It was quite a day for the next generation of Yankee players – AKA the Scranton team – as several of them got the call to help out with the doubleheader in Cleveland. While the Yanks did lose the opener in a shutout, Phelps pitched very well, minus his walks. It was in the second game that the Baby Bombers really did their thing. Vidal Nuno and Adam Warren, two pitchers who’d been impressive in spring training, were impressive today, shutting out an Indians team that had been red hot. And how about emergency infielder Corbin Joseph getting his first major league hit and Austin Romine getting in on the offensive action too. And then there were the usual heroics from Wells, Nix and Overbay (I still can’t believe it every time I type their names). I don’t know what magic pixie dust Girardi is sprinkling in their Gatorade, but it’s working.
The YES guys were talking about Granderson coming back and I’m glad, I really am, but I like the chemistry of this group right now. I don’t want the big stars screwing it up!
Now if I can just stop calling Austin Romine “Austin Romaine” and Vidal Nuno “Vidal Nunez,” that would be nice.
P.S. Just wanted to post this pic sent to me by Yankee Fan and FOB Cesare (he reads but doesn’t comment). I got a kick out of it.
Today’s finale in KC was efficient, tidy and satisfying. Kuroda was great, as was Mo. Somebody suggested on Twitter that, given the Joba flap (see previous post), Mo’s new entrance music should be “Enter Shushman” instead of “Enter Sandman.”
And Vernon Wells. Are there enough superlatives for him right now? The man has been positively resurrected from the dead.
Tomorrow’s doubleheader in Cleveland should be interesting since the roster’s so thin and Nova isn’t healthy enough to pitch (what’s up with that?). I just hope they get through it in one piece.
And we all said the Yankees would have trouble scoring runs this season. Ha. Of course, they weren’t exactly facing the best pitchers in the majors tonight against Cleveland, but if hitting is contagious the Yankees have all caught the bug. What fun!
First there was small ball and then there was big ball and then there was just a lot of offense, period.
And Andy. Wow. There aren’t enough superlatives for him. He continues to deliver just the way he always has, and I hope he never retires.
My problem with this game was Carrasco, the Indians starter. The guy has a history of being a head hunter, sort of a younger Padilla, and I was completely in agreement with the ump who ejected him for hitting Youkilis. Francona argued and I get that, but Carrasco is just back from serving a suspension for the same offense. There’s no place in the sport for punks like him and I was grateful that he was gone – especially when the Yanks were able to feast on Myers.
Back to the good stuff, it was great to see Gardner, in particular, hit the ball so well. We need him to be productive at the top of the order, and that’s what he was tonight.
I’ve said many times that blowouts are my favorite kind of win, so Friend of the Blog Barbara (where are you, Barbara?) coined the term “Janer” whenever the Yankees score 10 or more runs. You can have pitcher’s duels. They’re exciting but too nerve wracking for me. I like my wins to be no-doubters with enough room to breathe.
Today’s game against the Indians was just the ticket. The bats were red hot. Cano had a great day with those two homers, showing us he’s alive after all. Hafner seemed thrilled to be back in Cleveland so he could show everybody that he, too, is still alive. Wells continued his resurrection. It was all good.
Kuroda? He went five and got the win. He looked shaky early, but his finger is probably still sore. The only downside to the game for me was Joba. He shaved off the mustache since it wasn’t bringing him any luck, and while he didn’t get hammered today he made the ninth a trial in an already looong game. Full counts are not the way to succeed. I wish he got that. It made me mad that he even allowed the possibility that Mo would have to get loose after throwing all those pitches yesterday.
But it was a very nice way to open the series. Andy goes tomorrow and who doesn’t want a repeat of his last start? Not me.
After watching tonight’s Yankees loss to the Indians involving numerous bases loaded opportunities with dismal results, I think a new strategy is in order. The boys need to pretend there’s no one on base. That’s right. They should get up to the plate, ignore the fact that there are teammates standing on first, second and third, and have at it.
Well, why not. These games where they can’t score with RISP are just too frustrating – especially because Kuroda, who struggled early but made adjustments like the pro he is, pitched his heart out – again.
With the Rays losing, the Yanks had a chance to widen their lead, but no. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Nothing else to say except it was pretty cool that Adrian Gonzalez homered in his first at bat as a Dodger. And Beckett? He looked….blue.
I nearly passed out when I saw that pitch zero in on Jeter’s head/helmet. I started yelling at the jerk Indians starter, as did Jeter, but was relieved that our captain was okay. He did sit next to Stevie Donahue during the game; I hope that was just because there weren’t any other seats on the bench.
CC tried to retaliate, and his effort wound up in a homer. He was great though in his return from the DL – really ace-like – and it was such a pleasure to watch him work.
Soriano? He’s a pleasure when he un-tucks his shirt after escaping trouble. He must enjoy drama. In any case, he got the save and I’m very grateful. That ninth inning was hairy.
What a game for Swisher. The offense is still struggling – how many times did we put men on base only to strand them there? – but Swish delivered and the Yanks won. Even better, the Rays lost.
The big news around baseball is the pending trade between the Red Sox and the Dodgers. If it goes through, I’ll be devastated not to see Josh Beckett anymore.
Via Deadspin, here’s a can’t miss video by a Cleveland Indians fan. Hard-hitting, right? I love when fans talk back…
And speaking of non-Yankees posts, here’s the trailer for “Trouble with the Curve,” the Clint Eastwood film coming September 21st. He plays an aging baseball scout and Amy Adams is his daughter. Justin Timberlake is along for the ride too. Looks good, if predictable, doesn’t it?
It wasn’t bad enough that CC has a groin strain and has gone on the DL (or that he felt pain a few days ago and didn’t tell anybody, which I hate). Then Pettitte had to get hit with that comebacker and fracture his ankle? Could I just close my eyes and go back to bed and start this day over again?
Andy was in the midst of a mostly brilliant return that stabilized the pitching staff and lifted everybody up. And now he’ll be gone until September, with who knows how much rust? The last time he was injured he called it quits. I sure hope he wants to give it another shot once he’s rehabbed.
Another Big Question is what do we do in the meantime? Roy Oswalt would have looked good about now. Instead we have Sweaty Freddy (yes, he pitched well today) and Warren, a callup. Neither of them inspires confidence. Cashman needs to make magic.
And yes, we won the game. Soriano made it hairy, but he’s been used a lot lately so I’m sure he’ll be fine. We have much bigger problems.
Dewayne Wise. What an incredible performance in tonight’s victory against the Indians – a victory that almost wasn’t a victory thanks to Cory Wade but more on that in a sec.
First Wise’s Jeter impersonation. What better way for him to celebrate the Captain’s birthday than to throw himself into the seats to make a dazzling catch? Very Jeterian – except that Wise didn’t make the catch. Not even close.
If you missed it, check out the video and commentary on Deadspin. What is the matter with the ump that he didn’t ask to see the ball? Did he have a hot dinner date after the game? Seriously terrible.
But I don’t want the Wise non-catch to overshadow what was another fine outing for Hughes. He was great. And I figured, as I’m sure he did when he left the game, that he’d not only get the win but a shutout. Wrong. I understand that Girardi probably thought a 7-0 lead was the perfect time to bring in the slumping Wade, but Cory seems ready for the glue factory. Soriano never should have had to come in to close this one. At least he only faced one batter.
So. Another night. Another win. We got excellent starting pitching and good hitting (including actual non-homers). I’m happy.
And I thought maybe the Yankees would have a letdown after the big Subway Series. Silly me. Instead, they pounded the Indians on the first day of HOPE Week and it was so relaxing. Good pitching, good hitting and good defense – that’s how you win ballgames – and the Yankees did it all.
I wonder if Cano is practicing for the Home Run Derby coming up. His swing sure looked ready. And Swisher had an active night both at the plate and in the field. But the surprise was Wise, and I credit Cashman for picking him up. I knew he had a great glove, but who knew he could handle the bat?
Nick Laham/Getty Images
I can’t say enough about Kuroda and the job he did. Just an excellent all-around effort by the boys. I realize that the Indians aren’t exactly a top-tier team, but so what. Winning by a bunch of runs is fun.
