Game 46 Wrap-Up: CHW 3 NYY 2

(I'd be bumming too if I had to hit against Sale.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

I really don't understand why Joe played Derek Jeter and Brian McCann on Wednesday.  Day game after a night game, series starting against a better team in the same town on Thursday, why not take advantage against a crummy team like the Cubs?  Joe didn't and his lineup for last night's series opener against the White Sox suffered for it.  Ellsbury leading off again, Jeter DHing #2, Solarte 5th, and a 6-9 of Roberts, Murphy, Ryan, and Zoilo.  No McCann, no Brett Gardner (???), and Chicago ace Chris Sale coming off the DL.  Not a recipe for a lot of runs.  Or no runs, to be more accurate.  Because that's how many the Yankees got off Sale.

Game Notes:

- David Phelps has this Hughes-ian habit of not being able to finish off batters or innings.  He couldn't put away old man Paul Konerko after getting him down 0-2 with 2 outs in the 2nd and the White Sox strung together 3 hits and a walk to put 2 runs on the board.

- Sale absolutely tore through the Yankee lineup.  No hits through 5, 9 strikeouts including the side in the 1st and 3rd innings, and not even a single ball out of the infield through the first 4 innings.

- Phelps settled down after the 2nd and actually worked pretty efficiently into the 7th without giving up any more runs.  Retired 10 in a row at one point and let his defense work for him instead of trying to strike everybody out.

- The Yanks did finally get a hit, a Zoilo Almonte single in the top of the 6th, but they never came close to scoring against Sale.  They only started getting chances because Sale was removed after 6 innings.

- Phelps went 7 and Joe went to Alfredo Aceves for the 8th.  He did Alfredo Aceves things that added up to another White Sox insurance run.

- The only real chance the Yanks got against the Chicago bullpen came in the 9th when Ichiro singled, Jeter walked. and they moved up on a passed ball.  Mark Teixeira knocked them both home with a 2-out, 2-run single to make it interesting, but Alfonso Soriano struck out to end it.


F*ck Yeahs:

- Phelps: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.  Really nice game for Phelps.  Had his stuff working and got a lot of strikeouts early, but it wasn't until he started attacking the zone and throwing more strikes that his day really got good.  The last 5 innings were the type of Phelps the Yanks could really use for the next few weeks.

- Teix: 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 K.  Keeps knocking guys in when he gets his chances.  The offense is pretty much him, Gardner, and Solarte.

Oh Nos:

- Jacoby Ellsbury: 0-4, 3 K, 2 LOB.  Yeah, guys.  It was definitely him batting in the 3-spot that was causing his slump, not something wrong with his swing.

- Soriano: 0-4, 3 K, 1 LOB.  Ugh.

- Aceves: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB.  Double ugh.  Why does this guy have a 40-man roster spot over Burawa or Pinder or Montgomery?

Next Up:

Bats need to wake up tonight and former Yankee prospect Hector Noesi is the right opposing pitcher to help make that happen.  Hiroki Kuroda gets the ball for the Yanks.