A strange universe for the Yankees

The Yankees have just finished a playoff series and are getting ready to hit the golf course.
And their year ended in Bizarro World manner.

Who fizzled for the Yankees?
CC Sabathia did.
So did Jeter for the most part. And Teixeira. And A-Rod. And Swisher.

Who came through in the clutch?
That would be A. J. Burnett.

The Yankees outhit the Tigers and had an ERA 2 runs lower than the Tigers... and yet lost the series.

Strange days indeed... most peculiar mamma.

The Greatest Last Day of the Season... the Worst First Day of the Post Season

After a mindbogglingly amazing (if agonizing for Red Sox fans) finale to the season, I thought "Man, if this is what the playoffs are going to be like then October is going to be incredible."

Well if tonight was any indication of how it is going to unfold, then this post season will be the biggest let down of anything that didn't have Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the title.

Yeah it was cool that Matt Moore had his second ever big league start in the playoffs and he dominated the Defending American League Champs. But guess what? The game was a snooze fest.

And off to New York for the best game 1 match up of the year and we get one inning... and rain.
Enough rain to call the damn game.

Enough rain to make Verlander vs. Sabathia into Nova vs. Fister.
Enough rain to make the Yankees and Tigers waste their ace over one inning.

If the rain was that bad in the second, why start the game in the first?
Is this the 2008 World Series all over again?

The thing that made me pick the Tigers for the Division Series was the idea of Verlander pitching twice. I expected him to go deep in each game... deeper than one.

Personally I would start Verlander in Game 2.
Make someone do a double take to see him starting Game 1 and 2 of the playoffs.

I better see some closer games and closer inspection of the weather report tomorrow.
It's supposed to rain tomorrow. I hope they don't get 2 innings in and push it to Sunday.

Come on CC! Have ONE more bad outing in you

The Red Sox could very well be handing the Cy Young Award to Justin Verlander this year.

Why?

Because CC Sabathia has been so terrific against every other team except the Red Sox.

His numbers are Cy Young contender worthy.

17-7 record. 2.99 ERA. 205 innings pitched. 4th in the league in strikouts with 191.



But his WHIP and BAA fall far short.

And I wonder how much of that (plus his ERA which is good but not top 5) is due to his rancid 0-4 record against the Red Sox with a big fat 7.20 ERA.



If he were merely mediocre against the Sox he'd be a 19 game winner among the league leaders of ERA and maybe a few more strikeouts thrown in there.



Now the law of averages say that Sabathia will be good today.

And the Yankees are facing John Lackey, so his performance will probably be filed under "Who the hell knows?"



That being said...

One more Sabathia loss would not only mean the Magic Number for the Division would be 26 going into September...



Not only mean that the favorable match ups of Beckett vs. Hughes and Lester vs. Burnett would finish the series...



Not only give the Red Sox a 2 1/2 game lead (2 in the loss column over the Yankees)...



But put the ole "We're just not as good" doubt in the Yankees cranium.



That's always a good thing.

Let's play ball.

Neither the Yankees nor Red Sox are winning the AL Pennant

Casual baseball fan complain that the Red Sox and Yankees are in the World Series every year.

And they are right when you don't include 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 in recent years.



But they were ancient history. The Red Sox and Yankees spend the most. They have the best records in the AL and beat up AL West teams last week including the Division Leading Defending AL Champion Texas Rangers.



So it looks like the commuter lane has opened for either the big bad Yankees or the obnoxious Red Sox Nation to be playing deep into October.



Well, I'm not seeing it.

It smells a LOT like 2005 here.



The Yankees are beating up inferior teams and their bats are back. But have you noticed in back to back nights the pitching has let up 9 runs.



CC Sabathia is a great #1 work horse who is having a fine season but hardly last year's Cy Young caliber effort. He has been better than average in the second half and eating up innings. But his August ERA is almost 5. And he not ALL of his bad outings have been against the Red Sox.



After Sabathia, Ivan Nova has had a good year and has picked up the slack in August. But who knows how he will be in the post season. Freddy Garcia has been a savior in the rotation but do you trust his off speed stuff against the Red Sox, Tigers or Rangers bats in October?



Phil Hughes has been brilliant in some games and yet has an ERA over 6. That tells you what he is usually like. He put together some nice starts in a row and then let up 6 runs in less than 3 innings against a not very impressive A's line up.



And A. J. Burnett may get a mysterious injury soon... the kind that claimed Javier Vasquez last year. Tonight's fiasco put his ERA at 5.31. It's late August. That isn't a small sample size!



Yeah their lineup is better now, especially with Jeter back to being a .300 hitter and A-Rod back. But big bats don't advance in the playoffs. Deep pitching does. And if Sabathia is just ordinary they are putting a LOT of pressure on Ivan Nova.



And before anyone accuses me of being a Red Sox partisan here trashing the Yankees, I am including the Red Sox in this mess.



Some days the Red Sox look like world beaters. Other days they look like Egg Beaters.



They can hit with anyone and no doubt Jon Lester and Josh Beckett are as good a 1-2 punch in the AL Playoffs.



And the combination of Eric Bedard, Andrew Miller, Tim Wakefield and John Lackey make the #3 and #4 holes iffy at best and "Oh dear Lord make it stop" at worst.



As the playoffs stand right now, the Yankees would get the Rangers... who have a super deep if not spectacular pitching staff and whose lineup would crush any pitcher NOT named Sabathia.



And if Sabathia is just ordinary in the playoffs, the Yankees exit might be fast.



The Red Sox would draw the Tigers. And Verlander's presence on the team would negate Jon Lester in Game 1... and Game 5 for that matter. Meaning the Red Sox would be in a MUST WIN for Games 2, 3 and 4.



Did I mention their 3rd and 4th starters are questionable?



Doug Fister vs. John Lackey in Game 3 at Detroit. Who would you pick?



I'm not saying the Tigers and the Rangers aren't without their flaws. But they have less to lose. Despite the Rangers being the defending Champs and the Tigers trying to make up for the collapse in 2009, all the pressure is on the Red Sox and Yankees to advance.



And here we sit in late August, and I can't help but think "The ALCS could be Detroit vs. Texas."



And casual baseball fans next year will say "I'm sick of the Red Sox and Yankees every year."

10-4 Good Buddy

I DVRed today's game after spending the day hiking with my family and then going to the beach. And when I came back, I had no idea what had happened. John Lackey could have thrown a perfect game. Sabathia could have struck out 26. Jeter could have reached 4,000 hits.

So I was a smidge nervous starting the game. Sox and Yankee games can go a long long time. And this one was slower than Big Papi running to first on a routine grounder.

I will admit. Yesterday's game was kind of boring.

AND I DON'T CARE!!!
I needed a nice, sound 10-4 win.
The Sox beat up Sabathia again. (They lose with Lester and win with Lackey. Go figure.)

Ellsbury continues to make his case for MVP.

And the Sox are back in first place, albeit tied.

So I get to be a good family man and enjoy my Sox too.

Go for not only the series tomorrow but the SEASON series as well. And I will be watching THAT live!

10 Reasons the Red Sox and Yankees Rivalry is still cool

Two recent champions are squaring off tonight. Two proud franchises who have memorably faced off in the LCS have some scores to settle. Two baseball crazed fan bases eagerly are watching the games this weekend seeing what will hopefully be a preview for the 2011 LCS. With stars on each side this weekend’s series is THE series to watch.

And the Red Sox and Yankees are also playing.

Of course the match up I was referring to in the first paragraph was the Giants and Phillies series, which has a little more electricity than the Red Sox and Yankees series.

Cliff Lee’s complete game gem last night gave the series an early boost. If baseball had ANY sense, they would be promoting the hell out of Philadelphia and San Francisco’s friction as a cool new rivalry for the 2010s.

But guess what?
Red Sox and Yankees still have a few sparks in them.

Here are 10 things that are cool about Red Sox vs. Yankees in 2011.

1. It’s Cano’s Yankees and Ellsbury’s Red Sox

Both Robinson Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury were young members of their teams most recent World Series titles. But this year, both players are standing center stage as the identity of the teams going into the new decade. And showing with a game that includes speed, power and defense they are complete players. And with a look at their lean physiques, they are the face of a ‘roid free era.


2. Granderson and Gonzalez want in!

The Yankees have brought in one of the truly good guys in all of baseball when they acquired Curtis Granderson from the Tigers. The Red Sox picked up one of the great players you never heard of from San Diego in Adrian Gonzalez. New blood gives the rivalry a nice boost. Both of their next rings will be their first. Good solid veterans deserve titles.



3. The last time for some familiar faces

When the Yankees and Red Sox played in the 1999 ALCS, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were all on the Yankees roster. Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield were in uniform as well. All 5 are still there. Wouldn’t it be something if they played for the pennant in 3 different decades?

(Yes I know that Wakefield wasn’t on the active roster for the 1999 ALCS, but you get my point.)



4. Yup they are still there too.

Since 2004, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez have been linked to something a little less savory than team spirit to boost up their numbers. Are they both clean now? Well at least we know they being tested. Will they savor a post “getting busted” ring? You can bet on that. (Don’t REALLY bet on it, A-Rod.)



5. The Padding of Sabathia, Lester and Beckett’s resumes
Jon Lester and CC Sabathia are two of the top left handed aces in the American League. Lester won a World Series clincher. Sabathia was an LCS MVP. Beckett? He spits on those credits. He was a World Series MVP for one team, an LCS MVP for another and threw a complete game shutout to clinch a World Series… IN Yankee Stadium! Another big October for them and they can call themselves some of the best post season arms in their era… something that comes in handy if they want to make a case for Cooperstown.


6. Alfredo Aceves wants to join an elite group

Ramiro Mendoza, Johnny Damon and Eric Hinske are the only three living people to play in the post season with a World Champion Red Sox and Yankee team. If the Red Sox win the 2011 World Series, add Alfredo Aceves to the list.

He seems like a nice guy.

He should have that distinction.


7. For all the complaining, there still seems to be a lot of Red Sox and Yankees fans out there

Remember how everyone said they were sick of American Idol? I was bored with it after Simon Cowell left. And everyone was saying how it was dead. And yet it was consistently the top rated show. So SOMEONE must have been interested.

Watch a Red Sox and Yankees ALCS get amazing ratings and become the talk of sports… even if the talk is people saying “I am so SICK of these two teams that I watched every game!”


8. It’s a new decade!

The Red Sox Yankees rivalry had its sparks in the 1940s and 1950s. The 1960s? Not so much. The 1970s? It seemed like a fever pitch. The 1980s? It was muted. The 1990s? It was rekindled. The 2000s? It reached Armageddon. It’s a new decade. We need new clips for the montages!

9. Hey. They are STILL the best teams in the American League!

Sure the Rangers are the defending champs and have a super deep pitching staff and solid line up. But as of this typing, the Sox and Yankees are tied for the best record in the American League. You can’t say the rivalry is dead when it is, statistically between the two best records with the most fans. You want YOUR teams to have a better rivalry? Win more games.

10. The Rivalry is Evolving

The Red Sox and Yankees rivalry used to be the proverbial “Lawn Mower versus Grass” match up. The Red Sox would get great players and put up a fight, but the chant 1918 had teeth. Then 2004 turned the tables on the Yankees and suddenly Red Sox fans had a come back.

Both teams have recent World Series titles. Both teams have had superstars tainted by steroids. Both teams have had euphoric wins and heart breaking losses. In other words the Red Sox and Yankees are entering new territory. Perhaps not equality, but in this century, the two teams each have two World Series titles and two LCS face plants.

We’re seeing the two franchises like we have never seen them before.
No more curses.
No more crying over grandparents graves.

Just baseball.

Guess what?
That’s worth watching!

So trash Red Sox and Yankees all you want.
Me?
I’m watching it.

Sabathia's perfect game was broken up

I hope my post had nothing to do with the perfect game and no hitter being broken up.

HEY! CC SABATHIA IS THROWING A PERFECT GAME!

Did you see that Sabathia is throwing a perfect game?
That's amazing.

Perfect Games are very hard to get.

I wonder if Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia will complete the perfect game.

I hope nobody puts a hex on Sabathia's perfect game by mentioning that he has a Perfect Game.

I don't say it often, but Thank You Tampa

Normally I'm not very happy when the Rays win. I'm not a Rays fan and frankly I don't want them getting TOO good. They can pass the Yankees, but I'm not looking for a repeat of 2008!

That being said, anytime CC Sabathia throws a solid complete game and LOSES is a good day for me.

The Sox are now 2 games ahead of the Yankees and heading back home to face the Mariners.

The Magic number?
65.

I got whiplash from this game

No part of me thought the Red Sox were winning this game tonight.

Even going into it, I thought it was a "House Money" game. The Red Sox had won the first two games. Mission Accomplished. The goal should always be to take 2 out 3 in a series. And doing that on the road is an added bonus.

Doing it in the Bronx is sublime. So I literally felt no pressure going into tonights game. I figured the Sox had beaten CC before and Beckett looked great against the Yankees this year... so the law of averages said that Sabathia was going to win.

So the worst case scenario had a virtual tie for first place.
And secretly when I saw the game was delayed so long for rain, I thought "Ah just call it, make it a 2 game sweep and have Beckett start tomorrow in Toronto.

And when the game was 2-0 in the 7th and it was like 4 AM or something stupid in New York, I thought "Christ, I can't blame the bats for being asleep. The PLAYERS should be asleep and taking a flight north of the border!"

Then it happened. Ortiz, who was plunked earlier, got a meaningless hit. And Lowrie got what should have been a double down the line but Nick Swisher, clearly rattled from his shower with Papelbon, booted it into a triple and I thought Ortiz was not going to make it home. He looked as out of shape as one of those fat dudes riding a cart around the shopping mall.

Yet he scored. And the parade began. It was startling. It was "Marlins taking the lead after the Bartman play"-esque where one minute there was a pitcher dominating to a win... the next minute the game was out of hand for the other side.

A transition that fast usually gives someone the bends.

And oh yeah, the capper was Ortiz driving that 2 run double.

I wrote earlier in the week that I didn't care about beanballs and retaliation. I hoped the Red Sox just focused on winning.

Not only did they win... not only did they sweep them... not only did they embarrass each starting pitcher... but Papi got the last laugh.

He kicked their ass and stole their lunch.

And I get to update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 19

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)
May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)
May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

May 9 - 2-1 win against the Twins. (A bullpen breakdown cost Beckett the decision but Cark Crawford ended the game with an 11th inning walk off hit.)
May 13 - 5-4 win in the Bronx. (Youkilis homers off of Joba and Bard and Papelbon make it more interesting than it needed to be.)
May 15 - 7-5 win in the Bronx. (Sox fall behind 4-1 but come back as Youk, Papi and Salty all homer.)
May 16 - 8-7 win against the Orioles. (Down 6-0 after 6 innings, the Sox rally and win it with a 2 run walk off double by Adrian Gonzalez)
May 18 - 1-0 win against Detroit. (With 2 outs in the 8th, Salty doubles home Crawford from first for the only run. Papelbon gets himself in and out of 9th inning trouble.)
May 19 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Bard blows Beckett's lead but Carl Crawford wins it with a walk off hit.)
May 24 - 4-2 win in Cleveland. (Varitek throws two runners out and homers as the Red Sox win their first game against the Indians.)
May 29 - 4-3 win in Detroit. (The Red Sox blow an early 3-0 lead but David Ortiz wins the game with a pinch 9th inning homer.)
June 3 - 8-6 win against Oakland. (Buchholz lets up 4 runs in the first but the Sox come back thanks to Carl Crawford's 2 run single.)
June 4 - 9-8 win against Oakland. (Red Sox blow a 4 run 9th inning lead and trail in the 11th before Ellsbury ties it and Drew wins it in 14.)
June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.)
June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 16

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)
April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)
May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)
May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)
May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)
May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)
May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)
June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

+3.

This game was truly the $20 bill in your jacket you forgot you had.

Sox are in first place alone.
Ahead of the Yankees in the win column and fewer losses in the loss column.

Not bad for a night I was convinced they were going to lose.

NORTH OF THE BORDER IS NEXT!

I hate to say "I told you so"... no wait! I LOVE saying "I told you so"

10 days ago I wrote a blog post... basically calling Joe Girardi's pitching rotation for the ALCS insane.

I thought that lining up the rotation so Sabathia would not be available to pitch Game 7, flip flopping Hughes and Pettitte so Andy faced Cliff Lee and throwing A. J. Burnett in Game 4 gave the Rangers a clear and almost unfair advantage in Games 3, 4 and 7.

In other words, Girardi had set up the rotation so the Yankees had no margin for error in Games 1, 2, 5 and 6.

I said that Sabathia needed to throw games 1, 4 and 7. (Spare me the "he's tired" act. He had thrown 6 innings over 2 weeks.)

They needed Pettitte to throw game 2 (because he was their second best option) and start A. J. Burnett against Cliff Lee (consolidating their miserable match ups).

Hughes (available for bullpen work in Games 1 and 2) would be on full rest for Game 5... Pettitte 6 and Sabathia 7th.

Instead they sent out the mismatched 3 and 4 games and lost by a combination of 18-3 in those two games.

The fact that the Yankees were outscored 31-6 in the four losses shows that the pitching kinda sorta favored the Yankees.

It didn't have to be that bad.

I told them so.

10 thoughts about Game 4 of the 2010 ALCS

Thought 1: A. J. Burnett wasn't good.

There will be some defenders of his outing... that he was effective until the 6th inning and that he pitched better than expected.

But let's get down to brass tacks. It was only his jaw droppingly low expectations that made this game look good by comparison.

6 innings, 5 runs, 6 hits and 3 walks is not a good line. That is a 7.50 ERA.

They needed a quality start. They didn't get one.

Thought 2: After throwing out the first pitches, Girardi should have seen if Tino Martinez and Bernie Williams could stay in the lineup.

Isn't the total lack of pop from the Yankees startling? Take away the 5 run outburst in Game 1, and the Yankees have scored 6 runs total in the series.

Thought 3: Maybe Mariano Rivera is a better 9th than Sergio Mitre

I could be wrong about that. For the second straight day, the scrubs of the Yankee bullpen let the game get out of hand in the 9th inning while Mariano Rivera sat on a chair, reading Bazooka Joe comics.

I know that Girardi doesn't want to over use him this post season... He hasn't thrown a pitch since Friday and has thrown 4 1/3 innings in the last 17 days.

I don't think he's worn out.

Thought 4: I think Josh Hamilton's ribs are fine

If he hits 2 more homers, then he will have hit the most in a post season series history. So much for his swing not being strong.

Thought 5: Speaking of ribs, it looks like Bengie Molina found a good rib joint in Texas

At one point when he had his catchers gear on, his chest protector looked like it was going to pop off like a bad cumberbun.

Like he cares! He can have his cake and evidently eat it all too as long as he keeps crushing 2 out 3 run go ahead homers in the playoffs.

Thought 6: I don't want to hear Yankee fans complaining about other fan bases leaving before the end of the game

For the second straight night, by the end of the game Yankee Stadium was so empty that it looked like one of those high school tournaments where they play the championship game in a big league park that only has friends and family sitting in the first few rows.

Thought 7: Remember when Joba Chamberlain could have fetched Johan Santana on the trade market?

Could he even be worth a used Santana CD now?

Thought 8: Doesn't Game 5 starter C. J. Wilson look a little like the dude who plays Castle?

Could be just me.

Thought 9: This isn't a best of 5 series

This series isn't over... sure it LOOKS like the Yankees are dead from the neck up.

(Being outscored 25-5 over 3 games including losing by a combined 18-3 at home looks bad.)

But Sabathia isn't going to have another subpar outing. This series is probably headed back to Texas. And if we've learned anything, it is don't count this Yankee team out.

Thought 10: This isn't 2004

I had a Yankee friend e mail me saying "This must be what it felt like for you after Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS." Obviously he's trying to pump himself up for a big 3-1 comeback.

And they could win... but here's the big difference:

In 2004, the Yankees were left with Kevin Brown, Javier Vazquez and Esteban Loaiza to pitch Game 7.

The Rangers will have a rested and ready Cliff Lee.

See the difference?

It is subtle.