The Yankees dropped their fourth straight game tonight. The Devil Rays triumphed in the first contest of a short early week series at Tropicana Field by a 10-8 score. During this slide, the offense has done its job. Tonight was no exception. The defeat was the result of more lousy pitching.
Kei Igawa was nothing short of dreadful. The Japanese lefty gave up 7 runs on 8 hits in 4.1 innings. Every time his offense gave him support, Igawa handed the Rays those runs right back. He had absolutely no command as he walked 3 and left Tampa Bay plenty to hit. Kei does not have overpowering stuff. He relies on great control over where his pitches end up. When he fails to locate, the results are disastrous. After a rough weekend in Boston, Igawa did not have to dominate. What he did have to do was go deep enough into the game to get the bullpen some rest and hold Tampa Bay down enough for the offense to take control. He did neither. The optimism he built from his past two starts is gone. He is starting to look like a lefty version of Jaret Wright, a guy who shows glimpses but can never put things together consistently. Igawa is going to get more chances, but if he cannot start giving the team consistent quality starts, he is going to be relegated to the bullpen eventually.
Alex Rodriguez showed no signs of slowing down in this game. He went 4 for 5 with 2 homers, 3 RBI’s, and 4 runs. He also made a brilliant diving stop in the field to end the 1st inning, saving at least 1 run in the process. A-Rod displayed terrific baserunning as well by beating out Elijah Dukes’ strong arm on a pair of occasions. Alex has lifted this team onto his back thus far in 2007. His second homer in the 9th tied Albert Pujols’ April record of 14. He did everything he could to try and end this losing streak.
Hideki Matsui was 0 for 2 in his return. However, he did draw a pair of walks and make a great throw on a play at the plate that Jorge Posada could not handle. That was on Jorge. The runner should have been out. The Yankees survived without him offensively. The team also will downgrade defensively in leftfield with Melky Cabrera out of the picture. It still is great to have a consummate professional like Godzilla back in the lineup.
Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano were the other hitting stars. Giambi went 3 for 4 to bring his average up to .310. Cano had a pair of hits. He is now hitting .324.
Tonight’s isolated bullpen meltdown awards went to Brian Bruney and Luis Vizcaino. After working out of the 6th inning, Brian allowed the first 2 hitters of the 7th to get on base. The overworked and struggling Luis Vizcaino (Get him rest, Joe!) gave up a walk and the double to B.J. Upton, allowing all 3 runners to score. This turned a 7-6 nailbiter into a 10-6 game. Colter Bean, Mike Myers, and Mariano Rivera all pitched well in relief. Isolated bad outings have been part of the losing formula since Friday night. First it was Mariano Rivera. Then it was Scott Proctor. Now it was Bruney (with an assist from Vizcaino). Every night at least one reliever even from a vaunted bullpen is probably going to be off. Since the Yankees cannot get any starter to go deep into a game, they inevitably put in the bad reliever.
The lineup left the bases loaded in both the 6th and 8th innings in big spots. In both instances, Melky Cabrera made the last out. 2007 has been a struggle for Melky so far. After a rough spring, he has hit only .200 so far in the regular season. It was easy to have worries that the team might send him to AAA, but thankfully it appears that the Yanks will stick with him. This would be refreshing. Melky is a good player. In the past, the Yankees have been unwilling to stick with youngsters through tough times. This is all part of developing quality players, though. Patience is key. Sending him down would be a knee-jerk reaction. The team needs to help him work through his problems, not punish him. That does not mean that he has to hit in the leadoff spot while struggling, though. Either way, the pitching gets more blame for the loss. The offense could have done more, but it chipped away at the lead constantly only to see the pitching give runs right back. 8 runs should be enough.
The 8th inning rally was not helped by Johnny Damon’s popout in foul territory for the inning’s second out. Akinori Iwamura reached into the stands to make the grab. People wearing Yankees gear were in the area, and all dodged the ball. That is unacceptable. When the ball falls over the stands, it is fair game. Fans need to do whatever it takes to make sure opposing defenders to not catch it, not run away like the plague. If people are afraid of the ball, they should switch tickets with somebody else up to the responsibility. Those fans helped to kill a rally. Sitting up close means taking one for the team and knocking the ball down.
Johnny Damon did not start due to back pain. If this is serious, he needs to get on the shelf. Back problems do not go away through participating in strenuous activity like swinging a bat. The Yanks do not need Johnny at less than full strength. There is still plenty of time for him to get healthy. By sitting down, he will give Cabrera the at bats he needs to work out of the slump.
The Yankees need a win. It is a good thing that their stopper is making his 2007 debut tomorrow night as Chien-Ming Wang will take the hill. The Devil Rays will be a good test. He will have to be good since Tampa Bay will counter with its own ace, Scott Kazmir. Despite all this, a rusty Wang still gives the Yanks more confidence that any pitcher they have started since Andy Pettitte on Friday night.
