Game 87: King Of All Of The World

Yesterday afternoon Javier Vazquez looked like surefire trade bait, as the heavily rumored Cliff Lee deal would have left the Yankees with six starters. Instead, Lee went to Texas, Javy takes the hill tonight, and it looks like his spot with the Yankees is secure for the rest of the season.

As you might surmise given our support of him from the time he was reacquired in December, I'm happy Javy is sticking around. Unloading him slightly more than halfway through the first season of his second go round in New York would only have been more fuel for those that say Vazquez is incapable of pitching in the Big Apple.

To the contrary, Javy has pitched quite well over the last month and a half. In his last seven starts he's 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA, has allowed just 45 baserunners in 46 innings, and has held opponents to a .179/.251/.327 batting line. One of those seven starts came ten days ago the Mariners, as Vazquez allowed three runs over six frames and the Yankee bats couldn't respond.

Felix Hernandez pitched for the Mariners that night, tossing a complete game, two hit, three walk, eleven K shutout. He'll oppose Javy again tonight. With Cliff Lee off to Texas, King Felix is the undisputed king of Seattle's rotation once again. With any luck for the Yanks though, Vazquez will prove to be king of the hill tonight.

I was in a real bad way
When you turned the power on
And you made me feel for all the world
Like I was the king of all the world

[Song Notes: I came across this one while looking for songs about "kings" this morning. It occurred to me that we used the Old 97s for the preview on the Saturday before the All-Star break last year as well. That one didn't turn out so well. Hoping for better luck today.]

-Lineups-

Not likely. Chad Jennings will have what you need.

Game 87: Just Like California

Angels' ace Jered Weaver gets the ball today, and boy do I want to see the Yanks putting a beating on him. Not just because it'd be awfully nice to salvage a series victory and keep the momentum going into the All-Star break, but because Jered's brother Jeff has to be one of my least favorite Yankees of all time. I loathed Jeff Weaver, who then was flipped for Kevin Brown, and that didn't work out too hot either.

Six seasons after Jeff Weaver threw his last pitch as a Yankee, my lasting memory of him is him making excuse after excuse, crappy outing after crappy outing, insisting that he didn't pitch that poorly and that he'd get in straightened out next time. Except he never did. I've been reminded of those post-game interviews every five days of late, and it's not a pleasant recollection. Since Jeff is hiding out in the NL these days, I'll have to settle for the Yanks hanging a crooked number on his brother.

And the Yanks have done just that in the past. Weaver is 3-1 against the Yanks, but he carries at 6.11 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 28 innings of work. The Yanks touched him up for 4 runs in 6 innings on May 1st this year, but Weaver escaped with a no decision in the Yanks 10-9 victory.

Andy Pettitte takes the mound for the Yankees. Pettitte hasn't been as consistently poor as last night's starter, but he's been consistently inconsistent all season long. He has alternated good starts and bad starts over his last five. The good news is that if that pattern holds today he's due for a good one, after allowing ten baserunners and giving up 6 ER in 6 IP on Monday. Pettitte opposed Weaver in that May 1st game, and he wasn't much better, giving up 5 ER in 5.2 IP. For his career his 12-8 against the Angels with a 4.52 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.

Brett Gardner gets the start in CF; Nick Swisher gets a day off, replaced by Eric Hinske in RF.

After going up four runs at the halfway point last night, it was just like the (former) California Angels to make fools of the Yanks in the second half of the game. Here's hoping the Yanks right the ship today and take a lead all the way tonight.



Just like California to make a fool of me
Steal the sideshow, burn the disco, slide into the sea
I'm a thinking person and I think that it's wrong
To keep on saying true love's waiting, when true love is long gone

Time is on my bad side
Halfway there just wouldn't be fair
So I'm going all the way tonight