Comments on: It’s Not Déjà Vu, It’s Just Game Two

By: Greg G

Greg G — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:47:40 +0000

It has been painful watching Arod, but also Tex, Martin, and Gardy haven’t been doing much. It is only 2 games, but in a best of 5 it gets late pretty early.

That was tough last night that the rain picked up twice during Yankee rally’s. The Yanks have the “ghosts”, and “mystique and aura” on their side, but their central ALDS foes seem to have mother nature on their sides. The rains last night and the midges in Cleveland in 2007.

I was impressed with Garcia, but he has been a good starter for 5 all year, but cinderella’s carriage turned back into a pumpkin in the 6th. A tough call for Joe. They also had to overcome Jeter’s error.

Austin Jackson was Jete’s nemesis in this game, and his speed screwed Derek twice. That should have been a double to lead off the game and may have been a triple to the deepest part of the park, but Austin ran it down. Then Jeter rushed his throw a bit knowing Jax speed. 9.9 times out of 10 Tex digs that ball out.

Baseball is a game of inches, and last night they belonged to the Tigers.

We need to run amok on Verlander!!! Go get ’em CC!!!

By: ms october

ms october — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:44:33 +0000

[17] i’m pretty sure that was also when the si article that several yankees went on the record about arod’s “problems” came out which all added to the bs of it all.

anyway – i’d like to see arod have a good game, but i don’t really care who drives the score truck. the yankees just need to piece together more hits and score some runs.
so far the pitching has been as good as one could expect.

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:05:34 +0000

All I’m looking for from Alex at this point is the ribbie-double. I can see him making a difference in Detroit’s big ballpark. I wouldn’t move him. Comerica will be good for America’s Boyfriend.

By: seamus

seamus — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:58:49 +0000

[17] yeah i totally forgot all the details of those moves.

By: JeremyM

JeremyM — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:46:31 +0000

Actually, the big move IMO wasn’t that A-Rod was dropped to 8th. It was that he was dropped to 6th before game 1. A-Rod rode into the playoffs playing pretty well (maybe even on fire, I don’t quite recall) and Torre placed him in the 6th spot instead of showing confidence in him. Gary Sheffield, who was playing first base, coming back from an injury, and hadn’t shown a whole lot, was in the cleanup spot. It was a very, very odd move that put the spotlight on A-Rod’s issues and made it clear as to what Torre thought of him. He then batted him fourth in game two. By the time was dropped to 8th, the mental damage had been done.

At least when Giambi was dropped, he had already been struggling, both at the plate and physically. Of course, he then hit the two homers, which likely made Torre think it was an effective move.

By: seamus

seamus — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:19:42 +0000

Dropping A-rod is ok. But he shouldn’t be dropped to 8th all of a sudden. That was a stupid move. How can such a move not affect his psyche? No, if you drop him you shift him to 6th, maybe move swisher up or something. or at least swap Tex and A-rod.

By: T. Hawk

T. Hawk — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:11:52 +0000

My impression is A Rod doesn’t have to get hot per se but the lineup probably can’t cover for him. He needs to contribute.

Ever since 2009 I have a lot more faith in him. He seemed to finally relax and when he’s been healthy since then has gotten a lot of big hits, unlike cherry-picking days of yore.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:08:49 +0000

12) I do and it is. But just a few timely hits or plays will do the trick.

By: kenboyer made me cry

kenboyer made me cry — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:07:19 +0000

Almost a comeback for the Yankees, and considering how they were shut down by Scherzer has to be a momentum builder for tonight’s game.

CC can pitch on short rest, and really did look good on Friday in the short outing. That NYS home run would not have been in Detroit. Verlander doesn’t pitch on short rest, and while he was only in one inning Friday, it has to mess with his routine.

I like the Yankees chances tonight. And Arod will have his moment.

By: Boatzilla

Boatzilla — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:02:36 +0000

Does everyone one else (or anyone else) desperately want Alex to have a good postseason? I do. I don’t know why, but I do.

I suppose it’s a tall order at this point.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:58:45 +0000

The thing is, Torre’s move smacked of desperation. And maybe that’s what it came down to with Alex. But it showed how much he’d lost A Rod. Now, Alex isn’t pressing, his struggles aren’t mental, they are more physical so the move would make more sense. However, I get the feeling that it would take a lot for Girardi, who covers for his stars more than Torre did, to move him.

By: T. Hawk

T. Hawk — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:52:31 +0000

[5] Totally agree. Maybe 8th was extreme, but I don’t recall the rest of the lineup.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:18:21 +0000

4) Jeter was talking and I think it unnerved Boone. Yeah, Alex is looking bad right now. So I wouldn’t look at dropping him down as a bad thing. Not like it was in 06.

By: Mattpat11

Mattpat11 — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:17:50 +0000

[6] I think they had to do something.

By: YankeeAbby

YankeeAbby — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:07:50 +0000

I was at a bar on the upper west side on Friday night watching the game with a Yankees meetup group – and during the first inning, I was nervous after CC gave up the run. But at the same time, he didn’t seem to get rattled and while I’m no expert, I felt he really started dealing after that – and then the rains came…total bummer!!! I hope that dealing carries over.

By: Mr OK Jazz Tokyo

Mr OK Jazz Tokyo — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:53:19 +0000

[5] You don’t think it was odd to put one of the ten-best hitters EVER in the #8 spot? Indefensible and still makes me angry.

CC is going to mow them down tomorrow, let’s hope they run up Verlander’s pitch count like they did in Game 1!

By: Mattpat11

Mattpat11 — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:23:32 +0000

Never understood the outrage over A-Rod hitting 8. I don’t remember the uproar over Giambi hitting 7 three years prior.

I am not at all comfortable facing Justin Verlander in a must win game.

By: Marek

Marek — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:43:56 +0000

That balk in the 6th was weird; it looked like Logan thought that time had been called, because Martin was practically standing up.

I agree about Garcia; he gave them enough for them to win. Too bad about Jeter’s error. Who knows how that inning develops if that play is made (or if Tex scoops it better).

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:37:26 +0000

nice writeup, Hank.
I’m nowhere near the ledge. I trust CC and the bats, including the third baseman’s.

Max Scherzer has one of the coolest names in baseball in my opinion.

By: Boatzilla

Boatzilla — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:23:36 +0000

Until the game, dig this feature on John Sterling from the Times.

http://tinyurl.com/3svnpeb