So there's a nasty rumor making the rounds that Andy Reid may just play his starters in tonight's preseason finale against the J-E-T-S, Favre, Favre, Favre. I'm of two minds on the issue. First of all, I think it's B.S. posturing. Reid would be crucified if McNabb or, God forbid, Westbrook went down with a serious injury in a meaningless game that starters traditionally don't play. Then again, after watching how this team started the season last year, maybe sitting around for two weeks prior to the first real game isn't such a good idea.
Nah, I'm going with my original thought. Sit the starters, or at the very least, the stars. I don't really care if Hank Baskett is out there, because he isn't really a starter in my mind anyway. Shawn Andrews can definitely use some reps, so get him some work. No matter who takes the field, let's just get through the game healthy.
I've been reading a bunch of previews, and quite a lot of them have the Eagles going to the playoffs. This surprises me a little. On paper, they've made a big upgrade at CB, but other than that are they really that much of an improvement over last year's version? I'm hesitant to say, "McNabb's back to 100% health, it's going to be like 2002-2004 all over again." He may be healthy, but he's also 4 years older with a lot of mileage on his legs.
We'll talk more about the Eagles in the coming days, especially the inside-out passing game they're going to have to use, and what that means to opposing defenses. For now, stay healthy, get sharp and beat the friggin' Jets.
It's over folks. If you don't believe me, just ask the Skipper who said, "We have to win 2 out of 3 in this series," before the series started.
A seven-game deficit is just too much to overcome. If the Yanks were to come back it would have little to do with them and a whole lot to do with the Sox completely folding. It isn't going to happen.
It's easy to look at tonight's abortion of a game and point the finger at the pen. They did come into a 4-2 game and allow the Sox to tack on 7 runs, but it's not their fault. In the past five games the bullpen has racked up over 20 innings of work. When you abuse a pen like that, they break. It was bound to happen, and it will continue to happen until a couple of starters give the Yanks length. This game was very reminiscent of the last game in Anaheim, the bullpen was taxed then as well.
A-Rod was soundly booed last night, and rightly so, but he bounced back tonight. After Ponson dug a hole in the top of the first A-Rod plated a run with a two-out double. He'd add another double later.
Well, Yankee fans, the rest of the season will be about counting broken bats, looking forward, looking back and picking apart Joe Girardi. There are 30 games left for the Yankee front office to come to the same conclusion I have, Girardi must go.
Player of The Game: Pudge. He was 0/4, but only struck out one time. Representative game for the former roid head. Team Record: 70-62 Damon: UNO!!!
It was a long night at the Stadium, and sadly, probably my last.
The Yanks lost 7-3 to the worst Red Sox lineup I've seen in the past 13 years. After Jason Bay, their lineup consisted of Jed Lowrie, Coco Crisp, Jeff Bailey and Kevin Cash. Those four batters combined to go 8/18 with 3 runs and 3 RBI. I'm sorry, but that's unacceptable. If Andy Pettitte can't work through that meager lineup and last 5
innings, there's either something wrong with him physically, or he's
cooked. Your guess is as good as mine.
Here's the thing, going into this series I said a 2-1 series win for the Yanks would be enough to keep them alive. I'm kicking myself at this point, because emotionally, I'm ready throw in the towel after seeing that display on the field tonight. But I won't backtrack. Sidney Ponson will get his shot to salvage the season tomorrow night, but that's as far as I go. If they can't find a way to beat this team, as depleted as they are, this season is over.
Alex Rodriguez is officially the best player in the world, as long as the game doesn't mean something. He earned every boo he got tonight, and he got plenty. How does 0/5 with two double plays, 2 Ks and 7 men left on base grab you?
There's one more thing we need to touch on, and that's the front office's uncharacteristic behavior since the trade deadline. Take a look at this list of players:
Jarrod Washburn
Paul Byrd
Vincente Padilla
Kevin Millwood
Eddie Guardado
Chad Bradford
Brian Giles
Mark Kotsay
What do they all have in common? They all cleared waivers. Washburn and Giles were almost grabbed by teams the Yanks are chasing. Rumor has it, the Sox will get Kotsay. The Sox did get Byrd. The Twins landed Guardado, the Rays got Bradford. The Yanks could have at least blocked every single one of these moves with a roster claim. The fact that they did not tells me the Yankee front office called it a year on that disastrous West coast trip. In years past, they never would've let the Sox better themselves through waivers. Of course, in years past they also had a legit shot at making the post season. That ship could sail (at least for me) tomorrow. Apparently it's already sailed for Brian Cashman and Co. Can you blame them?
Player of The Game: Damon. 2 solo bombs and a walk. Team Record: 70-61 Damon: Zilch
Every morning I get an e-mail from Google which basically rounds up the Sixers scuttlebutt from around the Internet. This morning a headline jumped out at me because it was something we touched upon after the conference call with Ed Stefanski last week. Here's the headline, "Green could be in Sixers' starting mix."
The story was written by Tom Moore, who usually scoops Phil Jasner et al. The headline isn't really news to us, like I said, from Stefanski's own words last Thursday it seemed pretty clear that there's still a question at the small forward spot. If Iguodala slides back to the three, Willie could easily slide into the two.
Here's the big problem I have with Moore's article, though. Check out this last paragraph:
While Green is a bit streaky, he would be the best outside shooter
among the possible starters, which could be a factor because the Sixers
ranked last in 3-point percentage a year ago, and among the better
on-the-ball defenders.
Uh, what? That has to be a joke, right? The Sixers ranked last in 3-point percentage a year ago mainly because Willie Green was the starting shooting guard. Check out the 3-point percentages from 2007-2008 for everyone who could possibly see time at the two guard. Tell me which one is Willie Green...
Player 1: 38.9%
Player 2: 35.9%
Player 3: 32.9%
Player 4: 28.5%
Not much suspense there, #1 is Rush, #2 is Lou, #3 is Iguodala and #4 is Green. Here's a complete breakdown of the four players. I suppose saying he's among the better on-the-ball defenders is a fair statement if you consider third-best out of four options "among the better."
We have to face facts at this point. If Willie Green is the starting shooting guard for this team the Sixers have either suffered a terrible injury to a key player or Thad Young has regressed. To say they might make the decision to help with 3-point shooting is lunacy. To try to infer that they may be a better team with him in the starting lineup is beyond defensible.
As I'm sure you all know, the Boston Red Sox will make their final appearance at Yankee Stadium in a three game series starting tomorrow night. I could go on and on about the history of this storied rivalry, I could put this series in perspective. I could talk about the highs and lows I've personally experienced in Yankee Stadium watching these two teams take the field. But I won't. None of that crap matters right now, we've got a pennant race going on. We'll reminisce when the season is (officially) over.
For now, let's talk about baseball. The Yanks will miss Josh Beckett, which isn't really that big of a deal considering he's sporting a 4.34 ERA, but still, he's always capable of throwing a shutout, so let's put that one in the plus column for the Yanks. They'll also miss Dice K. It seems as though the Red Sox always juggle their rotation so Matsusaka and his 5.29 bb/9 miss the Yanks. Personally, I'd like to see the Yanks face Dice K, they pretty much own him, but again, he's one of their better pitchers.
This means the Yanks will face Tim Wakefield, Paul Byrd and Jon Lester. I give them the pitching edge in game 1 (Pettitte over Wakefield), game 2 is a toss-up (Ponson more or less equals Byrd) and a toss-up in game three (Moose more or less equals Lester). A sweep means the Yanks are 2 games behind Boston, possibly further behind Minnesota in the Wild Card race. A 2-1 series win means the Yanks are 4 games behind Boston. Any other result means this season is over. Done. Kaput. A 1-2 loss drops the Yanks to 6 games behind Boston with 29 left to play. Only the Mets could squander that type of lead. A sweep at the hands of Boston would probably mean I won't be watching much more baseball this Summer.
I'll be in the upper deck tomorrow night with Mike from Green Pinstripes. This is the final game of my ticket package, and unless the Yanks show some life in the series, it will probably be my last trip to the old stadium. The keys to the series are pretty easy. The bats need to put runs on the board, and plenty of them. Pettitte and Mussina need to pitch like they have been, Ponson needs to find a way to keep the Sox lineup at bay, no matter what it takes, Girardi needs to keep things simple with the lineup and the pen. The Yanks dug this hole, now they have two options, they can play like they want to be in the post season, play every single game like it's their last. Or they can cash their checks, go through the motions and try again next year in the new stadium.
As it has so many times before, it all starts with Andy tomorrow night. Win this game and go from there.
A couple of things worth noting heading into what might be the last meaningful series played in the Stadium.
Wakefield hasn't pitched since Aug. 6th.
Jon Lester is coming off a start in which he didn't get out of the third inning.
The Yankee pen had to throw 12.2 inning over the past three games.
Teams have not been afraid of running on Pudge's arm (3 sb's in the last two games). Molina will catch 2 of the three games in the series, most likely.
The Yanks finished off their sweep of the Orange Birds today in less-than spectacular fashion. One day after the pen had to work 4 innings in relief of Pavano, Rasner couldn't get out of the fourth inning. Somehow, though, they held on. Robertson, Ramirez, Veras, Marte and Mo got the job done and the Yanks slipped by with an 8-7 win.
Robinson Cano had a huge day, going 4/5 with the deciding blow, a solo shot off a lefty. Damon chipped in with a three-run bomb early and Nady had a huge double, but I'd like to spend a little more time talking about the pen, especially Marte. First, check out this post from Peter Abraham, in particular the quote from Damaso Marte. Here's what he had to say:
Question to Marte after the game: “You had a few days off, did you feel strong today?”
Answer: “I did. For the last week I’ve had inflammation in my elbow. That has been bothering me. They gave me some days off.”
As he talked, Marte’s left elbow was wrapped in enough ice to chill three cases of beer.
Marte said later that he think the problem is related to the 42
pitches he threw in Texas on Aug. 4. Only in the last few days, he
said, has he felt better. So that explains why he has struggled of
late.
Uh, duh. Girardi blew it in more ways than one when he hung Marte out to dry in the Texas heat. Luckily, he bounced back in a big way today. As good as Cano was, Marte is your player of the game. In the bottom of the 7th he came in with runners on first and second, one out, and the two best Orioles due up. He got Markakis and Mora swinging, then retired the first two batters in the eighth before walking Luke Scott on a BS 3-2 pitch. Marte was impressive and I have a feeling he's going to be seeing David Ortiz in a key situation or two in the upcoming series. Good time to get the guy healthy.
The White Sox and Red Sox both won in extra innings. The Twins loss to the Angles means they're now the team sandwiched between the Yanks and Sox, although I don't expect things to remain that way. With the off day tomorrow, the Yanks will head into this series with Boston 5 games out of the Wild Card. We'll talk more about that tomorrow.
Player of The Game: Damaso Marte Team Record: 70-60 Damon: Nada.
Carl Pavano is apparently the toast of the town after allowing 10 base runners in 5 innings of work. I guess a 5.40 ERA is reason to celebrate this waste of oxygen. To be fair, Pavano probably would've only given up 2 runs if not for an asinine play by Damon in center. I probably shouldn't be so hard on the guy, but it's going to take a lot more than one mediocre start to make me forget the past four years. Anyway, the Yanks won, which is all that matters, 5-3.
The Wild Card race got a little more interesting tonight. Both Sox lost, and Minnesota is in the process of losing out in LA. Meaning, the Yanks are 5 games behind Boston, 4.5 behind Chicago and 5 behind Minnesota. Given the remaining schedules, I'll be shocked if the Twins don't win the Central. They have a cake schedule the rest of the way.
As for the WC, well the next 4 games are going to tell us if the Yanks have a shot. They need to finish off this sweep tomorrow afternoon. Rasner will face Daniel Cabrera, who seems to dominate the Yanks and no one else. Then after an off day on Monday the Sox come to town for a three game set. It'll be Pettitte vs. Wakefield, Ponson vs. Byrd and Mussina vs. Lester. If the Yanks can get really hot right now, and win the next 4 games they'll be 2 games behind Boston with 29 left to play, at worst. If they take 2 of three from the Sox and win tomorrow, they'll be no worse than 4 games behind Boston. That's doable.
As for the ChiSox, well, they have one more left at Tampa tomorrow (Buehrle vs. Sonnanstine), then a three-game set in Baltimore, followed by a trip to Boston. That's a golden opportunity for the Yanks to gain ground on one of the teams they're chasing.
It has to start tomorrow though. Backslide a game against the O's and things become much more difficult. Get through this four-game set in good shape and the Yanks have another 3 against Boston and a 4-game set against the ChiSox. There's a good chance they could control their own fate, and that's really all you can ask for after the brand of ball they've played after the All Star break.
Pavano definitely earned himself another start today, let's just hope he's sharper on Friday against the Blue Jays. By the way, how nice does it feel to have Matsui in the 7 hole? The lineup is so much tougher with him down there and Cano batting eighth. Girardi has used basically the same lineup every day since Matsui came back. If there was ever an opportunity for him to mess with success, it would be tomorrow. A day game after a night game. Please, please, please don't do it, Joe.
Player of The Game: Giambo. He gave the Yanks the lead for good with his two-run bomb. Team Record: 69-60 Damon: Uno.
Michael Kay ruined what was otherwise a decent Friday night for me late in the game when he broke out the tragic number. You can probably figure out what a tragic number is, but I'll spell it out anyway, it's the opposite of a magic number. With the Sox win tonight, any combination of Yankee losses and Sox wins equaling 29 will officially eliminate the Yankees from playoff contention. 29.
Anyway, the Yanks managed to squeak out a win with their ace on the hill against a rookie pitcher who came in with an ERA north of 7.00. Good going, guys. My new favorite Yankee is Cody Ransom, who has two at bats (both when he entered as a defensive replacement for Giambi and accidentally came to the plate), and two home runs. Nady added a tack on shot to give Mo a little more breathing room. Even A-Rod looked good late, hitting doubles in the 8th and 9th innings to set up the Yanks to tie, go ahead and then put the game away. It'd be great if his bat came to life for the final 34 games.
Pavano is on the hill tomorrow against the Oriole's ace, Jeremy Guthrie. I feel compelled to watch, but I really, really don't want to. Pavano embodies everything I hate about professional athletes.
Player of The Game: Abreu, 5/5 Team Record: 68-59 Damon: Nada
Well, at least the game was decided early, saving us from another late-inning disaster. Now that the season is dead, it's time to compile a list of reasons to watch the final 35 games. We'll go player by player...
Damon - Easy, more kindling.
Jeter - .300 batting average
Abreu - Pad his numbers in meaningless games so we can overpay to keep him around for 3 more years. (Or get a 1st round pick when someone else signs him)
A-Rod - Lead the league in VORP and WARP and not finish in top 10 for MVP.
Giambi - Figure out if he's going for the porn star or state trooper look.
Nady - Hopefully see him make the Abreu decision easy.
Matsui - Another artist's rendition of a loved one at a press conference.
Cano - Can he keep his OBP above .300?
Pudge - Hopefully move from a Type B to a Type A.
Molina - See if he becomes every pitcher's personal catcher.
Gardner - See if Girardi institutes the "Willie Mays Hays" approach to pop ups.
Betemit - Feel strongly enough about him to either boo or cheer.
Moose - 20 wins, obviously.
Pettitte - Root for Mo to save 5 more wins for him. (They're going for the record)
Ponson - See if he'll get cut from another team who's desperate for starting pitching.
Joba - Come back, finish strong, and show no signs of shoulder problems.
Hughes - Get healthy, finish strong. Wherever he finishes.
Pavano - Final trip to the DL as a Yankee with a scorching case of gonorrhea. Signs 5-year deal with Boston in the offseason.
Rasner - Finally assumes his rightful spot on the staff as the mop-up guy.
Britton - See if he can set the record for frequent flier miles from NY to Scranton.
Kennedy - See if he actually starts to care that he sucks.
Traber - Prove that no lefty is better than a bad lefty to management.
Marte - See if Girardi can figure out that he's a situational guy, not a two-inning guy.
Edwar - Watching guys swing and miss at the change. That never gets old.
Veras - Use the final 5 weeks to cement his role as the 8th inning guy for 2009.
Mo - Enter a tie game, exit with the game still a tie.
Meacham - See if he can somehow learn to ignore his horrible instincts.
Girardi - Hope that these are the final 35 lineup cards he'll fill out as the Yankee manager.
Player of The Game: Matsui, simply for pissing Halladay off with his bomb. Team Record: 67-60 Damon: I have no idea, I stopped watching closely in the 2nd inning. Let me know if he broke one later on.
A big thanks to reader Alex K. for his contributions to this post.
This afternoon Ed Stefanski and the Sixers reached out to a group of Sixers bloggers and Henry Abbott from ESPN's True Hoop blog for a conference call. Ed made a brief statement, just summing up the Sixers offseason to this point and then fielded questions from everyone involved.
It was good to put a voice to a couple of bloggers I've interacted with online and Ed was forthcoming, didn't dodge any questions. I think all the bloggers present did an excellent job of touching on the main issues heading into the season, I'll try to relate some of what Ed had to say after the jump.
The worst signing of the modern era will, in fact, use the Yankees to rehabilitate his value at the Major League level heading into another walk year. I realize teams value wins over principles and statements, but if I was in charge Pavano would've never made another appearance for this team. Truth be told, the only reason I'd have to activate him from the disabled list would be to DFA him. I hate this guy and I'm going to have a hard time rooting for him to do well against Jeremy Guthrie on Saturday.
Pettitte came up big in what was honestly a pitching mismatch. This game should've gone the Yankees' way, and it did. There's nothing to celebrate. Tomorrow's game will be the true test.
Sid the Kid will take the hill against Roy Halladay. Halladay owns the Yankees, absolutely owns them. Every time he takes the hill against us, I'm expecting a shutout, and he usually delivers at least a complete game. If the Yankees have a run in them, if they have any shot at making the playoffs, they absolutely must find a way to win tomorrow.
It's not that they need that particular game any more than they needed tonight's, or Tuesday's for that matter. It's that they're going to have to find a way to win games they should lose if they're going to make up any ground on the Bostonians and the Twins/ChiSox. The Sox lost tonight, and they're really playing bad baseball at this point. The Twins and ChiSox won. The Yanks finish the night 5.5 behind Boston (5 in the loss column), 5 behind the Twins (5 in the loss column).
Player of The Game: Jeter. Huge game for El Capitan. His two-out, two-run bomb in the second was the death blow. Team Record: 67-59 Damon: Nada
By the by, Girardi went with the exact same lineup two days in a row, not including the catcher. Tomorrow will be the true test. I could very easily see him plugging Gardner in to give either Damon or Matsui a day off on the turf. Giambi could sit as well.
The worst signing of the modern era will, in fact, use the Yankees to rehabilitate his value at the Major League level heading into another walk year. I realize teams value wins over principles and statements, but if I was in charge Pavano would've never made another appearance for this team. Truth be told, the only reason I'd have to activate him from the disabled list would be to DFA him. I hate this guy and I'm going to have a hard time rooting for him to do well against Jeremy Guthrie on Saturday.
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