Game 155 Wrap-Up: NYY 8 MIN 2

(A million dollars says Joe wanted to bring in Logan there.  Courtesy of the AP)

Alright now I know the Twins are just trolling me.  Comic book character Hendriks, fine.  Spanish-language TV soap opera star Vasquez, OK.  But then they rolled out some schmuck named Sam Deduno yesterday afternoon to face CC Sabathia in the series finale and that's where I draw the line.  3 guys in a row that I've never heard of?  That's next to impossible, and my good friends who know how fanatical I am about sports would back me up on that.  The deck was stacked against old Sammy yesterday against a resurgent CC, and that was before he started having problems with his eyes.  This one was over early, folks.  Just the kind of win the Yankees need to close a series.

Game Notes:

- Deduno didn't make it out of the 2nd, but the Yankee offense had nothing to do with it.  He worked a 1-2-3 1st, and then left after walking 2 batters in the 2nd with "eye irritation."  That's a new one, and the lefty-heavy Yankee lineup suddenly had Brian Duensing to deal with.

- They didn't waste much time dealing with him, throwing a 6-spot on the scoreboard in the top of the 3rd.  Chris Dickerson got things started with a 2-strike single and the next 7 batters after him all reached base.  The big hits belonged to Robinson Cano (2-run double) and Curtis Granderson (2-run triple), which was nice to see given the way they've scuffled lately.

- CC gave up 1 cheap run in the 2nd on a couple of singles, and then allowed just 1 more hit through 6 innings after getting staked to the big lead in the 3rd.  Like he did in his last start, CC started with his fastball in the low 90s and worked up to the mid and had an absolutely killer slider.

- Funny/stupid moment in the 5th when Eric Chavez forgot how many outs there were and started jogging off the field after making the second out at third base.  No harm done, although CC did have to throw 4 more pitches.

- A 5-run lead was plenty for CC with the way he was pitching, but Dickerson decided to add a 2-run HR for good measure in the 6th.  Dude is making the most of his limited ABs since getting called up, and could be doing himself a favor with the OF situation in question next year.

- Sabathia allowed another cheap run in the bottom of the 7th after giving up 3 straight 2-out singles, the last one deflecting off his leg and into right field, but he was absolutely stellar in his 8 innings of work.

- Stat of the game- Joe Mauer saw 10 pitches against Sabathia.  He struck out on the first 9 and then grounded out on the 10th.  That's pure ownership.

F*ck Yeahs:

- C-Dick: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 K, 4 LOB.  Bitches love The D.

- Sabathia: 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, W.  Second straight "vintage CC" performance from the big guy, who seems to have found his game.  The fastball is very lively and he located it to both sides of the plate to get ahead in the count, and his slider was an absolute swing-and-miss thing of beauty.  Lots of GBs and outs on the infield, and all 6 hits he allowed were singles.  That's the ace people have been looking for.

- Cano: 2-5, 2 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K.  Don't look now, but Robbie Cano has 5 hits in his last 2 games.  The 2 doubles yesterday were better than the 3 singles the day before.  Maybe we'll get to see a triple and a homer tonight.

Oh Nos:

- Jeter: 0-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 LOB.  No hits, dude?  Really?  You're just going to let your 19-game hit streak end like that?  Jeez, just retire already.

Next Up:

From one road trip to the next, and the last.  The Yanks start a 4-gamer in Toronto tonight.  Ivan Nova, possibly pitching for a postseason rotation spot, gets the ball against Toronto's Brandon Morrow.