Last Time On "As The Quad Strains"

Joseph accused Randy of sabotaging Alex's career:

"They rolled him out there like an invalid and made him look like he was finished as a ballplayer."

Randy called Alex out for hiding behind his lawyer, and challenged him to expose the truth:

"Alex should put up or shut up."

Alex tried to catch up on his reading:

"I've got to read the article first."

And Brian just didn't feel comfortable talking to Alex anymore:

"I don't feel comfortable talking to him. ... Hello, goodbye, and that’s it. Because anything else, I don’t want to be distorted, to be quite honest.”

What will happen next time?  Will Alex reveal his medical records?  Will Joseph expose Randy for his hurtful lies?  Will Alex get some time to check out that article??  And will Brian and Alex ever be able to repair their broken relationship???  Tune in next time to "As The Quad Strains."

Careful Not To Over-Rest Mo

(Courtesy of the AP)

Mariano Rivera made his return to the mound last night after a week off from action.  He hadn't pitched since blowing his third consecutive save last Sunday against the Tigers, and no, nothing was physically wrong with him.  After experiencing his first rough patch of the season, Joe elected to give Mo some extra time off after a somewhat heavy workload the week prior.  Overworking a 43-year-old baseball icon and risking injury to him would not be a fun way to finish Mo's final season, but to go a full week between appearances seemed like a bit of overkill.  After all, the only way a pitcher gets over command problems is by continuing to pitch and working through them.  Mo's recent struggles being command-based, it would have been helpful to get him some work prior to last night.

Yanks Still Owe Boston One With Two Series To Go

(Courtesy of the AP)

The buzz immediately after the Ryan Dempster-Alex Rodriguez incident last night was about retaliation.  Whether you liked that A-Rod got plunked or not, there was no denying that Dempster was way out of line in how he went about dishing his version of justice.  Joe Girardi justifiably lost his mind on Brian O'Nora when the warnings were issued without an ejection of Dempster and everybody knew somebody on Boston was getting plunked.  The ESPN cameras actually caught Joe saying it to whoever the third base ump was as he left the field.  It was just a matter of who, when, and what the end result of that was going to be.

Preach, Joe...

Fucking preach.  My opinion's biased as hell, but this guy is still AL Manager of the Year in my book.  Dynamite performance both on the field and in his office last night.

P.S.- Fucking pussy indeed.  Gif courtesy of @CorkGaines.

Game 123 Wrap-Up: NYY 9 BOS 6

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The stagnation of the Yankees' recent winning streak has put a major dent in their forward momentum.  They've gained little to no ground in any of the playoff races despite a 6-2 stretch and their failure to win a sloppy game on Saturday afternoon with their ace on the mound put them in a tough spot for the series finale in Boston.  Their once and former ace CC Sabathia got the final start and the Yankees needed him to continue to move forward in his battle to overcome his command issues and not have another forgettable Fenway Park outing.  Sabathia stumbled again, but the A-Rod-related fireworks stole the headlines.  At least they were on the field this time as the Yanks secured the series win.

Game Notes:

- CC was in trouble right out of the gate.  He loaded the bases in the first 4 batters of the 1st on a pair of walks and single.  Tough to avoid damage in those situations when you aren't at your best and CC ended up with 2 runs against him before he got out of the inning.

- His lineup picked him up with 3 runs in the next 2 innings to give him a lead, the big hit a Curtis Granderson double in the 2nd to set up the RISP situation and the big moment the Alex Rodriguez HBP that preceded it.

- It wasn't unexpected that somebody finally came inside and hit A-Rod.  What was surprising was that it took 4 pitches for Ryan Dempster to plunk him to start the 2nd, and what was even more surprising was home plate ump Brian O'Nora's decision to immediately warn both benches without ejecting Dempster.  Joe went understandably nuts and was ejected.  Terrible job by O'Nora there.  If he's going to pull the automatic double warning, he HAS to throw Dempster out.

- CC couldn't make the lead stand up.  He gave up leadoff doubles in the bottom of the 3rd and 4th and gave up 3 more runs in those innings.  Another in the 5th and he was out early in the 6th after another disappointing outing.

- Despite being down 6-3, The Yankee offense didn't say die and it was A-Rod who led the charge back.  His solo HR off Dempster to lead off the top of the 6th sparked a 4-run inning to regain the lead.  Brett Gardner's bases-clearing triple was the big hit.

- A couple insurance runs in the 7th and 9th provided plenty of cushion for Mo, who put the finishing touch on a terrific performance by the bullpen (3.2 IP, 0 R, 5 K) in his first work in a week.