O How Sweep It Is (Postgame Notes 22-24 August 2008)

While you were busy lamenting the death of the Yankees season, they went and swept the Orioles.

In Baltimore.

With Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Darrell Rasner as the starting pitchers.

Okay, so outside of Mussina's start, there wasn't much 'pitching' going on in the series, but at this point, the win is the only thing that matters, and the Yankees just got three of them.

Today, the Yankee offense was able to pick up after a poor showing by Rasner, and though it wasn't easy--it was a long, almost Boston-type game--they were able to take a win heading into the off day tomorrow.

As it stands right now the Yankees are five games out of the Wild Card--they would, of course, raather be closer, but five games is not un-doable.

There is no understating how important the upcoming Boston series is--if they get swept, they would be at least eight games back. It always comes down to games with Boston, it seems...

The Yankees will need Andy Pettitte, Sidney Ponson and Mike Mussina all to be up to the task.

Road Woes Continue (Postgame Notes 19 August 2008)

When things go wrong for the Yankees, it seems like everything collapses at once.

Darrell Rasner shouldn't be blamed for today's loss...until the seventh inning of the game he had actually out-pitched AJ Burnett.

As this season has gone, however, perhaps it's no surprise that a 1-0 win was too much to hope for--not that Burnett is a bad pitcher (he is excellent). However, as it is, the Yankees are now one game from fourth place.

Alex Rodriguez had made a comment about needing to produce--and then struck out three times and got thrown out on a great play trying to stretch a single into a double.

Johnny Damon, who has been slumping, was horrible in center field, directly contributing to Toronto's winning run.

Hideki Matsui made his first appearance since coming off of the disabled list.

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I apologize for the utter lack of posts the past few days--busy moving in for grad school. However, that is now completedd and I should be back to my regularly scheduled delusional blogging.

(Postgame Notes 29 June 2008)

Some things in the universe are unexplainable.

George Mason in '06. The Beanie Baby phenomenon. Why the Knicks took Danito Gallinari over Alexander, Augustin or the good Lopez.

Oliver Perez pitching against the New York Yankees.

Oliver Perez has shown flashes of greatness, but, for the most part, has been such a disappointment that a bad start would have likely gotten him demoted to the bullpen or even AAA. Today, however, he pitched so well that the Yankees did not have a realistic shot at winning the game.

Perez was perfect through three and a third, and allowed only three hits through seven while striking out eight. Even if Darrel Rasner had pitched the game of his life, it would have been hard for the Yankees to win the game with Perez pitching the way he did.

Rasner wasn't actually horrible--he yielded two runs in five innings, escaping a bases loaded jam in the second while yielding only one run--but it was, as they say, good enough performance to lose.

The Yankees' offense did not do much of anything today, though Wilson Betemit did hit a monster home run that cleared the left-field bleachers at Shea to provide the Yankees with their lone run. Alex Rodriguez twice came inches from a home run, hitting one mammoth shot that just went foul, and another in the ninth inning that sent Endy Chavez to the warning track.

The Yankees now head home to face the offensive juggernaut and pitching not-so-juggernaut that is the Texas Rangers.


In other sports news, Spain has just defeated Germany for the European Championship. Vamos España!

Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrggghhh (Postgame Notes 24 june 08)

Of all the Yankee losses this season, tonight's has to rank as one of the worst. It's not that Pittsburgh is necessarily is a bad team (they are), but that the level of play from the Yankees was just flat-out embarrassing.

They didn't pitch. They didn't play very good defense. They didn't hit when they needed to.

Someone needs to send the Yankees a memo that the idea of the game is to score more runs than the other team. Or something.

Seriously, when Darrel Rasner is arguably the best hitter of the evening? Yeah, there are some issues there.

The bats have gone ice cold. In their past four games they have scored nine runs--not as bad as it could be, but nowhere near what the offense is capable of doing. In fact, this offense has not hit a home run since the second game of the Padres series (though Melky missed a grand slam by inches). Okay, Bobby Abreu homered, but the point is still the same.

That the Yankees will have clunkers is a given.

The problem, however, is that the Yankees are having too many of them, and against the wrong teams.

Losing to Pittsburgh is bad enough on its own.

Getting blown out? Getting blown out against a starting pitcher with an ERA over seven?

That's not a performance from a team that wants to be considered a playoff contender. That's not even a performance from a third place team.


Again, the Yankees have some serious issues with their bullpen, especially now that Rasner's magic seems to have worn thin. With the trade deadline approaching sooner than you think, look for Brian Cashman and the Yankees to make some moves. They might be as simple as promoting David Robertson or Mark Melancon, or they might me more complex, but either way, the Yankees need help.



If you want some good news, though, Fresno State is winning--their Cinderella story looks like it might live on one more night.

Relieving Dangerously (Postgame Notes 18 June 2008)

It certainly wasn't pretty, but it was still a win.

After scoring three runs in the first two innings, the Yankees played a see-saw game with the Padres, letting the Padres get close--on two occasions, within one run--but never to tie or take the lead.

While Darrel Rasner cruised through the first two innings, striking out four in that span, he labored through the third, and threw so many pitches that, although he did not surrender the lead, he was done pitching after the fifth inning.

Still, it was enough for Rasner to get his first win in his last five tries, and even his overall record at 4-4.

While Darrel Rasner will never be Joba or even a #2 or #3 starter on the Yankees (he might have a shot at a #3 spot on a pitching-poor National League team), he does eat innings, and with the exception of his poor start in Oakland, he has always kept the Yankees in the game--certainly he can't be blamed if there was a lack of run support in many of his outtings.

Tonight, however, there was no lack of run support. Every Yankee starter except for Jason Giambi had at least one hit; Johnny Damon, Wilson Betemit and Alex Rodriguez each had three hit games.

Alex Rodriguez now has homered in four consecutive games, and tonight's home run was a no-doubt-about-it moon shot that nearly made the left field bleachers. He has supplemented his all-powerful bat with terrific defense that has likely saved the Yankees' countless runs over the past six wins.

Derek Jeter continues to befuddle--though his average is only in the .270-.280 range, he has a seven game hitting streak, and has a knack for making the hits matter.

Wilson Betemit, starting at first base, had perhaps his best offensive game of the season, easily atoning for an error he made in the first inning. Though he's not the best defensive player on the Yankees, he can still hit for some power from the left side.

The Yankees bullpen was not shut-down, but it never surrendered the lead. Instead, after an easy 6th inning, Edwar Ramirez and Kyle Farnsworth both flirted with danger before giving the ball to Mariano Rivera in the ninth, and even then, Mo (uncharacteristically) gave up a lead off double before retiring the side).

That said, the Yankees have now won six in a row. Though they haven't been able to make up much ground on Boston and Tampa, as those teams keep winning, they've made up some, and that they've been able to do this while missing three of their five starters on Opening Day is all the more remarkable.

These are not the eternally .500 Yankees you are watching any more.

Rasner, Yes, Offense, No. (Postgame Notes 06 June 2008)

Two walk off wins in a row.

Could it be?

Twice in a row, the ninth inning came with the Yankees down and two outs before anyone reached base. Twice down to their final strike. Could they repeat the feat and walk off again?

Alas, they could not.

It's a little weird. Yesterday's game could not have been more different than tonight's--a slugfest against a good ole' pitcher's duel. Yesterday, Chien Ming Wang had another shaky outing. Tonight, Darrell Rasner had, possibly, the pitching performance of his career. Yesterday had costly errors; tonight had (mostly) solid defense.

Yet, at the end, in the ninth inning, it was the same scenario: down a run, two outs and no one on.

Momentum was clearly on the Yankees' side yesterday--having been down at one point 7-2, while, tonight, a very clearly botched call by home plate umpire Ed Montague in the eighth stole much of the momentum that the Yankees had in that inning.

That said, the Yankees lost tonight's game because of a total lack of offense.

Rasner did not just what he was supposed to do but more, and the offense reverted back to what they've been doing in stranding runners and not getting the big hits.

Rasner should be satisfied with his performance (though I'm not sure any pitcher would be when his team is on the losing end), but the offense needs to figure this not-getting-the-big-hit thing. A-Rod's healthy and Posada's healthy. They're out of excuses at this point.


Headed up to Scranton tomorrow for the LoHud gathering. Since I won't be able to catch the Belmont, I'd go ahead and put money on Big Brown.

Postgame Notes 1 June 2008

When Derek Jeter hit the solo home run in left center field after the Twins had only managed to score one run with the bases loaded and no one out, it looked like the Yankees might have had a chance to win the game.

When Justin Morneau hit a home run, while that ball didn't leave the ballpark, the Yankees' chances of winning the game did--or at least, that was how it felt.

It wasn't exactly a horrible loss--the Yankees were in the game until the later innings--but they were never able to muster much of anything offensively, and looked lifeless on that end.

Darrell Rasner had his worst start while in pinstripes this season. It wasn't a horrendous start--in fact, he went deeper into the game than Chien Ming Wang last night--but he received almost no offensive support.

There was a scary moment in the game when Twins' pitcher Nick Blackburn was hit in the face on a line drive off of Bobby Abreu. He fell down backwards and laid there almost lifeless for a moment before getting up. Fortunately, he seems to be okay, but it does remind you just how dangerous that the sport of baseball can be.

OPTIMIST TAKE: The Yankees are still at .500. Chris Britton finally got a chance to pitch--and sat the four Twins he faced down in order.

Postgame Notes 4 May 2008

When things go well for the Yankees, they go really well.

Exhibit A: Game against Seattle, 4 May 2008.

Starting for the injured Phil Hughes, Darrel Rasner gave the Yankees exactly what they needed: six sharp innings, with the two runs given up in the first coming on one mistake to Adrian Beltre. Other than that, Rasner was great, certainly earning his next start.

Offensively, the Yankees had their first five-plus run inning all year, batting around and getting back-to-back home runs from Melky Cabrera and the struggling Robinson Canò. Johnny Damon had a good game, and Derek Jeter was 4-5, with two runs and an RBI.

In fact, the entire top of the Yankees line up has been hitting really well; the past three wins are all a result off their production. It's a great sign for the Yankees, who look like they are finally beginning to figure out things offensively--even Jason Giambi just missed a double to the deep left field corner.

The bullpen was again solid, not allowing a run--today's pitchers being Ross Ohlendorf, Kyle Farnsworth and Mariano Rivera.

Rivera has now pitched thirteen innings and not allowed a run, and only four hits. He only needed eight pitches today. Many players struggle a bit after signing a big contract, but Rivera, if possible, looks better than he ever has.

OPTIMIST TAKE: The Yankees are back over .500 (hopefully this time they'll stay there!). Rasner did everything the Yankees could have asked--the time he's spent in Scranton probably helped. Robinson Canò had a home run, hopefully a sign of things to come. Johnny Damon made an outstanding catch in left in the sixth.

Let's Play Two!

As you may or may not know, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre -- Syracuse Sky Chiefs game yesterday was rained out, which was a disappointment, seeing as I had tickets.

However, Dan, the one with whom I went to Boston, and I are of the opinion that you can never have too much baseball, so we decided to make good on the rain check and head back out to the ballpark, given that it's only a ten minute drive from the University.

What we didn't realize, was that in the minor leagues, the way double-headers work (or at least in Syracuse), is that you have to exchange your tickets, and the new tickets are good for both games.

Now, originally, our seats were fourth row behind the SWB dugout, which is awesome in its own right.

However, when we went to exchange our tickets, that section had already been exchanged/sold out (there was another game originally scheduled for today, hence the doubleheader), so we went with the best available--which just happened to be row two in between home plate and the dugout--literally RIGHT behind the on deck circle.

The nice person behind the ticket counter told us that the seats were behind the netting as if telling us that we were sitting right behind the foul pole like in the old cartoons, but netting is a very small price to pay.

Anyway. So as you probably know, I like to take pictures.


Bernie Castro. I am amused that his name is Bernie and he wears #51. He does not, however, play center field--he plays second base. The man sitting in front of Dan and myself had a conversation with him through the netting in Spanish, but alas, my Spanish skills were not quite good enough to understand the entire conversation. However, the guy did make Bernie Castro laugh, so I guess that's a good sign.


During the anthem.


Brett Gardner. Offensively, he had a day he'd probably like to forget. However, defensively, he made a couple of good plays, especially in the first game, which was needed as Scranton won the first game 2-1.


Getting ready for game action.


Cody Ransom. He had a great Spring Training, if you remember.


Juan Miranda. Another guy in front of us tried to ask Miranda if he was related to someone, but I'm not sure Miranda speaks English.


Rasner pitching. He went into the sixth (of seven), three hits, one run. He looked good--seemed to be throwing mostly strikes.


Rasner wasn't actually looking at me when I took this picture, but I can pretend he was.


Jason Lane talking to hitting coach Alvaro Espinoza.


Bullpen getting loose.


Getting ready for the next inning.


A peek into the dugout.


Right after Rasner left the game. Rasner got a very nice hand--there are a lot of Yankee fans in Syracuse! In fact, there were audible Let's-Go-Yankees chants throughout the doubleheader, but no such for Syracuse.


Yes, that is Kei Igawa, and yes, he is in the stands, signing autographs. Igawa was actually sitting in the stands for the entire game. I was tempted to go over and say hi, but I don't speak Japanese. That, and according to one of the boys sitting behind us, his translator is scary.


Bern, baby, Bern? This was right before he started talking to the man in front of us.


Kei Igawa sat there through both games.




Igawa was charting pitches--when I took this it was the second game, so Marquez was pitching. Dan and I didn't stay for the entire second game; Marquez and the SWB Yankees were down 2-0 or 3-0 when we left. By this point I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the score.

We had a great time--in fact, we went and bought tickets for Syracuse--Pawtucket on Thursday.

Because, after all, you can never have too much baseball.

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I did follow the ML Yankees game on my cell phone--excellent performance by Wang, great home run from Melky, not so great with RISP. However, the Yankees needed the win, and they got it. At 5-0, Wang is setting himself up for a great season.

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The news about Jorge Posada, however, is not fun. The New York Times, as you likely know by now, is reporting a muscle tear, which means that for the first time in his career, Posada will be headed for the DL.

Since Chad Moeller has been DFA'd, Jose Molina is more or less our only catcher--and even he is not at 100% with his hamstring. Rumor has it that Chris Stewart will be called up for SWB, but, of course, one has to wonder, if Cervelli had not gotten hurt in Spring Training...