It's been three long years since the Yankees have faced an elimination playoff game. Three years is long enough for the team to build a new stadium, destroy its old one, lose its owner and its voice and turn over the majority of its roster. It's certainly long enough to forget what it's like to have your whole season resting on one game, but over the last two nights at the Stadium, we got a taste.
As the Rangers went to work on the Yankees bullpen, destorying what little hopes there were of mounting a comeback, fans poured out of the exits like the Stadium was on fire. That sign of resignation is something you don't see very often in postseason baseball, much less two nights in a row in the damn Bronx. For a fanbase who isn't afraid to tout themselves as the best and most dedicated in the world to turn their backs on the team like that speaks volumes.
But today is a new day, and the Yankees are trotting out their best pitcher. No bullets will be left in the chamber. The best the Bombers can do is to avoid the indignity of losing the fourth straight game of this series in front of their home crowd and jump a plane bound for DFW later tonight. It ain't much, but it's all we got.
Down but not out.
Then I began to fall so low, Lost all my good friends, I did not have nowhere to go. I get my hands on a dollar again, I'm gonna hang on to it till that eagle grins.
'Cause no, no, nobody knows you When you're down and out. In your pocket, not one penny, And as for friends, you don't have any.
When you finally get back up on your feet again, Everybody wants to be your old long-lost friend. Said it's mighty strange, without a doubt, Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
-Lineups-
Yankees: The Big Puma will replace Mark Teixeira at first base while Marcus Thames will DH against the lefty Wilson.
Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Robinson Cano 2B Alex Rodriguez 3B Marcus Thames DH Lance Berkman 1B Jorge Posada C Curtis Granderson CF Brett Gardner LF
CC Sabathia LHP
Rangers:
Elvis Andrus, SS Michael Young, 3B Josh Hamilton, CF Vladimir Guerrero, DH Nelson Cruz, LF Ian Kinsler, 2B Jeff Francoeur, RF Matt Treanor, C Mitch Moreland 1B
Being a Yankee fan this week has been a lot like being a football fan. After dispensing with the Twins by completing a three game ALDS sweep last Saturday night, we've been left with an interminable wait for tonight's ALCS Game One. In the interim, the mainstream media - both local and national - and the blogosphere have filled the football-like week long gap between games with football-like coverage. That is, there hasn't been nearly enough legitimate news to cover six news cycles, so every little tidbit of information has been overly dissected.
As the Yankees return to the field tonight after five days off, perhaps the football connections are appropriate. Fall is upon us. And when C.J. Wilson's first pitch kicks off the 2010 American League Championship Series, it'll be on a Friday night, under the lights, in Texas, where Friday night high school football is akin to religion.
Back here in the tri-state area though, baseball is the predominant sports obsession, and we'll get our fix tonight as the Yanks and Rangers play Game One of the ALCS, featuring a pitching rematch from game one of their regular season series. CC got the better of C.J. in that match-up of initialed southpaws, but Mother Nature got the best of them both, as rain stopped the game after six innings, with the Yankees taking home a 5-1 win. Sabathia wouldn't face the Rangers again during the regular season; Wilson would face the Yanks twice more and fail to record a decision in the two Texas victories.
As Moshe pointed out at TYU last night, there's some irrational pessimism plaguing many Yankee fans currently, as many are assuming that Cliff Lee's two starts and A.J. Burnett's one start essentially guarantee three Texas victories. In that line of thinking, it becomes critical that the Yankees win all four remaining games to ensure a series victory. I certainly don't subscribe to those theories, but with their ace on the mound tonight, it is important for the Yankees to get off to a good start.
(By the way, while Lee does appear to be some sort of post-season savant in the way guys like Mo and Pettitte are, it doesn't mean he's untouchable. He went through quite a rough patch following his trade to Texas. The Yankee offense is good enough to put runs on the board against anyone. And Lee is matched up against certified Big Game Pitcher Andy Pettitte. It may be an uphill battle, but it's certainly not insurmountable. As for Burnett, however unlikely, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that he might actually pitch well. Even if he doesn't, he's matched up against Tommy Hunter, who the Yankees might easily knock around the yard. But what do I know, I'm the same guy who foolishly suggested that the Rangers should part ways with Ron Washington last spring).
So the waiting is nearly over. No more talk of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira (and Marcus Thames for that matter) returning to Texas as if they've never been back since being traded away. No more talk of the largest payroll disparity in post-season history (funny how people forget that the Yankees and the rest of MLB subsidized the bankrupt Rangers mid-season acquisitions of Bengie Molina, Lee, Jorge Cantu, Christian Guzman, and Jeff Francoeur). No more worrying about Burnett and Lee in later games. Tonight it's just about Game One, and Sabathia and Wilson under the Friday night lights of Texas.
I'll leave you with one final thought: The Minnesota Twins began life as the Washington Senators in 1901. They entered the 2010 ALDS with a nine game post-season losing streak against the Yankees. The Yankees swept them to keep the streak alive. The Texas Rangers began life as the Washington Senators in 1961. They enter the 2010 ALCS with a nine game post-season losing streak against the Yankees. I don't think that means anything, but I hope history repeats itself.
So, in honor of this Friday night in Texas, here is quite possibly the lamest song choice in Fack Youk preview history. It's the theme song from the TV show that stars Derek Jeter's special lady friend:
-Lineups-
Yankees: It's the standard lineup vs LHP, with Marcus Thames as the DH, Swisher in the two spot and Granderson batting eighth. There was some speculation that Austin Kearns, who has hit Wilson well, might get the nod over Granderson or Gardner, both of whom have not hit Wilson well. But both lefties have been productive of late and Kearns, who was not played in nearly two weeks now, has not.
Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano 2B Marcus Thames DH Jorge Posada C Curtis Granderson CF Brett Gardner LF
Rangers: With C.J. Wilson on the mound for Texas, his usual catcher Matt Treanor gets the nod over Bengie Molina. With CC Sabathia on the mound for the Yanks, righty bats Jorge Cantu and Jeff Francoeur play over lefty swingers Mitch Moreland and David Murphy/Julio Borbon.
Elvis Andrus SS Michael Young 3B Josh Hamilton CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Nelson Cruz LF Ian Kinsler 2B Jeff Francoeur RF Jorge Cantu 1B Matt Treanor C
Tonight, the Yankees welcome the Royals to the Bronx for the first of a four game set. Luckily, Zack Greinke faced the Blue Jays last night (allowing two runs over 8 innings) and the Yanks will miraculously dodge him this time around.
CC Sabathia will take the mound for the Bombers this evening, a welcome relief after the bullpen has had to soak up 21 2/3 innings in the past three games because of Andy Pettitte's injury, A.J. Burnett's temper and Phil Hughes and Javier Vazquez's collective inability to get an out in the sixth inning.
The Big Fella draws consummate journeyman Bruce Chen (10 teams in 12 MLB seasons) tonight, who has the next lowest ERA in the Royals' starting rotation behind their young ace and is the only one who has a winning record (5-3).
Chen is walking a batter almost every other frame so far this season and striking out just over seven batters per nine innings. However, he has managed to keep his ERA and FIP down by allowing just six homers in 57.2 IP (0.94/9IP) due to a home run to fly ball ratio (7.1%) which is just about half of his career mark (14.1%).
Unless Chen has discovered some sort of magical formula for keeping the ball in the park, he is due to give up a few longballs. Fortunately for him, Chen is a lefthander, but maybe the Yankees can aid him regression to the mean tonight anyway.
And they wandered in, From the city of St. John, Without a dime, Wearing coats that shined. Both red and green, Colors from their sunny island, From their boats of iron, They looked upon the promised land. Where surely life was sweet, On the rising tide, To New York City, Did they ride into the street.
Yankees: Marcus Thames is DH'ing against the lefty as Jorge Posada returns behind the plate.
Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano 2B Jorge Posada C Marcus Thames DH Curtis Granderson CF Brett Gardner LF
When this evening's game gets under way, barring any inclement weather, it will be the first 7:00 ET start the Yankees have had since June 30th - everything since then has either been a day game, a late night west coast start or an off day. It will be the Bombers' first home game since the 4th of July, which was also George Steinbrenner's birthday. The atmosphere will no doubt be enhanced this evening as there are plans to honor the Boss as well as the Voice of God during ceremonies which are scheduled to begin at about 6:45.
As was the case when they left off last Sunday, CC Sabathia will be taking the hill for the Yankees. Getting the first start after the break lines the Big Fella up for the best shot at 20 wins among him Hughes and Pettitte, who both have 11 victories. Given that Sabathia is sitting with 12 and figures to get the most chances from here on out (15 or 16, perhaps), if he pitches well, that milestone should be well within his grasp.
CC will be squaring off against James Shields and the Rays, who are two games behind the Yankees in the standings, meaning that this series could potentially transfer the lead in the division. On the other hand, it might give the Yankees a chance to establish a little breathing room from themselves.
Even though this isn't technically the start of the second half - as it is so often referred to as - it does represent somewhat of a new beginning for the Yanks. They are now officially without the one person who is responsible for making them the team they are and the most recognizable voice associated with the franchise. Let's hope the Yanks can find some inspiration in the recent losses of Sheppard and Steinbrenner and start the rest of the season off on the right foot.
I barely knew the guy, but shit it hit me fairly quick, We all forget how much life should be admired, Sometimes we all forget how our music does inspire.
We knew it was coming. Most of the obituaries that finally got published on the internet today and will be printed in the newspapers tomorrow had been written months, if not years ago. That's what happens when you are one of the most successful and identifiable people in your profession and very nearly make it to the century mark.
As he gradually stepped away from the team and his health deteriorated to the point that he was no longer able to make it to Yankee Stadium, no matter how grand the occasion - not even the opening of the new one - it became increasinly clear that Bob Sheppard's number was about to be called, just like he had called out so many numbers in the past (twice).
But no matter how long the gradual decline lasted or how incredible a life was, there is still a forlorn finality to someone's passing. The Voice of God was excruciatingly dignified and proper, but not pretentious. His style was understated ("clear, concise, correct"), the opposite of many of his contemporaries, but he gained worldwide recognition for it.
The Yankees still have to wrap up the final game of this series against the Mariners and wait out the All-Star break, but on Friday night, when Derek Jeter leads off the bottom of the first inning, we'll hear The Voice again. And when people look up reflexively upon hearing it, it really will be coming from above the clouds. Rest in peace, Mr. Sheppard.
It's mostly tha voice, that gets you up It's mostly tha voice, that makes you buck A lot of rappers got flavor, and some got skills But if your voice ain't dope then you need to [chill... chill... ]
Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano 2B Jorge Posada C Marcus Thames DH Curtis Granderson CF Brett Gardner LF
CC Sabathia LHP
Mariners:
Ichiro Suzuki RF Chone Figgins 2B Franklin Gutierrez CF Jose Lopez 3B Casey Kotchman 1B Justin Smoak DH Josh Bard C Jack Wilson SS Michael Saunders LF
Jeter just beating out a double play ball in the third. Not saying it was a great play or admirable in any capacity because he's The Captain Derek Jeter®, but if he gets doubled up there, A-Rod leads off the next inning instead of coming to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded.
Basically:
It was clearly A-Rod's night, driving in five of the Yankees six runs and playing strong defense, but CC Sabathia was quite impressive as well. CC allowed one run in the first inning and loaded the bases in the fifth, but was otherwise never really in trouble, striking out ten A's while allowing seven hits and three walks. His pitch count climbed to 118 with two outs in the seventh and David Robertson got the final four outs (two via strikeout) without allowing anyone to reach base.
New recap style. Thoughts? Suggestions? Comments? There would probably be more in the "Not in the highlights" section if I didn't fall asleep in the 6th inning.
It's far too hot to piece together anything resembling a cogent preview. It's the middle game of the series between the Yankees and A's, as hometown guy CC Sabathia faces off against Trevor Cahill. Both hurlers were named to the AL All-Star team on Saturday. However, with both starting tonight they're on pace to start again on Sunday, thereby making them ineligible for the mid-summer classic.
Forecasts call for a 62 degree game-time temperature in Oakland tonight. It's currently 97 in my neck of the woods and 102 in NYC. By the time Cahill delivers the game's first pitch, the sun will have been down for a good hour plus on the East Coast, yet it will still be a good fifteen or twenty degrees warmer here than at the Coliseum. And there isn't much relief in sight.
Yankees: Brett Gardner leads off for the second night in a row, Nick Swisher DH's for the second night in a row, and Colin Curtis starts in right field for the second night in a row. Jorge Posada is back behind the plate; he left Sunday's game after a foul ball sprained his ring finger.
Brett Gardner LF Derek Jeter SS Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano 2B Nick Swisher DH Jorge Posada C Curtis Granderson CF Colin Curtis RF
A's:
Coco Crisp CF Daric Barton 1B Kurt Suzuki C Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B Mark Ellis 2B Jack Cust DH Adam Rosales SS Matt Carson RF Rajai Davis LF
CC Sabathia carried a shutout into the 8th inning and had allow just four baserunners to that point. It was widely assumed that since the Yankees were facing Ryan Rowland Smith, their bats would come to life, but instead Sabathia had only a two run cushion at that point.
The Big Fella walked the light-hitting Josh Bard on four straight pitches to begin the 8th and after getting Michael Saunders to pop out, allowed a single to Ichrio to put the tying run on base. Sabathia induced another very shallow fly to Chone Figgins but with Russell Braynan at the plate, Jorge Posada let a change up slip past him and the runners advanced to second on third. Braynan then pulled a clean base hit to right field and spoiled not only CC's shutout but the Yankees lead as well.
The tie was short-lived, however. Mark Teixeira came up with a one out single in the bottom half of the inning and Alex Rodriguez took a high fastball from David Aardsma the other way and into the short porch in right, thereby stealing back the win Sabathia rightfully deserved.
The Yanks did at least salvage some dignity in this series after losing the first two and they'll welcome Toronto to the Bronx for a three game set starting tomorrow night.
Hosting the lowly Mariners and their punchless offsense, logic dictated that the Yankees had a relatively easy series on their hands heading into the holiday weekend. Instead, the M's put up a seven spot in both of the first two games while the Yankee offense couldn't muster a counterattack.
It's a weekday matinee as the Yanks look to avoid the sweep. CC Sabathia looks to play the role of stopper. The big lefty won all five of his June starts, posting a 2.19 ERA over 37 innings and holding opponents to a .191/.269/.252 line. He went at least seven innings in each outing and has kept the ball in the yard since June 3rd. The Yanks could use some more of that today.
The Yankee bats will take their hacks against John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt Ryan Rowland-Smith, his 6.18 ERA, 6.75 FIP, and 2 HR/9. With any luck that'll be the cure for what ails them. The Yankee bats fell on black days over the past two games. As they play in the beautiful July sunshine today, we're hopeful things will get brighter.
Whatsoever I've feared has come to life And whatsoever I've fought off became my life Just when every day seemed to greet me with a smile Sunspots have faded Now I'm doing time Now I'm doing time Cause I fell on black days I fell on black days
-Lineups-
Yankees: Brett Gardner returns to the lineup for the first time since Sunday. Jorge Posada gets his first start behind the plate this series, opening up the DH spot for A-Rod to get a half day off.
Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez DH Robinson Cano 2B Jorge Posada C Curtis Granderson CF Brett Gardner LF Ramiro Pena 3B
The Yankees return home for the first time since Father's Day, opening a six game homestand with a three game set against the Seattle Mariners. The M's were the darlings of the off-season, unloading the onerous contracts of Carlos Silva and Kenji Johjima, signing spark plug Chone Figgins away from their division rivals, and making a series of lesser low risk, high reward moves. But far and away, the biggest coup for GM Jack Zduriencik was sending a package of prospects to Philly for Cliff Lee.
Everything seemingly has gone wrong for the M's since then. Franchise legend Ken Griffey Jr's continued decline and possible narcolepsy culminated in an uncomfortable retirement and a possibly fractured clubhouse. Off-season signing Ryan Garko didn't even make it to Opening Day, while fellow signee Eric Byrnes lasted a mere month before riding his bicycle off to the California keg leagues. Their offense has been abyssmal, with Figgins taking a nose dive, Milton Bradley providing plenty of problems but little pop, and virtually everyone but Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez failing to hit at an acceptable level. All of which leaves Seattle entering the series with baseball's sixth poorest record and the AL's worst offense by a long shot.
As such, Cliff Lee and his expiring contract have become the hottest commodity on the market with the trade deadline 32 days away. There has been no shortage of rumors about whether the M's will hang on to him in an attempt to turn it around, or if they'd prefer the two draft picks his Type A status will net, or where he'd land if he were to be traded. There's been a ton of contradictory information out there, but the latest seems to be that the M's are quietly prepared to make a move.
As when any big name player hits the market, the Yankees have been rumored as a potential landing spot, with reports that Seattle has scouted the Yankees system. Yet even though a vocal segment of Yankee fans have been loudly clamoring for Lee since before Spring Training even began, a deal to the Bronx is unlikely. Despite A.J. Burnett's recent struggles, the Yankee rotation has been a strength for the team this year. As we saw with Javier Vazquez earlier this season, good pitchers may struggle for stretches, but they won't struggle forever. And with pitching coach Dave Eiland returning to the club tonight, perhaps Burnett's turnaround is coming soon. There just isn't the need nor the room for another front line starter.
Even if there were, there is no recent precedent for the Yankees making such a move. Following the 2007 season, the Yankees passed on an opportunity to acquire Johan Santana, who had a full year remaining on his contract. In his refusal to make the deal, Brian Cashman made his position clear: he is reluctant to pay twice - in both prospects and contract extensions - to acquire a player. He held fast to that philosophy the following summer, when in desperate need of pitching, he refused to deal for CC Sabathia and his expiring contract, content to gamble that the big lefty would be there for the taking on the free agent market after the season. He was, and after last season's World Series, Cashman appeared to be quite shrewd for biding his time.
If that's not enough to quell those covetous of Lee as he takes the Yankee Stadium mound tonight, then the pitcher in the other half innings should be. Phil Hughes was the centerpiece of the package the Yankees would have shipped to Minnesota had they pulled the trigger on the Santana deal, and had the Yankees pursued a Sabathia trade the asking price would have begun with Hughes as well. Instead Cashman chose to hang on to his top pitching prospect. After suffering through an injury plagued 2008, the organization was rewarded with a breakout 2009 from Hughes the set up man and is now enjoying a 2010 in which Phil Hughes is one of the top starters in the American League.
It's very possible that one of the two starting pitchers tonight will throw the first pitch of the All-Star Game in Anaheim two weeks from tonight. While it's tempting to think of Cliff Lee in Yankee pinstripes, that temptation isn't enough for me to feel comfortable sacrificing potential future All-Stars in Jesus Montero or Austin Romine or Manny Banuelos or Andrew Brackman or any number of other good Yankee prospects Seattle would want in exchange for Lee. The Yankees nearly lost Hughes two and a half years ago. I'm not prepared to lose the next Hughes in exchange for three months of Cliff Lee. Cashman runs the risk of losing Lee to another club now, but as the Sabathia situation taught us two years ago, sometimes a little patience leaves you with the best possible deal.
Did you hear the distant cry Calling me back to my sin Like the one you knew before Calling me back once again
I nearly, I nearly lost you there And it's taking us somewhere I nearly lost you there Let's try to see now
[Song Notes: Any series against the Mariners always has me thinking of the Seattle bands of the early nineties. Rather than going with one of the name brand grunge bands, tonight we'll go with the Screaming Trees. Though lesser known than Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains, they had a few good tunes to their credit, this being one of them. Just goes to show that you don't always need to go shopping on the top shelf to find what you're looking for.]
-Lineups-
Yankees: Brett Gardner's sore wrist keeps him out of the lineup tonight, but he is reportedly available for defense and pinch running duties. With a lefty on the mound Chad Huffman gets the start in left. There's a likely a roster move coming as well, as it's widely speculated that Dustin Moseley will be added to the bullpen in advance of him exercising his opt out clause today.[UPDATE 6:45 PM: No Moseley tonight, as he's still with Scranton.
Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano 2B Jorge Posada DH Curtis Granderson CF Chad Huffman LF Francisco Cervelli C
Ichiro Suzuki RF Chone Figgins 2B Russell Branyan 1B Milton Bradley DH Jose Lopez 3B Franklin Gutierrez CF Jack Wilson SS Rob Johnson C Michael Saunders LF
The star of last night's game was the 55 mph breaking pitch that Vincente Padilla was throwing. He first broke it out on Curtis Granderson in the first inning and used it 9 or 10 more times, including back to back against Brett Gardner in the second and Robinson Cano in the sixth. I loved it. The announcers were talking about how dangerous of a pitch it was for him to throw but he used it relatively sparingly, threw it mostly for strikes and the Yankees never squared up on it.
Okay, if the star of the game has to be a person as opposed to a pitch, it was CC Sabathia. After giving up a manufactured run in the first, he shut the Dodgers down through the eighth innings and gave up just three hits and two walks from there on in while striking out eight. Those totals on the night were four, three and ten, respectively.
Padilla did something I'd never seen before in the third. With Granderson at the plate and Jeter on second, the ball just dropped out of his hand when he was on the rubber for a balk.
Speaking of dropping balls, Manny, playing his typically stellar left field dropped an easy fly ball off the bat of Robinson Cano in the 8th.
With the game tied in the fourth, Padilla hit Cano right on the hip with a fastball. When Vincente's spot come up in the 5th, Sabathia threw a first pitch heater at his knees which evidently hit him, but it wasn't too serious. Padilla stared out of the mound as he slowly made his way to first with CC gazing right back at him as if to say "Make like Johnny Walker and keep walking, motherfucker".
Mark Teixeira was due up in the top of the sixth and give the history between the two, it felt like there might be a plunkstravaganza about to go down, but Teix popped out to short. The next batter, however, was A-Rod and he ripped a no doubt shot to left field that put the Yankees ahead for good.
Mariano Rivera came out for the 9th inning and with the aid of some close called strikes on the lower lefthand side of the plate (from the batter's perspective) struck out the side. James Loney was the third K victim and he threw a hissy fit and was ejected from the game after it had already ended. Joe Torre and Don Mattingly started jawing at the ump from the dugout and it was a rather ugly ending to the game.
During the first installment of the Subway Series back in May, the Yankees lined up Javier Vazquez, Phil Hughes and CC Sabathia and the Mets scheduled Hisanori Takahashi, Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday set at Citi Field. This time, as the rivalry shifts to the Bronx, the matchups and days of the week will be exactly the same.
Similar to the series the Yanks just completed against the Phillies, they won the most unlikely pitching match up of the previous series against the Metropolitans - the first game - but were doomed by an offense that went cold in the final two contests, scoring just three runs between them.
The two New York teams are in very different places that they were just about a month ago when the Mets were seven games out of the NL East lead and the Yankees were sitting four games in back of the Rays. The Mets, winners of seven straight and eleven of their last twelve, are just a half game behind the Braves. Meanwhile, despite losing two out of three against the Phillies, the Bombers are still even with Tampa with the Red Sox just two games behind them.
As the Yanks have clawed their way back into a first place tie with the Rays, we've taken a bit of a step back in our bloggerly duties. Matt's been busy with his job and I've been working outside, so we've been producing less content during the weeks that we typically aspire to.
I can't keep up with my Google Reader, so the linkarounds have run dry and I've been slacking off on getting up our recaps right after the games are over like we did in the beginning of the year. And when the weekends roll around, we've both been trying to make the most of our summers without worrying too much about what gets posted here. Which is good, because that means that we are treating this like a hobby and not a serious obligation like I have in the past and it's not like most of you stop by frequently outside of the work week anyway.
Well, this is another one of those mail-it-in weekends. I'm going to three Phish shows starting tonight in Hartford and continuing with Saturday and Sunday at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, so I won't be catching much Yankee baseball much less previewing or recapping it.
Since I am a big Phish fan but can never find a way to work their songs into previews (unless the stars align perfectly) I'm going to throw three songs from live shows from places in New York. If you look hard enough, you might be able to find some significance in the tunes as they relate to the matchups between Yankees and the Mets. If you score some mahlz in the lot and take some pulls of the endochronic skunkfunk, it will all make perfect sense.
Enjoy the games and we'll catch up with you Fackers on Monday morning.
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Game 67: Javier Vazquez vs. Hisanori Takahashi
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan from the show on my birthday last year at Jones Beach (the first time they played it live). It's easy to hate on a band's new material but if you are a Phish fan and don't like this one, you probably aren't being fair. It has some nasty, snarling guitar work and pretty good lyrics to boot.
Gonna steal time from the faulty plan, Gonna act as though I'm still a man, Gonna give you one last chance to see, Gonna shrug demands off of me.
Gonna dream, gonna dream, gonna dream, Gonna dream, dream of being free.
Gonna steal time from the faulty plan, Steal time from the faulty plan, Gonna steal time from the faulty plan, Steal time from the faulty plan.
Game 68: Phil Hughes vs. Mike Pelfrey
Character Zero from the David Letterman Show on March 5th, 1997.
I was taught a month ago, To bide my time and take it slow, But then I learned just yesterday, To rush and never waste the day, Well I'm convinced the whole day long, That all I learn is always wrong, And things are true that I forget, But no one taught that to me yet.
He's fallen on the ice, it cracks, Will he plunge in and join me here? He meets my eyes, to my surprise, He laughs in full light of my frown, My double wants to pull me down.
On an ordinary night against Roy Halladay, the rough patch that CC Sabathia hit in the fourth might have been enough to put the Yankees behind for the rest of the night.
The Big Fella had allowed only one walk and struck out six the first time through the order but things started going awry when Chase Utley chopped one right back over Sabathia's head that he could only deflect with his pitching hand out of reflex (he seems to do this more often than most pitchers, no?). Placido Polanco then looped a soft flare up the middle just out of CC's reach, Ryan Howard got hit with a 1-2 pitch and the Phillies were in business - bases loaded with no one out. Jayson Werth poked the first pitch he saw through the left side to get the Phillies on the board. Raul Ibanez fell behind 0-2 before fighting back bring the count full and ground one to right field to give the Phils their second run.
With the bases still loaded, Ben Francisco grounded a ball softly to Mark Teixeira in what looked like enough time for Teix to come home with the throw and get the force out. Instead, he went to second base apparently looking to start a double play but Sabathia didn't make it to first to cover, seemingly surprised that Teix didn't try to stop the runner from scoring. That third run was all the Phillies would get across in the game or the inning as CC struck out Juan Castro and Carlo Ruiz grounded out to end the threat.
On many nights, three runs seems like an impossible task against Halladay. Fortunately, the Yanks offense had already spotted Sabathia five in the first three innings. Brett Garnder slashed a two run triple in the second and Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher both took Doc deep in the third. Mark Teixeira also went yard in the fifth on a sky high pop up that kept carrying towards the right field foul pole and snuck out right by the camera stand.
Halladay had allowed just three home runs all year long and the Yankees doubled that total in a span of three innings. It's not like he was just throwing meatballs - the pitch Granderson went deep on was well down and in - but he left an inordinate number of fastballs over the middle of the plate. His typical movement just wasn't there and the Yanks went to town. Due in part to a 29 pitch second inning, Halladay was at 100 through six innings and that was it.
The Yanks were lucky to catch a great pitcher on an off night and if it wasn't for some tough breaks for CC in the fourth, this one never would have been in doubt. The Yanks look to keep the ball rolling tonight as the significantly less intimidating Jamie Moyer squares up against A.J. Burnett.
When the Yankees and Phillies opened last year's World Series at Yankee Stadium, the pitching match up featured both clubs' aces, as CC Sabathia faced Cliff Lee. If you were to believe the rumors leading up to last year's trade deadline however, there was a good chance that Doc Halladay would have been the Game One pitcher for one of those two teams.
On July 7th last year, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal floated a weather balloon about the Blue Jays shopping Roy Halladay, and the rumor mill instantaneously kicked into overdrive. Almost immediately the defending champion Phillies were pegged as the most likely landing spot, with the Yankees considered another strong match. As the July 31st deadline approached the Phillies continually balked at Toronto's asking price and instead moved to Plan B, scoring Cliff Lee from the Indians for a lesser package. Meanwhile, neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox blinked in a divisional game of chicken, and Halladay woke up on August 1st as Toronto property.
Toronto G.M. J.P. Ricciardi probably overplayed his hand in hanging onto Halladay. When he was dismissed following the season, Alex Anthopoulos took over and he immediately began shopping the Blue Jays' most valuable asset. On December 16th, Anthopoulos unloaded Doc, sending him to Philadelphia in a complex and confusing four team trade that netted Toronto virtually the same package Philadelphia had refused to move five months earlier. As part of the deal, Philly shipped Lee to Seattle.
So while Doc Halladay will take Lee's place in opposing Sabathia in tonight's interleague series opener, Lee once again finds himself sitting atop the auction block. He's been outstanding after spending the first month of the season on the DL, and with Seattle sporting the Majors' third worst record and Lee being a free agent at season's end, he's assured to be traded for the third time in a year by the time the July 31st deadline rolls around.
Predictably, the Yankees are once rumored as a prime landing spot for the prize of the trade market. And it just doesn't add up to me. Last year, there was a demonstrable need for a pitcher like Roy Halladay. Joba Chamberlain was struggling and facing an innings cap. Chien-Ming Wang was ineffective and out for the season following shoulder surgery. Sergio Mitre was plain ineffective. And even at that, the Yankees found the price for a year and two months of Roy Halladay to be too steep.
The Yankees are facing no such issues right now. Their starting rotation is arguably the best in baseball. Yes Javier Vazquez struggled early on, and yes Phil Hughes will face some innings restrictions later this year (albeit less restrictive than Chamberlain's last year), but one through five I'll take my chances with the current rotation. So why would the Yankees surrender a similar package now when the need is much less and when the target in question is under contract for only three months more?
Cliff Lee is amongst the game's best pitchers and he'll make a fine prize for someone by the end of July. While numerous Yankee fans have been salivating over his impending free agency since before this season even began, there just isn't the need for him now nor the justification for paying the likely asking price. The Yankees decided they didn't need Doc at last year's deadline, and they passed on him again when he was up for bid in the off-season. I'm hopeful they'll repeat that decision when it comes to Cliff Lee at this year's deadline. The Yankees know what's ailing them, and at present, it's not starting pitching.
I don't need no doctor 'Cause I know what's ailing me I don't need no doctor, no, no 'Cause I know what's ailing me
[Song Notes: Originally recorded by Ray Charles, performances of this song by Charles are hard to come by, as we found when I tried to use it in a post about David Robertson last year. The version here comes from Humble Pie, the band with which Peter Frampton first rose to prominence. This performance comes from 1971, shortly after Frampton left the band. It's been covered by several other artists through the years, including blog favorite Gov't Mule, who began using it as a coda to another Humble Pie tune, "30 Days in the Hole".
It was also recorded by John Scofield on That's What I Say, his 2005 tribute album to Charles. I would have used a Scofield version here, which is very true to the original, except the Sco version prominently features John Mayer and I just couldn't bring myself to embed that here].
-Lineups-
Yankees: Alex Rodriguez is once again out of the lineup, but is available to pinch hit and figures to return tomorrow. Jorge Posada returns to DHing after catching Sunday. Sergio Mitre has been placed on the DL with an oblique injury; Boone Logan has been recalled.
Derek Jeter SS Curtis Granderson CF Mark Teixeira 1B Robinson Cano 2B Nick Swisher RF Jorge Posada DH Brett Gardner LF Francisco Cervelli C Ramiro Pena 3B
LHP CC Sabathia
Phillies:
Shane Victorino CF Chase Utley 2B Placido Polanco 3B Ryan Howard 1B Jayson Werth RF Raul Ibanez LF Ben Francisco DH Juan Castro DH Carlos Ruiz C
Unlike last night, when the Yankees got ahead early and stayed there, there were plenty of point when it looked like this one wasn't going to end up in the win column. Through the first three innings, CC Sabathia had allowed eight baserunners (two of whom came around to score) and thrown 63 pitches. Meanwhile, the Yanks had put five men on but stranded four of them, while the other, Derek Jeter, was caught stealing by Matt Wieters.
Although forecasts predicted the rain would hold out a bit longer, the skies opened up as Robinson Cano led off the top of the fourth. With only three half-innings still to be completed before it became an official and a deficit of two runs to make up, it appeared the clock was ticking on the Yankees. But Cano bought a little time with an opposite field base hit. Chris Tillman gave the Yankees a little more when he sailed a pickoff attempt wide of first, allowing Cano to advance to second. Jorge Posada moved Cano over to third on a grounder and Curtis Granderson scored him easily on a deep sac fly to left to bring the Yanks within one.
The bottom of the fourth and top of the fifth came and went with the minimum number of batters and the score stuck at 2-1. Mercifully, when the broadcast returned for the home half of the fifth, they showed the grounds crew retreat from the post behind the tarp back underneath the stands, their presence apparently no longer needed.
It was still raining, but not quite as hard, and the Weather Gods had apparently granted the Yankees a reprieve. Sabathia worked around a lead off single to Miguel Tejada and kept the Yankees one behind heading into the top of the sixth.
The tides were about to turn, but the Yankees needed some help from the O's defense and perhaps the sloppy conditions. Leading off the inning, Mark Teixeira bounced a ball in between first and second just out of the reach of Julio Lugo. Next up, A-Rod ripped a single to left-center that hopped over Luke Scott and allowed Teixeira to advance to third. Cano followed with a smooth game-tying base knock to right that moved A-Rod ninety feet away from putting the Yanks ahead, still with no one out. Posada tapped weak double play ball to first that would have got the run home either way, but Caesar Izturis couldn't deliver the throw back to first in time. Still, the damage was done and the Yanks were up 3-2.
While Sabathia struggled mightily in the early going, he threw scoreless 10, 11 and 11 pitch innings in the 4th, 5th and 6th and was available to come back out for the seventh and was greeted by a bunt single by Izturis. Julio Lugo dropped another bunt to sacrifice him to second and the O's were threatening. After Miguel Tejada grounded out to third, Nick Markakis stepped to the plate with two outs. Instead of hitting it the opposite way like he so often does, he chopped one up the first baseline. Cano had a great read on it and made a ridiculous diving stop, popped to his feet and nearly threw Markakis out at first base to end the inning. He had preserved the Yanks' lead but they weren't out of the woods yet.
Ty Wigginton ran the count full before drawing a walk to load the bases and pass the baton to Luke Scott. Sabathia had allowed a single to Scott on the night but also struck him out twice on sliders. CC started him off with a curveball outside and then Scott fouled back a fastball to level the count. The count was 1-2 after Scott swung over a sinker and Sabathia went back to the well for one more slider and struck him out swinging to escape the inning.
Frankie Cervelli knocked in an insurance run a few batters later and Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera combined for a scoreless eighth and ninth as the Yankees locked up their tenth straight win against Baltimore. It was far from perfect as the Yanks had another rough night with runners in scoring position (2 for 13) and Jeter both grounded into a double play and got caught stealing but they got the job done and look to complete the sweep tonight behind A.J. Burnett.
The Yankees lost the first game they played against the Orioles this season by a score of 4-5. On that night in late April, the Yankees scored two in the top of the ninth and brought the winning run to the plate against Alfredo Simon, but came up just shy of a victory when A-Rod grounded out to shortstop to end the game, allowing the Birds to pick up just their fourth win in twenty tries.
The O's may have laughed first this season, but the Yanks have been laughing ever since. They Bombers have won all nine games the teams have played in the meantime by a combined score of 57-22.
In terms of pitching decisions, the biggest beneficiary of the Bombers beating on Baltimore has been CC Sabathia. The Big Fella has five victories on the season and three of them have come courtesy of the Birds. The decision in the game that followed the close loss detailed above went to Sabathia. CC's last two wins came exactly a month apart but they were both against the Orioles.
Since he became a Yankee Sabathia has started eight games against the O's and won seven of them, allowing well under a hit per inning, striking out more than twice as many as he's walked and pitching to an ERA of 2.88.
When the CC faced the O's a week ago he took the first step towards breaking out of a stretch of five starts during which the Yankees went 1-4 and he amassed an ERA of 6.28. CC wasn't spectacular, as he allowed homers to Adam Jones and Luke Scott, but he went seven innings and allowed three runs. Maybe one more go against the Orioles will be what it takes to leave his May struggles behind.
Tired of the basement placed in? Take responsibility for your action in the race, then. Instead of put cheer in our bone, paperhood promote, negativity, and fear in our own neighborhood, Since royalty breed to be (uh-huh), And I puts small seed where small seed need to be, I didn't make the laws, but they make sense to my ass, While waitin' for the world end, won this, Stunned his behind out the way of who reign, I run this...
[Song Notes: I don't want to tempt fate with the tone of the preview but I didn't have much else to run with, and nobody does braggadocious rap lyrics quite like Slick Rick.]
After leaving last night's game with soreness in his thumb, Brett Gardner will have the thumb x-rayed. He is replaced by Kevin Russo in left field tonight.
Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano 2B Jorge Posada DH Curtis Granderson CF Francisco Cervelli C Kevin Russo LF
Despite the fact that the Orioles brought the tying run to the plate in the 9th inning, the Yankees' sweep never seemed to be in danger. Unlike last night, their Win Expectancy never cracked 50%.
The O's managed just six baserunners this afternoon but unfortunately for CC Sabathia's ERA, half of them scored on home runs he allowed. It doesn't seem right, but Sabathia has allowed 12 dingers already, two more than Javy Vazquez. Adam Jones and Luke Scott both caught with with poorly placed fastballs from the Big Fella today, but that wasn't enough to keep pace with the Yankee bats.
With the help of a goofy mistake by Kevin Millwood, the Yanks jumped out to an early lead. Jeter and Swisher hit back to back singles in the first inning and Jeter stole third with Mark Texeira at the plate. Getting nailed at third with no one out is a great way to kill a rally but Jeter pulled it off and apparently got into Millwood's head when he got there.
With the count 2-2 to Mark Teixeira, Millwood lost his balance and attempted to deliver a "pitch" anyway. I wish PitchFX had clocked it because it went about thirty miles an hour and forty feet in the air, thereby distilling the Orioles futility this season into a couple blissful seconds. The umps ruled it a balk, the Yankees took a 1-0 lead and never looked back.
The rest of the Yankee runs came in more traditional fashion. Robinson Cano continued his hot hitting, driving in a run in that first inning. A-Rod hit a two run shot in the third, Curtis Granderson chipped in an RBI single later in that frame and Brett Gardner lofted a home run just barely into the short porch in right in the seventh.
After Sabathia left the game, Joba Chamberlain worked a perfect eight inning and Mariano Rivera put two men on base in the ninth via a hit and hit by pitch but didn't allow either to score. They nailed down the win for CC, his first since he started against Baltimore a month ago.
The Yanks just wrapped a 6-1 homestand and they'll be heading up to lovely Toronto for a weekend set with the Jays. Tomorrow night's game is at 7:00.
The Yanks look to bust out the brooms this afternoon and go for a sweep of the lowly O's. It'll be a match up of former teammates on the Cleveland Indians, as CC Sabathia and Kevin Millwood face off.
Millwood was arguably the better of the two pitchers on that 2005 club, posting a 2.86 ERA and despite a 9-11 record, finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young voting. Millwood was worth 3.9 WAR that year, third on the Cleveland staff to Sabathia's 4.1 WAR.
Millwood hasn't been quite as unlucky this year, but he certainly has deserved a better fate than what he's received so far. He enters today 0-5, despite a 3.89 ERA (110 ERA+) and a 3.99 xFIP. The woeful O's offense just hasn't given him any run support.
On the flip side, CC Sabathia hasn't pitched all that well of late. He enters today at 4-3, despite a 4.16 ERA (98 ERA+) and a 4.11 xFIP. His last win came one month ago today, and in his five starts since he's gone 0-2 with a 6.28 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and a .291/.346/.538 batting line against. He'll look to get away from that sort of performance this afternoon.
The conclusion of today's game marks the end of the first third of the season. It also marks the end of the Yankees' seven game homestand. A win today would give them six wins on the homestand, five in a row, and put them on pace for 102 wins on the year. For Alabama native David Robertson and the rest of the Yankees, it's getaway day in the Bronx, as they look to make it three in row against the O's.
Twenty-third Psalm Majordomo reserve me a table for three in the Valley of the Shadow just you, Alabama and me
Alabama getaway Alabama getaway Only way to please me turn around and leave and walk away
[Song Notes: It's a good day for some Grateful Dead. This tune is the lead track from their 1980 album Go To Heaven, the first to feature keyboardist Brent Mydland. Keyboardist for the Dead has been the real life equivalent of drummer for Spinal Tap, as Mydland was the fourth in a line of five keyboardists in Dead history, all of whom have now in fact gone to heaven. This performance comes from their appearance on Saturday Night Live on April 5, 1980, three weeks before the album was released.]
-Lineups-
Yankees: Nothing to report here. Same deal as yesterday.
Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano 2B Jorge Posada DH Curtis Granderson CF Francisco Cervelli C Brett Gardner LF
Orioles:
Julio Lugo SS Miguel Tejada 3B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 3B Luke Scott LF Garrett Atkins 1B Adam Jones CF Craig Tatum C Cesar Izturis SS
1. The Mets got on the Yankees early in this one and didn't let up until the very end. CC Sabathia wriggled out of a one out, bases loaded jam in the first inning when he got David Wright to swing over a 1-2 slider and Angel Pagan to line out to second base. Unfortunately the second inning went the other way for the Big Fella.
Rob Barajas led off with a double but Sabathia got two easy strikeouts from Jeff Francoeur and Johan Santana. After giving up a single to Jose Reyes, CC got ahead of Alex Cora 0-2 and threw a perfect pitch, just over the black on the inside corner but home plate umpire Marvin Hudson called it a ball and gave Cora a second life. Cora fouled off a couple pitches and took a slider in the dirt before punching a single to center, driving in Barajas and Reyes. Dave Eiland came out to talk to Sabathia but whatever he said didn't help out all that much as Jason Bay whacked a changeup from CC over the left field fence for just his second homer of the year and put the Mets up 4-0.
2. The Yankees led off each of the first three innings with a single but had nothing to show for it. In the first and second, one hit was all they could muster but in the third, Jeter followed Sabathia's broken bat flare with a sharp single of his own. However, Brett Garnder grounded into a double play (only his 6th in 594 MLB plate appearances) and destroyed any momentum the Yanks had built up.
3. Bay struck again in the 5th, leading off the frame with another longball, this time to right field. We might have witnessed Bay finally finding his power stroke.
The Mets added another run in the inning when Ike Davis singled, advanced on a past ball and scored on a double by David Wright. 6-0 Mets.
4. The Yanks finally got on the board in the seventh inning. Nick Swisher worked a two out walk and Francisco Cervelli ripped a line drive towards the left foul pole. The ball hit right on the orange line and Frankie was so sure it was gone, he put his head down and went into a jog rounding first base. Since the ball bounced right back to Bay, he gunned it back in and held Cisco to a single, but Nick Swisher scored easily to make it 6-1 Mets. The umpires looked at the replays but upheld the original call.
5. The Yanks tried to pull together a rally in the 8th. Marcus Thames had walked to lead off the inning and A-Rod and Mark Teixeira both reached base with two outs to load the bases. A-Rod's walk chased Santana from the game and Pedro Feliciano came in to face Cano. Robbie took two strikes before hitting a high pop up to first to end the inning.
They again showed life in the ninth inning. Leading off, Nick Swisher worked a walk and Cervelli singled behind him. Kevin Russo grounded into a fielder's choice but Juan Miranda knocked in Swish with a base hit to right to make it 6-2.
Jerry Manuel then brought in K-Rod to face Jeter and the Captain ripped a double down the line and brought the tying run to the plate in the form of Brett Gardner. Gardner tapped a soft chopper towards third base and David Wright gunned it across the diamond to get the out by just a few inches, if at all. Both Garnder and Girardi were livid and the latter was extra demonstrative when he came out to argue the call but didn't get tossed. That drove in a run and got the Yanks within 3. Mark Teixeira then hit a high chopper to second and cut the margin to two runs: 6-4 Mets.
A-Rod came to the plate as the go-ahead run and battled with K-Rod through an eight pitch at bat, taking three balls and fouling off four pitches before striking out on a 3-2 change up.
Another day, another blue balls, too-little-too-late, close-but-no-cigar rally in the 9th.
IFs, ANDs & BUTs
Santana was really impressive tonight, cruising through 7 2/3 innings of one run ball and at one point retired 13 Yankees in a row.
Sabathia lasted five innings and gave up six runs, five of them earned. He allowed two walks and ten hits and although he got kind of screwed by that call in the second inning he just generally just didn't have it going. It happens.
Sergio Mitre and Boone Logan both pitched well in relief. Mitre threw two innings and the only batter than reached base against him was Jason Bay, who he hit with a breaking pitch. Logan gave up just one hit in his scoreless frame.
For some dumb reason, the benches were warned when Bay was hit, despite the fact that the pitch was a 75mph curve.
This game was pretty tough to watch and it was made worse by Joe Morgan, naturally. "Uppercut" was the word of the night in the booth. Morgan used it in his trademark brand of simpleton analysis about 50 fucking times and added a grand total of nothing to the broadcast in the process. Thanks Joe.
Morgan also took time to congratulate his daughter and her new husband on getting married and later to say hello to the Mets bullpen coaches' mom. Listen Casey Kasem, no one fucking knows or cares about this shit. Do your job and talk about the game. Actually, better yet, just shut up.
During the disputed home run call, the ESPN production crew called over to the Mets PR office to check on the ground rules and were given incorrect information. They originally claimed that if the ball hit the line it was considered a home run, which of course is wrong. Hell of an organization they've got over there.
After taking the first game of the series, the Yanks end up dropping the final two. Tomorrow is an off day before the Yanks head to Target to face the Twins for the first time in their new park on Tuesday.
The first round of the Subway Series wraps tonight with a showdown of superior southpaws. CC Sabathia and Johan Santana locked horns several times during their years together in the AL Central. But Subway commercials notwithstanding, this will be their first meeting in the Big Apple.
Despite that, at least in the eyes of Yankee fans, the two are already firmly linked. The story is well known. Santana's Twins were shopping him following the 2007 season. The Yankees, in desperate need of a front line starter, balked at the asking price, which at various times included some combination of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Chien-Ming Wang, and Melky Cabrera. Brian Cashman, not wanting to pay twice for Santana in surrendering the necessary pieces to acquire him and committing the necessary dollars to extend him, chose not to make the deal. Instead, Cashman gambled that the equally talented Sabathia, slated to be a free agent following the 2008 season, wouldn't sign an extension and would be there for the taking a year later.
Cashman's decision was heavily criticized in many circles, and by Hank Steinbrenner as well. Things didn't get any better when the Mets landed Santana for a song - four fringe prospects, only one of whom remains property of Minnesota - while the Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008. More than two years later though, I doubt anyone would say Cashman made the wrong decision. After an outstanding 2008. Santana dealt with elbow issues last year, required surgery, and appears to be a bit diminished compared to his former self. Meanwhile, Cashman managed to land Sabathia as hoped, and the Big Fella led the Yankees staff to a World Series title in his first year in the Bronx.
The Yankees have hit a rough patch over the past week, going just 2-5, alternately betrayed by their starting pitching, bullpen, and offense. The Subway Series isn't nearly as important as it's hyped up to be, but given the state of the Mets in recent years and the way the past week has played out for the Yankees, dropping tonight's game would further raise the already ratcheted up panic level in Yankeedom. A win on the other hand would soothe the nerves heading into tomorrow's off day.
Last year we often turned to Old Blue Eyes in big spots. I don't think tonight's game is quite that important, but in an effort to change the Yankees recent fortunes and in hopes of making tomorrow's off day alarm free, we're going with Sinatra. CC Sabathia and Johan Santana haven't crossed paths in more than two years. Much has changed for both of them in that time. But whether they realize it or not as they square off tonight, they've both had a profound influence upon the direction of both clubs over the past two plus seasons.
Strangers in the night, exchanging glances Wondering in the night, what were the chances?
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