Yanks Hold Off Twins, Win 4-3

Despite
control issues, A.J. Burnett got his third straight win and continued
his streak of dominate performances, dominate would be a stretch for
last night, but he definitely did have his moments. Although A.J. did
put on 11 batters in 6.1 innings, he worked in and out of trouble and
escaped last night’s game only giving up 2 earned. The key moment for
A.J. was in the bottom of the 5th, after loading the bases Cuddyer came
up to the plate and Burnett struck him out swinging with a series of
horrible pitches that showed how anxious Cuddyer was, and how much
pressure he put on himself. Burnett’s wildness is just a key to how
good of a pitcher he is, even with his control issues he still put
batters away and kept them guessing all night and more importantly
didn’t make mistakes trying to correct those problems. The
Yankee bats, lead by the unlikely Brett Gardner, got to Swarzak early
and gave a cushion to Burnett. The lineup is molding and connecting at
a very high level right now and, besides Damon, every starter had at
least one hit again last night, Jeter and Posada were the only two with
multi-hit games. The Yankees were cruising going into the 5th inning
putting 9 runners on (8 hits, 1 walk) and scoring 4 of those runners by
the end of that inning, taking a 4-2 lead.

Arod provided an insurance run in the 5th to put the Yanks up by 2
and give them a little more room to work with, a run that ended up
being a necessity more than a luxury.

Burnett only had 2 ks last night but they came in very tight spots
where a strike out was needed desperately.  One I talked about earlier
with Cuddyer and the other came in the bottom half of the 6th when A.J.
struck out a scrappy hitter in Denard Span with his best curve ball of
the night that if even hit would’ve been a weak grounder to Teixeira.

Bobby Keppel would come in for the last 2 outs in the 5th, after
loading the bases by way of a walk to Posada (he did inherit 2 runners)
he got the Twins biggest out of the night when Cano flied out to left,
a collective sigh of relief swept over the place as Keppel has not had
much success in the majors, but that was as a starter.

Arod’s insurance RBI came into play in the bottom of the 7th when
Phil Coke was summoned to face M&M (Mauer and Morneau). Coke, who
has been one of the reasons this Yankee bullpen has been so great
lately, left the ball hanging on the outside portion of the plate to
Mauer and he drilled it over the left field wall, cutting the Yankee
lead to one run. Coke did half of his job and struck out Morneau on a
nasty breaking ball. Hughes followed and got a pop out to right on one
pitch to Cuddyer to end the inning. Side Track/Hughes Watch: Phil
Hughes has not allowed an earned run in his last 9 appearances or 11
innings pitched over that span his ERA has dropped 1.02 runs from 5.13
to 4.11 and has only allowed a staggering 6 runners on base. Hughes has
been almost mistake free out of the bullpen and has continued to
confuse and stifle batters, he is quickly becoming one of the best
relievers in the game right now.

Another note that might not make people happy, but might make them
understand how often an ump calls a guy out when the ball just beats
them to the bag happened again last night. Nick Swisher, who is not the
swiftest or fastest runner in the world, attempted to stretch a single
into a double in the top of the 8th. Although he was clearly out, at
least in terms of the ball getting there, the Twins short stop Brendan
Harris may have missed the tag. Of course factoring in all the angles
an ump has to fight with it would be hard to tell from his perspective,
but when reviewed and slowed down it appeared that Swisher foot was in
before the tag. My point being that, not as bad as Jeter’s mind you,
umps often call players out when the ball beats them to the bag, and
last night was another example, so even though Jeter had a point to
argue, the ump wasn’t that far off when he made his argument. I am not
saying that it is right, but it is something that happens every now and
then, I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens once a night around the
MLB, and will continue to happen, just think of the neighborhood rule
at 2nd base, it’s almost the same principle.

Back to the game, Mo came in to close it out and shut the top of the
Twins order down 1,2,3 to record his 22nd save of the year and
solidifying another series win for the Yanks.

The Yankees are on a roll right now winning 6 out of 8 games in July
so far and winning their last 5 series, they are 1 game out of the AL
East lead and are waiting to pounce on an opportunity to jump into at
least the share of first place.

W: Burnett (8-4 3.77 ERA)

L: Swarzak (2-3 4.50 ERA)

S: Rivera (22)

Tonight’s Game: Aceves (5-1 2.02 ERA [first major league start]) vs Liriano (4-8 5.49 ERA)

A very interesting match-up that puts Aceves on the mound, replacing
the injured Wang, as a starter for the first time in his Major League
Career. Aceves has been great for the Yankees coming out of the pen
this year and was the deemed the right pitcher to run out there for the
start. He faces a very talented but struggling pitcher in Francisco
Liriano who pitched very well his first start against the Yankees
earlier this year. The Yankees want Aceves to do to the Twins that
first time starters do to them and keep them guessing. I would be
surprised to see him going past 5 innings tonight so it is good that
only 2 pitchers were used out of the pen last night. This game is a
coin toss that obviously can go either way, if the Yankee bats keep it
up they win but if they are stifled I can see them losing. I think
Aceves will be fine but do think he will give up a few runs, hopefully
the Yankee bats back him up…LET’S GO YANKEES!

If I made mistakes I will correct them…I am running out to lunch lol ;-)

Yankees Dominate Twins 10-2 in Series Opener

CC Sabathia bounced back from his last start the only way you would
expect it, by putting together 7 innings of 3 hit, one walk ball while
giving up only one earned run. Although dominate performances are
somewhat expected you never really know, Sabathia did give up 6 earned
against a much less potent Seattle Mariners lineup just 5 days earlier.
It is worth noting that CC’s ERA is a whole run and a half (1.57
actually) better on the road than at home, that seems to be a trend
with Yankee pitchers this year.

While Sabathia put together a sparkling performance his counter
part, Scott Baker, was getting hammered by Yankee batters and couldn’t
find his way out of the 4th after loading the bases. At the end of the
inning Baker was charged with 5 earned runs, and if it wasn’t for the
defensive play of the game by Carlos Gomez, robbing a grand slam from
Alex Rodriguez, it would’ve been 7.

Baker has been struggling this year, posting a 6 and 7 record with a
5.31 ERA (last night factored in) after coming off a career year in
’08. Being one of the strong holds in, what the Twin anticipated to be,
a young talented rotation with a chance to compete, management might be
scratching their heads and wondering where the talent has gone. The
Twins rotation has put together a robust 4.40 ERA, that is including
Blackburn posting a 2.94, and their wonderkid Liriano has shocked the
baseball world with his sub-par performances all year. The Twins
pitching has caught the Yankees at the worst time, the Bronx Bombers
are streaking and putting up numbers (7.2 runs/game over the last 5
games) on teams all over the league. Tonight they face another young
struggling pitcher in Glen Perkins, who is substantially better at home
than on the road but struggled mightily against the Yanks in his last
start. Back to that shortly.

Matsui drove in the first run of the game with a single in the top
of the first and the Yankees didn’t look back. Two more in the top of
the 2nd provided all the offense that the Bronx Bombers would need, but
they didn’t stop there adding 7 more runs on their way to a 10 run
offensive onslaught. Side Track: Matsui has found his way into a 7 game
hitting streak with 3 homers in that run. Matsui might be coming to
form now and his knees might be feeling better, look out for a big July
from him.

Every starter in the lineup accounted for at least 1 hit, with
Teixeira, Cano, Cirvelli and Gardner having multi-hit games accounting
for 11 of the Yankees 16 total hits. Surprisingly enough, especially
being indoors, the Yanks won the game, and put up a 10 spot, without a
homer, one was robbed from Arod as mentioned earlier. The Bombers drove
home runners in scoring position by way of sacrifice flies (2), singles
(2), extra base hits (2) and one walk with the bases loaded. They were
patient at the plate and did what they had to do with the ball and
nothing more, small ball wins games too.

The Twins had no definitive answer for the Yankee bats as they
touched up reliever Brian Duensing for an additional four runs and R.A.
Dickey for one. Dickey finished out the last 3.1 innings and cooled
down the Yankee bats for the remainder of the game.

Yankees Player of the Game:

Mark Teixeira: 4 for 6 last night with 1 RBI. I chose him over
Gardner (3 for 5, 2B, 2 RBI) because this might be the spark he needed
to bust out of the slump he was in, and help him find his power.
Teixeira is homerless in his last 22 games.

Twins Player of the Game:

Carlos Gomez: Not for his bat, but for his glove. His home run,
grand slam, saving catch in the 4th actually kept the Twins within
striking distance of the Yankees before the game got out of hand.

Game 2 Preview: Burnett (7-4, 3.83 ERA) vs. Perkins (4-4, 4.38 ERA)

It has been noted a few times that Burnett stated “once he hits his
stride, watch out”. We might just be witnessing his prediction coming
true. Over his last 4 starts (3-1) A.J. has only allowed 3 earned runs
in 27.1 innings pitched (0.99 ERA) with two of those starts coming on a
road, so he can pitch well away from home. In 5 starts against the
Twins in his career Burnett has put up decent numbers, 1-1 with a 3.90
ERA, but with his current trend we can almost expect a good performance
out of him. The Yankee bats are hot right now and should handle a
struggling pitcher, but Perkins, over his last two starts has only
given up 2 earned over 14 innings. His last start at home he pitched to
his ability going 7 innings while giving up 4 earned, so there should
be some expectation to at least produce that from the Yankee bats.
Perkins has struggled with the Bronx Bombers in the past going 1 and 3
with a staggering 7.71 ERA and only lasted .2 innings in his last start
against them giving up 6 earned before getting the hook. I am
predicting a Yankee win tonight with the bats being more of a driving
force, it’s hard to think that M&M will stay quiet during the
Yankees 3 game stay.

Other Notes:

Paul Konerko: 3 homers yesterday, what a performance and now I am 1
for 3 in 3 home run player being in my lineup (Votto last year, Ethier
this year were both on my fantasy teams bench)

Mets: Should they just give up? They are performing horrilby and
there is no great light at the end of the tunnel. Any big trades coming
up soon?

Hope you enjoyed the new and improved…let me know what you think… riveraverant@yahoo.com or just simply comment!

Thanks!

Pettitte Comes Up Big at Home, Win 4-2

If you have been
following Pettitte at home this year then you might have joined me in a
sigh of relief yesterday as he put up his best outting at home since
his 2 run performance against the Rays on June 8th (that start was
sandwiched between two terrible starts, one against the Rangers and one
against the Mets…both loses). Andy looked great yesterday and showed
the Yankee fans what we have, pretty much, only seen on tv this year
during his away game starts, giving us 7 innings with 2 earned and a
hit/walk per inning…I would call that a great game. And I have to put
my foot in my mouth because yesterday
I was very skeptical in how Andy would perform at home and the Yankees
ability to win a tight game with Washburn on the mound. I was proven
wrong and I am glad to admit it and the Yankees now own a 7 game
winning streak and are on the brink of a potential sweep. It’s good to
see the Yanks beating the opponents they should beat, that’s what makes
championship teams. But they do have to figure out how to beat the Red
Saux.

I think I speak for most of the Yankee faithful when I say the
little skid they had against the NL East had us all a little nervous,
but now they are coming to true form and with everyone healthy they are
proving to be a force that most teams don’t want to mess with. The
lineup is definitely feared and up to any challenge and the rotation is
coming together with Wang and Pettitte, the scary part is that Joba is
now the question mark in there. If Pettitte can build off the great
start he had yesterday, the woes he has faced at home may have faded,
and he can get those ghosts out of his head. The key to Andy having
success at Yankee Stadium, and any pitcher for that matter, is his
ability to keep the ball low and cause ground balls. Pettitte had great
success with that last night and it is the key reason to why he won
that game, however he was facing a offensively depleted team so that
could factor into the equation too. Even though you have to expect a
bad outting here and there from an aging Pettitte we have to hope this
is a good start to him having strong pitching performances at home, we
can’t have two pitchers in our rotation being question marks. But the
offense have been lively and had clutch at bats in key moments to help
them pull out the victory.

No matter what the Yankee bats did last night Seattle always had an
answer for them in the top of the next inning, except of course in the
top of the 8th, after A rods homer. Side Track: In case you haven’t
noticed, or are just ignoring it, when Arod hits the Yankees win,
pretty funny considering he is on a 7 game hitting streak and the
Yankees have won 7 in a row (just coincidence…in the number that is).
When Arod is in the lineup it makes everyone around him better, just
look at the batters around him and what they are doing. But the key to
him hitting is him getting rest, let’s hope Joe Girardi sticks to his
guns and rests him even in situations like this where he is destroying
the baseball. They are facing a very shaky opponent on the mound tonite
in Jason Vargas so we might see Arod rested, or he could be in the
lineup as DH again, but he does need a rest, there is a big series
starting tomorrow afternoon. Anywho back to last nights game. Washburn
looked good and he pitched the way I expected him to, but he was just
outdueled and made a horrible mistake to Arod in the 7th to give away
the game. All the Yankee scoring came on towering homeruns in which
Washburn put the ball right down the middle of plate, if he doesn’t
make those mistakes he pitches a shutout, but that’s the story for any
losing pitcher I guess. The only thing I am a little bothered by is the
fact that these guys are leaving men on base, 7 to be exact but
surprisingly only 2 of them were in scoring position. Washburn, like
Pettitte, kept the ball down and got a ton of ground balls including 2
double plays, so at least Jarrod was pitching a good game because this
hasn’t been a trend lately as the Yanks have scored an average of 7
runs per game over their winning streak. Lucky 7′s! And you can’t
average that without driving in runners when they are on the base
paths, so we have to think that this is a one game occurrence. Our
offense is hot and can’t cool down against Jason Vargas tonite, a
pitcher who is coming off 2 horrible starts on the road against strong
hitting teams like the Yankees.

As prefaced just before tonite’s game features CC Sabathia facing
Jason Vargas. The Yanks go for the sweep tonite with their stud ace
Sabathia and the Mariners put all their chips on Vargas as they hope to
salvage at least one game and try to stay a float and in contention in
the AL West. The advantage clearly goes to the Yanks in this matchup as
Sabathia is hitting his stride and is in mid-season form, if you
question what he is capable of click here.
Vargas is a journeyman pitcher, weird because he has only been in the
league for 4 years but has been on 3 teams, who has had minimal success
at the Major League level and is pitching pretty good right now but he
doesn’t have dominate stuff so the Yankee bats should be able to handle
him. Sabathia is coming off a great start against the Mets, giving up 1
earned in 7 innings, and is looking to build on it. He has been knocked
around at home, where he has inflated numbers, but has had  success
against Seattle, but that was a different time and place. CC should
have no problem handling them tonite, due to the fact that this team is
offensively inept and most of their power comes from the left side. So
I am predicting completion of the sweep tonite. LET’S GO YANKEES!!!

Enjoy your long weekend…in case I’m not back…but let’s be honest…I will be.

Yankees 8, Mariners 5

Who would’ve
thunk it…Mariano throws out the first pitch and it wasn’t even from the
mound!!! I guess he was afraid of bouncing the ball LOL…I’m obviously
just kidding…but its good to see him honored in his home ball park for
his milestone accomplishment…Congrats again Mo! Now on to last night
and a very interesting game (to say the least) and one I was certainly
not expecting at all…Seattle, a team not known for it’s scoring, put up
an offensive fight last night against a high scoring, high powered
Yankee team who eventually landed the K.O. punch to the Mariners in the
bottom half of the 8th (Seattle tied the game in the top half after a
MOONSHOT by Arod in the 7th)…Joba, once again, has disappointed me and
now I am almost completely in agreeance that he should be the 8th
inning guy, and possibly sliding Hughes back into the rotation. The
problem is that Girardi and Cashman WANT Joba in the rotation so as
long as he keeps the Yanks in the game and gives them 5+ innings every
start, they are happy with that…especially if the bullpen can keep
performing the way they are. Nowwww if you
have been following this blog for a while (and if you are I thank you
greatly) you will know that I am actually a HUGE Joba fan, and have
fought for him to stay in the rotation. However it might be the time to
start the transition to put him back in the penn…I truly believe he can
be a great starter but for some reason it’s not clicking right now and
he isn’t trusting his stuff…I, like many others, feel that he could
potentially be Mos predecessor so maybe the wheels should start moving
on that project soon…Hughes is proving more and more every day that he
is worthy of that spot, and now that he has experience and confidence
he is making a strong, strong case.

Now back to the game…Joba did keep the Yanks in the game and only
gave up 3 earned runs…but he wasn’t as dominate as he should be…he put
12 guys on over 5.1 innings pitched and escaped only giving up 3
runs…even though you don’t want to see it…it is kind of impressive…he
can’t keep making this an every start thing though because he will
eventually get burned by it…and it’s worthy to note that Joba’s ERA is
slowly creeping up on an almost every start basis…but the Yankee bats
came through AGAIN and are still as hot as ever!!! and they are showing
fight! They might not have scored in the most “flashy” ways possible,
but hey, if they are using small ball to win games and putting the
fundamentals into play…I am happy with it…as long as those runs cross
the plate I don’t care how they do it AT ALL! There were a couple of
offensive mis-cues and missed opportunities last night…but they did
execute for the most part and that is good to see…they need to play
small ball sometimes to win and that has been a BIGGGG problem for them
in years past…but if last night is a testament to their ability to play
games that way…we are in good shape. The big news of last night, in my
opinion, was that Arod homerun…he is clearly coming into stride and hit
that ball into the stratosphere, and came through in a very clutch
situation to give the Yanks a short-lived lead. Arod has been
performing to his ability as of late and I am predicting a HUGEEEE
month of July from him, especially if this team continues to click the
way they are and continue to pump life into the clubhouse…I will say
this AGAIN if they continue to have fun and be enthusiastic they will
continue to win…there is clearly a direct correlation between the
two…when was the last time you’ve seen Arod this excited to play the
game???…it’s a good sign everyone! The other story is how clutch Melky
was last night…driving in 3 key runs, including the game winner in the
bottom of the 8th. Granted Seattle basically handed the game over to
the Yanks, it’s good to see them take advantage of that…they MUST beat
these teams and they are doing it and it’s good to see role players
coming through in big time spots…I have really changed my mind on Melky
and am actually (it’s hard for me to say) becoming a fan of his…after
his double in the 8th…captain clutch came up to knock in 2 more and
give the Yanks a 3 run lead going into the 9th…and with Mo coming
in…you know he closed the door on that game..hey the Yanks are getting
hits and bringing runners in when they are in scoring position…YAY!!!!

This is becoming a regular topic and that is the Yankee
bullpen…these guys were great last night, with the exception of a
blunder by Bruney last night, and continue to keep the Yanks in games
when they need them…they are quietly becoming one of the better
bullpens in the majors and are truly making their mark on their
opponents. I already did my schpeal on Hughes before, and you know how
amazing I think he is…Side Track (aka Hughes Watch 09): only 3 hits
over 8.1 innings, none in his last 5.1, and no runs (earned or
un-earned) have scored over the same amount of innings…he has been flat
out dominate out of the penn…if you want to see his numbers click here…I
can’t just praise Hughes…because everyone has been great…Robertson,
Coke, Aceves all three young guys are showing up in big ways…and lets
hope they keep it up during the end of the year…because it should be a
tight race and they will need to step up…I am very happy with the
bullpen and the way they have performed and I think every Yankee fan
should appreciate that and understand how many games they have saved
this year…they are truly the unsung heroes of this season so
far…hopefully they can keep it up.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd on to tonite…this is the only game I can see
the Yankees losing in this series and that is only because Washburn has
been on fire this year…and Pettitte has been horrific, at best, for the
Yanks at home. It’s a scary game that I can see really going either
way…Andy needs to show up tonite and keep this winning streak alive,
btw if you’re keeping score at home  (WOWWWW so cliched I’m horrible)
it’s at 6…and we are 2.5 out of first…but we need to have a good
performance by Andy, and if we get beat it has to be that Washburn had
a great game, not by Pettitte getting smashed…If Pettitte can show up,
hopefully it will spark him to calm down and get some confidence and
poise back, at home…because if his current trend keeps up…it could be a
long year for him…and we can see the rotation shuffled a little bit to
get him more starts on the road…but we all love to see Pettitte pitch
so we obviously don’t want that to happen, unless it is necessary.
Washburn is a vet, who knows how to pitch so I wouldn’t be surprised to
see a good performance out of him..but the Yankee bats are hotttt right
now and Washburn definitely has the ability to get smashed around…if
the Yanks can put a 5 or 6 spot up on him…or knock him out and get to
the bullpen early then they have a shot…but 3 or 4 runs might not cut
it…unless we get a great performance from Andy tonite…the bats are hot,
the guys are having fun, it’s gunna be a tough, fun game tonite…LET’S
GO YANKEES!!!

Other Notes:

Albert Pujols: I don’t want to say it but….who is gunna be the first
idiot to proclaim that Pujols is on steroids…it’s bound to happen
people and unfortunately that is what this game is becoming…certain
people soiled the name of baseball and now people like Pujols will have
to pay the price…they say they don’t care but they have to when people
are questioning their talents and abilities…but beyond all that Albert
hit his 30 and 31st homeruns last night and is on fire…if his average
can grow he can be a legit triple crown contender.

Red Saux: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….nice game last night…that’s all I really have to say…WOW!!!

Jason Kidd: Won’t be a Knick…Cuban is in love with him and has the money to prove it

That’s it…Late

Yankees Welcome Mariners for 3 Games

Yankees Welcome Mariners for 3 Games

June 30, 2009 by bobdawg423 | Edit

Well
this can be a very interesting series for the Yankees…but another one
that they should win…but traditionally they struggle with the team from
Seattle…and they are actually playing surprisingly well and have some
pop on the team too…look out for Russel Branyan this guy is a
monster….slugging 19 homeruns with 10 of them coming at the UN HITTERS
FRIENDLY Safeco Field…the scary part is that he is a lefty coming into
this ballpark and we all know how fast the balls fly out to right in
the New Yankee Stadium…should be very interesting to see how they
handle him…Another scary point is that we are sending 2 pitchers that
have not been performing well, at all, at home…Joba tonite and Pettitte
tomorrow…these guys need to show up, this series is wayyyyy to
important and Boston is looking like they should at least take 2 of 3
from the O’s.

Tonite we got Joba on the mound facing off against a struggling
Brandon Morrow….PHEW!!!…the Yankees have smacked around Morrow in his
one past start against them butttttttttttt if Joba doesn’t give a good
performance it doesn’t mean anything…however, the good news is that 2
of the 3 starts Morrow has had this year were on the road and he has
gotten KILLED!!! Giving up 14 earned in 16.2 innings pitched which
equates to a 7.56 ERA….maybe they should’ve kept him in the
bullpen….butttt the scary part might be the fact that he strikes out a
lot of batters…so if the Yankees go up there swinging too much they can
dig themselves into a hole and beg Joba to pull them out…which is a
task in its own right….we have to give him runs to work with…he has to
relax and pitch his game…I say this all the time but with Hughes
lighting up the bullpen and Joba struggling as a starter we might see a
role reversal unless Joba can prove otherwise…and all signs point to
that not happening :-(
…Joba is 0 and 2 at home and has posted a 5.18 ERA and has averaged
less than 5 innings per start…not good!!! The day off yesterday gives
the bullpen a much deserved rest and gets them ready for this
series…especially if Joba and Pettitte get smacked around early….the
good news for our pitching is that Seattle is abysmal in their
offensive production so we really have to worry about their
pitching…but there is some more good news in that the starters they are
sending out aren’t studs and the Yanks have a good chance to score off
of them.

The Yanks offense has been on fire lately and has all Yankee fans
smiling once again…plus now that Arod is hitting/not swinging at balls
rolled to the plate…the team is winning and is dangerous to all
opponents. The bats need to be on tonite against a pitcher who, in all
honesty, really isn’t that good, especially on the road…however the
power numbers show that he doesn’t give up much homeruns and does
strike out a ton of batters….Ummm I said that earlier….I like being
repetitive sorry…Bottom line for tonite is that this lineup needs to
keep it up…score a few runs early and get Joba to feel comfortable so
he can calm down and not throw the entire game on his back so he
struggles…if they give him a 3 or 4 run lead he should get at least 6
innings in and be in line for the win….if he keeps the ball DOWN!!!
Back to the bats…the top of the order…Jeter in particular…is hot…they
are getting on base and the clean up guys are driving them in…it’s like
a machine almost…and the Yanks are doing what they are supposed to…more
impressively the whole team seemed to be battling the flu and they are
still on a 5 game winning streak. I am a little nervous of Tex’s slump
right now…but he did play with flu-like symptoms so let’s hope that is
why he wasn’t hitting…with Arod on fire and Tex hitting in front of him
this 3, 4 combo will be better than Man Ram and Ortiz in 04 and will
start to turn some heads soon…I can’t see the Yankees losing this
series…but that’s what I said about the series against the Nationals
and Marlins so you never know…but the team is having fun…Have you seen
Arod lately? He is smiling!! and ENJOYING THE GAME!! WOW!!! Just goes
to show you that when this team is having fun and are estatic they
win…let’s keep it up boys…keep playing the game you love and show how
much that is true…losing a game isn’t the end of the world so don’t get
dejected if you lose one or two in a row and end up in a skid you guys
are too good!!! LET’S GO YANKEES!!!

Yankees Sweep Mets, Wang Gets First Win

Yankees Sweep Mets, Wang Gets First Win

June 29, 2009 by bobdawg423 | Edit

What
a great weekend for Yankee fans!!! Not only have we won 5 games in a
row…butttttttt we swept the Mets!! HAHAHAHAH!!! What a great
feeling…after all the Mets are the Yankees biggest rivals (some guy was
actually arguing that point outside of a game once…and finished it off
by saying “who cares about the Red Sox”….and I have all reason to
believe he was being serious). What a great confidence boost this
series was for the Yankees…actually what this whole 5 game winning
streak has meant to them is a HUGE confidence boost and puts them back
in the “elite team” class. The Yanks are now only 3 games out from the
Saux but both teams have pretty easy opponents…Boston is facing the O’s
in Baltimore and the Yanks have Seattle in Yankee Stadium….That means
Griffey is coming to town…and that means we might see a homer or two
from him…very interesting….but back to last night…I’ll get to that
series breakdown tomorrow…The Yanks proved
to be too powerful for the depleted Mutts and truly showed their muscle
this past weekend…The Mets really had no chance to win…their team is
wayyyy to weak right now and the Yanks are just on too much of a
role…It means something that Wang finally got his first win…the Mets
looked really bad…and the one player that needed to come through, David
Wrong, didn’t at all this series and the rest of the team fell apart
around him. Side Track: It was brought to my attention, and I have
noticed in the past, that I use to word catalyst way to much…I am going
on a CATALYST ban for this entire week…and if I use it at all I will
give a dollar to everyone who calls me out on it (I doubt I will need
this but the limit is the first 50)…well back to it…I really wanna give
it up to Wang…and I really can’t say anything about the Yankee bats…but
they weren’t that good last night at all…and if it wasn’t for a few
defensive miscues by the Mets..the Yanks may have never scored…but back
to Wang…He pitched great last night…even in tight situations he still
pitched to his power and didn’t get flustered like we have seen earlier
this year…he kept the ball up a little too much but he is getting back
to full power and is becoming a permanent fixture in the rotation once
again…I, for one, am very excited by this and feel that he is the last
key component to making this rotation unbelievable…if Wang can get back
to full strength, hopefully by the all-star break, he can be dominate
once again and he is even starting to show signs that he is crawling
back into that 19-game winner mold of years past…I am very very very
impressed with his pitching lately and am happy to see him back
performing the way he should…WELCOME BACK CMW!!!!

The Yanks did win an impressive game last night…but if it was not
for a few defensive mistakes…Livan Hernandez might have had a shutout
last night. The impressive part, on his behalf, is that he put 8 people
on base last night and only 3 crossed the plate off him…he pitched well
and got the outs he needed…but the M.O. of the Mutts continue and they
can’t score when their pitchers show up…GOOD FOR US!!! hahahahahaha…I
hate to be a bummer…but Cano (my fav player btw) looked HORRIBLE last
night…3 double plays??? Cano you’re soooo much better than that….but I
guess everyone has their bad days….please shake that performance off…we
need to stay with the Saux during this series against the Mariners….but
the good news is that Arod is still hottttt and it doesn’t seem as if
he will cool down…you can’t get a ball past him without him battling it
off…and he is walking at a very high rate…he had 3 last night!!! This
is a good sign…and every day we see how important he is to this team
and them winning!!! I’M SOOOO PROUD!!! I am extremely elated in the
Yankees performance this weekend…everything worked…their pitching,
hitting, fielding…nothing failed…they played incredibly this
weekend….YES!!!!!!!!!!!

Let’s really give it up for the bullpen though…these guys are
getting better and better as each game goes by…and Phil Hughes is
showing how amazing he really is…I think non-Yankee fans have to admit
how impressive this kid really is…..over the past 5 games (7.1 innings)
he hasn’t let up a run and over the last 4.1 hasn’t even given up a
HIT!!!! He has let one guy on over those innings and it was last
night…on a walk! This kid is incredible!!!! But the real story has to
go to Mo…I mean that RBI was incredible…who cares about the
milestone…did you see that WALK???? Ohhhh…BTW Mo haters…believe it or
not he wouldn’t walk a closer or pitcher for that matter….sooooo in
turn Mo is better than K-Rod…what was he doing last night…THAT WAS
PATHETIC!!! I ran around my house laughing last night because of how
bad that was HAHAHAHAH!!! I figured it out…when Mo fouled that fastball
off K-Rod thought he couldn’t get it by him so he over threw the
pitch…ummmmm don’t you have a curve ball? Mo would’ve swung right
through it…what a bad choice of pitches…oh well BETTER FOR US!!!! But
really, I want to say congrats to Mo…500 saves is amazing and I am
proud to be a Yankee fan right now because I have witnessed history
through him…what a great feeling it was…Rivera was actually quoted as
saying he was more impressed with his RBI than with his 500th save…he’s
so awesome.

Hopefully the Yanks stay hot against the Mariners…LET’S GO YANKEES!!!

That’s it…I think…late.

Yankees Crush Mets, 9-1

Well now the
Yankees are officially on a roll….with their 3rd win in a row most fans
finally let out that breath they were holding for so long! I, on the
other hand, let out a breath for a completely different reason…I know
most people believed that everything was fine with Sabathia, but I can
be a pessimist from time to time…so  until he put up a performance like
the one he did last night I wasn’t convinced….and not only is his arm
fine for pitching…but he brought his bat with him too!!! What can’t
this guy do?Sabathia did everything that we
expected him to last night…he destroyed the Mets batters and put up a
performance that Yankees fans expect every time he takes the mound. He
went 7 innings, struck out 8 and only gave up 1 run, which came on a
Sheffield homerun…so at least it came off someone that has a reputation
of doing that. Bottom line is that Sabathia is the real deal and now is
the time where he starts to be dominate…and that trend is starting to
show…Middle of the season, when it starts to get warm Sabathia become
almost unhittable….and that is what the Yankees need because right
after the all-star break the Saux usually struggle a little (of course
assuming that trend continues too)….and with the way the Saux are
playing right now the Yanks have to win just to keep their head above
water…OF COURSE THE SEASON ISN’T EVEN HALF WAY THROUGH!!! I have to
calm down lol.

But the real story has to go to the Yankee bats and how they are
absolutely on fire right now!!! And every Yankee fan should be just as
fired up as their bats because this is what we have been missing for
the past couple of weeks…now the weird thing is that Teixeira didn’t
get a hit AGAIN last night! Now….even superstars go through slumps…see
Arod…but that means he is swinging at bad pitches…which means teams are
still attacking Arod..ummm note to opposing pitchers…when Arod hits the
ball out to the opposite field… HE HAS BROKEN THE SLUMP!!! So I am not
worried yet…if Tex goes oh-for tonite then I might start questioning
what he is doing…because that means he isn’t being patient enough.
Butttttt I am very excited to see what Arod is gunna do…we all know
what he is like when he streaks so we should all just sit back and
relax….Three cheers to Gardner though!!! 5 for 6!!! This guys is
proving why he is almost worth of becoming a favorite Yankee for many
fans…he is a scrappy hitter and fielder that has range and speed (some
even say he might be the fastest runner in the AL if not the MLB) and
he just keeps getting better!!! Needless to say he was on fire last
night and also hit a bomb to right field…which is a triumph of its own
in that canyon in Queens. Put everything together and it was just a
great performance all around by a Yankee team that seems primed to go
on a streak…and hopefully everything carries over to tonite.

Well this showdown is clearly in the Yankees favor…Redding vs
Burnett…There is really nothing much to say here…Burnett has the clear
advantage in this matchup and is also building off 5 quality starts in
a row and has been magnificent in the last 2…A.J. might also be a
little bitter because he was out dueled in his last start against the
Marlins….and might feel he has something to prove…We also can’t ignore
the fact that Burnett shut down the Mets in his last start (which was
the 15-0 trumping) so we know he has the ability to shut down this
lineup…and they have also gotten weaker in that time…and became even
more riddled with injuries…Redding, simply put, is just not that great
of a pitcher and the Yanks have to sit back and let him make
mistakes…along with that 1st time seeing a pitcher thing, they seem to
struggle when they face HORRIBLE pitching…but I have faith in them
tonite and they are catching Redding at a perfect time…The Yankee bats
are on fire…Burnett has been great of late…so I can’t see the Yanks
dropping this one…LET’S GO YANKEES!!!

Other Notes:

Andre Either: 3 homeruns last night…3!!!….and he was on my bench.

That’s it…late

Bats Power Yanks to Victory

HOLLER!!!!!!! The Yankees have once again taken a series and
everything…at least it seems…is right again with the Bronx
Bombers…everything has been going so good over the past 2 games that
even Arod decided to join the party! Hey Yankee fans, if you were
wondering how much of an impact Arod’s hitting has on the Yankees you
just have to look at the two past series, against Washington and
Florida, and then compare them to the two games they won against
Atlanta (Check last nights box-score here)…A
DIRECT CORRELATION! When Arod hits…he fuels the rest of the team and
therefore gets them more pitches to hit and then they score more
runs…and with last night as an example this team has the ability to win
when their pitching doesn’t show up…Pettitte was not impressive out of
the gate…even with a two run lead…and thankfully the Yankee bats were
there to back him up and beat up on a very good starter in Derek Lowe.
Two things can be a factor to what sparked this sudden burst of
offense…Joe Girardi getting tossed out or Cervelli’s first MLB homerun.
I would like to think it was Girardi but I might have to go with
Cervelli’s homer…here’s why…The Yankees were
at their best when they were relaxed and having fun with the game…when
they struggle (like any team and I can’t say I blame them) they aren’t
having fun, they try to fix everything at once, and therefore keep
digging themselves into a hole because they are pressing too hard…when
you press or try to hard to fix something you usually make it worse
because you do uncharacteristic things…i.e. Teixeira swinging at
pitches he usually wouldn’t chase…This example is mostly because he
felt the need to have to make up for what Arod was leaving behind…he
wasn’t getting pitches to hit so he was chasing bad pitches to try to
get the offense started…this continued last night as well as Lowe and
other pitchers attacked Arod (and rightfully so) because of his
horrific performance as of late and pitched around Tex and gave him bad
pitches to go after…and he did…going 0 for 5 last night…but if last
night is any indication Arod is back and hopefully starting one of
those HOTTTT streaks like we see from him where he hits .400, 10
homers, and 30 RBIs in a month…OR BETTER!!! If that is the case get
ready to see Teixeira’s numbers go wayyyyyy up…you can see Arod’s
impact on the top of the order as well…with Jeter going 4 for 5
yesterday…and getting a hit the night before…Side Track: Have you
noticed how many bases Jeter has stolen? If not he has 17 for the year
(and has only been caught once)…and one in each of the last 4
games…does he know how to play in the roles he is put in? Any doubters
on Jeter’s ability should just look at his career and how he changes
the game, and how much he understands it…bottom line is that Jeter
shouldn’t be a 2nd or 3rd ballot Hall of Famer…he proves year in and
year out why he should be 1st ballot…back to the top of the order…Damon
also had an impressive night at the plate going 3 for 4 while driving
in 4 ribbies…With Arod back you can imagine how many pitches these guys
are going to get…and if they start to click they can do A LOT of
damage…I’M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!!

I am aware of how off track I just went there and that was a little
crazy…back to my point wayyyyyyy before with Cervelli’s homer 2 nights
ago…It fired this team up…they started to relax again and enjoy the
game like when they were young…it sparked this team and so far they
haven’t looked back…and hopefully this charge keeps them going through
this series with the Mets…tonite’s game isn’t looking too hot though :-(
…Now they can relax…Arod has the monkey off his back…and this team will
be dominate on offense again…I know everyone, me included, acted like
this little skid was the end of the Yankees…but look how quickly that
thought process can turn around…the good news is that they have
momentum going into bailout ballpark and might be the team to expose
the Mets and the farm team they are putting out every night…this series
is HUGE for the Yanks…and I am expecting HUGE things from them…I don’t
really want to touch on Pettitte because that’s a downer…he just was
flat out miserable last night…so let’s chalk that up to a bad
performance…he did only give up 3 earned :-D hahahaha….But the bats are hot, the bullpen is looking GREAT!!! and we are ready for the Mutts.

Before the preview I wanna touch on the bullpen quickly…what a GREAT
performance from these guys last night…Aceves came in for Pettitte in
the 4th and flat out dominated the Braves bats…only putting on 3
batters over the 2 and a third innings that he pitched. My boy Coke
came in and shut them down, only giving up 1 hit while striking out 2
over 2 innings…and even Robertson got in the action…too bad he gave up
a bomb to McCann (he’s really good by the way…REALLLLLLYYYY underrated,
in my opinion) but alls well that ends well…Mo got his second
consecutive save in a row (and he didn’t have to bat this time)…so
things are looking good ALL OVER!!! YES!!!! I’M PUMPED!!!

If this game actually happens tonite we see a pitching matchup that
is really lopsided…for the Mets of course…CC Sabathia against Mike
Pelfrey…my reference earlier was obviously sarcastic…but that gets lost
in writing ;-)
…Tonite (or tomorrow, which may be the case) is a huge test to see is
Sabathia’s arm trouble was just a freak thing or if it is something we
have to be concerned about. I am going with a freak thing…muscles
tighten up all the time and it was a good thing they took him out…the
last thing we need is CC going down for an extended period of time…he
is wayyyyy to important to this team and their success…I am going with
the “he’s fine” route and there is no sign that anything different is
happening. CC has had success in his one and only start against the
mutts…pitching 8 innings of 1 run ball, putting on less than a runner
per inning, and striking out 3 and getting the win…this Mets team is
similar to last years…except for the fact that the lineup is filled
with Triple-A players (no matter how well they are playing) so Sabathia
should have a fun time on the mound, especially with how big this place
plays. Pelfrey is a kid with a lot of potential but struggles with his
command…in 1 start against the Yankees he is 1 and 0 with a 7+ ERA, he
obviously has struggled against this team buttttttttttttttttt…this is a
new year…..but with the way the Yanks are batting right now…I don’t
know if I would be so eager to pitch against them…I think the Yanks
take this one with power and a great pitching performance…could
potentially be a problem if they are only thinking long ball…but
Pelfrey will be afraid of Arod and Tex so expect Jeter and Damon to get
a lot of hittable balls…Sabathia can attack this whole Mets lineup with
out a worry…LET’S GO YANKEES!!!

Ummmmmm….Might be back later I feel like I am forgetting something….late!

Yankees, Joba Win!

WOOOOOOOOO WHOOOOOOOO!!!! WOW!!! What a great victory!!! And if it
wasn’t for Joba hitting a ball up the middle, and taking out Kawakami
who knows…the Yanks might have gotten “Perfect Gamed”…as my friend John
Sterling put it many times last night. And just when I start to have my
doubts about Joba being a starter…”He goes and does something like
this…and TOTALLY redeems himself.”…sorry Dumb and Dumber moment. Well
maybe not completely…the fact that he couldn’t get out of the bottom of
the 7th hurts him a little bit…but everyone has to admit he did look
great yesterday…even with him facing two pitchers combining for a
perfect game gone no hitter after a Brett Gardner walk in the 6th…I’ll
get back to that soon. But I was impressed with Joba’s poise and
confidence on the mound yesterday…most young
pitchers try too hard, which has been his problem in my opinion, when
they aren’t getting runs or their offense is struggling, but he stayed
calm and pitched his game. The more impressive point is that Joba
didn’t strike out a batter until the bottom of the 4th…and still didn’t
try too hard…he trusted his ability to get outs and he did…he pitched
great into the 7th inning, when they took him out, and I was very
impressed with his performance…he did what he had to do to keep the
Yankees in the game and didn’t try to put too much on his back…Joba
loves making people sway back and forth on whether he should be in the
pen or in the rotation.

I guess the Yankee bats were sick of getting torn apart because they
WENT OFF yesterday…but only after 5 innings of perfect pitching between
Kawakami and Medlen that kept the Yankee bats guessing and looking as
sluggish as they ever have…Let’s forget about the porous performance of
the Yankee bats in the first 5 innings…because there is nothing to be
said…sometimes a pitcher just has it…and it only makes the chances of
him “having it” that much better  when the Yankees have never seen him
before…point and case….THE WHOLE YEAR!!! But maybe Joba hitting
Kawakami with a line drive was a blessing in disguise…I’m not an
advocate of people getting hurt so don’t assume I am saying that…but
the Bronx Bombers eventually got to the Braves bullpen after he was out
of the game. I want to start this off by saying…”when it rains it
pours”…the Yankees couldn’t get a guy on base if they were paid to…oh
wait, that’s what they areeeeeee paid for…then when Gardner finally
gets on, by way of walk, he gets called out on a terrible call during a
pick off attempt at first! Just when things can’t get worse…THEY
DO!!!…Side Track: Gotta give it up for Girardi here…he came firing out
of the dugout and stood up for his player…this team needed some kind of
spark to get them going and Joe gave it to them…he was later quoted as
saying he wanted to get kicked out…which means he knew this would give
the Yanks a kick and a spark to get them fired up…AND IT WORKED!! Good
job Joe!…the batter after his tyraid it paid off, when Francisco
Cervelli hit his first Major League homerun and it couldn’t come at a
better time…just when the offense was at it’s worst he gets a hold of
one and sets off the offense and set up the Yanks for a HUGE inning…one
that us, as fans, have been waiting patiently for over these past few
games….who woulda thunk it would be the bat of “Cisco the Kid” (Sorry,
John Sterlingism again) getting a rally started. My heart-pounding
moment came with Arod at bat…Side Track: Wow, it’s been a while since
I’ve had two!!! Side Track: WOW, a side track inside a side track!!! I
feel like I have kinda pulled the fun out of the blog…I am working on
fixing that..I apologize if it has been too serious lately…back to the
original Side Track I have always pulled for Arod and it’s been more
now than ever before, he gets a bad wrap all of the time, even when he
comes through sometimes…listen its gunna be a while until he gets
better…I don’t like it either and am waiting for him to perform…I
expressed my concerns yesterday
so I am kinda being hypocritical now…but we have to be patient and his
hit yesterday just might be the catalyst to him turning it around…With
Arod at bat and in a 0-2 count I truly expected a strike out…but my
dream came true and I almost crashed my car when he got that hit…not
only that but it was a single to the opposite field!!! HE DIDN’T TRY TO
DO TOO MUCH!!!!!!! THAT’S NOT A SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE…IT’S A SIGN OF
AROD TURNING THINGS AROUND!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

At the Middle of the 6th the Yanks finally had a lead in a game
again…they didn’t have a lead for 19 innings up to that point…and Joba
had the lead and just coasted through the bottom half…Swisher lead off
the 7th with a homer giving the Yanks a 4-1 lead that would come in
handy as the Braves put up a 2 spot on Joba in the bottom half…he came
out and the bullpen did what they do best and shut Atlanta down. The
Yankees offensive onslaught continued as they put up 2 runs in each the
8th and 9th innings…with Damon and Tex being right in the middle of
both those innings…that’s big people…showing that when Arod gets hits
the rest of the team comes through too…showing how important he is just
being in the lineup when he is performing…on that point…the two guys
batting in front of him Damon and Teixeira were the only two Yankees to
have a multi-hit game…anddd if Arod breaks out of his miserable
slump…Damon and Tex’s numbers will only get better!! Me and every other
Yankee fan out there is hoping this game is what breaks the Yanks out
of this mini-slump and has them gaining on the Saux…ohhh and Mo finally
got back in a game and looked great striking out all 3 batters…and he
looked semi-impressive at the plate too…wow, I wonder how many closers
have batted this year…hahahaha…I am very excited from this game and
hope they can carry the momentum into tonite.

A great veteran matchup tonite…Lowe vs. Pettitte…two guys who are
coming off good performances…I would call Pettitte’s great actually…and
guys who are facing off in very interesting circumstances…both guys
aren’t really having great years…but Pettitte is pitching well on the
road and Lowe is pitching great at home…so all signs point to this game
being a pitchers duel…but it will probably be a slugfest lol…It should
be a very interesting game either way tonite…with Pettitte having the
edge in the “career numbers” category…he has had great success against
the Braves, 3.13 ERA along with a 5-1 record…and Lowe has struggled
against the Yanks, 6.07 ERA with a 8-10 record…but this of course is a
different year, with much different players…and most of Lowe’s numbers
are when he was with the Saux…so the career numbers really don’t mean
anything…but they are fun to talk about. But the key to this matchup is
Lowe in my opinion…when he is on he is unhittalbe (well…you get the
point) and if the Yankees bats are too eager than he will definitely
have the advantage…but if they can build off of yesterday’s game and
get to Lowe early they can put a lot of damage on him and walk away
with this game…Pettitte has been great on the road, so there is no
reason to think he won’t perform tonite against a “decent”
lineup…especially in that ballpark…when the long-ball has been
Pettitte’s biggest problem…if the Yankees get guys on base…and actually
can play some small ball…they can get Lowe out early and attack their
bullpen…remember kids A LOT of this Yankee lineup has seen Lowe before
so they might have the Advantage in this one and take A TONNNNNNN of
momentum in to Bailout Ballpark this weekend…LET’S GO YANKEES!!

Other Notes:

Cavaliers: Hmmmmmmmmmm…very interesting….now that LeBron has a big
man will this team actually make waves in the playoffs? Are the Celtics
worried?

That’s it…I think…late

Yanks Lose 3rd Straight, 5 Games Back

Well there is
really only one word to describe the way the Yankees have played as of
late…and that is PATHETIC!!! This is the 3rd series in a row where they
are facing a team they have a distinct advantage over and now they drop
the first and most crucial game of this series. The worst part about
it? Wang looked good again!!! And this guy can’t buy a win…or even a no
decision! He pitched well his last two starts and the Yankee bats are
turning into the Mets when Santana is on the hill…except right now you
can’t hope to score 1 run…I KNOW THE YANKEES GOT SHUT OUT!…and win the
game with Wang on the hill…where is the offense? Hanson pitched okay
last night…but he didn’t have shut out stuff…calling all Yankee
hitters…when you get 10 guys on base off of a starter…especially a
rookie!!! YOU HAVE TO SCORE!!!! What are you guys doing???This
team just isn’t clicking right now…and the bad part is they have to
face ANOTHER pitcher they have never seen before again tonite!! And we
all know how that has been going! Side Track: I have made excuses for
him for a while now…but when will Arod turn it around? He is almost
turning into an automatic out and with him batting like this it is
almost causing the whole team to fail…there is no reason to not go
right at Arod right now…I don’t know if he isn’t trusting himself or he
is favoring his injury too much…but he has wayyyy to good to be batting
so close to the Mendoza line…he needs to turn it around so the offense
can start clicking again and firing on all cylinders…c’mon Arod…just
relax and do what you do best…stop trying so hard!…This team was on
fire…i feel like i say this all the time…when they were having fun and
relaxing…they won coming from behind…they blew teams out of the
water…but now they are flat…where is that energy?…where are those
smiles? I feel like these guys are just not having fun right now…which,
in my opinion, is the reason why they were playing so bad these past
few years. Swisher, Cano, Melky all need to fire this team up again and
get them loose…when these guys are on they are jumping around, joking
and having a good time…guys it’s still early in the season…stop
pressing so much and have fun!!! The hits will fall in and we will
start winning games again…PLEASE!!! for all Yankee fans sake start
enjoying the game again!!! Bottom line is two things can’t click right
now for the Yankees…they get good pitching…no hitting…they get good
hitting…no pitching…maybe this is just a little skid…maybe this isn’t
there year for interleague dominance…but either way they need to get
back on track…Tex is still hitting good, but if Arod can click this 3-4
combo will be unstoppable again…and the top of their order will be
incredible…Joe, please put Cano at #2 for at least 1 game…you will see
more offensive production this way…THANKS!

I do have to make a “silver lining” statement about Phil Hughes…this
kid has looked amazing coming out of the pen…and I think he has learned
what he needs to do to be a successful starter in the majors. In his
last 6 innings he hasn’t given up even a run (earned or unearned)…he
has pitched unbelievably well and taken his new role in stride and is
doing whatever it takes to help the team win. He is proving that you
can put him in any situation, any role and he will be dominate, and
adjust to it…in his last 2 appearances (3 innings) Hughes hasn’t even
given up a hit or a walk…and has struck out 4 batters…this kid is the
real deal and proving every time he comes into a game how much of an
asset he is to this team…I wouldn’t be surprised…if everything
continues the same way…to see Hughes back in the rotation if Joba can’t
get it together. There are a lot of sportscasters and sports talk radio
hosts pounding home the idea that Joba should be the 8th inning guy, I
was resilient to that point but now am thinking it might be the best
thing…I love Joba as a starter but he can’t get it together and you
can’t put the bullpen in the position of having to pitch 4 innings
every game he starts…I can’t believe I am actually saying this but I am
starting to agree Joba should be in the bullpen…If Phil continues to be
dominate and Joba continues to only pitch 5 innings there can be a
switch happening by the all-star break.

What about tonite’s game? Well this should be a head scratcher that
can really go either way…Joba vs Kawakami…another pitcher the Yankees
have never seen.. it’s the 8th game in a row this is
happening…GREAT!!!…This is another pitcher that gets knocked around a
little…but knows how to work out of trouble…he has an ERA just over 4
so that also means he gives up runs…in his last 2 starts however he has
only given up 4 earned runs over 11 innings pitched…with him shutting
down a very formidable Saux lineup…I haven’t seen much of this guy
pitch…but he has a similar delivery to Dice-K, for better or worse, so
he slows down the game and can deceive batters…NOT GOOD for the
Yankees!! These two things, deceptive delivery and seeing him for the
first time, combined spells a disaster waiting to happen…and this means
Joba needs to show up tonite!!! Joba, Joba, Joba…its sad somewhat
because he really doesn’t give up many runs…but he doesn’t trust his
stuff and gets into wayy to many jams…and it might actually be coming
around to hurt him finally…he has been sluggish and trying wayyyyyyyyyy
to hard to hit his spots…to the point where his 95 mph fastball is
turning into a 90 mph meatball in the middle of the plate…Joba has some
of the nastiest stuff in the game but doesn’t use it correctly…if he
can settle down and pitch his game he will be fine…but once runners get
on he tries to become too cute and too accurate…JOBA y0u can throw 95+
at any time…run the ball inside and scare some of these batters and
then have them diving over the plate for the slider…Joba needs to go 6+
tonite…and if he doesn’t the rumblings are gunna become screams for him
to be put in the bullpen…if he wants to keep being a starter he needs
to start pitching that way…very tough opponent tonite, and a very
interesting matchup that can go either way…hopefully it goes ours…LET’S
GO YANKEES!

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