Tampa always seems to have good, young starting pitchers. This year we can add Chris Archer to the crop. He was outstanding today against the soporific, gluten-free Yankee offense. He allowed two hits, faced just two men over the minimum, and pitched a shutout. His fielders didn’t rescue him with memorable plays and the Yankees did not hit the ball hard. Archer just kicked their asses.
Another fine outing for the resurgent Ivan Nova wasted.
[Photo Via: Jacina Russell]
Nova, matinee, Yanks look to recover from last night’s drubbing.
Never mind those damn Rays:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Paul Bailey]
It’s hard to watch C.C. get abused but that’s what has happened over and again this year. Tonight, he got smacked around again–this time by the first place Rays. I don’t know about you but I don’t get angry with Sabathia, I feel bad for him. He’s a gamer, he doesn’t give up, but this year, man, he just hasn’t been his usual self.
Tough to watch as the Rays beat up on the Yanks.
Our boys trailed 10-1, then scored twice in the 8th and got a couple more runs in the 9th. The bases were loaded for Lil’ Sori, score 10-5, with 1 out. Those who stayed at the park now had something to cheer about. Jake McGee, the hard-throwing lefty came in the game to face Sori.
First pitch, Sori fouls off a fastball and has a good hack at it. Fouls off another heater, 97 mph. Got to figure, McGee will throw something out of the zone, try to get Sori to chase but he stays with the heater—misses upstairs for a ball and then Sori fouls another off, followed by another high fastball up and out of the zone. The next pitch is 98 and also high. Six pitches, all fastballs. The seventh pitch is also cheddar but this one is low and Sori grounds it to short. He’s fast enough to reach first without the game ending on a double play. Run scores and it’s 10-6 for Chris Stewart who has to wait for the bow-and-arrow man, Fernando Rodney to enter the game.
Stewart grounds out on a 3-2 pitch and the comeback falls short.
Final Score: Rays 10, Yanks 6.
[Picture by Bags]
C.C. gives it another try. I’ve got a good feelin’ about him tonight.
Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Travis Hafner DH
Brent Lillibridge 3B
Austin Romine C
Never mind the bollocks:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Via: Getty Images]
Reports have our old chum Alfonso Soriano traded to the Yankees. He has $24.5 million left of his contract through the end of next year; the Cubs will pick up $17 million.
I always liked watching him hit in a cartoonish way–skinny guy, heavy bat, slugg0, lots of strikeouts–oh, that slider low and away. Remember when he was in New York and people talked about his strong wrists and how he was like Hank Aaron? Well, he never developed past his bad habits and has been more like a svelte Dave Kingman but he should be an improvement over Vernon Wells. Sori could be vexing to watch but he was easy to like.
At the same time, I wish the Yanks would just become sellers and stop picking up veteran scraps, for what? To make a playoff run this year?
As some around here have said all season: Sell, Sell, Sell!
The Yankees’ ace Hiroki Kuroda blanked the Rangers for 7 innings and then David Robertson and The Great Mariano Rivera polished them off in the 8th and 9th as the Yanks beat the Rangers 2-0. Good enough for the Yanks to leave town with a split.
Which, all considering, ain’t bad. Ayo, Austin Romine had 3 hits, man.
And you just gotta love that Hiroki, don’tcha?
Aw, it ain’t that bad. Yanks go for the split this afternoon in Texas.
Never mind the gloom and doom:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
Andy Pettitte pitched well but last night it was too much Garza and not enough gluten as the Rangers beat the Yanks, 3-1.
Moving on.
[Photo Credit: Jim Cowsert/AP; Brad Loper/Dallas Morning News]
You have to marvel at how silly it all is, don’t you? These are reportedly grown men we’re talking about. But when money and ego are in the mix, adults act like children, don’t they?
Meanwhile, Matt Garza makes his first start for the Rangers tonight against Andy Pettitte who is trying to get his act together.
Never mind the hubbub:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Image Via: ]
Typical Phil Hughes performance. His boys stake him to a 3-0 lead, he holds the Rangers scoreless through 5 innings and then in the 6th…poof. Granted, it was Boone Logan, not Hughes that gave up the big home run, but it was Hughes that couldn’t get the final out of the inning. Either way, the Rangers took a 4-3 lead and that looked to be plenty, particularly in the 9th inning with their closer Joe Nathan on the mound.
“Honey, they’re going to win,” said The Wife.
“They’re losing,” says I.
“What will you give me if they win?” she said?
“What will you give me if they lose?”
“Nothing”
“Right,” I said.
Now for the stranger things part. Vernon Welles walked with 1 out, and took second on a wild pitch in the middle of a long, impressive at bat by Eduardo Nunez. That wild pitch was critical because it drew the outfield in which enabled Nunez’s fly ball to center field to get over Craig Gentry’s head, good for a triple. Brent Lillibridge made like the hero next and looped a 1-0 slider into left for the go ahead base hit.
The Rangers went down like lambs against The Great Mariano in the 9th to the tune of a couple of strikeouts and a ground ball to short.
Final Score: Yanks 5, Rangers 4.
The Wife is always right (unless she’s wrong).
It was an unexpected and pleasing win for the Yanks. And despite the lousy outcome, the home crowd was treated to a handful of terrific plays in the filed–diving catches by Nelson Cruz, and Brett Gardner, and two beautiful stops at third base by Jurickson Profar.
My favorite fielding play, however, was when Robinson Cano fielded a ball behind second base and, still moving toward left field, half-turned and side-armed the ball to first. It was as if he flipped it but you can’t flip a ball that far, with that much on it. It was my favorite play because it showed off just how special this Cano is. We watch these guys because they are the best in the world, because they do things we can’t do. That’s what Cano does at second base sometimes–making it look so fluid that it appears easy.
[Photo Credit: Lm Otero/AP]
Lil’ Sori: The Return? Just as Alex is about to get shitcanned? Oh, I can see the columns that will be written (wait–too late).
In the meantime, it’s Phil “Chuck and Duck” Hughes.
Never mind the nonsense:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Richard Beaven via MPD]
Late night of travel+Yu Darvish+a Gluten-free offense=3 hits. That’s what the Yanks mustered tonight, spoiling a perfectly nice outing from Ivan Nova–who has really looked good, hasn’t he?
Final Score: Rangers 3, Yanks 0.
So, with the Braun news out of the way, figure for the news cycle to reset and then the inevitable Alex Rodriguez suspension to follow in the coming days, right?
Cause it won’t be pretty. According to T.J. Quinn: “Sources tell @OTLonESPN evidence on A-Rod far beyond evidence v Braun. Charges expected to include accusation he interfered w investigation.”
[Photo Credit: James B. Knight]
Ryan Braun’s suspended for the rest of the season.
(Alex Rodriguez your life is calling.)
Meanwhile, the Yanks are in Texas for four games.
Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
Luis Cruz 3B
Yu vs. Nova.
Never mind the funny stuff:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Image by Jackson Patterson via This Isn’t Happiness]
So C.C. did in fact pick up where he left off. Staked to a tidy 3-0 lead, he promptly screwed the pooch and gave it away.
“I suck,” he said after the game. “I wish I had an excuse or something. … It’s embarrassing. I’ll just try to get through it. Figure something out and try to stop hurting this team and (start) helping.”
Soon, it was 7-3 and that figured to be that. But the Yanks crawled back in it and tied the score, 7-7. Then, the game stretched on, the Yanks left a ton of runners on base, and when it went into extra innings any thoughts of a good night’s sleep went with it. The Yanks got some impressive bullpen pitching, David Robertson got out of a bases loaded jam, and were jobbed by a bad call in the 11th. The longer it went, the more you knew it wasn’t going to end well.
And it didn’t when Mike Napoli hit his second homer of the game, this one a solo shot, to end it in the 11th.
Final Score: Red Sox 8, Yankees 7.
Kind of felt like this:
Alex Rodriguez was due to join the Yankees in Texas tomorrow but he’s back in New York having an MRI on the current old-man ailment for the Yanks–quad troubles.
Meantime, it’s C.C. who will try to pick it in the second half…dammit. C’mon, C.C., you’re our MAN.
Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
Luis Cruz 3B
Never mind the Game of the Week:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Picture by Quint Buchholz via This Isn’t Happiness]
Last week I was talking to a Red Sox fan about how much I hate Red Sox fans. But then we got around to Angels fans and Blue Jays fans and fans of other teams and I had to amend my thought. I love to hate Red Sox fans but I respect them, too. Remember when Joe Torre came back from cancer in 1999 and the crowd at Fenway gave him a nice hand?
Well, the Sox fans showed their character again today, giving Mariano Rivera a standing ovation when he took the mound in the 9th. Sure, the Red Sox have faired relatively well against Rivera over the years–relative being the key word. But the cheers today were not ironic or sarcastic, they were sincere. Mo was deserving and they gave him his due.
That’s what’s up.
A nice moment in the final act of what turned out to be a satisfying 5-2 win for the Yanks. Hiroki pitched well, as is his custom, five hits in the 7th got him the runs he needed and Robertson and Mo put heads to bed to end it.
[Photo Via: USATSI]
Yanks turn to the ever-reliable Hiroki Kuroda this afternoon. Fox: Buck-McCarver. Gluten-free offense. That hard-on, John Lackey. Could be a long day’s journey into night.
But never mind all that:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
