2007 ALDS Game 3 Yankees 8 Indians 4: Staying Alive

The Yankees kept their 2007 season alive last night with an 8-4 triumph over the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium. Cleveland now leads the best of 5 series by a 2-1 margin. After a disastrous start to the series, the Yanks showed signs of life in this one. Arizona, Colorado, and Boston might have had walkovers in their Division Series matchups, but the Yankees are going to make the Indians earn a trip to the ALCS.

Roger Clemens should not have started the game. His hamstring was clearly affecting him as he pitched a very ineffective 2.1 innings. Clemens put the Yankees into an early 3-0 hole by giving up 4 hits and 2 walks. After the second visit to the mound by the training staff, Clemens left the mound for perhaps the last time ever because of his bad hamstring. He has shown how brittle his body is this season, making it unlikely that he would ever put it through such a pounding again. It cannot hold up. If all the rest he has received has not healed his ailment by now, it is time to shut it down before there is any more significant damage. Roger should be commended for trying to give it a go with his team’s season on the line, but Father Time has finally caught up with the 45 year old.

Years from now, fans could very well look upon this game as a passing of the figurative torch. As arguably the greatest pitcher of one generation exited, the most talented young pitcher in baseball had a coming out party. Phil Hughes picked up the win with 3.2 innings of shutout relief. He entered the game with his team already trailing and the bats struggling. Cleveland was poised to deliver a knockout blow. The 21 year old was making his postseason debut and had his team’s season and his manager’s job hanging in the balance. Hughes dominated under this kind of pressure, registering 4 strikeouts. After a relatively disappointing regular season, some questioned whether Hughes was overrated. Those critics have been silenced. A star-studded team has another game this season because of the rookie. If Hughes gives an induction speech two decades from now in Cooperstown, people will remember Game 3 in 2007 as his coming of age.

The offense applied constant pressure on Jake Westbrook. Early on, the Yanks only scored once due primarily to 3 groundball double plays in the first 4 innings. Mainstays were killing the team. Jorge Posada grounded into one of the twin killings, while The Great Jeter hit into a pair. The floodgates opened in the 5th, though. Hideki Matsui singled with 1 out. Robinson Cano followed with a double. Melky Cabrera then came through with an RBI single. Johnny Damon was up next and hit a 3 run home to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead. An inning later, Robinson Cano singled with the bases loaded to score a run, and Trot Nixon failed to field the ball cleanly for an error, allowing 2 more to score. Nixon’s lousy defense essentially ended the game as the score became 8-3.

It was only a matter of time before the offense busted out. Damon had 3 hits and 4 RBI’s. Hideki Matsui finally rewarded Joe Torre for keeping him in the lineup by getting on base all 4 times he stepped up to the plate. Many were calling for Matsui’s benching (including me), but Joe’s steady handed approach paid dividends. Cano had his 2 big hits, and Jorge Posada got his first hit of the series. Alex Rodriguez started to straighten himself out with a pair of hits. This will help him relax and come to the plate with confidence from here on out. The monkey is off his back for now.

The only guy who did not get going was The Great Jeter. He went 0 for 4 and threw a ball away in the 1st that led to a run. He is due to make a big impact in the series. He should start coming through in Game 4. Teams can hold him down in postseason series, but he always seems to have at least one defining moment even when he is not hitting.

Joe Torre went to Joba Chamberlain for 2 innings and Mariano Rivera for 1. The game might have been a blowout, but Joe was right to take no chances in an elimination game. Putting anybody else into the game could have led to the dynamic duo entering a much tighter game. Joba strained in his second inning of work but got the job done. Mo had a very easy 9th. In Game 4, the roles should switch. It should be Joba for 1 and Mo for 2.

Because of this site’s cowriter, Jason, I was able to attend Game 3. I will forever be in debt to Jason for that. The crowd did a phenomenal job. People were on their feet and making noise from the start. The Yankees were reeling going into this game. Things were even worse after a rough start to the game. The crowd seemed to pick them up and give them energy. It also seemed to rattle Westbrook into throwing bad pitches at key points in the game. This is all speculative of course, but there was a palpable electricity in Yankee Stadium for this one. The emotion in that stadium had to have played a role.

This is now a series. The Yankees have the momentum and an advantage in the Game 4 pitching matchup. Chien-Ming Wang, who is so good at home, will go against Paul Byrd, who is so bad against the Yankees. The bats are now awake, and the hitters are not pressing. This should be a big offensive day for New York. This is no time for complacency, though. All that win did was extend the season and the Joe Torre era for another day. This team needs to take the field with the same fire with which it finished Game 4. The pressure is starting to shift to a young Cleveland team that has never been in this situation before. The Tribe could start getting nervous and pressing. This series is about to get interesting.

2007 ALDS Game 2 Indians 2 Yankees 1 (11 Innings): Heartbreaker Pushes Season to Brink

The Yankees suffered the most devastating loss of their season last night. The Indians took Game 2 of the ALDS by a 2-1 score in 11 innings. Cleveland now leads the best of 5 series 2-0. They have 3 chances to advance to the ALCS. The Yankees’ season will end if they cannot put together a 3 game winning streak.

Andy Pettitte pitched his best game since Game 5 of the 1996 World Series. The lefty did not give up a run in 6.1 innings, despite 7 Cleveland hits and 2 walks. Pettitte’s $16 million salary might seem exorbitant to the casual observer because he does not have the best stuff or the best stats. What he does have is elite focus. On a night when his offense gave him next to nothing with which to work, Pettitte gave the Tribe absolutely nothing. No sequence displayed that better than the 6th inning. Grady Sizemore led off with a triple, one of the few balls hit hard against Andy. The lefty calmly set down Asdrubel Cabrera,  Travis Hafner, and Victor Martinez, the heart of Cleveland’s order, in order to strand Sizemore. None of those dangerous hitters even made solid contact. Andy was just a magician. He had escaped trouble in the previous inning by alertly nailing Kenny Lofton, who was trying to steal third. Cleveland’s offense was an exercize in futility against Pettitte. Even when men were on base, it was hopeless. Given how well Fausto Carmona pitched, the Yanks had to win that game 1-0. Pettitte did his part to make sure that happened.

Carmona pitched the game of his life. It is tough to blame anybody in New York’s lineup for not hitting. It does not matter how good a team hits normally. When a pitcher combines the velocity, location, and movement that Carmona’s pitches had last night, hits will be at a premium, let alone runs. A team just has to make sure it takes care of business when opportunities do present themselves, as Melky Cabrera did when he hit a homer off a hanging slider in the 4th inning to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Carmona showed perhaps the biggest reason that the Yankees have failed to win the World Series in recent years. Yes, there are other factors, but before they reacquired Pettitte, they had no shutdown starter to pitch must-wins like Carmona. Fausto deserves a tip of the cap. The young starter stepped up to the mound and fed off the crowd in the biggest game of his life. He stood tall against the best lineup in baseball. Get on A-Rod if you would like, but it would not be justified. A lineup with Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, and Lou Gehrig would have been hard-pressed to score against Carmona.

Joba Chamberlain picked a bad time to fail for the first time in the Majors to say the least. The righty took the mound in the 8th inning with a 1-0 lead. He started the inning by walking Grady Sizemore on 4 pitches. A sacrifice and 2 wild pitches later, the game was tied. Things would have been worse had Doug Mientkiewicz not made a nice play on a ball hit right on the screws by Travis Hafner. He walked another and hit yet another with a pitch. Joba seemed to lose his cool on the mound. He never had been this wild in the past. In a bizarre twist, a legion of bugs descended on Jacobs Field when he took the mound and seemed to leave after the inning. It literally looked like a scene from the Book of Exodus, when Moses put plagues on the Egyptians. That is still no excuse for Joba. This is the postseason. There is going to be adversity. He had been unflappable up to this point. He could have pitched through it. Instead the dominanting rookie pitched his team closer to its downfall.

After Joba left and Mariano Rivera preserved the tie for 2 innings, Joe Torre had to call on Luis Vizcaino to pitch the bottom of the 11th. Rafael Perez had pitched a pair of dominant innings for Cleveland. Viz walked Kenny Lofton on 4 pitches to start the frame, showing signs of rust after all the time he needed off for his tired arm. In certain situations, failure to execute a sacrifice bunt is a blessing in disguise. That was the case for Franklin Gutierrez, who fouled off a pair of bunts before singling on the ground to left. Casey Blake sacrificed men to second and third. Vizcaino walked Grady Sizemore intentionally. It was a necessary move to set up a force at every base and to bring up Asdrubal Cabrera, but it was risky for a guy with location problems like Vizcaino was having. Luis got Cabrera to pop a pitch up to the right side. The intentional walk did end up looming large against Travis Hafner, though. Vizcaino let the count get to 3-2, which forced him to groove a pitch, which Hafner lined to right for a game-winning single. It is worth noting that Vizcaino got squeezed on a pitch early in the count, but he sealed his own fate through his lack of command. In a game like this, the thinness of New York’s bullpen was its downfall. Cleveland had quality pitchers to send out for a long time. The Yanks were shot after Joba and Mo. It would have been nice to have Phil Hughes for the 11th instead of wasting him in the Game 1 blowout.

This is going to be a tough loss for the Yankees to overcome emotionally. A travel day to make some sense of it could not come at a better time.  The season comes down to the next 3 games. Roger Clemens will take the mound in what could be the final start of his career on Sunday. Sometimes a big outing can completely turn a series around. At this point, the Yanks just need a spark to shift momentum. Somebody needs to step up.

2007 ALDS Game 1 Indians 12 Yankees 3: Wang Crushed

The Yankees took a 12-3 beating at Jacobs Field tonight to open the ALDS. Cleveland leads the best of 5 Division Series 1-0. New York could not have opened the postseason in worse fashion. The Indians came out and steamrolled the Yankees.

Chien-Ming Wang was a no show. The righty gave up 8 runs on 9 hits and 4 walks in 4.2 innings. Cleveland had nobody on and 2 outs in the 1st, and Wang gave up 3 runs. Even had he shut the Tribe down the rest of the way, it would have been a bad outing. Wang took what should have been an easy inning handed a big lead and all the momentum to a potential Cy Young winner right out of the gate. Things got worse from there. Chien-Ming battled his way through the next few innings. The offense battled to get the score to 4-3 in the 5th. Then the wheels fell off. Wang gave up 4 runs and 3 hits to completely take the team out of the game. In case you are scoring at home, he dug his team a huge hole twice and never let his team sustain any kind of momentum. This loss was on Wang. Considering his struggles on the road and Andy Pettitte’s experience, Joe Torre chose the wrong pitcher. That does nothing to exonerate the actual starter. Wang won 19 games. He has matched up with aces in big games before. He brought nothing to the table and gave the Yanks no shot.

C.C. Sabathia was not very sharp. The lefty walked 6 men in 5 innings, giving up 3 runs. The Yankees worked him, driving up his pitch count aside frpm a stretch during the middle of his outing when he was dominant. That stretch showed why the Yankees have had problems in recent postseasons. They wait for a perfect pitch at the plate. The best pitchers on the best teams make quality pitches early in counts to get ahead, getting New York’s hitters just where they want them. What the Yanks did worked against Sabathia. Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano both hit homers, capitalizing on mistakes. The Yanks put together a rally down 4-2 in the 5th inning, but The Great Jeter flew out with 2 on, Jorge Posada struck out with the bases loaded, and Hideki Matsui popped out after Posada. It should have been an indication at that point that this was not New York’s night when these go to guys could not produce.

Shelley Duncan was one of the few bright spots. His terrific at bat leading off the 5th sparked the rally.  Shelley turned an 0-2 count into an 8 pitch at bat, taking and fouling off pitches, until he lofted a single into right. This at bat showed why Shelley should be able to stick in the Majors for years and not turn into the flash in the pan that Kevin Maas was. Shelley is not just a slugger with a big swing. He has a good eye, wastes pitches, and shortens his swing to go the other way when it is necessary. He is an intelligent hitter. Duncan will never be a star, but he did display why he is a valuable bench bat.

Johnny Damon’s homer to lead the game off shows the lunacy in arguments against instant replay in baseball. They argue it would bring unnecessary delay to the game. What about all the time wasted by Joe Torre coming out to argue and the delay in the umpire meeting? How would it be worse than using that time by just reviewing the play to make sure it was called absolutely correctly? There are already delays with bad calls. Bringing in instant replay in some form would just utilize this time more efficiently.

Even in the blowout, Eric Wedge inexplicably used both Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez. The duo combined to throw 53 pitches, putting their Game 2 status into some doubt.  The Yanks might owe Wedge on Friday for wasting bullets out of the arms of his top relievers.

Joe Torre returned the favor by pitching Phil Hughes 2 innings after the game had gotten out of hand. If Joe was going to use Hughes, he should have utilized him earlier when the game was still within reach and it was obvious that Wang was struggling.  Hughes will now likely be unavailable on Friday for Game 2 in case Andy Pettitte gets roughed up, gets hurt, or the game goes extra innings. Guys like Jose Veras and Kyle Farnsworth are on the roster to eat up meaningless innings. Hughes has an important role on the team. It was pointless to waste him in a blowout.

Ross Ohlendorf gave up 3 runs in 1 inning. This kid had no business being on the postseason roster over the likes of Chris Britton and Ron Villone. He has good stuff, but just over 6 innings of September baseball was not enough to get him ready for this series, given his struggles in the minors this year. The Yanks set Ross up to fail. Hopefully throwing him needlessly to the lions does not damage his confidence because this is a pitcher with promise.

There is a good omen from this loss. During the Joe Torre era, the Yankees have lost Game 1 of the Division Series 5 times. They won all 5 of those series. They have won Game 1 on 6 occasions prior to tonight and lost 4 of those series.  Joe seems to be able to motivate a team after dropping a game. That might be small consolation because the Yanks certainly wanted to play better, but it is all one can hold onto at this point.

Another halfway good point is that the loss was a blowout. Close defeats are tough to get over. Blowouts are easier to shake off. The Yankees just had a bad night. They did not burn Joba Chamerlain or Mariano Rivera in a losing cause. There are indeed ways to make the best of a bad situation.

The Yankees need a win in Game 2. Andy Pettitte has a load of experience in digging his team out of 0-1 holes. In his last postseason in New York, he did it on 3 occasions. Andy will be up against Fausto Carmona. On paper, Cleveland has the edge. Judging from history, there is no more trustworthy starter for the Yanks. The Division Series is not over even with a loss on Friday, but 1-1 heading home will be a heck of a lot more managable than 0-2.

Yanks Win Two of Three in Baltimore

The Yankees ended their regular season by winning two of three this weekend to the Orioles in Baltimore. There really is not much to say about these games as New York was simply playing out the string in anticipation of the postseason. Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte both pitched poorly in the first two. Mariano Rivera blew a save on Friday night in an extra innings loss, giving up 3 runs. The Yanks overcame Pettitte’s rocky start to win on Saturday. The hope is clearly that these pitchers were getting their bad outings out of the way before October and that these outings are not the outset of slumps.

Chase Wright picked up a win in the regular season finale. The lasting image of Wright’s season was a disastrous April outing in which he gave up four consective homers to Boston. It is good that the young guy gets to end his season on a high note. This is the kind of thing he can use as a stepping stone as he prepares for 2008.

Alex Rodriguez finished the regular season with a .314 batting average, 54 homers, 156 RBI’s, 143 runs, 24 stolen bases, a .422 on base percentage, and a .645 slugging percentage. If he is not the unanimous choice for MVP, somebody clearly filled out a ballot incorrectly. A-Rod was the embodiment of an MVP this year. Not only were his numbers better than everybody else’s, he came through just about every time he was up in a key spot. A-Rod had countless big hits, carrying the team through a rough start and ultimately into the postseason.

The Yankees now will head out to Cleveland to begin the ALDS on Thursday.

Yankees 3 Devil Rays 1: Hughes Finishes Strong

The Yankees beat the Devil Rays 3-1 last night at Tropicana Field to keep their faint hopes of winning the East alive. Coupled with a Boston loss, New York’s win moved the team to within 2 of the division lead. Even on a night when six regulars sat, this team kept on winning.

Phil Hughes looked great in his final tune up for the postseason. The righty gave up just 1 run on 4 hits in 7 innings. He is peaking at the right time. Phil is very nice insurance to have with Roger Clemens’ status up in the air. In a way, his injuries might have been blessings in disguise. They did no serious damage to his arm, but they did force him to sit, limiting his innings. Now he is hitting his stride, while he might be hitting the wall from fatigue had he pitched an entire season.

Joba Chamberlain pitched a shutout inning in his second straight day of work. The Yankees are making a very risky move by letting him do this. They do need him, but they also need to think of the future. However, New York does seem dead set on using him on consecutive days. It is best for him to get his feet wet in meaningless games, opposed to throwing him directly into the fire.

It was a good night for the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees. Shelley Duncan, Bronson Sardinha, and Alberto Gonzalez all got hits. Jose Veras pitched a strong 9th to pick up the save. This came on top of a pair of veterans coming through. Johnny Damon had an RBI double, and Jose Molina’s 2 run single provided the winning margin.

The Yankees now head to Baltimore to close out the regular season. Mike Mussina will pitch the opener for New York. Moose has pretty much clinched a spot in the postseason rotation through his recent great work and the health issues of others. It still behooves him to stay on this roll. The Yankees do not want to go into October with any doubts about him.

Yankees 12 Devil Rays 4: See You in October

The Yankees beat the Devil Rays last night at Tropicana Field. The triumph clinched a 13th consecutive postseason berth. After an unbelievable roller coaster regular season, the Yankees celebrated a probable Wild Card with more emotion than almost any of their division triumphs over the past decade. There was no doubt that this was special, considering all the team had fought through.

Chien-Ming Wang nailed down the postseason spot with a terrific 6 inning outing, giving up just 2 runs and scattering 7 hits. The victory gave Wang his 19th win of the season, matching last year’s win total. This is pretty impressive considering the time he missed in April.  Wang is one of the biggest reasons that the team was able to celebrate last night in Tampa. He was one of the five players to carry this team through a rough stretch, along with Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, The Great Jeter, and Andy Pettitte. Without those guys, the Yanks would have never been able to stay within striking distance when nobody else was playing. It was only fitting that Wang got to close the book on another triumphant season.

The offense, which saw a 5 run lead evaporate on Tuesday night, was not going to give the Rays a chance.  The Great Jeter was at the middle of things, as usual. His homer in the 4th tied the game at 1. It provided a spark which the Yankees rode to a 12 run night. The Great Jeter had 3 hits and 2 RBI’s. Johnny Damon and Jorge Posada joined him in the 3 hit club. Robinson Cano had a pair of hits and 5 RBI’s. Doug Mientkiewicz continued his remarkable September resurgence with 4 hits.

“Nobody believed in us,” is one of sports’ most tired cliches.  Under normal circumstances, those woulds would ring incredibly hollow from a $200 million team. However, it truly applies in this case. Pundits across the nation were giddy to write off the Yankees after a horrible start. They clearly influenced what already is a spoiled fanbase. These fans gave up on the club. They called for the team to be broken up. They even vehemently denounced Joe Torre and demanded his dismissal. Fortunately, Brian Cashman runs the team instead of a bunch of fans with knee-jerk reactions. Times of instability call for stability. Joe Torre was ripped for being too laid back, but his laid back nature kept this team calm when it easily could have pressed and dug itself into a deeper hole. Just read the comments by the players today discussing how much they adore Joe. This is a guy for which they would do anything. A manager who motivates his team like this and commands that kind of respect is a valuable commodity. The front office and the fans would do well to remember that, even if this is another short October.

Cashman also deserves his share of credit. He really did an awful job developing a bench over the offseason. However, he made up for it by rebuilding this team on the fly during the season. The one quality bench player the Yankees had going into the year was Melky Cabrera. For the second straight year, injuries forced Melky into a starting role, and Melky ended up providing the team with an enormous spark. Cashman clearly knew what he was doing when he refused to trade Cabrera over the offseason. Wilson Betemit and Jose Molina provided major boosts. Shelley Duncan infused this team with enthusiasm. Andy Phillips helped stabilize first base until Doug Mientkiewicz returned. Cashman also was not afraid to turn to youth in the pitching staff. Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy helped to fill what were gaping holes on the staff. Cashman has done a brilliant job rebuilding the farm system over the past few years. The fruits of his labor could not have come up bigger.

There are too many people deserving of praise to possibly fit them all into this spot, but it is only fair to make sure that a pair of valuable contributors no longer with the team get the credit they deserve. Miguel Cairo did a nice job holding down the first base position before Phillips won the job. He proved to be a valuable stopgap, and his intelligent and scrappy play is missed. Scott Proctor also played a role early in the year as one of the few reliable bullpen options Joe Torre had. It helps when a trustworthy reliever is as durable as Proctor. Joe could throw Scotty out there almost every day and expect a quality result. Those two are gone but not forgotten.

It has been a wild run, and there could be over a month left in it. This club has captured the heart of its fans. These guys are so easy to root for. Here is hoping that this team keeps it going for as long as possible because I do not want this dream season to end.

Devil Rays 6 Yankees 5 (10 Innings): JV Pitching Fails to Hold Lead

The Yankees lost their opener in Tampa Bay last night by a 6-5 score in 10 innings. The loss along with a Detroit win prevented New York from clinching a postseason spot. The Yankees also fell 3 behind Boston with 5 games to play. It is clear from the pitching moves made in this game that Joe Torre has decided to concede the division and get his team ready for October.

Kei Igawa got the start in place of Roger Clemens, who was scratched once again because of his balky hamstring. Igawa pitched stunningly well, pitching a shutout over 5 innings. Kei gave up just 2 hits, although he did walk 5. Igawa benefited from his defense, but he actually was able to escape trouble once he got into it. He also kept the Devil Rays in the ballpark. This start was not spectacular, but it did far surpass expectations. Once everybody in the rotation got healthy, New York had the luxury of sending Igawa down to the minors until he could figure things out. He responded, pitching very well in AAA. Is this a sign that he has turned the corner and has discovered how to pitch in the Majors? It would be crazy to say that after one decent start. The Yankees should not even consider sticking him onto the postseason roster. This will help Igawa’s confidence going into next season that he is on the right track. He looked like a completely different pitcher on the mound. If nothing else, this is going to make other teams optimistic that he can be successful in the Majors, which will enhance his offseason trade value. If the Yanks can get anything of value in return for this bad investment, it will be worth making a deal.

Edwar Ramirez and Brian Bruney combined to squander Igawa’s great work and a 5 run lead handed to them by Alex Rodriguez and The Great Jeter. The Great Jeter started the scoring in the 1st with an RBI double, and A-Rod extended the lead with a grand slam in the 3rd. It would have only been fitting if it was the dyanmic duo responsible for clinching a postseason spot. However, it was not to be for the pair of young, high upside relievers. They had an identical 0.1 inning, 1 hit, 2 walk, 3 run line. Edwar started the fire, and Bruney poured gasoline onto it, giving up a grand slam to Jorge Velandia, the 32 year old’s first career homer. Both men have the potential to be valuable parts of the 2008 bullpen, but they sure are taking their lumps right now. The Yankees said Edwar’s struggles had to do with a mechanical flaw they subsequently fixed. It seems that he is just worn out after a long season and not yet up to the challenge of Major League hitters. Ron Villone and Chris Britton combined for a perfect 1.1 innings to stabilize the game and solidify their respective campaigns to make the postseason roster.

Kyle Farnsworth had a good night, pitching a perfect inning, once again offering a glimpse of what he could be if he could ever get his head on straight. Jose Veras followed and pitched a dominating inning, displaying absolutely electric stuff. His fastball hit the upper 90’s and was complimented by a big slider. Like pretty much every young reliever outside of Joba Chamberlain, Veras only needs to develop consistent command to become a dominant reliever. This offered an indication of what he can do when things are working. The trick will be cutting down on his walks because he gives way too many free passes for a short reliever.

Jeff Karstens entered the game in the bottom of the 10th. He promptly gave up a walkoff homer to the first hitter he faced, former Yankee Dioner Navarro. Karstens has just been awful in the Majors this season. His ERA now sits at 11.05. While Jeff is not much of a prospect, a guy who throws three decent pitches with good control and Major League experience should at least pitch at the level of a fringe starter or solid long reliever. Things just have not gone his way this season. He has had an injury-plagued year where he cannot catch a break either in health or performance. The offseason will be a good mental break for him because right now he seems to have no confidence and is expecting things to go wrong. Nobody is expecting him to become a dominant starter, but with this nightmare season behind him, Jeff should at least be able to contribute something.

What can we take from this game? If anything, it is that Joe Torre is far more concerned about preparing his team for the postseason than how it gets into the dance. He did not use one pitcher who figures to play a prominent role in October. If Torre was desperate for the East title, Roger Clemens would have been asked to gut through, and either Mariano Rivera or Joba Chamberlain would have been on the mound instead of Karstens. It stinks that this likely will end the team’s reign atop the East, but if the Yankees take care of business like they should, nobody will remember who won the division. The Yanks probably should be a little more aggressive in trying to win the East. This is not to say that they should go all out, use starters in relief, get regulars no rest, and use Mariano Rivera three straight days, but the extra home game would sure be nice. There was no reason to not use Mo or Joba last night. In the end, though, it does not make that much of a difference. The Yankees have learned that the hard way from all the Wild Cards that have eliminated them in recent years.

Blue Jays 4 Yankees 1: A Flat Performance

The Yankees lost to Toronto yesterday in the final regular season game at Yankee Stadium in 2007. The loss gave the Blue Jays a split of the wraparound series. It also pushed Boston’s lead in the East to 2 with 6 left to play. The good news is that Detroit’s loss to Minnesota pushed New York’s postseason magic number to 1. If the Yankees win once more or the Tigers lose once more this regular season, the Yankees will be playing in October once again.

Andy Pettitte pitched much better than his numbers would indicate. The lefty gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 6 innings. Had he received any help from his defense, the Blue Jays would not have scored against him. Alex Rodriguez saw a grounder down the line skip by him in the 2nd for an RBI double. Had he made the play, the Blue Jays probably would have scored 0 instead of 3 runs that inning since the next hitter grounded out for what would have been the final out of the frame. Curtis Thigpen was given a hit, but A-Rod would be the first to admit that he should have made that play. The next inning, The Great Jeter booted a grounder with two outs and a man on third, allowing another Toronto run to score. Pettitte did all that he could, but his defense was his undoing.

The lineup looked just as stale as the fielders. Jesse Litsch pitched 7.2 innings of 1 run, 5 hit ball. He only started because A.J. Burnett was a late scratch. It seemed as if the Yankees relaxed, knowing that they would not have to face a pitcher with stuff as good as Burnett’s. They also had their ace pitching on a travel day. The bats did not show up for this game. It is one thing when Roy Halladay dominates a lineup. It is another when an offense goes anemic against Litsch. New York threatened him, but nobody could deliver the big hit that would remind this youngster that he was on the mound against a vaunted Yankees lineup in Yankee Stadium. There is no excuse for playing so poorly against a pitcher like that.

The Yankees now fly to Tampa Bay. Their 2 game deficit is not insurmountable,  but they are going to need Minnesota and Oakland to help them out a lot against Boston this week. The Yankees should be able to polish off the Devil Rays and the Orioles fairly easily. Roger Clemens gets the start in the opener. Once again, the Yanks need to see how he holds up after sustaining an injury. A poor outing will open up questions about the postseason rotation.

Yankees 7 Blue Jays 5: Another Moosterpiece

The Yankees beat the Blue Jays by a 7-5 score yesterday at Yankee Stadium. The win cut the postseason magic number to 2 and Boston’s lead in the American League East to 1.5 games.

Mike Mussina’s amazing run continued. The righty struggled in the 2nd inning, giving up 3 runs. That was all that Toronto would score against him. Moose took control of the game, retiring the last nine batters he faced. A month ago the thought of Mike in the postseason rotation would have been frightening. He seems to have refocused and reinvented himself since his September vacation. Roger Clemens is an enormous question mark right now, and the Yankees are not going to put Ian Kennedy on the mound unless he is completely healthy. New York does not have many options other than to turn to Moose. The funny thing is that Mike has probably pitched himself into the October rotation regardless based on his track record of success.

The offense immediately erased Moose’s 3 run hiccup in the 2nd by scoring 3 to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Jose Molina, Johnny Damon, and The Great Jeter all had RBI singles. Molina later added two more RBI hits. The Yankees have a backup catcher capable of pulling his own weight. In years past, Joe Torre could have never considered giving Jorge Posada a day off to get fresh this late in the season without significantly compromising the offense. Molina is nowhere near the hitter that Posada is, but he can at least resemble an adequate ninth hitter in there. Everybody else just moves up a slot. The Yankees have enough talented hitters to make this work. When Jose’s defense is added in, the Yankees can put him out there for a game and still not take a significant hit. This will keep Jorge fresher for the final week than he would have been.

Joba Chamberlain got a few new experiences. For the first time, he only got a single day of rest after pitching 2 innings. He also entered with men on base as Luis Vizcaino imploded in the 8th inning. A 7-3 game with the bases empty and 2 outs got to 7-5 with 2 runners on base. Joba handled the situation with ease, getting a strikeout. Chamberlain stayed on for the 9th and struck out a pair in a perfect frame to pick up his first career save. There was no doubt that he had the mettle to succeed against inherited runners and in the pressure of the 9th inning. The interesting thing is the change in the Joba Rules. Admittedly they were overprotective, but this is a terrific young arm adjusting to a new conditioning program. One can forgive the Yankees for going to extreme lengths to make sure Joba stayed healthy. Now that his arm is used to the relief role, New York can ease up a bit. They still would be wise to keep certain restrictions, though. A single day off should be sufficient after a 2 inning outing. The Yanks should still consider not pitching him in back to back games. Even if they decide to do so, they should at least make a provision that he not exceed a certain pitch count the day before. The Yankees are going to be tempted to throw Joba out there as often as possible because they are going to have a chance to win the World Series. The Joba Rules were created to eliminate this temptation. He has such a bright future in front of him. His career is much more important than any single game. The Yankees still need to show restraint. The provisions can be altered, but it would be the height of foolishness to discard them.

The Yankees finish their regular season home schedule against the Blue Jays today. It is a huge game for a few reasons. First, the Yankees can clinch a postseason spot with a win followed by a Detroit loss.This is also a critical game in the division race. Boston is off today. If the Yankees win, they are 1 back with 6 to play. A loss puts the team 2 back with 6 to go. There is an enormous difference between the two, given how little time remains in the season.

Yankees 12 Blue Jays 11 (10 Innings): Melky Wins Thriller

The Yankees kept their American League East deficit at 2.5 games and cut their postseason magic number to 3 with a 12-11 10 inning win against Toronto yesterday in the Bronx. The triumph was one of the season’s best. In overcoming a trio of Toronto leads, the Yankees again showed their amazing resiliency. In blowing three leads they also showed how weak their bullpen is after Rivera, Chamberlain, and Vizcaino. The fact that New York is winning games like this is a good sign. Everybody can remember last year’s postseason against Detroit, when the Yanks seemed done and listless whenever the Tigers went ahead.

Phil Hughes started the game for New York and kept himself in the mix for a postseason rotation spot. As has been the case with Hughes for most of the season, he pitched much better than his stat line would lead one to believe. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, but Toronto scored those 3 in the 4th inning on 4 hits, 3 of which were flairs that landed in the right spot. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this start was that it came after a 1:32 rain delay. It is often tough for young pitchers to keep their focus after such a long wait. Hughes showed a lot of focus and mental toughness in pitching as well as he did. Everybody knows how much adversity there is in October. This was a good test to see how Hughes held up in a difficult situation. He passed with flying colors.

The lineup again showed a dogged determination. Robinson Cano, Jason Giambi, and Bobby Abreu were the only starters not to register a hit. They also were the only starters not to register at least 2 hits. Alex Rodriguez twice had go-ahead hits on his way to a 4 hit, 3 RBI day. Melky Cabrera was even better. He had 3 hits. The first was a 2 run single in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game. The second was another game-tying 2 run single in the bottom of the 8th. The third was a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 10th. Melky’s day symbolized the way that this team has been playing. He was 0 for 4 entering the 7th inning, but he shook off failure and delivered when he his team needed it. No deficit has been too great for this team to overcome all season long. The terrible start did not. The seemingly insurmountable hole a week ago at Fenway Park did not. Their bullpen constantly deflating them yesterday did not either. These guys are grinders. Even with a postseason spot well in hand, they battle for all 27 outs.

That bullpen could not have been worse. Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, and Kyle Farnsworth all have great stuff. Veras and Ramirez actually may make good on that stuff one day after they get a chance to fully adjust to Major League hitters. Farnsworth has had years to do so and failed. None of the three should pitch in critical spots if the Yanks can avoid it. The trio got 4 outs and gave up 8 runs on 7 hits. Joe Torre’s hands were tied yesterday. He had to use the backend of the bullpen after using up his best in a 14 inning game on Friday night. There should be no plans to give any of them an increased role.

There were some bright spots. Ron Villone is pitching his way back into the postseason roster discussion. He retired both hitters he faced a night after pitching a shutout inning. Ross Ohlendorf got his first action in a tight game and put down his only hitter. Chris Britton also retired the only man he faced. Mariano Rivera pitched a typical shutout inning. Jeff Karstens was shaky, giving up 2 hits and needing his defense to bail him out, but did register the first win in what has been a lost season for him by pitching a shutout 10th inning. Ohlendorf is very green, and Karstens has the stuff of a fifth starter/long reliever. Villone’s experience and Britton’s ability should make both options to round out the bullpen in October if both pitch well in the final week of the season. There will be games when the Yanks need to go beyond the Rivera/Chamberlain/Vizcaino trio in the postseason. With all of the injuries to the starting pitching, the Yanks may not be able to convert any starter into a reliever for next month. Britton and Villone might be the best options out there. This is the time to ride the hot hand because there is a good chance that hand will stay hot until the end of the season.

Mike Mussina will try to continue his resurgence today. He will be up against Dustin McGowan. With Roger Clemens and Ian Kennedy suddenly question marks, the Yanks need Moose to continue what he has done lately. Beyond that, the postseason is within smelling distance now. This is the time to finish Detroit off. As the Yanks learned in 2004, it is never good to give a defeated opponent life.