Pitching Matchup: Hughes (18-8) vs. Duensing (10-3)
Starting Lineups:
NY: Jeter- SS, Swish- RF, Teix- 1B, A-Rod- 3B, Cano- 2B, Thames- DH, Posada- C, C-Grand- CF, Gardner- RF
Min: Span- CF, Hudson- 2B, Mauer- C, Kubel- RF, Young- LF, Thome- DH, Cuddyer- 1B, Valencia- 3B, Hardy- SS
3 Things To Watch For:
1) Hughes' Fastball Command
He might throw it too often sometimes instead of trusting his secondary pitches, but there's no denying that Phil Hughes' fastball is his most important pitch. Where he throws it early on and whether or not he's hitting his spots with it will be a good indicator of just how geeked up he is in his first postseason start. If he can stay calm and collected (which I think he can) and throw the fastball for strikes early, it will allow him to setup the rest of his pitches and work the Minnesota hitters. If he can't find the command on the fastball and falls behind in too many counts, it makes the curve and the changeup (which will be a huge weapon against Minnesota's lefty hitters) less likely to be used and therefore less effective. As always, it will be important for Hughes to mix up his pitches and pitch patterns, but everything has to work off of the fastball.
2) The Twins' Lefties
Through the first 2 games the Twins big 4 lefties (Span, Mauer, Thome, Kubel) are a combined 4-21 (.190) against the Yankee left-handed pitching, most of that against CC and Andy, .174 if you factor in the 2 left-handed at-bats by Orlando Hudson that ended in outs. Well CC and Andy aren't throwing tonight and these guys will finally get to face a righty starter so how will they approach him and how successful will they be? Those 4 are a combined 4-12 lifetime against Hughes with 4 walks, although they also have 0 XBH and 0 RBIs in those at-bats. But those at-bats don't include anything from this season as the Twins did not face Hughes at all, and he is a different and better pitcher than what they have seen in the past. For the sake of comparison, Hughes had a .235/.311/.417 tripleslash against this year facing left-handed hitters in 345 at-bats. For the Twins to have any chance to win tonight, their big 4 have to wake up and do something against Hughes.
3) The Stadium
Normally I don't like to play up the intangibles and "homefield advantage" aspect of a game. I mean, we can all see how far playing at home got Minnesota in the first 2 games. But Yankee Stadium is a little different, especially in the postseason. For some of these Twins it will be their first time playing in Yankee Stadium in the playoffs, and with their backs against the wall tonight, how they can handle that situation is worth noting. How will Brian Duensing handle the pressure of 46,000+ fans screaming at him if he puts a few runners on base? How will Danny Valencia handle that pressure if he hits with 2 on and 2 out late in the game? Can the Twins' bullpen shake the memories of last October's failures in The Stadium? Also, never count the Yankees out of a close game when they've got last ups at home.
Player To Watch: Phil Hughes
I hate to take the obvious choice here, but Hughes is the key tonight. I have all the faith in the world that the Yankees will get hits and score runs off Duensing and his sore shoulder. How effective Hughes is at holding leads given to him and not allowing the Twins to creep back into the game will decide who wins. All the pressure if off of him after the Yankees won the first 2, so it's not like he has to go out and throw 7 or 8 shutout innings. 5-6 of 3-run ball should be more than enough to get the job done, especially with the stacked and rested bullpen behind him. If Hughes can go out, throw strikes, not fall in love with the fastball late in count, and put hitters away, it should be a good night for him and the Yankees.
Take note of how many changeups Hughes throws tonight. It was something he worked on in Spring Training and then we only saw it sparingly in the regular season. It can be devestating against lefties and Hughes can't be afraid to throw it.
It's Game 3. It's a chance for the Yankees to sweep and advance to the ALCS for the second year in a row. And it's happening back in New York, the city of champions and the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. It's incredibly cliche, but I don't give a shit. Hit me with some Hova...
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Game 2 Thoughts And Afterthoughts
(Photo courtesy of The AP)
- Once again Craig Sager kicks off the TBS broadcast by proving just how useless he is. So Ron Gardenhire burned his jersey, Carl Pavano campaigned to wear the throwback unis, Denard Span ate steak instead of chicken, and Orlando Hudson's family held some lameass prayer circle before the game? I. Don't. Give. A fuck! Tell me about lineup changes, tell me about how they're going to approach Pettitte, tell me something meaningful. GAH!!
- Amazing turn by Jeter on that double play in the bottom of the 1st. Throw was a little high, so it was pretty much all arm on the throw after he came down and touched the bag. His range may not be much anymore, but the old man can still flash some leather.
- Andy didn't look particularly sharp through 2 innings to me. His fastball was sitting up in the zone and he couldn't locate the cutter and slider exactly how he wanted. Dave Eiland must have thought the same thing since they both went into the clubhouse to watch some tape after the 2nd.
- Nice play by Swish on that shallow pop up down the right field line in the bottom of the 3rd. A Top-3 Web Gem for sure. Although I bet it didn't do his knee any favors having to run that hard and slide on it.
- Joe Girardi and Mo shot a Taco Bell commercial for the new XXL Chalupa?? Why didn't I know about this? Where was Chad Jennings on covering that story? I have to say I enjoyed the ad the 2nd time through; very high on the unintentional comedy scale.
- The 4th inning showed the Yankees' true strategy at the plate as they jumped all over Pavano early in the count and started rocketing balls all over the field. The first time through the lineup it was almost like they didn't have a clear cut strategy, like Joe told everybody "go up there and do whatever you want." Some guys were swinging early and some guys were taking a strike or 2. It was as if Joe let everybody do what they felt comfortable doing in trying to gauge Pavano's stuff and what his plan of attack was going to be. 2nd time through the lineup, however, it was swing away. Pavano was throwing fastball down the middle for strike 1 to everybody and they took advantage.
- That being said, I thought the Yankees were a little TOO aggressive in the 4th. Granderson hit the double, Teix singled on the first pitch, and A-Rod was swinging first pitch in the next at-bat. Now he got the run in, but the pitch he hit was outside and would have been a borderline call by the ump. After 2 consecutive guys mashed fastballs over the heart, Pavano was clearly changing his location with his first pitch and it would have been nice to see A-Rod take a pitch or 2, try to work into a hitter's count, and force Pavano to come back over the middle. Same thing applies to Cano on his at-bat, even though he singled.
- That strategy of waiting out Pavano is exactly what Berkman did on his homer in the 5th. Took 2 pitches for balls, worked the count in his favor, and took a hittable pitch and crushed it, going with it to left center. You can't draw it up any better than that.
- Not to harp too much on the negative, since they did win, but that was a horrible job by Cano in the 6th. The Yankees just executed a perfect hit-and-run, had runners on the corners, and Pavano teetering on the edge of disaster again. He was clearly concerned about A-Rod taking 2nd, and Cano needs to be more patient there, take some pitches, and give A-Rod a chance to steal the bag. Instead he reached on another borderline pitch on the outside and hit a lazy flyball to left, changing the whole complexion of the inning.
- Speed bump for Pettitte in the bottom of the 6th after he cruised through the previous 3 innings. The slider to Hudson just hung up a little too high and gave him enough chance to put a good swing on it, bad pitch. But the Delmon Young triple was on home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, who squeezed Pettitte on 2 pitches on the corner, and then 2-0 he had no choice but to throw one for a strike. Young knew it was coming and did what good hitters do.
- But what Hunter Wendelstedt taketh away, he also giveth. It was a hell of a swing on a pretty good pitch, but let's be honest, the previous pitch to Berkman in the top of the 7th before his RBI double was strike 3, no doubt about it. I don't blame Maddon for being pissed and getting run because that was blatant. That one call set the Yankees up for the rest of the inning, and they took advantage.
- Danny Valencia certainly didn't help his pitcher out after the double in the 7th, making 2 bad plays at 3rd on bunts by Gardner and Granderson. On Gardner's he wasn't in enough early to make a play on the ball and on Granderson's he was caught in no man's land and wasn't at 3rd to field a potential throw and force play from Jose Mijares. Kudos to Ron Darling for calling him out on that too. Good to know he can talk about more than just pitching.
- If you would have told me that A-Rod and Cano wouldn't have been able to drive in one run between the 2 of them with 2 at-bats with the bases loaded before the game started, I would have said you were crazy. Hats off to Jon Rauch for sitting them down, but another shitty swing from Cano on his pop out.
- After the Yanks got him the lead back in the top of the inning, huge shutdown innings in the bottom half by Andy, going K, foul out, K on Cuddyer, Kubel, and Valencia. That was the inning they needed and was a great way to end a great outing by Andy.
- Speaking of great, how nasty was Kerry Wood in the 8th?? He struck out J.J. Hardy on a fastball, slider, curve combo, got ahead of Span before retiring him on a weak grounder back to the pitcher on a 95-MPH heater, then K'd Hudson with 3 consecutive fastballs, each filthier than the one before it. 10 pitches, 9 strikes, 3 outs. I was tweaking my nipples by the time the inning was over.
- After smacking Pavano around the park to get the lead, the Yanks turned to their version of small ball to get an insurance run in the 9th. Gardner leads off with a single, moves to 2nd on Jeter's groundout, steals 3rd, and comes home on an RBI bloop single by Granderson, who had a patient at-bat that allowed Gardner to time up Matt Capps and steal the base. When they can combine that with their power, the Yanks are tough to beat.
- Mo was Mo again in the 9th. Good zip on the fastball/cutter and pinpoint location. All memories of his September struggles can be forgotten now.
- It was a cat-and-mouse game between the Yankee lineup and Pavano all night. They were cautiously aggressive first time through the lineup to gauge what he was going, then pounded him early in the count the 2nd time through once they realized he was throwing meatballs to get ahead in the count. That forced Pavano to change his approach and try to pick corners instead of throwing fastball down the middle for strike one, so the Yankees adapted and went back to taking a pitch or 2, hence Posada's leadoff walk in the 7th and all the subsequent damage that followed on what were some of the longest Yankee at-bats of the night. It was a brilliant strategy by New York and made life tough for Pavano. Without swing-and-miss stuff you're going to be in trouble against this lineup.
- On the other side of the pitching matchup, it was like a trip down memory lane watching Andy work. Whatever he and Eiland watched and discussed after the 2nd inning certainly helped because he was much sharper after that. He got his fastball down in the zone, started working the cutter and slider to both sides of the plate, using the slider as his out pitch on a couple big strikeouts, and pitched his best inning in the shutdown bottom of the 7th after the Yankee offense regained the lead for him. Anybody still have questions about the Yankee rotation depth now??
- Last note and it is worth mentioning. Hunter Wendelstedt was awful behind the plate last night. He wasn't calling anything on the inside corner and there were probably 10-12 pitches between both teams that were obvious strikes, and his outside corner seemed to stretch somewhere near the on-deck circle to both righties and lefties. He was consistent, I'll give him that, but consistently bad isn't necessarily a good thing. There were a handful of times where his shitty strike zone drastically changed how pitchers pitched and that's not something you want to see.
Play of The Game: Berkman's RBI Double in the 7th
It came right after the Twins tied it up in the bottom of the 6th, giving the Yankees the lead back and setting them up for a big inning. It also took the re-awakened crowd right back out of the game. Just a crushing blow to the Twins, especially when you consider the circumstances preceding that hit.
Player of The Game: Andy Pettitte
As much as I'd like to give it to Berkman or Granderson (who was awesome), Pettitte's outing was too good to ignore. 7 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 4 K on just 88 pitches. He threw first-pitch strikes to 15 of the 26 batters he faced, and that ratio was probably better from the 3rd inning on. He answered all the questions people had about him and the Yankee rotation moving forward.
Co-Honorable Mentions: Lance Berkman (2-4, 2B, HR, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs. Almost identical to Teix's Game 1 line) and Curtis Granderson (3-4, 2B, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 sac, and a solid job in center)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
ALDS Game 2 Preview: Same Old Story
Pitching Matchup: Pettitte (11-3) vs. Pavano (17-11)
Starting Lineups:
NY: Jeter- SS, Granderson- CF, Teix- 1B, A-Rod- 3B, Cano- 2B, Swish- RF, Posada- C, Berkman- DH, Gardner- RF
Min: Span- CF, Hudson- 2B, Mauer- C, Young- LF, Thome- DH, Cuddyer- 1B, Kubel- RF, Valencia- 3B, Hardy- SS
3 Things To Watch For:
1) Andy's Command
Andy was having the great season he was before his injury because of impeccable command. He was throwing any pitch to any location at any count and hitters didn't have much for him. Since coming back from the injury, however, Pettitte's command has been his issue as in just 7.1 innings he has given up 19 hits and 9 earned runs. The control has been there, evidenced by just 2 walks to 9 Ks, but control and command are 2 different things. Control is the ability to throw a pitch in the strike zone; command is the ability to throw the pitch where you want it to go in the strike zone. Andy's last start was a sign that the command was starting to come back to him, as he didn't walk a batter and struck out 8 in 4 innings. If he can make the mechanical adjustments he's been talking about and get back to where he was earlier in the year, it could be a long night for the Twins. If he struggles and still can't find the command he needs to be successful, it could be a long one for the Yankes.
2) Joe's Hook
This goes hand-in-hand with Andy's command tonight, as it will be interesting to see how much lead Joe gives Andy if he struggles. We saw Dusty Baker remove his starter before the end of the 2nd inning yesterday when it was clear he didn't have it, so how long will Joe leave Andy out to battle and eat up innings if he's off his game? I would imagine Joe will let Andy try to work out of any serious trouble he gets into because that's his style. But if it gets ugly, just how ugly will depend on how quick Joe decides to take him out.
This point also has importance even if Andy is on his game. Because his last 2 outings were short, he still isn't all the way stretched out, only throwing 75 and 88 pitches in those 2 starts. If Andy is cruising, does Joe leave him out there for 90 pitches? 100? What's the cap on his pitch count, if there even is one?
(**Bonus Thing to Watch For: If Andy is out early, who does Joe turn to in the 'pen out of the trio of long relievers (A.J., Mitre, Moseley)? My money would be on Mitre.**)
3) Yanks' Approach vs. Pavano
Definitely worth watching because of Pavano's status as one of the most successful guys in baseball at pitching to contact and because of his past success against the Yankees since leaving (2.66 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 17 Ks in 20.1 IP over 3 outings).
Pavano can certainly be touched up, evidenced by his 227 hits allowed in 221 IP to the tune of a .266 BBA. But the other 2 numbers in that tripleslash against, the .300 OBP and .417 SLG, show where Pavano's success lies in not walking batters and limiting damage on the hits he gives up. His line against rises to .292/.325/.453 against lefties this year in 411 ABs so expect to see Lance Berkman and his 3-9 w/ 3 XBH in the lineup tonight, but what will that lineup do? Liriano tried to pitch against the Yankees' patience by throwing fastballs early to get ahead in the count, but Pavano doesn't have the zip on his heater than Liriano does. The best pitches the Yankees are going to get are going to be early in the count, so do they jump on Pavano early and take their hacks? Or take a strike or 2 and wait for him to make a mistake later in the count? Whatever the approach ends up being, keep an eye on the Twins' outfield defense behind Pavano, where Kubel and Young on the corners are just short of being disasters
Player to Watch: Andy Pettitte
It's all about Andy tonight. Despite the numbers he looked much better in his last start against Boston than in his first one back, and he's already beaten the Twins twice this year when they had Morneau in the lineup. It should be pretty easy to tell how Andy's feeling and how good his command is early by what he's throwing. If he's mixing pitches well and working both sides of the plate, chances are he's got it. If he's missing spots, falling behind in counts, and reverting to the fastball and the cutter a lot, then most likely he still doesn't have the feel for his stuff.
Take note of the Twins' approach against him at the plate tonight. My guess is they will be patient, test the waters to see what he has early, then attack the 2nd time through the lineup. I also wouldn't be surprised if we see Span or Hudson try to lay down a bunt or 2 to test that groin and get Andy moving off the mound. Because of the win last night the Yankees don't need Pettitte to be lights out tonight, just good enough. 5-6 innings of 2-3-run ball will suffice. Anything better than that and we're probably looking at a 2-0 Yankee lead coming back to New York.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Once again it's the ALDS and the Yankees are up on the Twins after coming back from an early deficit and crushing the hopes and dreams of their fans in the late innings. It's not quite the clinching game, but just like last year the Yanks have Andy Pettitte on the mound with a chance to shut down the Twins again and all but lock up the series. It really is the same old song and dance...
Starting Lineups:
NY: Jeter- SS, Granderson- CF, Teix- 1B, A-Rod- 3B, Cano- 2B, Swish- RF, Posada- C, Berkman- DH, Gardner- RF
Min: Span- CF, Hudson- 2B, Mauer- C, Young- LF, Thome- DH, Cuddyer- 1B, Kubel- RF, Valencia- 3B, Hardy- SS
3 Things To Watch For:
1) Andy's Command
Andy was having the great season he was before his injury because of impeccable command. He was throwing any pitch to any location at any count and hitters didn't have much for him. Since coming back from the injury, however, Pettitte's command has been his issue as in just 7.1 innings he has given up 19 hits and 9 earned runs. The control has been there, evidenced by just 2 walks to 9 Ks, but control and command are 2 different things. Control is the ability to throw a pitch in the strike zone; command is the ability to throw the pitch where you want it to go in the strike zone. Andy's last start was a sign that the command was starting to come back to him, as he didn't walk a batter and struck out 8 in 4 innings. If he can make the mechanical adjustments he's been talking about and get back to where he was earlier in the year, it could be a long night for the Twins. If he struggles and still can't find the command he needs to be successful, it could be a long one for the Yankes.
2) Joe's Hook
This goes hand-in-hand with Andy's command tonight, as it will be interesting to see how much lead Joe gives Andy if he struggles. We saw Dusty Baker remove his starter before the end of the 2nd inning yesterday when it was clear he didn't have it, so how long will Joe leave Andy out to battle and eat up innings if he's off his game? I would imagine Joe will let Andy try to work out of any serious trouble he gets into because that's his style. But if it gets ugly, just how ugly will depend on how quick Joe decides to take him out.
This point also has importance even if Andy is on his game. Because his last 2 outings were short, he still isn't all the way stretched out, only throwing 75 and 88 pitches in those 2 starts. If Andy is cruising, does Joe leave him out there for 90 pitches? 100? What's the cap on his pitch count, if there even is one?
(**Bonus Thing to Watch For: If Andy is out early, who does Joe turn to in the 'pen out of the trio of long relievers (A.J., Mitre, Moseley)? My money would be on Mitre.**)
3) Yanks' Approach vs. Pavano
Definitely worth watching because of Pavano's status as one of the most successful guys in baseball at pitching to contact and because of his past success against the Yankees since leaving (2.66 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 17 Ks in 20.1 IP over 3 outings).
Pavano can certainly be touched up, evidenced by his 227 hits allowed in 221 IP to the tune of a .266 BBA. But the other 2 numbers in that tripleslash against, the .300 OBP and .417 SLG, show where Pavano's success lies in not walking batters and limiting damage on the hits he gives up. His line against rises to .292/.325/.453 against lefties this year in 411 ABs so expect to see Lance Berkman and his 3-9 w/ 3 XBH in the lineup tonight, but what will that lineup do? Liriano tried to pitch against the Yankees' patience by throwing fastballs early to get ahead in the count, but Pavano doesn't have the zip on his heater than Liriano does. The best pitches the Yankees are going to get are going to be early in the count, so do they jump on Pavano early and take their hacks? Or take a strike or 2 and wait for him to make a mistake later in the count? Whatever the approach ends up being, keep an eye on the Twins' outfield defense behind Pavano, where Kubel and Young on the corners are just short of being disasters
Player to Watch: Andy Pettitte
It's all about Andy tonight. Despite the numbers he looked much better in his last start against Boston than in his first one back, and he's already beaten the Twins twice this year when they had Morneau in the lineup. It should be pretty easy to tell how Andy's feeling and how good his command is early by what he's throwing. If he's mixing pitches well and working both sides of the plate, chances are he's got it. If he's missing spots, falling behind in counts, and reverting to the fastball and the cutter a lot, then most likely he still doesn't have the feel for his stuff.
Take note of the Twins' approach against him at the plate tonight. My guess is they will be patient, test the waters to see what he has early, then attack the 2nd time through the lineup. I also wouldn't be surprised if we see Span or Hudson try to lay down a bunt or 2 to test that groin and get Andy moving off the mound. Because of the win last night the Yankees don't need Pettitte to be lights out tonight, just good enough. 5-6 innings of 2-3-run ball will suffice. Anything better than that and we're probably looking at a 2-0 Yankee lead coming back to New York.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Once again it's the ALDS and the Yankees are up on the Twins after coming back from an early deficit and crushing the hopes and dreams of their fans in the late innings. It's not quite the clinching game, but just like last year the Yanks have Andy Pettitte on the mound with a chance to shut down the Twins again and all but lock up the series. It really is the same old song and dance...
Look At Those Pants!!
(Photo courtesy of my shitty cell phone camera)
I mean really!! LOOK at those pants!! To call them parachute pants would almost be an underestimate. Maybe the extra drag created by those what was caused CC to mess up his mechanics in the 6th inning.
Game 1 Thoughts And Afterthoughts
(Photo Courtesy of The AP)
- Nice play by Brett Gardner in the 1stinning to get to the ball in left and hold Denard Span to a single. That could have changed the complexion of the innings if Span makes it to 2nd with no outs. THAT'S what Gardner was in the lineup last night against a lefty instead of Kearns.
- Even better play by Cano to end the inning in the 1st, fielding the ball behind the second base bag on the shortstop side and whipping a sidearm through against his body while moving to his right without breaking stride. I didn't hear John Sterling's call on the radio but I'm sure it didn't do the play justice.
- On the Cuddyer home run in the 2nd, I think the Thome HBP rattled CC. His first 2 pitches to Cuddyer after the HBP weren't even close and then behind 2-0 he had to throw one right down the middle. Cuddyer knew it was coming and crushed it. After that CC was able to reset and bear down, but the HBP definitely shook him.
- Jeter looked slow on the fastball in his first two at-bats last night. He swung through one for a strikeout in the 1st and was way late in fouling the first 2 pitches off in the 3rd. After getting down 0-2 in that at-bat, though, it was vintage Jeter as he battled back to a full count and then singled to left on a poorly-placed change.
- Liriano showed the rest of his staff the way to handle A-Rod in the 3rd, fanning him on 3 straight sliders that A-Rod looked awful on. I wouldn't expect to see too many more fastballs for the rest of the series if I'm The Horse.
- Although he looked solid through 3 innings, Liriano was up around 60 pitches already. I said in the preview that if the Yankees could work his pitch count they could get him out early and get to the 'pen and despite being down they were setting that up perfectly through patience on the slider and fouling off pitches.
- Just an awful passed ball by Jorge in the 3rd. I've said it before and I'll say it again: there's no way you can convince me that Jesus Montero is going to be as bad or worse defensively than Jorge.
- Jorge's fuckups aside, CC was not sharp at all through 3 innings. He actually seemed to get worse from the 1st to the 2nd to the 3rd. His command was inconsistent, he was getting behind too many batters by not throwing strike 1, and when he did get ahead in the count his putaway pitches were terrible: either nowhere near the strike zone or catching too much of the plate and being put in play or wasted.
- Liriano cruised through the 4th and 5th once he really got his slider going. He didn't have great command of it in the early innings, but found it in the 4th and 5th and with the faster pace at which he was working, it was obvious he was feeling it.
- The Teix 2B in the 6th was a huge hit for the Yanks because it not only gave them their first scoring opportunity in 3 innings, but it also broke Liriano's momentum and forced him back into the stretch. Once he got back into that, his command seemed to abandon him. Once he had to work hard to get out of the inning, the pitch count came back to bite him and the wheels fell off.
- Big hit by C-Grand in a great at-bat in the 6th. He showed patience against a tiring pitcher, took 2 balls, and sat on the fastball that he absolutely crushed into right field. No way he does that a couple months ago. Thank you, Kevin Long!
- I hate to show no faith in CC, and I'm sure plenty of people will disagree with this statement, but that's a terrible job by Joe in the bottom of the 6th not taking CC out after the Kubel walk. CC started to open his shoulder up and miss with the slider against Thome when he walked him, it got worse against Cuddyer before he grooved another one for a double, and he threw 4 pitches to Kubel that weren't even close. He was done at that point. He was clearly tired and that's why his mechanics failed him. Rookie right-handed hitter or not, CC should have been out of the game to start resting up for Game 4.
I understand he's the ace and that's what you pay him for, but the playoffs aren't about loyalty or reputation or stature, they're about winning. And getting a clearly tired pitcher out of a one-run game for a fresh reliever with a fastball-curveball combo that could have surely struck out Valencia was the winning move in that situation. CC was clearly out there with nothing against Kubel and Valencia and they only reason he managed to get J.J. Hardy out was because he went back to the fastball and because it was J.J. Hardy at the plate.
- Excellent at-bat by Teix in the 7th. He took what Crain gave him, worked some tough fastballs, waited for something off-speed, and made Crain pay for missing way up with a slider.
- The Yankee bullpen was effective, if not a little nerve wracking. Logan did a good job getting the first 2 outs and then fell victim to Joe Mauer being a great hitter, something that there is no shame in. D-Rob was a complete pussy against Delmon Young, the guy he was brought in to face, not even looking like he wanted to pitch to him, then promptly attacked Thome with some of his filthiest curveballs and getting him to strike out. Wood was solid, but experienced some bad luck on the Valencia infield single. I actually thought Joe should have left him in the finish the 8th.
- But alas, Joe went to Mo for a 4-out save and it was the right call to make. After getting behind Denard Span 3-0, Mo battled back to saw him off and then looked like vintage Mo in the 9th, throwing strike one, pounding the zone with the cutter, and getting a 1-2-3-4 innings thanks to some shitty umpiring, breaking multiple bats in the process.
- Francisco Liriano was on early and often, pumping his fastball in for strikes early in the count to set up the slider, which he found in the middle innings. But while it looked like all was well on the surface, the classic Yankee patience worked against him as he reached the dangerous-for-him 100-pitch plateau in the 6th inning. That inning was all it took to turn a dominant outing into a shaky one, and that's what the Yankees can do to you.
- CC was actually worse than Liriano. His slider command was nowhere to be found and his fastball wasn't much better. He had trouble throwing strike one (only 13 of 27 batters faced), and got into trouble by falling behind hitters and then grooving fastballs just for the sake of throwing a strike in obvious fastball counts. Some credit goes to Minnesota for working him, but CC was definitely not as sharp as we're used to seeing him. He'll be working with Eiland before his next start on fixing the mechanical shoulder issue that was his undoing in the 6th.
- It was an up-and-down night for Jeter at the plate. He didn't look great on Liriano's early fastballs, and swung and missed at least once at every type of pitch thrown to him by the Minnesota staff. He showed more patience early in the game and then was first-pitch swinging in the 9th. After getting him to flail on some curveballs in the 7th, keep an eye on how the Twins choose to attack him in Game 2 and beyond.
- Not too much to complain about with EJ, Smoltz, and Ron Darling last night. They did go back and forth a little too much between talking in weird generalities when the situation didn't call for it (i.e.- Darling talking about CC's toughness right after he gave up a home run) and analyzing the action on the field, but overall they were OK. They didn't talk over the action too much, EJ didn't over-dramatize anything, and Darling and Smoltz actually provided some good insight and analysis that you know you wouldn't get from Tim McCarver. At the very least, they're watchable.
- Indian Summers? Artificial dirt in the infield? CC and Orlando Hudson's wives hanging out? Can somebody tell me what the fuck Craig Sager was talking about last night? This ain't "Good Morning America," chief. It's the fucking playoffs. Save the puff pieces and human interest stories for another time and get us viewers some info that actually matters or take your ugly suits and go the fuck home.
- Big fan of the TBS pitch track system and the fact that it actually reverts to a different camera that is squared up to homeplate and shows where pitches truly were when they crossed the plate. Take note, ESPN, since your K-Zone is almost always off.
- Play of The Game- Teix's 2-run HR in the 7th
Granderson's HR had a bit higher WPA value, but the lead he gave the Yankees' was promptly coughed up by CC. Teix came up right after that and regained the lead for his team, sucking the life and energy back out of the stadium that had just been created by the Twins' comeback. Getting the Yanks the lead with their bullpen coming in to lock it down was a huge turning point and turned out to be the game-winning hit.
- Player of The Game- Mark Teixeira
2-5 with a 2B, HR, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, and a couple of solid plays at first base. Yep, that's what Cash signed him for. As bad as he was in the 2009 postseason, this was a great start to get off to for Teix.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
ALDS Game 1 Preview: Aces High
Pitching Matchup: Sabathia (21-7) vs. Liriano (14-10)
Starting Lineups:
NY: Jeter- SS, Swish- RF, Teix- 1B, A-Rod- 3B, Cano- 2B, Thames- DH, Posada- C, G-Grand- CF, Gardner- RF
Min: Denard Span- CF, Orlando Hudson- 2B, Joe Mauer- C, Delmon Young- LF, Jim Thome- DH, Michael Cuddyer- 1B, Jason Kubel- RF, Danny Valencia- 3B, J.J. Hardy- SS
3 Things to Watch For:
1) Liriano's Pitch Count
Liriano is the best pitcher on the Twins staff, no doubt about it. But he's not the workhorse CC is. He averaged fewer than 100 pitches per start, and down the stretch he threw 100 or more pitches in only 2 of his final 6 starts and 80 or fewer pitches in 2 of them as well. Per this fantastically-done scouting report by Stephen R. at TYU, Liriano is also very methodical when it comes to his pitch selection and what he throws based on what the count is. If the Yankees are patient and can lay off early sliders out of the zone, they can not only get themselves into favorable hitters' counts where they can look for fastballs, but they can also drive up Liriano's pitch count. Having not thrown into the 110-120 range since his last outing against the Yankees in May, Ron Gardenhire would be more likely to go to his 'pen if Liriano gets up around 90-100 pitches in the 5th or 6th inning rather than risk letting a tiring pitcher get shelled.
2) Twins' Aggressiveness on the Basepaths
The Red Sox brought what was already a glaring defensive weakness of the Yankees even more to the forefront with their 4-stolen base extravaganza off of Mo and Jorge Posada. It will be interesting to see how the Twins try to attack Posada if they get their speed guys on. With extra days off to rest him and no A.J. in the rotation, there is no need for Cervelli to be starting behind the plate, especially since he isn't much better at throwing baserunners out than Jorge, but if the Twins are aggressive and turn the basepaths into a merry-go-round, it could force Joe to change his strategy and his lineup moving forward.
3) The Bullpen Matchup Game
In a perfect world we would get to see 8 innings of CC and 1 inning of Mo tonight and we could all go to bed happy. But with the plan to bring CC back for Game 4 on short rest, I can't imagine Joe letting him out there for 120 pitches tonight, so chances are it will come down to a battle of the bullpens in the late innings. Joe and Ron Gardenhire love to mix and match and play the situations, and Joe was certainly the winner of that chess match in last year's division series, so who can push the right buttons and make the right calls this year? Who the 2 skippers go to tonight, when they choose to use a particular pitcher, and who they choose to use him against will be a big predictor of what the pecking order is in both 'pens and what we can expect to see in the later innings for the rest of the series.
Player to Watch: Derek Jeter
It's been tough watching Jeter's decline this season, even more so when you consider just how long he has been so great and how spoiled we've all been watching that greatness. But facts are facts, and Jeter has finally started to decline and play like the 37-year-old he is.
That being said, Jeter did experience a bit of a renaissance at the end of the regular season after swallowing his pride and working with Kevin Long. Over his final 20 games he hit .342 (27 for 79) with 15 runs scored, 7 RBIs, and 12 BB. He was more patient at the plate and his swing was much more balanced, not the reaching hacks that led to the countless groundouts to short we've seen this year.
What Jeter does at the plate tonight could shine some light on the Yankees' gameplan against Liriano. Will he be patient and wait for a fastball in a hitter's count or will he jump on those first few sliders if they're close? If Jeter can take some pitches and show the rest of the lineup how Liriano is going to work, it will go a long way in setting the Yankees up for success the 2nd and 3rd time in the lineup. And if he can get on base, he could help the guys behind him get a few more pitches to hit as the Twins might not want to risk leaning on Liriano's slider for risk of it being thrown for a wild pitch.
It's the two aces on the hill tonight to kick things off as it should be. In keeping up with a great tradition started by the boys at the currently dormant Fack Youk, AB4AR will have a little musical accompaniment for tonight's matchup and every game from here on out this postseason. With the previously mentioned aces involved tonight, you know it has to be Motorhead.
Starting Lineups:
NY: Jeter- SS, Swish- RF, Teix- 1B, A-Rod- 3B, Cano- 2B, Thames- DH, Posada- C, G-Grand- CF, Gardner- RF
Min: Denard Span- CF, Orlando Hudson- 2B, Joe Mauer- C, Delmon Young- LF, Jim Thome- DH, Michael Cuddyer- 1B, Jason Kubel- RF, Danny Valencia- 3B, J.J. Hardy- SS
3 Things to Watch For:
1) Liriano's Pitch Count
Liriano is the best pitcher on the Twins staff, no doubt about it. But he's not the workhorse CC is. He averaged fewer than 100 pitches per start, and down the stretch he threw 100 or more pitches in only 2 of his final 6 starts and 80 or fewer pitches in 2 of them as well. Per this fantastically-done scouting report by Stephen R. at TYU, Liriano is also very methodical when it comes to his pitch selection and what he throws based on what the count is. If the Yankees are patient and can lay off early sliders out of the zone, they can not only get themselves into favorable hitters' counts where they can look for fastballs, but they can also drive up Liriano's pitch count. Having not thrown into the 110-120 range since his last outing against the Yankees in May, Ron Gardenhire would be more likely to go to his 'pen if Liriano gets up around 90-100 pitches in the 5th or 6th inning rather than risk letting a tiring pitcher get shelled.
2) Twins' Aggressiveness on the Basepaths
The Red Sox brought what was already a glaring defensive weakness of the Yankees even more to the forefront with their 4-stolen base extravaganza off of Mo and Jorge Posada. It will be interesting to see how the Twins try to attack Posada if they get their speed guys on. With extra days off to rest him and no A.J. in the rotation, there is no need for Cervelli to be starting behind the plate, especially since he isn't much better at throwing baserunners out than Jorge, but if the Twins are aggressive and turn the basepaths into a merry-go-round, it could force Joe to change his strategy and his lineup moving forward.
3) The Bullpen Matchup Game
In a perfect world we would get to see 8 innings of CC and 1 inning of Mo tonight and we could all go to bed happy. But with the plan to bring CC back for Game 4 on short rest, I can't imagine Joe letting him out there for 120 pitches tonight, so chances are it will come down to a battle of the bullpens in the late innings. Joe and Ron Gardenhire love to mix and match and play the situations, and Joe was certainly the winner of that chess match in last year's division series, so who can push the right buttons and make the right calls this year? Who the 2 skippers go to tonight, when they choose to use a particular pitcher, and who they choose to use him against will be a big predictor of what the pecking order is in both 'pens and what we can expect to see in the later innings for the rest of the series.
Player to Watch: Derek Jeter
It's been tough watching Jeter's decline this season, even more so when you consider just how long he has been so great and how spoiled we've all been watching that greatness. But facts are facts, and Jeter has finally started to decline and play like the 37-year-old he is.
That being said, Jeter did experience a bit of a renaissance at the end of the regular season after swallowing his pride and working with Kevin Long. Over his final 20 games he hit .342 (27 for 79) with 15 runs scored, 7 RBIs, and 12 BB. He was more patient at the plate and his swing was much more balanced, not the reaching hacks that led to the countless groundouts to short we've seen this year.
What Jeter does at the plate tonight could shine some light on the Yankees' gameplan against Liriano. Will he be patient and wait for a fastball in a hitter's count or will he jump on those first few sliders if they're close? If Jeter can take some pitches and show the rest of the lineup how Liriano is going to work, it will go a long way in setting the Yankees up for success the 2nd and 3rd time in the lineup. And if he can get on base, he could help the guys behind him get a few more pitches to hit as the Twins might not want to risk leaning on Liriano's slider for risk of it being thrown for a wild pitch.
It's the two aces on the hill tonight to kick things off as it should be. In keeping up with a great tradition started by the boys at the currently dormant Fack Youk, AB4AR will have a little musical accompaniment for tonight's matchup and every game from here on out this postseason. With the previously mentioned aces involved tonight, you know it has to be Motorhead.
ALDS Preview: The Prediction
I know everyone's down on the Yankees this year. I know everybody in the mainstream media thinks their pitching is nothing but CC and that Mo is done and this is the year that the Twins finally get over the hump. I know everybody thinks Jeter is washed up and Jorge is too old and Teix is too hurt and Cano has never gotten it done in the postseason. I know all that and I still just don't see Minnesota beating the Yanks in this series, even with the homefield advantage.
The Yankee lineup is far deeper and more dangerous that Minnesota's and much better equipped to handle left-handed pitching. The Yankee rotation, despite being short, still has the potential to be more of a shutdown rotation than Minnesota's due to their combined stuff, experience, and their ability to miss bats. And even though the bullpens both look stacked on paper, Minnesota might be without Jon Rauch because of his knee injury, and their relievers, like their starters, pitch to a lot of contact, something that gets teams in trouble against the Yankee lineup.
Anyway you try to cut it, the Yankees are just a little bit better than the Twins in every category and that's what will propel them past the Twins once again. I see a split in the first 2 games in Minnesota and then the Yanks wrapping it up at home with 2 straight wins.
Prediction: Yankees in 4.
** Check back later this afternoon for AB4AR's new Game-by-Game Playoff Preview Format **
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Thoughts On The Yankee ALDS Roster
I almost had it nailed, but 24 out of 25 ain't bad. Here's who Joe decided to take:
Lineup: Jeter, Swish, Teix, The Horse, Cano, Jorge, Berkman, C-Grand, Gardner
Rotation: CC, Andy, Hughes
Bullpen: Mo, Wood, D-Rob, Boone Logan, Joba, A.J., Mitre, Moseley
Bench: Cervelli, Thames, Kearns, Pena, Golson
I can't really argue or say I'm surprised with any of that. We all know that Eduardo Nunez is a better stick and baserunner than Pena, but there was no way he was getting on based on seniority. And I thought Nova was the better option as the other bullpen guy because of his success the first time through a lineup and the fact that Minnesota hadn't seen him, but Moseley having a bit more experience and a few instances of a job well done in long relief probably swung more in his favor and overrode the fact that he doesn't miss bats.
In any case, the lineup is set. Thames and Berkman should see the same amount of plate appearances with Minnesota's alternating of righties and lefties. Golson gives Joe the late-game speed option he loves, but if Swish's knee is good to go then I wouldn't use him to run for anybody except Jorge or whoever is DH'ing. And it will be interesting to see where A.J. fits in the hierarchy of long relief with Mitre and Moseley also on board, that is if Joe decides to use him at all.
Lineup: Jeter, Swish, Teix, The Horse, Cano, Jorge, Berkman, C-Grand, Gardner
Rotation: CC, Andy, Hughes
Bullpen: Mo, Wood, D-Rob, Boone Logan, Joba, A.J., Mitre, Moseley
Bench: Cervelli, Thames, Kearns, Pena, Golson
I can't really argue or say I'm surprised with any of that. We all know that Eduardo Nunez is a better stick and baserunner than Pena, but there was no way he was getting on based on seniority. And I thought Nova was the better option as the other bullpen guy because of his success the first time through a lineup and the fact that Minnesota hadn't seen him, but Moseley having a bit more experience and a few instances of a job well done in long relief probably swung more in his favor and overrode the fact that he doesn't miss bats.
In any case, the lineup is set. Thames and Berkman should see the same amount of plate appearances with Minnesota's alternating of righties and lefties. Golson gives Joe the late-game speed option he loves, but if Swish's knee is good to go then I wouldn't use him to run for anybody except Jorge or whoever is DH'ing. And it will be interesting to see where A.J. fits in the hierarchy of long relief with Mitre and Moseley also on board, that is if Joe decides to use him at all.
ALDS Preview: 3 Things That Will Decide The Series
Just like last year, it's the Yankees and the Twins in the American League Division Series. This year the roles have been reversed as the Twins have the homefield advantage and the Yankees come in as the Wild Card but still the odds-on favorite. The Yankees were 4-2 against the Twins in the regular season, taking 2 out of 3 at The Stadium and 2 out of 3 at Target Field behind 4 good pitching performances in the wins and 2 shitty ones in the losses. Almost all of the same faces from those series will be present here, along with some new ones (Matt Capps and Brian Fuentes for the Twins. Kearns, Berkman, and Kerry Wood for the Yanks). Here are the 3 keys to winning the series, and no, none of them have anything to do with intangibles or the scrappiness of Nick Punto.
1) Hitting Left-Handed Pitching
The book on the Twins is that they struggle against lefties because of their lefty-heavy lineup. The only significant right-handed bat in their lineup is Delmon Young, with maybe Michael Cuddyer getting half a vote. Because of that, the Yankees are going to load up on their lefties and give CC and Andy 4 of the 5 starts in the series and try to neutralize the Joe Mauers, Jim Thomes, and Jason Kubels of the world, something Andy has already done twice this year.
The Yankees are also traditionally known as a team that struggles against lefties, although they succeeded in disproving that theory for most of the regular season. The Yankees are better equipped to face lefty pitching as they possess more switch hitters than the Twins and the option of subbing Marcus Thames in for Lance Berkman, and that will come in handy as the Twins also plan to use 2 lefties in their rotation, albeit 2 lefties against whom the Yankees have had success, Liriano and Duensing.
In looking at each team's performance against LHP this year, the stats break down like this:
- Yankees: .268/.357/.433 in 1811 ABs w/ 168 XBH, 252 RBIs, and 229 BB
- Twins: .268/.336/.400 in 1865 ABs w/ 156 XBH, 223 RBIs, and 191 BB
The numbers show both teams hitting lefties at about the same clip, with the Yankees doing more with their hits and drawing more walks, a testament to both the danger their lineup presents and their traditional patience at the plate. Also worth noting is the fact that Minnesota's left-handed batters all have OPS numbers against LHP below their seasonal OPS values (for example, Thomes: 1.039 on the season, .769 vs. lefties). The Yankees, however, have 5 regulars who posted OPS' above .833 for the year against lefties, including Robinson Cano. Only Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner have low values against lefties, and Gardner's OPS of .725 is still higher than that of Joe Mauer (.711).
With both teams employing 2 lefties in their rotations and featuring solid specialists out of the bullpen (Boone Logan for the Yanks, and the reborn Brian Fuentes for Minnesota), how they choose to build their lineups against those pitchers and how those lineups perform will be a big factor in determining victory. The Yankees' ability to match up well with lefties due to their lineup flexibility and the Twins' lack of significant bench options (as discussed yesterday) should give New York the advantage here.
2) Production From The Leadoff Spot
Something that may not stand out as being overly important in the regular season can make all the difference in a postseason series where every run matters, especially in close games. Getting the leadoff runner on changes the whole complexion of an inning. It gives the team batting a multitude of options to try to move the runner over and set themselves up for a big inning and it changes the pitcher's entire approach against the next hitter. It also can take the pitcher's focus off the batter a bit and lead to poor pitches, which the Yankee lineup is more than equipped to make opposing hurlers pay for.
Once again for the sake of comparison, here is how the Yankees and Twins stacked up from the leadoff spot:
- Yankees: .284/.358/.385 in 697 ABs
- Twins: .260/.328/.352 in 677 ABs
The numbers show the Yankees having a clear advantage in this department, which may come as a bit of a surprise considering how much discussion there was about Jeter needing to be removed from the leadoff role because of his down year. But Jeter has come around over the last few weeks of the regular season after sitting down with the God of Hitting, Kevin Long. He hasn't been reaching at pitches as much and is seeing more pitches in his at-bats, something you want a leadoff hitter to do. With another guy who sees a lot of pitches hitting behind him in Nick Swisher, the Yankees are set up well to take advantage should Jeter get on base.
For all the talk about how bad Jeter was this year, his leadoff counterpart, Denard Span, had numbers below Jeter's across the board. Span's BA, OBP, SLG, hits, walks, and runs scored are all below Jeter's totals in just 34 fewer at-bats. Without Justin Morneau in the lineup, the Twins are going to have to get runs however they can, and it all starts with Span getting on base. His speed makes him a danger to steal bases or to hit-and-run. The more he can work his way on, especially against the Yankee starters, the better of Minnesota is going to be. Keeping Span off the bases should be a high priority for the Yankees, if for no other reason than to limit the chances he has to run on the noodle-armed combo of Posada and Cervelli.
3) Hitting With Runners In Scoring Position
Always one of the most important facets of the game and one that will almost always show a direct correlation between succeeding at this and winning ball games. As with all other situational statistics, this one becomes even more valuable in the playoffs. Here's how the Yanks and Twins compare:
- Yankees: .258/.363/.420 in 1499 ABs w/ 626 runs scored and 244 BB
- Twins: .285/.363/.417 in 1451 ABs w/ 601 runs scored and 196 BB
The Twins have hit much better in this situation this year than the Yankees, but have less to show for it. The Yankees have generated 25 more runs in just 48 more at-bats despite hitting almost 30 points lower than Minnesota. It's not too hard to figure out that this is due to the Yankees' team power, but the walks also shed some light on why the Yanks have score more runs with RISP. The fact that they have taken 48 more walks than the Twins shows the benefits of the Yankees' patience. Even if they don't drive in a run with the walk, they are still creating another situation for the next batter with RISP. If pitchers try to get cute and pitch around the A-Rods and Mark Teixeiras of the world, the Yankees have shown the ability this season to remain patient, not chase pitches, and pass the baton on to the next guy in line to come through in the clutch. In a sense the Yankees force the opposing pitcher to throw strikes and then they make the most of the pitches they get to hit.
You can bet that Joe and Ron Gardenhire have already checked the stat books on which guys thrive in the RISP situation and which guys falter. Here are the best and worst 2 out of the guys we know are going to play for both teams:
- Yanks' 2 Best: Teixeira (.963 OPS) & Cano (.921 OPS) w/ a combined 37 XBH and 150 RBIs
- Yanks' 2 Worst: Posada (.703 OPS) & Gardner (.673 OPS)
- Twins' 2 Best: Mauer (.923 OPS) & Young (.911 OPS)
- Twins' 2 Worst: J.J. Hardy (.664 OPS) & Hudson (.524 OPS)
In addition to their top guys, the Yankees also have 3 guys with OPS w/ RISP above .839 (Berkman, A-Rod, and Swish) and 2 guys with OPS at .788 (C-Grand and Jeter). The Twins have nobody else with an OPS value above .800 after Mauer and Young. Surprisingly enough, for all the damage he's done in limited at-bats this season, Marcus Thames is only hitting .214/.266/.393 with RISP this year.
An interesting sidebar to the RISP topic is the combination of double plays grounded into and runners left on base, 2 categories that each team was high in this season. The Twins actually led the American League this year with 158 GIDP. The Yankees had 124, although it seemed like 100-110 of those came in the last 6 weeks of the season. On the other side, the Yankees were 2nd in the AL with 1228 runners LOB this year to the Twins' 1156. The high LOB count points back to the Yanks' low BA with RISP so it will be interesting to see how each of those stats plays out over the series as neither is a sign of success with RISP and a double play is the ultimate rally killer.
Success with RISP can be tied back to the last topic of leadoff hitter success. The more the leadoff hitter gets on, the more opportunities you have to create RISP situations, and with the Yankees' heart of the order, they are poised to capitalize in these situations, especially against a starting pitching staff that pitches to contact. The Yankees got the bigger hits in clutch situations last year (see: A-Rod homer off of Nathan; Teix homer off of Mijares), but they have struggled down the stretch to generate runs, especially with men on base.
With 2 teams this closely matched, the series may come down to just one or two situations where a team needs a hit with RISP. Whichever team can get those hits will win this series.
Heartwarming Yanks-Sox Story To Get Your Tuesday Off To A Good Start
"Police arrested a Yankees fan Saturday after he allegedly stabbed a Red Sox fan in the neck over an argument about their baseball teams’ rivalry at a restaurant in Branford, Conn., police said.
Nashua remains in critical condition after John Mayor, 45, of New Haven allegedly stabbed him with a knife at the Chowder Pot Restaurant around 10:45 p.m., according to a news release from the Branford Police Department.
“Unfortunately, witnesses were telling us the disturbances emanated from a dispute over certainly that: the Yankees and Red Sox,’’ Captain Geoffrey Morgan said in a phone interview.
Mayor is facing several charges, including assault in the first degree. In addition, he is being held on a $500,000 bond. His arraignment is set for today, pending his release from the hospital." (story via Boston.com)
Nice!!! High five for you, John Mayor! I'm sure that asshole deserved it because, let's face it, there really is no argument about who the better team is when it comes to the Yankees and the Red Sox. So obviously Mayor won that argument and then punctuated his victory with a good old neck stabbing. That's just great hustle right there.
A diehard fan like that should be rewarded. Somebody get Hank and Hal on the phone to bail this dude out and hook him up with some field-level seats for Game 3.
It's stories like this that make me proud to be a Yankee fan.
Monte Freire, 43, of
“Unfortunately, witnesses were telling us the disturbances emanated from a dispute over certainly that: the Yankees and Red Sox,’’ Captain Geoffrey Morgan said in a phone interview.
Mayor is facing several charges, including assault in the first degree. In addition, he is being held on a $500,000 bond. His arraignment is set for today, pending his release from the hospital." (story via Boston.com)
Nice!!! High five for you, John Mayor! I'm sure that asshole deserved it because, let's face it, there really is no argument about who the better team is when it comes to the Yankees and the Red Sox. So obviously Mayor won that argument and then punctuated his victory with a good old neck stabbing. That's just great hustle right there.
A diehard fan like that should be rewarded. Somebody get Hank and Hal on the phone to bail this dude out and hook him up with some field-level seats for Game 3.
It's stories like this that make me proud to be a Yankee fan.
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Horse Wins AL Player Of The Month For September
I guess that's what a .309/.385/.667 tripleslash with 9 homers and a league high 26 RBIs while also playing flawless defense at the hot corner gets you these days.
I'd like to say I'm surprised at this after how much time A-Rod missed with his injury, but then I remembered that this is his time of year. When the money is on the table, The Horse can get it done like nobody's business and he was just warming himself up to run roughshod over every pitcher this postseason like he did last year. So it all makes sense really, and I really don't need to get excited about him winning Player of The Month or anything like that.
I'm saving my excitement for the World Series MVP Award that someone's going to be handing him in about a month.
I'd like to say I'm surprised at this after how much time A-Rod missed with his injury, but then I remembered that this is his time of year. When the money is on the table, The Horse can get it done like nobody's business and he was just warming himself up to run roughshod over every pitcher this postseason like he did last year. So it all makes sense really, and I really don't need to get excited about him winning Player of The Month or anything like that.
I'm saving my excitement for the World Series MVP Award that someone's going to be handing him in about a month.
ALDS Breakdown In A Nutshell: Benches & Bullpens
Yankee Bench:
Plenty of solid options for the Yankees off the bench, both as situational or late-game substitutions or guys who can step into the starting lineup and produce. Cervelli has caught the majority of the innings this year thanks to Posada's injuries. He's never going to hit a lot or hit for power, but he works the count, puts the ball in play, and hits well in the clutch. He's also been swinging a hotter bat of late after a dreadful summer. Marcus Thames is the righty DH option who should see plenty of ABs against Liriano and Duensing. With the way he mashed this season, the argument can be made that he was Cash's best off-season move. Austin Kearns has some power and can play an adequate outfield, but he shouldn't get too much run in the playoffs unless one of the regulars gets hurt. The utility infield spot is "6 one, half dozen the other" with Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez, and I still think Pena gets the nod because of he's defense and experience. Greg Golson will be the late-game baserunning threat for Joe in close games and could spell Swish in RF if the knee is still bothering him.
Twins Bench:
Not a lot to speak about here on paper, with the Nick Puntos, Drew Buteras, and Jason Repkos of the world likely making the roster. Basically the Twins bench is a collection of guys who can fill in for 100-200 ABs a year as needed, but there's a reason they are on the bench. J.J. Hardy and Alexi Casilla are basically interchangeable on the left side of the infield. Matt Tolbert could be used as the Twins' version of a late-game pace changer on the basepaths, but overall the Twins bench is not nearly as deep or dangerous as that of the Yankees, especially considering one of those roster spots would have belonged to Justin Morneau. Most of these guys can speak more about their defensive value than prowess at the plate, but in the playoffs even a guy like Jason Repko can become a hero.
Yankee Bullpen:
Stacked to the brim with quality setup guys: Kerry Wood, D-Rob, Boone Logan, and Joba, all of whom Joe has mixed and matched with over the last 4-6 weeks to build the bridge to Mo. Wood has emerged as the primary 8th-inning option and my bet is Joe uses him for that role because of his experience. D-Rob will probably be the first candidate to be the fireman in the 5th, 6th, or 7th inning should a starter get in trouble, and Logan will be used almost exclusively as the lefty specialist. Mo has had his problems lately, but after working with Dave Eiland he seems to have his issues figured out, which is good timing for the Yanks. The smart money would be on Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova being brought on as the long men, but don't rule out Chad Gaudin, who Joe used a lot down the stretch.
Twins Bullpen:
Like the Yankees, the Twins are stacked with quality setup men: Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, and Brian Fuentes. Unlike the Yankees, however, the Twins' 'pen was a major contributor to their downfall last year in the ALDS. Joe Nathan won't be here to choke away any saves this time around, and Matt Capps has been solid since the Twins acquired him at the deadline, but he's never had to face the heart of the Yankee order in the bottom of the 9th in front of a packed house full of crazed Yankee fans at The Stadium before. Joe Nathan buckled under that pressure last year, who knows if Capps has the hair on his peaches to not repeat that meltdown. Hopefully the Twins are gracious enough to include lefty Jose Mijares again this year. Knowing he's in the bullpen in extra innings if the Yanks need to score a run is a good feeling.
ALDS Breakdown In A Nutshell: The Rotations
Yankees:
Right now we know that CC is getting the ball in Game 1 on Wednesday, but not much after that. Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes will definitely get the next 2 starts, with Joe more likely to use Andy in Game 2 and Phil in Game 3 to set up Andy and his big game experience for a Game 5 start on the road if necessary. The big question mark is A.J. Burnett, who looms over this 3-man rotation like a pigeon over a just-washed car. He has done nothing to earn a start in this series, and given the scheduled off-days he should not get one, but Joe has yet to come out and say one way or another what A.J.'s role is going to be. In all likelihood the Yankees will go with the 3-man rotation, the setup that gives them the best chance to win, and go CC, Andy, Phil, CC (short rest), Andy (regular rest) if the series goes 5 games. Andy has already beaten the Twins twice this season, putting up 14.1 innings of 10-hit, 3-walk, 2-run, 6-K ball. While neither Hughes nor CC faced Minnesota this season, CC has a track record of success against them throughout his career to go with his track record of success in big games as a Yankee, and Phil's limited exposure against the Twins could work to his advantage in his start, as he saw success early in the year against teams who had not seen him.
Twins:
Minnesota has already announced that they will use a 4-man rotation of Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing, and Nick Blackburn, giving them a lefty-righty-lefty-righty split and setting them up for Liriano getting the Game 5 start if necessary. Liriano has traditionally been a Yankee whipping boy, and did give up 17 hits in just 13 IP in his 2 starts against them this season, but he also only allowed 5 runs in those 2 starts and had an impressive 7/1 K/BB ratio. Pavano was arguably the ace of the Twins' staff this year, with 7 complete games, and the decision to start him in Game 2 is smart by Ron Gardenhire as it will help him avoid the unrelenting verbal abuse (and possibly a D-battery or 2) that would have been hurled Pavano's way at The Stadium. Duensing has seen the Yankees 3 times this year, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 2 Ks over 4 combined innings out of the bullpen. He has been solid since entering the rotation, but his last few starts were not as strong. Blackburn, while his numbers don't suggest he should have a start over Scott Baker, has beaten the Yankees twice this season, going 7+ innings in each start and never allowing more than 3 ER in either outing. This matchup play is a roll of the dice by Gardenhire, but one that could work out for him if the series makes it to Game 4. At the very least, the Twins won't have to worry about anybody's fatigue factor thanks to the extra man.
ALDS Breakdown In A Nutshell: The Lineups
Yankees:
Simple put, the Yankees have the deepest and best lineup in baseball. Their balance of righties, lefties, and switch hitters makes them very difficult to match up with. They have 3 guys with 100+ runs scored (Teix, Jeter, Cano), 3 guys with 100+ RBIs (A-Rod, Cano, Teix), they were just 2 HR short of having 4 guys with 30+ (Teix, A-Rod, Cano, Swish), and their starting lineup for the series will feature nobody with an OPS below .700 and 5 regulars with an OPS above .800. On top of that is the fact that the lineup is finally back to full strength after having people spend significant portions of time in August on the DL. Now Fat Elvis, Jorge, and The Horse are healthy, and the Yanks' lineup will have one of their hottest hitters (C-Grand) in the 8-spot. Jeter seems to have gotten his shit together at the top of the lineup as well and Brett Gardner is leadoff hitter hitting in the 9-hole, so in theory the Yanks are coming in loaded with a lineup that has no holes.
Twins:
With Justin Morneau, this is also one of the deepest lineups in baseball. Luckily, he and his 1.017 OPS versus the Yankees won't be in the lineup, but even without him the Twins are nothing to sneeze at. Denard Span and Orlando Hudson are scrappy professional hitters at the top who can cause havoc on the bases with their speed. Joe Mauer is one of the best hitters in the game, Delmon Young finally stepped up to the next level this year with 112 RBIs in Morneau's absence, and Jim Thome can still mash the fuck out of any bad pitch you make. The bottom of the Twins lineup isn't as dangerous on paper as that of the Bombers, but Jason Kubel and rookie Danny Valencia can still make you pay. The Twins don't get on base as much as the Yankees but were still 2nd in the AL in team OBP (.342). With an abundance of lefties in the lineup, the Twins can be succeptible to left-handed pitching, something the Yankees have plenty of, but anyway you look at it, this is one of the 5 best offensive teams in the AL.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
162 Down, 11 To Go
The bad news is that the Yankees stumbled across the finish line of the regular season with 2 straight losses to their most hated rivals. But that's to be expected when they're rolling out A.J. and Dustin Moseley with big games on the line.
The worse news is that, in the process of choking the last 2 games away, the Yankees blew their control of their own destiny, blew a slim division lead they had built heading into this past weekend, blew the division championship, and lost homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
The good news is that the Yankees are still going to be playing baseball in October. Any way you look at it, they are one of the best teams in baseball and have to be considered one of the favorites for the World Series.
The better news is that they have CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, and the rest of the deepest lineup in baseball. They've got a bullpen full of power arms anchored by the greatest closer in the history of baseball, Mariano Rivera. And they've got a rabid fanbase full of the most dedciated, supportive fans behind them and almost 100 years of tradition and history on their side.
It's gonna be exciting and it's gonna be fun. It's just too bad we have to wait to Wednesday to get it started.
The worse news is that, in the process of choking the last 2 games away, the Yankees blew their control of their own destiny, blew a slim division lead they had built heading into this past weekend, blew the division championship, and lost homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
The good news is that the Yankees are still going to be playing baseball in October. Any way you look at it, they are one of the best teams in baseball and have to be considered one of the favorites for the World Series.
The better news is that they have CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, and the rest of the deepest lineup in baseball. They've got a bullpen full of power arms anchored by the greatest closer in the history of baseball, Mariano Rivera. And they've got a rabid fanbase full of the most dedciated, supportive fans behind them and almost 100 years of tradition and history on their side.
It's gonna be exciting and it's gonna be fun. It's just too bad we have to wait to Wednesday to get it started.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Thanks For The Freebie, Bill
I said before the season started that Bill Hall was a shitty signing and that no one in Wisco was sad to see his ass leave and 6 months later he proves why.
And that fact that it happens with Papelbon on the mound to take the L just makes it that much sweeter. I don't know what it is that spawns my hatred for him, but at this point I would laugh hysterically if I found out he had AIDS and then take the day off from work the next day to celebrate it.
It got a little hairy, but a win's a win and the Yanks still control their own destiny heading into the second game. Not a bad spot to be in.
Let's do some work tonight, boys...
And that fact that it happens with Papelbon on the mound to take the L just makes it that much sweeter. I don't know what it is that spawns my hatred for him, but at this point I would laugh hysterically if I found out he had AIDS and then take the day off from work the next day to celebrate it.
It got a little hairy, but a win's a win and the Yanks still control their own destiny heading into the second game. Not a bad spot to be in.
Let's do some work tonight, boys...
Friday, October 1, 2010
Mets Make Their First Good Decision In Years
... And ruin one of my biggest sources for comedic posts in the process. Via the NY Daily News:
Friday Afternoon Free-Flowing Yankee Musings
- There's been a ton of talk surrounding the Yankees ALDS pitching rotation. The simplest way to figure it out is to wait and see whether or not the Yankees can win the division this weekend. If they do and they get homefield advantage, they should go CC, Andy, Phil, CC, Andy and if they don't then go CC, Phil, Andy, CC, Phil. I would want to take advantage of Hughes' road/home splits and get him pitching on the road where he has been much better this season. I also wouldn't have any qualms about starting him in a Game 5 after his performance against Boston in his last outing.
- It goes without saying that A.J. Burnett, regardless of what he does in his last start of the year on Saturday, should not be a part of any ALDS rotation discussion. In fact, I wouldn't even let him sit in the dugout or bullpen infecting everybody else with his moping. Keep him in the clubhouse with a plate and can of whipped cream ready in case the Yankees win a walkoff. Teammates faces are pretty much the only spots he can these days anyway (BOOSH!)
- And speaking of A.J., there is something to be said for the job the Yankees have done this year despite having A.J. and Javy Vazquez make a combined 58 starts. In a season in which these 2 secured the new 3rd and 4th places in Yankee history for highest season ERA for pitchers who made 25 or more starts and the Yankees lost an overwhelming majority of the games in which these 2 started, the team is still going to finish somewhere around 30 games over .500. Not too shabby when over a 3rd of your team's starts on the season (36.42% to be exact after A.J.'s start on Saturday) were made by 2 of the statistically worst pitchers in franchise history.
- If the Yankees are seriously considering using 15 position players and only 10 pitchers on their ALDS roster, they are out of the minds. Pitching wins championships and you always want as much of it as you can get. Close playoff games tend to grind to a halt with all the strategic pitching moves made, and it pays to have those extra arms on staff if needed. There is way more value in another long man (Mitre, Nova) who can give you multiple innings in the 13th, 14th, or 15th of a tie game than a 5th infielder (Nunez), especially with the extra off-days between games providing added rest to your starters.
- One thing I'm not looking forward to in the postseason is all the talk that will come up about Joe's 2011 plans and whether or not he's going to go take the job in Chicago. Joe's not going anywhere, people. The Yankee brass will never allow it to happen. Having to read about it is bad enough, but having to watch boobs like Ken Rosenthal and Eric Karros talk about it is going to be even more painful.
- It's all but certain that Jesus Montero will be on the Yankee roster at some point next season. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees juggle him, Jorge, and Cervelli behind the plate. Given that Posada is horrendous behind the plate and Cervelli wasn't as great as advertised this year, I think Montero should be given a fair shot at winning the full-time job outright. If he doesn't, however, I would have him and Cervelli split the catching duties with Jorge getting the lion's share of the time at DH. Then, on Jesus' catching off-days, he could be used as a late-game pinch hitter for Cervelli if needed and finish behind the plate to keep Jorge healthy.
- It's hard to pick nits when he's had a monster year, but where have you gone, Robbie Cano? Just a .262/.304/.346 tripleslash in September? His season OPS is below .900 for the first time all year. Not to mention tying his season low with just 6 walks while also tying his season high with 15 strikeouts. I thought he was going to be a sure bet for 120+ RBIs and 120+ runs scored and he barely crawled across the line of 100 in both categories. Not exactly the way to make an impact in the minds of the MVP voters.
- For more Cano MVP discussion, check out this awesome statistical breakdown and comparison of some key stats by Joe Paw at RAB. I still think Cano is firmly entrenched in the Top 5 of the MVP vote, but he's got no chance to win. For the record, my vote would be 1) Josh Hamilton, 2) Miggy Cabrera, 3) Adrian Beltre, 4) Robbie Cano, 5) Carl Crawford.
- And also for the record, while I'd love to see CC get the Cy Young, it just ain't gonna happen. I would vote 1) King Felix, 2) David Price, 3) CC, 4) Jon Lester, 5) Clay Buchholz.
**UPDATE- 3:09PM- BONUS MUSING**
- Andy, invest:
- It goes without saying that A.J. Burnett, regardless of what he does in his last start of the year on Saturday, should not be a part of any ALDS rotation discussion. In fact, I wouldn't even let him sit in the dugout or bullpen infecting everybody else with his moping. Keep him in the clubhouse with a plate and can of whipped cream ready in case the Yankees win a walkoff. Teammates faces are pretty much the only spots he can these days anyway (BOOSH!)
- And speaking of A.J., there is something to be said for the job the Yankees have done this year despite having A.J. and Javy Vazquez make a combined 58 starts. In a season in which these 2 secured the new 3rd and 4th places in Yankee history for highest season ERA for pitchers who made 25 or more starts and the Yankees lost an overwhelming majority of the games in which these 2 started, the team is still going to finish somewhere around 30 games over .500. Not too shabby when over a 3rd of your team's starts on the season (36.42% to be exact after A.J.'s start on Saturday) were made by 2 of the statistically worst pitchers in franchise history.
- If the Yankees are seriously considering using 15 position players and only 10 pitchers on their ALDS roster, they are out of the minds. Pitching wins championships and you always want as much of it as you can get. Close playoff games tend to grind to a halt with all the strategic pitching moves made, and it pays to have those extra arms on staff if needed. There is way more value in another long man (Mitre, Nova) who can give you multiple innings in the 13th, 14th, or 15th of a tie game than a 5th infielder (Nunez), especially with the extra off-days between games providing added rest to your starters.
- One thing I'm not looking forward to in the postseason is all the talk that will come up about Joe's 2011 plans and whether or not he's going to go take the job in Chicago. Joe's not going anywhere, people. The Yankee brass will never allow it to happen. Having to read about it is bad enough, but having to watch boobs like Ken Rosenthal and Eric Karros talk about it is going to be even more painful.
- It's all but certain that Jesus Montero will be on the Yankee roster at some point next season. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees juggle him, Jorge, and Cervelli behind the plate. Given that Posada is horrendous behind the plate and Cervelli wasn't as great as advertised this year, I think Montero should be given a fair shot at winning the full-time job outright. If he doesn't, however, I would have him and Cervelli split the catching duties with Jorge getting the lion's share of the time at DH. Then, on Jesus' catching off-days, he could be used as a late-game pinch hitter for Cervelli if needed and finish behind the plate to keep Jorge healthy.
- It's hard to pick nits when he's had a monster year, but where have you gone, Robbie Cano? Just a .262/.304/.346 tripleslash in September? His season OPS is below .900 for the first time all year. Not to mention tying his season low with just 6 walks while also tying his season high with 15 strikeouts. I thought he was going to be a sure bet for 120+ RBIs and 120+ runs scored and he barely crawled across the line of 100 in both categories. Not exactly the way to make an impact in the minds of the MVP voters.
- For more Cano MVP discussion, check out this awesome statistical breakdown and comparison of some key stats by Joe Paw at RAB. I still think Cano is firmly entrenched in the Top 5 of the MVP vote, but he's got no chance to win. For the record, my vote would be 1) Josh Hamilton, 2) Miggy Cabrera, 3) Adrian Beltre, 4) Robbie Cano, 5) Carl Crawford.
- And also for the record, while I'd love to see CC get the Cy Young, it just ain't gonna happen. I would vote 1) King Felix, 2) David Price, 3) CC, 4) Jon Lester, 5) Clay Buchholz.
**UPDATE- 3:09PM- BONUS MUSING**
- Andy, invest:
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Well At Least Javy Knows He Sucks
“I thought today was an important day for me personally, but it didn’t go well."
“If I would have thrown the ball better, that would have helped my case. That’s not the case tonight. I just got hit. I had nothing. I didn’t feel like my pitches were sharp at all today. They just hit me good.”
You know what? I'm going to give you a little credit there, Javy. You didn't make any excuses, you just called it like it was. You went out there, you sucked, and you knew it. The bad news is you cost the team a chance to re-take the division lead. The good news is you've thrown your last pitch as a New York Yankee and we will never have to watch you disgrace the Yankee uniform on the mound ever again.
So thanks for playing. Now get the fuck out.
“If I would have thrown the ball better, that would have helped my case. That’s not the case tonight. I just got hit. I had nothing. I didn’t feel like my pitches were sharp at all today. They just hit me good.”
You know what? I'm going to give you a little credit there, Javy. You didn't make any excuses, you just called it like it was. You went out there, you sucked, and you knew it. The bad news is you cost the team a chance to re-take the division lead. The good news is you've thrown your last pitch as a New York Yankee and we will never have to watch you disgrace the Yankee uniform on the mound ever again.
So thanks for playing. Now get the fuck out.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Real Quick, Before I Forget...
Suck it, Boston!!! Suck it long and suck it hard, you whiny fairweather bitches. You can complain all you want about your injuries and how losing tha Yookah and the haht of your team, Pehdroiaaaaah, killed your season, but the fact of the matter is Theo's "defense and pitching" offseason plan didn't work at all, your team sucked, and they got beat by 2 teams that were better than them.
So put away your Varitek jerseys and move on to Tawm Brady and the Pats, because that's all you have left this year. And don't worry, we'll let you know how the clubhouse Korbel and Bud Light tall cans taste. They taste like victory.
(Photo courtesy of The AP)
P.S.- Enjoy having Josh Beckett's corpse stinking up your rotation as your version of A.J. Burnett for the next couple years. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
What's The Plan Now?
Alright, so the Yanks are officially in the playoffs, but what's the next move? Are they playing for the division title or not?
Joe started to show his hand by pitching CC last night and riding him for 8+ innings and then going straight to Mo. He left no doubt that he was in it to win it last night and the team responded. But then after the game, the mixed messages started showing up again. Andy was scheduled to pitch tonight and now he's been scratched and moved back for Javy (WHY???????), and there was talk of resting some of the starters. But the Yanks have also stated multiple times that their goal is to win the division and when you've got guys like Jeter and A-Rod, who would be amongst the first candidates for some rest, saying they want to stay in and go after the division, what do you do?
Joe and Cash and everybody else need to decide what's important. They can either play it safe, rest some starters, and juggle the rotation to set up the ALDS, or they can keep the foot on the gas and play it out to try and pass Tampa. Joe said last night in the locker room that "We still have aspirations of winning our division and trying to get home-field advantage." Now he needs to decide how strong those aspirations are and how hard he wants to try to win the division. I would say that starting Javy in place of Andy tonight is not a move made with winning the division in mind and I think everybody would agree with me.
Your move, Joe.
Joe started to show his hand by pitching CC last night and riding him for 8+ innings and then going straight to Mo. He left no doubt that he was in it to win it last night and the team responded. But then after the game, the mixed messages started showing up again. Andy was scheduled to pitch tonight and now he's been scratched and moved back for Javy (WHY???????), and there was talk of resting some of the starters. But the Yanks have also stated multiple times that their goal is to win the division and when you've got guys like Jeter and A-Rod, who would be amongst the first candidates for some rest, saying they want to stay in and go after the division, what do you do?
Joe and Cash and everybody else need to decide what's important. They can either play it safe, rest some starters, and juggle the rotation to set up the ALDS, or they can keep the foot on the gas and play it out to try and pass Tampa. Joe said last night in the locker room that "We still have aspirations of winning our division and trying to get home-field advantage." Now he needs to decide how strong those aspirations are and how hard he wants to try to win the division. I would say that starting Javy in place of Andy tonight is not a move made with winning the division in mind and I think everybody would agree with me.
Your move, Joe.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
All It Took Was One...
Well after a month of crappy play, and a few weeks of play even worse than that, the Yanks clinched tonight and secured themselves a berth in the playoffs and a chance at Title 28.
They had to use their A+-team to do it, playing all the regulars, starting CC, having him throw 8.1 innings, and having Mo close out the last 2 outs, but to get into the dance makes it worth it.
Now they just have to figure out how the fuck they're going to make their ALDS rotation work after starting CC tonight, but we'll deal with that tomorrow. For now, everybody just pop the champagne and celebrate. I know that's what I'm doing.
They had to use their A+-team to do it, playing all the regulars, starting CC, having him throw 8.1 innings, and having Mo close out the last 2 outs, but to get into the dance makes it worth it.
Now they just have to figure out how the fuck they're going to make their ALDS rotation work after starting CC tonight, but we'll deal with that tomorrow. For now, everybody just pop the champagne and celebrate. I know that's what I'm doing.
Hey, At Least People Are Showing Up To The Stadium
The Rays are a few victories away from clinching the division and guaranteeing homefield advantage throughout the AL playoffs, but apparently their fans could give a fuck less:
"When 12,446 fans showed up Monday night to see if the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays could clinch their second playoff berth in three years, Evan Longoria decided he'd seen enough empty seats -- and said something about it.
Longoria, who did not play in the Rays' 4-0 loss to Baltimore, spoke at length about the team's chronically low attendance, calling it "disheartening" and "embarrassing."
"We've been playing great baseball all year. Since I've been here in [2006], the fans have wanted a good baseball team. They've wanted to watch a contender," Longoria told reporters. "And for us to play good baseball for three years now, and for us to be in a spot to clinch again and go to the playoffs, we're all confused as to why it's only 15,000 to 20,000 in the building."
His teammate, pitcher David Price, had the same feeling. A post to his Twitter page after the game read: "Had a chance to clinch a post season spot tonight with about 10,000 fans in the stands....embarrassing."
Instead of getting into the discussion of how stupid it is to start CC tonight and make myself more frustrated about the Yankees' current situation, I'm just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy this story. Division title or no division title, we as fans and the Yankees as players can all take solace in the fact that the Yanks will have a decided homefield advantage both at home and in Tampa, where there probably won't be more Rays fans than Yankees fans at the games. Now that we know the Rays' fans don't care about their team, we can breathe a little easier about having to go there and face them in their own place for 4 games if it comes to that.
Not to mention the fact that with all the added revenue coming from the Yankee fans flooding The Trop, the Rays will have a little extra money in their pockets. To show their appreciation, the least they can do is just lay down and die peacefully in the ALCS and let the team, and the fanbase, that deserves to see another World Series move on.
"When 12,446 fans showed up Monday night to see if the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays could clinch their second playoff berth in three years, Evan Longoria decided he'd seen enough empty seats -- and said something about it.
Longoria, who did not play in the Rays' 4-0 loss to Baltimore, spoke at length about the team's chronically low attendance, calling it "disheartening" and "embarrassing."
"We've been playing great baseball all year. Since I've been here in [2006], the fans have wanted a good baseball team. They've wanted to watch a contender," Longoria told reporters. "And for us to play good baseball for three years now, and for us to be in a spot to clinch again and go to the playoffs, we're all confused as to why it's only 15,000 to 20,000 in the building."
His teammate, pitcher David Price, had the same feeling. A post to his Twitter page after the game read: "Had a chance to clinch a post season spot tonight with about 10,000 fans in the stands....embarrassing."
Instead of getting into the discussion of how stupid it is to start CC tonight and make myself more frustrated about the Yankees' current situation, I'm just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy this story. Division title or no division title, we as fans and the Yankees as players can all take solace in the fact that the Yanks will have a decided homefield advantage both at home and in Tampa, where there probably won't be more Rays fans than Yankees fans at the games. Now that we know the Rays' fans don't care about their team, we can breathe a little easier about having to go there and face them in their own place for 4 games if it comes to that.
Not to mention the fact that with all the added revenue coming from the Yankee fans flooding The Trop, the Rays will have a little extra money in their pockets. To show their appreciation, the least they can do is just lay down and die peacefully in the ALCS and let the team, and the fanbase, that deserves to see another World Series move on.
Did A.J. Pitch Himself Out Of The Playoff Rotation Last Night?
(Been seeing way too much of the bad side this season)
For starters, I will say that if it were up to me, the answer to that question would be a resounding "YES." In a year of a few ups and mostly downs, A.J. came out last night and laid his biggest egg of the year in a game the Yankees could have used to clinch a playoff berth. For once I was glad that I live out in Wisconsin and didn't have access to the YES network because I would have assuredly trashed my TV and everything else in my apartment if I had to sit through that fucking abortion of a pitching performance last night. To anybody who was unfortunate enough to witness it, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Be strong, it's not your fault. Everything is going to be OK, but you might want to contact a helpline or some kind of service reserved for victims of harsh mental abuse.
But back to the matter at hand. What does Joe do with A.J. now? He's clearly down to his last shred of confidence, if he didn't use it up last night, and you would have to think that his teammates' patience with him is wearing a little thin. There's only so many times you can go out there as a competitor and have your chance to win ripped away from you before you even have a chance to get in the flow of the game before you start to just say "fuck it" and prepare for the worst when A.J. is on the mound, and it looks like that's where the Yankees are after last night. Sure they hit a few homers to make the game seem close, but there was very little punch or energy in their lineup last night. When Marc Rzepczynski, he of the 5.75 ERA, shuts you down for 5 innings with 9 Ks, that points to the offense just laying down and dying after being staked to a 7-0 deficit by their starting pitcher. And honestly, I can't say I blame them.
So with the combination of his horrific pitching and the obvious negative impact it has on the rest of the ballclub, how can Joe risk putting A.J. out there in the playoffs? He won't have to use him in the ALDS thanks to the scheduling, nor should he use him. CC, Phil Hughes, and Andy have more than earned their spots with their performances this year and track record in the postseason (mostly for CC and Andy). But with the switch back to the 2-3-2 format for the ALCS, Joe won't be able to get away with using that 3-man rotation, unless he wants to risk throwing all 3 of them on short rest for the series, an idea that doesn't look too good when you consider Hughes' youth and innings count and Andy still on the recovery path from his groin injury. Joe is going to need a 4th starter, but should that starter be A.J.? Sure, when he's on he's awesome. But those times of being on have been few and far between this year, and if you ask me, I'd rather take 4-5 innings of 3- or 4-run ball from Ivan Nova than take my chances with A.J. The risk of another 2- or 3-inning meltdown is not worth the potential reward of a solid outing that he may turn in.
A.J. doesn't seem to be able to fix A.J., and nobody else does either. And quite frankly, at this point in the season, fuck, at this point in his CAREER, we shouldn't be having this conversation. A.J. Burnett is what he is, and what he is is a shitty pitcher with no confidence, no mental toughness, and no ability to locate his pitches anywhere other than right down the middle of the plate. He's 10-15 on the year with a 5.33 ERA, 4-13 with a 6.67 ERA since the end of May. Numbers like that get you sent to Triple-A or released on most other teams, but in New York this year it's gotten A.J. $16.5 million and a season-long spot in the rotation. Now that we're getting into the time of the year that really matters, though, that shit like how much a guy makes shouldn't count towards anything. The fact is, A.J. hasn't earned the right to start a playoff game, and unless he goes out on his last start of the regular season and throws a complete game shutout, Joe shouldn't reward him with a start that he didn't earn.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Praising The A-Horse
Well the playoffs must be getting near, because everybody and their mother is starting to climb back on the "A-Rod is Awesome" bandwagon, a bandwagon that I haven't left all year, despite the down tripleslash numbers and lingering injuries. I will say, though, that any time there's stats involved showing just how majestic The Horse has been, I'm on board with it. Like this post from Mike A. at RAB:
"Since returning from the disabled list and an injured calf, A-Rod has hit .333/.415/.710 with eight homers in 19 games, and if you go back to before the DL stint, he’s hit 13 homers in his last 29 starts. That his pushed him past for the 4.0 fWAR threshold (it’s 4.1, to be exact) yet again, the 15th consecutive season he’s been no worse than a four-win player. Those 15 seasons represent almost the entirety of Alex’s career, which started in earnest with his age-20 season in 1996."
Take a look at THAT tripleslash line and start complaining, will ya? Or how about this little nugget from Joel Sherman's 3UP post today:
"... here is a question: Who has had more big hits for the Yanks this season, Cano or A-Rod? Both had big moments last night: A-Rod hit a two-run homer in the seventh to put the Yankees ahead 2-1 and Cano tied the score with an RBI single in the ninth after Rivera blew the save.
On the season, however, Rodriguez has 22 hits that have put the Yankees ahead compared to 12 for Cano, who actually has been better in the clutch this year than ever before. It is just that Rodriguez has turned into the hitter the Yanks want up in a big spot more than anyone else – by a lot.
And think about what that means; how completely Rodriguez has altered the perception that he is a choker. He got into a better place mentally last year and then had a postseason in which he cemented a reputation as someone who can thrive under the greatest pressure. That has extended into this year. Rodriguez simply has tremendous at-bats in big spots."
Oh yeah, that's just literary sex right there. I'm at half mast right now and it's the 13th time I've read it.
You know what, screw the A-Horse. At this point, with the brightest stage mere days away, the stage on which he completely outshined everybody else last year, he has become something more, something greater. He is now Secreta-Rod and it's only a matter of time before he starts showing just how wide the gap still is between himself and his competition.
(Swanny Duckson does it again)
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