As if Game 1 wasn’t bad enough for the Yankees, in Game 2 of the doubleheader they called on Sidney Ponson to lead the way. Oh boy….
You know what, Ponson wasn’t bad at all. Thank goodness. He gave the Yankees excatly what they needed. A quick turn-around after Game 1’s disaster. He gave them 6 shutout innings. You couldn’t ask for more. Bobby Abreu also helped the Yank’s cause with a 4 for 4, 3 RBI performance.
This, from the Yankees stadnpoint was the type of game you wanted. Good pitching by Ponson, a good performance by the offense and good work by the bullpen. Pedro Martinez starting for the Mets was ineffective. He gave up 6 runs, walked 5 in his 5.2 innings of work.
“I’m not doing my job,” Martinez said. “It’s time to be getting better, not getting worse.”
With the 9-0 win by the Bombers, it gives them their first win of …
Yesterday was quite the day for New York baseball. One of those days that rarely happen, which makes it more memorable. Both the Mets and Yankees didn’t disappoint as both teams won a game to split the home and home twinbill.
Game 1:
Carlos Delgado was the story. He hit 2 HR’s and had a Mets franchise record 9 RBI. The same Carlos Delgado that the NY Post wanted out of town. Make no mistake about it, Delgado still has something left in him, or was it a result of the bad pitching he faced? Whatever the case may be, his 2 HRs were some of the longest HR’s you will ever see hit at Yankee Stadium. If you have not seen them, then I’d suggest you make it to business to YouTube it or turn on ESPN. I’m not sure those balls Delgado hit have landed yet.
Dan Giese got the start and pitched poorly. He threw 100 plus pitches in 4 plus innings. He got …
One thing that makes baseball so great is second guessing. It happens almost on a nightly basis, and some situations prove to be more vital than others. Over at Peter Abraham’s Yankees Blog, the always informative Abraham breaks down a play during last night’s Yankees-Reds game that probably cost the Yanks the contest. Let the second-guessing begin!
Situation: It was 1-1 with two outs and a runner on third.
Jay Bruce: The rookie had driven 12 runs in his first 23 games and was 7 for 19 with RISP. However, Bruce was 8 of his last 43 with one RBI as he came to the plate. He had yet to be intentionally walked. He was 1 for 2 against Mussina in the game, hitting the ball hard both times.
Jolbert Cabrera: He was 2 for 2 against Moose to that point and 3 for 5 in his career. One of the hits last night was a bunt, the second a clean single. But he had only 15 ABs against RHPs …
Sometimes there are times where there are things I feel I need to address. Today, I feel the need to take something to task. Here is what I’m referring to:
Via NY Daily News:.
In a Sports Illustrated survey of 495 Major League Baseball players in its June 23 issue, Derek Jeter was voted the most overrated with 10% of the vote. Struggling Giants lefthander Barry Zito was second at 9%, while Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew were tied for third with 7%. Mets third baseman David Wright and Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis tied for fourth at 4%.
Now how in the world is Jeter overrated? Sure he doesn’t deserve to be paid $18 million, but neither does anyone else for that matter. So how else is he overrated? What are you judging him by? He’s a leader, he’s consistent, he’s clutch, and he’s a proven winner. What else do you want from the guy? He is deserving of all the fame he has because …
I think there’s been way too much Mets coverage lately and I would like to fix that.
As the Mets were heading to the west coast and firing their manager and coaches, the Yankees lost their ace, and have quietly won seven straight.
Joba Chamberlain pitched 5.2 innings in his fourth big league start. He recorded a career-high nine strikeouts and threw 100 pitches. He was able to get out of big jams and keep his composure as he helped the Yanks to victory.
It was a pretty quiet afternoon in the Bronx. Not much going on except for Joba-Mania. The offense did just enough to secure a win. What was interesting to note in this game, is that the Yankees managed to steal four bases. Derek Jeter led off the sixth inning with a base hit then promptly stole second. He then took third base on a grounder and eventually scored on an Alex Rodriguez single to left. They used small ball to get them an extra run. …
One of the things that made the Yankees great during their last Dynasty was their stability in centerfield. Bernie Williams, following in the cleats of greats like Mantle and DiMaggio, patrolled center in six World Series, winning four rings along the way. Bernie could run, he could hit and he could field. Ok so he couldn’t throw but with all the upside, the throwing aspect of Bernie’s game was his only downside. Nowadays Melky Cabrera mans CF. But there’s some debate about whether or not he should be the man out there.
Many people, such as myself, are Melky Cabrera fans. I love the guy’s arm. When there’s a ball hit to him and he’s getting ready to try and throw out a runner don’t tell me you don’t start to get excited. His arm is incredible. His fast start this season made you wonder, can Melky be a top notch CF? Does he have the power to go along with his arm? He’s a decent .280 or .290 hitter. He runs pretty well, he’s not slow. But …
Johnny Damon returned last night to Oakland. A place he used to play in 2001. In the last few weeks, Damon has returned to being “Johnny Damon.” He’s playing the way he is know for, being an offensive sparkplug.
His batting average has gone from .265 to .325 in his recent surge. That placed him third in the American League at the start of play last night. His OBP is .392, a stat that is very important now that Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are back in the lineup.
“Last year, I wasn’t healthy for at least 100 games,” Damon said last night before the Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 3-1. “You could definitely tell. But things have gone OK so far this year.”
He’s also growing a mustache. Jason Giambi has been sporting it and has seen his numbers go up as well. Maybe there is something to the ’stache. Damon has also been very vocal about the team’s moves and inconsistent play.
“We’ve had some great comebacks the last …
Joba Chamberlain is expected to be the ace of the Yankees staff one day. The shut down kind of ace that Boston had last year with Josh Beckett. He’s expected to send the Yanks to the promise land on the strength of his blazing fastball and sweeping slider. Right now, he’s expected to reach his pitch limit and get himself mentally prepared for a starter’s role in the majors.
After his first start, Joba admitted to having some nerves about his first major league start. That could explain his 38 pitch first inning. It resulted him lasted only into the third inning. On Sunday Joba got into the fifth. Chamberlain allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked one while striking out five. He threw 78 pitches (53 strikes).
“I think he went out with the intention of being aggressive and getting some quick outs,” Joe Girardi said. “He was real aggressive Sunday with his fastball, which I love.”
The difference between Tuesday’s start and yesterday’s start raise more questions …
The New York Yankees (30-30) start a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals (23-37) at Yankee Stadium tonight. After yesterday’s improbable win, the struggling Royals come in at just the right time for the Yanks to feast on. Here are your matchups this weekend.
Tonight – 7:05 p.m., YES
Kyle Davies – RHP (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. Darrell Rasner – RHP (3-2, 2.67 ERA) NOTE: Davies served up A-Rod’s 500th HR last season.
Tomorrow – 1:05 p.m., YES
Brian Bannister – RHP (5-6, 4.60 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte – LHP (5-5, 4.21 ERA)
Sunday – 1:05 p.m., YES
Zack Greinke – RHP (5-3, 3.56 ERA) vs. Joba Chamberlain – (1-2, 2.42 ERA)
Monday – 1:05 p.m., YES
Luke Hochevar – RHP (3-5, 5.13 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina – RHP (9-4, 4.01 ERA)
Prediction: Yanks win 3 of 4.
Michael Kay said it best when he said “this is the biggest win of the season”. No question about it, it surely was.
Chien Ming Wang was awful again and goes winless for the sixth consecutive start. Melky Cabrera didn’t help his cause either by dropping a flyball that helped jumpstart the Toronto offense.
Kyle Farnsworth did his usual, give up runs. The Yankees have had many leads this season that have quickly disappeared, something that is occurring too often in my opinion.
But the Yankees fought back. On the day they got Jorge Posada back in the lineup, we saw life from the New York offense. Wilson Betemit slugged his second homerun in as many days and Jason Giambi on a sore foot hit a game winning two-run homerun into the upper deck to send the fans home happy. Yes, the ’stache is working.
Whatever powers that come from the ’stache or the gold thong, Giambi has been hitting the ball well in recent weeks (.373 since May …
It seems that nothing comes easy to the Yankees anymore. Last night the Yanks were on the verge of losing but held tight and pulled out a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins in 12 innings.
Chien-Ming Wang didn’t look like the ace he was in May as he had another rough outing. You have to wonder if this is something worth some concern. He’s is 0-2, 5.67 in his last five starts.
“When he’s off, it’s not like he gives up 10 or 12 runs,” Joe Girardi said. “He’s not going to be on his A-game all the time, so you have to give him credit for battling and keeping us in there.”
The Yanks came close to falling to defeat a couple times in the extra frames. In the bottom of the 10th Ross Ohlendorf served up a double to Mike Lamb that appeared to being heading out of the park but bounced off the baggie in right field instead. After an intentional walk to Nick Punto, …
The Yankees are showing life. Last night’s 13-2 win was their third straight. Another step in the right direction.
Andy Pettitte picked up the win, after going over a month without one. He got support from an offense that is starting to wake up. The Yanks sent 13 men to the plate in the bottom of the 5th inning scoring 8 times.
“This game may have been a turning point,” Hideki Matsui said last night after the Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners 13-2 before a crowd of 52,005 at the Stadium. “We are starting to play well.”
This win marks the fourth time the Yanks have beat up on the Mariners this season, all this month and all at Yankee Stadium.
I am liking what I see from the Bombers as of late. Since the debacle on Tuesday night against the Orioles, the Yanks have answered back and answered in a big way. It’s no coincidence that since A-Rod’s return the Yankees are 3-1. He was deeply missed in the …
