Game 34 Recap

1. On the very first pitch of the game, Derek Jeter poked a ball between third and short that went for an infield hit. Brett Garnder chopped into a fielder's choice and began doing what he does best: pestering the pitcher. Verlander threw over to first twice, and the second one got past Miguel Cabrera, allowing Gardner to advance to second. Mark Teixeira struck out swinging and A-Rod and popped out to first to strand the runner.

2. The Tigers got on the board in the third. Brennan Boesch ripped a double into the gap. Gerald Laird hit a check swing flare into extremely shallow right to put the Tigers up 1-0. Ken Singleton said it was either lucky or the best piece of hitting he's ever seen (it was lucky).

3. Despite that one cheap run, Sabathia was in control through the first three innings, having throwing just 28 pitches. He lost his grip in the fourth inning briefly, however. Miguel Cabrera took a knee high two-seamer over the right field wall. Then, Boesch (damn I've typed his name a lot over the past few days) roped a 1-2 slider down the right field line that just cleared the wall and stayed fair by about fifteen feet. The two solo shots put the Tigers ahead 3-0.

4. The game really got away from CC in the sixth. Damon and Ordonez led off with back to back singles and Miguel Cabrera smashed one off the wall in center field that missed being a home run by about a foot. Still, it ended up as a two RBI double and extended the Tigers' lead to five. Gerald Laird got another soft, two out hit, this time over Jeter's head that made it 6-0 Tigers.

5. Facing Joel Zumaya in the top of the 8th, the Yanks put two men on with one out via a walk by Robinson Cano and an error on a grounder by Jorge Posada. With two outs, Randy Winn sliced one deep into left field but Don Kelly made a running catch up against the wall to rob him of an extra base hit and at least one RBI. That was about as close as they came to scoring all game and they got blanked again in Detroit six to zip.

IFs, ANDs & BUTs

• If they didn't before, I bet the Yanks are wishing it rained now. However, the game went off on time and finished without so much as a spatter from the sky.
  
  
• Sabathia just didn't quite have it today. He struck out four and didn't walk anyone, but the Tigers just had his number, knocking nine hits - five of them for extra bases. He was efficient, throwing 80 pitches through six innings (55 for strikes), and didn't seem like he was missing his spots too badly. It was just one of those days when the hitters were putting the bat on the ball and the ball was finding places that the fielders weren't.
  
  
• Verlander was the opposite, not efficient but effective. He needed 118 pitches to get through 6 2/3, but didn't allow a run. The Yanks did work four walks but had just four hits, and the only one that went for extra bases was Posada's double in the sixth. Verlander had four K's and 10 outs on the ground.
  
  
• The game was another fairly quick one, wrapping up in just 2:39.
  
  
• I know it might have disrupted the crisp pace of play and Justin Verlander is tough, but would it have killed the Yankees to score some damn runs? I'm kidding, mostly. During this series, the Yankees' injures really caught up to them. The bench wasn't going to keep producing at an above average clip forever and they were dipping deeper into their reserves than ever.
  
  
• Coming into yesterday, the Yankees hand't been held to less than two runs all year. Now they've been blanked twice in two days.
  
  
• In the top of the second we got a glimpse of why Greg Golson might not be a Major League caliber hitter. Justin Verlander threw him three straight curveballs. The first two made him flinch badly and he grounded the third one to short.
  
  
• Jeter got hit right on the hand in the fifth inning. The contact was so hard that the ball deflected and went all the way into the Yankee dugout. He's day-to-day.
  
  
• Jorge Posada hit a ball over Austin Jackson's head in center during the sixth inning that rolled all the way to the wall. If anyone else on the team had hit it, it would have been a triple but Jorge was only able to trot into second. He may never hit a triple again.
  
  
• Ivan Nova made his Major League debut in the seventh inning. He pitched well, throwing two scoreless innings and allowing two hits while striking out one.
  
  
• On the broadcast, it was said that Dave Eiland and Joba Chamberlain thought the firmness of the mound was the reason for the high pitch velocities.
  
  
• Michael Kay was telling a story about how Justin Verlander sold 1% of his signing bonus when he was in 10th grade for a chocolate milk. Verlander's bonus was $3.125M, however, Kay claimed that his buddy's share was about $3K. Try $30K, Kay!

The Yanks dropped three out of four this series and have now lost four of their last five. It happens and hopefully they'll find their groove when they come back to the Bronx to face the Twins tomorrow night.

Game 34: I Wish It Would Rain

It's getaway day in Motown, as the Yankees and Tigers wrap up their four game series. The Yankees dropped the first two games of the set, but rebounded to take the nightcap of yesterday's day-night doubleheader. They'll look to second that emotion today, as they try to salvage a split and avoid just their second series loss of 2010.

Playing their second matinee in as many days, the Yanks will send their ace to the bump. CC Sabathia had his last start spoiled by rain in Boston, with the umps calling for the tarp while the Big Fella was a mere strike away from qualifying for the win. He may not even get the chance to be robbed thusly this afternoon.

There's heavy rain in the forecast for Detroit this afternoon, and another rainout is real possibility. While makeup games are generally an inconvenience, this time around the Yankees may not mind so much if the skies open up. The two clubs have three mutual off days the rest of the way, including one in September that could be easily managed once rosters have expanded. Not only would a rainout today allow the Yanks to miss Tigers' ace Justin Verlander, but the Mother Nature induced off day would also negate the need for a spot starter on Sunday. Given that, and all the nagging injuries the team is currently nursing, a rainout today might be welcomed.

If they do in fact play, Nick Swisher won't be in the lineup. The right fielder was pulled from last night's game with a sore bicep. Knowing Swish, he probably injured it by asking the ladies if they had "tickets to the gun show" one too many times. With Swisher out, and Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson on the DL, the Yankees' outfield and DH situation is fairly punchless.

To that end, it appears Juan Miranda will finally be activated, two days after being summoned from Scranton. Miranda will provide a more palatable DH option, as Ben Kabak at RAB touched upon this morning. Under normal circumstances defacto longman Ivan Nova might be the one to go, but with the possibility of a lengthy rain delay today and the potential need for a spot start Sunday, Nova will stick around. Greg Golson is still needed with the Swisher injury, so for now, it'll be Kevin Russo heading back to Scranton.

Day in, day out, my tear-stained face, pressed against the window pane
My eyes search the skies, desperately for rain
‘Cause raindrops will hide my teardrops
And no one will ever know.
That I'm cryin’, (crying) cryin’ (crying) when I go outside
To the world outside my tears, I refuse to explain.
I just wish it would rain. (Oh how I wish that it would rain)
Oh let it rain, rain, rain

[Song Notes: We can't let the Yankees only scheduled trip to Detroit this year pass by without selecting a Motown song. With acts like the Four Tops, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles to choose from, there is no shortage of excellent options. But instead we'll go with perhaps the most famous of all the Motown groups: The Temptations.

Of course, we did use a Stevie Wonder song on Sunday night, and he got his start on Motown, but I don't think of Wonder as a Motown artist. Part of that has to do with much of Wonder's career, including his best work, coming after the label moved to Los Angeles, which essentially ended the classic Motown era. A bigger part of it though, I think has to do with the fact that Wonder played his own intstruments, creating a sound that was distinct from the other Motown arists. The other Motown acts were strictly vocal groups, but were all connected by the same "Motown Sound" courtesy of the label's session musicians: The Funk Brothers.

The Funk Brothers were as integral to Motown's success as owner Berry Gordy, the hit machine songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, or any of the recording artists, but they didn't have nearly the same level of fame. In 2002, Standing in the Shadows of Motown was released, an excellent documentary chronicling the careers of the Funk Brothers. If you like Motown and you're looking to kill time during a rain delay today, I highly recommend checking it out.]

-Lineups-

Yankees:
Miranda makes his 2010 debut not as the DH, but as the first baseman, as Mark Teixeira gets a half day off. With Swisher out of the lineup for the moment, Brett Gardner is entrenched in the two spot. Greg Golson takes Swisher's spot in right field, and combines with Gardner and Randy Winn to produce the outfield with the lowest slugging percentage in Yankee history. I might have made that last part up, but it can't be too far from the truth. On the flip side, virtually anything in the air today should be an automatic out.

Derek Jeter SS
Brett Gardner CF
Mark Teixeira DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Juan Miranda 1B
Randy Winn LF
Greg Golson RF

Tigers:

Austin Jackson CF
Johnny Damon DH
Magglio Ordonez RF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Brennan Boesch LF
Brandon Inge 3B
Gerald Laird C
Scott Sizemore 2B

One Reason Not To Hate Brett Favre

When the Twins' ninth inning comeback fell short in the nitecap of yesterday's doubleheader againt Detroit, the Tigers ran their AL Central Lead back to two games. Their magic number is now four. Both the Twins and Tigers have 5 games left, two of them head-to-head. If the Tigers sweep the two they clinch; if the Twins do, they're dead even with three games to go.

Of course, all of this matters to the Yankees as they won't know who their ALDS opponent is until the AL Central is settled. While much of the talk around the Yankees these days is of the "who would you rather face?" variety, my preference isn't so much who they face but rather how long it takes to determine that. If given my druthers, this race would go down to the season's final day, not just for intrigue purposes, but also to force both clubs to continue to play their regulars and trot out their top starters.

Because of the doubleheader yesterday, both clubs have a dilemma for Saturday: bring back one of yesterday's starters on short rest, or send an inferior, but rested, pitcher to the mound with the season hanging in the balance. For the Tigers, the fact that 20 year old Rick Porcello was one of yesterday's pitchers makes the decision all the more complicated. Porcello has already thrown 165 innings this year - 40 more than his previous high - and bringing him in on short rest would increase his risk of future injury. Instead, the Tigers likely would elect to throw ace Justin Verlander on short rest Saturday, even though he's thrown 120+ pitches in each of his last three starts, including a season high 129 last night. For the Twins, "ace" Nick Blackburn would likely come back on short rest Saturday, and it looks like he'd draw Zack Greinke.

If the Yankees pick ALDS schedule "A" as expected, Game 1 would be next Wednesday, meaning that if the Saturday starter of the AL Central champ pitches that game, it would also be on short rest.

Here's where things can get really interesting. Should the Tigers and Twins finish the regular season tied, an additional play in game would be held to determine the division champion. The Twins lead the season series against the Tigers 10-6, so regardless of the outcome of the next two games, the Twins would host any potential play in game.

However, root-of-all-evil Brett Favre and his Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to play his former team, the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football next week. The Vikings' Metrodome lease gives them priority over all non-World Series games and the NFL has already announced the game will not be moved. There's no way ESPN, who is actively trying to set a Favre-based Guiness World Record to promote the game, would pass up on the ratings bonanza. As such, the AL Central championship game wouldn't be held until Tuesday, meaning that whoever pitches that game will have one fewer day of rest heading into the ALDS. So in a way, thank you Brett you waffling, self-centered attention whore.

All else being equal, I think I'd prefer to face the Twins in the ALDS. They appear to have a much weaker squad, particularly in the starting rotation, are missing a key offensive weapon in Justin Morneau, are 0-7 against the Yankees this year, and have been ALDS fodder for the Yanks in '03 and '04. However, I'd much rather have the Central go undecided until next Tuesday and play the Tigers than have the Twins come back and clinch it Saturday. These will certainly be an interesting few days.

Another Perk Of Home Field Advantage

One of the ancillary benefits of having the best record in either league is that the team gets to select which of the two schedules it plays its ALDS on. Both of the options have their final 4 games scheduled for October 9th, 11th, 12th & 14th, but the ALDS "A" schedule begins on October 7th, while "B" starts on the 8th. The upshot is that "A" allows for the participants to use only 3 starting pitchers on regular rest if they so choose.

The implications for the Yankees are pretty obvious. Their top three starters are pretty clear-cut: CC Sabathia and then, in whatever order, Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. It's the guy who slots in for the fourth game that makes the decision a little more complicated.

Steve from the Yankee Universe says it depends on how Joba Chamberlain pitches down the stretch and who the Yankees are playing (almost certainly the Tigers). Since both teams will be operating on the same schedule, if the Yankees have a bigger advantage over the Tigers when comparing their top 4 starters as opposed to their top 3, Steve thinks that would be the optimal choice.

David Pinto of Baseball Musings suggests that the Yankees should opt for the extra day of rest, and as a result the 3 man rotation, almost always, unless the opposition has a very poor fourth starter.

The Tigers top four are Edwin Jackson (147 ERA+), Justin Verlander (139), Jarrod Washburn (124) and Rick Porcello (107). Although Washburn has been terrible since joining the Tigers (6.81 ERA in 6 starts), I'm guessing his postseason experience would bump him ahead of the rookie Porcello. Verlander will probably start game one as well, but that's beside the point.

Either way, they match up favorably against the Yankees' quartet, Sabathia (131), Pettitte (109), Burnett (107) and Joba (101).

Minor detail, however: the Tigers staff is going to be facing the best offense in all of baseball: 1st in runs scored, 1st in OBP and in 1st in SLG. Conversely, the Tigers offense is 10th, 10th and 9th in those categories, respectively. I'm not sure there is a scientific way to account for that, but it would seem to tip that equation on it's head completely.

Given the choice, I would probably opt for the early start and the extra day of rest. Given that the Yankees will be able to align their rotation however they choose when the season closes down, they might as well bank that extra day of rest. Regardless of how Joba pitches throughout September, he will still be a major question mark as a starting pitcher in the postseason.

And of course, since one team is going to be down 2-1 if Game 4 does indeed occur, they could just choose to throw their ace anyway.

Game 90: Uptight (Everything's Alright)

Ten years ago today, it was Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium. After being fired as Yankee manager just sixteen games into the 1985 season, Berra refused to return to Yankee Stadium so long as George Steinbrenner owned the Yankees. When Mickey Mantle passed away in 1995, and then Joe DiMaggio in early 1999, it left Berra as the greatest living Yankee. Allegedly, when Steinbrenner went to visit The Yankee Clipper on his deathbed, Joe D. implored Steinbrenner to make ammends with Yogi.

Steinbrenner heeded that advice, and an unofficial burying of the hatchet was held at Berra's museum in New Jersey shortly after DiMaggio's death. But July 18, 1999 would be Berra's big day at the Stadium. Don Larsen was flown in for the festivities, and it was Larsen, author of MLB's only post-season perfect game, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Berra caught it, just as he did the final strike on October 8, 1956, then returned Joe Girardi 's catchers mitt to him.

Girardi took the mitt, and then proceeded to catch a perfect game from David Cone. It was perhaps the most efficient game ever pitched: Cone needed just 88 pitches, a whopping 66 of them strikes (75%), to throw the perfecto, striking out ten. He didn't have a single three ball count all afternoon. The game, though delayed by rain briefly, required just two hours and sixteen minutes to complete.

To mark the anniversary, Cone will throw out the ceremonial first pitch today. It will likely be caught by Girardi, who may then turn the glove over to Jorge Posada. I wouldn't expect a perfect game today, but I would expect one helluva pitching match-up.

CC Sabathia squares off against Justin Verlander in a rematch of their April 27th match-up in Detroit. Sabathia was good that night, allowing just six hits and no walks while fanning seven in eight innings of work. But Verlander was better, seven innings of seven hit ball, no walks and nine Ks. Verlander didn't allow a run, CC allowed four. The Yanks will try to turn the tables today.

It's a beautiful day. We have a great pitching match-up. They'll be celebrating a little bit of history at the Stadium today. I'd say everything is alright, but ten years ago today it was clean out of sight. Here's one of Motown's finest to tell us about it.



Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight