BIG THING, LITTLE THING, AMAZING THING
The big thing from last night's game was not the win, it was the energence of Wang as a 4 pitch pitcher (Sinker, Slider, change-up, curve). the slider and the change-up look just like his money pitch, the sinker, except for the speed of the latter and the angle of break on the former. The enhanced repetorie allows him to challenge hitters and get more strikouts, limiting the bad luck to which contact pitchers are liable. Meanwhile, my April prediction that Wakefield would cool down as the weather heats up looks to be coming true. His ERA over his last 2 games is about 8.50. Before that it was about 1.70.
The little thing, which only seems little in the context of a win, occured in or around the seventh inning last night. The Yankees were winning but could clearly have used another run for comfort. The bases are loaded, the slumping Abreu is at the plate, and the count is 3-1. The important thing here is that Romero had thrown 19 balls in his last 23 pitches. He now has to throw 2 strikes in a row to a guy with a pretty good eye to avoid walking in a run. He has not strung 2 strikes togetheg his entire outing. So of course Abreu swings at the next pitch and grounds out to end the inning. I don't blame him. He's a batter after all. I blame slow joe, who obviously should have had the take sign on in that situation. but there's just nobody driving the truck over there during the games.
The amazing thing: with 2 outs and runners in scoring position, Derek Jeter is 13-20 this season. That's right, he is hitting 650 with 2 outs and RISP. And people wonder why Yankee fans think AROD is a choker by comparison.
They have Tavares going tonight. Kind of a must win. I wish we had somebody other than Mussina. If we get this one, alot of the pressure shifts to the Fat Man tomorrow night, and I always like our chances with Andy on the mound.
The little thing, which only seems little in the context of a win, occured in or around the seventh inning last night. The Yankees were winning but could clearly have used another run for comfort. The bases are loaded, the slumping Abreu is at the plate, and the count is 3-1. The important thing here is that Romero had thrown 19 balls in his last 23 pitches. He now has to throw 2 strikes in a row to a guy with a pretty good eye to avoid walking in a run. He has not strung 2 strikes togetheg his entire outing. So of course Abreu swings at the next pitch and grounds out to end the inning. I don't blame him. He's a batter after all. I blame slow joe, who obviously should have had the take sign on in that situation. but there's just nobody driving the truck over there during the games.
The amazing thing: with 2 outs and runners in scoring position, Derek Jeter is 13-20 this season. That's right, he is hitting 650 with 2 outs and RISP. And people wonder why Yankee fans think AROD is a choker by comparison.
They have Tavares going tonight. Kind of a must win. I wish we had somebody other than Mussina. If we get this one, alot of the pressure shifts to the Fat Man tomorrow night, and I always like our chances with Andy on the mound.
posted by joe valente | 12:01 PM
4 Comments:
In my current mindset, the Yankees won the series simply by avoiding a sweep. They can't seem to hit Tavarez, for whatever reason, and Pettitte is just snakebit this year.
Re: your previous post: I had forgotten about Girardi somehow. Of course that's the answer. And it would smooth the potential awkwardness over "loyalty" etc., especially for some one like Jeter or Clemens to have him be the one to replace Torre.
Obviously we're beyond the point of looking for rational explanations behind Torre's sense of the team, but: why is Brunney still considered lower on the depth chart than Farnsworthless? That bespectaled buffoon did get 3 outs to end the game, but is not worthy to ever take the ball past the 6th inning unless the team is up or down by a minimum of 6 runs. In the new order we dream of, Myers will get cut and Farnsworthless will be the mop up guy; Proctor the 1st one out of the pen in tight games past the 6th, and Brunney the bridge to Mo and de facto closer when Mo isn't available. Who knows how Brunney will wear over a whole year? maybe he'll be a colossal bust when really put to the test. But we already know Farnsworthless is a colassal bust and a Pavano-esque hypochondriac. Let's at least experiment and see what Brunney is really made of.
Finally: I have to say I was impressed with Steve Phillips comments after the game on baseball tonight. Phillips said the Yankees "came out and competed" and "played with some fire" tonight--implicitly noting that this was something unusual--and also said they "actually had a game plan" in terms of running on Wakefield and taking extra bases etc.
At this rate, maybe, MAYBE by, say, the All Star break, someone in the mainstream media might actually utter a more specific critical word against Torre?
I still think the rotation should be Wang, Pettite, Clemens, Hughes, Clippard (or Di Salvo). Mussina first guy out of the bullpen, Proctor in the seventh, bruney for set up and then Mo, at least for now. Farnsworth can mop up I guess.
as with Hughes though, the big F...'s problem is his fasrtball is too damn straight. can't someone (MO, Andy) teach him the cutter? He might be pretty good then.
I don't really believe in luck, so I think Pettite will win tomorrow night. The Yankees really need to win at least 2 games in this series. If they don't, they really are done. But torre should be leaving regardless, and he won't be...regardless.
I whole heartedly concur re: Mussina in the bullpen. He could be an old fashioned, i.e. 1970's era bullpen guy: 2 innings at a time, soemtimes 3; or maybe he could be a neo-Jim Kaat. He could take some of the burden from MO; I like the idea of a 7 inning start by Wang, Pettitte or, hopefully soon, Hughes, and 2 from Moose, save situation or not. It would be a brilliant move, and would make this team significantly better.
But we all know Mussina would never do it; I'm sure he still thinks he has a shot at nearing the 300 win mark. (Nevermind that, given how things are going, he might have a lot of W opportunities coming out of the pen, if the team ever learns to play comeback). And we also know Torre will never make his players do anything they don't want to. Remember last year when he APOLOGIZED to A-Rod for batting him 5th instead of 4th one game?
And if a new manager tried to impose this, Mussina would, I'm sure, demand a trade or just falt out refuse to pitch. He's too arrogant, stubborn, and petulant, to consider doing such a thing for the good of the team. He's in fact probably the worst team player to have a signifciant career on the Yankees in recent memory.
Wow, you're right. He is the worst team player in recent memory. The fact that the team of Brosius, O'Neill, Jeter, Williams, Cone, and Pettite now puts up with such nonsense goes to show the decline in this franchise over the past 5 years and that Joe was never entirely responsible for the great tone of the dynasty teams.
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