Game 20 Wrap-Up: TB 3 NYY 0

("So if I strike another guy out here, are you guys gonna get a few fucking hits or not?"  Courtesy of the AP)

I don't know about you guys, but I was pretty pumped about the Yankees being in a position to steal a series in which they had to face 2 of the 5 best lefties in all of baseball.  I would have been more pumped about their chances going against a RHP again if the lineup wasn't missing Youkilis and Wells, but with Andy Pettitte on the mound the Bombers were still in good shape.  Andy did his thing and gave the team every opportunity to win, the offense just forgot to show up.

Game Notes:

- And I mean REALLY forgot to show up.  No disrespect to Alex Cobb, I'm sure he's a sweet kid.  But he's just Alex Cobb and the Yankee lineup made him look like Bob Gibson last night.  They put 2 runners on in the top of the 2nd, then got sat down in order the next 4 innings.

- Pettitte was sharp early, working quickly and efficiently around a token baserunner in each of the first 4 innings.  His pitch count was only in the 40s and he demonstrated his command by striking out the side swinging in the bottom of the 3rd on a slider, 4-seamer, and sinker.

- He got into trouble in the 5th, when he hit Jose Molina with a pitch after having him down 0-2 to lead off the inning.  Kelly Johnson singled and the runners advanced after a Brennan Boesch error in right, and just when it looked like Andy was going to escape after 2 Ks he hung a curve to Ben Zobrist for a 2-run double.

- That inning seemed to take a lot out of Andy.  He gave up a first-pitch HR to Sean Rodriguez to start the 6th and labored through that inning to end his night.

- 2 ER in 6 IP is a damn fine showing, it just didn't amount to anything with the no-show offense.  They were also retired in order in the 7th and 8th (making it 18 straight batters) and did nothing with 2 singles in the 9th. I don't care who's out on the mound, that's awful.


F*ck Yeahs:

- Pettitte: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 10 K.  Andy had it all working through 4 innings, and he was locating all of his pitches.  The 5th and 6th were rough but he still pitched a very good game.  16 of his 18 outs were recorded in the infield, and 10 strikeouts from a 40-year-old is always impressive.

Oh Nos:

- Robinson Cano: 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB.  Robbie can't afford to have 0-fers like this against the Alexes Cobb of the world.

- Everybody Else: As a team, the Yankees were 4-30 last night.  They didn't get a single XBH, they drew just 1 walk, and they struck out 7 times.  It was literally Andy out there by himself last night.

Next Up:

At least the Yanks get to come home tonight, and hopefully that wakes the bats up after a poor showing in Tampa.  The Blue Jays come to town, continuing this little AL East-only stretch of games, and it'll be veterans Hiroki Kuroda and Mark Buehrle on the mound.