Our man Hiroki’s on the hill as the Yanks begin a four-game series against the Jays at the Stadium.
1. Gardner CF
2. Francisco DH
3. Cano 2B
4. Wells LF
5. Cervelli C
6. Suzuki RF
7. Nunez SS
8. Overbay 1B
9. Nix 3B
Never mind the losing skid: Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Alfredo Piola via MPD]
It wasn’t much of a rally but it was enough. Andy Pettitte was throwing well again and even though he hit Jose Molina in the foot to start the fifth and gave up a single after that, there was every reason to believe the Rays wouldn’t score. This despite Brennan Boesch’s error on the base hit that put runners on second and third. Pettitte struck out the next two batters and boy was it was a pleasure to watch. The veteran craftsman plying his trade.
But he fell behind Ben Zobrist 2-0 and then Zobrist slapped the ball into center field to drive home both runners. Sean Rodriguez led off the next inning with a solo home run and those three runs were more than enough for Alex Cobb who mastered the Yankees for 8.1 innings. His best pitch is a change up but he spotted his fastball and a nifty curve ball for strikes, too. Worked quickly and the game zipped along. The Yanks had three hits against Cobb and never really posed any kind of threat.
Until the ninth that is. With one out, Brett Gardner singled off Cobb ending the young starter’s evening. Fernando Rodney, he of the cap cocked side-a-ways, replaced Cobb and served up a single to Ichiro! That brought up Robinson Cano as the tying run. Cano got ahead 2-1, looked at a change up down-and-in. It missed, but boy was it ever close to Robbie’s Happy Place. Cano fouled off an outside fastball to make it 3-2. The cowbells clanged away at the Trop and suddenly it was a game.
But not for long. Cano rolled over an outside fastball and hit it softly to second base. It was too slow to turn a double play but good enough to get the out at first. So…runners on second and third and two out for Travis Hafner, who couldn’t check his swing at Rodney’s first pitch–a change up–for strike one. He waved at another change and looked bad doing it. Didn’t jump at the next one, which sailed away for a ball, and fouled off the one after that. Four pitches, all change ups.
More cowbells and people standing and whistling and yelling.
Then 98 mph in on the hands, a cheap pop fly, and Rodney shoots his invisible bow.
Final Score: Rays 3, Yanks 0.
Yanks look to take the three-game series from the Rays tonight with Andy Pettitte on the hill.
Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Travis Hafner DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Brennan Boesch RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Never mind the wait:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Todd Hido]
Phil Hughes pitched a good game last night. Twice, he walked the lead-off runner and both times that runner came around to score. But that was all he gave up and the Yanks got two runs against David Price so the score was 2-2 in the ninth. With two men out and the bases loaded, and ace close Fernando Rodney looking less than sterling, Ichiro! swung at the first pitch he saw and singled home two runs.
Enter Sandman, pictured above a few innings earlier holding court in the bullpen. Evan Longoria disposed Rivera’s first pitch over the wall for a home run but the next three batters weren’t as fortunate. Mo got the save, and the Yanks got a most satisfying win.
Final Score: Yanks 4, Rays 3.
It’s Phil Hughes and hold your breath:
Brett Gardner CF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Ben Francisco DH
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Never mind the Terrordome:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
C.C. Sabathia virtually repeated his previous performance last night, except he was a little worse. Instead of giving up two runs in the first, he gave up four, and instead of pitching eight innings, he pitched seven. And on a night when Matt Moore was dealing–the Yankees only had two hits–welp, that was all she wrote.
Final Score: Rays 5, Yanks 2.
C.C. vs the talent Mr. Moore.
Brett Gardner CF
Ben Francisco DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Vernon Wells LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brennan Boesch RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Jayson Nix 3B
Never mind that pesky roof: Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Via: Viage]
Ever since the second half of 2012, Nova says, “I’m just not repeating my delivery,” and now, according to PitchFx, he’s throwing 20 percent fewer strikes than in 2011.
Members of the organization say Nova has unconsciously dropped his arm slot to near three-quarters level. Other believe Nova’s front (left) shoulder is sabotaging his delivery, flying open too quickly, not unlike the flaw that ruined A.J. Burnett’s career in the Bronx.
Pick your theory, but the effect is the same. Chris Stewart said, “[Nova] was missing everywhere. I don’t think he had a feel for any of his pitches.”Nova took no offense to such a harsh assessment. He’s the first to admit Stewart was right, and that sooner or later, the long, slow descent has to end.
[Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski/USA Today Sports]
Nah, you don’t need to know too much about this one (Chad Jennings has the notes, as always, if you’re interested).
Like the third game against the Diamondbacks this was one the Yanks had control of but then let it slip away.
Final Score: Blue Jays 8, Yanks 4.
Yanks face the formidable Josh Johnson in Toronto this afternoon:
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Chris Stewart C
Never mind the bacon:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Albert Law]
The Yanks were on their merry way to another tidy victory this afternoon when things suddenly went bad. They were ahead 3-0 and Hiroki Kuroda had quieted the Jays all afternoon. Never mind that the Yanks blew a bases loaded chance with one man out in the middle of the game, they had a three-run lead with one out in the eighth inning. That’s when Lyle Overbay made an error and David Robertson replaced Kuroda. And before you knew it the Jays tied the game–sombitch Melky Cabrera had the big hit.
I figured that was it for our boys but the Jays made a critical error themselves which led to a couple of runs in the top of the 11th and Mariano Rivera worked around a lead-off double by Jose Bautista and a loud out by Edwin Encarnacion to earn the save. Struck the last two men out to end it.
Hot Damn.
What’s more–the Knicks put the clamps on the Celtics in the second half at the Garden and took the first game, 85-78.
And the Nuggets-Warriors game was a hell of a lot of funski, too.
[Photo Via: Lomography]
Before the Knicks and Celts this afternoon gives Hiroki vs. Buehrle.
Brett Gardner CF
Ben Francisco DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Vernon Wells LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Jayson Nix 3B
Never mind nuthin’:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Heather Champ]
The Yanks beat the stuffin’ out of the Jays tonight as Andy Pettitte had another solid outing.
Smile.
Final Score: Yankees 9, Blue Jays 4.
[Photo Credit: Joel Zimmer]
Don’t like these Blue Jays. Not one bit. Haven’t for a few years but now that they’ve got some talent and some hype, forget it. I dislike them so much I found myself rooting for the Red Sox when they played the Jays a few weeks ago.
The Red Sox.
Andy is back tonight as the Yanks are in Toronto for the weekend.
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Francisco Cervelli C
Never mind the Upstarts:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Darren Calabrese/National Post]
Another night and again the Diamondbacks get an impressive performance from their starting pitcher. This time it was Patrick Corbin, a slinging lefty with a nice fastball and a nice slider. Phil Hughes was good too. He allowed two solo home runs and that put the Yanks in a 2-1 hole (they scored their run on a solo homer by Robbie Cano).
In the eighth, Eduardo Nunez was robbed of an extra base hit by Martin Prado to lead off and then Travis Hafner, pinch-hitting walked against reliever David Hernandez and Brett Gardner singled. It was only the third hit of the game for the Yanks.
Wells walked on four pitches, the crowd was alive, and for the first time this season, my pulse quickened. Cano took a fastball low for a ball and then fouled off a good fastball–oooooh, just missed it. Another fastball, this one upstairs, probably not a strike, but Cano swung at it anyhow and fouled it off. Next pitch was a wicked breaking ball, Cano, couldn’t check his swing even though the ball hit him in the left foot. The initial call was that Cano did not swing but the appeal–to the first base ump, not the third base ump who is responsible for the call–had Cano out. It was the correct call, too.
So it was up to Kevin Youkilis, who took a fastball for a strike–too low, Blue, too low–and then fouled off a breaking ball, waved at another slider, barely fouling it off, and took a fastball high. He got another fastball, this one just inside enough and Youkilis fouled it off. The next pitch was a slider up and Youk leaned his elbow out but it missed him (and you wonder why opponent’s don’t like him). He swung and missed at the next pitch, a breaking ball and the inning was over.
And for the first time this season I was irked.
That quickly changed to fuggin annoyed when Gardner overran a fly ball for a two-base error to start the ninth–he ran a long way to make an error. A bloop single over Cano’s head (did he mis-time his jump?) put runners on the corners with nobody out, Joba on the mound. He struck out Eric Chavez and then got a little tapper hit right to him, chased down the runner at third, got him in a run down, and Youkilis tagged the runner out. Youk spun, threw the ball to Nunez, who was covering third and they had Cody Ross out, but Ross slid in under the tag and was safe. Catcher’s interference on Frankie Cervelli loaded the bases and left our catcher smarting. But wouldn’t you know it a fly ball ended it. Lots of weirdness, but no runs.
And a good performance by Joba.
J.J. Putz–pronounced “Puts,” as only a Putz would do–hung a 1-2 splitter to Cervelli with one man out and the little guy planted one into the first row of the left field stands: tie game. It was no bomb but it had a nice ring to it. Sure sounded sweet.
We might as well leave there because soon enough the irritation I mentioned earlier returned when David Phelps worked out of a jam in the 11th. And resignation set in after Nunez ended the bottom of the 11th with a well-struck ball that almost took off on Cody Ross in right field. Yeah, the winning run was on second and would have scored easily. Cervelli had another catcher’s interference in the 12th and Ross came up with the go-ahead RBI; our old friend Eric Chavez collected three RBI with a long double.
Final Score: Diamondbacks 6, Yanks 2.
Two-of-three was good but the Yanks should have swept ’em.
Rain in the Bronx on a glum night.
Meanwhile, there’s a game to be played. Phil Hughes looks to pitch well…
1. Gardner CF
2. Wells LF
3. Cano 2B
4. Youkilis 1B
5. Francisco DH
6. Cervelli C
7. Suzuki RF
8. Nunez SS
9. Nix 3B
Never mind the hankies:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Via: Zero]
Yanks down 3-0? No fuggin’ problem.
C.C. Sabathia gave up a couple of runs in the first but then toughed it out for eight innings. Meanwhile, Young Wade Miley dominated the Yankees until the seventh inning. That’s when he got shook and loaded the bases. Had two outs too when he walked Eduardo Nunez to load ’em up and you could see his frustration building. He followed that by walking Jayson Nix and that was it. His night, done. Then Brett Gardner singled to tie the game.
Bottom of the eighth, Travis Hafner hit a 95 mph fastball for a pinch hit home run and Mariano Rivera retired the side in order in the ninth for the save. Fell behind Cody Ross 3-0, but got him to pop out to Ichiro! in right. Our old pal Eric Chavez grounded a 2-2 pitch to short and Gerrado Parra rolled one over to Robbie Cano–cue Sinatra.
Hey, not bad for these suck-ass 1965 Yankees, huh?
[Picture by Grégoire Guillemin]
It’s the Big P-Funk Fella.
1. Gardner CF
2. Wells LF
3. Cano 2B
4. Youkilis 1B
5. Francisco DH
6. Cervelli C
7. Boesch RF
8. Nunez SS
9. Nix 3B
Never mind the Jeter Watch:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
