ortiz said. “It made me feel great. To see a young kid do that. I got excited. My mind was different after that. That changed me.”

As much as I loath the Sox, it’s hard to resist some of the characters they’ve got up there like Cookie and the catcher…

Kevin Brown was back with the Yanks last night and will pitch today.

Is it over yet? Good gosh. The Bronx Bombers made like the Gashouse Gorillas last night and had the conga line rolling as they creamolished the Orioles. Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui each had three hits, Tony Clark (who had three hits as well) and Enrique Wilson each collected 4 RBI, Alex Rodriguez hit a home run…well, you get the pernt. It wasn’t pretty for the home town team as New York compiled 21 hits in all. According to Tyler Kepner, “The Yankees have not scored more runs in a series in 53 years, since they dumped 42 runs on the St. Louis Browns from May 3-5, 1951.”

Jose Contreras worked out of jams in the first and fourth and allowed three runs in the third, on home runs to Miggy T and Raffie P. Sidney Ponson cruised for the first four innings and then got his tits lit in the fifth. By the time he was yanked, the Baltimore ace was smiling. I suppose he was laughing to keep from crying, but YES announcer called Ponson’s cavalier attitude “inexplicable and inexusable.” If I were an Oriole fan I would not have taken kindly to Ponson’s “Oh well” display either.

The A’s torched the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 15-2–Eric Chavez hit an absolute bomb to straight away center–reducing Boston’s lead over the Yanks to a half game.

Stormin

It warn’t purty, but a win am a win. The Yankees survived an awful showing from their middle relief corps by crushing Baltimore’s relievers as the Yanks won their third straight. Baltimore jumped to an early 3-0 lead off of Mike Mussina, and the Yanks left the bases loaded in the first and runners on the corners in the third. Gary Sheffield walked in his first at bat and was robbed of two RBI in the third when Luis Matos made a fine running catch to end the inning. Sheff must have been wondering what he had to do to catch a break.

With the score 3-1 in the fifth, Derek Jeter collected his second hit of the night, a single to left, which scored Kenny Lofton. Before Rodrigo Lopez could throw a pitch to Alex Rodriguez the game was delayed for an hour and five minutes by more rain. When play resumed, Lopez was still pitching, though he hadn’t been especially sharp. But as the YES announcers noted, Lee Maz doesn’t exactly have sterling options in his bullpen. Rodriguez legged out an infield hit and then Gary Sheffield popped a hanging curve–or was it a slider?–deep into the left field seats. Tony Clark added a solo dinger in the sixth, Sheffield singled home Lofton, and the Yanks had a comfortable 7-3 lead.

But it didn’t last as Mussina, Paul Quantrill, Gabe White (Only Build 4 Cuban Linx himself), and everybody’s all American punching bag, Taynon Sturtze, coughed up the lead. Baltimore pounded Yankee pitching for seven hits and six runs in the inning and when it was all over led, 9-7. The less said about this ugly turn of events, the better.

Especially considering that the O’s weren’t out in front for long. In the seventh, southpaw Buddy Groom quickly got ahead of Godziller Matsui but then left a fastball up in the zone which was crushed into the right field bleachers for a homer. Yanks down by one. Ruben Sierra singled, and B.J. Ryan replaced Groom. After Tony Clark grounded out, Enrique Wilson singled home Sierra, and then Bernie Williams–pinch-hitting for Lofton–singled home Wilson to give the Yanks the lead for good. Derek Jeter fought off a nasty slider that was in on his hands, and blooped a lucky-ass double down the first base line. It was the cheap, fortunate kind of hit that Jeter has been searching for. Bernie advanced to third and Rodriguez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Sheffield fell behind in the count but then laced a single to right. Williams and Jeter scored, and Sheffield had his sixth RBI of the night. (Sheffield actually collected another hit–a single to center in the ninth–to cap off his most productive game in pinstripes.)

The score remained the same as Flash Gordon and Mariano Rivera effectively shut the Orioles down over the final three innings:

“It seemed like a hundred years before we got to them tonight, and it was almost tomorrow,” Manager Joe Torre said.

The game ended at the stroke of midnight.

The Bombers remain a game-and-a-half behind Boston who beat the A’s again at Fenway Park last night.

Jose Contreras will replace Kevin Brown tonight. Brown left the team to deal with some personal issues and will start against the D-Rays on Saturday. Contreras will face Sidney Ponson this evening.

Both Bernie Williams and Gary Sheffield hit the ball on the screws in the first inning last night, and neither had anything to show for it. After three quick, scoreless innings in Baltimore, a thunderstorm post-poned the game for over an hour. However, Yankee starter Jon Lieber picked up right where he left off when they started up again, and tossed another efficient game for New York. The Yankee bats (Clark, Posada, Matsui, Wilson) came to life and bombed the O’s for eleven runs. Alex Rodriguez delivered the crusher: a three-run blast to dead center.

Sooner or later, a group of Yankees will all get hot at the same time. Meanwhile, Bernie had some excellent swings with just one hit. Derek Jeter was robbed of a two-run double on a terrific play by Melvin Mora, but later hit an RBI double to right field. Jeter was 1-6 on the night and his batting average continued to drop. Gary Sheffield still hasn’t found his groove either. According to the Tyler Kepner in the New York Times:

“When I face tough pitchers, I’m at my best,” Sheffield said. “When you’re talking about kids you don’t know that aren’t all that difficult to face, that’s when I have my problems.”

…”I always have problems with the 4 and 5 starters,” Sheffield said. “The first three pitchers, I do my best against. My thing is, I like challenges. When I’m facing a guy I know shouldn’t get me out, those are the hardest guys to be patient with. I know it, they know it, and I pretty much go chasing. It’s my fault. It’s more me than them.”

There is merit to Sheffield’s claim, at least for this season. In 27 at-bats this year against Bartolo Col

Joe Sheehan, Gary Huckabay, Tim Marchman and Jay Jaffe all pay tribute to the late Doug Pappas, the terrific baseball mind who passed away last week. Sheehan observes:

It wasn’t just the caliber of his work, which of course was high. It was that he had the courage to stand up and say, “They’re lying. This is the truth,” and back it up with so much evidence that he could not be ignored. Doug had a permanent effect on the way baseball’s off-field issues are covered. He made it right–no, he made it mandatory–to question the claims of baseball’s authorities, and he did it in the face of opposition from some powerful people. When called on the carpet by Bud Selig, Doug calmly presented the facts and refused to be intimidated.

Marchman adds:

Pappas provided a moral context for journalists to follow, and was not shy about holding them to it. What he understood was that if baseball is really the American game, the way in which it is run and the way in which it is covered tell us a great deal about our national character.
Baseball deserves not to be treated as a mere diversion or pastime, but to be run in an honest and untainted fashion. When it is not, those of us in a position to explain how this is so have an obligation and responsibility to do so. Reminding us — writers and readers alike — of this was Doug Pappas’s legacy to the game, and it is as fine as any writer has left.

Amen.

Who has been the Yankees’ best starting pitcher so far? Head on over to “The Midnight Hour,” where Steve Bonner examines the evidence. Great job, Steve. Thanks.

While I was doing research on Curt Flood up at the Hall of Fame library last week, I took the opportunity to look up some of my favorite baseball writers. Pat Jordan, Lee Allen and Ed Linn were just a couple I had time to get to. In Roger Angell’s file, I found a lengthy interview that appeared in a literary publication called “Writing on the Edge.” Conducted in July of 1993 by Jared Haynes, Angell talked about writing and baseball of course. Here are some words of wisdom then from one of the true masters of baseball writing:

Good writing is based on clear thinking, which is the hardest thing we have to do. Itís as plain as that. Itís hard to start to write because what you have to do is start to think. And not just think with the easy, up front part of your brain but with the deeper, back parts of the unconscious. The unconscious comes into writing in a powerful way.

Javier Vasquez pitched a good game and got some much needed run support to boot. Enrique Wilson was the offensive hero of the afternoon for New York, as the Yankees avoided being swept by the Rangers. Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams both collected singles, but still look far from right at the plate. Gary Sheffield hit the ball hard several times, but went 0-4. However, Hideki Matsui collected three hits; Alex Rodriguez and Kenny Lofton each had two (Lofton left the game early due to a tight hamstring). The Rangers drew a record crowd for a three-game series over the weekend. Where have we heard that before? The Bombers are now 3-3 on their longest road trip of the season. After a day off today, next stop: Baltimore.

The Yanks remain a game-and-a-half behind the Red Sox, who swept the Blue Jays at Fenway Park over the weekend.

Thin Crop

Tyler Kepner profiles the Yankee farm system in the Times today. It’s nothing much we don’t already know. Witness:

“We’re not as strong as we’ve been in the past,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “But that’s because we’ve utilized the farm system to our advantage. Many of the big deals we’ve had the ability to do in my six years as general manager are because of the farm system.”

Oh, Yes

Nobody has ever pitched a no-hitter for the Mets. Tom Glavine came close yesterday, going 7 2/3 innings before allowing a hit. Still, it was a masterful performance. In all, a memorable day for Met fans.

Flushed Gordon

The Yankees pissed away a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning this afternoon–a missed call by the first base umpire Tony Randazzo and then some awful fielding by Tom Gordon was enough to do the trick–and the Rangers won the game on a walk-off homer in the ninth. In all, it was a painful loss for New York and a joyous one for the young Rangers. I’m too red-faced to write about it objectively right now, however the game did see some good starting pitching from both sides. Jose Contreras went six innings, allowed three hits, two walks, and struck out seven. The only run he allowed was a solo homer by Alfonso Soriano. (Bernie Williams and Tony Clark went deep for the Yanks.) One thing is for sure: it’s going to be a long night for Mr. Gordon.

The one silver lining for the Yankees is that almost all of the games they have lost over the past two or three weeks are games they have had a good chance of winning. They’ve been right there in all of ’em. Unfortunately, this makes the losing sting just a bit more. Aww man, but they should have won. (Whatsa matter? Y’all ain’t got no sympathy for us Yankee fans?) Hopefully Javey Vasquez can help the Yanks salvage the last game of the series tomorrow afternoon before the Yanks return to the east coast.

Prince Pedro is on the mound for the Bostons tonight. Nertz.

Bomb Squad

It was a frustrating night in Arlington for the Bombers, as Kevin Brown couldn’t hold a 4-1 lead, and the Rangers stomped their way to a 9-6 win. Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano both had two hits but were overshadowed by David Dellucci, who had four hits, including a home run. The square-jawed Laynce Nix–hey Alex Ciepley, is that a name right out of gay porn or what?–hit two bombs. Actually, many of the Rangers are square-jawed young sluggers.

The Yanks made a frantic comeback in the ninth inning, but came up short with the tying runs on base. During the rally, Jason Giambi sprained his ankle running around first base. The x-rays were negative but it appears as if Giambi is headed for the DL for the first time in his career.

The Texas crowd booed Alex Rodriguez in his first at-bat, but they weren’t vicious. In fact, from what the YES cameras showed, many people were laughing as they were booing. For his part, Rodriguez shut them up with the quickness as he roped a 2-1 offering into the left field stands for a two-run homer. As he rounded the bases, many of the boos turned into cheers. Rodriguez was half-heartedly booed for the rest of the game, but it was nothing like he experienced when he first returned to Seattle in 2001.

The Yankees collected plenty of hits–Gary Sheffield and Jorge Posada each had three–but were unable to string together a rally until it was too late. Kevin Brown was lit up, and the newest Yankee Tanyon Sturtze was torched as well. It was Brown’s first defeat of the season.

So what happens when the Yanks lose? That’s right, the Sox win. Boston pounded the Jays last night in Boston and leap-frogged back into first by a half-a-game.

There wasn’t much pitching in Arlington last night and with Jose Contreras throwing for New York later today, the Yankees better hope they can score some runs. As hot as Texas is, this could get ugly.

By Bruce Markusen

May 20, 2004

Card Corner

Tommy Davis has always been one of my favorite players. In some ways, itís a strange association for me; I never saw him play during the prime years of his career, and for good reason

Awww, Bacon

Derek Jeter lead off the game last night and blooped a single to center off of big Bartolo Colon. On television, you could see the Yankee dugout in the background when Jeter reached first. Though he was not in focus, Joe Torre was smiling. (A bloop, a bloop, my kingdom for a bloop.) Bernie Williams followed with a sharp single up the middle; Jeter moved to third and scored on Alex Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly.

Two innings later, Jeter smashed a solo homer off Colon. Later, Hideki Matsui added a two run homer, and Jorge Posada contributed a two-run double, which proved to be more than enough for Mike Mussina, who is regaining his form. (This was his fourth consecutive win.) The Yankees won another series, taking two of three from an injury-depleted Anahiem team. Next stop: Texas, where the boo-boids eagerly await the return of Alex Rodriguez. Jack Curry and John Harper anticipate Rodriguez’s arrival.

The Yanks budged back into first by a half-a-game as Derek Lowe and the Sox were pounded in Tampa by the Rays, 9-6.

Finally, as Mariano Rivera approaches his 300th career save, the Times, Post and Newsday offer puff pieces the Yankees’ great closer.