You know, I actually would have felt better if the Yankees lost last night's game without them rallying to get the lead in the seventh. But to have them score six runs then, after being down 4-0, and then still lose makes it truly gut-wrenching.
But really, I don't blame Joe Girardi for the loss. I wrote in a piece for The Faster Times that Phil Hughes, Nick Swisher, and A.J. Burnett are my goats of the game. I note that Hughes has been terrible this postseason. And don't tell me he would have been better if he had started the seventh. He started the eighth in ALDS Game 2, and promptly gave up two runs to make the game 3-1.
Either Joe Girardi needs to bat Nick Swisher ninth, and move Melky Cabrera up, or he needs to bench Swisher. Because he's killed rally after rally in this series, most notably last night.
Now it's on to New York for Game 6. Attention Red Sox fans who are going nuts over this turn of events - the Yankees have beaten the Angels three times more than the Sox have!
What do you think? Leave us a comment.
13 comments:
I came on to encourage my Yankee friends that their team is going to win and go to the WS and what do I find, a reprimand.
Lisa, this isn't 2004. The RS are home for the off season. It will be ok.
Lisa, I totally agree about Hughes and Swisher. Enough already! What a disappointing game, but I have faith in Andy. The win will be much sweeter at home anyway!
NAM - you are too sweet to come on here and encourage us. I'm sure not many Red Sox fans would do that, nor many Yankee fans if the Red Sox were in it!
Yanks in 6 - that's what I said in the beginning and I'm sticking to it!
Why would you start the 7th with AJ after he sat for 30 minutes because of the long inning? Where's that guy who's 2-0 out of the bullpen and has been pitching lights out ...has anyone seen him? Give Robertson the 7th, Hughes the 8th & Mo the 9th..what's the problem with that logic?
Why would you put a pinch runner in for Alex (who's been doing some nice running himself)when there was every possibility of it going into extra innings? No Alex and no Matsui with back to back pinch runners...I can understand Matsui with the knees.. BUT ALEX ?? I'm betting Alex wasn't happy about the move either and I wouldn't blame him in the least.
I'm just a armchair manager so it's just thoughts on my part and easy for me to second guess. I just feel in both losses and even the win last Saturday there were some big head scratching moves going on.
All will be moot tho' if we wrap this thing up...hopefully...tomorrow night.
In the meantime...someone has to get Joe's "Bible" and bury it. Gut instinct sometime works a heck of a lot better instead of always by the book.
Peggy
Go Yankees 2009 !!!
Of course ..I wish Swisher would do a little to help. Everyone else seems to be coming around ...
Peggy
Go Yankees 2009 !!
Hi Noreen ..
Thanks for the kind words ...you truly are a one of kind Red Sox fan ... lol... :o)
Peggy
Go Yankees 2009 !!!
Noreen, thanks. You are the exception among Sox fans, though. All I heard last night on Facebook and Twitter was gloating and reminders of 2004!
Peggy raises a good point about Robertson - he should be moved up the Yankee depth chart. Hughes cannot be trusted right now.
I logged off shortly after the game so I'm behind on the Facebook chatter, but that at least explains your preemptive response (although it often seems the Met fans are the tougher crowd here than the Sox fans).
Yeah, I'd be frustrated too if my team was *THAT* close to closing the deal. However, as NAM said - this isn't 2004:
- Yanks only need to win 1 (okay that's the same as 04)
- Andy and worst case, if need be, CC are your starters
- The "Mr. May" version of ARod is around this October
I sure enjoyed seeing AJ get knocked around in the first, and the later innings could only have been better if Joba gave up the go ahead run instead of Hughes. But those are just moments of entertainment for someone who doesn't like the Yankees - certainly nothing to "go nuts" over.
So fan-to-fan without regard to team, I understand the "grrr" sentiment - but I'm as confident as NAM is in a Yankee victory and I agree with Bklyn that it'll end up feeling sweeter at home. The bigger question - will this be the time the weather guys are finally right?
Happy Friday!!
I'm really not that sweet, but I know how much it HURTS when your team crashes. I think the Yankees are the best team in baseball this year and they have earned it to be at this point. I have actually enjoyed the postseason even with out the RS playing anymore!
And RS and Yankee fans share a common bond: The best and only rivalry in baseball. Everyone else is jealous!
Good luck on Saturday! I'm sure they just wanted to win the penant in the new stadium.
Hi Peggy!
I was devestated by the loss last night but after a night's rest I have to say--I am much more optimistic about the team rallying and pushing the Angels to the very last strike last night, even though the pitching didn't hold up on their end.
If the Yanks hadn't gotten anything done off of Lackey and co. I'd feel a lot worse off about what would happen back in the Bronx. The offense didn't let up even against the best the Angels put out there in Anaheim. The pitching has had a few mishaps but all in all it's kept the team in a winning margin.
But it's going to be a long wait until Saturday.
hate to be a "Debbie Downer" folks but all forecasts are predicting lots of rain and wind for tomorrow. Game 6 may not be played until Sunday night. Maybe that will be good. All I know is that we better wrap this thing up with Andy and not rely on CC in Game 7 because a) anything can happen in a game 7 b)you don't want a team to face your ace pitcher 3 times in less than a week and c) if we do win a game 7 it prevents the team from having CC avialable for games 1,4,7 against the Phillies. Swisher has got to bat ninth period. If Hairston was even a slight upgrade defensively I'd bench Swisher now, he's just gotten worse and worse as the pressure mounts in the series. As another poster said, I expected the series to be won by the Yankees in 6 games so I'm still in good shape. If we have to wait until Sunday then so be it.
im sick of the yankees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anon- So why are you reading these posts?
In 1996, Joe Torre benched a 3,000-hit man in Wade Boggs and a 300-homer man in Tino Martinez. In the World Series. And it worked. Bench Swisher, move Melky over to right, and put Gardner in center. It's an improvement in both defense and speed even if it turns out not to be one in hitting.
Bklynfan is right: It's always better to clinch at home. And even if Andy doesn't follow the usual pattern (he wasn't great in his last postseason start and the Yanks lost, meaning he's due for a good one), CC goes in Game 7. Not Kevin Brown or Javier Vazquez. Or Randy Johnson.
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