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Bombers Battle Back (Again) But Fall in 11th
I guess you can't come back and win 'em all.
CC Sabathia went eight solid innings and Melky Cabrera stroked a game-tying, RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth, but Carlos Ruiz delivered a two-out, RBI-double in the 11th inning as the Phillies nipped the Yanks 4-3 in the Bronx. Johnny Damon roped an RBI-double in the third and Mark Teixeira "crushed" his 13th homer of the season in the sixth, but it wasn't enough as Philadelphia took two of three from the Bombers this weekend at the Stadium.
Once again Brad Lidge was called upon to hold a ninth-inning lead and once again he failed miserably. But the Yankees couldn't complete the comeback as they left Melky stranded at second base after his clutch hit. The Bombers also couldn't capitalize on back-to-back singles by Derek Jeter and Damon to open the 10th inning. Teixeira bounced into a killer double-play and after an intentional walk to Alex Rodriguez, Ramiro Pena flew out to center.
What was Pena doing batting behind A-Rod? Well, Joe Girardi sent Pena in to pinch-run for Robinson Cano after he led off the ninth inning with an infield hit. I was a bit surprised since I didn't think Pena was that much faster than Cano. But the move worked as Pena swiped second base and then scored the tying run. But the switch came back to bite the Yanks in the ass when Pena and not Cano stepped into the box with a chance to win it in the 11th. Hey, what can you do?
The Good:
Melky Cabrera. The magic carpet ride continues. Cabrera was put in a high-pressure situation for the second straight game against Lidge and he came through with another big-time hit. Actually, you could make the argument that Sunday's at-bat was a bit more stressful since the Yanks were down by one at the time. Either way, Melky seems right at home in key spots this season. The Melk-Man also extended his modest hitting streak to seven straight games. Cabrera finished 3 for 5 with a stolen base and an RBI.
The Bad:
Brett Tomko. It wasn't a leadoff walk, but sometimes a two-out walk can turn out to be just as deadly. Tomko retired the first two batters he faced in the 11th, but then walked pinch-hitter Chase Utley. It wasn't a terrible move since Utley is a terrific hitter and it may have even been semi-intentional, but it didn't work out. Utley stole second base and Carlos Ruiz (who had himself one hell of a series at the dish and behind the plate) battled back from a 1-2 count and laced an RBI-double down the right-field line that chased Utley home with the eventual winning run. It was a tough at-bat and sometimes you have to give your opponent credit, but I'm sure Tomko wants that hanging slider back. Tomko fell to 0-1 with this: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB.
Hideki Matsui. Godzilla has always been a streaky hitter and right now he's in a bad patch. Matsui entered Sunday's game with a .224 average for the month of May and did nothing to up those numbers. To make matters worse, Matsui had several opportunities with runners on base and couldn't deliver a hit. Isn't that always the way? Matsui has also struck out five times in his past 11 at-bats. Let's hope he turns it around soon. Godzilla finished 0 for 5 with two strikeouts.
The Ugly:
Man or ash. I crowned Nick Swisher the king of the ugliest homer in the history of the new Yankee Stadium Wednesday night, but there may be a contender to his throne. Teixeira pulled a broken-bat home run into the left-field seats that seemed to defy all the logic and understanding of what constitutes smashing a home run. Broken-bat homers have happened before (Al Leiter said during the YES broadcast that he served up one in his career), but it still made me question the existence of the Baseball Gods. How can they allow such abominations to happen? I'm not sure if you can blame this on the new stadium, maple bats, thin handles or freak luck. I'll go with the lack of ash bats since it gives me an excuse to put up some Corrosion of Conformity, or COC to those in the know.
The Yanks will head to Texas and take on the surprising first-place Rangers in a three-game set beginning Monday afternoon. Phil Hughes (2-2, 7.06 ERA) will battle Matt Harrison (4-3, 4.71 ERA) in the opener. Hughes struck out a career-high nine batters in a 11-4 win against the Orioles his last time out at the Stadium. It's been a bumpy ride for Hughes since he was called up in April, but Texas may just be the place for him to shine. Or maybe not. Hughes held the Rangers hitless through 6 1/3 innings in his second Major League start in 2007, but was forced from the game after injuring his hamstring. I'm sure it will be bitter-sweet for Hughes as he revisits the site of his first big league win. Harrison is a big reason why the Rangers are sitting in first place in the AL West. The 23-year-old left-hander is coming off a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers in his last start, but he's 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in May, including two straight complete game victories against the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners, respectively. Harrison is holding lefty batters to a tiny .146 average and is 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three starts this season in Arlington. The lefty is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in one career start against the Bombers.
Let's see if the Yankee can carry their 8-2 homestand on the road.
CC Sabathia went eight solid innings and Melky Cabrera stroked a game-tying, RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth, but Carlos Ruiz delivered a two-out, RBI-double in the 11th inning as the Phillies nipped the Yanks 4-3 in the Bronx. Johnny Damon roped an RBI-double in the third and Mark Teixeira "crushed" his 13th homer of the season in the sixth, but it wasn't enough as Philadelphia took two of three from the Bombers this weekend at the Stadium.
Once again Brad Lidge was called upon to hold a ninth-inning lead and once again he failed miserably. But the Yankees couldn't complete the comeback as they left Melky stranded at second base after his clutch hit. The Bombers also couldn't capitalize on back-to-back singles by Derek Jeter and Damon to open the 10th inning. Teixeira bounced into a killer double-play and after an intentional walk to Alex Rodriguez, Ramiro Pena flew out to center.
What was Pena doing batting behind A-Rod? Well, Joe Girardi sent Pena in to pinch-run for Robinson Cano after he led off the ninth inning with an infield hit. I was a bit surprised since I didn't think Pena was that much faster than Cano. But the move worked as Pena swiped second base and then scored the tying run. But the switch came back to bite the Yanks in the ass when Pena and not Cano stepped into the box with a chance to win it in the 11th. Hey, what can you do?The Good:
Melky Cabrera. The magic carpet ride continues. Cabrera was put in a high-pressure situation for the second straight game against Lidge and he came through with another big-time hit. Actually, you could make the argument that Sunday's at-bat was a bit more stressful since the Yanks were down by one at the time. Either way, Melky seems right at home in key spots this season. The Melk-Man also extended his modest hitting streak to seven straight games. Cabrera finished 3 for 5 with a stolen base and an RBI.
The Bad:
Brett Tomko. It wasn't a leadoff walk, but sometimes a two-out walk can turn out to be just as deadly. Tomko retired the first two batters he faced in the 11th, but then walked pinch-hitter Chase Utley. It wasn't a terrible move since Utley is a terrific hitter and it may have even been semi-intentional, but it didn't work out. Utley stole second base and Carlos Ruiz (who had himself one hell of a series at the dish and behind the plate) battled back from a 1-2 count and laced an RBI-double down the right-field line that chased Utley home with the eventual winning run. It was a tough at-bat and sometimes you have to give your opponent credit, but I'm sure Tomko wants that hanging slider back. Tomko fell to 0-1 with this: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB.
Hideki Matsui. Godzilla has always been a streaky hitter and right now he's in a bad patch. Matsui entered Sunday's game with a .224 average for the month of May and did nothing to up those numbers. To make matters worse, Matsui had several opportunities with runners on base and couldn't deliver a hit. Isn't that always the way? Matsui has also struck out five times in his past 11 at-bats. Let's hope he turns it around soon. Godzilla finished 0 for 5 with two strikeouts.
The Ugly:Man or ash. I crowned Nick Swisher the king of the ugliest homer in the history of the new Yankee Stadium Wednesday night, but there may be a contender to his throne. Teixeira pulled a broken-bat home run into the left-field seats that seemed to defy all the logic and understanding of what constitutes smashing a home run. Broken-bat homers have happened before (Al Leiter said during the YES broadcast that he served up one in his career), but it still made me question the existence of the Baseball Gods. How can they allow such abominations to happen? I'm not sure if you can blame this on the new stadium, maple bats, thin handles or freak luck. I'll go with the lack of ash bats since it gives me an excuse to put up some Corrosion of Conformity, or COC to those in the know.
The Yanks will head to Texas and take on the surprising first-place Rangers in a three-game set beginning Monday afternoon. Phil Hughes (2-2, 7.06 ERA) will battle Matt Harrison (4-3, 4.71 ERA) in the opener. Hughes struck out a career-high nine batters in a 11-4 win against the Orioles his last time out at the Stadium. It's been a bumpy ride for Hughes since he was called up in April, but Texas may just be the place for him to shine. Or maybe not. Hughes held the Rangers hitless through 6 1/3 innings in his second Major League start in 2007, but was forced from the game after injuring his hamstring. I'm sure it will be bitter-sweet for Hughes as he revisits the site of his first big league win. Harrison is a big reason why the Rangers are sitting in first place in the AL West. The 23-year-old left-hander is coming off a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers in his last start, but he's 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in May, including two straight complete game victories against the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners, respectively. Harrison is holding lefty batters to a tiny .146 average and is 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three starts this season in Arlington. The lefty is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in one career start against the Bombers.
Let's see if the Yankee can carry their 8-2 homestand on the road.
The crazy thing about that broken bat bomb was that it didn't just barely get out, it was 10 rows deep in left center. Unbelievable.
The Melkman rocks.
Wouldn't the Phils vs. the Yankees make for a great World Series? :-)
What was the over under on Phillies fans this weekend , 20K ? Unreal.
They were out in force. I have a feeling it'll be like that for yanks/mets games and yanks/sox games this year too. new ballpark, the other team's fans are probably more motivated to pay through the nose to see the games there.
That would be an unbelievable series. Hope we see it.