Tagged: Sabathia
*VOTE FOR SHEETS*
– *JOIN THE BEN SHEETS MOVEMENT*
– A one year contract would allow us to see how well Sheets has recovered, without the fear of being stuck with an injury-prone player for an extended period of time.
– Ben Sheets is a right handed pitcher. We’ve seen the inconsistant games from Burnett, and the number two slot in our rotation should be open for discussion. If we bring Sheets in to the mix, out rotation can morph into something like this:
1. Sabathia (L)
2. Sheets* (R)
3. Pettitte (L)
4. Burnett (R)
5. Chamberlain (R)
*In my opinion, this rotation is far more promising then the following:
1. Sabathia
2. Burnett
3. Pettitte
4. Chamberlain
5. Gaudin
– Gaudin in the 5 spot? Chamberlain in the 4? Am I the only Yankee fan who got tired of having question marks in the 4 and 5 slots last year? Our rotation would be dominant if we were so stacked, that a pitcher like AJ Burnett is number 4 on our list…
*TRADELINE: BIG DEALS TODAY*
– *PHILLIES SNATCH HALLADAY*
– *LEE TO THE MARINERS?*
– *LACKEY TO THE RED SOX*
– *MATSUI TO THE ANGELS?*
– *WITH LACKEY AND HALLADAY GONE*
In my opinion, letting Chien-Ming Wang slip into the free agent pool was an excellent choice. It’s time to move on – but where do the Yankees go from here? With Lackey and Halladay off the market, I’ve had my eyes on the following options for a while:
BEN SHEETS: Although Sheets is returning from an injury related off-season, a healthy Ben Sheets can be as dominant as a heatlhy CC Sabathia…
JASON MARQUIS: Marquis is a starter that’s been on numerous radars for a while now. I think the Yankees should take a stab at Marquis while they can – the price will be far lower then our Halladay hopes, and he would be an excellent fit behind AJ Burnett or Andy Pettitte in the 2010 season…
– *ROTATION ESTIMATION*
1. CC Sabathia
2. Ben Sheets*
3. Andy Pettitte
4. AJ Burnett
5. Joba Chamberlain
I’ve thrown AJ in the four slot, because in my opinion – Pettitte performed better then Burnett last year. Plain and simple. As lefties, Sabathia and Pettitte should obviously remain a start apart – and that’s why Ben Sheets or Jason Marquis would be excellent “number twos” for the Yankees in the 2010 season. My opinion.
*THE NECCESSARY WIN*
– *WHO’S ON THE HILL?*
Joba Chamberlain (8-5) vs. Jared Weaver (15-5)
New York returned to form yesterday, swinging their way to a late lead and avoiding the sweep by division rival Baltimore. Coming off of two consecutive losses, Yankee nation was prepared to see the first bombed series in quite some time, but an 8th inning rally set the ‘W’ in stone…
Sabathia provided yet another “quality start,” holding the O’s to 3 earned runs over the coarse of 7 innings. *CC is currently the AL leader in wins… (Which shouldn’t come as a surprise when you consider how dominant he’s been in our rotation thus far.) As Jeter likes to put it, “when you do well – these records and accomplishments seem to surface on their own.” That’s a fact.
Jeremy Guthrie made the start for Baltimore, and managed to keep things in check the majority of the game. Things were tied heading into the 6th, but an additional 2 runs on our end persuaded his departure. He made his exit with 5 earned on 12 hits, ruining any chance he had to manuever an indecision…
– *GOING BIG IN THE EIGHTH*
It seems as though New York finally decided to wake up in the 8th inning of this one, putting 8 more runs on the board to seal the deal. (And you thought the fire was extinguished…) Matsui smacked a 3 run blast to insure the win, and ‘big 92’ was in the books after a hard fought game. An excellent large-margin victory to get us back on track.
Yankees 13 – Orioles 3 (FINAL)
HIDEKI MATSUI
3 for 5, 1 R, 5 RBI’s
Robinson Cano scored career run number 398 today!
– *ON PAPER*
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .332 |
| Hairston, J, 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .255 |
| Damon, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .286 |
| 1-Gardner, PR-CF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .272 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .282 |
| 2-Duncan, S, PR-RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .287 |
| Hinske, 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .242 |
| Pena, R, 3B-SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .284 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .275 |
| Posada, C | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | .283 |
| Cervelli, C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .259 |
| Cano, 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .318 |
| Swisher, RF-1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .252 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF-LF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .279 |
| Totals | 43 | 13 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 31 |
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Sabathia (W, 17-7) | 7.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3.42 |
| Hughes, P (H, 16) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.10 |
| Bruney | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4.09 |
| Ramirez, E | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.66 |
*DOUBLE OR NOTHING*
– *WHAT’S GOING ON TOMARROW?*
Sabathia and Burnett came up huge for us yesterday, in an exciting double header against division rival Tampa Bay. In BOTH games, the Rays were held to one single run – and their hits never breached double digits.
The star of the earlier game, (at the plate,) had to be A-Rod – going 3 for 3 with an RBI. Cano, Posada, and Hinske drove in the runs that ultimately sealed the deal, (in the 8th,) but Rodriguez batting 1.000 labels him “the best at bat” in my book…
As for the mound, Sabathia dominated! 7 solid innings, with 10 strikeouts and 1 earned run makes him the real “player of the game.” Unfortunantly, CC came ouf of this one with a no-decision – but 17 wins is just around the corner. Yankees win game uno, 4-1.
SABATHIA: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 10 K’s
– *ON TO GAME TWO*
This game was a tad more exciting for Yankee fans to watch. Not because pulling ahead in the late innings isn’t exciting, but because watching New York go on a scoring frenzy has you jumping out of your seat a whole lot more! The Yanks posted 8 runs in the 3rd inning alone, with a three-run shot from Teixeira, (among many, many other runs…)
Burnett returned to form, and looked every bit as dominant as CC. Though 6 innings, AJ allowed one earned run, notched his own 8 strikeouts, and only let up 4 real hits. I’d crown him the “player of the game” in this one, but the true MVP had to be:
“Big Tex.” Teixeira ended this one going 3 for 4, with 2 runs scored, 2 homeruns, and a commendable 4 RBI’s… I would say he sent us a “Teix message,” but I’m seriously getting tired of hearing that everyday lol. Let’s switch it up and say he made some “Teix-book plays.” That one isn’t nearly as played out…
BURNETT: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 8 K’s
– *BUMMER*
Jeter had a miserable day at the plate, going 0-8 and leaving Lou Gehrig’s record in-tact. I feel for you Derek… You’ll get ’em tomarrow! We know the record’s coming…
– *CONGRATULATIONS!*
I just wanted to send a special *high five* to my blog-buddies who made the latest Top 100 list! Jane, YankeesChick, and of coarse Virginia – GREAT JOB!! I’m jelous lol, but I’ll get there one of these months when I reach out to more then just the Yankee fans… (I can’t help it. I don’t enjoy watching any other team outside of the Pirates…) The only other teams I enjoy watching are the teams we beat, and you can’t hate a man for that! Good job ladies!
– *ON PAPER*
GAME 1:
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .332 |
| Swisher, RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .250 |
| 1-Hairston, J, PR-RF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .254 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .279 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .282 |
| Cano, 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .316 |
| Posada, C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .286 |
| Hinske, DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .247 |
| Cabrera, Me, LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .277 |
| Gardner, CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .271 |
| Totals | 30 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Sabathia | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 3.40 |
| Hughes, P (W, 6-3) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.07 |
| Rivera, Ma (S, 39) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1.75 |
GAME 2:
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .329 |
| 1-Pena, R, PR-SS-2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .283 |
| Damon, LF | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .288 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .282 |
| Gardner, CF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .270 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .269 |
| Swisher, RF-1B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .251 |
| a-Hinske, PH-3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .246 |
| Cano, 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .316 |
| b-Duncan, S, PH-RF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF-RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .281 |
| Cervelli, C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .263 |
| Hairston, J, 3B-SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .257 |
| Molina, J, C-1B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .245 |
| Totals | 38 | 11 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 24 |
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Burnett, A (W, 11-8) | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 4.19 |
| Ramirez, E | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.58 |
| Albaladejo | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.20 |
| Dunn, M | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10.80 |
*Until tomarrow – it’s bed time!
*PIE IN YOUR EYE*
– *WHAT’S GOING ON TOMARROW?*
The White Sox entered New York yesterday with an even .500 record, and every intention of climbing the latter to first in their division. The Yankees were coming out of a shakey series with Texas, looking to get their act together and maintain their 6 game lead in the AL East. With Sabathia and Buerhle on the mound for this matchup – one could only speculate which team would come out on top…
If you only caught a fragment of the game, it was clear heading into the 7th that the pitchers were doing their jobs. Jeter hit his 17th homerun of the season in the 1st, followed by Damon’s 23rd of the season in the 3rd. Outside of these clutch runs, Buerhle held the Yankees to a commendable 8 hits before being replaced with reliever Matt Thornton. Unfortunantly, Sabathia didn’t make it out of this one unharmed either – allowing his own 2 runs before being replaced by Phil Hughes.
With both sides unwilling to budge, the 9th inning came and went – and an extra inning fell into our laps again. Bruney was called in to handle the top, which left New York in position to finish the job in the bottom. The situation suddenly became all too familiar…
With 2 runners on, (and 2 outs already established,) – Robinson Cano stepped to the plate. I have to admit, I expected Robby to get a single and juice the bases for Melky – but to our surprise, he opted to clobber one over the fence to give the Yanks their 12th walk-off win of the season! You couldn’t ask for a better outcome to get these guys hyped-up again… These “extra inning antics” almost always result in us catching fire – so sweeping the Sox and kicking off another win streak is surely in our forecast. Cue Burnett with the pie – and it’s a wrap!
– *ON PAPER*
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .329 |
| Damon, LF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .290 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .286 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .267 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .268 |
| 1-Hairston, J, PR-DH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .260 |
| Swisher, RF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .241 |
| Cano, 2B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .313 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .268 |
| Molina, J, C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .239 |
| Totals | 39 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Sabathia | 7.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 3.56 |
| Hughes, P | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.28 |
| Rivera, Ma | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.83 |
| Bruney (W, 4-0) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.34 |
*SABATHIA STEALS HOME*
– *WHAT’S GOING ON TOMARROW?*
Chad Gaudin (5-10) vs. Brett Anderson (7-8)
We’ve all heard the story by now. “Despite being from the area, Sabathia just can’t seem to keep it together when he faces Oakland…” We’re told throughout our childhood that history tends to repeat itself – but in yesterday’s matchup, CC defied the odds…
Coming off a two-game slide, the Yankees headed back to ‘The Coliseum’ in desperate need of a win. Partly because we haven’t lost consecutive games in a while, but also because the Red Sox defeated the Jays by a single run. We can’t let the Sox climb any closer to first – so we picked an excellent day to give CC run support, and brake “the curse of the hometown hero.“
Jeter did what Jeter always does. A three-hit night, with an RBI and a single run scored. Damon, Matsui, and Melky contributed an additional 6 hits – and despite being tied heading out of the 5th – the Yankees posted 5 runs in the 6th inning alone to secure Sabathia’s victory. It was the run support that determiend the outcome of this game, because without that huge inning – the game could of easily been Oakland’s for the taking…
Congratulations CC – the curse has been lifted. The Mighty Ducks have won the championship, and Bastian from ‘The Never-Ending Story’ has given the child-like empress a name! (Had to drop the throwbacks…)
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .330 |
| Damon, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .283 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | .283 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .257 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .269 |
| 1-Hinske, PR-DH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| Posada, C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .273 |
| Cano, 2B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .315 |
| Swisher, RF | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .242 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .268 |
| Totals | 37 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 20 |
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Sabathia (W, 14-7) | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 3.58 |
| Robertson, D | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3.06 |
*THE WORD WALK-OFF AGAIN*
– *WHAT’S GOING ON TODAY?*
I’m on my way to work, but I couldn’t leave for the day without commenting on Cano’s walk-off hit in last night’s matchup. It’s great to see the momentum building again after the recent Blue Jays loss… The late-game magic this season has been incredible, and the more I witness these unlikely ‘last minute’ wins, the more realistic a World Series seems. It’s getting rediculous. We’ll be down by 5 runs in the 8th inning half the time, and by the grace of the baseball gods – scrounge together hits and homeruns for astonishing comeback victories. I don’t see any indication that it’s “luck.” We’re just that good this year everybody…
*SWEEP NO MORE*
– *WHAT’S GOING ON TOMARROW?*
Andy Pettitte (8-6) vs. Roy Halladay (11-4)
It’s anyone’s ballgame with these 2 on the mound…
– *MELKY HITS FOR THE CYCLE!*
Despite three losses in Chicago, the Yankees managed to avoid the sweep and maintain first place in the AL East. The entire game was epic, with both clubs notching a combined 26 hits, 13 RBI’s, and 76 at bats.
The highlite of the game had to be Melky Cabrera hitting for the cycle, (the first cycle recorded by the Yankees since 1995.) The final checkmark Cabrera needed as the game came to a close was the dreaded triple… and with a shot to the wall in right, (in the 9th inning no less,) – he slid into third safely for the milestone…
Sabathia walked away with the win thanks to the rally – and New York avoided what would of been the first sweep since the All-Star break. Signal Hughes and ‘Mo to wrap things up, and you blow the whistle with another clockwork finish.
– *ON PAPER*
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .322 |
| Damon, LF | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .276 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .282 |
| Rodriguez, A, DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .261 |
| Swisher, RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .241 |
| Cano, 2B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .304 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .292 |
| Hairston, J, 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .259 |
| a-Matsui, H, PH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .260 |
| 1-Ransom, PR-3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .190 |
| Molina, J, C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .254 |
| b-Posada, PH-C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .272 |
| Totals | 40 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 25 |
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Sabathia (W, 11-7) | 7.0 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3.95 |
| Hughes, P (H, 9) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3.43 |
| Rivera, Ma (S, 30) | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.01 |
*RAYS-ING A POINT* – 7/28
– *WHAT’S GOING ON TOMARROW?*
Joba Chamberlain (6-2) vs Matt Garza (7-7)
*I didn’t sleep on Kazmir, and I definently won’t sleep on Garza.
– *YANKEES LOSE 6-2*
The swagger has left the building… temporarily. In a 6-2 loss, the Rays defeated the Yankees on Tuesday to provide the second loss for New York in thier last 12 outings. CC was on the mound, and although the name Sabathia is becoming synonymous for “good start,” – he was smacked around for 9 hits and 5 runs…
On a positive note, Mark Melancon had a solid day relieving – replacing CC in the 5th and completing the game without allowing additional runs. A-Rod went 2 for 4 with a run scored, and Matsui went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s…
*More specifics:
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .322 |
| Damon, LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .276 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .282 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .252 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .256 |
| Posada, C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .284 |
| Cano, 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .309 |
| Swisher, RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .238 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .287 |
| Totals | 31 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Sabathia (L, 10-7) | 5.2 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3.83 |
| Melancon | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.50 |
*CC CONQUERS VERLANDER*
– *WHAT’S GOING ON TOMARROW?*
Joba Chamberlain (4-2) vs. Edwin Jackson (7-4)
– *TIGERS LOSE 2ND STRAIGHT*
As assumed, today’s 2nd victory over the Tigers was a low scoring game. (Big surprise.) With a match-up as great as Sabathia and Verlander, I didn’t even expect to see a homerun in this one – but each side had one, and the real question became: who would actually score again?
A-Rod parked one in the 7th off of Verlander, giving him 18 thus far – and helping the Yanks pull ahead late in the game. Keep in mind folks – Alex Rodriguez missed weeks after his hip surgery… and as cliche as it sounds – where would he be, had he been the healthy the entire season? Grumble all you want, but the question is intriguing. I think A-Rod would be sitting somewhere between 25-30 homers right now, and the All-Star appearance would of been set in stone yet again. It’s a shame that he missed the game due to lack of votes, while Josh Hamilton made the cut missing more time than anybody…
With the Yanks leading 2-0 heading into the 8th, Aceves was brought in for relief duty by Girardi. Although he allowed a single run, he managed to move us through the inning with the lead in-tact, setting up Rivera for what he does best.
+ SIDENOTE: I thought Ace would make a great starter. I’m just throwing in my 2 cents here, but why would we give this guy one single opportunity to make a starting appearance? Some might argue that we “need him in the pen,” – but he was a proven pitcher who kept his ERA at a minimum… When the chance was given, his appearance wasn’t even that bad! Let me get this straight… Wang kicks things off with a 30.00+ ERA and gets 7 chances. Ace relieves like a monster, keeps his ERA through numerous innings below 3.00 – and gets plucked from the rotation after one single start? It upsets me because I watched Ace like a hawk, and always took note of how well he was performing. When the idea was mustered-up to make him the 5th starter, I felt like the organization was using their heads for a change. Now look at us: we’re on to Sergio Mitre…
The game ended in tipical form, with ‘Mo being brought in to close – and closing like a pro. That gave Rivera his 25th save of the season, and yet another reason to crown him the “best closer of all time.” Trevor who? Oh… Trevor Hoffman – the all-time saves leader who pitches in the under-achieving National League. (Notice: I didn’t say the NL sucked lol… I simply said they under-achieve. Plenty of great players, but the AL is where it’s at.) Don’t kid yourself.
Here’s a wrap-up for those who missed it:
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .325 |
| Damon, LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .278 |
| Gardner, CF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .282 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .277 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .250 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .266 |
| Posada, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .281 |
| Cano, 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .310 |
| Swisher, RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .236 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF-LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .285 |
| Totals | 30 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Sabathia (W, 9-6) | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3.66 |
| Aceves, A (H, 4) | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2.64 |
| Rivera, Ma (S, 25) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.31 |
*That’s right: it’s right from the source from now on.
J.Quist 