Game 21 Wrap-Up: BOS 5 NYY 1

(Courtesy of the AP)

I don't give a shit what month it is or how many games are left, I really wanted a win last night.  I would have loved nothing more than for Michael Pineda to come out and put on a repeat performance of what Tanaka did to the Red Sox on Tuesday and for the lineup to slap around John Lackey's fat idiot face for 5 innings like they did to Lester.  I despise John Lackey.  Maybe more than I despise Ortiz nowadays.  Another beatdown victory against that shitheel would have been supreme.  Instead we got bad cheating, an early exit for Big Mike, and one of those games you want to forget as soon as it ends.

Game Notes:

- Pineda had command issues early, possibly due to the cold weather.  He labored through a 2-run 1st inning on 30 pitches, struggling to locate his fastball or slider with any kind of consistency.

- He returned to the hill for the bottom of the 2nd with a noticeable pine tar mark on his neck, comically noticeable.  With 2 outs and 2 strikes, John Farrell asked the home plate ump to check him and check him he did.  Gerry Davis saw it, felt it, decided it was enough to warrant an ejection, and tossed Pineda on the spot.

- Lackey didn't have any command problems and he breezed through 4 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts.  He was pounding the strike zone with fastballs and keeping the Yankee lineup off balance.  They didn't do themselves any favors by swinging early and keeping his pitch count down.

- The Yanks squandered runners at second and third with 1 out in the 5th, but finally got on the board in the 6th when Carlos Beltran led off with a double and advanced home on 2 outs.  It was that kind of night.

- Give a call to the bullpen for keeping them in it, but this game was over when David Phelps gave up 2 runs in the 3rd to make it 4-0 Boston.  The lineup was overmatched by Lackey and never did anything with the chances they did create and the defense was horrific.

F*ck Yeahs:

- Beltran: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 K.  The only hitter who took multiple good swings against Lackey.

Oh Nos:

- Pineda: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.  I said my piece on it last night.  You just can't be that careless and stupid.  That's what it was and he deserves to be punished for it.

- Derek Jeter: 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB.  Looked like crap at the plate.  Sally-armed a routine throw to first and bounced it for an error to start off Phelps' bad inning.  Not a strong night for The Captain.

Next Up:

Rubber match for this series and it's the other big guy getting the ball.  It'd be refreshing to see Sabathia come out and toss a gem against the Sox.  He'll face fellow lefty Felix Doubront