Game 70: Cursed Diamond

Good evening Fackers. Sorry, once again, for the lack of content of late. We were planning on getting back into the swing of things today until other obligations got in the way.

The Yankees roll into Arizona, papers in hand, for a three game series at Chase Field against the struggling Diamondbacks. Moving to an N.L. park, the Yankees figure to be cautious this week in doling out playing time to their banged up veterans Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada.

A.J. Burnett takes the mound for the Yankees, his foot, bruised by a comebacker in his last start, having passed the test of a bullpen session Saturday. He'll be opposed by Rodrigo Lopez. The Yankees faced Lopez numerous times during his years with the Orioles, and beat him around to the tune of a 5.90 ERA over 126.2 innings. This will be the first time they've faced him since 2007.

2007 was also the last time the Yankees and Diamondbacks faced each other. Overall, this will be the fourth interleague series between the two clubs, and the first in Arizona since 2004. The Yankees are 7-2 against the Snakes in interleague play, and went 2-1 during their series six years ago at what was then Bank One Ballpark.

Of course no one has much of a memory of that 2004 series. For any Yankee fan, the first thought that springs to mind at the mention of the Diamondbacks is the 2001 World Series, when the Yanks went 0-4 at the BoB, failing in two chances to clinch on enemy soil in Games Six and Seven. Looking back on it now, it's still hard to believe: certified Big Game Pitcher Andy Pettitte tipping his pitches and getting absolutely slaughtered in Game Six, and the great Mariano squandering a ninth inning lead in Game Seven.

It was enough to prompt Buster Olney to declare it The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty. I have mixed feelings about that, as the Yankees won five consecutive division titles following that season and made another World Series appearance just two years later, but certainly the end of that 2001 season was the start of a process that saw the stalwarts of the 1996 through 2001 teams move on.

As enjoyable as many parts of that 2001 World Series were, with the Yankees heading back to Chase Field to face the Diamondbacks, it's hard to think of the place as anything but a Diamond Cursed.

I want to shine for you
I want to sparkle too
Just like a diamond cursed
Well you know it don't get worse
You know that I'll save you time
Your trouble now is mine

[Song Notes: Yes, I'm still on a Black Crowes kick, and this is one of my favorites. When I went to see them on their reunion run at the Hammerstein Ballroom five years ago they opened with this one. This video is an acoustic performance, featuring the brothers Robinson as well as guitarist Marc Ford, who is unfortunately no longer with the band.]

-Lineups-

We'll add these later on. Tonight's game starts at 10:10 EDT, the remaining games of the series start at 9:40 EDT. All three are on YES, and nationally, tonight's is on ESPN.

Yankees:
Chad Jennings reports that the Yankees have called up Colin Curtis from Scranton. Curtis had a good Arizona Fall League last year, a strong spring, and was off to a good start in AAA before missing a month with a high ankle sprain. Since coming off the DL he's been seeing a lot of time in center field, which in retrospect may have been an indicator that they were preparing him for this. Brian Cashman said earlier in the year that Curtis would have been under consideration for a promotion if not for his ankle injury. Curtis was not on the 40 man roster, so there may be multiple moves taking place.

[UPDATE 7:20 PM] Chad Moeller isn't listed on the lineup card, so he's likely the departing player. This makes it a clean transaction, as Moeller will be outrighted or DFA'd, opening spots for Curtis on both the 25 and 40 man rosters. The organization will likely look for a way to keep Moeller; he was willing to stick around through two different DFA's in 2008. This is also likely good news about Jorge Posada's ability to catch moving forward, as the the club wouldn't have bid goodbye to Moeller if they weren't confident in Posada's ability to catch on a semi regular basis.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Brett Gardner LF
A.J. Burnett RHP

Diamondbacks:

Get Back To Me In 2016

You know it's bad when PeteAbe starts stirring the pot, but this is just incorrect:

$423.5 million doesn’t buy what it used to

After 70 games in 2008: 37-33, six games out of first.
After 70 games in 2009: 38-32, five games out of first.

So by that logic, after these 70 games, the Yankees will have spent nothing, correct? Or are we just going to use that $423.5M figure ad infinitum? Nevermind the fact that the Yankees' payroll is actually lower than it was last year by about $8M.

The amount of money the Yankees will spend this year on CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett is $54.5M. So for the first 70 games of the season, the Yankees have spent $23.5M on those players. I guess that seems like a lot, but unlike last year they've also spent a grand total of nothing on Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, Kyle Farnsworth, Carl Pavano and Mike Mussina.

I understand the temptation to add up contracts that account for t-w-e-n-t-y player seasons and act like somehow the Yankees have already spend that money over just 43% of one season. But that's no better than something Wallace Matthews would write. Sorry Pete, but I expect more from you.

The LoHud of the Rings also took two shots at his favorite target, A-Rod, last night. From the post linked above:

This comment from A-Rod should cheer you up:

A-Rod said his swings are getting more aggressive. Well that’s good.

And...

“I’ve got to take it one day at time. I certainly don’t think it’s going to be a bad year. I think I’m going to do a lot of good things to help the team win. I have complete certainly I’m going to do a fine job.”

Well, complete certainty. You can’t ask for much more than that. As your[sic] his slump, maybe it’s October on the Kabbalah calendar. Somebody needs to check that out.

He's never had a bad season in his career, what do you want the guy to say: "I'm absolutely horrible, I have no idea whether I will ever break out of this funk, and I'm not sure if the team will ever recover"? Personally, I don't have a problem with athletes being optimistic.

Well, At Least It Wasn't A Game 1 Redux...

Tommy Hanson was not Greg Maddux tonight, not by a long shot. But that didn't stop the Braves from duplicating the score of Game 2 of the 1996 World Series, which we recapped earlier in the day.

Hanson, the top pitching prospect in the Braves' organization and one of the very best in baseball posted a 0.73 ERA in 11 starts in AAA this year before earning his call up to the Majors. Since then he has made four starts, winning three and hasn't allowed a run in either of his last two. Tonight, however, was more about the Yankees' failure to convert opportunities than them being stifled by the young stud.

After a 1-2-3 first inning for Hanson, the Yankees put 10 runners on base (4H, 5BB, 1HBP) in the next 4 1/3, none of whom came around to score. They left the bases loaded in the second and fourth innings and Jeter grounded into a double play to end the sixth.

Hanson struggled with the same issues that Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes have been battling early in their careers: a lack of control and inefficiency with his pitch count. He walked more men than he struck out (5 to 4) in 5 1/3 IP and needed 99 pitches to get those 16 outs. The Braves bullpen finished out the game for Hanson, allowing no hits and only one walk in the final 3 2/3.

Hanson deserves credit for shutting the Yanks down, but getting a team to go 0-8 with runners in scoring position isn't just about dominant pitching. Failures on offense account for a large portion of that. The 2-4 hitters when 0-12 with a lone walk and Jorge Posada struck out four times. That's going to make it hard to win against anyone.

With the lack of any run support whatsoever, Chien Ming Wang's quest for a victory was once again put on hold, dropping him to 0-6 on the season. He pitched decently for the most part, with all three the runs he allowed coming in third inning on back to back doubles by Brain McCann and Garret Anderson, but never had a chance for a W.

Wang lasted only 5 innings, but for the first time this season he wasn't pulled due to his ineffectiveness. In the top of the sixth, Wang was due up to bat third. Since he had thrown only 62 pitches, if no one reached base in front of him he would have likely batted and come out to pitch the bottom half. But Brett Gardner singled and Hideki Matsui was sent in to pinch hit for Wang. Matsui walked, but that only led to the aforementioned Derek Jeter DP. From there on out, the only Yankee to reach base was Johnny Damon, who worked a pinch hit, one out walk in the top of the ninth only to be stranded at 2nd.

In what little good news there was for the Yanks, Phil Hughes came on in relief on Wang and pitched two perfect innings, striking out two in the process. Yay!

Yeah, it could have been worse, but not by a whole lot. In nine games against the bottom of the NL East, three teams with records under .500, the Yankees are going to have to win two in a row just to go 4-5. This is the tpye of stretch the Yanks are supposed to get fat off of, but instead they are falling back to the pack.

Before getting shut out by Josh Beckett in Fenway they were in first place by one game. Since then they have gone 4-9, which should be 3-10 if Luis Castillo made the most routine of plays. They now sit 5 games out of first, are tied with Toronto and two games ahead of the Rays. Will the real New York Yankees please stand up?

Game 70: Oh Atlanta

Historically, the Yankees have not been kind to the city of Atlanta. Yesterday I referenced Sherman's March to the Sea, in which General William Tecumseh Sherman and his Union Army laid waste to the Georgia country side from Atlanta to Savannah, essentially ending the Civil War - or the War of Northern Aggression as some would call it.

More recently, and in far less pressing matters, the New York Yankees have done quite well in the city of Atlanta. As we examined earlier today and will continue to do over the next few days, the Yankees have had great success in Atlanta in the post-season. But the Yankees have done well in Atlanta outside of October as well.

In two interleague series at Turner Field, the Yankees are 4-1, sweeping a two game set in 1998 by an aggregate score of 16-6, and taking two of three in 2000. One month later, Joe Torre led the American League All-Star Team to victory at The Ted. Once and future Yankee David Wells started the game, giving up two hits and striking out two over two scoreless innings. Bernie Williams started in centerfield in the AL's first post-Griffey All-Star Game. Jorge Posada played and went 0-2 and Mariano Rivera closed out the victory for the AL.

But that All-Star game belonged to another Yankee. In a season that saw the AL's big three shortstops, Jeter, A-Rod, and Nomar Garciaparra, at the height of their collective powers, Jeter won the starting nod. He responded by going 3 for 3 with a double, a run scored, and 2 RBI. He was named the game's MVP.

A couple quick notes from Pete Abe: Johnny Damon is out of the lineup again with his sore calf but is available off the bench and CC's bullpen was pushed back to tomorrow, but he received treatment today and feels good.

Tonight, the Yankees return to Atlanta for the first time in nine years. Chien-Ming Wang opposes phenom Tommy Hanson, ranked by Baseball America as the number four overall prospect and number two pitching prospect entering 2009. At a time when the Yankees are seemingly back on their heels, they get back to a city where they are 9-1 lifetime. Let's hope they use this series to call on some old Atlanta luck and fix what's gone awry the last two weeks.



Well you can drop me off on Peachtree
I got to feel that Georgia sun
And the women there in Atlanta
They make you awfully glad you come
I said watching them planes
I wish I was on one
I'm sittin' here thinking about my crazy dream
If I could only be there tonight
Oh Atlanta, Oh Atlanta. I said yeah yeah yeah Atlanta, got to get back to you