Even this Game
was won in the field. I know the Yankees scored 12 on monster games from Damon and Abreu, solid games from Jeter, Giambi and AROD and a key contribution from Cano. But the turning points in this game featured Yankee gloves. BGW noted beforehand that Wang had to keep his pitch count down if the Yanks were to prevail. And he did. But this wasn't a particularly masterful effort by the sinkerballer, who allowed too many extra base hits and too many fly balls. Still he battled, he didn't dissolve as he has in the past at Fenway. And that is because on those occasions when he did get rattled and looked to go south, his defense picked him up. One such occasion was when Melky misplayed the monster and allowed a double out of what shopuld have been a long fly out. You could see Wang sag after that one, and the next batter ripped the ball between third and short, where AROD, credit where credit is due, made a wonderful diving catch. When he has no time to think, he can be something. The other play came in the inning after Manny rattled Wang with the homer down the RF line. In a big jam and clinging to a 4-2 lead with men on 2nd and 3rd, Wang allowed a screaming line-fly into the gap in left-center. Damon's running, sliding catch preserved one run and the lead and Wang fought his way through the inning.
There was so much to like about this game: the patient, situational hiting--setting aside AROD's first at bat , which was awful. AROD refusing to collapse after a bad early start to the game. He came back and contributed. Damon finally looking comfortable taking it to the Sox in Boston, finally, it seemed, relishing the chowderhead's hatred. Abreu cominng into the rivalry where so many have floundered, even in the midst of good years, and putting up a game to remember in his first outing.
If there was one person who didn't have a particularly good game (what else is new), it was the butt of my blog, slow Joe. and he really was slow Joe today, refusing to let his team run in the early innings to capitalize on the one chink in the Sox defensive armor. Before today, no runner attempting to steal on Jason Johnson this season, whether with the Indians or the Sox, has ever been thrown out. Coming into this game, Javy Lopez had thrown out 4 of 28 runners trying to steal on him--he was 0-2 today, so now he's 4 for 30, down around 12% or so. Damon, Jeter, Abreu, AROD and Cano can all steal bases and yet repeated ly in running situations, here Johnson's slow delivery opened the door, noone was sent through it. One such circumstance was really obvious. Arod was on with a single, noone out, Abreu had the inning before exposed the haplessness of the Sox battery, and the score was 1-0 Yanks. If Arod runs he swipes easily and the bouncer Cano hit would be a productive out, sending AROD to third with 1 down. and Posada did hit a relatively deep fly ball. Instead Cano's grounder was a close DP, taking the Yankees out of the inning with the Sox power guys up next. In a close game, slow Joe's failure to pull the trigger, as we were all screaming for him to do at the time, could have been decisive.
The other stupid thing Joe did was after establishing that they were not going to pitch to Manny (who sports a lifetime 667 avg, against Wang), they did so anyway with 2 out and nonne on, up 4-1. Manny of course hits one out and there is a world of difference between a 4-1 and 4-2 lead in the middle innings. Jeez, go with the plan and make Youkillis beat you. He hadn't shown any sign of figuring Wang out to that point. Plus he's got to go extra bases in center or right--not likely for him--to get Manny home.
But for now, it's all good. The very worst the Yankees can do at this point is walk away from this Fenway gauntlet down 1 in the loss column. But one more out of the next 4, or out of the last 3 anyway, seems not improbable. If you had told n=me going in they were only going to get 3 or 4 off Johnson, I would have predicted we'd be in more trouble than we turned out to be. What's more, the bullpen advantage the Sox enjoyed, as a result of their day off and Joe Bumble's mismangement, has now all but been erased. They are down to 3 rested--Hansen, timlin and Papelbon--and the Yankees are down to 2 rested, Fahrnsworth and Rivera, and one available, Villon.
If the Yankees are going to win tonight, and I don't think they are, they will not only need a decent outing from Ponson (very unlikely), they will need to be extremely patient with Lester (more doable). He's been throwing alot of pitches early against teams less disciplined than the Yankees. Even if the Sox are to win this game, you want to see them blow their bullpen wad to do so. You want them, at the least, to require 4+ innings from their remaining troika. there's three more games and the Yankees offensive strategy is always to force you into your pen. It would be a great help if the cupboard were bare.
There was so much to like about this game: the patient, situational hiting--setting aside AROD's first at bat , which was awful. AROD refusing to collapse after a bad early start to the game. He came back and contributed. Damon finally looking comfortable taking it to the Sox in Boston, finally, it seemed, relishing the chowderhead's hatred. Abreu cominng into the rivalry where so many have floundered, even in the midst of good years, and putting up a game to remember in his first outing.
If there was one person who didn't have a particularly good game (what else is new), it was the butt of my blog, slow Joe. and he really was slow Joe today, refusing to let his team run in the early innings to capitalize on the one chink in the Sox defensive armor. Before today, no runner attempting to steal on Jason Johnson this season, whether with the Indians or the Sox, has ever been thrown out. Coming into this game, Javy Lopez had thrown out 4 of 28 runners trying to steal on him--he was 0-2 today, so now he's 4 for 30, down around 12% or so. Damon, Jeter, Abreu, AROD and Cano can all steal bases and yet repeated ly in running situations, here Johnson's slow delivery opened the door, noone was sent through it. One such circumstance was really obvious. Arod was on with a single, noone out, Abreu had the inning before exposed the haplessness of the Sox battery, and the score was 1-0 Yanks. If Arod runs he swipes easily and the bouncer Cano hit would be a productive out, sending AROD to third with 1 down. and Posada did hit a relatively deep fly ball. Instead Cano's grounder was a close DP, taking the Yankees out of the inning with the Sox power guys up next. In a close game, slow Joe's failure to pull the trigger, as we were all screaming for him to do at the time, could have been decisive.
The other stupid thing Joe did was after establishing that they were not going to pitch to Manny (who sports a lifetime 667 avg, against Wang), they did so anyway with 2 out and nonne on, up 4-1. Manny of course hits one out and there is a world of difference between a 4-1 and 4-2 lead in the middle innings. Jeez, go with the plan and make Youkillis beat you. He hadn't shown any sign of figuring Wang out to that point. Plus he's got to go extra bases in center or right--not likely for him--to get Manny home.
But for now, it's all good. The very worst the Yankees can do at this point is walk away from this Fenway gauntlet down 1 in the loss column. But one more out of the next 4, or out of the last 3 anyway, seems not improbable. If you had told n=me going in they were only going to get 3 or 4 off Johnson, I would have predicted we'd be in more trouble than we turned out to be. What's more, the bullpen advantage the Sox enjoyed, as a result of their day off and Joe Bumble's mismangement, has now all but been erased. They are down to 3 rested--Hansen, timlin and Papelbon--and the Yankees are down to 2 rested, Fahrnsworth and Rivera, and one available, Villon.
If the Yankees are going to win tonight, and I don't think they are, they will not only need a decent outing from Ponson (very unlikely), they will need to be extremely patient with Lester (more doable). He's been throwing alot of pitches early against teams less disciplined than the Yankees. Even if the Sox are to win this game, you want to see them blow their bullpen wad to do so. You want them, at the least, to require 4+ innings from their remaining troika. there's three more games and the Yankees offensive strategy is always to force you into your pen. It would be a great help if the cupboard were bare.
posted by joe valente | 5:27 PM
1 Comments:
The Red Sox pitching sucks too bad to be writing any games off. I fFahrnsworth can't go, they ought to option Beam and bringup Veras, who'd they be willing to have pitch meaning ful innings. to be honest, I'd like to see them option beam and bring up Pavano, stick him in the bull pen and try to get a couple of innings out of him. I think the question is, can Randy continue the dominance he's shown over the last 2 games and is Beckett still as bad as he's looked. The Yanks killed him earlier this year. with that in mind, and the way they are swinging the bats, can they produce a replay of game one. I agree with you that without Fahrnsworth, game 2 would be a tough win to reproduce.
You are totally right about Williams. He did belong in the line-up--he hits lefties well. But he's too much of a defensive liability. To be fair to Joda, however, Giambi has been just terrible at first base in Fenway. He's cost them at least 2 games that I can remember. But if you're going to keep G out anyway, as he did, why not leave Abreu out in right and DH Bernie. Bernie's complaining is a huge problem because it's clear that Joda will defer to his own sentimentalism rather than the best interests of the team.
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