JOBA PITCHING TO IMPRESS
Joba’s stuff is biting tonight, I think he is trying to impress those 4 blonds sitting in the first row almost directly behind home plate, one row in front of former mayor Giuliani. I am just trying to analyze from every possible perspective.
A-Rod goes deep! That must mean Kate Hudson is there, too.
All things considered, sounds like a good night to be at The Stadium 
Update (Bot 5th): The top of the 5th was huge for Joba’s bid to start in the playoffs. Recently, he would have let those two runs in and maybe even compounded the damage. Instead, he really bore down and demonstrated the value of power pitching, which the Yankees have plenty of. As we know, power pitching dominates in October. This looks more like the Joba we saw right after the All Star break.
Joba’s Line: 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 walk, 5 Ks, 3 earned. If our Game 4 starter can deliver that, I think Joe Girardi would take it in a heartbeat. Hopefully Joba is getting back to being in a groove, and this outing should help build confidence.
Running Wild: Stealing a base off Varitek is like taking candy from a baby. This team isn’t full of burners, but the Yankees have baserunners savvy enough to take bags off noodle-armed catchers like “Tek.”
A-Rod’s Cycle Progress: Now only needing the triple – the hardest one to get – to achieve the cycle. God bless Kate Hudson. The team should vote her a World Series share if they win it.
THRILLING NO MATTER WHAT
Though this series will do little to alter playoff itineraries, this weekend offers the two rivals one last look at each other before a potential higher-stakes meeting in October: like heavyweight boxers feeling each other out in the early rounds before the big blows are thrown.
For the Yankees, they have a chance to clinch the AL East in front of their hated rivals with a sweep of this series. If they are able to break out the brooms, it would incredibly bring the season series to a tie after the Yankees began 0-8 against Boston.
The start by Joba is huge tonight. If he throws well, maybe he is on the LCS (knock on wood) roster to start Game 4 if they match up with the Red Sox. Like Gaudin against the Angels on Tuesday, this is a chance for Chamberlain to make his case. Sabathia I’m less concerned for, as he has done well against Boston this year. Pettitte we just need to be healthy, because we know he’ll be reliable in the playoffs.
Right now, the Yankee Universe is in harmony. Aside from a few bumps and bruises that should be healed in time for the postseason, the Yankees are a healthy team that should be able to kick the tires on their postseason as prepared and as ready as you could expect. The fourth starter is a minor issue as well, but with the potential for rainouts creating extra off-days (these games are played later in the year than usual), and depending on how rested the bullpen is and how good the middle relief is pitching, you may only have to use your 4th starter in limited innings, if Girardi can play his cards right.
This series, despite the inevitability of the standings, is still a Yankees vs. Red Sox battle, and therefore demands drama and excitement no matter what the circumstances. Pride is always on the line between these two. Plus, as fans, we can always hope for a few fireworks, too. Maybe Joba buzzes Youkilis’ tower once… or twice. It’s always worth a laugh seeing that guy fall down.
OFF DAY DOLDRUMS
Pick Your Poison: While Boston faces Kansas City tonight, the Yankees are inactive, still savoring the juices of their series win against the Angels. As the Bombers wait for Boston to roll into town – which I hope comes sometime around the crack of dawn – there is little else to be decided in the playoff picture around baseball. The only division in dispute is the AL Central, with Detroit leading Minnesota by 2.5 games. The Twins have a series left at Comerica Park, which could decide the Central. Who do you guys want to see win that division? As you know, if we hang on to the East, our opponent will be the Central champion the way things stand. Personally, I’m pulling for the Twins for several reasons. For starters, the Bombers lead the season series 7-0. Justin Morneau is out for the year. Perhaps the biggest reason is the difference in starting pitching between the two clubs. Baker, Blackburn and Liriano just doesn’t sound as intimidating as Verlander, Porcello and Jackson (Especially with Verlander taking the ball twice in a five game series).
Weekend Warriors: Will this series live up to the usual expectations of a Yankees-Red Sox clash? With the East locked up (don’t kid yourself, with 9 games left it’s safe), this series seems a mere formality given that both these teams will be in October. Still, there is value in this weekend. For the Yankees, it is important to maintain their confidence against Boston and they also have the chance to clinch the East while their rivals are forced to watch from the visiting dugout. If Boston loses tonight in KC, it only takes a series win to accomplish that. If Boston wins tonight, the Yankees will need to sweep in order to pop the bubbly.
WAKE ME UP, I MUST BE DREAMING!
Magic Number down to 5: A series win in Anaheim? When was the last time that happened? You have to go all the way back to May of 2004. This was a great series for the Yankees. They benefited from winning a couple of squeakers, but those are the types of games you have to win in October: close, low-scoring affairs. Now, they’ve proved to themselves they can do it and – most importantly – do it in Los Angeles.
Momentum: Last night’s game was critical to finishing off the series win today. The Yankees almost let that game slip away, and if they had blown that game, it might have sent them deeper into their despair of playing in Los Angeles. Instead, they did to the Angels what the Angels usually do to the Yankees. I believe last night was huge for their confidence, and we saw instant dividends today when they came out and won another tight ballgame, holding off more of those famous Angel rallies. You can’t underestimate just how important this series win is for the Yankees if they run into Los Angeles in the ALCS (knock on wood). This team absolutely needed to gain confidence at Angels Stadium, and today they may have done just that.
A.J. A-O.K. IN L.A.: It is so nice to see Burnett pitching well again. I was getting pretty concerned – as I’m sure the rest of you were – about A.J. heading into the playoffs while still struggling, but his last two starts have been great. He had a win stolen from him in Seattle and picked up a win today. He has also been striking out a ton of hitters lately, including 11 today. Power pitching is directly correlated with postseason success, and with Sabathia and Burnett, and even Pettitte, the Yankees have that capability. Let’s hope Burnett turns these two good outings into a streak so he can go into the postseason hot. Remember how dominant he was when he went on that streak in July? He was in the zone! You can’t deny that when A.J. has everything working and can locate the fastball, he simply can’t be touched.
Consider This: If Boston loses either tonight or tomorrow against Kansas City, the Yankees could clinch the American League East title at home, this weekend, in front of the Red Sox by taking 2 out of 3 games. What could be sweeter than that?
Conspiracy Theory: Did anyone notice if Kate Hudson was in the house? I’m telling you, when she’s there we seem to win a lot. I don’t have the capabilities to create a stat for this. Somebody get me Bill James on the line.
THE KATE HUDSON EFFECT?
The boys at the Elias Sports Bureau need to check A-Rod’s numbers when Kate Hudson is in the house… She was there tonight and what did he do? Belt a homer, save 3 runs with a diving stop, and knock in the game winner. Numbers don’t lie.
ALTERNATE ENDING
Yankees 6, Angels 5
For awhile, this game took on the familiar look of the past few trips to Los Angeles: Yankees go up early, Angels fight back – stringing together 2 out hits the entire way – and steal the game from the bullpen. However, tonight we got the ending we aren’t used to, but the one that we’ve wanted! This could be a huge confidence booster for the Yankees. There were a lot of heroes in this one on the Yankees side. A-Rod knocked in three and saved three with his glove. Gardner proved his value once again, as he is the fastest man in baseball. Gaudin gave us a chance to win, and Hughes and Rivera were great as well. We also can’t forget Jorge for his homer and throwing out Willits in the 9th. This was an exciting game to watch and now we can all get some sleep tonight! Rest easy, the Bombers are returning to the playoffs.
GAME THREAD: YANKEES VS. THEIR DADDIES
Here we go again, another walk through hell in a gasoline suit, or at least that’s what it’s comparable to. This is the kind of game where I have a knot in my stomach from the first pitch. Even if the Bombers score some early runs, you know the Angels aren’t going to go away. All in all, it makes for a very nervous game. But, we’d better get used to that, because playoffs are right around the corner (knock on wood, let’s clinch today so I can stop doing that).
Gaudin > Joba: Dreamers head to Los Angeles with aspirations of becoming Hollywood stars and getting their names on a marquee. Though he’s hardly an aspiring actor living out of his car, Chad Gaudin has the chance to prove tonight that his name belongs on a marquee in October which pronounces him the Game 4 probable. This obviously is due to the growing lack of confidence and mistrust in Joba Chamberlain. Joe Girardi criticized Joba and said he expects better results out of him, and Brian Cashman went as far as saying that Chamberlain’s spot on the postseason roster is not guaranteed.
Since I’ll be watching Gaudin’s performance closely tonight, I’ll stick around here and do a game thread. This is my first attempt at one of these. Hey, we may even run with the Star Wars theme some more, after all, we are the “Evil Empire,” so let’s embrace it.
And yes, we’ll be crushing checking in on the Rebellion Red Sox, monitoring them closely from the Death Star on MLB.com Gameday.
Yankees Lineup:
1. Derek Jeter SS
2. Johnny Damon LF
3. Mark Teixeira 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Hideki Matsui DH
6. Jorge Posada C
7. Robinson Cano 2B
8. Nick Swisher RF
9. Brett Gardner CF
(Courtesy Peter Abraham’s LoHud Blog)
Top 2nd in KC: Wow, the Royals jump all over Paul Byrd, scoring 5 runs without the courtesy of an extra base hit! Ironic, as earlier today I referred to Chad Gaudin as a pitcher out of the Paul Byrd mold. Let’s hope Chad fares better. Even better news: the Royals have Grienke on the mound tonight! I’ll hold off on celebrating just yet, however, as the Red Sox know how quickly a big lead can disappear after letting a 6-0 lead go last night en route to a loss. Boston is tough in their custom-fit ballpark and against the Washington Generals Baltimore Orioles, but put them out on the road, and they struggle.
Bot 7th in KC: Six innings later, we have the same score in KC, which is great news! Grienke scattered 2 hits and 3 walks over 6 scoreless innings. Now the game rests with the Royals pen, needing just 2 more innings to close it out, and KC is rallying with 2 on and 0 out right now. “I got a feeling – woo hoo – that tonight’s gonna be a good night.” Honestly, not the biggest Black Eyed Peas fan, although I do like Fergie…
Top 1st in LA: Win and you’re in, Yankees! No other team has clinched a playoff spot yet, the Bombers could be the first (knock on wood). A-Rod, you have to put the ball in play with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 down! Fundamentals! The Angels are who they are because they are proficient in those situations. Teams that want to go far into October execute.
Mid 1st in LA: Not the start we’d hoped for. The bad news is the Yankees are on pace to strand 27 runners as a team tonight. The good news is, those projections never seem to hold up. Back with more later.
Top 3rd in LA: A-Rod absolutely crushed that ball! And now Jorge! Back to back homeruns of the 2-run variety! And, as you probably know by now, Boston is already a loser to Kansas City tonight, so our Magic Number stands at 7 to claim the East.
Top 4th in LA: Congrats, Derek, on yet another 200-hit season.
Mid 5th in LA: This Yankee team can bomb with the best of them. 5-0, all coming on the longball. Michael Kay is right, you can’t rely on homeruns in October.
Bot 5th in LA: This is unreal! This is the same game played over and over. How can you not feel like this game is already lost when we’ve seen it play out like this against the Angels time after time after time. The Angels are out of this world with 2 outs! They always score with 2 outs! Come on bullpen!
Mid 5th in LA: Alfredo Aceves deserves every single one of those 10 wins he got by coming in with 2 outs in the 5th.
Bot 5th in LA: Here we go again. Same old story, same old song and dance, my friends.
Bot 5th in LA: You should be out if you lose the bat and it hits the catcher. Get me the MLB rules committee on the phone.
Bot 8 in OAK: Yankees will clinch either way tonight with Texas getting trounced. Yankees need to pull through tonight, otherwise we have to say we backed into the playoffs.
Bot 7 in LA: Hughes in the 7th? I’m a little surprised. Of course, in the playoffs, I can definitely see why the Yankees would want him available to pitch two innings. Phil can make the bridge to Mariano just a little bit longer.
Bot 8 in LA: Deja Vu.
Top 9 in LA: That is why Gardner is so valuable in a close game late. Big props to A-Rod for getting that run in. Lets go, Mo!
Bot 9 in LA: Wow. A game like that had to have a dramatic finish, I guess. Well done, Yankees. That was a huge win!
NEARLY ONE MONTH AGO…
Since I just started this blog a few days ago, I am going to retroactively post pictures from my trip to Fenway Park last month to cheer on CC Sabathia and the Yankees as they faced off against Beckett in the rubber match of a three game series. This was the ESPN Sunday Night game and it was a classic.
Plate conference
Captain’s leadoff homerun (first pitch!)
In Mariano We Trust
Rivera closes it out
Yankees win!
Five Yankee homeruns off Beckett!
Going home happy!
ANGELS OUR DEMONS
Wake Me Up When September Ends: This nightmare continues to get worse. Awful road trip. No confidence against the Angels. Doesn’t get any easier tomorrow against Santana. The Phils and Mo are rested, here’s to hoping we see them.
Bright Side: Magic Number goes down one tonight, now stands at just eight.
In Gaudin We Trust: “Alright, meat, show us what you got.” If the Yankees reach the ALCS (knock on wood), the Angels are a potential opponent. Gaudin is essentially auditioning for a Game 4 start. On Monday, Girardi criticized Joba and mentioned Gaudin as a candidate to step in and fill that role. It will be interesting, as always, to see what the Yankees do with Joba. Personally, I’m a fan of Gaudin. He sports a decent ERA and is more steady than Joba. If Gaudin can go out and maybe spread a couple runs over 6 innings or so and give the Yankees offense a chance to win, I think Joe Girardi would opt for that over a shaky Joba. It seems like Joba is a better candidate to let a game get ugly early. Gaudin’s start tomorrow should give us a better idea though.
Killer Angels: What is it about this Angels club that makes them immortal against New York? This is starting to get ridiculous! It’s unreal how one-sided this matchup has been over the years! I am struggling to process it. If the Angels played a 162 game schedule exclusively against the Yankees: Howie Kendrick would bat .421 with 62 homeruns and about 205 RBI and win the triple crown, Joe Saunders and John Lackey would win 29 games each and Brian Fuentes would set a new saves record. On the flip side, the Yankees would fail to break the Mendoza line as a team, they’d strand a record number of people on base and each starter would sport a losing record.
Lesser Of Two Evils: Maybe I shouldn’t be looking this far in advance, but if we advance to the ALCS (knock on wood), who would we prefer to play? Clearly the Angels are immune to the Yankees in every way. On the flip side, would you want Boston to advance, increasing their odds to win a World Series (WORST NIGHTMARE)? Do we match up better with Boston or LA? I would prefer to see the Angels get rid of the Red Sox. I mean, why even give them the chance? Plus, this year I want to see the Yankees exorcise their Angel demons. With four quality teams in the AL (yes, Verlander’s Tigers too), any ALCS matchup is going to be epic! I CAN’T WAIT FOR PLAYOFFS TO START! (Knock on wood, technically we’re still a game away from clinching.)
I BLAME MLB SCHEDULE MAKERS
Is this the Yankees fourth trip to the West Coast? Pretty sure it is. What bad timing for a trip out to the left coast.
Game Summary: Angels never strand runners in scoring position. Ever. On the other hand, Yankees have the ability to come up with untimely horrible at-bats. This would consist of hitting a tailor made double play ball at every possible opportunity.
Bright Side: For his first start in what seems like an eternity, Pettitte knocked the rust off early, and actually has pitched pretty well (and we aren’t using Joba’s definition of a good start), considering it’s a road start, the Yankees are in a funk and the Angels have a great lineup.
BOS 9, KC 12: What a stunner in KC and the Royals stage a furious rally after trailing 6-0. Would be nice to see the Yanks rally, lock up a berth and gain a game. Maybe we can get some of that 9 pm Pacific Standard Time lightnin’.
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