Thrilled that the Yankees listened to people such as myself (and much more influential folks), even if it was months after the fact.
No, he's not Alex Rodriguez's replacement. But that just makes it more of a no-brainer. Less pressure, less money, less risk. For a guy, as NoMaas points out, with a 116 OPS+. You don't get those guys for nothing very often.
That's a higher mark than Miguel Tejada, to name one, and right there with Carlos Beltran. Compare contracts.
Even if in May, we're screaming, get Ensberg the hell out of here, it was still worth it.
And they know how to squeeze every area -- like by doubling the price of parking near Yankee Stadium.
I come in from the north, park at a Metro-North and take the train to the subway to the game, but it's time-consuming and not practical for many. Plus, with the reduction in seats, fewer upper-deck seats and the likely price increase (though maybe not as much as other teams with new digs), the "common" fan is going to be squeezed.
This may be a bad thing. It probably is, in certain ways. But look at the attendance. For decades, those diehards weren't filling up the seats by themselves. For most of the 1990s, that was the case. It was the case, to cherry-pick, when Roger Maris hit his 61st home run. The Yankees were a draw, but not like Broadway, for instance. There, tickets are going to sell and people are going to be disappointed. Therefore, you'll be charged more (and you'll pay more) because you're in a fight for tickets.
The Yankees, until the last several years, were most times a draw, but one in which a ticket was always available. Other activities could take precedence because, hey, I can go to a game anytime. That's no longer the case. San Francisco proved this when they cut capacity on Pac Bell (or whatever it's called now). Sure, the team was good, but it suddenly became much more difficult to get a ticket. The prestige value went up, and so did interest. Yeah, there were undoubtedly many status-seekers who weren't real fans, but it's better than perennial contenders such as Oakland and Minnesota regularly playing important games in half-filled caverns. While those stadiums surely have the diehards (in part because the facilities are terrible), all the empty seats actually imply the fanbase doesn't care, and isn't as worthy of a team as others.
So, let's say there's a loss of fan camaraderie from losing some diehards (an effect that has already happened, from many anecdotal accounts). The net increase in bodies, whether they be bandwagoners or true fans, may be enough to offset any change in demographics.
It's certainly good enough financially for the Yankees, and they are, for better or worse, a team of celebrities. Maybe having an audience of them is the next logical step.
Are interesting. He issues most of these denials through statements, but says he'll go talk to Mike Wallace on "60 Minutes." His case is well-documented, but if one domino falls (the one real witness), the whole theory does.
Yet, who's been proven innocent from among the Mitchell Report dossier? Most of the suspect cases have actually turned out to be correct. What would the odds be that the case that seems most open-and-shut (outside of Barry Bonds) turned out to be false?
Yeah, I'm not holding my breath. But man, the fuel that would give to the Red Sox conspiracy theories.
At first, I thought, what a terrible move by the Yankees, as they seem to be on the cusp of signing him. He was a failed starter, a failed closer -- a clear symbol of the Twins' failed post-1991 rebuilding strategy and the Cubs' failure to capitalize on Sammy Sosa's 1998-2001 historic production.
Then I looked a little further. His career ERA+ is 101, but his marks as a middle reliever are 210, 243, 113, 102, 140.
I suppose he's not a bad gamble, given the price. Still, I'd like to see Joe Girardi keep a tighter lease on him than the others. And I don't feel safe with Hawkins in a big September or October spot.
Hawkins is a story of good and bad, as illustrated above. He had a great year with Colorado this year, but struggled in 2006 in the AL with Baltimore. He's fairly durable but doesn't strike anyone out -- 56 in his last 115 2/3 innings. He handled Coors Field and its lack of atmosphere (2.48 ERA) but struggled on the road (4.44 ERA, .807 OPS).
Still, it's something. I just hope it's not the only something.
Labels: Yankees
All my talk of re-signing Luis Vizcaino looks to be dead, from a number of places.
He was overworked in April, was terrible until the team hit bottom, and then he, Melky Cabrera and Mariano Rivera helped rescue the season. But he wasn't so great after that, either, and again looked worn out.
Basically, he was a league-average pitcher (104 ERA+) after three very good years with three teams. But that league average came in these bizarre splits:
First 54 games: 2-1, 27 G, 28.2 IP, 27 H, 24 BB, 16 K, 6.91 ERA, .255/.388/.453
Next 54 games: 6-1, 28 G, 26.2 IP, 16 H, 9 BB, 25 K, 1.01 ERA, .168/.238/.232
Last 54 games: 0-0, 22 G, 20 IP, 23 H, 11 BB, 21 K, 4.95 ERA, .288/.372/.475
It's even worse if you count Viz's true good stretch:
Games 55-133: 6-1, 41 G, 38.2 IP, 24 H, 15 BB, 36 K, 1.16 ERA
Games 1-54, 134-162: 2-1, 36 G, 36.2 IP, 42 H, 28 BB, 26 K, 7.61 ERA
When he got wild, he also gave up hits and didn't strike out batters. Basically, he was either really good in all three departments or he was awful in all three. While that one half of the season was glittery and spectacular, the differences are disturbing.
He wasn't particularly overworked in the long run, either, with roughly the same number of appearances and innings as he's logged throughout the decade. So what's the problem? Who knows. While I still think he's someone worth keeping, I can see why, along with any potential arm problems, the Yankees are wary.
What's scary, though, is that people inside the organization still like Sean Henn.
Andy Pettitte taking arbitration is no light step, even as the wire report plays it up as a formality.
As this blog has mentioned at least once, the Yankees were foolish to trust Roger Clemens to retire after 2003, and they did not offer arbitration. Of course, Clemens never filed retirement papers, signed with Houston, and quite possibly cost the Yankees a championship by stealing Pettitte away as well.
So kudos to the Yankees for being respectful, giving Andy and his family time to decide, but also covering their asses.
$16 million may be a little much for even a 15-9, 4.05 ERA guy, but he and his innings are probably worth it. He's for sure more valuable at a one-year deal than are all these journeymen at $10-12 million.
Despite an actually interesting NFL season, with the Patriots, a bunch of resurgent teams and the Dolphins' race for 0-16, people are still talking baseball a day before Thanksgiving.
Despite the NBA in full swing, the NHL pretending to be relevant, and snow closer to a regular occurrence for many, baseball's still on people's minds, such as Torii Hunter's and Melky Cabrera's status.
That's not a bad thing at all.
You just hope, if you're a Yankees fan, that baseball is also on Andy Pettitte's mind. Actually, even if you're not a Yankee fan, it's hard to see why you'd want a guy like him out of the game.
Seems everyone is bowing before the might that is the Steinbrenners, Generation II.
After Alex Rodriguez made an (overrated) concession, now it seems Mariano Rivera is going to sign a three-year, $45 million deal.
He's still great, if not omnipotent, and was not a question mark in the postseason, unlike so many others.
But four years for almost any closer is taking a risk, doubly so for a 38-year-old. And, shocking as it may seem, it's A-Rod, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada (and even Jose Molina) who are less replaceable than Rivera.
Welcome back to reality, Mo. It's good to see you.
Labels: Yankees
His mouth is getting pretty tiring, too, but he's never been a free agent, so he's obviously enjoying it a bit too much.
As for giving Mo a fourth year, besides the obvious concern -- he'll be 41 in that fourth year -- he showed dangerous decline (or temporary slippage) this year in the areas that were once signs of his unique dominance.
In 2007, Rivera posted a 3.15 ERA. Now, that's not so bad, and it's almost unfair to compare with his 2003-06 run of sub-1.90 ERAs.
But look at the splits. Rivera struggled (relatively) in 2007 without off-days
No rest: 12 games, 13.1 IP, 3.38 ERA, 18 baserunners
1 day rest: 21 games, 23.1 IP, 3.47 ERA, 34 baserunners (including 4 HBP!)
2 days rest: 11 games, 11.2 IP, 0.77 ERA, 11 baserunners
Maybe it's how Torre used him. He was pitching more innings per appearance on short rest versus a comfortable two days. And Rivera struggled most with three days rest (14 games, 13.2 IP, 5.27 ERA, 16 baserunners), which didn't help the bottom line.
Has Mo always been more reliable on two days rest?
Let's look.
2006:
0 days: 16 games, 16.2 IP, 1.62 ERA, 17 baserunners
1 day: 20 games, 26 IP(!), 0.69 ERA, 24 baserunners
2 days: 14 games, 18 IP, 2.00 ERA, 17 baserunners
3 days: 6 games, 6.1 IP, 4.26 ERA, 8 baserunners
2005:
0 days: 23 games, 24.1 IP, 1.11 ERA, 29 baserunners
1 day: 18 games, 20.2 IP, 1.74 ERA, 19 baserunners
2 days: 10 games, 10.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 4 baserunners
3 days: 13 games, 16 IP, 2.25 ERA, 16 baserunners
In both years, Rivera was at his worst on three days rest, but there wasn't a tremendous difference between other common situations. He was dominant always. If he's lost that dominance on short rest, then he can still be a good closer, but it's tough to bet against further decline over four years.
But 2005 and 2006 were some of the best years ever by a closer! He nearly won the '05 Cy Young!
OK, fair enough. We'll look at Trevor Hoffman, his relative peer in age and saves, and Mo's worst season before 2007, which was 2000.
Hoffman in 2007 (age 39)
0 days: 21 G, 20.1 IP, 2.66 ERA, 22 MoB
1 day: 14 G, 12 IP, 8.25 ERA, 25 MoB
2 days: 7 G, 6.2 IP, 1.35 ERA, 5 MoB
3+ days: 19 G, 18.1 IP, 0.49 ERA, 10 MoB
Hoffman in 2006 (age 38)
0 days: 20 G, 20 IP, 2.25 ERA, 21 MoB
1 day: 15 G, 14 IP, 1.29 ERA, 13 MoB
2 days: 7 G, 7 IP, 3.86 ERA, 8 MoB
3 days: 13 G, 12.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 9 MoB
4+days: 10 G, 9.2 IP, 4.66 ERA, 11 MoB
Rivera in 2000 (2.85 ERA)
0 days: 20 games, 21.1 IP, 2.53 ERA, 22 baserunners
1 day: 17 games, 20.2 IP, 2.61 ERA, 19 baserunners
2 days: 10 games, 10.1 IP, 3.48 ERA, 18 baserunners
3 days: 8 games, 9.2 IP, 2.79 ERA, 9 baserunners
6+ days: 6 games, 7 IP, 6.43 ERA, 10 baserunners
Rivera just doesn't have a track record of struggles on no rest or one day of rest. That's why 2007 is so troubling. And while Hoffman doesn't have a real pattern from the past two years, he pitches fewer innings and gets preferential rest compared with Rivera.
That's not going to be possible with the Yankees, unless they slip to a mid-80s win level a la the Padres. That may be good enough out there, but it won't work in the American League.
Let's not buy the lie that Alex Rodriguez is truly unhappy with Scott Boras. While Wallace Matthews is never my muse, he's right to see through this.
Baseball teams cannot bar a player from being represented by a particular agent (or other representative). Rodriguez does not have to fire Boras, or even be truly unhappy. He merely must, for appearances, act as if he's been misrepresented to draw the Yankees back into negotiations from their tough, unfortunate, but correct stance of "opt-out, you're out."
Now, maybe his wife, Cynthia, is pulling a Laura Pettitte and threatening his wealth should A-Rod skip town. Even then, it's tough to trust A-Rod, because a gift of some jewelry (a la Kobe Bryant after his Colorado incident) could change his wife's mind overnight.
And hey, it could simply be a personality disagreement. Andruw Jones and Boras survived a similar situation (though one involving $200 million less). But the Yankees can't take that chance.
The Yankees have time on their side. Make A-Rod sweat. Call his bluff; see if he'll really can Boras or cave even further on his money demands. Who else is out there? No one, apparently. It's not collusion, where owners are calling each other and saying, "Let's freeze A-Rod out." But it's clear Boras-style collusion -- that of blatantly lying about other team's offers -- isn't working. That is, unless the Yankees fumble their next move.
It's a matter of starving the beast. It's not for the weak-willed or compassionate. Lord knows that's not what Scott Boras or Alex Rodriguez are. A bit of the flip side may be exactly the medicine needed to bring the slugger back to the Bronx -- with lighter pockets.
For not immediately signing the Yankees' offer of three years, $45 million and worse, demanding more. It's possibly more than he deserves, and he's coming off the worst year of his great career. Plus, he's 38.
For three years, we'd expect at least 90 saves, right?
Historically, two men have achieved that from age 38 onward: Hoyt Wilhelm and Dennis Eckersley. Wilhelm pitched more than 1,000 innings, and Eck only hit 84 saves through age 40, and wasn't under a 4.00 ERA any of the three years.
On the plus side, Trevor Hoffman has saved 88 games in his age-38 and -39 years (though none in games 161-63 of 2007), and Todd Jones has saved, albeit unsteadily, 75 in that time.
Negatively, Jones has had ERA+ marks of 116 and 107, which isn't bad but pales to Rivera's career 194 and '07 mark of 142.
Also, Jose Mesa earned 70 saves from age 38-39. But he did so with NL ERAs of 3.25 and 4.76, and has only saved two games since as a middle reliever.
For Rivera, the negative is that he's appeared in 787 games already, but add in the 117.1 postseason innings, and he's got an extra year and a half on his arm.
So, can Rivera have three great years? Yes, not least because ERA doesn't matter as much for relievers. But it's no sure bet, and it'll require Rivera making history yet again.
Labels: Yankees
The Yankees' history of great catchers:
1928-43, '46: Bill Dickey
1947-60: Yogi Berra
1960-67: Elston Howard
1970-79: Elston Howard
1998-present: Jorge Posada
The Daily News is saying four years, $52 million. Great price, bad terms. But, if they win a World Series in the next two, I'll live with the last two.
Psychologically, it's a great boost to the spirits of the team and the fans. They've realized in the past couple of years -- certainly, in 2007 -- what a special player they're watching.
Labels: Yankees
The N.Y. Times today compares Joe Giradi to Buck Showalter. Not a bad comparison, other than that Buck Showalter had to be replaced for two franchises to win World Series. And A-Rod clearly didn't get scared away by Girardi; he wants money and power. Besides, the Times, like other media, is looking to contrast Girardi and Torre; Showalter is the only example in recent years to also have had a Yankee connection.
This isn't a bad attitude, in general:
Both are savvy and detail oriented, and both like to be in control of every situation that affects their team.
However, that last bit is worrisome. In New York, you can't always control everything. The media, the ownership and even the players are going to exert some control over stories, even if they are silly, inconsequential stories blown up to more than their worth.
More of this temperament, although seen now as positive, is discussed at Bronx Banter and an SI.com editor.
Basically, if Joe doesn't let some stuff roll off his back, he'll be exactly like Showalter. But there's ample reason to believe he'll be able to do that. Or so I think.
Labels: Yankees
Joe Girardi has been groomed to be a manager for years, even when he was still a player. So, of course, we can at least guess how he might be based upon his influences.
Girardi's managers (excluding a couple of midseason replacements):
1989-91: Don Zimmer
1992: Jim Lefebvre
1993-95: Don Baylor
1996-99: Joe Torre
2000-02: Don Baylor
2003: Tony LaRussa
A lot of heavyweight talent, some beloved and some maligned. All have worked in big markets or for high-profile teams, so Girardi got at least a glimpse into how they handled being under the microscope.
With Don Baylor, he got to see another ex-player who was relatively young (44 in 1993) enjoy some success (1995 NL wild card, manager of the year) but ultimately fail. Baylor, being the first manager of an expansion team, was undoubtedly a bigger influence in Girardi dealing with the youthful 2006 Marlins.
From Jim Lefebvre, he learned about mediocrity, I'd say. You could argue he never had the talent Girardi is inheriting, so not much to glean there.
Tony LaRussa, of course, is well-known for his qualities and faults, and Girardi probably has some lessons there he won't share.
Don Zimmer, of course, was also a coach on Girardi's teams from 1993-1999. He is the biggest influence, I would believe, on Girardi's managerial style. Many have pointed in recent years to the departure of Zimmer as Torre's right-hand man as the catalyst for Torre's perceived (or real) decline in in-game managing. Girardi seems to have inherited the no-nonsense, analytical, but somewhat player-friendly style.
What remains to be seen, however, is if Girardi will be the loose cannon that Zimmer has been for years, if not decades. That temper, if he repeats his Florida behaviors (which I've said I believe was a different situation), will doom Girardi's tenure for sure.
Such an inability to censor himself would also cause a black eye for the Yankees' braintrust, as there was no chance of Don Mattingly or Tony Pena being anything but company men.
If we accept that Zimmer is Girardi's biggest managerial influence, then it just remains to be seen which Zimmer -- the old Brooklyn sage or the nut who charged Pedro Martinez -- will dominate Joe's thinking. I'm confident of the final result.
Labels: Yankees
It's worth looking at because troubles with management are why he was fired in Florida.
It's tough to gauge what the Steinbrenners are going to be like. It's hard to imagine them sitting behind the Yankees' dugout yelling at the umpire about balls and strikes, but you never know. The form of action that could irk Joe Girardi is likely to be the public second-guessing that is a trademark of George.
On the bright side, many of the Yankees' battles, whether between management and manager, GM and owners, players and players, players and managers or players and management, are often more about public perception and how it plays in the media. Girardi has ample training in handling that circus from his time as a player in the Bronx, as Torre's bench coach in 2005 and from time spent at the YES network.
In Florida, it seemed there was a genuine, private animosity between him and Jeffrey Loria. Regardless of who was at fault, the owner's going to win that battle.
The lesson, then, for Girardi, is simple: Keep public disagreements superficial, on the back pages, and rise above them. Of course, winning will help everything.
Labels: Yankees
Apparently, that's all of us who repeatedly backed Alex Rodriguez despite his postseason (and all of 2006) clutch woes, his crippling personality disorders and insecurity, problems with teammates and his apparent inability to handle the media before say, June 2007.
NoMaas, which I feel was overzealous in its joy at Joe Torre's dismissal, gets it exactly right here:
We don't blame Arod for opting out. After all, the Yankees traded for him knowing that he had this clause in his contract. Plus, he was treated like crap by the fans and media here. Maybe he just had enough.
However, we blame Arod for not being man enough to even have a conversation with the Yankees, and specifically Brian Cashman. Cashman was one of the few who publicly defended Rodriguez, and denied the countless trade demands made by writers and fans. After telling us repeatedly during the season that he wanted to stay in New York, Alex did not even honor the Yankees' request of a face-to-face meeting. He reportedly broke up with the Yankees in a voicemail left by Scott Boras. No dialogue. No conversation. Can't we be a little more professional than that? Is that how you really conduct business, Alex?
...
What is certain though is that sincerity and professionalism are two qualities which Alex Rodriguez clearly lacks.
Great athletes don't necessarily need sincerity and professionalism in all aspects. But all the greats have been sincere in their desire to win and professional in the way they went about their business. Even a moron like Manny Ramirez is clearly sincere in his love of baseball and professional in his approach to hitting.
No one doubts A-Rod's professional approach to hitting, but it's all superseded -- his play, his love for the game, his desires to win and to be loved -- to a desire, a sincere one, to be the best-paid, dominant figure in sports. To be bigger than anything else.
Are we jumping the gun? Maybe A-Rod comes back. Even if he somehow did, though, hasn't he burnt all his bridges? It would be a Yankee fan's version of Stockholm Syndrome to welcome him back with open arms.
Kudos to Scott Boras, for he's doing exactly what he needs to do, but A-Rod? Hope the money and new city compensates for being the loneliest man in sports.
These include:
Why we can make incredible computers on the head of a pin, and turn almost anything into a fuel resource, and we can clone animals, yet AA batteries don't improve while technology sucks more power from them.
Why casting directors think Lindsay Lohan will make a movie better by her addiction-fueled presence.
How ABC thought "Cavemen" wasn't going to be terrible. I mean, you don't have half-hour commercials for a reason. It's like two-hour movies based on one halfway funny joke that sets up the film in the first 90 seconds. And this happens all the time.
Why Tiny Fey keeps getting better-looking. I'm not surprised, however, that that link shows Conan O'Brien looks just like a "Mary Poppins" girl.
How Tim McCarver has a job on TV.
But mostly, why the Yankees are taking so long to decide on Torre. It's not fair to the organization, the coaches, the players, the fans or Torre. It's also going to hinder relations with pending free agents, whether they be in-house or elsewhere, as well as put more of a spotlight (or bulls-eye, if you choose) on the next manager.
It'd be one thing if the delay, or the interminable negotiations, were of a contract matter. By this I mean talks with Torre on a new deal or Mattingly, et al, to fill the position. But this is merely the talks before the talks.
While one can understand the hesitancy of the younger Steinbrenners and the other Yankee execs to rush the first post-George decision, looking lost won't comfort anyone. Nor will it improve upon the bottom-line, if not entirely fair, blame on Torre for not delivering a champion since 2000.
Labels: Yankees
Keeping him seems to be asking for more of the same. It's not really his fault -- he's been there forever.
I'd write long, but it would boil down to this:
I would keep him over Don Mattingly, or any of the retreads out there (Bobby Valentine included).
The biggest disappointment in the Torre era was 2003, not the last few years. 2003 was the last year the Yankees truly had the best team.
Though Torre had good stretches this year, Jeff Pearlman never should have apologized for this column. Sometimes, when it's time, it's time.
The best manager available was Lou Pinella last year, and they missed that boat.
So, unless it's Joe Girardi (who everyone has confidence in without much to back it up), let's stick with Joe.
Labels: Yankees
On June 21, I was pessimistic about Andy Pettitte's chances of getting 200 wins this season. Yes, it was possible, but his four wins in 15 starts to that point made it a challenge.
Well, here we are. Win #200, 12+ years after the first.
1. Who has more wins than Pettitte (200-112, 391 GS, 3.81 ERA) since the start of 1995?
Greg Maddux (212-122, 436 GS, 3.16 ERA) and Randy Johnson (203-88, 370 GS, 3.00 ERA). Mike Mussina is right behind him at 197. Roger Clemens is seventh with 182.
2. Where does Pettitte stack up among Yankees?
Out of pitchers who predominantly (or only) played for the Yankees, Whitey Ford and Red Ruffing are the tops. Ford won 236 games, all with the Yanks, and Ruffing won 231 for the Yanks and 42 for other teams. Pettitte, with 163 Yankee wins, is seventh, one behind Mel Stottlemyre.
3. How about with 20-win seasons?
Pettitte has two (1996 and 2003). Since Ron Guidry ('78, '83, '85) retired, no other Yankee has won 20 games more than once (David Cone in 1998, Clemens in 2001). And the last three (Andy, Guidry and Tommy John in 1979-80) were all lefties.
4. So how's he do among lefties?
He's the 27th to get to 200. Of those, only six have made the trek to 300, Tom Glavine being the last. Pettitte is 35 years, 3 months and 4 days. Glavine was 34 years, 4 months and 5 days when he hit 200 in a season in which he won 21. So the odds aren't great. What does Baseball-Reference say? His two most-similar pitchers through age 34 are Mike Mussina (not bad) and Dwight Gooden (disastrous). We'll see.
4. But he doesn't complete any games, right?
Nope, but who does anymore? Still, Pettitte has the fewest complete games of any 200-game winner in history, with six fewer than Jamie Moyer.
5. So where does he rank best among 200-game winners?
Well, postseason wins, where he and John Smoltz stand tall. Unfortunately, he does have the sixth-worst regular season ERA of any 200-game winner since 1957 (and probably ever), though guys below him include active pitchers David Wells, Kenny Rogers and Moyer.
Where Pettitte ranks best, and is something for which he'd acknowledge he is lucky, is in winning percentage. His .641 mark is behind only Clemens, Johnson and Martinez since 1957 (Ford, of course, posted a .690 mark).
We all know Pettitte's a very good pitcher who may be a borderline Hall of Fame case because of his affiliation with a Yankee dynasty and a great Houston Astros run. But somebody's gotta be on the mound to get all those wins, and Pettitte is still doing that, all these years later. It's a great day.
Remember all this talk I've had about Phil Hughes and maybe even Ian Kennedy joining the playoff rotation? Apparently, Mike Mussina was upset about it, and decided to post his best performance of the year (by 10 Game Score points, no less).
And while, hey, Joe Torre's going to go with the vets unless he absolutely can't, Mussina still needed to reinstill confidence.
And he has, although he needs multiple quality starts to truly dispel doubt.
However you look at it, the rotation is rounding into shape at just the right time, and it's becoming a, if not feared, then formidable bunch lacking since 2003.
As for closing the gap with Boston and pulling away from Detroit, I've called both races long ago, so while a pleasant development, I'm not going crazy over it. However, as I said months ago, I'd love to be proven wrong about the A.L. East. Thing is, if they are to overtake the Sox, it'll have been because they focused on the wild card and let the rest of life control itself. And that's the difference between this team and say, Boston last year and so many years before.
Last night's game reminded me of my one time in Fenway Park. Neither game changed the outcome of the season (both teams were leading the playoff race each year), but both were wins the Yankees perhaps needed more than the Sox.
There were some familiar faces last night. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Mike Timlin, Johnny Damon (in the home dugout), David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui all played July 25, 2003 and last night.
But David Wells and Pedro Martinez were the starters, Jesse Orosco and Armando Benitez came in briefly in relief for the Yanks, and Byung-Hyun Kim took the loss for Boston. Wells had six walks on the season entering the game; he walked five. Pedro walked four, too, and it was obvious no one was happy with the umpiring. Manny Ramirez forgot how many outs there were on a fly ball and was doubled up, and though Rivera blew the save (coming in mid-inning and giving up his traditional broken-bat blooper), he closed the door in the ninth when given a second chance.
Fenway's an amazing ballpark, if so tiny that it's easy to forget it houses a major-league team. But still, it was nice to see this when we got up to leave at game's end.
Labels: Baseball, classic-review, Yankees
That's what tonight's game was, besides a chance to gain ground in the faint hopes of an A.L. East title and distance the Yankees from the resurgent Tigers.
Phil Hughes is on the bubble, I'd think. Ian Kennedy could throw three no-hitters and I still don't think Joe Torre would bench a combination of two of Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina and Hughes to give the rook a playoff start. I may be wrong, but that's my theory going forward.
Clemens, barring injury, will get a start. There's no way you pay him $1 million or more a start, and he's had his moments. Oddly enough, Clemens is fine on regular rest (4-2, 3.23 ERA in 53 innings) and on super-long rest of six days or more (2-0, 2.50 ERA, 18 IP, 19 K), but atrocious in a six-man rotation setup (0-3, 7.29 ERA in four starts).
So it comes down to Moose and Hughes. Phil protected his turf tonight with his typical two runs early, nothing late, but 5.2 innings against the Orioles isn't exactly awe-inspiring. And in a playoff situation, do you want to almost guarantee an early deficit? And even though he settles down, usually, as far as runs scored are, his inning-by-inning OPS splits coming into tonight (.857, .505, .866, .494, .973, .211) suggest he simply is overpowering the weak hitters in a lineup and failing against the better ones.
I'd take Hughes right now, but this may have to be a last-minute decision. Given, of course, the team wins the wild card.
I did my best to try and ignore the Yanks-Red Sox series. Why, despite my earlier love for the rivalry?
Well, the division title was not at stake, as it hasn't been for months. It's always overly hyped, especially at the 19 or so games they play annually, as if each game will make or break a player's psyche, career and reputation in the community.
But what the hell, it's Sunday night baseball, with the affable Jon Miller and the gloriously off-base Joe Morgan. So let's take on this task.
Read more...
Pre-game: NFL highlights still going on. What a busy as hell weekend. Tiger Woods dominating as even he has rarely done; Notre Dame proving it must have really hated Ty Willingham because it would rather be 0-3 than have him; the Giants already quitting on the 2007 season, among a million other NFL subplots; and of course, O.J.
My God, the cojones this man has. He admits he went into the room, with guys he met at a wedding party (loyal friends, I'm sure), as part of sting operation. A sting operation? Who does he think he is, Chris Hansen?
Well, Jon Miller just told us this is Clemens' 200th start at Fenway. I don't know why, but it's not a good sign. I'm seeing headlines like "200th Fenway start should be his last." Joe Morgan told us Clemens is a competitor. So am I, Joe. But I'm not pitching tonight.
1st inning: Talking with my friend Mike, who's noting a huge amount of strikeouts for hitters, but not many for the league leaders. As in, not many guys with 200. I think most of that is the lack of innings pitched. When few guys throw 200 innings, they have to be lights-out every start.
Derek Jeter gets another hit, continuing his stretch of hitting the Red Sox and not hitting anyone else. But nothing comes of it.
Looking at catchers similar to Jorge Posada's career track, and I picked on Carlton Fisk's age 35 year. But I forgot to mention his age 37 season (37 HR, 107 RBI, 17 steals). Damn good.
Now, Johnny Damon loses a ball in the lights. Understandable, but less so because Damon played for a few years in that ballpark.
By the way, Roger Clemens shows his age most when he lets guys steal on him. Old men don't have pickoff moves or fast deliveries. Still, he's a competitor. A competitor who just walked David Ortiz, which is not a bad move considering he's the only truly lethal bat in the lineup.
This inning is not as bad as it could have been, thanks to Dougie M.'s amazing dive to snare the ball and tap the bag. That's not an old man. Notice Clemens wasn't even in the picture frame -- he's not covering that bag.
Epilogue: Well, I did a terrible job of liveblogging past this point because I was talking on the phone and watching instead of typing and watching.
Things that came up, though, some Yankee-related:
1. Fastest-moving Yanks-Red Sox game in a while. Roger Clemens is still a great pitcher, but one who needs more rest than usual. Tonight, against an equally failing, though gifted, ace in Curt Schilling, it's easy to see how he's the game's greatest post-WWII pitcher. And don't bitter Boston fans fool you: Clemens has dominated the Sox in his two starts this year, and the 1999 ALCS disaster against Pedro was a lifetime ago.
Schilling has the Phil Hughes problem in reverse: He doesn't have an out pitch when guys are on base, but he tries to strike everyone out. Except his pitches are getting worse, his velocity is less-debated but terrible, and he's old and in dubious physical condition. He's a smart pitcher, though, and just ran out of luck in the eighth.
2. Derek Jeter since Aug. 12 coming into tonight: .239/.317/.319 5 XBH in 113 at-bats.
Jeter against the Red Sox since Aug. 12: .480/.500/.880 4 XBH in 25 at-bats.
3. Lou Pinella -- Hall of Fame manager? I'd say yes, considering he took a Cincinnati team that did nothing else to a World Series sweep over a good Oakland team defending its title, is the only Mariners manager to lead that team to the playoffs, and has made an imploding Cubs team the most dangerous team in the National League (although that Michael Barrett trade didn't hurt).
4. If Mike Mussina or Roger Clemens don't start an ALDS game, do you want either on the roster? Can Joe Torre drop one of them, though? No, and no. However, Roger looks like he'll be starting somewhere, and it's a tough call to bump Hughes for the Moose. Both are six-inning pitchers, but Moose might not even be that, and he finishes his starts poorly, whereas Hughes finishes strong.
5. Hypothetical: Mariano Rivera continues to struggle, for him, the rest of the year. Maybe even blows a save in the off-season. Then, he and his agent, Fernando Cuza, ask for a three-year contract.
Do you consider saying, it's been great, Mo, but we've got a guy named Joba Chamberlain who's all ready to be a closer, a potentially six-out closer you are no longer? You can't, but should you?
6. The Tigers are worth worrying about, but the Yankees need to worry about their problems with potential playoff opponents. Though Mike insists, and not incorrectly, that the Yankees match up with the Angels better than ever, there's that awful track record.
The Indians, despite their pathetic play versus the Yankees, are a damn good, exciting team. Their ace, C.C. Sabathia, has dominated Johan Santana to the point that there's whispers of A-Rod-like big-spot disappointment. And the Yanks? They haven't faced Sabathia since September of 2004. Ruben Sierra was in that lineup. That's not a good sign. Neither is the potential of facing Sabathia and Carmona four times in five games.
Pick your poison. But first, hold off the Tigers.
7. How bad-ass does Jodie Foster look in that otherwise silly-looking movie where she goes around killing people? Sure, there may (or may not) be a morality lesson there, but really, we just want to see an Oscar-winning chick shooting people.
Anyways, a somewhat failed effort, but some good baseball tonight.
Labels: Baseball, Liveblogging, Yankees
Ian Kennedy is not quite Mel Stottlemyre, but could he be the Yankees' No. 4 starter in a playoff series?
I don't think so, only because Joe Torre would be signing his dismissal sheet (if one exists) by benching 600+ worth of wins in Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens. And there's huge, legitimate worries of starting a rookie who's thrown 60+ innings more than any year post-HS.
But it might be a gamble worth taking.
In other news, Melky, you're killing me in the last month (.263/.307/.316). So are you, Captain Punchless (.256/.351/.329 in the last four weeks).
In tonight's enjoyable romp. Phil Hughes likes to test everyone's patience, don't he?
The man is a legit MVP candidate. It's just too bad his teammate is putting up the league's best numbers since Mickey Mantle roamed center field.
Twenty home runs, 85 RBI and 39 doubles may seem nice, but not great. But he's in his age 35 season and has caught 123 games while posting a .338/.424/.558 and an OPS+ approaching 160.
There's only one comparison: Carlton Fisk, who was actually damn good at 35, with 26 HR, 86 RBI and a .289/.355/.518 line. He caught 133 games.
At 35, Johnny Bench was in his final season, hitting .255/.308/.432 and catching only five games.
Mike Piazza put up decent, but not great numbers at 20/54/.266/.362/.444, catching 50 times.
Yogi Berra hit .276/.347/.446, catching 63 times.
At 35, Gary Carter was injured, playing only 50 games and eking out a .183/.241/.275 line in his last year with the Mets.
Obviously, Posada caught far fewer games before 30 than these men (and Ivan Rodriguez), so he has less wear.
Unfortunately, this puts the Yankees in a tough position this offseason. Posada is NOT this year's Mike Mussina, the veteran who shows the greatness, collects the paycheck and then falls apart. Posada has posted a 119 OPS+ or better for seven of eight years and hasn't had catastrophic injuries. However, how many years do the Yanks give a catcher who's dangerously close to uncharted territory? Given his production and hitting ability, I'd say two, not three. But for those two years, you give him any amount he wants.
The most-successful pitcher and the best hitter in baseball played prominent roles for the Yankees today, and it's those two who are going to make the difference in October (that's right, the wild card is locked up).
Alex Rodriguez's postseason struggles are well-documented over the last two years. Chien-Ming Wang has been bitten by the bad-luck bug -- in 2005, he gave up one earned run in 6.2 innings, but he took the loss because the Yanks had three errors. In 2006, he earned a Game 1 win, but never got to pitch again.
He should have been started on three days' rest instead of the disaster that was Jaret Wright and Corey Lidle. But, as we all know, Joe Torre was secretly betting millions against the Yankees in the 2006 ALDS, so he had to draw up inane lineups, bat A-Rod eighth and not pitch Wang.
Regardless, Wang is going to be even more vital to the Yanks this year. But today was an impressive audition for what might be.
As for A-Rod's home-run chase, he remains three behind Maris through game #143, though Maris started to struggle (understandably) at this point.
Alex Rodriguez has jumped his projections quite a bit in the last few games. He's at 51 home runs now, the same amount Cecil Fielder had in his entire 1990 season and the amount Ralph Kiner and Johnny Mize had to share the 1947 home run title.
Alex is at team game #142. Roger Maris' game #142 was also Sept. 8. He went 0-for-3 after belting a homer on consecutive days. But he already had 55 home runs, and would add another Sept. 9 before going into a mini-slump, belting only four the rest of the way.
So, Alex has his work cut out for him. But there's a chance for the A.L. record, and what some may consider the true, untainted record.
Before his fly out a minute ago, he was hitting .563 over the last seven days. He's been a better second-half hitter for years, and is doing so despite the worry that the Yanks not only wanted him to catch all of their games, but perhaps some for other teams on his off days.
Just a few of his splits (by month):
PA: 83,103,113,103,95
H: 23,37,27,31,23
R: 12,19,10,16,14
2B: 5,11,7,6,7
HR: 3,3,3,3,4 (and 3 this month)
RBI: 15,15,15,15,18
BB: 8,9,13,16,12
At home: .332/.410/.529 On the road: .341/.430/.572
All year, I've been thinking his batting average, etc., has been declining, albeit very slowly. It's more of having two monster peaks -- May and July.
His All-Star break numbers: .325/.398/.503 Post-AS break: .357/.459/.636
The only, slight criticism could be that's he's been ordinary with RISP and has struggled in close and late and 2 outs, RISP spots. But with a tie game, or trailing by 1-4 runs, he's right with his season averages.
I just have to keep emphasizing how fun he's been to watch.
The Yankees are uncertain. Luis Vizcaino has blown up again, Joba Chamberlain is still on the rules, Mariano Rivera is streaky, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina are creaky, and Melky has also fallen off since I famously pointed out how Cabrera, Vizcaino and Rivera had turned around the Yanks' season. And the Yankees are still at .500 when not playing the Central (28-11 and counting).
But hell, they have a cushion in the wild card and get to play the lowly Royals at a time when the Tigers and Mariners, desperately needing wins, have to beat up on each other. There is no loss here for the Yanks. If Detroit sweeps, Seattle is essentially eliminated. If they split, both could lose ground and a few more days in the season are gone.
Best-case scenario: The Yanks get through the next 10 days, have the wild card all but wrapped up and get to have an abbreviated "rest your team for the postseason" fun period.
I'm optimistic.
Labels: Yankees
Mike Puma, formerly of the Connecticut Post and now of the New York version, makes the case that A-Rod is on the same plane as Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle and Joe D.
One thing he's off on, however, is saying how Ruth's 1927 season (.356, 60 HR, 164 RBI, 158 R) is the gold standard. In popular practice, yes. But really, and this is something no one is expected to touch, it's Ruth's 1921 season, where he put up a .378/.512/.846 line, 59 HR, 171 RBI, 177 R, and 119 extra-base hits.
Tonight, we get a test for Ian Kennedy, who's pitching on the road and against a bad team, but bad teams have caused Yankee letdowns all year. I'm thinking five to six innings, three runs in a slight regression from the hype and excitement of his debut. He's probably better than Chase Wright, Tyler Clippard and Matt DeSalvo, but still. They went 2-0 in their debut starts, pitching 18 innings, giving up but five runs on 11 hits. Their second starts? Only DeSalvo won, and the three pitched 13.2 innings, with nine runs on 18 hits. DeSalvo cratered after that, going 0-3 in five games (four starts) with 24 hits and 16 earned runs in 14 innings.
So not to knock Kennedy at all (especially because he's not a 4A guy like those above), but don't worry if he's not lights-out tonight.
Top Yankees performances in the last 45 years (1962-2007):
HR: 48 -- Alex Rodriguez, 2005, 2007 (and counting)
44 -- Tino Martinez, 1997
41 -- Reggie Jackson, 1980; Jason Giambi, 2002, 2003
RBI: 145 -- Don Mattingly, 1985
141 -- Tino Martinez, 1997
134 (and counting) -- Alex Rodriguez, 2007
130 -- Alex Rodriguez, 2005
123 -- Tino Martinez, 1998; Gary Sheffield, 2005
SLG%: .651 -- Alex Rodriguez, 2007
.610 -- Alex Rodriguez, 2005
.605 -- Mickey Mantle, 1962
.603 -- Paul O'Neill, 1994
OPS: 1.091 -- Mickey Mantle, 1962
1.069 -- Alex Rodriguez, 2007
1.063 -- Paul O'Neill, 1994
1.033 -- Jason Giambi, 2002
1.031 -- Alex Rodriguez, 2005
Adjusted OPS: 181 -- Bobby Murcer, 1971
179 -- Alex Rodriguez, 2007
177 -- Paul O'Neill, 1994
174 -- Jason Giambi, 2002
172 -- Reggie Jackson, 1980
At bats per HR: 10.6 -- Alex Rodriguez, 2007
12.1 -- Jason Giambi, 2006
12.3 -- Darryl Strawberry, 1998
12.5 -- Reggie Jackson, 1980
12.6 -- Mickey Mantle, 1962; Alex Rodriguez, 2005
Did I cherry-pick these stats a bit. Absolutely. But A-Rod is having the greatest Yankee season since the Maris-Mantle home run chase. He's chasing the ghosts of Yankee history, no one else. And look at the comparisons in these lists: Mantle's 1962 MVP season, Reggie's best year in pinstripes, Jason Giambi's best two years in New York, Paul O'Neill's batting title year, and his own 2005 MVP campaign. He's passed all of those, and there's still 20+ games to go.
By the way, how good was Bobby Murcer? OPS+ of 181 in 1971 led the league, and his 169 the next year was second. Career-wise, he's a 124, right there with Jeff Kent, Jorge Posada, Derrek Lee and Derek Jeter.
Wouldn't it be nice? Just as in 2003, the two most-important players to their teams might be Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. Except this year, they play on the same team (with apologies to fine candidate Magglio Ordonez and the ever-relaxed, amazing Vladimir Guerrerro).
If there's been one constant this year with the Yanks, it's that Posada and A-Rod (and Jeter until August) were going to produce or put up a hell of a battle in defeat. Chien-Ming Wang can be added to that, and he, again, is tied for the league lead in wins. He has 36 since the start of 2006. Johan Santana has 33, as does Josh Beckett. Brad Penny has 31. Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay and Carlos Zambrano have 30.
Wang wins. That's it.
Anyway, it was a much better game to watch and write about than the day before, where 601 career wins brought nothing but crap pitching and pathetic hitting.
The Yanks still need to win this rubber match game with the Mariners. A three-game lead will allow for more wild inconsistency; a one-game lead probably won't. Depending on Seattle to struggle isn't such a fun option, either: As I stated July 30, the Red Sox and Indians did not continue to struggle, and though the Yanks' torrid play made up ground on both, it wasn't enough. Fortunately, Detroit fell apart, Minnesota and Oakland never made a run, and Seattle didn't run away with anything.
But the Yankees must continue to win. A lot. And act as if every loss is a dagger. As appealing as backing into the playoffs is, it's not something you can do without a ton of luck. And the Yanks, judging by their Pythagorean stats, are in short supply of luck this year.
And though I hadn't thought of it much, it seems that he doesn't have much of a game plan -- or at least one that's different from when he could throw 93 mph.
Al Leiter was talking about this on the air a few weeks ago, saying how, as he lost velocity in his last couple years, he couldn't make the adjustment. Not all pitchers can. Either they never had the greatest of breaking stuff, or they can't quite reduce speed on the off-speeders to match the decline in the fastball. Leiter is rough on himself: In his next-to-last season, he was 10-8, 3.21, 1.353 WHIP and 5th in H/9, though he dipped below six innings per start.
On the other hand, it only takes one year to make a collapse, and Moose has certainly done that, just as David Cone did from 1999 to 2000.
Ian Kennedy has a tall order ahead. But it's just as much an audition for next year (and for Mike Mussina's future) as it is to aid a playoff run.
His velocity is down, according to GM Brian Cashman here and here.
What does that mean? Mechanics, not enough uninterrupted throwing after his injury, fatigue, or something else. At least the Yankees are noticing it and looking to see what can be done. But it's probably another step in getting a realistic assessment of Hughes.
As Yankees Tonight says, if Hughes complains about it, then it's a real problem. Until then, it's just something to keep tabs on.
As for tonight's game, I refer you to Andy Pettitte, losing-streak stopper.
Other than, please take Mike Mussina out of the rotation? I don't know. Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter had another game of hitlessness, and Sean Henn failed in the only suitable role he has -- mop-up man.
Playoffs, you seem over. But this team is unpredictable with its winning streaks when all hope seems lost and its ability to tank when it has a real chance to change things. The Yanks, either way, have sealed themselves as the most-expensive tease on record.
Michael Kay seems to think so, from what he said on yesterday's broadcast (and Al Leiter didn't exactly put up a fight). Hughes' supporters, some of whom are here, point out he's the youngest starter in the league (except Felix Rodriguez?) and he's essentially gone from Double A to the majors.
Here's what I see: He can't blow anyone away with his fastball. The Yanks, or him, or Posada/Molina, have him not throwing much besides fastballs and curveballs, which means he is getting a lot of strikeouts on the curve. Well, when there are guys in scoring position and two or three balls in the count, you can't throw that in-the-dirt curve. The fastball then becomes closer to a batting-practice pitch than an out pitch, and you depend upon a batter's mistake or superb defensive placement and ability to save you.
But that's not overrated. If anything, it's misplaced expectations, in part created by the six no-hit innings against the Texas Rangers. Even with a B+ fastball, he's still got about a strikeout an inning, something no other Yankee starter has close to matching.
Plus, he's held up under the pressure and not felt compelled to rush or hide his head in shame because he gives up some runs.
What are the solutions to the wall, of sorts, that he's hit?
1. Start throwing changeups and give the fastball the illusion of a 95-mph heater.
2. Become more of a Maddux/Glavine location pitcher. Neither is a strikeout king, but both can get big outs when they need them.
3. Have a natural learning curve and become better through repetition.
The only issue? Time. Doing any of those takes time, as it should, and it probably won't bring magical results this year.
As it is, this Phil Hughes that only has displayed a couple of weapons and a mislocated, misused fastball is a decent pitcher. He's good enough to keep in the rotation and good enough to hope that he and the team find that better path of pitching.
As for him being an ace, Andy Pettitte has never truly been an ace, yet he's had two 20-win seasons, eight seasons of 200+ innings and a career 119 ERA+. I'll take something similar.
After a terrible loss last night, it was good to see the team bounce back, and especially good to see Chein-Ming Wang revert to 2006 form (eight innings, two runs).
The most-surprising thing tonight was not a fully productive outfield (Johnny Damon homer and triple, Melky Cabrera triple, Bobby Abreu multi-hit game) but that the team knocked Jeremy Bonderman around the diamond without a hit from Derek Jeter or Jorge Posada. They went 0-for-10, the worst combined performance the two have had this season.
From the beginning of the season until June 24 (72 games), in no game did Jeter and Posada both go hitless. Through Aug. 5, they had done so only four times in 111 games. Since then, however, they have combined in futility six times in 18 games, including three times in four days (Aug. 14,15 and 17).
What does this mean? Maybe nothing other than a natural, slight cooling off for two players who have hit extremely well all year. Jeter has hit .284/.363/.358 this month, continuing a trend toward being a great singles hitter, though he's getting on base more in recent years. Posada, however, has hit .311/.425/.607 this month, meaning he's making up for these 0-fers.
If you need yet another reason that Posada is having a blessed year, look at his BA with balls hit in play splits: by month, .351/.443/.343/.431/.357. That's some luck, but I have to think it's also because every time I see him bat, he smokes the ball.
You're terrible. I stayed up to watch you give up a three-run home run to Carlos Guillen. I stayed up to listen to Michael Kay ramble on and call that home run like it was Derek Jeter in the World Series.
I stayed up to watch a disastrous step backward for the Yankees.
I stayed up, worst of all, to watch a titantic blast off what was actually one hell of a good pitch.
You can't win them all, but right now it feels as if they can't win the right ones. Let's see how it feels in the daylight.
Oh, if only the Yankees played in the American League Central, you might say. They'd be beating up on the Indians and the Tigers. The team's entire winning record and then some is based on its 26-8 mark against the division. Imagine if the Yanks played 76 games there.
Further, imagine if the American League was still in its old two-division setup. You'd have the Yanks, Red Sox, Indians and Tigers (and the Brewers) in a mad dash for two spots, with the Angels and Mariners fighting for the West and the wild card. It's still dramatic now, but even more so in a two-division scenario.
Anyways, the Yanks have many things going for them. The hitting is generally consistent. They have an ace in Andy Pettitte, a generally solid, if not spectactular, Roger Clemens, Phil Hughes and Chien-Ming Wang, and a hit-or-miss fifth starter who just so happens to have 240+ career wins. The bullpen hasn't been this good since the 1996 playoffs, and the momentum is with the team.
Still, the Mariners and Red Sox need to lose games.
I don't have a prediction, quite frankly. It's too hard to judge. I made the early call to concede the division, but I do so partly because the mindset of chasing the wild card is important. Being eight games under .500 on May 29 is not good if there's a wild card; it's back up the truck if there isn't.
From now on, let's just enjoy the Joba show while it lasts. Let's enjoy the cagey vets Pettitte and Clemens when they are on; let's enjoy the greatest over-30 catcher EVER and two men who will get at least 3,000 hits (A-Rod and Jeter, don't ya know), and all the mystique that comes with the team. Let's enjoy the game as Phil Rizzuto would have, good or bad.
Because, if we do, I think the game will reward us back. Maybe even with a 27th ring.
Pettitte is 68-33, 3.90 ERA in his career after a Yankee loss. He's 128-78 in other situations, though, with a career 3.81 ERA, so it's not like he's THAT much of a stopper. Still, he's not one to often continue losing skids.
The Yanks really couldn't have hoped for much more than one out of three in Anaheim, unfortunately, especially with their 30-32 road record and the Angels' 42-18 home mark. Still, it may be the way that they lost those first two games that stings the most.
Jorge Posada, no surprise, was a catalyst today, and young Joba Chamberlain worked around a baserunner to whiff -- with utter domination -- the last two batters, including an overmatched Vladimir Guerrero. That's right, overmatched.
Screw the rules with him. I'm not saying go Luis Vizcaino in April with him (13 games, nine appearances). But let's not not use him just because the calendar says not to.
After all, the season grows shorter and the team is by no means in the driver's seat for any postseason berth.
The future of the Yankees was seen today in the three pitchers that toed the mound. Whether it be in focus (Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramierez) or fuzzy (three other under-30 hurlers), this is what the Yankees will -- or, if you prefer -- must look like for the next few years.
Sure, there'll always be a place for Andy Pettitte (35) and one of Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina (45, 39), and the bullpen will always have a couple above-30 guys to anchor it. But with an aging, yet still potent offense buoyed by a few youngsters, the pitching staff must match that.
As for today, one of the most enjoyable games for which Yankees fan could hope. Even though Wang is still struggling, he appears to be deliberately making a transition away from being solely a sinkerball pitcher, and fighting through the growing pains well. As for the combination of Joba's 99 mph heat and Edwar's slow, slower and slowest changeups, it was like watching them pitch at Double-A. Except the outs were bigger and the hitters were no chumps.
EDIT (09/08/07): A few photos from the game at Flickr.
I've never heard anyone, in about 25 in-person viewings, be booed as loud as Gary Sheffield today. Not Carlos Delgado when he refused to acknowledge the national anthem (or "God Bless America," I forget which) because of his opposition to the war. Not when the Red Sox have been in town. Nor have I heard such boos in another ballpark for anyone.
Obviously, the fans who attend Orioles games (who must not be the real fans) never boo (or cheer) anyone much. But even at a Pedro-Wells game in July 2003 at Fenway, the boos weren't of that magnitude. Sheff is Public Enemy No. 1.
Unfortunately, such antagonism generally incited Sheffield to greatness. He swung a mean bat the first three times up, reaching safely each time. The Rocket, Roger Clemens, was a strike machine -- 8Ks, no walks. Unfortunately, he missed in the zone, giving up 10 hits and getting lucky and key outs to keep the damage to two runs. He looked sharp, in great shape and was hitting 94 several times on the Stadium gun.
Who knew Kyle Farnsworth would save the day? Getting Sheff to swing wildly and then punching out Magglio Ordonez (who, bless him and his .355 BA, looked awful today) was a huge boost in so many ways. Derek Jeter made it a point to run over and give Farns a smack with the glove before the reliever reached a dugout -- a display of supportive emotion the Captain is often, fairly, accused of not doing.
Mariano Rivera had a nice ninth, retiring Sheff as the final out, and all was well in Yankeeland.
Notes: Clemens looked good -- six innings, two runs, eight Ks is acceptable at this point. It was the first time I'd seen him live since his 39th birthday in 2001...he looked better today, I think, and he didn't pitch badly back then.
The wind was really kicking up, but the Army parachuters managed to land in the outfield before the game. A bunch of fly balls gave the outfielders fits, but it didn't seem to be anything that a major leaguer shouldn't cope with.
Jorge Posada is awesome. Every time he goes up, in person or on TV, you expect a hit, or at least a hard-hit ball. In the latter category, he was four-for-four today.
They aren't Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez, penalized only for their consistency. They aren't Roger Clemens, for sure, and Bobby Abreu, for all his alarmingly eerie win/loss splits, is there either.
It's these three:
Melky Cabrera
Through May 29 (Yanks' record: 21-29): 40 games, 147 PA, .215/.278/.300
Since May 29 (Yanks' record: 41-21): 61 games, 258 PA, .336/.383/.498
Mariano Rivera
Through May 29: 1-3, 5.94 ERA 16 G, 3 Sv, 16.2 IP, 18 H, 4 BB, 18 K, .273/.314/.455
Since May 29: 1-0, 1.20 ERA 24 G, 14 Sv, 30 IP, 25 H, 1 BB, 29 K, .227/.252/.255
Luis Vizcaino
Through May 29: 2-1, 7.27 ERA 25 G, 26 IP, 24 H, 21 BB, 13 K, .247/.380/.443
Since May 29: 6-1, 1.16 ERA 32 G, 31 IP, 20 H, 13 BB, 31 K, .182/.264/.264
There are other contributors, for sure -- oddly enough, Jason Giambi's injury being either a huge coincidence or somehow a factor. But these three have been essential to the Yankees ripping off the absolutely necessary 20-7 run that the team is currently on.
Tom Glavine very well may be the last 300-game winner that anyone his age will ever witness. Here's a few offbeat stats to mark the occasion. Mike Greenberg of "Mike and Mike" openly wondered how Glavine ranked among the best-hitting pitchers. He's posted a .188/.245/.213.
Off the top of my head, I know Walter Johnson takes the cake.
In 2324 at-bats, Johnson posted 24 home runs and a .235/.274/.342 line. He also had 41 triples, a total that only 33 active players at any position have surpassed.
Other great slugging pitchers include Warren Spahn (35 home runs, .194/.234/.287), Catfish Hunter (.226/.234/.287). Greg Maddux (.173/.193/.207) and John Smoltz (.164/.232/.214) have been the best of a weaker, modern era.
But anyways, congratulations to Glavine. The 1990s Braves teams, for all the failure of only one world championship, will be known as a team with two 300-game winners and a 200+-game winner (Smoltz) that may have been the most talented.
I was in a bar Saturday night when I saw the replay of Barry Bonds' 755th home run. The accomplishment, for whatever you think, is tremendous. He's played many years, through tribulations and injuries, and endured much (although much of it brought on by himself) to reach this point. He should be best known, just as Hank Aaron should, as one of the most complete players to ever step on the field.
However, unlike the witch hunt on many great sluggers, we've evidence, if not the most conclusive. The doubts surrounding Bonds have backing in the leaked grand jury testimony of his "accidental" use of steroids, and the leaked report of his failed amphetamines test last season.
Unlike Mark McGwire, who did take andro but at least chose substance unregulated by the FDA (at the time). Granted, andro is no vitamin. But maybe you can get him for that. Rafael Palmiero, obviously, is a cheater.
But what of Sammy Sosa, of which there is no (direct) proof? Baseball, and all of us, have a lot to ponder over the next several years (or decades).
If you want to feel better about one Hall of Famer who clearly has taken everything but performance-enhancing stuff, check of this workout report.
Finally, Alex Rodriguez's is not the only Yankee hitting the ball (apologies to Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada) and that's why the Yankees are improbably 1/2 games back of the wild card. Even the division is theoretically in play at seven back. But as I've said too many times to link more than once, the wild card is what matters. And with the killer schedule upcoming, we'll see if the Yankees can prove to be anything more than opportunists for a weak schedule. I have more confidence than all year, but I'm not banking on anything.
Mike suggested this topic, which is particularly interesting: When the three veterans start (Mussina, Clemens and Pettitte), the Yankees are only 24-29. Even taking out the terrible Moose, the team is but 16-19.
However, with the younger starters (including Wang), the team is 36-21. Sure, there's been some good starts, but there's also been a tremendous amount of emergency starters (and Kei Igawa). Take away Wang, and yet it's still 22-15.
Why?
Beyond coincidence, one answer may be in quality of opponent. Andy Pettitte has started 12 games against teams with records below .500, 11 against teams .500 or better. The team, however, is only 6 and 6 against the poorer teams. For Clemens, he's started seven of 11 times against poor teams. Mussina has started 12 of 18 times against losing teams.
So that's not the answer. Maybe the other starters are facing the AL Central more often, where the Yanks are 19-7 (and on their way to 20-7 today). Pettitte, Clemens and Mussina have started 10 times against the Central, with a team record of 6-4.
Take out the AL Central, and the Yanks are 18-25 in the Old Guys' starts. They are 23-18 with everyone else starting, including Wang. Take out Wang, and team is 18-18 with the Young and Inexperienced starting against non-AL Central opponents. For the record, the team is 9-6 when Wang starts against anyone outside the AL Central.
So, it's the AL Central that's buoying the Yankees and all their starters, although the team is still significantly worse with the Old Men starting, although part of that is absorbing the 0-6 the three pulled against the Mets, Rockies and Giants in that ill-fated interleague trip.
A big part, too, is Chien-Ming Wang in all his starts; he's covering for everyone.
While the team has a full slate against Detroit upcoming, their 2007 is going to be determined against teams whom they have yet to beat consistently. And it's going to be absolutely necessary for Clemens and Mussina to be better than they have been, and consistently.
With this recent string of home runs, Posada is hitting .341/.418/.548 after 100 games played.
He's on pace for the following (with career bests in parentheses): 155 games (151), 540 at-bats (511), 184 hits (145), 91 runs (92), 45 doubles (40), 21 HR (30), 97 RBI (101), .341 Avg. (.287), .418 OBP (.417), .548 SLG (.527), 159 OPS+ (146).
He's essentially on a career-best track in every major category. And, he's one of the best players in the entire American League, tracking at 4th in batting, 4th in on-base, 7th in slugging and 5th in OPS and 4th in OPS+.
While Alex Rodriguez outshines him, we're talking about a legitimate MVP candidate, one who plays a more-difficult position and who hasn't worn down despite catching 767 of 952 innings. Always a good second-half hitter, the workload hasn't affected his bat, as one might reasonably expect: .411/.515/.679 since the break, and .360/.466/.558 for July.
As I've said to death here, it's a magical time whenever he's playing, even if the team is not always magical behind him.
The Yankees have come out strong in the second half, despite a very shaky weekend. The 1995 team was nine games under .500 in late June but took advantage of a 38-23 finish (but more importantly, a 25-6 finish) to finish 14 games over .500.
After the All-Star break, that team, despite struggles into the last week of August, went 49-29.
The differences? That was a strike-shortened year (144 games) and the Yankees of 2007 will likely not make the playoffs with a .549 winning percentage (equivalent to about 89 wins).
However, the team, which bottomed out at eight games under .500 on May 29, is 13-6 since the break and 35-20 since May 29. Boston is 28-26 (although, they were a ridiculous 36-15 on May 29) since then, and Cleveland is 29-26. Seattle is still in the hunt despite few believers, and the team is 32-23 since May 29. No one is falling apart, and Boston and Cleveland are likely to play better for the rest of the season. So it puts emphasis on the Yankees' continuing play along the lines of 13-6.
And the focus must still be the wild card. Four games back isn't much. Eight in the division is a lot, though. And until a playoff spot is secure (i.e., a lead in the wild card), one can't get greedy. Especially with the maddening inconsistency this club shows.
Maybe I should only write pessimistic posts, as the Yanks, per my faint hope, swept the weekend and, despite Chien-Ming Wang's struggles, look likely to close within 4.5 games of the wild card. Finally, they are legitimately in the race.
The keys, of course, are they are hitting the hell out of the ball. Roger Clemens, too, has been a pleasant surprise, being closer to the NL version over his past five outings than could have been realistically expected. While Bobby Abreu has hit better, the team itself has played better (especially the tear Hideki Matsui is on), and Joe Torre has juggled the lineup well.
Even the bullpen hasn't been atrocious outside of the high-profile blowups. As long as Torre recognizes Vizcaino's success came from pitching a more-normal workload, he could be the answer in the eighth inning.
And, thankfully, they got a backup catcher. Jose Molina is no prize, but when you have one of the worst-hitting catchers of all time as the last resort, anything is better.
Unfortunately, there's no time for a letup, and these are still games that should be won by any Yankee team, not just a playoff one. The test is still to come, but the post-All-Star-break play has (mostly) shown the team is ready to be tested. One could not say that as recently as three weeks ago.
Labels: Yankees
That's all I'll say...that and if this Yankees team is going to make the playoffs OR rebuild, Joe Torre's not going to do it. His love affair with Mussina-Nieves, ignorance of Edwar Ramirez (letting him rot for two weeks) and a myriad of other non-decisions (regarding Damon, Farnsworth, etc.) call for an example to be made.
His head would at least show signs of wanting progress. It doesn't negate anything he's done for this franchise, but it does say that coasting, as he's done for a while, can't be tolerated even for the greatest.
Would canning him be a feel-good move that might not do anything? Sure, but losing to the Devil Rays' worst pitcher, which is saying something, says this team isn't going to do anything. Eight games back of Cleveland and Boston, a night like tonight is disheartening. And can anyone truly say this team will win a World Series with Torre at the helm?
But hey, the team is 6-2 since the break, and a weekend sweep would do well to restore confidence.
Labels: Yankees
First, in reply to Mike's comments, he's right: Farnsworth is highly unlikely to become untradeable, if for nothing else than some team would bite at a reliever who brings his fastball and stuff at a relatively young age. That being said, he's been a disaster, so the Yankees may not have as much leverage.
Given how quiet the trade talks surrounding anyone have been, that's not going to help the Yankees' position. Worse-case scenario, no one gets Eric Gagne or Brad Lidge, and instead of throwing themselves at the Yankees' feet to get anyone (i.e. Farnsworth), they all decide to stand pat. This, of course, assumes the Yankees think to trade him at all.
But last night, apparently the formula for avoiding Farnsworth is having Mo Rivera get five outs. It also involves nearly every other pitcher (except Edwar Ramirez, because Joe Torre hates him or something) in the bullpen. Maybe Luis Vizcaino is the answer in the eighth inning, although I'd be surprised. Why? I haven't forgotten how awful he was (although that was partly due to Torre using his in nine of the first 13 games).
Pitching Mariano more often isn't such a bad thing, actually, although much of that will happen just with the Yankees playing better ball. He's converted 15 saves without fail in 29 games with a 1.36 ERA since April 27. He's got 31 K in 33 innings and has allowed but 30 baserunners. He's also regained the 94 mph fastball, the absence of which most of the year really had me thinking he had lost something, even if he was still better than a 5.00 ERA pitcher.
Torre is awful with most relief pitchers, and so that's why Mike Myers continues to face lefties, Scott Proctor is overworked, and many other debacles occur. Granted, he doesn't have a ton of options. But the eighth is still a concern.
During the Yankees' magical 1996-2001 run of playoff brilliance, the team had 24 come-from-behind victories. Only three times did they trail after eight innings and still win -- two of those being back-to-back games in the 2001 World Series. The Yankees, improbably, had a better-than-.500 record (24-21) in games in which they trailed because they tattooed middle relievers in the sixth and seventh frames (and also because Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton, and unlikelies such as David Weathers shut the door in return).
Since 2001, they've consistently run into teams whose strength lay there (Anaheim being most prominent), and those comebacks have returned to more of a mean (i.e., not often). Not learning from these facts, I think, has been the most disappointing and avoidable part of the Series drought these last several years.
Labels: Yankees
Not that we need statistics to prove how lousy he is, but he has given up runs in three straight appearances spanning three innings, each coming in a tie game or a save situation.
Before that, he actually had 5.2 scoreless innings over six games, but only one of those was without a baserunner allowed. That streak started after giving up two runs in 1/3 of an inning. Overall, two runs in six innings is adequate, but the eight baserunners, not so much.
He hasn't pitched more than one inning since June 2, 2006. He hasn't had back-to-back perfect appearances since Aug. 21 and 25, 2006. Despite the lack of innings, he's given up multiple runs five times this year while recording two strikeouts but three times.
He's becoming untradeable, which is almost worse than being unreliable.
Edwar Ramirez, meanwhile, languishes, unused, in the bullpen. Thanks, Joe Torre, and your veterans-over-all methods.
Speaking of veterans, Bobby Abreu's pulled an 0-for-8 after a 14-for-29 stretch. The surprising thing is the Yankees have won twice now without his contributions, bucking this season's trend.
Labels: Yankees
Yes, and with that the Yankees are two games over .500. It's a start. And Alex Rodriguez is one home run closer to 500.
The Yanks have also won two straight starts with Kei Igawa on the mound, the first time they've bucked the trend of alternating wins and losses. He's not doing much more than surviving, but it's better than nothing. You just hope that the other four starters do their jobs and Phil Hughes gets here soon.
I missed the whole game, and to add insult, I missed TCM showing a whole night of Barbara Stanwyck movies, as Monday would have been her 100th birthday. Not sure I would have loved all the films, but at least I would have been able to decide. Alas.
It's been seen throughout today's game, but especially in these later innings as the Yankees have been trading the lead with the Devil Rays.
Hideki Matsui tagging from first on Robinson Cano's warning-track drive. Then, being aggressive and again exposing Carl Crawford's arm on Andy Phillips' single, which he turned into two bases on more aggressive (and a bit lucky) running.
A sign of improvement was seen on a bunt attempt leading off the ninth. A-Rod let the ball go, let it go foul. Several weeks ago, he picked up such an attempt prematurely and it cost the team (and I can't remember the circumstances, sadly). Granted, Mariano Rivera then gave up a single, but it was still a good sign of A-Rod's senses at third base.
Andy Phillips has certainly improved, too, and he may be this year what Bernie Williams was to the team last year: a guy who didn't belong on the roster, but because of injuries and poor planning, was the only option left. The mantra of experienced veteran is often overplayed, but in those cases may have actually been important. Phillips and Bernie both knew they had some talent left, but also knew they were on their last chances, and they'd better focus and produce.
While it should have never gotten to this point, and he shouldn't be in next year's plans, if Andy Phillips can deliver some solid fielding and hitting, it says a lot about his on-field character. And maybe some other suitor will notice.
Unfortunately, Mike Mussina was more lucky than good today, Ron Villone dispelled any sense of optimism built up yesterday, and Kyle Farnsworth was Mr. Consistent in giving up baserunners and runs. And even Mo Rivera is struggling at the moment in the ninth, though he just got a double play and then closed it out.
The other weird thing about this series: I always forget how pro-Yankees this crowd is. What a depressing place to play home games in (besides the general lousy conditions of this cookie-cutter dome).
Labels: Yankees
After nearly two decades of giving the media what they want (juicy controversy) and having them throw it back in his face, albeit misquoted and misrepresented, Gary Sheffield has finally decided to control his own image. He granted this HBO interview and he answered the questions, which is something to be lauded.
In this day and age where no one talks unless anonymity is granted (regardless of cause), Sheffield is somehow shocking because he agrees to answer questions and actually does so.
But back to the topic at hand -- Sheffield is making a play to control his own history.
Why do I say this? Sheffield obviously feels he was wronged in a number of ways during his tenure with the New York Yankees. Whether he's correct is always a major question mark, although he generally shouldn't be dismissed offhand. However, he's gaining control, a common topic of his. The Yankees won't respond, not because they're "classy" but because they are afraid of conflict (something seen on-field whenever Derek Jeter is plunked and no retaliation occurs). Sheffield gets the last word in on Joe Torre, Yankees management (especially Cashman, who never wanted him there) and the clubhouse atmosphere.
Furthermore, he's on a very good team that nonetheless remains in a dogfight, and even the Yankees are a worry for them. The Tigers, despite having Kenny Rogers, Magglio Ordonez and Ivan Rodriguez, are a faceless team without personality. The focus will be on their play, if they can take the pressure, unless it's somewhere else. Now, all Tigers talk is related to Sheffield, who is Reggie Jackson-esque in his ability to thrive with controversy and grudges. The grand slam Friday night is just a prominent example.
Sheffield has put the pressure on himself, freeing up his teammates such as Jeremy Bonderman, who threw a fine game Friday. He gets pitchers' attention, allowing them to possibly forget Ordonez, the American League's best hitter not named Alex Rodriguez.
But Sheffield has not fully retained control. An incorrect and misleading question by Andrea Kremer tripped up Sheff. When she said the most-prominent player on the Yankees was black, she meant Jeter. But it's an incomplete sentence. He's black and white (one parent each). Imagine the uproar if she or Sheffield (or any reporter) described Jeter solely as white.
Now, does the race question for him mean anything? Probably not. But she brought it up, so one cannot criticize Sheffield for mentioning the biracial Jeter without criticizing Kremer for playing a (incorrect) race label in the first place.
Sadly, Buster Olney, in an otherwise insightful column, confuses the point in two sentences that look as if they are from competing arguments.
(It must come as a great surprise to the esteemed Charles Jeter, by the way, to hear from Sheffield that his son is not African-American. Derek Jeter "just ain't all the way black," Sheffield said.)
First of all, the "just ain't all the way black" comment was a later Sheffield response. In versions of the Associated Press article, Kremer says the aforementioned statement, Sheffield asks "Who (is the black prominent Yankee)?" and Kremer says Jeter. Sheffield simply replies, correctly, "Derek Jeter is black and white."
Olney compounds this error by insinuating that Charles Jeter was indirectly told his son wasn't black. In fact, the only one to make that was Olney in that sentence, albeit mistakenly.
What Olney should have written, to be fair to all sides, was "It must come as a great surprise to Derek Jeter's mother that Andrea Kremer doesn't think her son is white." Jeter's identity likely transcends race, but it is certainly not at the expense of either. If he must be described in terms of race, judging from his long record of praise for his parents, it would seem he would want to be described as black and white. Gary Sheffield's one of the few who is fulfilling that desire, even if it's in an odd way.
Again, is that the most-important part of the interview (or at all)? No -- in fact, there's much more legitimate criticism to be had in the substance of his comments vis a vis Torre. But the fake, misinterpreted race card is the most-controversial for reasons generally beyond Sheffield's control, showing that in the end, it's the media, particularly the parts that hate people like Sheffield, that are still in control.
It's scary how Abreu's success or failure coincides with that of the team. Friday night, he didn't start against Tampa Bay because of the Kazmir Swoon-Inducer. Tonight, he gets five RBIs, singlehandedly providing the necessary offense as Mariano Rivera passed John Franco on the all-time save list.
The Yanks really need to take the Sunday day game, as losing any series, much less those to a team such as the D-Rays, cannot happen right now.
Other good things to see: Hideki Matsui has 13 home runs, and maybe the Yankees will actually get a second player to 20 homers by season's end.
Derek Jeter had two sharp hits to hopefully break out of this mini-slump he's in.
For all the naysaying about Ron Villone, he's better at his role in the bullpen than anyone else right now.
Ken Singleton do a fine job handling play by play and keeping John Flaherty involved. Flaherty, by the way, is much improved and sounds more confident without being a know-it-all.
What was not surprising: Kyle Farnsworth not pitching well. I never saw him much in his good years, so I can't tell what the difference is. I would think, though, that at some point, he actually gave a damn about location and changing speeds.
The not-so-durable Roger Clemens has been a throwback to oh, 2000, the last two times out, going eight each time, including a memorable duel with Jon Lackey last weekend. Tonight, he'll have to avoid the post-8-inning slump that is his recent history, as well as the difficulty of any pitcher, much less a 44-year-old, going deep into a game three times in a row.
Against the Devil Rays, six innings and three runs should be enough. And if it's not, then what the hell is with the hitting? The good thing is that Clemens in 10-4 in 19 starts (18 with NYY) against the Devil Rays, throwing at least seven his last five times out (all in 2003) and has a lifetime 3.11 ERA and 9.0 K/9 ratio.
In other news, season six of "Monk" starts tonight at 9, and Julio Franco, a favorite here, was DFA. He's not hit well at all this year, a drop that should have been anticipated by his sub-.400 SLG last year. Assuming no one picks him up, Major League Baseball will have no active players born in the 1950s for the first time in close to 40 years.
Labels: Yankees
He's 20 for 56, with three doubles, one home run, 11 RBI, six runs, seven walks and eight strikeouts.
As long as the team keeps doing well with this set-up, I'm all for it, as he hits, gets on base and doesn't K much with it. He doesn't deliver much pop with those hits, though, and he scores fewer runs, but it's a small sample size.
And worse comes to worse and there's two outs when he bats (like say, in the first inning), he's .398/.505/.545 for the season in that situation.
The Yankees have already crumbled in offering to negotiate with Alex Rodriguez during the season, despite not doing so with longtime greats Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada (and Posada's wife).
Right now, with Texas paying part of A-Rod's salary, the Yanks have a great deal, but $30M, the possible ceiling, may be too much to pay.
I think with the way things are right now, the Yanks are forced to overpay. They'd just better hope everyone else is forced by finances to bid low enough to not have to spend some outrageous amount.
By the way, how weird was it to see Posada catching Frankie Rodriguez to close out the All-Star Game? One wishes J.J. Putz was left in to blow the save just for the newspaper headlines the next day. To address Bum's other comment recently, sorry, no first-half awards. It's as clear cut as ever, both on the Yanks and across baseball, actually, making my picks redundant. A-Rod and Magglio dominate at the plate, and Haren, Peavy and Penny rule the mound (with Sabbathia and others near). The second half will bring some back-to-earth feelings with a bunch of them, though.
If we're trying to handicap Roger Clemens for his post-All-Star break start, keep in mind that he hasn't had back-to-back eight-inning outings since 2001. And in Houston, he was shut out the last three times he threw eight innings.
But for the hell of it, let's travel back to 2001. That was his Cy Young year earned on the strength of a 20-1 start (finishing 20-3). On June 7 and 13, Clemens won both starts, giving up zero and three runs in eight innings each with 16 strikeouts combined. His next start was also a win, as he scattered seven hits in seven innings with no earned runs (one unearned) and seven strikeouts.
He then did not complete the seventh inning for eight consecutive starts, although he didn't pitch terribly in that stretch.
In 2005, he pitched eight innings four times. In the four starts just before those outings, he pitched 25.1 innings. In the four starts after throwing eight, that dropped to 23.1. Not a huge difference. However, in three of the four "before" starts (the fourth was sandwiched between two eight-inning games), he gave up zero earned runs. In the four "after" starts, he gave up 11 earned runs.
The longer break, thanks to All-Star Weekend, may help Clemens avoid this pitfall, but don't look for him to get past six for a while, no matter how effective he is in those frames.
The Yankees, as a team, get an F. Sorry, but when you're so far back that you'd practically be making baseball history by making the playoffs, yet you've got the biggest payroll and the most stars, that's all you get.
Now, individually, there's been some excellent work done: Alex Rodriguez, having possibly his best year (and that's saying something), Jorge Posada in a career year, Derek Jeter in a scarily normal year, Chien-Ming Wang, Scott Proctor's burnt-to-a-crisp arm, Andy Pettitte in April and May, Roger Clemens in July, and the Bombers squad on Old-Timers Day.
Unfortunately, that's been offset by Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon, Wil Nieves, Kei Igawa, Mike Myers, Joe Torre and Brian Cashman, among others.
There's still lots of good baseball to watch (the quality of play around the majors has been exceptional, from my untrained observation), and I think, for a while at least, there'll be a lot of quality baseball involving the New York Yankees.
As for the All-Star Game, enjoy Ken Griffey Jr. He'll probably never be back, and certainly won't be this good. And enjoy Posada. You never know when he'll lose it. Hell, it could be September. And if you haven't seen the Giants' stadium, pay attention. It's the envy of the sporting world for good reason.
There's not much good to say about today's loss. Or rather there is -- Roger Clemens turning in his best back-to-back starts in six years, Joe Torre using Mariano Rivera correctly, Old-Timers Day getting a huge attendance and a full three innings in -- but it's all hollow.
Looks like the team won't make either goal I set for a hopeful second half -- .500 and 6 or fewer games back in the wild card. Keep the faith, but in the back of your mind, start looking toward '08.
Labels: Yankees
If you hop on over to NYBaseballtalk.com, you'll notice they've got an advance on the first three episodes of "The Bronx Is Burning."
ESPN cut them in, along with others, I'm sure, on a sneak peek.
Take a look, comment, and see what else there is to offer there. I haven't been terribly into the series so far, although it is hilarious to see the guy from "Rescue Me" with the Reggie Jackson afro, but only a terrible production job could ruin one of the great sports soap operas of all time.
That's what the Yankees are trying to do right now in the bottom of the second. Robinson Cano hit a home run, then Andy Phillips doubled the opposite way. And now, Miggy Cairo just tied the game.
Igawa is a tough choice to back for today's game because: 1. He's inexperienced and terrible in day games, going 4-5 with a 7.09 in Japan. 2. He has little respect (none earned) from Yankees fans. 3. He's just not that good. He walks everyone, and worse, misses high, leading to a ton of home runs.
Michael Kay, who once in a while pops in with something insightful, did it again in the first inning when he mentioned how a scout said Igawa's throwing just as well as in Japan. Same approach, too. Yet, he led the league in strikeouts three times over there. As Kay says, it's an indictment of the hitting over there.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Japan is a glorified Triple-A league (though that shows how much the quality has improved in recent decades). Yes, there's very good major leaguers there, but there are lots of those in our Triple-A as well. With that approach in mind, instead of the prevailing attitude that it's a league of equals, unfortunate, overpaid signings such as Igawa could be avoided.
The only thing in Igawa's favor today is that the team has alternated wins and losses in his appearances. Last time out, they lost.
Just as in any playoff series against Minnesota, a team should never lose unless Johan Santana is pitching. He did his part, with a seven innings that has been an increasing trend for him this year.
So, today's loss isn't terrible, although Joe Torre and the bullpen didn't help much.
Unfortunately, if you are looking for the Yankees to do what needs to be done and take tomorrow's game, Kei Igawa is pitching. Which will most likely not end well. But hey, he's due for a good outing.
Labels: Yankees
Which is great if it's 2006. But this year, he's above .300 in wins and about .150 in losses. Tonight, the good Bobby showed up. Also, Chien-Ming Wang conquered the troublesome seventh inning, Alex Rodriguez showed he's OK and Derek Jeter kicked some butt.
Again, though, this is a necessary win, not something to go nuts over, and the Twins haven't been able to handle the Yanks this decade. Let's keep it going day by day.
Labels: Yankees
With Chien-Ming Wang, almost-ace, on the hill, this should be a win anyway. However, with the likelihood that Johan Santana will win his start and because the Yankees can't afford losses, tonight must bring a win.
Hopefully, Joe Torre sticks with this lineup of Damon, Cabrera and Jeter at the top, even if Alex Rodriguez has to miss any time with the injury (though not tonight, apparently). We know Damon can hit leadoff, we know Cabrera hit well last year up high, and Jeter's got a solid, if short, history hitting third. It's really like Torre finally woke up to what fans (including some here) have been talking about for a while.
By the way, I saw a statistic (and sadly, can't remember the link), that said Scott Proctor had pitched in 123 of the team's last 239 games. I mean, seriously, that's insane.
Labels: Yankees
And celebrate Roger Clemens' return to quality pitcher as well as his 350th win. Considering that it's almost a guarantee that everyone with fewer than 250 wins (in other words, every male on the planet sans Clemens, Maddux, Glavine and Johnson) will never hit 300, this 350 just reaffirms how great he's been.
Let's not think that Alex Rodriguez could have a real injury. Let's just assume, or hope, that it's a minor thing. Because the alternative is too terrible to worry about.
Just a couple numbers on Clemens' start:
The last time he went eight innings was August 23, 2005, against the Padres, where he went eight innings, gave up two runs on five hits....and lost, 2-0. He lost two other eight-inning outings, giving up three runs combined, but the Houston Astros scored zero.
The last time he went eight and won was May 14, 2005, when he struck out 10 and gave up one run in a 4-1 decision.
So, as great as Clemens was the past two years, he's not been particularly durable. This start may be an aberration, but it's already an improvement from 2006.
Labels: Yankees
On a day when the Yankees tattoo A.L. ace Dan Haren (he's won 10 decisions in a row and hadn't given up more than three earned runs in a game before today), Andy Pettitte decides to show every one of his 35 years. A weekend that began with promise, however shaky, ends dismally.
The Yankees have to make a decision on what direction this season is going. They have two options: hope or pack it in.
If there's hope:
More moves like bringing up Edwar Ramirez should be made. Trade for Mark Teixeira and even Eric Gagne. Don't sign Shea Hillenbrand, even though he's got his defenders. Here's some other suggestions, of which I agree except for strikeout machine Adam Dunn. Even as a DH. When he goes, it'll be like having old Steve Balboni. Unless the contract length is right, and even then I'm skeptical. Yes, I know about the 300+ walks and 126 HR from 2004-06. Still, I don't feel good about him.
For damn sure, hope this guy's wrong and 2008 and possibly 2009 aren't already lost causes. And above all, hope that these guys just need some spark or something and that they aren't actually playing at their actual level of (un)talent.
If there's no hope:
Fire Joe Torre. Today. Let the team rally this week (or not) and use the All-Star break to ponder what they really want out of this game, this season.
Hire Joe Girardi to a three-year deal, to establish his permanency, or get Larry Bowa to finish out the year. This team needs a kick of the ass regardless of how well they play moving forward.
Trade Bobby Abreu, Kyle Farnsworth and, if anyone will take them, Mike Myers and Luis Vizcaino.
Be prepared to trade Melky Cabrera if he can't maintain at least a .260/.340/.410. I don't care how young he is. This year will show where's he tracking, and if it's bad, he's young enough to bring something of value. And if he can't stop turning the routine into a blooper reel afield and on the basepaths.
As fans, use this to find reasons to watch the team.
Labels: Yankees
The good: The Yankees showed some heart, rallying tonight despite the rain. Derek Jeter, who isn't the in-your-face leader the team might need, gives plenty of leadership at the plate.
Andy Phillips showed he may have learned something at the plate, though I remain skeptical.
Jorge Posada reached base three times, and Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera showed a little life. Bobby Abreu, though. While the two walks are welcome, he was 0-2 with a K. He's, sadly, the difference maker, in my opinion.
The bad: Chien-Ming Wang is not quite the ace the Yankees need at the moment. And with Andy Pettitte being unable to garner run support, Mike Mussina being close to done and Roger Clemens not earning a dime of his paycheck, this is disturbing.
I'm blaming Joe Torre at the moment, and I admit, this is a bit of a hunch. Just as Wang gained greatly this year and last from Torre throwing him out there, running up the pitch count to respectable levels and letting him notch innings, yanking him for no reason against the Mets showed a lack of respect.
In two starts then, he's been destroyed in the seventh inning, surrendering 10 runs in 12.2 innings overall with two homers given up.
Still, he's damn close to ace material, and if he shines next start, this will all be forgotten and forgiven.
The Yankees are two games under .500 and eight games back of the wild card.
In my mind, the team has until the All-Star break to get above .500 and reduce the wild-card deficit to six games, preferably five. If not, the season won't truly be over, but all but the most-improbable comeback will be an impossibility.
Andy Pettitte continues his run of not winning when he gives up more than one run. He was not extraordinary and was lucky to give up but two runs with 13 baserunners in seven innings, but c'mon. And Bobby Abreu hit eighth. If he's your eighth hitter, there'd better be four or five 100-RBI men ahead of him or else he's not worth having on the team.
The Orioles deserve some credit for keeping their nerve at the plate and pitching very well, but they shouldn't be stealing games from anyone.
And in case you've noticed the pattern, again the Yankees lost a game without Mariano Rivera ever entering. He's just a museum exhibit at this point.
It seems to be the best way to describe the Yankees this season. Mike Mussina. Five innings, three runs is just inadequate. Five hits (none by Derek Jeter, snapping his 17-game streak) against a last-place team is inadequate. Killing the bullpen two days in a row, to the point where Roger Clemens is pointlessly used, but Mariano Rivera never gets to the mound, is inadequate.
The Yanks are seven back in the wild-card. But Cleveland, while nothing special, is on the upswing. This team, sad to say, isn't. The big winning streak was great. But they are 3-6 since winning nine in a row. Now, 12-6 baseball the rest of the way will get them places. The question is, which Yankee team will show up?
Labels: Yankees
If only he had failed to hit the tying home run in the ninth inning, the Yankees could have avoided burning the bullpen for four more innings and lose in the 13th.
Man, the guy's only clutch when you don't want him to be.
Seriously, though, the only thing hopeful is the comparison of 2007 to 1995. Now, the 1995 Yankees were 33-39 at this point. These Yanks are but 36-36. But remember, just like Ruth in 1927, the 1995 closed with a rush, going 46-26 the rest of the way.
Can this year's team do a similar thing? Perhaps against American League teams, yes. But games such as this, with the ace on the mound, are disconcerting.
Speaking of paces, Alex Rodriguez is back ahead of Roger Maris. American League record, here we come.
Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
Home run #492 of Alex Rodriguez's career is special because of three things: 1. It ties a game they need. 2. He gets a big hand from a Yankee fan-filled ballpark, a bigger hand than he probably got all 2006 at the Stadium. And 3. He's the most-clutch player in baseball this year.
Thom Brennamen just said A-Rod has seven HR in 20 at-bats in 9th-inning situations. Not bad, right?
His approach at the plate is solid, he seems to be reacting instead of thinking, and pitchers keep giving him fat pitches. Astounding.
Maybe you don't expect him to hit these type of home runs, but if you're still surprised, you haven't been watching closely enough.
I didn't see a lot of last night's game, but I did catch the last three innings at a bar. No sound, but I don't think I really needed it.
Scott Proctor threw nothing but fastballs, but he located all of them very well until the last pitch. He was spotting Bonds just a bit too far inside -- not over enough to be consistently called a strike, but close enough that 2007 Bonds might get impatient. Let's face it: although Barry smoked that ball last night, 2000-2004 Bonds would have earned a four- of five-pitch walk.
I was most impressed with the penultimate pitch, the heat tailing away from Bonds. He somehow looked surprised to see another fastball and was way late. The problem? I think that was it for Proctor's strategy. So that next pitch, though slotted outside, was really just an attempt to throw as hard as possible (95 mph).
Proctor didn't do a bad job, but he might want to get the courage to try another pitch.
Outside of that, I really think Kei Igawa is a woman. He's got such a pretty face. At the least, it's laughable to watch him try to have a tough-guy look.
But I loved Derek Jeter's triple in the eighth. And Bonds' homer aside, A-Rod showed his skills with an all-around 4-for-4 night. He's the heir to the pre-homer-happy Bonds who truly was the game's best all-around player.
I also liked Melky Cabrera hitting lead-off. In his career, he's a .299/.379/.409 hitter there, and he's awful batting eighth, so it can't hurt.
Where you have a franchise that has nary a clue what direction they're going, no drive to spend what's needed and no one who would know how to spend if they had it. Hiring Andy McPhail was a good step -- if he's allowed to do his job.
But while the Yankees have frustrations -- big-time ones -- at least they have a plan. Right?
Well, right now that plan has had them gain no ground in the AL East in the last month, pronounce Kei Igawa healed because he has "a new delivery," and Red Sox blogs opining on the philosophical problems (near the bottom) of the Yankees franchise.
So maybe the Yankees are more frustrating, because they give hope? Nah. I'll take vanquished hope over the why bother fate that bestows the Orioles post-1998.
Speaking of hope, thank goodness for the wild card, right? Or this season would have been a lost cause weeks ago.
Pessimistically, I'd say watch for a Yankee descent below .500. Let's hope the last two games were a fluke, but if not, the season could be sinking with their record.
With the Yankees: I think it's obvious that 95 wins would be the benchmark for getting into the playoffs. While getting 95 and not making wouldn't fly in the city or the media, it would at least reward some better team. Even 90 might get the Yankees in.
What progress are they making toward that goal?
Overall: 35-34, six games back in the wild card (42-29 Detroit/Cleveland).
To win 95 games: 60-33.
So, the Yankees must lose fewer games the rest of the season than they have lost so far. Impossible? No, but damn, not easy. That also means that the weaker of the two AL Central teams goes no better than 52-38, which isn't out of the question. It also means that Oakland can't get hot and play better than 55-35. It's tough to predict Oakland, quite honestly. They don't hit well, but that 3.36 ERA the staff is posting isn't completely illegitimate. Being only eighth in the league in strikeouts signals that ERA might jump a little, but still, they are a good team.
With players: Derek Jeter should get to 2,300 hits (and a bunch more) this year. The other shortstops with 2,300 or more hits include no stiffs (well, one): Dave Concepcion, his successor, Barry Larkin (that's right -- 35 years, two guys, one team), Alan Trammell, Ozzie Smith, Omar Vizquel, the undeserving HOFer Rabbit Maranville, Luis Aparicio, Luke Appling, Cal Ripken Jr. and the man once called the greatest player ever, Honus Wagner.
Alex Rodriguez is heading for 500 home runs. Jimmie Foxx is the current youngest man to reach 500, although he hit only 34 more. The difference between A-Rod and Foxx, besides that one actually takes care of himself, is that when Foxx reached 500, he and Babe Ruth stood alone. A-Rod might be joined by three others just this year (Frank Thomas, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome), plus Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds are active.
Mariano Rivera won't be getting 500 saves this year. Sorry. Not enough chances, and I don't know if he'd be able to handle that many, frankly.
Andy Pettitte might still get his 200 wins, but boy, it's not going to be easy. He needs 10 wins in say, 15-18 starts. He's only got four in his first 15.
Looking ahead was the happiest I could do today on limited time. Let's see if the team can rebound tonight.
Labels: Yankees
But the Yankees don't know it, apparently. All those wins in a row are getting negated by bad hitting and yes, some good pitching. Jeff Francis is a good hurler who's getting better, and there's little shame in getting shut down by him.
Here's the thing -- the Yankees are still nine games back in the division. Forget the AL East, not that it's new for me to be saying that. The wild card has been coming back to the Yankees, who started the day five games out (four in the loss column). The real enemies are the AL Central and West. The Red Sox are but a distraction.
Andy Pettitte was pitching well until I walked by the TV at work and said, "Oh, he's got a shutout working." Then, he gave up a two-run homer. Sorry, everyone.
I'm not thrilled to see Andy Phillips at first. I thought he got his chance (which I advocated) and stunk last year. I'm not a fan of his, but a fan of his getting a chance. I think 110 games is plenty.
On the other hand, it's true Miggy Cairo wasn't going to keep up his hitting. Lots more on Phillips, Phelps and more from a much-more unabashed Andy fan.
The other thing that's odd is these 9 p.m. starts. I'm thinking the Rockies are the only team in the Mountain Time Zone, because I can't remember this for any other series. Just thinking out loud there.
Labels: Yankees
I would start by saying let's ditch the personal catcher thing that the Yankees have set up with Mike Mussina and Wil Nieves, but he's gotta spell Jorge Posada once in a while, so I can live with that.
Moose was adequate, if nothing else, but the offense. C'mon. I know, it's bound to happen, but you just don't expect it at the launching pad for baseball offense.
The more-important debate, I think, is whether losing Giambi is actually a good thing for the Yankees.
The argument for is not simply a "feeling," or a team chemistry thing, as some have said and critics enjoy bringing up. Rather, it's that despite his power potential and very solid OBP even as he declines, he was always a question mark in the lineup with that foot injury. It caused the team to carry three 1st basemen (although that was alleviated by Doug M.'s injury) and most importantly, kept Melky Cabrera's much-better defense out of the lineup because there was no place for Johnny Damon to go.
Really, his going down coincided with Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez going on a run, a streak of strong starting pitching and the continued success of Posada and Derek Jeter.
What Giambi's absence does help with, if anything, is getting a better center fielder out there with regularity and a little more speed on the basepaths, even if his replacement gets on base less often. Also, to be fair, Giambi was awful with his injury, hitting .177/.350/.323 in May.
A healthy Giambi should be welcomed back (should he return in 2007), but Melky Cabrera should be the casualty as long as he is hitting league average. Instead, contract and status be damned, Damon should either learn first or spend some time on the bench.
While the broader view on Giambi suggests he's always an asset, the May 2007 version needed to be on the DL.
I don't care if he's had 113 pitches. He's just gotten a double play in the ninth and he's been pitching more than 100 consistently.
I really hope Joe Morgan and Jon Miller are wrong, and this isn't simply about letting Mike Myers exploit a great matchup against Carlos Delgado. Strikeout or not, that's a BS reason. You here me, Joe Torre?
There's so few complete games that it's disappointing to see an easy choice go the wrong way.
EDIT: I agree with the comments, and probably wouldn't have minded so much if Wang hadn't started the ninth at all. But it seems silly, and a reversal of the confidence Torre has always placed in him, to yank him one at-bat away, especially against a slugger in a terrible slump and up by six runs.
Labels: Yankees
EDIT (06/19/07): A much-better statistical analysis, I think, confirms some of what I say below.
Even as Jorge starts to slip a bit with the batting average (the low-.340s, what a bum), he's still producing, hitting a home run as I type this sentence.
He's a multiple All-Star, a near-MVP in 2003 and a much-improved defender. Where does he rank among catchers?
Well, the first comparison would be among the Yankees, who boast Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, and Thurman Munson (not to mention Elston Howard and Mike Stanley, and really not mentioning Bob Geren). With a nod to Munson as the obvious choice for best defensive catcher, we can at least look at the offense.
Yogi had three MVPs, was a 15-time All-Star, led the Yankees in RBIs seven straight years (five of those for the world champs that year), and his final numbers are intimidating: .285/.348/.482, 358 HR, 1430 RBI, only 414 K in 7555 at-bats. There's really no downside with him.
Bill Dickey bridges Yogi and Babe Ruth, playing from 1928-46. He was an All-Star 11 times, and his final line is none too shabby: .313/.382/.486, with 289 K in 6300 at-bats, 202 HR and 1209 RBI. He also had 72 triples, surely a product of a different era.
Thurman Munson is probably underrated today considering all the attention focused on his untimely death. He lacked a bit in the power, but still had a fine .292/.346/.410 with 113 HR and 701 RBI in 5344 at-bats. He struck out more than the former two, but still, only 571 K. He also was the captain, the 1976 MVP and a seven-time All-Star. With his early death, we never saw what a decline might look like for him, but Dickey and Berra were productive into their mid- to late-30s, albeit in more-limited action.
That brings us to Posada. He's had but 4527 at-bats, and has struck out a ton (1,082), but has gotten on base more than most: .274/.377/.476, with 206 homers and 812 RBIs before tonight. He's been an All-Star only four times, but has four Silver Sluggers.
It's a tough battle for Jorge. He's up against two Hall of Famers, Berra being one of the best players at any position in his era, and one of the best non-HOF members in Munson. But the way his career is going, it's tough to argue that he's not been a more-productive hitter than Munson, if not as clutch or bearing any resemblance in the field. His career OPS+ of 123 is comparable to Dickey (127) and Berra (125) and better than Munson (116).
Posada is likely to play more than 140 games and catch more than 130 for the third straight year after age 32. Munson, of course, was not alive, but Dickey and Berra never accomplished that, although both started much younger in the bigs.
What we're seeing, in essence, is the third-best catcher of his era (behind Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza) and someone who belongs in conversations with, if clearly a step below, three Yankees who are among the best the position has ever seen.
At age 35, almost 36, we're watching a special player's best year. How great is that?
And what's the biggest difference? The sudden hitting outburst from tonight's No. 3 hitter, Bobby Abreu? It's a solid case, and he may be more valuable, if he can hit his career numbers, than Roger Clemens.
Or is it the starting pitching? Outside of the Tyler Clippard meltdown on a Sunday slugfest, we've seen 16 innings and one run from Chien-Ming Wang and solid, if not incredible, showings from Andy Pettitte, the Rocket and Mike Mussina.
I think it's simply that the Yankees are playing up to their potential. For the moment. And maybe, just maybe, having an invalid (Jason Giambi) not playing at all and a fielding invalid (Johnny Damon) only batting helps. Just maybe.
Let's enjoy this winning streak. The season's not saved just yet, and who knows if this streak is the real deal or just a ruse.
By the way, I'll have more soon. It's just been a hellish week and a half with work and other things.
Labels: Yankees
Not bad at all, but hopefully not the best he has to offer. The splitter looked great, and that's the key, because if he can control that, his other pitches are more likely to be effective.
Notice nobody was really talking about special treatment today. Those things don't matter as much when you're winning. Speaking of special treatment, this is my favorite Paris Hilton anecdote. From a "pal":
“It’s so cruel what has happened to her. She wasn’t allowed to wax or use a moisturiser. Her skin is so dry right now.”
Life's tough for the unmoisturized.
Other notes:
Bobby Abreu got around on that inside pitch in the sixth inning, something he really hasn't done all year. He hadn't lost that opposite-field approach, but he was useless on anything high or in. Good to see.
Melky Cabrera should be the full-time center fielder as long as he can hit for a decent average/OBP. Going into today, he was .250/.308/.360, with negligible difference from Damon save the 48 points in on-base percentage. Not quite good enough, in my mind. But his defense can be spectacular, although someone really needs to show him how to turn those inside-the-parkers into outs.
I don't know if the more-animated attitude of the team is a result of Clemens or the winning streak. I lean toward the ballgame-winning with a slight boost today by the weekend crowd and Clemens. Also, a small part could be the fun of playing a pathetic team such as Pittsburgh. My God, when the Yankees pull off not one, but two double steals without breaking a sweat, something's wrong with your club.
Chien-Ming Wang is a trailblazer in many ways -- a semi-homegrown Yankees pitcher, the successor to Kevin Brown as a "heavy sinker" dynamo, and the prototype for what teams should be pursuing in the Asian pitcher market. He's also in the Time 100.
Yet, and not that he's expected to, he has no international pull -- the U.S. doesn't officially recognize Taiwan, although it is a strong protector, and Costa Rica just switched to China.
One wonders if Wang ever has to worry about his native land someday surrendering its independent existence. Heady thoughts when toeing the mound.
The soft-baked oatmeal cookies from Pepperidge Farm are incredible. And not terribly unhealthy. Just a suggestion.
50 years ago, the late Lew Burdette pitched three complete games in the World Series to lead the Milwaukee Braves' defeat of the New York Yankees. In 2007, more than one-third of the way through the year, eight pitchers are tied with two. Not a new trend, just saying.
Speaking of interleague play, the Yankees and Pirates match up starting tonight. About two years ago, the Yankees pounded Pittsburgh to finally pass them in record. So that year, apparently, didn't start well, either.
I've been test-driving cars all this week, and it's the greatest thing ever. There's no obligation, they're bound to be better than what you've got, even if they aren't what you want, and you get to have a salesperson be (or pretend to be) interested in you and chat you up. It's not a bad way to kill an hour.
I'm traveling to the Poconos for NASCAR on Sunday, and I'm excited despite the sport not being my thing and the traffic jams being a bother. It's bound to be a good experience -- at the least, I can say I've witnessed it. I'll bring the camera, but who knows what I can get from where we're sitting. My camera is not new and thus not incredible.
Conan O'Brien continues to find new gimmicks even after almost 14 years on-air, and the key, I think, is that he never burns out a skit. Whether it be If They Mated, Triumph, Masturbating Bear, Preparation H Man, Frankenstein wastes a minute of our time, Walker clips, HornyManatee.com and a million others, they always disappear, sometimes for a spell, sometimes forever. He leaves you wanting more. Part of me almost wishes Jay Leno would renege on his 2009 departure just to keep Conan in New York and in the 12:35 humor vein. Enjoy it while you can.
You know, one of the few good things about this 2007 campaign has been that when Alex Rodriguez hits a grand slam in a situation such as tonight, up a couple runs late, the immediate reaction isn't something idiotic like, oh he's padding his stats, or he's hitting because there's no pressure.
Besides, his numbers this year are very respectable for runners on, close and late, RISP and RISP w/2 out. And by very respectable, I'm understating.
Also...
Welcome back (for now), Bobby Abreu. June's given the man a boost, it seems.
Welcome back, again, the 1-2-3 Mariano Rivera. He still looks (to me, at least) like he's lost a little something, but he's got a lot to lose.
Now, to nitpick. Mike Mussina pitched great, but as he's admitted, it's one start up, another down. Let's get a string together, at least some quality-start streak resembling the machine you were most of last year.
So much for Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada getting a day off, although I absolutely think they were brought in at the proper times.
Kyle Farnsworth's mind doesn't connect well with his arm, apparently. He's terrible.
While that may be the dirtiest post title I've ever used, it correctly sums up how good it was to see Chien-Ming Wang throw a complete game one day after a starter was removed after five innings for no good reason.
I saw very little of the game, sadly, and am just catching up with the replay now. From a glance at the box score, though, it seems that Damon's bat is holding up better than his fielding ability and Bobby Abreu may just have a productive season yet. Jorge Posada also had his, count it, 21st double.
The caveat? Chicago can't hit a lick. But a win is a win, and Wang, amazingly, had his lowest pitch count (104) of his last four starts.
Plus, how nice is it when Alex Rodriguez has two RBIs and it's just another day at the office.
Labels: Yankees
Tyler Clippard is part of that solution, although I'm still doubtful of his long-term potential. He was, however, a nice help yesterday, though as NoMaas points out, who the hell takes out a guy after five innings of one-run ball with 89 pitches? Joe Torre.
Tonight, we get Chien-Ming Wang, who at least is allowed to throw a few pitches, with counts of 113, 109 and 114 in his last three outings.
A year ago, I wrote about the Yankee immunity to injury, largely because they were batting great despite most of the lineup either out or with nagging injuries.
The hitting's been better lately, and outside of a lack of home-run threats, there's not a lot of weaknesses. Or shouldn't be, on paper. The hitting has to carry the pitching for now. Granted, that's been happening for years without better October results. But that's the best the team can do right now.
Side note: Alex Rodriguez, despite not being very old, has now hit at least 20 home runs in 12 consecutive seasons. The key, of course, is that he's hit 35 or more in all but one of those seasons.
Labels: Yankees
That's the 2007 season for the New York Yankees. That, of course, and pitcher injuries, with this week bringing hiccups to Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, whatever injury in the brain of Joe Torre that causes him to continue to pitch Luis Vizcaino.
Matt DeSalvo was awful, but it was tough to expect much. Derek Jeter has been awful ever since I documented his 81-game run of Ty Cobb-like greatness. His numbers? 7-44, 1 HR, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K, .159/.196/.273.
Sorry, Jeets.
In other baseball news:
Yankees fans will regret their, the team's and baseball's treatment of A-Rod when he's gone.
I also jinxed Derek Lowe's no-hit bid tonight. As soon as I announced it to co-workers, he gave up a walk, hit, two fielders' choices and a home run. Or something like that. It was three runs.
Roberto Clemente is a legend, but let's not retire his number.
Ken Griffey Jr. is the people's choice to break Hank Aaron's record.
The last successful Yankee team to be so terrible at this point was the 1995 Yankees. While they pulled out of their hole, as we've discussed, it seemed prudent to take a look-see at how that team stacks up to this one.
Read more...
Better yet, even though Derek Jeter had made his major league debut by then, there are no regulars on both teams. The 1995 squad was also brittle, with Bernie Williams the only player to top 130 games (albeit in a 144-game season). With that came a deeper use of the bench, although it's a stretch to say either club has a great corps of backups.
Here's the thing: It's tough to say hitting is the major problem for this club. It's a problem, but the pitching instability and inconsistency needs to be affected. But still, let's take a look.
The major flaw is that I won't have the pro-rated OPS+ for the 1995 team. I'm using Baseball Musings' Day-by-Day database for this, by the way.
Through 51 games (May 31, 2007 and June 23, 1995*), each team being 22-29:
Catcher: 1995: Mike Stanley -- 39-122, 6 HR, 8 2B, 25 RBI, 22 R, 19 BB, 38 K, .275/.367/.458
2007: Jorge Posada -- 60-168, 6 HR, 16 2B, 30 RBI, 31 R, 17 BB, 30 K, .357/.414/.560
Obviously, not even close. Stanley had a nice year, but Posada is doing absurd things like being on pace to play 150 games and hit almost 50 doubles, as well as hitting .357. A bright spot.
First base: 1995: Don Mattingly -- 35-137, 1 HR, 12 2B, 14 RBI, 15 R, 14 BB, 7 K, .255/.320/.365
2007: Doug Mientkiewicz -- 26-120, 4 HR, 7 2B, 15 RBI, 17 R, 10 BB, 15 K, .217/.286/.375
Josh Phelps -- 16-57, 2 HR, 2 2B, 9 RBI, 7 R, 4 BB, 12 K, .281/.339/.421
As bad as the Yankees have been in first base lately, or at least in backups, Mattingly's numbers outside of his 2:1 BB/K ratio are sad. He cleaned it up a bit for a .288/.341/.413 final line, but you can see why he called it quits. A pathetic push.
Second base: 1995: Pat Kelly -- 23-73, 3 HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 12 R, 12 BB, 24 K, .315/.414/.466
Randy Velarde -- 33-135, 3 HR, 6 2B, 14 RBI, 18 R, 10 BB, 23 K, .244/.295/.356
2007: Robinson Cano -- 51-193, 2 HR, 15 2B, 23 RBI, 21 R, 8 BB, 38 K, .264/.298/.394
Kelly, one of the most-hated Yankees I remember, somehow pulled this off before injury. He finished the year at .237/.307/.333, with one home run in his last 197 at-bats. Between the two, they have 15 more at-bats, four more home runs and 14 more walks. Cano gets the edge just because Velarde assuredly got some at-bats at other positions and Kelly was just awful. Again, a sad category.
Shortstop: 1995: Tony Fernandez -- 29-130, 1 HR, 6 2B, 11 RBI, 18 R, 15 BB, 13 K, .223/.306/.292
Derek Jeter -- 11-47, 0 HR, 3 2B, 6 RBI, 5 R, 6 BB, 11 K, .234/.280/.340
2007: Derek Jeter -- 70-204, 3 HR, 11 2B, 28 RBI, 32 R, 23 BB, 22 K, .343/.421/.461
With his mini-slump, Jeter's actually the tiniest bit behind last year, but hell, I'd take 1995 Jeter over Fernandez. Several other players got brief shots at shortstop in 1995, by the way, including Velarde and Kevin Elster.
Third base: 1995: Wade Boggs -- 45-161, 2 HR, 4 2B, 21 RBI, 20 R, 28 BB, 14 K, .280/.378/.354
2007: Alex Rodriguez -- 57-195, 19 HR, 11 2B, 45 RBI, 45 R, 25 BB, 42 K, .292/.386/.641
OK, this one isn't fair to the 1995 team, either. We'll see how A-Rod finishes the season, though. Boggs went .348/.433/.457.
Left field: 1995: Gerald Willams -- 15-57, 3 HR, 4 2B, 14 RBI, 12 R, 5 BB, 10 K, .263/.328/.561
Luis Polonia -- 35-142, 1 HR, 7 2B, 11 RBI, 25 R, 13 BB, 19 K, .246/.306/.345
2007: Hideki Matsui -- 40-142, 5 HR, 12 2B, 25 RBI, 23 R, 18 BB, 18 K, .282/.364/.472
Melky Cabrera -- 30-134, 2 HR, 3 2B, 15 RBI, 11 R, 11 BB, 15 K, .224/.284/.306
The 2007 Yankees gain another edge, although a slight one. Matsui is having a terribly quiet season, but he's little competition in the long run. Williams and Polonia didn't get any better collectively as the year went on. Cabrera, though, wouldn't even be on this team (or that one) were he not the only one with fresh legs.
Dion James and Velarde played 43 combined games out there in 1995. Melky has played 134 innings in left and 151 in center, plus 26 in right. I put him in left to have a two-player position for both years.
Center field: 1995: Bernie Williams -- 50-194, 8 HR, 10 2B, 31 RBI, 29 R, 20 BB, 34 K, .258/.330/.464
2007: Johnny Damon -- 42-159, 3 HR, 6 2B, 17 RBI, 27 R, 24 BB, 28 K, .264/.362/.371
Not as close as it looks. Bernie Williams was just becoming one of the American League's best all-around players, and Damon is just entering the decline phase of his career.
Right field: 1995: Paul O'Neill -- 42-127, 9 HR, 11 2B, 28 RBI, 24 R, 21 BB, 22 K, .331/.421/.630.
2007: Bobby Abreu -- 45-197, 2 HR, 6 2B, 22 RBI, 32 R, 24 BB, 42 K, .228/.313/.289
Abreu will be remembered, talent-wise, as a better all-around player. But no one could ever call O'Neill passive or defeated. Abreu has personified those descriptions this year. O'Neill was the team's best player in 1995 (and 1993 and 1994) and is worth two players compared with Abreu.
Desig-hated hitter: 1995: Dion James -- 19-62, 1 HR, 2 2B, 9 RBI, 5 R, 8 BB, 4 K, .306/.386/.387
Jim Leyritz -- 39-132, 4 HR, 8 2B, 21 RBI, 17 R, 20 BB, 46 K, .295/.400/.447
Danny Tartabull -- 35-145, 4 HR, 10 2B, 20 RBI, 20 R, 25 BB, 39 K, .241/.353/.393
2007: Jason Giambi -- 39-149, 7 HR, 5 2B, 23 RBI, 19 R, 25 BB, 35 K, .262/.380/.436
I say desig-hated because first it was a typo but also because it symbolizes the dreck thrown at this spot. Ruben Sierra was not with the team yet, too busy hitting a .284/.338/.517 that Yankee fans would never see. The 1995 Yanks get the edge, if only because Giambi is now hurt and the earlier team would soon be rid of Tartabull. Plus, Leyritz was actually an effective wild card that season.
What's the verdict? The current Yankees enjoy massive advantages at catcher, shortstop and third base with lopsided opposite outcomes in center field, right field and DH/extra. First and second base are relatively even in mediocrity, whereas left field is a crapshoot depending on who's playing. Both teams have a problem of highly concentrated strength. The 1995 Yankees, even before acquisitions such as Sierra and Darryl Strawberry, had many more options.
The 2007 Yankees have more firepower, but what you see is what we're going to get. What we see better start swinging a hot bat.
* the strike shortened the 1995 campaign, theoretically giving this year's team more time
We'll get to tonight's rare win in a moment.
The Yankees haven't exactly gotten off easy with the media this year (the Mets could throw four no-hitters in a row and still not make the back pages), but I think there is something to the point that there's a hesitancy to bury them (second comment because I was dumb and didn't open up the last post to comments).
That doesn't apply everywhere. ESPN, the bastion of Red Sox fans, openly called for the ax on Joe Torre a few weeks back. But in the New York-area media, the fascination with the Yankees has only grown, but the screaming-headline demands have not quite made it there.
I think part of this is because the Yanks, by and large, have been so calm, almost comatose, about the losses. People get fired up by action. If the Yankees were fighting, either themselves or other teams, that would give every columnist the opening to suggest decisive action -- in other words, demand change of one sort or another. That hasn't quite happened.
Now, the new story of A-Rod and his blonde not-wife friend may help fuel that fire. It's silly. Not because he's a saint, but because it's not relevant. Or rather, not nearly as relevant as it's made out to be. Bronx Block and WasWatching have good thoughts.
As for tonight, nice to see some runs, finally. Disconcerting, though inevitable, to see Derek Jeter with another 0-fer. Tyler Clippard really is not very good when he's not dead-on with that mediocre fastball, isn't he? He's tough, and that'll get through five innings sometimes, which is what happened tonight.
Labels: Yankees
You'd might as well pitch terribly, since that 2.51 ERA is just earning you hard-luck pitcher of the year.
In a comment left last post comparing the 1995 team's similar struggles through 49 games, I was asked this:
"The central has a legit chance to take the wild card and for the Yankees to win the East they not only have to do well themselves but they have to rely on Boston to do poorly. Do you think thats going to happen?"
Absolutely not, as far as the East. While the Central is looking like the strongest AL division since oh, 2001, when the Mariners were king, Angels were emerging, the A's were solid and the Rangers were a hell of a 4th-place club, the Tigers, Twins, White Sox and Indiands could still beat up on one another, dragging each other down to a low-90s win total. And despite recent contrary evidence, the Yankees should certainly be better than the Orioles and Blue Jays. That leaves a team such as the A's, who seem to be Dan Haren and nothing else right now.
But tonight was so much like the season -- trail early, don't score, don't field, and make curious relief decisions (although Torre can't be blamed, really, for Proctor missing a target by five feet on the sac fly). There's always a chance for a turnaround, but buying into the hope feels more like buying a lottery ticket than having a solid investment plan.
Labels: Yankees
The team is 21-28, 13.5 games out of first place and tied with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for last. The last time the New York Yankees finished in last place was 1990, when they finished seventh at 67-95. Their last losing record was 76-86 in 1992.
Where's the hope? In 1995, the franchise was 20-29, having lost to the Baltimore Orioles. They were on an 8-20 stretch after getting off to a decent start and were eight games back in a division race they would lose to the Red Sox. The next day, however, Andy Pettitte outdueled Jamie Moyer, 2-1, sparking a six-game winning streak. Still, it took them, from game 50, 30 games to make it back to .500, and another 43 games to finally pass .500 for good.
At that point, however, in a slightly shortened season due to strike, the team went 17-4 to end the year.
That 1995 team is remembered as the first signs of a dynasty. Yet, they went 12-9, 8-20, 20-11, 22-21, 17-4. Not exactly consistent.
This year's team has gone 8-7, 1-7, 7-2, and 5-12, or to proportion it along 1995 lines, 8-13, 13-15. They really are going to need one of those 20-11, or better yet, 17-4 runs in them soon. But as they've never been more than one game above .500 all year, it seems to be a taller order. And there's less of a likelihood that a David Cone-type will be dealt for at the trade deadline.
Labels: Yankees
I was lucky to witness any baseball this weekend. My car barely made my weekend trip (the bad) and I was visiting with relatives (the good).
What I did see was failure in the late innings, Saturday and Sunday, to deliver with runners on base. Granted, today, they did score one off of K-Rod, and you can't ask for a lot more than that. And Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, two of the failing hitters, have done more than their share of good this year. Also, Bobby Abreu got screwed worse on that strike three call Saturday than the Braves did every time Livan Hernandez pitched in the 1997 NLCS.
But...it comes down to that there's no margin for "but's" anymore. It's not a fun time right now. And the Yankees did not prove they are a good team in this stretch (Mets, Red Sox, Angels), going 3-6, and 4-8 if you include the White Sox. When you add that to the mediocre 8-5 against the blah Rangers and Mariners, the supposed "get it together" stretch -- i.e. the post-A-Rod homers every day stretch -- has displayed a 12-13 record.
At least Jake Peavy has a 1.47 ERA and 7 wins for my fantasy team.
The Yankees start a series against the Anaheim Angels, a team they have never beaten in the postseason and against whom Joe Torre has a losing record in pinstripes. Plus, they make the best of terrible candidates for the wild Jason Giambi trade rumors.
Bringing the optimism right to you. Another example -- Bobby Abreu is no Derek Jeter, and that should worry the team and its fans. Of course, Jose Reyes is no Derek Jeter, either, and that's a good thing.
Something that's not looked at as optimism but should be is that though the AL East is all but over, the wild card is well in play. I made my point earlier, and WasWatching does an even better job.
The Angels just got young second baseman Howie Kendrick back. He was hitting .327 before going down with injury. Vladimir Guerrero, of course, is solid, and despite always lacking enough bats (Shea Hillenbrand somehow is playing despite a .231/.245/.301, and Chone Figgins is a shocking .133/.198/.187 in 75 at-bats), the team is a quiet eight games over .500 and four ahead in the AL West. Jared Weaver, the good brother, is on the hill tonight, with Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey (Mike's darkhouse MLB ace) in the wings.
Not going to be an easy series, but hey, this team is good, right? This'll be a time to show that.
Labels: Yankees
Fatguy24 raises this valid point to this post:
I don't see why the Yankees can't void his contract based on his testimony in the Balco case. Court cases are a matter of public record and the testimony he submitted before the committee should be used against him.I'm not a legal expert, but even though there supposedly is some steroid-ish clause in Giambi's contract, there was technically no steroid element in the collective bargaining agreement. To prosecute, even within the baseball world, would be a bit of an ex post facto move.
I would also lean toward the conclusion that the grand-jury hearing is not necessarily public record in the true sense because his testimony was sealed, then leaked. Without the original documents in hand, the Yankees would have a tough case, and before an arbitrator, it's unlikely he (or she) would rule for them based on a leak. Also, perhaps Giambi has federal immunity. While that wouldn't protect him from baseball, per se, (see: Shoeless Joe Jackson), it couldn't hurt his argument against those who would suspend or void him.
Now, could the commissioner suspend him for conduct detrimental to the game? Probably, and if it wasn't too severe, he could do so without a big fight from the union. If it were a couple of years ago, Giambi may have even negotiated his own punishment. But now seems late in the game for that, as well.
As far as I can tell, though, the using-his-testimony has its loopholes, and by the time any legal avenues were worked out, he'd probably be through his contract, and it's unlikely the Yankees could recoup any salary paid during the legal struggle without going to a civil court. And I don't like the chances of them winning there.
If someone has a better handle on this and knows I'm way off-base, let me know. I'll be glad to correct the record.
82 games, 80 with official at-bats.
335 AB, 123 H, 7 HR, 2 3B, 21 2B, 50 RBI, 62 R, 35 BB, 42 K, 12 SB, .367/.440/.504.
Outside of the having hits in 77 of 80 games and the obvious batting average and hits increases, there's increases in his RBI pace, doubles and a reduced strikeout rate.
Jeter's 162-game averages:
655 AB 208 H, 17 HR, 5 3B, 34 2B, 83 RBI, 123 R, 68 BB, 114 K, 24 SB .318/.390/.464
Not necessarily a huge leap we have seen from Jeter, but that's because he was already so good.
To keep a historical perspective, however, as good as his half-season .367/.440/.504 is, it's essentially what Ty Cobb settled for after 24 seasons: .366/.433/.512
UPDATE: Comment and the reply
I talked about voiding Jason Giambi's contract in December 2004, and outside of the ill-fated hope that Tino Martinez had life left in his bat, I stand by it. It's part of my old adage that if not caught, there is no crime, and kudos to getting away with it, but if caught, there's no escaping responsibility and consequences. Giambi admitted his usage. It's as simple as that. The Yankees missed a chance to at least attempt the voiding process, and no amount of home runs is going to redeem that.
However, the report of Giambi, assuming it's true, using amphetamines is unfair and vindictive, and here's why: A first positive test has no penalty other than increased testing. Furthermore, it's confidential. The Yankees might not have known about it -- honestly.
To leak it shows that somebody, even if not an MLB clout-wielder, was sticking it to Giambi for his recent comments that included calling on baseball to apologize for the steroid era. Now, I may have been happy when a similar leak occurred regarding Barry Bonds, but if I was, it's hypocritical.
These leaks don't deserve to be protected by anonymity. The silence was negotiated, and is not a punitive action against the user, but rather one to give the warning and second chance it's intended to do. The leaker has no obligation to provide proof and nothing to answer to if the rumor has holes in it. By providing anonymity, the only one being protected is the leaker against penalty for possibly false information and/or a vendetta. This isn't the Pentagon Papers or Deep Throat, folks.
Back to the point. I'd love to void Giambi's deal. He's almost literally a deadweight. But with this testing agreement, it would seem a void would fall outside punishment already agreed upon by the union and owners. Furthermore, if the Yankees couldn't or wouldn't void for the blatant use years earlier, they're unlikely to get sympathy for a violation that carries no loss of playing time.
It seems the checks have been cashed, as it were. Just another missed opportunity, I'm afraid.
The pillars of the Yankees' 2007 hopes? Or the triumvirate that has delivered pestilence and doom? There's a lot to look at, but maybe the answer is neither.
Depends on who you ask. There's a crowd calling for the heads of the latter two, and a group (including young Kyle Farnsworth) that think Clemens, or more specifically, his contract perks, is an acquisition that isn't the Yankee way and is selfish.
But there's also those who point out the bad luck/injuries this team has had, and the potential that still lay ahead with more than 100 contests left. They also can point to the pessimism shown even in the best of years.
Let's look at the general manager, Brian Cashman. For all his good moves (getting Andy Pettitte back, developing the plethora of minor-league pitchers, not trading Robinson Cano and, gulp, Melky Cabrera), signing Johnny Damon (despite his injuries), Cash is rightly ripped for the Carl Pavano and Randy Johnson debacles, the lumps of coal acquired for Gary Sheffield, and lots of other things not worth mentioning.
Of course, he inherited a lifeless, good-enough-to-lose-in-the-postseason group that includes Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, and possibly Hideki Matsui. And Alex Rodriguez, although I'll take that deal because at least he's in his prime. So there's only so much to pin on him.
I think Cashman, however, does deserve more of the blame than Torre. He was the boy wonder who put Stein's Tampa advisers out of business, after all, so he can't shy away now. From the lack of a starting rotation (penciling in Carl Pavano? Really?) to the interminable lack of a decent backup catcher or first baseman, he's handed Joe Torre an ill-conceived roster. To his credit, he has been saying, blame me, not Joe Torre. But fire Cashman? Unlikely. There is the option, of course, of keeping Cashman but canning Torre.
Of course, it soon might not matter if the Yanks slip further. Is Torre just a comforter of players who need a kick in the ass? Quite possibly. If you've got a motivator in the wings, then let's have him. Otherwise, you blew your chance in the offseason, as I've said before. Lou Pinella's not walking through that door, to paraphrase Rick Pitino. And no, Jeff Pearlman, I doubt Bobby Valentine is, either.
I'm against firing either, but especially against Cashman. He's goofed up plenty, but he's actually trying to rebuild while staying competitive, something the New York Knicks and Rangers have failed miserably at doing. As for Torre, I think putting in Mattingly wouldn't help. And as for Joe Girardi, he's too close to a lot of the players to be the authoritarian (successful and underrated) that he was with the Marlins last year.
Which brings us to Roger Clemens. Does he have a sweetheart, unfair deal? Yes. Is it his fault? Absolutely not. If players really have a problem with it, they should go to the team or the union. Of course, they'd be laughed out of the room. If fans really have a problem with it, they should direct their anger at management, which basically got desperate.
Now, the Yanks should not be afraid to make a move on Torre if they feel it necessary. But they shouldn't expect that to magically change things, and no one should expect the Rocket to singlehandly change things. It's, as I grow tired of saying, one day at a time. Clemens was the necessary move, although it was not a great or a smart move.
And tonight's loss wasn't a good sign. Was the two-game streak just a tease? If the Moose is truly cooked, it's a major, major problem.
Maybe this team, after so many years, was just bound to hit a wall collectively. If that's the case, there's only so much that can be done. Just like the Roman Empire, a sports dynasty falls quickly, but the signs are there long before. It's still too early to tell with the Bombers, but not too too early.
Labels: Yankees
For a few pictures and more of tonight's Yankees-Red Sox game, check of Yankees Chick at MLBlogs.
As someone who utilizes Metro-North and the subway when I go to Yankees games, I was cheered by this news.
We all were shocked to see Chien-Ming Wang strike out five tonight. Baseball Musings talks about why a return to high-strikeout days for the team is important.
Ozzie Guillen is irreverent. But that's by your standards, because to him, Derek Jeter is God.
Roger Clemens will be one of two players from "RBI Baseball" still active when he turns. I actually knew this, but then again, I still get to play the game on a semi-regular basis. Along with "NHL 94" and "NHL 95."
Labels: Yankees
The Yankees should not be doing worse than two out of three when it comes to Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina. The rookies are another story. But even if the Yankees were in first place, you would expect roughly that performance from those three pitchers, the offense and the bullpen. But being a country mile back, of course, it becomes mandatory.
Tonight delivered the first part of that set. It was good to see the Yankees take a page out of the Mets book and run on a tandem that deserved it. Tim Wakefield/Doug Mirabelli threw but one of five out. Derek Jeter is at 16 games with his hitting streak, too. I have to mention it every game, I'm sorry.
And who knew Alex Rodriguez hit best against the Mets and Red Sox? Nice game for him tonight, even with the caught stealing. If he's not quicker than last year, he's acting it.
As far as losing goes, I'm not taking too much of what Bob Klapisch seems to think is a rift between Jorge Posada and Jeter vis a vis their reactions to the "losing mentality" cited by recent legends Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez. Jeter seemed simply to think there was no point in judging the season until the team's fate was more certain, and he did acknowledge frustration. Posada said roughly the same thing, just in different words. Avoiding a losing mentality, or shaking any signs of it, is not the same as succumbing to such a mentality.
I don't know that any current or former Yankee has said that.
Welcome to another session of liveblogging. The last time (Oakland-NYY), it went 13 innings. I hope that does not repeat itself, but I do hope the Yankees winning does.
Read on...
Pregame/Top 1st: John Maine is effective when he throws strikes. Fairly obvious, right? Or at best, worth a mention if there's been recent control problems. Yet, Joe Morgan spends the entire half-inning talking about it.
Jon Miller, thankfully, didn't mince words, calling Bobby Abreu "terrible" at the plate and citing Derek Jeter's reaching base in 39 of 40 games.
It is good to hear the analysis of pitch location to get a feel, especially on Sunday Night Baseball where much of the audience is unfamiliar with the teams. I just hope Morgan doesn't spend the whole game with this.
A-Rod battling Maine's fastball. Takes a pitch right down the plate to end the inning, although they say outside corner. Regardless, a lot more thinking from Alex Rodriguez of late, subsequently causing the slump. Where's that April see-pitch, hit-pitch? C'mon.
Bottom 1st: Jose Reyes is a quick, quick player. And since when did Endy Chavez turn into a superstar? And God bless Damion Easley, somehow staying in the majors.
Is Reyes better than Jeter? You have to throw out age, because obviously you take the younger player. Is Reyes better than Jeet at his age? Very possibly. Tyler Clippard just, for one at-bat, put it back in Jeter's favor. Wicked break.
I think both teams are happy with what they have. Reyes, if he can keep drawing more walks, could be remembered as a great leadoff hitter in an era without any (Lofton and Damon being past their primes). Striking out on three pitches wasn't it, but it's doubtful he knew what to expect from the rookie's first pitches.
The Yankee season may be drawing to a premature end, but even if the rookies and Roger Clemens can't save it, the Yanks have a hell of a collection of pitchers. Darrell Rasner, talent-wise, might be the the 8th or so best guy they've got.
Carlos Beltran -- there's a signing that worked for the Mets, even if he's not the player that carried Houston in 2004. If the Yankees had been willing to cut ties with Bernie earlier, he could have been theirs, but it's not fair to blame them. After all, there were other problems then that haven't really been fixed -- i.e. old players, not enough pitching, terrible fielding.
Top 2nd: Jorge Posada. What a pleasure it is to watch him this year. And I talk about him all the time. Draws a walk. Underrated in that department. He always has an excellent OBP (.377 lifetime).
Now, to a guy who used to have an excellent OBP, Abreu. Worst slugging average in baseball, Miller tells us. Ouch. He does respond to that comment, slapping a single up the middle to lead to swing-happy Robinson Cano.
I'm glad to see Cano at a 2-1 count, but now Morgan gets to talk about Maine's command. I guess it's better to overanalyze that than to rip the Yanks' bats for nine innings.
Just foul! Man. That carried a long way for a slightly defensive swing. He grounds out, but Maine's pitch count is rising. He's at 35 with Mien-whatever batting. He K's, and not being able to play Giambi hurts them badly, as Clippard gets to have his first MLB at-bat with two men on. Wildly late on the first pitch. If you're going to have the designated hitter in but one league, you've gotta alternate DH/no DH in the minors. These guys wouldn't hit much better, but at least they'd look like they've touched a bat since high school.
Alas, a strikeout, backwards-facing K on the scorecard. Scoreless.
Bottom 2nd: The Mets are a damn good team. Every position is solid, even when they are a bit old in spots (poor Julio Franco starting to show a little age, for instance). They also seem to have a wealth of leadership.
But leadership doesn't do anything against great pitching, and Clippard drops some sweet curves and spot-on fastballs to strike out Delgado. But back on leadership -- there's some sentiment that Jeter doesn't show any. I don't know if I agree -- not every captain gets in people's faces, and no one else seems to help at all.
I got too excited about Clippard, I guess. David Wright clocks a fat pitch (Morgan says it's a changeup), and then Shawn Green turns back the clock to the 1990s with a fan-interference double. He's just got to weather the storm, as it were, and depend upon the offense to help. If they don't, it's not his problem.
There's been a bit of focus on Clippard's inconsistent landing points. I agree that it's odd for that to go unchecked, but if everything but the footplant is consistent, then it might not matter. Another strikeout for the rookie.
The Mets fans are very excited. They should be. Jose Reyes with the bases loaded, even with two outs, is a great situation. Now, it's 3 and 1, and this game could turn bad quickly. Fastball in, fly ball out. Flip of the coin situation, but the Yanks will take it.
Top 3rd: Johnny Damon, the struggling, oft-injured leadoff man, is up.
Random note: For those who saw the fabulous "Office" finale I blabbed on and on about, you'll be familar with Scrutebucks. Well, the website has been taken.
Damon nabbed at first. Wonder if 2005 Damon would have been safe. As Jeter bats, there's more steroid talk, with Cashman saying little and Peter Gammons on to repeat all the rumors already mentioned by Miller and online all day (voiding the contract, MLB investigation, etc.) Morgan questions the timing by Jason Giambi, which is a legitimate point.
And there's 40 of 41 games for Jeter. A double, and he's hit in oh, 999 of his last 1000 games. Actually, it's in neighborhood of 94 of 102 or so. And nice to see a ball down the left-field line. He's an all-fields hitter -- you can't just pound it inside. Speaking of throwing inside, Matsui punched that ball a long way, and Beltran couldn't quite get it. Almost an error, really. He does deke Jeter enough to keep him from scoring -- quite a dance from him on the replay.
Big spot for A-Rod. One out, two in scoring position. Sac fly or groundout RBI is worst-case scenario. Can't strike out. Unless he's thinking too much.
Of course. Thanks, pal. Good pitch, low and away, to make him chase, but still. Maybe Jorge can pick up the slack. Or maybe not. Tyler Clippard, get used to this.
Bottom 3rd: So what's the Mets' fate this year? Without Pedro, the team does have a disadvantage, but Maine has been excellent, and so has Glavine. Sure, the 300-win watch is on, but he's doing it with style, not struggling to the line. Billy Wagner has been excellent sans his brain cramp last night. I think they have to be considered the favorites in the National League -- I know, no big leap, but they are delivering. I know this: nobody wanted to face this team when they were crippled in the NL playoffs last year. So if they're healthier, how feared will they be?
I hadn't realized how much Carlos Delgado is struggling. This is the age (35 this year) for him to decline. He's clearly better than his numbers, but will he be, say, a .300/.420/.600 guy again? Probably not, though the Mets would take his numbers last year (.265/.361/.548). But right now, he's a drag that's being masked.
Top 4th: Bobby Abreu walks, which is good. It's still amazing how, even if it's faulty perception, how he looked so young last year and so old this year. He's a damn good player, and I don't believe he's done. You'd think not having to be the superstar would help, but not this year. And it doesn't help Melky Cabrera, who played every game for more than three months at one point last year and can't seem to adjust to uncertain playing time (among other things).
What is Torre's role, the announcers wonder? I don't know, especially with Abreu. It's tough to tell if it's mental or a physical deterioration, and maybe Bobby doesn't even know.
Good hit-and-run, even if Cano hits right to Wright. That's the old-style baseball people associate with Torre even though he hasn't done that regularly since his Cardinals' day.
Two walks for John Maine, and yet no talk from Joe Morgan about his wildness and/or lack of command. It's all about timing, and right now he's vocally using two left feet. It is nice to hear from Gammons, however, especially after his health scare last year.
Two more men in scoring position, this time for Damon, against a stingy (.128) pitcher in those spots. Clippard's gotta wonder if he's got Mel Stottlemyre timing. But not this time. The Yankees get their first break, it seems, that's not of a bone in weeks. Shawn Green's lack of range is exposed, and two runs score -- both off of walks, for the moment certifying the most-repeated axiom of baseball: walks burn you.
Now, the Captain is up with his .485 .500 RISP average. Just absurd.
WOW. So absurd he's cranking balls in Shea like it's the 2000 World Series. Captain Clutch (just to annoy Yankee haters)!!!! Two balls pulled to the left side after a solid liner to right-center for a first-inning out. Jeter and Delgado are tied in homers now.
Bottom 4th: Clippard is pitching a great game -- definitely with a plan. He's at a pitch pace for five or six, but who cares?
Not much this inning, just strong stuff and more Ks for Clippard. Some hope rising.
Top 5th: More rising, in the form of Posada blasting a ball. Upper deck. It's good to see this urgency, because the Yankees need this win more than the Mets do.
Cano gets thrown out stealing, but what's worse is his jamming his foot into the bag. Not a good habit to get into.
Bottom 5th: Clippard looks like the grizzled vet, except for the giant ears. This year's team has so much optimism with the bright youngsters showing guts amidst so much other disappointment.
Here's the key for the rest of the night -- keep the four-run lead. The Yanks have been atrocious in games of two runs or less. They lose big, yes, but when they win, it's big.
Top 6th: Dougie M. is a joy at first, but painful to watch at the plate. Nothing new, I know. But it gets reinforced.
Here's how bad he is: Tyler Clippard looks more like a hitter than Mient... does.
Andy Pettitte is warming up, unless I totally misread him. Maybe they can just have him pitch every day. He is their best hope. Note: He's pitched 200 innings 8 times, with a high of 240. Interesting to see how close he gets to that 10-year-old high.
Bottom 6th: Nice catch by Damon to start the inning. He always looks like he messed up but somehow stumbled into the catch.
good to see the game calm down, especially when they have the lead. Also good to see an avoidance of beanballs or anything that permeates so many of these rivalries.
Damon gets the final out. It's tough to gauge if his range is good or in sharp decline. Depends on how his body feels that day.
Bottom 6th to Top 9th: Clippard had quite a debut, looking very much in control and dealing well with adversity, particularly in that tough second frame. There's not too much to be excited about otherwise with this win, outside of some decent hitting from Matsui and Abreu. The team needs those two to have a chance of emerging from this hole.
A-Rod slams the bat down after a pop-up in the top of the ninth. Odd timing, especially after hitting a home run his last time up.
At this point, I think I might take Posada out of the game. Up five, with him being unable to get a full day off, giving him an inning off couldn't hurt. On the other hand, he's so hot right now that maybe you want to give him all the at-bats he can get.
I've talked a lot about how this team isn't very good, and the division race is over. I reiterate, though, that the wild card is very much alive, and the Yankees should pretend, even if in a fashion, that they are the 1998 Red Sox. That team was the second-best in the league and the wild card. They also finished 22 games behind the Yankees. They focused on the real goal, which is getting to the postseason.
Mariano Rivera is warming up, and he needs an outing. Miller notes that he hasn't had a save opportunity in 17 days, when he summoned some old magic and saved two in one day. An odd year for him, and you wonder if this will tilt him in any way toward retirement. It's tough to get a read on him.
Bottom 9th: It is a work day, but the Mets fans cleared out quickly nonetheless. Tough to blame them, though; everybody does the same.
Tyler Clippard gets player of the game. Well-deserved, especially with the double added on.
The announcers talk about Mariano being clocked this season. He hasn't really ever been used this sparingly, and it can't help, especially since it seems like he never touches a baseball outside of actual pitching. Five save opportunities is abominable. I'm much more worried about other things than Mo, although I think he perhaps has lost a bit. Given that he hasn't had an ERA of 2.00 or more in four years, it still makes him good.
Lots of talk of the rest of the league. It's a good league, with a lot of talent top to (almost) bottom. Not great for the Yankees to hear, but it does mean that streaking teams are likely to be brought back into the pack by the other quality squads, giving a team like the Yanks to get hot and right back with it. There's optimism, even if some of us don't always convey it loudly enough.
Damion Easley just homered off of Mo. Good at-bat, but it helps the naysayers. Mo's got the ball up a lot as he nears 30 pitches, and that's a sign of not enough work. Worse yet, he's facing Julio Franco, who will make him throw his way out of this one.
Which he does. Phew. Good times. Thanks for reading, if you somehow made it through this.
Labels: Liveblogging, Mets, Yankees
