Posts Tagged ‘CC Sabathia’

Ugggggg

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

And I’m not talking about these.

I’m talking about the Yankees and their peek-a-boo offense. Sometimes you see it and sometimes you don’t. Tonight was evidence of the latter. Where was it hiding? Was the O’s pitcher really that good or were our boys just in a hurry to get back to New York? So odd how meekly they went down one after the other.

And then there was CC. I was finishing my afternoon beach walk when the game started at 4 o’clock here, so I was listening to John and Suzyn on my iPhone for the first inning before switching to TV. John kept saying how CC had shaken off his slow start to the season and really come around. Oh yeah? He came around all right – throwing balls the Orioles hitters had no problem knocking around. He wasn’t bad, as in AJ bad, but he wasn’t very ace-like.

His valet catcher wasn’t helpful either, not when Sweaty Freddy was on the mound. I think the Chris Stewart Experiment might need a re-evaluation.

I know I sound crabby but with Robertson on the DL, along with those I need not mention, things are feeling a little precarious right now. Girardi seemed testy too, didn’t he? I think the injuries are getting to him, whether he admits it or not.

 

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First, The Bad News

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Yup, Eduardo Scissorhands was in full view tonight. Those errors in the first couple of innings were painful to watch, especially the second one. I actually wondered on that throw if he was suffering from the Chuck Knoblauch Syndrome. He received pats on the back from his teammates in the dugout, but seriously. How long can he play third? (Or second? Or short?) And why is A-Rod DH-ing so often? (That’s another story; don’t get me started.) Clearly, Nunez has a nice bat and can run the bases. But just as clearly he’s not the guy I want out there when CC is pitching and doing his best to be efficient with his pitch count.

Now, onto the good news.

CC was a beast.

At first I thought he might get hit hard – his pitches were up – but he totally settled in and dominated, and was the essence of an ace.

Cano was the Cano we’ve come to know and love. He’s back. He looks great at the plate, just great, and not a moment too soon.

Soriano took command in the ninth even after pitching on consecutive days. I liked it.

And here’s another piece of good news: Chris Stewart always does something good with his appearances. Girardi can say all he wants that Stewart isn’t CC’s personal catcher, but who cares? Why not let the two of them continue their partnership if it’s working? Martin’s a big boy. He can handle it.

Of course, the news that Gardner has re-injured himself isn’t good news at all. It stinks. I don’t want to see Ibanez in the outfield – ever – and even Jones makes me nervous. I really like Dewayne Wise though.

Good, solid series win for the Yanks against a division rival. I’m happy right now.

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Life Is Better

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Sounds like we’ll be seeing Enter Sandman again after all. Not this season, but next. With the news that Mo does, in fact, intend to come back once he’s healthy, we can regroup after the shock of yesterday and focus on the immediate future without him.

Toward that end, the Yankees had a nice game in KC tonight. Early on, I thought CC might get hit hard but he settled right down and dominated after giving up the two runs.

Great to see Tex hitting the ball. Finally.

And Jeter continues to amaze. We all hoped he’d play at a high level, but go on a tear like he’s been doing? Including another homer tonight? Sick.

I was glad the Yankees called up Dewayne Wise. The kid can play the outfield and takes care of my defensive concerns, plus he got a hit tonight. I hope he hangs around awhile.

Chris Stewart is really a surprise. He seems to contribute every time he gets the opportunity to catch. Good for him.

And D-Rob. It was when he came in for the ninth that I felt the absence of Mo very keenly, even though it was a non-save situation, but I said to myself, “Get used to it. This is the new reality. It’ll be okay.” Robertson was more than okay. The way he handled the Royals in the ninth was very Mo-like.

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CC, The Mood Elevator

Sunday, April 29th, 2012

He pitched like an ace today and made me forget all about the fact that Garcia’s going to the pen (I don’t really want him there any more than I want him in the rotation but whatever). He even made me forget that Swisher, following his big two-homer game yesterday, now has a strained hamstring. Well, he almost made me forget about that. Does it seem to anybody else that Swish has hammy issues a lot?

CC was efficient for the most part and exuded confidence, and I never felt like the game was in jeopardy even though the score was close much of the time.

Speaking of the score, I should have had my 10 run-er in this one. The Yankees offense had SO many chances to knock in runs and failed. But it was great to see Cano hitting the ball with more authority and Grandy and Jeter just keep showing what they can do and Chris Stewart has turned out to be a nice pickup; CC clearly likes pitching to him.

All in all, a very enjoyable win today. Always great to take a series, and taking one from the Tigers is especially sweet.

 

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Scary No More

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Instead, the laughing lady is back because it turns out there was nothing to be afraid of in Arlington. Not with CC, Jeter and A-Rod on the case. (And Mo, although his outs weren’t very Mo-like; they were actual fly balls instead of his usual broken bat grounders.) Oh, and I need to give a shout-out to Chris Stewart, who’s really growing on me.

CC was more ace-like than he’s been in a while, and I felt relaxed with him out there – even after Hamilton’s homer. Good job by Girardi letting him pitch the eighth.

A-Rod’s homer was a nice display of power. He does seem to like hitting in Texas.

But Jeter was the story for me tonight. Yes, he made that error, but his offense is off-the-charts amazing right now. It’s like we’re watching a time machine or something.

What’s he’s doing to turn back the clock? He told ESPN after the game that he was just reverting to his normal way of hitting after having tinkered with his stance/swing early last year. Girardi thinks it’s the lack of pressure over the 3,000th hit milestone. But I’m convinced it’s because he’s got a secret new girlfriend.

Just kidding. I have no idea why he’s doing a terrific impersonation of himself from the last century, but I sure hope he keeps it up.

Looking ahead to the Japanese one-on-one tomorrow night, it’ll be the veteran…

Versus the kid.

I can’t predict this one at all. Kuroda has really been knocked around, but Darvish might be jittery with all that media in attendance. More importantly, the Yankees are notoriously inept at hitting pitchers they’ve never faced so Yu could dominate. We’ll find out soon enough.

 

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Bring On The Rangers

Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

 

I’m trying not to be scared of them. All they do is hit and their pitching isn’t bad either. But we can take them. We can.

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Our Latest Hero

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

Photo: AP/Seth Wenig

Actually, there were a lot of heroes in tonight’s entertaining victory over the Twins, but I enjoy giving shout-outs to the new guys. I admit when Chris Stewart came up with a chance to drive in runs in the third, I moaned about Cervelli and Jorge and didn’t give the poor kid a chance.

Wrong!

He came through, and his two-run single seemed to turn the game around.

This one was a tale of two CCs: the mediocre CC in the early innings and the dominant CC the rest of the way. Did he eat some of this in the dugout instead of sunflower seeds?

Whatever did the trick, he seemed to bear down and stop fooling around. And of course he had help both from the offense and defense (not counting A-Rod’s error). Gardner had a good night as did Jeter (again) and Andruw Jones, and I have to hand it to Eduardo Scissorhands for being the best bunter on the team.

I also have to say that for the first time in a looong time I felt sorry for an umpire. When Denard Span started yelling at home plate ump Greg Gibson and then Gardenhire took over the yelling, I said to Michael, “Who’d want to get yelled at like that?” Gardenhire seemed upset about the balk, so it was ironic that Gibson called a balk on CC shortly thereafter and there wasn’t a peep out of Girardi.

For anybody watching on YES, how funny were that bride and groom watching the game? I’m sure it would be a kick to get married at Yankee Stadium, but I’m less sure I’d try to squeeze a big, poofy wedding gown into those seats, even the pricey ones.

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The Broom Is Back – In A Good Way

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

This time it was the Yankees who did the sweeping. (Thank you, O’s.)

But, of course, it wasn’t easy – or quick. Instead, tonight was the second loooong nail biter in a row that featured a faltering starter, an offensive comeback, superb relief work, a hitting hero and a brilliant job by our one-and-only closer.

It also featured more bad umpiring (Eduardo Scissorhands looked safe at first to me, for example).

What to make of CC these days? He does seem to have his April slumps and maybe his first couple of outings are just that: April doldrums. I sure hope so.

I questioned a few of Girardi’s moves (what else is new), but they turned out okay so I’ll shut up.

Soriano finally got into a game and after a hairy situation threw absolute gas to end the inning. But the surprise was Boone Logan. I never expect him to be any good and he was tonight.

I have to give the prize to Swisher though. His homer allowed me to breathe, so here’s to him.

P.S. Friend of the Blog Peggy has surfaced following her daughter’s wedding, and she sent along some lovely photos, including this one of the bride and groom cutting their Yankee pinstriped cake. Health and happiness to them.

 

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I’m Blaming Everything On The Full Moon

Friday, April 6th, 2012

Yup, everything.

  1. CC’s lack of command.
  2. The insane number of runners left in scoring position.
  3. Girardi’s managerial decisions.
  4. Joe Maddon’s managerial decisions.
  5. Joe West’s strike zone.
  6. The nearly four hours it took to play the game.
  7. And especially Mo’s meltdown.

It was all too weird, and I spent the entire night while I was out for dinner with friends wishing we could have a do-over. Mo told the media there was just one pitch he wanted to have back, but the truth was he was up over the plate to all the batters he faced and looked as wobbly as CC did in the early innings. And then there was Robertson. He was getting squeezed, yes, but does he really have to put guys on base in order to play Houdini? If so, it’ll be a long season for my blood pressure.

So many missed opportunities. And not the way anybody wanted Opening Day to go. I know I’m supposed to say, “Oh, it was just one game,” but I’m disappointed. Can’t help it.

Were there bright spots? Of course. The Yankees played incredible defense – from Swisher and Gardner to A-Rod and Tex. And how about A-Rod’s offensive day? Very nice to see.

But the Rays are not supposed to dominant the Yanks and that’s what they’ve been doing lately. I hope their streak ends tomorrow night.

 

 

 

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Mo Gives Up A Run – Gasp!

Sunday, April 1st, 2012

Photo: AP

Even God has his off-days, I guess. In today’s game at the new Marlins’ stadium, Mo was missing his location and his cutter wasn’t cutting…or something. Maybe he should start the season in AAA. (JUST KIDDING.)

The other surprise was Ibanez – he’s hitting. It should only continue.

CC didn’t look especially sharp, but then he hardly ever does in spring training. I’m more interested in how he performs at his season opener at the Trop later in the week.

As for the Marlins, I’m glad they got a new stadium, but what happened to the teal uniforms? I like that color WAY better than this one.

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