"You Can't Predict Baseball"

A week ago, would you have believed me if I told you that on a trip to Seattle and Oakland, the Yankees would go 5-2, losing games started by Joba Chamberlain and AJ Burnett (to guys named Fister and, uh, Tomko) but winning games started by Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre?

Crazy, huh?

This is the beauty of baseball--more than perhaps any other sport, the unexpected can and does occur.

And, of course, this is exactly what happened.

The West Coast Swing has long been a dread of Yankee fans--and no eastern time zone fan enjoys that the Yankees will return yet again in late September--but this time the Yankees did quite all right out there.

Once again, the Yankees won their games in a variety of ways, blowouts and one-run games, and with the exception of Seattle's one clunker, the pitching kept pitching like it belonged on a playoff team.


That said, there are a couple of concerns:

Alfredo Aceves cannot possibly be healthy. I refuse to believe it. His number since his spot start in Minnesota have not been Ace-like.

Phil Hughes isn't pitching very often. I'm not sure why. I want to trust that the Yankees know what they are doing, but if the long term goal is for him to be a starter, it would be nice to have more than, say, 6.2 innings in the entire month of August.

Alex Rodriguez has kinda sorta stopped doing that home run thing. It's a good thing his average is on the rise, but I think we'd notice his relative power outage a bit more if it wasn't for the amazing seasons Jeter, Damon, Teixeira and Canó are having.

Jorge Posada looks like he could benefit from a week off at the plate. Of course, every time I say that he goes and rips an RBI double so what do I know...



These are all minor concerns; things to think about not necessarily as something wrong, but something to cause you to keep your eyes open.

At any rate, the Yankees are more than 30 games over .500. Life is good.

Yanks 30 over .500 (Postgame Notes 14 August 2009)

Doing this one in bullet form because it's late and I'm tired:

• The Yankees have a .902 OPS in the 7th inning or later. The next closest is .787.

• The Mets have 69 HR all year; the Yankees have 68 from the 7th inning on alone.

• Andy Pettitte's 10 strikeouts are a season high for him and match the season highs of CC and AJ. Oh, and he did it in six innings. Ken Griffey, Jr. was the only Mariner not to strike out. Which would be why he's Ken Griffey, Jr.

• Brian Bruney threw a greater percentage of strikes tonight than did Mariano Rivera, but Rivera still retired the side on nine pitches.

• Mark Teixeira is making quite the case for an MVP award, no?

Blog at you in the morning.

Start Counting

The number 42 has auspicious significance for Yankee fans of this generation.

Thus, many have chosen tonight to utter, for the very first time since 2007 (well, 2006, really), the term "magic number".

It stands at 42 with 47 games to play.

For the unfamiliar, any combination now of Yankee wins and/or Red Sox losses equaling 42 will give the Yankees the American League East.


It's August 14th. A lot can happen between now and October 1st.

Yet, as we saw CC Sabathia dominate the Mariners and an A-Rod-less offense go beserk (thank you, Hideki Matsui, 2 HR 5 RBI night), it's hard not to think that good things are in store.

Just keep playing, Yankees. Use the clock. Take games off the schedule.

Win.

CC Shaky as Yanks fall to the Mariners (Postgame Notes 2 July 2009)

The Yankees did not play a particularly horrid game--certainly not their worst of the season--but their ace did struggle on the mound.

Meanwhile the Seattle Mariners were finally able to mount an offense (if you get a chance to see Russell Branyan hit the restaurant--yes, the restaurant--do it), and got the same pitching they've had all season that's actually among the best in the majors.

Put the two together, and you get a Seattle win.

For the Yankees, the real concern here is not the hitting, but whether or not CC's shaky outing was just one of those things, or if it is in some way related to the biceps tendinitis he had earlier. It probably isn't, but given the amount invested in him, it's best to be sure.


Seattle never led by more than four runs; the first four run lead was the fault of Sabathia and the second could possibly be attested to Girardi leaving Alfredo Aceves in the game too long. At any rate, Branyan hit a moonshot, and coming as late in the game as it did, it was a bit of a death knell.

The good news is that tomorrow is a day game, a quick turnaround so that the blah-ness of today's game can be quickly forgotten.

Of course, the Blue Jays must be considered a stronger opponent than any of the Braves, Mets or Mariners, but the Yankees took two of three from them earlier, and there is no reason to think they can't at least split this series (taking three of four would, of course, be wonderful; all four would be beyond awesome, but I hear beating Roy Halladay is hard.)





If you want an interesting story from today, the SD/HOU game was delayed because of bees.

Yeah, you read that right.

Pettitte Strong as Yanks Roll to 7th Straight (postgame notes 1 July 2009)

For, perhaps, the first time this season, Andy Pettitte had an excellent outing at home.

On a warm night (without rain, if you'd believe it and I don't blame you if you don't) that saw four home runs, Pettitte maintained his cool and pitched as though it was still 1999.

He did give up two runs, but at no point in the game did he ever trail the Mariners, and was no doubt helped by some falling asleep on behalf of the Mariners on the basepath.

As for the Yankee offense, just like last night, it did enough at the right moments to get the win. Four runs won't win you a game every night, but it will most nights if your starting pitching is competent, which, tonight, it was.

Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Alex Rodriguez all had home runs, with Melky's and A-Rod's shots being particularly, uh, blast-like.


And, really, that's all there is to say about tonight's game. Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke combined for a scoreless 8th while Mariano Rivera picked up his 502nd save.

It was a crisp, clean game played in a very quick 2:17.

Once again, the Yankees have assured themselves of a series victory, and with the Jays coming in over the long weekend in which the Yankees get to face Roy Halladay and Ricky Romero (8 scoreless vs. the Rays today), that looms important.

CC Sabathia will be on the hill tomorrow as the Yankees go for the sweep.

Yanks' Grit it Out Against Mariners (postgame notes 30 June 2009)

Given that Mariano Rivera threw out tonight's ceremonial first pitch and that Joba Chamberlain was starting, it is perhaps not surprising that in the end it came down to the bullpen.

Joba Chamberlain started, and while he wasn't horrible in any sense of the word, he also wasn't very good, or even mildly good.

He struggled with command, and once again seemed to nibble too much, being afraid to attack the zone after going 0-2 on hitters. To be sure, the hits the Mariners had off of Joba were more of the bloop than the blast variety, but he threw too many pitches and much too many out of the strike zone.

For much of the game, the Yankee offense muddled about in a state of semi-consciousness.

The first three runs came on an error, a sac fly and a groundout--and they were 0-9 with RISP at one point.

However, as soon as the Mariners tied the game (which they did twice), the Yankees' offense would come right back, doing, once again, just enough to make sure the team wins. The offense did look best in the bottom of the 8th inning.



The story line about this game, however, will center around the 8th inning.

In the seventh, Joe Girardi had gone to Phil Hughes to pitch, and Hughes set the Mariners' down, in order, on nine pitches.

As many have opined, there was no real reason to take Hughes out of a game, especially since he needs his innings.

Still, Girardi played, once again, by the book and brought in his presumed 8th inning guy, Brian Bruney.

As has been the case since Bruney came off of the disabled list, he struggled and, in this case blew the 5-3 lead.

The question of what should have been done will, no doubt, fill the non-Mets-related talk on WFAN tomorrow; and opinions will probably be very varied.

Me? I would have stuck with Hughes, not because of a lack of faith in Bruney, but because Hughes has been so dominant and because Hughes could use the work. You might entirely disagree.


Ultimately, the Yankees got the win on a night Boston lost (check out those highlights if you can. Seriously.), and all is well.

Class of 2011: Should the Yankees (Hypothetically) Consider Felix Hernandez?

According to Jayson Stark, the Seattle Mariners avoided arbitration with starter Felix Hernandez.

While this, itself, would be interesting for mariners fans, perhaps the more interesting nugget is that Hernandez will be a free agent in 2011--at the tender age of 25.

This would, of course, make King Felix prime fodder for a long term deal, and if we suspend reality for a moment and pretend that the Mariners will have no inclination to re-sign him (the Mariners' payroll last year was +$100 million, which means they're not exactly strapped for cash), we can consider whether or not the Yankees should be interested in signing him.

Now, I've been told to be wary of statistics, and there is good reason for this.

For example, Hernandez was 9-11 last season, but that doesn't take into account the fact that he played on the very last place Mariners.

What's more important, though, is that in each of the past three seasons, Hernandez has pitched 190 innings or more, and that includes last year after hurting his ankle in a game against the Mets.

Fanball's 2009 Fantasy Guide offers this take on King Felix:

Twenty-two. That will be King Felix's age on opening day...People tend to forget that fact and look at him as some type of failure over the past three seasons. But think of it this way: Felix is two years younger than Tim Lincecum, but he's made 46 more appearances. Hernandez is one of only seven hurlers with at least 165 strikeouts in each of the past three seasons, and his career 8.01 K/9 mark is superb. One negative is that he walked far too many batters in 'o8...but as pitchers age they generally learn how to put away batters. Moreover, Felix owns a tremendous 2.33 career G/F rate, and power pitchers who keep the ball on the ground can become legendary...

(p 135)

Young pitchers are certainly a gamble. The Yankees discovered this the hard way with Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes, but the three years between now and when Hernandez would become a free agent (again, we have to suspend reality for a moment) is a long time. Hernandez could blossom, bust or get hurt, but the fact is he's only two months older than Phil Hughes and no one is suggesting that Hernandez ought to start the 2009 season in the minors.

Most people tend to not pay attention to players on a last place team, and the only mention you might remember of Hernandez last year was when he hit a grand slam off of Johan Santana.

It's obviously too early for the Yankees to make any tangible plans for 2011; anything can happen between now and then and they will have other, more pressing concerns, such as where to place Jeter, should his defense at short no longer be adequate and most importantly, trying to replace Posada and Rivera (you can't). However, "anything's possible" does, in fact, mean that anything's possible, and if there's a top-quality pitcher, that even has a chance, no matter how small, of becoming a free agent at age 25, the Yankees would do well to keep an eye on him.

Ponsanity (Postgame Notes 6 September 2007)

Wait for it...wait for it...

Sidney Ponson pitched well.

He made one bad pitch and got burned for it, but he pitched well and, at least against the Mariners, the Yankees were able to take advantage of the weaker team.

The offense wasn't great, especially in the early innings, but they took advantage of a bad Seattle bullpen and was able to put enough distance between them and the Mariners that even when Joba struggled, their lead was still fairly comfortable.

Now, with Mike Mussina on the mound tomorrow the Yankees have a legitimate shot at leaving Seattle with a 5-2 record on the road trip so far, which is already a lot better than 3-7 and would guarantee at least a .500 record on the trip.

While at this point it might be considered too late to do anything other than hope for the Yankees, there are still intriguing storylines: Mussina's quest for 20 wins is alive and well, Jeter is thisclose to being the Yankees' hits leader (at least at Yankee Stadium), and every home run Alex hits now seems historic.

***

In other news, I would pay Syracuse good money to get rid of Greg Robinson, and I am very much looking forward to the first Jets game of the season tomorrow.

Sometimes It's Best Not to Dwell

Check out Pat Venditte pitching for Staten Island on Thursday, courtesy of Brent Nycz



****

Brendan Morrow should remember tonight for the rest of his life. In his first major league start he was four outs from a no-hitter.

Meanwhile, the Yankees inability to win on the West Coast are astounding.

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.

Damonized. Or, Mussic to Your Ears (Postgame Notes 3 May 2008)

Today was the type of game one hopes the Yankees play more and more often as the year goes forward--excellent starting pitching, good hitting (even with RISP!) and a solid bullpen effort.

Mike Mussina, believe it or not, got his third win in a row, an certainly pitched like he wanted it. Seattle had eight hits (not all off of Mussina), but they only managed one run--which means that when Mussina need to make the big pitches, he was able to.

The crowning moment in his start came when he struck out the side in the sixth; he finished the day at less than 90 pitches so there is a little mystery as to why he did not come out to pitch the seventh.

As for the Yankee offense, the saying "As [Johnny] Damon goes, so goes the Yankees" could not have been more true today. Damon went 3-5, with two doubles and a home run (and he scored each time he reached base). Derek Jeter also had a great game, while Melky Cabrera and Bobby Abreu also had RBI.

As for the bullpen, LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Veras had great outings; Edwar Ramirez struggled with his control, but ultimately got the job done.

OPTIMIST TAKE: Damon, Jeter, Abreu and Cabrera are all at .290 or over on the year; Matsui is the only Yankee currently batting over .300. Mussina now has 254 wins for his career and has won three straight games--pitching, believe it or not, as if he is a number two starter.

Sink Their Ship (Postgame Notes 2 May 2008)

Apologies for this being late--the end of the Celtics-Hawks game was, shall we say, entertaining.

Anyway.

Tonight, Chien Ming Wang again showed the Yankees and their fans why he is their number one starter, pitching brilliantly through six innings, allowing just one run, which was gotten on a single, two stolen bases and a ground out.

The Yankees did something they haven't done much of this season, taking advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves in the first and second, to take a 3-0 lead. They would not get another hit until the eighth as Erik Bèdard seemed to get better as the game went on, but they eventually won 5-1.

Wang gave fans a scare in the fifth when a cramp in his hand caused Joe Girardi and the team trainer to run out to the mound, but it appears that is all it was.

On the offensive end, Melky Cabrera and Hideki Matsui again came up in clutch situations in the first and second, and Morgan Ensberg and Jose Molina provided for insurance in the eighth.

The bullpen had a strong showing, allowing just one hit over three innings, and Mariano Rivera looks like he is on to having the season of his life.

OPTIMIST TAKE: Yankees scored five runs for the first time in a long time. Wang is now 6-0. The bullpen's effort was stellar, Kyle Farnsworth looked the best he has looked all year--he entered to boos and left with a rousing ovation at the end of the seventh. Believe it or not, Mike Mussina will go for his third win in a row tomorrow.

Pregame Notes 2 May 2008

The Yankees will try to break a three game losing streak tonight, but to o that, they will have to face Erik Bèdard, who many believe would have lead the league in strike outs last year if not for an oblique injury that shut him down.

Fortunately, the Yankees have their own ace of the moment on the hill, as Chien Ming Wang looks to go 6-0 and join the league leaders in wins.

The Yankees will need a more stellar offensive effort, however, if they are to have any chance at wining the series. They still haven't won since they returned home.

The struggling Robinson Canò will get the night off, with Alberto Gonzalez playing second in his place. Johnny Damon will also get the night off, with Jason Giambi DHing and Hideki Matsui playing left.

Say what you want about Joe Girardi, but when it comes to line ups, it seems like he is a firm believer in 'variety is the spice of life'

Check back later for postgame notes.

In the meantime, I'm going to celebrate this grad school thing.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #13

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Seattle Mariners

The Mariners won't generally get the same reaction from Yankee fans that the Angels will, mostly because we can and have beat the Mariners when it mattered, but this is not a team to take lightly.

They have some weak spots (I'm looking at you Richie Sexson) in their line-up, but, they've also got Ichiro and Adrian Beltre, and guys with cool names, like Kenji Johjima (it's just fun to say!), who can also hit.

Their pitching staff, which was a large part of their undoing last year, is much improved with the addition of Erik Bedard (so they don't have to worry about having the bad Weaver), and J J Putz in their bullpen might be the most underrated closer in the league.

The Angels, for one, had better watch their back.

Threat to the Yankees: Orange, exercise extreme caution

This team has the possibility to slip under the radar, kind of like it did last year, and the Yankees shouldn't let that happen. They might not be up there with the Indians, Angels and Red Sox, but they are getting close.



Brent of The Bronx Block
will have a Mariners preview up a little later, he asked me to ask you to take a look, and so you should.

Lookie, Rookies! (Random Baseball Trivia Week Five)

Today's trivia nugget comes after discovering that on this day in 2001,

One year after playing Class-A ball, Albert Pujols (.329, 37, 130) is named the National League Rookie of the Year by BBWAA. The Cardinal freshman set NL rookie marks RBIs (130), total bases (360)and extra base hits (88) and fell one home run shy of tying the National League rookie record of 38 established by Frank Robinson in 1956 as a member of the Reds. I love this site


So I went looking for rookie trivia, and I stumble upon this: there are two baseball players that have won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year. They are:

* Fred Lynn in 1975 with the Boston Red Sox
* Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 with the Seattle Mariners

This one ain't half bad, either/

Now, of course, given Ichiro's previous playing experience in Japan, there was debate as to whether or not Ichiro should have been considered rookie of the year, but there should be no debate as to whether or not he should have won the MVP award--Seattle won 116 games in 2001.

Yankees' Classic Moments, Week Four

I was looking for something Pettitte-related for this week, and then I found out that he was the MVP of the 2001 ALCS, so today's Yankees' Classic Moment is concerning the 2001 ALCS.


Now, we all know how crazy the 2001 Postseason was: just a few weeks after 9/11, most of New York still in a catatonic state, the Yankees were a way for the Yankees to heal.

The ALDS was one for the ages--the Yankees lost the first two games at home to the Oakland A's, went on the road, won game three 1-0 behind a superb effort from Mike Mussina (yes, THAT Mike Mussina) and a play from Derek Jeter (yes, THAT play). The Yankees took games four and five, and were right back in the ALCS, like they belonged.

The Yankees' ALCS opponent, however, was not supposed to be any easier: The Seattle Mariners, in their first post-A-Rod year, had won 116 regular season games, beating the Yankees' 1998 mark.

The Yankees still managed to take the first two games, before losing game three at Yankee Stadium by the mauling score of 14-3, so when game four rolled around, the Yankees needed a win to keep their series lead.

The game was the epitome of a pitcher's duel--a scoreless affair until the eighth inning, when Bret Boone and Bernie Williams traded solo home runs.

In the top of the ninth, the Yanks' Mo Rivera sat Seattle down in order.

In the bottom of the ninth, Shane Spencer ('member him?) grounded out. Scott Brosius singled afterwards, and then Alfonso Soriano came up to bat. Remember how good he was as a kid when he wasn't striking out? Yeah, he was good here--hitting a home run that won the game.

The call: "Soriano into deep right, Ichiro back, at the wall...Yankees win!" Joe Buck, FOX.

Yankees took a three games to one lead, and clinched in game five.

Holy Home Runs, A-Rodman! (Post Game Notes 05 Sept 07)

Well now, that was a fun game, wasn't it?

Well, to be more accurate, that was a fun last three innings, wasn't it?

Where to start?

Phil Hughes was not perfect, but he was the best he's been since coming off of the DL. He walked a few too many and made one big mistake to Ibanez, but he kept the Yankees in the game, going six and allowing just two runs. He had a fair number of strike outs, which, given the umpiring tonight, was quite an accomplishment!

You don't look for Phil to pitch a no hitter every time he goes out, you look for him to get better with each start. He had a couple shaky starts recently, but he was much better tonight.

Joba got the win, and, well, with an ERA of 0.00 it's hard to lose games, but this one should have gone to Phil. Please don't take that the wrong way--I LOVE Joba, but Phil really did pitch the win tonight.

While on the subject of Joba--He's crazy good. I want a Joba shirt.

On that note, Washburn pitched really well for Seattle for most of the game, making two mistakes, one to Molina and one to A-Rod, but that's something the scoreboard won't show.

Now, the fun stuff:

Holy inning, Batman!

The Yankees scored seven runs in the seventh yesterday, and I guess they wanted to do themselves one better?

When A-Rod hit his first home run of the inning (Dear G-d is that fun to write), it was like this big weight had been lifted. The Yankees sent 12 men to the plate that inning, and you might not know it, but they played a lot of small ball that inning.

They scored ten runs, but they only had seven hits. It's not the first time a team's ever had more runs than hits, but it does tell you something: It means a team knows how to play small ball--take walks, make the other guys mess up on the field, sacrifice, etc. That's the type of stuff that wins World Series.

Not that the Home Runs don't help!


On another note, the umpiring tonight was hideous. It ended up going the Yankees' way, so you won't feel Yankees fans complaining, but it could just as easily have gone the other way (in the first two innings, it did).

Umpiring like that can cost a team a Postseason. I'm glad it went the Yankees' way tonight...but I don't blame Seattle for being upset.

More food for thought: The Yankees actually went 6-3 on the homestand. Granted, I'm not sure anyone thought that of the three L's two would come against Tampa, but it's no different than if we went 2-1 in each series.



Other scores of note:

Cinninati crushed the Mets, 7-0. However, the Mets have just come off a five game win streak, so they're probably not going too crazy.

Phillies lost to Atlanta in the bottom of the ninth inning. A bullpen like the one Philadelphia has doesn't go far in the playoffs.

Cleveland won and LA Angels lost, meaning now there's only one game that separates the second and third best records in the AL. Don't know about you, but I'm pulling for Cleveland to come up ahead, so we don't have to face the Angels in the first round. Talk about Kryptonite...

Tampa Bay killed Baltimore, 17-2. I know Tampa's in last place in the league, but right now I'[m not sure there's a team playing worse than Baltimore. Well, maybe Chicago...we actually won games against the White Sox...

Milwaukee is up 14-0 in the Eighth. They've scored in every inning except the fifth and, so far, eighth. Ryan Braun is crazy.

Right now, Cubs are winning and St. Louis is losing, but Rick Ankiel DID hit a(nother) home run. He's like Shane Spencer, Shelley Duncan and Roy Hobbs all merged into one...

As of this writing, Toronto has just defeated Boston, meaning that their division lead is down to six. I don't expect the Yankees to catch the division...but then, we are the Yankees and they are the Red Sox. Stranger things have happened.

Chi Sox and Detroit have gone to eleven...I expect Detroit to win, but as I just said, stranger things have happened.



No squirrel sitings tonight, but you knew the spirit of the squirrel was there...

Pregame Notes 05 September 2007

The build up for a Yankees game is always much more fun when the team is coming off a win. Sometimes it just takes one to get the momentum going...

I imagine most of the Stadium crowd is still buzzing about Rocky J Squankee the Squirrel.

I know ESPN is.

Anyway, it's a huge start for Hughes tonight. He knows that this is his time, that with Clemens probably missing a start it's unlikely they'll drop him, and he's got to be anxious as hell to show that he can pitch at Yankee Stadium.

A big night for the bats would be helpful as well, but nowhere near as critical as a good start from Hughes.

Vizcaino has not pitched well of late, and Joba is available for tonight. Look for Joba to pitch--it's his fifth day of rest.


I'm really thirsty, so I'm going to get some water, and then I'm going to do some reading for class. My post-game comments will be, of course, following the game.

That Squirrel's Got Nuts! (Postgame notes 4 Sept 07)

When that squirrel made his appearance in the sixth, you knew something was going to happen.

You probably didn't think it'd be a seven run seventh, but if you're reading this, chances are you enjoyed it just the same.

The Yankees burst out of their recent offensive woes in a big way, with 20 hits tonight, including hits with RISP, two from Betemit and four each from Abreu, Posada and Cano each with four. Abreu was a triple shy of the cycle, Posada had two home runs and A-Rod had a MONSTER shot.

That aside, until the sixth inning, there was a lot of anxiety.

Until the sixth inning the Yankees had just one run on six hits, and it looked like it was going to be a repeat of the weekend.

If it wasn't for the absolute gem from Wang, and Matsui's great play in the fifth, there's no way the Yankees take a 1-0 lead to the sixth.

However, they did take the 1-0 lead to the sixth, and they did, finally, decide to bring the bats to the game, and for that you can't complain.


Wang has seventeen wins and is now tied for the major league lead. He just needs three more for twenty, and as it's only September fourth, he has an outside shot of it. Might be the quietest year ever for a guy trying to get to 20 wins. If you consider that he missed the beginning of the year with injury, he probably WOULD have 20 wins and be a definite Cy Young candidate.


Otherwise:

Vizcaino has given up five runs in his past two innings of work. It's an area of concern--overshadowed right now because the Yanks won big, but if it's a 4-2 game and you don't have Joba available, you need your eighth inning guy to be able to pitch well.

Scary, scary, scary, SCARY moment with A-Rod in the seventh. Readers, if you play baseball, please don't slide head first. It looked for a moment that A-Rod was down and out...but TOUGH ALL DAY prevailed.

Looks like Wang was just stiff in the eighth from the long half inning before, and that's another huge sigh of relief.

Phil Hughes starts tomorrow, so let's hope the Squirrel (Rocky Squankee?) makes another appearance ;)





Other scores of interest:

Red Sox beat Toronto 5-3. Toronto's playing for their playoff lives. They've lost two to the Red Sox so far, but they're obviously not playing for the division. It's not surprising to see Toronto put up the fight it's putting up.

Chicago White Sox beat Detroit 3-1. Detroit had runners on second and third with two out for the ninth, but the ChiSox had Bobby Jenks. You can guess how that went.

Minnesota is up on Cleveland 5-3 in the bottom of the eighth.

Mets beat Cinncinnati and Phillies beat Atlanta, meaning that the NL East is becoming a race between the Mets and Phillies. South Jersey must be near war...

Rick Ankiel did not hit a HR today, but he does have an RBI.

Arizona is up 5-0 on San Diego in the fifth.

As far as the NL Central goes, Chi Cubs lost and Milwaukee and St. Louis won.




Interesting night. Feel free to comment with name suggestions for the Squirrel...or anything else, for that matter.

Pregame Notes 04 September 2007

An update on Clemens's condition can be found here.

There's no doubt that Clemens missing any start is a bad thing; but I'm trying to decide just how bad news this is.

Consider:

Without Clemens, Mussina takes his place. This will, in all likelihood, grant Ian Kennedy another start, probably against Kansas City. I'm sure most of us are anxious to see Kennedy again, he pitched extremely well in his first game, and we want to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

However, as much as I've grown to like Mussina, his numbers this year do not inspire much faith. It's a stroke of luck Clemens's next start would have been in KC; last time Mussina pitched in KC he went six without giving up a run. I was at that pre-Joba game, and Mussina was dealing.

This is by far the worst time of the year for the Yankees to have any pitching questions, and right now the only starter that's been consistently good is Andy Pettitte--yes, he lost on Sunday, but through six he only gave up two runs, easily giving the Yankees a chance to win. Had the Yankees taken the lead, he probably gets pulled early in the seventh, yadda yadda.

[Edit]: Not sure how I missed it, but Wang's been pretty sweet as well. I'm not sure anyone outside the Yankees is actually aware he's got 17 wins now...

This is as big a test as the Yankees could face this year. This is their season.



(And even with all of this, it is nothing compared to what the Cardinals have gone through this year...now, that they're still in the playoff hunt, if THAT is not heart, I'm not sure what is!)


I will update after the game, but not during--readers of PeteAbe's blog will probably know that I get very emotional during games, and my comments I usually make would seriously demean the quality of this blog. So, unless something superhistoric happens--like Arod hitting five home runs--you probably won't hear from me here.


Speaking of home runs, the Yankees haven't hit one since Saturday...