Closing the Baseball Season, Opening New Doors

So the Yankees lost to the Rangers. It's going to be 5 months until we see some more NYY Baseball. For most, this is an epic failure and defines frustration. I'm only frustrated because this marks the end of the season and it means a long lapse without baseball. As far as the success of the season, things could have been worse. We still had a season that included Arod hitting his 600th home run, a team that won 95 games, a potential MVP performance in Cano, and a potential CY Young season in CC Sabathia. This team struggled mightily down the stretch, going 29-30 in the final 59 games. The team was not the best in baseball when the playoffs began and got beat by a better and more playoff ready team in the Rangers. The Yankees starters were hurt and problematic all season and became the weak link in the playoffs. The offense which still led the league in runs scored, failed again on the big stage to get the big hits. Too many times we looked for the home run or the 5 hit rally instead of getting the runners in from 3rd with one out. Our bullpen, which was a strength in the finals months, struggled to keep us in the game by allowing too many runs and hits to the Rangers. All in all, we got beat and we move on. We will miss our Yankees but there are some New York teams still alive and thriving.

The New York Giants for example, come into tonight's game against the 1-4 Cowboys at 4-2, winning their last 3 games and looking quite good doing so. The Cowboys despite their talent on the field, have a 1-4 record due to their turnovers, penalties, poor management, and lack of leadership. The Giants need to get pressure on Romo from their front 4 so they can drop their safeties and linebackers into coverage. Forget Marion Barber, the Giants need to make sure they bottle up Felix Jones. Jones is the more explosive back and if he sheds a few tackles could turn the game in favor of the cowboys. The Giants receivers need to catch their passes and not allow Eli to get any picks on tipped passes (a theme all season). The Giants need to establish the run early with Bradshaw and Jacobs and make sure they Cowboys are tired on D late in the game. Mckenzie will have his hands full with DeMarcus Ware, but he needs to not let Eli get hit off the edge because Ware is a nightmare and doesn't just cause sacks, but forces fumbles as well. Hopefully the Cowboys continue to shoot themselves in the foot and the Giants can keep the sleeping Dragon from awakening. A 1-5 team no matter how good they are is likely to miss the playoffs and it especially helps when the Giants would be 5-2 and tops in the division. This is a must see Monday Night Football game, so tune in.

The Knicks season will begin in a few days, and there is a lot to discuss there, so i will do so in a separate post, as well as discuss the future for the Yankees faithful during the offseason. For now, go Giants (both NY and SF).

ALCS

Well the Yankees got man handled in Games 2 and 3, which has led to a 2-1 series lead for the Rangers. What looked like a promising start in the form of a comeback victory, disappeared and is now a rough spot for the Yankees. Their pitching is all over the place, CC and Hughes were abysmal, Pettitte sensational, and the pen good except for the 9th inning of tonight's game. The Yankee offense however, looks completely lost at the plate. Take away one 8th inning rally and the Yankees have 3 runs in 26 innings, and have not had hits, walks, or clutch play at all. Hopefully the Yankees turn it around in game 4 as they will face the worst starter for the Rangers in Tommy Hunter. This righty doesn't have the stuff of Lee or Wilson (who foiled the yankees for 1 run in 15 innings) but he if we don't step our play up he will be another Ranger pitcher to find success.

On the other hand, AJ goes for the Yankees and it will be quite a test for him to handle to pressure of game 4 down 2-1. A loss here would really cripple their playoff chances as they would have to win the final 3 games including a potential game 7 against Lee in Texas. The Yankees are praying to avoid that scenario and that means winning at home tomorrow with AJ, Wed with CC, and then the big road win behind Phil in game 6. Should be a good rest of the series as teams start to get more desperate and the fewer the games left, the more ridiculous the moves and decisions become. I don't see the Yankees losing the next two in NY, so this thing will likely head back to Texas, hopefully with a 3-2 Yankee lead, not a 3-2 Texas lead. let's try to forget tonight, tomorrow will be better...

Game 1, and what a game it was...

The Yankees showed a lot of grit tonight and reminded the world and especially the Texas Rangers, "uh...we're still here. We're still the defending champs". For the second straight series opener CC Sabathia didn't have it and the opposing team jumped on him early and often. And for the second straight series opener the Yankees found a way to comeback and claw away and win the game.

Tonight the Yankees were completely baffled by the starting pitching of CJ Wilson and it looked like it was gonna be a LOOOOOONG game. He was absolutely dominant in the first 6 innings, not allowing but 1 hit to a right handed batter, keeping the 1-4 hitters 0-12, and shutting the Yankees down with 0 runs through 6. With a 5-0 lead he took the mound in the 7th and Cano hit a solo shot. Not really making a huge dent in the scoreboard but psychologically it was huge for the Yankees. In the 8th, the Yankees went wild. Gardner let off with an infield hit, a tremendous effort to beat out a groundball and turning an out into an inning starter. He dove and just beat it out, despite getting his hand stepped on, which provided the spark for the Yankee O. Jeter followed with an RBI double, knocking out CJ. Swish and Tex followed with walks off Oliver. Bases loaded for Arod and finally the Centaur delivered, a clutch rocket single that ate Michael Young up and scored 2. Cano singled and Thames singled and before you knew it, the Yankees were up 6-5.

In the bottom of the 8th Kerry Wood came in and walked Kinsler on 4 pitches. An absolutely mammoth mistake by Kinsler to get picked off by Wood which changed the entire inning. Wood had thrown 6 balls in 7 pitches and had no command. Kinsler delivered him an out on a silver plate and allowed Wood to settle in and finish the inning without trouble. In the 9th, Mariano was Mariano and despite a leadoff single, navigated the Yankees to a game 1 victory and his 42 career postseason save.

When a team wins 6-5 and comes back from a 5-0 nothing defecit, there are always some huge plays to the game. My list of game changing plays:

• Nelson Cruz gets gunned down at home with 2 outs in the first inning. With the bases loaded and CC struggling mightily, a wild pitch took place and Cruz tried to score but got gunned out as CC applied a swipe tag. CC had thrown 37 pitches and 22 of them were balls. He allowed 6 base runners and 3 runs and had only recorded 2 outs, a pop out and a DEEP fly ball. His command was terrible and he literally could have lost the game at that moment. That play allowed him to get off the mound and somewhat settle down in order to give the Yankees 4 innings. Although CC didn't have a good game at all, it could have been far worse if Cruz was safe.
• Cano's solo HR. I know I mentioned it earlier, but it was a huge boost for the Yankees to know that a comeback was possible. Someone has to start the momentum train and Cano was the guy.
• Gardner's infield hit. Again, down 5-1 someone needed to give the Yankees that spark to comeback. Gardner showed some serious hustle and gave the Yankees the feeling of comeback. Aside from the grit, it was also just a tremendously skilled play, I've never seen a slide to first I thought was beneficial, this was absolutely a good thing. Also man does that dude have wheels.
• The entire 8th inning string of hits. Of course the Yankees don't win without Jeter, Swish, Tex, Arod, Cano, and Thames all getting on in the 8th, so kudos to those guys for being warriors.
• Wood picking off Kinsler. A huge play in allowing Wood to mentally get through that inning and once the 8th was over, a huge sigh from Yankee fans and a huge grunt from Ranger fans knowing Mariano was coming in for the 9th. The real question is, how do you allow yourself to get picked off there. A huge mistake for Ian and something that separates the good teams from the bad.
• Swish failing to bunt. I know the Yankees won and this will be forgotten, but not for me. 6-5 in the top of the 9th and you know Mariano is coming in, you don't need a 10 run inning, just one insurance run. After Jeter doubles the Yankees wanted to get that run in with a little small ball. I like the move but Swish you gotta get that ball down. All the same, Girardi should have gone to Golson anyways since he was going to pull Swish defensively anyways. Golson is used to bunting and adds the element of speed. Could have been very costly.

I think this game is one that will hurt the Rangers in the rest of this series. Their bull pen cannot match the Yankee hitters and if their starters cannot go complete then they will face a struggle deep in games. The Yankees have exerted that same dominance both physically and mentally against the Rangers as they did vs the Twins. No matter what the score or the situation, the Yankees will be there. The Rangers hit Sabathia and extremely well and still couldn't find a way to win, up 5!, at home! No excuse for a team that's trying to be the best. You don't squander games like this and I think this will loom large.


The last Yankee 5 run comeback in the 7th or later?

You guess it, Texas 2 months ago. This game also looked eerily reminiscent of the August 11th Yankees vs Rangers game. Texas was up 6-1 with Lee looking dominant on the hill. another 5 run deficit with a great lefty pitching. Yankees hit the starter late and then hit the bullpen and got a 7-6 lead. In comes Mo and down goes Texas. The Yankees always find ways to win games and the playoffs are no exception. They have dealt with the pressure of October and Texas has not. The series should be rough for the Rangers, especially if they cannot finish games like this one.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, it's game 1 of the ALCS and it's not the final game of the World Series. More baseball to come and more vs Texas. But the Yankees had games like this vs the Angels and they will showed some serious grit this year and last. Hopefully they maintain their high level of postseason play and get a win tomorrow and go home up 2-0.

For tonight, let's celebrate! Go Yankees!!

ALCS

So the Yankees disposed of the Minnesota Twins in game 3 behind a dominant Phil Hughes and an offense that looks like it's being paid $100 million dollars...o wait, it is. Well good to see the Yankees making noise in the post season and putting the poor September behind them, but beating Minnesota in the first round is like the last few weeks of the regular season. It's like a tune up before the big dance. Texas beat the Rays in 5 games so the Yankees will face the Rangers in Arlington starting on Friday night, and this will not be a tune up. This will be a dog fight.

What Each Team Brings To The Table:

• Starting Pitching

1. The Rangers have a solid rotation spear headed by the ace of the staff, Cliff Lee. Cliff was absolutely sensational in both his starts this October and will no doubt give the Yankees headaches. The other starters Colby Lewis and CJ Wilson have both been great all season but they may not be ready to handle the pressure of October baseball against the Yankees. Tommy Hunter is the 4th starter and he defines the 4th starter. He is an acceptable pitcher who will give them innings but is certainly not a weapon for this team.
   
2. The Yankees will combat those starters with CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, and AJ Burnett. CC struggled in his only postseason start but has been a workhorse all season and is a dominant starter. Andy and Phil looked great vs Minn, Andy shook off the rust and Phil rose to the occasion. However, the stakes are higher. I expect them to pitch well but not at the level they did in the first round. AJ is the wild card, he does not belong in the rotation considering how he's been pitching lately but in a seven game series the Yankees might not have a choice. Let's hope we see good AJ and the Yankees will manage just fine.
3. The Edge: Cliff Lee had to pitch in game 5 of the Rays series and won't be fresh until game 3. He also declared he does not want to pitch on 3 days rest. As a result the Yankees won't see him except 3 and 7. If this series goes 7 then we are in trouble, but we should be able to take 4/6 only seeing Cliff once. Wilson and Lewis don't know the postseason and don't know Yankee stadium rocking. Hughes, CC, Pettitte, and AJ all did this run last year and know what it's like to see the world's biggest stage. Let's also no forget CC is willing to do whatever it takes for the Yankees to win, he'll pitch in 1-4-7 on 3 or even 2 days rest. Just get him out there. Yankee rotation gets the edge.

• Bullpen

1. The Rangers bullpen was statistically great this season. Neftali Feliz was tremendous as their closer and their trio of O's, Ogandu, O'day, and Oliver all pitcher extremely well. However so far in the postseason this bunch has struggled, especially Feliz. They all power arms and great stuff, we'll see if they are back to their form against the Yankees.
2. The Yankee pen is monstrous. What was a weakness half way through the season has now become a huge strength. The addition of Kerry Wood, resurgence of Robertson and Joba, the finding of Logan, and of course Mariano has provided stability at the back end. We finally have a bridge from starter to Mo. This pen looked great in the first round and Mariano is the best in the biz at saving games in pressure situations.
3. The Edge: you best believe this one goes to the Yankees. They have Mariano (automatic edge) and the Rangers power arms don't worry the Yankees. Change ups and off speed pitches are harder for the Yankees then hard throwers. The Yankees patience at the plate will cause the rangers to walk hitters and have to come over the plate, which is not good for the Rangers pen. The Yankee relievers are up to the task and with the right combination of mixing and matching will successfully get the ball to Mo with a lead.

• Offense

1. The Rangers have an absolutely beast lineup. Kinsler, Young, Vlad, Hamilton, Cruz, Molina, Moreland, Murphy, Cantu, Andrus, Borbon. That is a lot of talent and depth, that scares me. Although their guys have struggled at the end of the regular season and playoffs, they can still explode at any time and always keeps them in the game. I expect we will see Hamilton heat up and don't be surprised if Michael Young plays a huge role, the man is the most underrated hitter in baseball in the last 10 years. Andrus and Kinsler have great speed and quickness and that should torment the Yankees as well. I think Vlad should be neutralized, but I think Cruz is the scariest hitter I've seen in the box since Edgar Martinez. He is a complete machine and worries me that every swing is headed for the bleachers.
2. How many superlatives can we use to describe this lineup? Cano, Jeter, Tex, Arod, Swish, Posada, Granderson, Gardner, Thames, Berkman...I mean WOW. The whole lineup looked great against the Twins and they know how to get it done when it matters. They take pitches, get clutch hits, and hit the ball very very far. This team is a force to be dealt with for any starter, even good ol Cliff. I expect the lineup to have it's moments where as a fan you are concerned (site exhibit a- Francisco Liriano's first 5 innings) but in the end this group will get it done.
3. The Edge: The Yankees by a nose. They have a little more talent and the know how to be successful in October. The Rangers have the 2nd best offense in the league but the Yankees have the best and have gotten used to the heroics and I don't see that ending this series.

So Let's recap, The Yankees have better starting pitching, bullpen, and offense? Yes, they do. Will that lead to a victory in the playoffs despite being the wildcard and playing on the road. Yes it will. Yankees in 6, Friday night begins the quest for the World Series. Let's see CC bring it.

Yankees up 2-0, Heading Back to the Bronx

The Yankees for the second straight day disposed of the Minnesota Twins in typical New York fashion, good pitching and timely hitting. The Yankees, a team that limped into the playoffs, appeared as though they were going to have their hands full in the playoffs, but have cruised thus far. Minnesota in the past has not fared well against the Yankees during the playoffs or the regular season and looked to be the mentally inferior team the last two nights. In both games the Twins jumped out to an early lead and both times the Yankees got to the starters for Twins late and rallied.

Last night the Twins got to CC Sabathia and although Sabathia's final line looks ok, he was not on all game. He battled and fought but when all was said and done the Twins had to be pleased with how they hit him. However, they did not do enough. The Yankees couldn't hit Liriano for the first 5 innings until the 6th when they erupted, capped off by a Granderson 2-run triple, knocking Liriano out. The game was 4-4 going to the 7th inning, both starters struggling but still keeping their team's in it, until Tex stepped to the plate. With Swish on first, Teixeira hit a mammoth blast, that just stayed fair, that gave the Yankees the lead 6-4, a lead they would not relinquish. a little bull pen mixing and matching and 4 outs from Mariano Rivera and the Yankees had won the game.

Tonight they repeated that performance with Andy Eugene Pettitte on the hill. Pettite was lights out. He looked the willy vet the Yankees expected him to be. He shrugged off the rust and gave the Yankees 7 quality innings of 2 run ball. The Yankees were struggling early to hit Pavano, but just as they did last night, they got to him late. Berkman hit a towering opposite field home run in the 5th and then in the 6th the Yankees had a 4 hit rally, again powered by Berkman, and Pavano was no more. A 4-2 lead for the Yankees after 6 (an insurance run in the 9th) and another Mariano save (should we stop counting his postseason saves already) and the Yankees leave Minnesota with a 2-0 lead in the series.

So what does this mean? Here are a few things I've learned from this series thus far:

• Minnesota was destined to lose this series from the beginning. The whole time they have been playing while looking in the rear view mirror. They are counting on the Yankees to comeback and look scared and anxious instead of trying to be the aggressor and capitalize on a chance to advance on a weak and struggling Yankee team. You cannot give a NYY team any confidence or any chance to get hot or you are done. Minnesota is playing scared and it has been that way the entire decade.
• Homefield advantage is meaningless. I don't know if it's just the Yankees or it's all of baseball, but I feel like a good team won't be stopped when it plays well. Minnesota had the lead in both games and the crowd was wild and they Yankees had no problem maintaining their poise and climbed right back. When they did, the crowd was silent. even a 4-2 lead and the Minn faithful were nowhere to be found. Maybe Minnesota fans were as scared as the team, maybe they aren't good fans, maybe the Yankees are too ready for the playoffs and the road is no different. I dunno, but what I do know is the Yankees would have no problem winning in Minnesota if somehow this thing goes 5.
• Baseball needs instant replay, early and often. Plain and simple. The game can be decided by a few plays here and there and it's ludicrous that the naked eye is determining the result of a game. It's one thing when it's the 5th inning of the 3rd regular season game, but the last out of a playoff game, come on. Greg Golson clearly caught the final out of the first game when Delmon Young hit a liner off Mariano. Golson reached out and made a shoestring catch that would have ended the game, but the Umps conferred and said, no catch. The replay clearly shows it was a catch, and had Thome hit a HR on the next pitch the entire series would have changed. It takes two seconds Bud, put an umpire in the press box with a walkie talkie and he calls the crew chief after a controversial call and clears it up in 1 minute flat. I'm sick of a game being determined by people who aren't playing. Armando lost a perfect game, the Yankees may lose a game. Let's fix this please?

Here are some things I've liked so far in this series:

• The new Yankees. Curtis Granderson, Lance Berkman, and Kerry Wood are new to don the pinstripes, but are not finding it hard to fit in during the postseason. Granderson has 4 hits already, 2 extra base hits, and Berkman hit a HR and a 2B tonight. Wood on the other had, was untouchable tonight in his 1-2-3 8th inning that made Yankee nation take a collective deep breath. We finally have a reliable 8th inning guy to hand it off to Mo.
• The bullpen. I already mentioned Wood, obviously we know about Mariano, and yesterday we saw good outings from Robertson and Logan. That doesn't even include Joba who has come on strong lately. Altogether the Yankee pen has thrown 5 innings without allowing a run. That's how you make sure you win two road playoff games.
• Andy Pettitte in the postseason. The question marks around this guy coming into this postseason were staggering. He missed 2 months and only returned for three games down the stretch. He allowed 10 runs in 13 innings in those 3 games, not instilling a lot of confidence in Yankee fans for the October run. However Andy did what he's done 18 times before, pick up the baseball in October and win the game. He now has 19 playoff wins (the most ever) and continues to dominate on the World's biggest stage. He never ceases to impress me and I feel very confident knowing we have a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation for the next series.

Some stats I found interesting...

• The Yankee hitters are 7-21 with RISP, the Twins....0-10. You aren't gonna lose many games when the differential looks like that.
• Mariano Rivera now has 41 postseason saves and 32 of them have required him to pitch more than 1 inning. He is unbelievable. I have run out of superlatives for this guy. He has been around for 15 years throwing the same pitch and has been the best at it the game has ever seen. I would argue he is in the top 5 athletes of all time, think about it. How many people have dominated at their respective position for this long. Jordan? Woods? Federrer? Just something to mull over.
• That's the second straight game for the Yankees that everyone in the lineup reached base. Thames and Gardner had no hits the first night but did walk. Tonight only Posada did not get a hit, but he had the game's only walk. Good to see the Yankee lineup remains very cyclical with everyone able to contribute at all times.
  

Tomorrow the Yankees have off, but they return Saturday at 8 to face Minn in the Bronx. I expect Hughes to pitch well and the same Yankee power to be exerted over the Twins. Yankees in 3, bring on Texas...

ahhhh the playoffs...

Well big surprise, the Yankees made the playoffs. Bigger surprise, they made it as the wildcard?!?! Yes that is correct, the Yankees made the playoffs as the wild card despite winning 95 games and face Minnesota in the first round. Another first round matchup against Minnesota, a team that has struggled vs the Yankees in the Ron Gardenhire era. The Yankees sent CC to the mound in game 1 knowing full well they were gonna run him back in game 4 on 3 days rest. The Yankees have already announced just a 3 man rotation with CC-Andy-Phil. The Yankees also come in to this series struggling struggling mightily winning only 29 of their last 60 games and 7-14 in the last 21. They went from 36 over 500 at the best to finishing the season 28 over.

The Yankees made a few interesting calls with the playoff roster, they went with Greg Golson on the bench. A speedster who plays good defense and has a nice arm who will likely pinch run and play valuable 8th and 9th inning defensive replacement minutes. They also decided to leave Gaudin, Vazquez, and Nova off the roster and went with Burnett, Moseley, and Mitre as the long relievers in the pen. That comes in addition to the stud 5 in the pen--Mariano, Logan, Robertson, Wood, and Joba. The rest of the Yankee bench includes Ramiro Pena as the utility infielder, Lance Berkman, Marcus Thames, and Austin Kearns. I'm hoping Kearns won'y play vs Lefites and they just trust Granderson and Gardner to get it done, but we shall see. In the meantime the series looks to be interesting and I think the Yankees will need a big first game performance if they wanna take control of this series. It could really deflate Minnesota with a first game W, given their history against each other.

First pitch is 8:37, CC vs Liriano.