Friday, April 24, 2009

Yankees at Red Sox, 24 April 2009: A Liveblog

5.32 PM: The weather outside is magnifique! Just perfect! Oh, how I wish I was going to a baseball game tonight! So lovely after all that rain earlier in the week!

5.35 PM: Okay, on a more serious note. Molina's in at catcher tonight (with Posada DHing). Having him and Ransom at the bottom line up may not be the most intimidating thing in the history of the universe, but chances are if Jorge caught tonight he wouldn't catch tomorrow. The Yankees have Gardner and Peña as pinch-hit options. Again, not the greatest options, but hopefully the game won't come to that.

6.04 PM: One of my friends in Boston was aghast when I told him that Yankee fans readily acknowledge being part of the Evil Emprire. You would think a professed sci-fi geek would understand where I come from...

6.53 PM: It seems the Yankees are making all the moves that would see CMW landing on the DL. While Phil Hughes really, really could use the year at AAA, I guess some things just aren't meant to be. Well, we're not at that point yet but don't be surprised if you see Hughes Sunday against Detroit.

7.12 PM: Lead off single for Derek Jeter. At the very least, Lester won't pitch another no-hitter.

7.19 PM: Jeter's single goes for naught as Damon and Teixeira fly out while Posada K's. Lester is a career 17-3 at Fenway Park. That would not put the odds in the Yankees' favor.

7.25 PM: ...And Joba is called for a balk. OH NOES!!!1!! JOBA TO THE BULLPEN!!!111!!

7.26 PM: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why speed kills. A balk and a wild pitch leads to a Red Sox run.

7.39 PM: Joba had some trouble with command that inning but after a chat with Molina, a double play took care of any further trouble. Hopefully he'll calm down a bit next inning--for now, it's a one run game.

7.49 PM: How's this for unlikely: Swisher and Canó strike out before Melky and Molina draw walks. Alas, reality set in and Ransom struck out. 1-0 Boston after one and a half.

7.54 PM: Nice recovery inning for Joba: Single, GIDP and pop up. Not dominant, but perfectly respectable. Oh, this is kinda cool: The Mets and Nats have played two innings and Santana's struck out six.

8.08 PM: Mike Lowell keeps Swisher from at least one, maybe two RBI. 1-0 Sox still.

8.22 PM: Joba works into and out of trouble, with a single, pop-out, double, strike out, walk that ended up being intentional and deep fly out. David Ortiz, right now, simply looks done.

8.33 PM: There's a reason you don't walk José Molina twice, because Cody Ransom will burn you! Yeah, uh, well, I guess if you're going to hit .166 you might as well make them count. 1-1.

8.36 PM: Jeter with the ground out sac RBI. Yanks up 2-1. Again, this is why, if you are Boston, you don't walk José "Hava" Molina.

8.47 PM: Holy Joba DP! After an error that ends up with the bases chucked with Sox and one out, Joba gets Ellsbury, of all Sox, to GIDP.

9.01 PM: Two Sox on, no one out. This may get ugly in a hurry.

9.04 PM: If Kevin Youkilis is the Greek G-d of walks, Joba Chamberlain is the Winnebago G-d of Double Plays. That's four in five innings.

9.13 PM: Guess Cody Ransom wanted to get in on the DP fun. 2-1 Yanks and Joba Chamberlain walking one hell of a tightrope.

9.20 PM: Joba can't get a GIDP every inning. Nick Green singles home Mike Lowell and the game is now 2-2 tied. Coke coming in.

9.44 PM: Jeter doubles, Damon bunt singles, Teixeira has an RBI hit and Posada follows, loading the bases with no one out in the seventh. Meanwhile, I am on the phone with a Sox fan who is away from the TV. I am reassuring him that having the bases loaded does not necessarily mean the Yankees will score a run.

9.50 PM: If you thought the Yankees were gonna score more than one run there, with the bases loaded and no one out, you have not been watching TRUE YANKEE baseball these past few years. Actually, Robbie Canó's sac fly should have scored two, but Jason Bay came out of nowhere to make a great catch. 4-2 Yanks midway through the seventh.

10.01 PM: Coke gets two quick outs, should have gotten the third, but no harm no foul as Albaladejo comes on to get the final out. 4-2 Yanks after seven.

10.11 PM: How much must it suck to be Cody Ransom? You *finally* have a good game, and have to leave in the eighth due to an injury after stealing your first base since 2004.

10.16 PM: Where is Brian Bruney? I like Albaladejo and all, but he's not even warming? Is he hurt?

10.19 PM: Bruney is not even on the bullpen bench...

10.29 PM: Must be a full moon or something...strange 8th inning. Bruney doesn't show at all, Albaladejo gets the first two outs, throws one pitch to Ellsbury and then Joe G goes and grabs Mo. One of the more astute readers on River Ave Blues suggested that the pitch to Ellsbury was supposed to be a throw over to first and Molina put down the wrong sign.

Weird, and especially curious to know what's what with Bruney.

10.42 PM: Bases loaded and no one out, and no one scores. Only in the world of the New York Yankees. You could see the grimace on Joe G's face.

10.50 PM: And finally, the inability to score with RISP comes back and bites the Yankees in the ass. Tie game.

10.57 PM: It would greatly behoove the Yankees to score here. They've got Marte and Edwar in the bullpen, and Veras but I highly doubt Girardi goes to him. Rivera has had his troubles against the Red Sox. Blown saves happens. All that matters is how you pick yourself up afterwards.

11.09 PM: Teixeira swings at ball four and now the Yankees rest their hopes on Dámaso Marte. Keep the alcohol handy, you might need it sooner rather than later.

11.18 PM: What do I know? Marte has a 1-2-3 inning-I think the first of this game-and we go to eleven.

11.23 PM: According to Waldman of WCBS Radio, Bruney is in NYC getting his elbow checked.

11.27 PM: Once again the Yankees can't get a hit when they need it.