Yankees 6 Red Sox 2: The First Step

The Yankees beat the Red Sox by a 6-2 score last night at Yankee Stadium. The win in the series opener cut Boston’s division lead into single digits. The Yanks still have a lot of work cut out for them. This was only a first step to recovery. New York is now 20-23 and 9.5 games behind the Sox.

The offense jumped all over Tim Wakefield. Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi both hit 2 run homers in the 1st and 2nd respectively. A 4 run lead was all that Chien-Ming Wang needed as he was in vintage form. Wang pitched 6.1 innings and gave up 2 run and 7 hits. An ace should be able to hold onto any game when he is given an early lead that big. The Yankees got what they needed from Wang. In addition to Giambi’s slump-breaking hit, Robinson Cano had a pair of extra base hits, and Bobby Abreu added a single. The lefties are starting to swing the bat well.

The Yanks now send Mike Mussina to the mound against Julian Tavarez. This team has to keep riding the momentum. Things are starting to turn around. This game should be a win based on the pitching matchup. That would give New York the series and a chance to sweep. So far this critical series has gone according to plan.

Yankees 6 Mets 2: Salvaging Some Pride

The Yankees beat the Mets 6-2 tonight at Shea Stadium. The win allowed the team to avoid a sweep. There is no way for the team to feel good about this weekend. Losing a series at this point is terrible. The Bronx Bombers lost yet another starting pitcher to a freak injury. The only positive is the hope that this will be the game to finally turn things around.

Tyler Clippard delivered a masterpiece in his first Major League start. The rookie gave up only 1 run over 6 innings of work. There was a lot of pressure on him in this start. The lights of the Subway Series are bright enough for an inexperienced pitcher. Add in a national audience and his team facing a sweep, and the pressure was almost unfair. Tyler seemed to thrive on it. He hit a rough stretch in the 2nd inning when he gave up a solo homer to David Wright. The Mets loaded the bases with 2 outs and seemed poised to knock the rookie out after a double, and a pair of walks (1 intentional). Clippard retired the dangerous Jose Reyes to end the frame. It was smooth sailing after that. A young player stepping up can spark a team. Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano, and Melky Cabrera are recent examples. Veteran teammates battle extra hard to support inexperienced players leaving everything on the field for the team. Clippard might have delivered an outing that will turn around a season. If a rookie can beat the odds that Tyler beat tonight, the veterans on this team will see this and relax, realizing that this game is not quite as hard as they have been making out to be over the past few weeks. Either way, Clippard showed guts far beyond his 22 years on the Shea Stadium mound. He should eventually become a fixture in the Bronx for years in the middle of the rotation.

The offense broke out against John Maine after sputtering early. The Yankees had left men in scoring position in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd innings when Johnny Damon stepped to the plate with 2 outs in the 4th. Damon popped up to right, but the ball was well placed. It fell for a 2 run double. The Yanks took a 2-1 lead and never looked back. Derek Jeter followed with a homer to make the score 4-1. Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada both tacked on solo homers later in the contest. When a team is struggling to score, everybody presses. This is especially true on a team like the Yankees. There are so many players capable of carrying the load that each feels the responsibility to take over in tough times. When that big hit comes, everybody stops pressing. Sometimes all it takes is a lucky bloop. A lot of slumps are prolonged by liners right at somebody. They can end on soft hits that land in the right spot.

Bobby Abreu finally might be coming out of this slump. He is starting to hit the ball with authority as his 2 hits tonight displayed. More importantly, the 2 walks he grinded showed that he is regaining his selectivity and making pitchers work hard to get him out again. There is no way that Abreu is done. He started the year too well to become washed up so suddenly. This is the kind of game he has to build on, but every recovery has to start somewhere.

It is almost unreal to put an ultimatum onto a May series, but it is now or never for the Yankees. The Red Sox are coming to town. New York is sending Mussina, Wang, and Pettitte to the mound. Boston’s lead in the division is in double digits. The Yanks have a long climb in front of them, and the chances to make up ground head to head are dwindling. Any comeback bid has to start now. This game means little if Boston rolls into town and wins the series. This was only a starting point. New York has had plenty of these this season only to be knocked back to the first square a day later. This time has to be different. Tyler Clippard did not show such heart only so that the Yanks would go down again.

Day Late and Dollar Short

The Yankees have continued their horrid play through the first two games of the Subway Series against the Mets. As has been the case with most of the season, the team has done just enough to lose. When Andy Pettitte gives the Yankees a quality start on Friday night, nobody hits. When the offense comes to life on Saturday afternoon, the pitching stinks. Robinson Cano hits a homer and then more than gives that back with 3 errors. Luck has certainly not been on the Yankees’ side. Darrell Rasner, who had been very effective this season, was knocked out of Saturday’s game with a broken hand sustained on a comebacker in the 1st inning.

This season has been unbelievable. Everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong. There have been a plethora of freak injuries. All the lefties on the roster have simultaneously forgotten how to hit. The team always teases like they did in the win during the second game of a doubleheader earlier this week at Chicago, where everything comes together. However, things just go back to normal the next day. This team can mount furious comebacks as it did in the 8th and 9th innings of yesterday’s game, but they always fall short. The spark to ignite the Yankees is always just out of reach.

The Bronx Bombers turn to Tyler Clippard tonight on national television to try and avoid an embarassing sweep at the hands of a rival. Clippard is at least better equipped to deal with this pressure than Chase Wright was about a month ago. Clippard is a finished product. While Wright was very raw, Clippard has progressed through the minors. He also does not have to deal with the spotlight that Phil Hughes did. Perhaps a rookie starter is what the doctor ordered. The Yankees had better hope so because this thing needs to turn around soon.

Early Moments of Truth

The next six games are absolutely critical for the Yankees. It might only be May, but this season is starting to spiral out of control.New York lost consecutive series on a disastrous roadtrip to a mediocre Seattle team and a struggling Chicago squad. The Bronx Bombers wake up today 18-21 and an ungodly 9.5 games back of Boston.

Today the Yanks begin a weekend series against the Mets. Boston pays a visit to the Bronx after that. These games are more important psychologically than tangibly, although the Yanks cannot keep losing ground to the Sox. New York is playing very uninspired baseball right now. There is no sense of confidence. This team needs a boost. Nobody aside from Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada seems to be playing with any desire. The Yanks have to show the Mets that the JV does not run the town and the Red Sox that they plan to make the Red Sox earn the division title, not hand it over without a fight. Beating good teams like this would ignite the team and possibly send it on a run.

There is too much talent on the roster for things to not eventually turn around. The question is whether the time for a comeback will be too short and whether the deficit will be too great. We can no longer say that it is too early to worry. The season is almost a quarter gone. Good teams have bad months. Good teams usually do not allow bad stretches to go beyond forty games. The Red Sox are playing over their heads. They will come back down to this planet, but the hole in the division is already enormous. The Yankees are going to have a really tough time catching up. This cannot hope to turn things around unless it gets its swagger back. Nothing brings confidence like beating a pair of hot rivals.

Rangers 14 Yankees 2: One of Those Days

The Yankees took a beating in their series finale with Texas yesterday. The Rangers salvaged a single win with a 14-2 triumph. The Yankees still won their series with Texas. New York took 5 of 6 from the team from the Lone Star State in May. Over the course of a 162 game season, there are going to be contests where everybody plays lousy. It is simple probability given the vast sample size. This was one of those days for the Yanks.

The Yankees just could do nothing right. Chien-Ming Wang had a rough outing, which every starter has on occasion. He gave up 7 runs on 11 hits in 6.1 innings. Luis Vizcaino showed that he belongs in a mopup role by surrendering 3 runs in 1 innings. Sean Henn gave up 4 runs in 0.2 innings, a rough game for a promising youngster. Aside from Derek Jeter (2 hits) and Melky Cabrera (2 hits and 1 RBI), the Yankees could not touch Brandon McCarthy, Frank Francisco, Willie Eyre, and Eric Gagne. New York botched a rundown in the field, and Miguel Cairo made a terrible play in leftfield during garbage time, showing why he only plays the position in blowouts and emergencies.

The Yankees have been playing much better lately so this is not cause for alarm. The team was due for a clunker. This was not on the heels of a prolonged losing streak like a few weeks ago. This was one bad performance, not the culmination of lethargic play. The Yanks were due to lose a game to the Rangers, a team they have owned. Whether the score was close or a blowout, it all counts the same in the standings. All the team can do is shake this one off. These are often easier to get over than close losses when a few agonizing plays that get replayed over and over in one’s head. This was just a bad day. The best way to get over it is for Darrell Rasner to continue has excellent pitching as of late and for the lineup to take out its frustration on Seattle.

Yankees 6 Rangers 2: Jeter, Moose Juice Texas

The Yankees got themselves back to .500 with a 6-2 win over the Rangers Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. The win was the team’s fifth consecutive over Texas this season. It guaranteed the Yanks a win in their series against the Rangers. Things all seem to be falling into place for New York.

The offense jumped on Robinson Tejada immediately, scoring 4 in the 1st. The first 5 Yankees hitters reached base. Jumping on a struggling team like the Rangers early almost guarantees a win. Texas is not playing with much confidence. Teams like that get demoralized when they face major holes. They are so accustomed to losing that there is a sense that a loss is inevitable. A team needs to have belief in order to engineer a comeback. The Rangers only showed life in the 3rd, bringing the tying run to the plate. Once their rally was squelched and Derek Jeter added a 2 run single in the 4th, which gave him 3 RBI’s Texas was done. The offense had dictated the game.

Mike Mussina again looked impressive. His bats took a lot of pressure off him with the early explosion. Moose kept Texas down. His 6 inning, 2 run, 3 hit, 86 pitch line was exactly what the Yankees needed to see from him. He went an inning longer than last time. The idea is to stretch him out. Once he can get into the 7th, he will be all the way back. That is the goal for the next start. Now that everybody is getting healthy, the Yanks have pitchers who will make the contributions of their offense stand up. Things are looking better.

Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless 9th to close the game out. It was not a save situation. Joe Torre should look to get Mo consistent work, even if save situations do not present themselves. Rivera’s struggles have been a hot topic for the media. While it makes a better story to claim that Rivera is washed up, actual evidence indicates his problems stem from rust. When Mariano has been hit, his pitches have been left over the plate. A lack of command indicates that a relief pitcher is not getting enough work. His velocity is where it normally is, and his cutter appears to still have the same bite. It is not time for major concern. That should only come when he is locating his pitches and still getting hit.

This left the Yankees with a house money game. A sweep still appeared likely on paper as Chien-Ming Wang was slated to throw against Brandon McCarthy. A loss would still not be devastating. The team is no longer sleepwalking. The Yankees are showing their true potential.

Yankees 9 Rangers 2: Team Finally Helps Andy

After taking the weekend off, I’m back with game recaps. The Yankees beat the Rangers last night 9-2 at Yankee Stadium to begin a 3 game series.

Andy Pettitte kept on doing his thing, going 7 innings and giving up 1 run on 7 hits. Pettitte’s ERA dropped to 2.73, indicating just how good he has been this year. With all of the problems the pitching staff has had with injuries and effectiveness, Andy has been the single constant. Considering how much money flew at pitchers in the offseason, the $16 million the Yanks committed to Pettitte is looking like an amazing bargain. Last night

Andy picked up only his second win of the season because to this point the bullpen and offense had not done their jobs. The bats came to life, touching up Texas’ starter, Brandon Wood for 8 runs in 4+ innings. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez both had 2 hits and 2 RBI’s. A-Rod broke his homer drought in the process by cranking his 15th of the year. Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, and the red hot Doug Mientkiewicz all added 2 hits. Mientkiewicz also made a great diving tag in the field, showing again that first base defense is not as insignifcant as some believe. This game shows what the team is capable of when everything is working. Given the in both the lineup and the rotation, the Yanks should produce plenty of games like this as the weather gets hotter.

Bobby Abreu was dropped to seventh in the lineup. This was a necessary move. He is simply lost at the plate. This will help him work things out in a lower pressure spot in the lineup. It also will give him less at bats as he is slumping, which means no production from him will hurt the team less. Bobby is a great third hitter behind Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon. His discipline and speed makes him a third table setter at the top of the order with the big boppers behind him. He also is a quality RBI guy when Jeter and Damon get themselves into scoring position. Bobby will get out of this funk and eventually work his way back to that spot in the batting order.

Mike Mussina takes the mound tonight. He needs to take another step in his recovery from a hamstring injury. Last time out against Texas, he showed that he is back to being effective. Now he needs to go a little deeper into the game and build up his stamina. Mike is not an innings eater at this point in his career, but any little load he can lift from the bullpen is important. His biggest job is to pitch well. The longer he can do so, the better.

Igawa Sent to A

The Yankees have optioned Kei Igawa to A Tampa. This comes after a miserable outing on Friday night when Kei handed back an early 5-0 lead. The Yankees eventually lost 15-11. Like the rest of the team’s moves regarding Igawa, this makes no sense.

The Yankees knew over the offseason that they had a lot of young talent either ready or close to ready for the Majors. Instead of having an open competition of cheap youngsters for the fifth spot in the rotation, the Yanks spent over $40 million to get Igawa, a guy projected to be an average backend starter at best. There was not much reason to expect him to be much better than the youngsters, especially relative to cost. However, the team made an investment.

Once the season started, the team did not Igawa a chance to prove himself. After 4 starts, he was demoted to the bullpen. He got his job back when he pitched a brilliant game in long relief against Boston, but he is gone again one hiccup later. The team is now right back where it would have been without Igawa as Darrell Rasner and Matt DeSalvo are in the rotation for the time being. Why spend all that money on Kei only to not give him a shot to justify it?

Something just does not add up. Given his pricetag, this is not a guy to pull the plug on early. This is especially true when one considers that he has pitched well in half of his outings. If the team was not going to make a committment to him, it should have just saved the money and gone with the kids from the start.

Wells Disapproves of Roger’s Perks

David Wells has spoken out against the benefits Roger Clemens will receive from the Yankees, such as not traveling on roadtrips.

“I don’t think I would ever do it because of the fact I personally think it would disrespect the team and your teammates. You look at the other players. How are they going to respect you? What are they going to think if you’re not there pulling for the team?”

As anybody can plainly see, Clemens is disrespecting his team. This is opposed to openly defying a training regimen a pitching coach lays out or begging out of a pivotal World Series game because of a sore back.

Shop Smart, Not Hard

It is worth noting that the Red Sox outbid the Yankees by $18.1 million just to talk to an unproven commodity, Daisuke Matsuzaka. In contrast, reports say that the Yankees outbid the Red Sox by roughly $10 million to sign one of the 10 greatest pitchers ever, Roger Clemens. But no, the Yankees only win because they outspend everybody. Boston uses its smarts to level the playing field.