Friday, April 4, 2008

Stung (Postgame Notes 04 April 2008)

Games like tonight, painful clunkers, will happen over the course of the season. How the Yankees respond to them, is what is more important.

Ian Kennedy simply did not have his command tonight. He did get squeezed on a couple of calls, but on the whole, he simply wasn't throwing enough strikes, and the hits that Tampa did get were good hits.

It says something about the Yankees as a team that, in the third, they came back offensively, and got the game to within 6-4.

For most of the game, the bullpen did a wonderful job--Albaladejo, Ohlendorf and Traber all pitched excellent, next-to-perfect baseball--and the Yankees were right in it, but they could not muster anything offensively once Andy Sonnanstine got it going.

Hawkins, however, had an even worse outing than Kennedy. Maybe it's part bad karma for wearing 21 (even if the intention to honor Clemente is itself very honorable) or just the cold night, but after tonight, you would think that it's Hawkins that should be sent down (even though he can't be), and not Albaladejo, to make room for Pettitte tomorrow.

Farnsworth did make the three-run mistake, but by that time the game was already 10-4.

So the Yankees fell a bit tonight, but, the score tomorrow starts at 0-0, and it's an afternoon game, so there's not too much time to dwell.

OPTIMIST TAKE: The job that Albaladejo, Ohlendorf and Traber all did inspires a lot of confidence in the bullpen. If Hawkins makes a habit of being awful, we have plenty other talent in Scranton itching for a chance. I'm thinking of you, Scott Patterson. Jason Giambi had his first hit of the season and Jeter had two well hit balls that didn't quite make it out. Matsui had his first home run of the year. Tonight's game also shows us just how much better defensively we are with Melky in center and Damon in left, so good thing that suspension's not any longer than two games.



SCORES AND STUFFS

Astros over Cubs, 4-3. Tejada with an important triple.

White Sox over Tigers, 8-5. The Tigers are still winless. However, the Pistons beat the Nets.

Brewers over Giants, 13-4. So the Yankee game wasn't the only clunker tonight.

Marlins over Pirates, 5-4 on a walk-off home run from Mike Jacobs.

Blue Jays over Red Sox, 6-3. Marcum pitched a one-hitter through six and Toronto has had a quality start in every game so far.

Orioles over Mariners, 7-4. The Mariners have placed closer JJ Putz on the DL.

Diamondbacks over Rockies, 8-1, as the Rockies are 2-hit.

Twins lead Royals 4-3 in the 8th, Cardinals lead Nationals 5-2 in the 7th, Phillies lead Reds 7-4 in the 5th, Rangers-Angels, Dodgers-Padres, Athletics and Indians are all scoreless in the 2nd.

Mets and Braves are postponed.

1 comment:

  1. At least it is a quick turn around so no time to dwell. And the next two days the Yanks have Pettitte and Wang pitching.

    ReplyDelete