Your 2012 American League East Champions...

And #1 seed in the American League playoffs.  Well done, gentlemen.  Well done.  You put your feet on the gas early and didn't let up.  We'll see you Sunday.

Now somebody hit the fucking music!

Setting The Stage For Game 162

(Hopefully it's not as stressful, but I'd take a repeat of this celebration tonight.  Courtesy of the AP)

I can't remember the last time the Yankees played a final regular season game with this much meaning.  And no, I'm not going to bother looking it up because there are plenty of other blogs out there that handle historical stuff better than mine.  It's been frustrating, agonizing, refreshing, and exciting watching this last month of slim-to-none division leads, and it all boils down to what should be an incredibly drama-filled night of baseball tonight.  The Yankees, after being in a pretty precarious spot last Sunday morning, have done what they needed to do and won their last 3 games, and they now find themselves in the driver's seat tonight with the man who has been their most consistent pitcher this season on the mound against a guy who has been absolute dog crap for his team.  So what should we be looking for tonight?  Here's my thoughts after the jump.

In Case You Missed It...

Or if you just wanted to relive last night's late-inning drama, sit back and enjoy.  Sometimes pictures can say it better than words, especially my words.

(Courtesy of TYA's resident gifmaster Mike Eder)

 

(Courtesy of Mike Axisa and RAB)

 

Just amazing what Ibanez has done in these last couple weeks after looking only slightly less dead than Andruw Jones.  The guy has really come up with a lot of big hits this year.

 

 

P.S.- Cervelli's slide into home in the 12th was just awful.  Funny how that gets glossed over when you're scoring the winning run in extra innings.

CC And Cano Preparing To Carry The Postseason Load

(Oh so smoove.  Courtesy of the AP)

Big time players make big time plays in big time games.  That's a generic sports cliche that, despite my friends and I readily ignoring it when it was repeated to us over and over by our college dropout assistant coach during over sophomore lacrosse season, does ring very true.  There's a reason Reggie Jackson is called Mr. October, there's a reason that nickname was altered to Mr. November for Derek Jeter in 2001, and there's a reason that Aaron Effing Boone will always be a legend in New York despite having a relatively mediocre Major League career.  The Yankees have a lot of big time players on their roster, at least in name, but too often this season those players have come up small in big time games.  2 guys who have stepped up as the pressure has risen these past few weeks are CC Sabathia and Robinson Cano.  Not surprisingly, they are the best pitcher and best position player on the team, and their timing could not have been better.

Game 161 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 BOS 3

(GAH!!  What the fu-, oh.  It's just Raul celebrating.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Last night was a night of opportunities in Yankeeland.  The Yankees had an opportunity to clinch the AL East and move closer to securing the #1 seed in the AL with a win and some help from the Orioles and Rangers.  David Phelps had an opportunity to help them get that win and continue to strengthen his case for 2013 rotation consideration with a good outing in place of Ivan Nova.  The Fraud Sawx, after rolling out one of the lamest lineups known to man the night before, attempted to thwart those opportunities by re-inserting Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroyyyyaaahhhhh into their lineup against Phelps.  That shouldn't have been enough to tip the scales, but the Yanks still ended up going longer than they probably wanted to get the win.

Game Notes:

- Phelps made me look bad for writing another post singing his praises in the 1st when he got beat by Ellsbury and Pedroyaaahh for 2 runs in the top of the 1st.

- The Yankees scrapped a run together in the bottom of the 2nd on a pair of infield singles by Curtis Granderson and Eduardo Nunez, with an error and a stolen base thrown in.  It wasn't a 9-run barrage, but it was something.

- Unfortunately, they couldn't take advantage of a shaky Jon Lester thanks to 2 Mark Teixeira inning-ending GIDPs.  Joe made the brilliant call to bat Robinson Cano, the hottest hitter in baseball, 5th behind A-Rod and Teix, and through 3 innings that strategy failed miserably.

- There's no shame in giving up a couple hits and runs to a former AL MVP and a recent MVP candidate, and Phelps rebounded nicely from his tough 1st inning.  He used his 4-seamer and 2-seamer generously and only gave up 1 more hit before getting lifted after 5.1 innings and 86 pitches.

- As has been the case many times this season, the Yankees weren't short on opportunities last night.  They had 10 hits and a walk through 6 innings, but only 1 run to show for it.  Teix's double plays hurt, but so did a 3-10 RISP effort that produced only 1 run-scoring hit (Nunez's in the 2nd).

- The bullpen did the job in relief of Phelps, tossing 3.2 innings of scoreless ball to keep the comeback in play.  Joba Chamberlain and D-Rob were stand-out effective, working 2 near-perfect innings with 3 Ks to keep the game tied into the 9th.

- It was looking like another textbook Yankee blown-opportunity loss after Rafael Soriano gave up a solo HR in the top of the 9th until Raul Ibanez got the pinch hit call in the bottom half.  Joe hasn't been pushing a lot of right buttons lately, but he did this time and Ibanez hit a clutch 2-run HR to tie the game at 3 and send it into extras.

- Soriano got used far more than Joe probably wanted to, Derek Lowe probably secured his postseason roster spot with 2 solid innings after, and it all led to fan favorite Francisco Cervelli drawing a 2-out walk and Ibanez coming up with the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 12th.

Cano, So Hot Right Now. Cano

Robinson Cano's batting line on 9/24: .293/.362/.519

Robinson Cano since 9/24: 18-29, 7 2B, 1 HR, 8 R, 8 RBI

Robinson Cano's batting line on 10/2: .308/.375/.540

I don't know what being more than locked in is, but Cano is it right now.  He schlepped through most of September, but he's picked it back up at the perfect time.  If this carries into the postseason, watch out.

Mugatu approves.

ManBan Scheduled For TJS, My Genius Is Confirmed

I knew it was coming.  I knew it was coming from the moment he first got shelved with his elbow injury, and I've said as much over the past 5 months:

- June 14th: "Maybe I've just watched "Conspiracy Theory" one too many times on TNT, but 7-8 weeks seems like an awfully long time to be on the shelf with just a tired arm."

- July 12th: "I hate to be a Debbie Downer here, but the Yankees might as well just pencil ManBan and Campos in for Tommy John Surgery right now."

- August 6th: "2012 was already a lost season for Banuelos before this latest setback. Now my concern is that 2013 could be the same if the Yankees continue down this path of trying to get him to pitch this season instead of doing something to address his continued elbow problems." 

And today it all came full circle as Josh Norris reported that Manny Banuelos will go under the knife for Tommy John on Thursday, putting a really shitty finishing touch on his 2012 season and effectively ending his 2013.

Phelps Getting The Ball Instead Of Nova, And What It Means For Both Of Them

(Tough way to go out for Ivan, but the right move.  Courtesy of the AP)

The biggest non-Mark Teixeira piece of news to come out of Yankeeland yesterday was Joe's pregame announcement that it would be David Phelps, and not Ivan Nova, who would be taking the ball for tonight's game.  At the time, this game was still a potential must-win for the Yankees to keep pace in the AL East race, a situation that has changed after the Yankees won and the Orioles lost last night.  With the way Nova has pitched in his last 2 starts and for almost the entire season, there was no way he could be allowed to take the ball in a game that important, and even though the critical nature of tonight's game has been slightly lessened, it's still a game that has a lot riding on it.  Phelps is a better option than Nova right now, that much is certain.  But looking longer term, what does this decision say about both guys moving forward?

Game 160 Wrap-Up: NYY 10 BOS 2

(Home runs = Happy.  Courtesy of the AP)

Normally, a Yanks-Sawx season-ending series at The Stadium with playoff implications tied to it would be enough to have me bringing an extra pair of undies to the office and making sure I spent the majority of my day sitting down, if you catch my drift.  This season, not so much.  The Sawx are a dead stick just coasting to the finish line of their disastrous season, and the Yankees are seemingly having to scratch and claw for every little thing they get while the Orioles just keep doing that impossible-to-statistically-explain voodoo that they do.  The Yanks had CC Sabathia on the hill for the opener last night, which gave them the clear advantage, and they expanded that advantage quickly by rocking Bahhston starter Clay Buchholz.

Game Notes:

- Buchholz threw a 1-2-3 1st inning, and that was where his effectiveness ended.  Robinson Cano led off the 2nd with a home run, Curtis Granderson hit a 2-run shot 2 batters later, and Russell Martin went back-to-back (and belly-to-belly) to make it 4-0.

- But it didn't stop there.  Buchholz walked a few guys, Ichiro singled the bases loaded, and Cano came up again and doubled home 2 runs to end Clay's night.  And Marky Mark Teixeira, in his second AB back from injury, welcomed Alfredo Aceves to the game with a 2-run shot to make it a 9-0 Yankee lead.

- When it was all said and done, the Yankees tied a franchise record by hitting 4 HR in one inning.  It was the third time in team history that they've done that.  Making history is always cool.

- Sabathia's job became easier when he saw Bobby V's lineup, and even easier after the offense handed him a 9-0 lead.  Sabathia pitched appropriately, going heavy on the fastball-slider and pounding the strike zone.

- CC did give up a few runs, one of a solo HR by Daniel Nava in the 4th and another on a walk, wild pitch, and sac fly in the 7th, but he was in full control all night.  He finished with 7 strikeouts, 6 on the slider, which continues to be a money pitch for him.

- I was getting ready to complain about the offense going dormant after the 9-run barrage, but they did put another run on the board late and it came via Melky Mesa.  In his first career AB he singled home Eduardo Nunez on a groundball back up the box.  Good for him.

- In what was likely his final appearance of the 2012 season, and possibly final appearance as a Yankee, Freddy Garcia pitched a scoreless 9th.

Let's Talk Postseason Rosters, Baby!

(Who will the lucky 25 be and can they make it this far?)

Real talk, I've been chomping at the proverbial bit to talk about the postseason roster for like 3 weeks now.  It was damn near impossible not to, especially when I was sitting around without any good ideas in my head, but with the way the Yankees slowly nosedived into a competitive September, I wasn't going to make the mistake of talking about it like it was a foregone conclusion and then looking like a double-asshole if the Yankees didn't end up making it.  All of that went out the window last night thanks to their surprisingly ballsy comeback win against Toronto and the Angels losing to Texas.  The worst that can happen to the Yankees now is that the end up in the 1-game Wild Card round, and the best is that they win out and still end up the #1 seed in the AL.  So now that's it's official, let's build us a 25-man playoff roster, huh?!

Mark Teixeira Will Return Tonight, But At What Capacity?

(Calf strain face.  Used courtesy of Reuters)

The situation never looked promising after the second injury to his calf and the snail's pace recovery process, and I still have a tremendous amount of trepidation thinking about how that calf is going to hold up to a regular MLB workload after a few instructional league games, but for the first time since September 8th, Mark Teixeira's name will be penciled into the Yankee lineup card tonight.  In a perfect world, one in which the Yankees held the comfortable division lead that they should hold, He'd probably be held out until the first division series round to make sure he had as much time as possible to rehab.  But with every game being a must-win this week, the Yankees have to roll the dice with Teix and hope he can provide something.  What kind of results can we expect on that roll?  It's tough to say.

Game 159 Wrap-Up: NYY 9 TOR 6

Going 3-3 against teams the caliber of the Twins and Blue Jays is never a good thing.  Doing it down the stretch of a stressful regular season in which you're tied for the division lead is even worse.  And losing the 3 games in the fashion the Yankees did this week is infinitely worse than that.  After having Joe take one from them earlier in the week and then just flat not showing up in the first game of this series on Thursday night, the Yankees went out and put together a truly inept 9 innings of baseball on Saturday to lose control of their own destiny over these final 4 games.  They essentially had to play yesterday like a one-game playoff, with Phil Hughes on the mound, to even give themselves a chance of regaining control.  Hughes didn't give nearly the start they were looking for, but a late offensive outburst bailed him out and salvaged the series.

Game Notes:

- Hughes was bad right from the start yesterday, showing spotty command of his fastball and the slutter, and he gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st to put the Yankees in an early hole.

- Eric Chavez, getting the start at DH after swinging a hot bat lately, made that decision look smart with a solo HR in the top of the 3rd to pull the Yankees within 1.

- After scuffling through the bottom of the 2nd, Hughes seemed to find himself and worked the 3rd and 4th innings in order.  But it all came crashing down in the 5th, when Hughes gave up a 2-run homer to Brett Lawrie to make it 4-1 and then 3 straight hits with 2 outs to make it 5-1.  He didn't make it out of the 5th inning and didn't his team much of a chance to win.  Not a good last start.

- The offense was painfully quiet outside of the Chavez HR through 5, but with their backs against the wall heading to the 6th they finally woke up.  Robinson Cano got things started with a leadoff double and came around to score on a wild pitch, and it was on from there.

- They tacked on 3 in the 7th on 3 hits, a walk, and another wild pitch, forcing 3 pitching changes from Toronto in the inning.  Robinson Cano had another double to score a run, and Derek Jeter also had a big hit.

- Jeter drove in a run with a single in a 2-run 8th, and Curtis Granderson came up with a big 2-run single in the 9th, and the Yankees had turned a 5-1 deficit into a 9-5 lead with 4 straight scoring innings.  It's the type of consistent offensive pressure that's been missing for far too long this season.

- Kudos to Derek Lowe for getting 5 big outs in relief of Hughes, and to Boone Logan and David Robertson for turning in solid performances to keep the Jays offense at bay.

- The Orioles won too, so the Yankees still don't control their own destiny.  But if they can come out and keep winning starting tomorrow they can keep giving themselves chances to reclaim it.  Either way they are guaranteed a wild card spot with the way the rest of the Saturday AL slate went down, so that's a positive.

Some Sunday Food For Thought: All Or Nothing

- Robinson Cano in the last 6 games: 12-23, 3 XBH, 3 R, 4 RBI

- Swish in his last 6: 7-22, 3 XBH, 5 R, 7 RBI

- A-Rod in his last 6: 2-19, 1 R, 0 RBI, 4 K

- Granderson in his last 6: 3-23, 3 XBH, 4 RBI, 7 RBI

This is why Mark Teixeira, who has played just 2 instructional league games and is almost assuredly not at 100% despite Joe saying he's done everything they wanted him to do, is being rushed back on Monday.  The middle of the order has been literally all or nothing, and A-Rod and C-Grand are leading the RISP Fail and LOB charge.  The Yankees can't score runs against shitty pitching and can't win games against shitty teams when they need to the most.  They have no choice, Teix has no choice.  I can't believe it's come to this.

Game 158 Wrap-Up: TOR 3 NYY 2

I really don't think I can write a normal, detailed recap of this game without getting really upset, and really upset is no way to start a race day on Sunday so I'm just going to hit the key bullet points.

Game Notes:

- The Yankees put Ricky Romero on the ropes early, loading the bases without nobody out, but managed to just plate just 2 runs on 2 outs by Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson to take a 2-0 lead.

- Andy Pettitte gave up a solo homer in the bottom of the 1st, and a 2-out RBI single in the 5th on an infield hit that probably would have been a foul ball if A-Rod wouldn't have fielded it.

- He put runners on the corners in the 6th before leaving, and watched the game-losing run score when Joba Chamberlain gave up a double on his third pitch.

- The offense did nothing for the rest of the game despite getting 6 more hits, drawing 3 more walks, and getting 2 free baserunners on Toronto errors.

- Joe was in on the action too, giving up the DH late in the game by pulling Eduardo Nunez, and using Cody Eppley and Boone Logan in the 8th inning instead of D-Rob.  Truly bizarro world shit.

- The Orioles beat the Fraud Sawx 4-3, so here once again the division is tied at the top with 4 games to go.

What Did I Say The Other Day?

(#Failboat.  Courtesy of the AP)

Hmmm, I can't quite recall...

"That reality is that the Yankees are still a very flawed ballclub and they're going to remain a flawed ballclub through the rest of the season, however long it goes.

The things that have bitten the Yankees in the ass in the last few postseasons are the same things they struggled with last night and have struggled with all season long."

How'd that play out today?  Let's review:

Game 157 Wrap-Up: NYY 11 TOR 4

(The Muscle.  Courtesy of the AP)

I was dooming and glooming after Thursday night's game, obviously, but the good news was that the Yankees had plenty of chances to right those wrongs in the next 3 games of the series.  They got started righting those wrongs almost immediately last night against Toronto rookie Chad Jenkins, jumping out to an early lead and then ramping the offense back up in the later innings after Toronto tried to climb back in the game.  The pitching was a little spotty, but the offense stepped up and the carried the team, and the Yankees now find themselves right on the doorstep to the postseason with their playoff magic number down to 2.

Game Notes:

- The offense did its 1st inning damage with 2 outs, a rare feat for them, thanks to a pair of singles and a 2-run double by Nick Swisher.  Things could have been worse when Curtis Granderson lined one that took Jenkins' glove off his hand, but Jenkins caught the glove, and the ball, for the final out.

- Hiroki Kuroda wasn't all that sharp, but he did his best Houdini act to work out of trouble.  He put the leadoff runner on in the 1st, loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 2nd, but worked out of each inning without allowing a run.

- Kuroda's problem seemed to be an inability to get his sinker to drop out of the zone.  He's switched to throwing more sliders in place of the sinker this month, and I still say he's showing signs of being tired.

- Colby Ramus led off the 5th with a solo HR to get the Jays on the board, but the Yankees responded with 4 of their own in the top of the 6th.  The big blow was Russell Martin's 3-run shot, but the bigger blow could be an injury to Robinson Cano, who took a ball off the hand and had to go for X-rays after the game.

- Kuroda exited after just 5.1 innings and 98 pitches, and David Phelps took the ball through the 7th.  Little surprising to see Joe only use him for 26 pitches, but maybe not so much after Phelps gave up a 2-out, 2-run home run to Adam Lind to make it 8-4.

- To snuff out any chance of a comeback, the Yanks put 3 more on the board in the final 2 innings.  Robinson Cano singled Ichiro home in the 8th, and Eric Chavez hit an opposite-field 2-run jack in the 9th.

- Cody Eppley got 2 outs in the 9th and wasn't in any kind of trouble, but the binder must have said Soriano because Joe brought him in for the final out.  Whatever.

- 9 2-out runs for the offense last night.  That's what I'm talking about, boys!  More of that, please.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 9/28

In case you haven't noticed, election season is in full swing.  You could probably tell from the insane amount of local, regional, and national campaign ads that are dominating your television.  And no, I'm not going to get political here because I hate everything about politics.  I think every politician out there is a lying criminal bastard who only has his or her best interests at heart.  I take the George Carlin stance to politics; I don't vote, I'm not registered to vote, and I never will be.  If you are politically active, then good on you, but it's all bullshit to me, and it gets even worse during major election years when I can't watch anything on TV without being bombarded by this nonsense.  Just get the fucking election over with so I can get back to only being pissed about the Yankees not getting a runner home from third with 1 out and not some carefully crafted 30-second smear campaign that's been approved by whoever.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog pointed out the Yankees' weakness in the pinch hitting department in 2012 despite the high number of pinch hitting opportunities they've had this season.

- David Waldstein of The NY Times had a really cool piece on Ichiro Suzuki and the incredible amount of care with which he handles his bats.  A special shock-proof, moisture-free carrying case?  How fucking baller is that?

- On Tuesday, Brien Jackson of IIATMS put the "veteran pitcher vs. young prospect" argument in perspective for the 2012 season, reminding everybody that the veterans have been the most crucial part of this year's starting rotation.

- Benjamin Orr of Yanks Go Yard pondered Phil Hughes' situation and how he fits into the plans for the rest of this season, next season, and beyond.

- On Wednesday, Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN did an excellent profile piece on Rafael Soriano, tracing his life back to childhood and his early baseball experience.  Arangure did a similar profile earlier in the season on Ivan Nova and this one is just as good.  Definite must-read.

- Greg Kirland of Pinstriped Bible took an anti-return stance on Brett Gardner and touched on how Gardner's limited playing ability just increases the number of incomplete players the Yankees have on the active roster.

- DBurchHero of The Greedy Pinstripes laid out the pros and cons of bringing back Hiroki Kuroda next season, and the effect other teams could have on the Yankees' decision.  As long as it's a 1-year deal, I think bringing Kuroda back is a no-brainer.

- SJK of NoMaas compared Nick Swisher's overall body of work in his 4-year Yankee tenure against the rest of the MLB outfield to show how Swish won't be easily replaced if the Yanks do let him go.

- Brian D. of Yankees Fans Unite, on the same topic of the outfield's future, looked at potential changes coming to the Yankee outfield in 2013.

- On Thursday, Joe Pawlikowski of RAB pieced Mark Teixeira's 2012 season together to show what led to his 3rd straight down year offensively, and the negative impact his injuries have had on other spots of the lineup.

- EJ Fagan of TYA unveiled the fall edition of his Top 30 Prospects list, complete with a detailed explanation of his ranking system and some commentary on individual players.

- George S of Gutty Gritty Yankees questioned some of Joe's recent lineup decisions, specifically ones where Joe seems to be resting guys.  Like George said, it's too late in the year for that.

- On Friday, Chad Jennings of LoHud asked a very pertinent question given A-Rod's latest semi-injury; where exactly does he belong in the Yankee lineup?  My answer- 2nd.

We haven't gone old school in what feels like way too long for the Friday Jam, so to remedy that I'm breaking out my favorite Zeppelin song.  I don't actually think I've ever plays Zeppelin for the FJ, which is an absolutely criminal mistake on my part, one that I apologize for.  But they're on today, so enjoy.  And if you don't like Led Zeppelin, just do yourself a favor and stop listening to music.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

How Are We Supposed To Feel As Yankee Fans Right Now?

I was really looking forward to this post.  I was fully prepared to write a Kate Hudson in "Almost Famous"-style, "it's all happening" post about the recent turnaround and positive momentum the Yankees were building at the right time as they headed into the final handful of regular season games against their 2 divisional doormats.  They had won 13 of 19 games, maintained sole custody of the AL East lead, shaved their playoff magic number down to less than a hand's worth of digits, and were getting healthier by the day.

CC was back and looking like the version of himself that everybody has been waiting for months to see; A-Rod was back, looking healthy, and helping to lengthen the middle of the batting order; Ichiro had turned back the clock to the mid-2000s and earned himself a spot at the top of the order thanks to his hot hitting.  Ivan Nova had been activated, Andy Pettitte had been activated, Brett Gardner and David Aardsma too, and there was still hope that we could see Mark Teixeira's goofy mug back on our TV screens at some point.  The Yankees were getting their shit together and re-positioning themselves to be the odds-on favorites to win the AL pennant when the playoffs started.  Then last night's game happened.

Game 156 Wrap-Up: TOR 6 NYY 0

(Wonder if he threw his record-setting XBH allowed ball into the dugout.  Courtesy of the AP)

There's no other way to say it then to just say that the Yankees didn't have it last night.  There's really no excuse for it, certainly not the travel.  They went Minnesota to Toronto, that's nothing.  I make basically the same flight every time I go home from Milwaukee to LaGuardia and it's only a 1-hour time change.  I guess facing Brandon Morrow in Toronto meant they were doomed from the start, but to come in off a series win and a complete team win against Minnesota on Wednesday and not even come close to putting 1 run on the board is deflating and not the type of result you want or expect against a last place team like the Jays.

Game Notes:

- Ivan Nova was a great combination of sharp and efficient through 2 innings, throwing 20 pitches and 16 strikes, but lost some of his edge in the 3rd, giving up a walk and a 2-run homer to Brett Lawrie to make it 2-0 Toronto.

- Shit didn't get any better in the 5th when things swung back around to the top of the order.  Nova gave up a 2-run double to Edwin Encarnacion to make it 4-0 and didn't make it out of the inning.  Just didn't have any kind of offspeed command.  Story of his season.

- I don't know what the deal was with the Yankee bats, but they couldn't solve the Brandon Morrow riddle through 6 innings last night.  Morrow only struck 2 batters out, and walked 2, but lived off the Yankees swinging early, swinging often, and making a lot of shitty contact.

- If that wasn't bad enough, the double play parade came back to town.  Nick Swisher hit a ball to the wall that was caught and turned into a DP in the 4th when Robinson Cano strayed too far, and Raul Ibanez rapped into an inning-ender to kill the 5th.

- Cano came to play, and sparked some life with a leadoff double and a follow-up walk by Nick Swisher against Morrow in the top of the 7th, but Morrow got the next 3 batters in order as his last hurrah to strand the pair.

- If there was one positive to take from last night's game, it was that David Aardsma finally made his return to the mound and his Yankee debut.  He gave up a solo shot, but whatever.  At least he's back pitching after over 2 years on the DL.

- Just for good measure, the Yanks put 2 more on to start the 9th, including another Cano hit, only to have the next 3 hitters fly out to end the game.

Don't Sleep On Clay Rapada

(Raise your hand if you thought this guy would be on the roster all season.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Enough time has passed for me to get over Loone Bogan's 7th-inning bed shitting incident the other night.  In the end, it didn't cost the Yankees any ground in the division race and they still left the Twin Cities with a series victory.  What is still a serious problem is Logan's workload and the negative impact it now seems to be taking on his effectiveness.  Logan is the no-doubt #1 lefty in Joe's trusty bullpen binder, but he's been used so much that I almost have to question bringing Logan into big lefty-on-lefty situations with how out of gas he appears to be.  While Logan has been run into the ground over the course of the season, Clay Rapada has quietly continued to go about his business, and go about it quite well, as the designated #2 LOOGY.  In an attempt to get Logan some much needed rest, and to not risk blowing leads in tight games in the season's final week, it might be time to go to Rapada.

Teix Starts Running

Via Mike Axisa:

"... the first baseman has resumed running as he works his way back from his left calf strain."

Fuck yeah!  That's good news.  The calf must be feeling good.  Maybe there's a chance Teix can make it back by the end of the season.  Hit the music!

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.

Yankees Give Minnesota The D

No plate appearances since September 9th?  No big deal.  No starts since September 4th?  Big freakin' whoop.  Relegated to simple pinch runner and late-game defensive specialist duty, AKA roster expansion bitch work?  Ain't no thang.

Because Chris Dickerson is a bad man, plain and simple.  Dude's been worth close to half a win above replacement in just 14 PA.  He walks, he rakes, he steals, he fields, and he's basically an all-around boss.  I like to think I was the first in the blogosphere to coin the "C-Dick" nickname, and in keeping with that trendsetting reputation I am officially declaring that C-Dick as you know him is dead.  Chris Dickerson is now just, "The D."

Updating The AB4AR Sh*t List

(Where will the binderiffic wonder end up this time?  Click below to find out.  Courtesy of US Presswire)

It's been a solid 6 weeks since I did the last edition of the always-changing AB4AR Shit List, and after last night's bullpen gongshow today is the perfect time to come back to it and post what will, in all likelihood, be the final version of the 2012 season.  If you know me, know the site, and know what my hot buttons are, you should probably already have a good idea about what this edition is going to look like.  If you don't, well then this will be a fun little surprise for you now, won't it?

Remember that this isn't meant to be analytical in any way.  Just straight up, good old-fashioned fan griping and hostility.  Latest Shit List rankings after the jump.

Game 154 Wrap-Up: MIN 5 NYY 4

(I feel ya, Phil.  Courtesy of the AP)

Monday we got Liam Hendriks the superhero secret identity nobody, and the Yankees dispatched of him with relative ease.  Last night we got Esmerling Vasquez, another nobody that Minnesota plucked out of the bargain bin to fill out their rotation.  According to FanGraphs, he's a 28-year-old right-hander who the Yankees have faced before when he was with the D-backs, but with a name like that he sounds more like a female character from one of those soap operas on Telemundo.   He was tasked with stopping the Yankees and Phil Hughes, who were looking to extend their division lead to 2.5 games and chop 2 more off their magic number as they entered the season's final week.

Game Notes:

- The Yankees put runners on in each of the first 3 innings, but had nothing to show for it against Vasquez.  That changed the second time through the order when Robinson Cano singled for his second hit of the game and scored on a 2-run HR from the rapidly heating up Nick Swisher.

- After throwing 3 scoreless, stress-free innings, Phil decided it would be a good idea to start giving up runs in the bottom of the 4th when it was a shutdown inning.  Chris Parmalee can thank BABIP luck for his RBI double to make it a 2-1 game, but a better-placed slutter from Hughes could have finished him off.

- To Hughes' credit, he didn't get rattled.  He continued to pitch aggressively with his fastball, and used the slutter to get more GB outs than we usually see from him.  Hughes worked a quick and efficient 7-pitch 6th inning to keep it a 1-run game.

- It stayed a 1-run game because the offense couldn't do much else against Vasquez, that is until the top of the 7th when Russell Martin's solo HR to lead off the inning made it 3-1.

- Things started to get a little tense in the bottom of the 7th after Parmalee worked a 10-pitch walk to put 2 on with nobody out.  A dinky infield single loaded the bases, but Hughes battled back to get a big strikeout for his 2nd out of the inning.  Then Joe got involved.

- Hughes had earned the right to work out of his jam, at only 99 pitches and with 3 outs to his credit already against Denard Span, but Girardi and his fucking binder took that away.  Joe went to Boone Logan and Logan was terrible, giving up 4 runs on a pair of hits and a wild pitch and hanging the loss on Hughes' record.

- The lifeless corpse of Andruw Jones managed to stumble into a homer in the 9th to make it interesting, but the Yanks still ended up on the losing end.  Gotta be a real bad taste in everybody's mouth after the way this one went down.