Monday, September 9, 2013

Yanks-Sawx "Yankee Stadium Weekend" Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Well I don't think those 4 games went down quite the way anybody wanted them to.  The Yankees held late leads in each of the first 2 games of this series, only to watch the bullpen - the best and worst of it - blow them to put them in a 2-0 hole.  Saturday afternoon we were reminded that David Huff is who we thought he was, and Sunday almost turned into another blown lead disaster when Mo, called upon for 6 outs with the rest of the 'pen either unavailable or ineffective, gave up a Yankee Stadium cheapie HR to Will Middlebrooks that could have cost the team another much needed victory.

Somehow the Yanks are still in the playoff picture after this weekend, the same number of games out of the second Wild Card spot that they were before the first pitch was thrown on Thursday night.  They owe that to Tampa and the rest of the contenders forgetting how to win too, and even though they're no longer right behind the Rays in the race they still have a little glimmer of postseason hope with 19 games to go.

It was a fun experience to finally get to check out The Stadium, not so much fun watching how the 3 games I attended played out.  After the jump, my recap and random thoughts on the stadium, the games, and where the team stands with the 2013 regular season finish line in sight.

Weekend Injury News Round-Up

It was a big weekend for injuries for the Bombers, especially in the bullpen.  With guys leaving or being unavailable for games seemingly every other hour, here's the latest on where the newest batch of walking wounded stands (or sits):

- Derek Jeter- Left Saturday afternoon's game early thanks to more problems with his surgically-repaired left ankle.  Joe said he didn't like the way he was moving, and even though a CT scan showed no structural damage, the plan is still to rest Jeter for a few days before re-evaluating him.

- David Robertson- Wasn't available after pitching Thursday night with what's being called tendinitis in his right shoulder.  Is expected to be out for a few more days before throwing a bullpen session to test the shoulder.

- Boone Logan- Left Friday night's game with pain in his left biceps.  An MRI on Saturday showed no structural damage and he was given a cortisone shot yesterday.  He could be back by the next Boston series.

- Chris Stewart- Left yesterday's game in the 6th after taking a pitch off the left foot.  No broken bones but Stewart said after the game that there are some strained ligaments.  No word on how long he'll be out, but I wouldn't expect to see him back behind the plate tonight or tomorrow.

I'm Back

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

4 games, 3 losses, 2 Mo blown saves, 2 bullpen injuries, a handful of terribly-timed bunts and questionable in-game calls, another Derek Jeter injury setback, and 1 walk-off win on a wild pitch.  Definitely a strange and frustrating weekend in Yankeeland, and a lot to talk about from my first live YS3 experience.  First and foremost, yes, I think all the talking I did about attending the games helped jinx a lot of what happened Thursday-Saturday.  The injuries to D-Rob and Logan, the blown lead on Friday night, and the beatdown on Saturday?  I'll take responsibility and say those are on me.  My bad, guys.

As for the rest of the weekend and where the Yankees now stand with less than 20 games to go, those are topics for a different post.  I'm slowly working myself back into blog mode, so we'll start breaking things down in greater detail later today.