Saturday, April 11, 2009

Yankees at Royals, 11 April 2009: A Liveblog

4.05 PM: Yankees' line up today, courtesy LoHud:

Jeter SS
Swisher LF Damon LF
Teixeira 1B Swisher 1B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Nady RF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF

I've got no issues with sitting Damon for a day, but I would take Matsui out of the clean up spot. The way they're hitting right now, why not have Canó or Posada behind Teixeira? Ok, so Canó wouldn't do well in the clean up spot since he's not really a power hitter, but Matsui's 1-14 does have to raise eyebrows.

4.07 PM: Early season weirdness: Toronto is an out away from going 5-1 (though BJ Ryan is doing his best to blow that), Detroit two-hit Texas and the Pirates are 3-2 while the Reds are 1-3.

I love baseball.


4.26 PM: I would have to imagine by now the Red Sox and the Angels have developed one heck of a rivalry. Will be interesting to see if the familiar Angels-in-the-season-but-collapse-to-the-Sox-in-the-Postseason MO holds for 2009.

5.07 PM: Someone brought up an interesting point on LoHud. I quote: "BTW, to repeat something I heard at the end of yesterday’s game, that was Andy Pettitte’s 216th career win, tying him with… Curt Schilling. Andy will have to lose 19 more times to tie Schilling in that category.

Congrats, Andy. You’re one Heinz accident away from serious Hall of Fame consideration!"

While the comment, courtesy of Nick in SF, may be lighthearted, the question it raises is a good one: Andy Pettitte for the Hall of Fame? Like Schilling and unlike Mussina, Pettitte has the 'soft' factors in the WS championships...but then again, Pettitte has admitted to HGH use, which probably won't go over too well with voters, for now, anyway.


6.37 PM: Teixeira scratched. According to LoHud, Teixeira has been scratched with a sore wrist. One has to hope this sore wrist is not a sign of anything more serious.

7.13 PM: Jeter hasn't looked very good at the plate of late. It's only been a couple games, but the lead off hitter is, you know, supposed to get on base.

7.19 PM: Matsui needs to not be hitting clean up right now,. Even just switching him with Posada I could wirk with for the moment!

7.21 PM: Is it just me or is Posada kind of emulating that kid in Rookie of the Year? There's coming back from shoulder surgery...and then there's coming back and hitting like Posada's been hitting.

7.23 PM: Canó flies out. Yankees lead, 2-0 on Posada's hit.

7.29 PM: Two strike outs in the first for CC Sabathia. What a difference a start makes, huh?!

7.36 PM: Yankee offense goes quietly in the second. They still lead 2-0. Best quote of the night, courtesy of LoHud, re: Teixeira: "Is there anything that guys do with their left hand that makes them happy for their birthday? Something that flexes your wrist in a consistent motion?" Yeah, my mind went there, too.

7.44 PM: Double play gets CC out of yet another inning. The home plate umpire's strike zone this game is about half the size of Rob Drake's zone yesterday--good for hitters, bad for pitchers.

7.47 PM: Jeter singles to right and sighs of relief are heard from a certain apartment in the Fordham area in the Bronx.

7.50 PM: Swisher drives Jeter in and stretches a single into a triple, Yanks up 3-0. And then Matsui fails to bring Swisher in with just one out, yet again showing that he should not be hitting clean up.

7.52 PM: Posada with a double and his third RBI of the night. Yanks up 4-0. Again I ask, shoulder surgery? What shoulder surgery?

8.02 PM: Four strike outs for Sabathia as he works around a one-out single. Still 4-0 Yanks.

8.17 PM: Yankees and Royals mirror themselves with inning-ending double plays.

8.26 PM: You get the feeling Nick Swisher is having the time of his life. 2-run home run and the Yankees are up 6-0.

8.51 PM: CC struggles a bit (for him) in the fifth inning, but part of that may be considered due to a poor play from Ransom at third. Either way, it doesn't matter as he works out of it and the Yanks are still up 6-0.

9.15 PM: Again CC works out of struggle. Been a couple innings without a strike out, but the score is still 6-0 so you will see few complaints from here.

9.26 PM: This Tejeda dude pitching for the Royals is pretty good, apparently.

9.35 PM: CC seven strong innings, though I don't expect to see them push them out for the 8th. Yankees still up 6-0.

9.44 PM: Keeping getting requests from fantasy leaguers to trade Swisher. No. Not right now, anyway... (yeah, there's a reason I always end in last place in my fantasy leagues...)

9.50 PM: Now, THAT was the Sabathia the Yankees paid for.

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