Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Topsy-Turvy Washout (Postgame Notes 09 April 2008)

Any game in which the starter relieves the bullpen is going to have a topsy-turvy feel to it. For the Yankees, however, it was no better than yesterday afternoon.

It wasn't that the Yankees pitched exceptionally poorly; they took a scoreless game to the sixth and learned the hard way that Kyle Farnsworth really can't go back to back innings, and then Ian Kennedy had his soon-to-be-patented first inning jitters.

It was that the Yankees still have yet to put together a solid offensive performance, even when all the cogs are not working. Most notable, they have not figured out a way to hit with runners in scoring position, the same major issue they had in the postseason. After one or two games, you don't worry, but going into the middle of the month, it becomes frustrating, and then the pressing starts.

There's something to be said for the horrible game conditions, in terms of weather and temperature, that have dogged the Yankees for the first nine games, but even so, if the other teams have been able to do it, why not the Yanks?

That said, it will turn around. No team can pitch as well as the Yankees have , on the whole, been pitching and sustain losing.

OPTIMIST TAKE: There's actually a lot to be optimistic about--first, Brian Bruney. He was excellent. Sure, he was no Joba or Rivera, but the turnaround from last season to this season is incredible and inspiring. Girardi and Eiland are not the first managers/coaches in baseball history to pull a starter due to rain, but it does show ingenuity on their part and a willingness to adapt on the fly as needed. Alberto Gonzalez, the one who's not supposed to be able to hit, actually had one of the hardest hits for the Yankees, with a stand-up double. Jose Molina threw out two baserunners attempting to steal, again showing himself to have been the best move the Yankees made at last year's deadline.


SCORES AND STUFFS

The ones that'll interest you:

Detroit beat Boston, 7-2, getting their first win of the season. The Sox and the Yankees now have the exact same record, neck and neck for....the AL East cellar!

Oakland beat Toronto, 6-3, mounting a four-run ninth to do so.

Seattle beat Tampa, 7-1, and Baltimore-Texas was a rainout.

In the National League, Mets beat the Phillies 8-2, and the Cubs and Pirates have hit the 15th.

6 comments:

  1. My boy Molina has a cannon =)
    And it has definitely been encouraging to see the way Bruney has pitched this year. His strikeout numbers are excellent.

    Anyway what do you think of the Yanks trying to trade Farnsworth to the Tigers? They are desperate for relief help and I think we can get them to take him. This could open a spot for Patterson or Albaladejo. I know some might be skeptical of trading to a legitimate team in the AL (legitimate if they ever start winning) but I cannot stand watching him pitch and I can't believe the front office has that much patience left with him.

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  2. rackem: Thing is, Dombrowski, if I've spelt that right, the Tigers' GM, is smart, and we probably won't get a whole lot to work with in return.

    The Tigers lost a lot of their farm system in the Maybin/Miller Cabrera/Willis deal.

    I'm 50/50 on it.

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  3. And don't forget that with the horrible, horrible, horrible fielding Jeter out of there and not dragging the Yankees down like he has for years (or so certain number crunchers claim) the team should be vastly improved :)

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  5. I liked what Girardi and Eiland did. That game probably should have been called. And if it was they would have pitched Kennedy tonight and Pettitte Friday in Boston.
    The Yankees problem right now is hitting, not pitching. They need to get back to taking pitches and working the counts to get the starters out.
    And Molina does have a great arm. Teams will stop running against him.

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  6. I don't see Farnsworth being traded either because if we were going to make a trade we would probably be looking for relievers and obviously Detroit doesn't have any to spare. Farnsworth won't bring in much anyway.

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