Hiroki Kuroda Archives - Page 2 of 4

We Won Last Night And Nobody Got Hurt

May 18, 2013

I stole Barbara’s comment from the previous post, but it’s perfect. (Credit: Barbara) I watched the game until the ninth inning when I had to go out for dinner, but what a performance by Kuroda. Is he our ace this year or what? The Jays came in hot as anybody and he shut them down decisively. Wow.

And those Baby Bombers just kept hitting. Miraculous. And Baby Bomber Preston Claiborne finished up. I’m liking these kids a lot. Even old man Ichiro got into the act with that perfect bunt. He may not be hitting but he’s still a master technician.

All in all a very good night for the Yanks, despite the news that Pettitte’s on the DL (what else is new).

Nice Way To Close Out The Weekend

May 12, 2013

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.

What A Waste Of Time

May 7, 2013

The Yankees need help. I know Nunez will be back sort of soon, followed by Granderson and at some point Youkilis and Tex (I guess). I also know this team of replacement parts has done well in spite of its limitations. But tonight was an example of how thin the lineup really is. I mean four hits? Against the Rockies? Wasting a very good outing by Kuroda?

Gross.

I had a long writing day today and was looking forward to a nice, mindless escape tonight. I didn’t get it from the game, that’s for sure. I expended way too much energy muttering at the TV.

Thanks, Blue Jays

April 20, 2013

Reliever Aaron Loup got loopy with his throw to third on Ichiro’s bunt and the two-run error was all the Yankees needed to get the win in extras.

But long before that happened, Kuroda pitched a gem. It’s always a shame when a starter doesn’t figure into the decision after such a good performance, but that’s baseball.

After Robertson coughed up the lead, Joba came in and looked like the Joba of 2007. His velocity was right back up there and it was great to see. I wasn’t wild about Girardi pulling him for Logan, especially when he left Logan in for a head-scratching lefty-righty matchup, but it all worked out.

Wells gave his old fans in Toronto more to boo about with his continued strong offense. Youkilis left the game with “back tightness.” Swell.

Weren’t the Blue Jays supposed to win 162 games this year?

Kuroda, The Samurai Sword!

April 14, 2013

Impressive performance tonight, right? Kuroda sliced and diced his way through the O’s lineup and left no doubt that when he’s on he’s really on. I mean like almost perfect. He threw strikes, pitched economically and had everything working (I really hope Hughes and Nova were watching carefully), and it made what was an early pitcher’s duel actually feel relaxing.

I didn’t know how the Yankees would give him run support but I knew they would. What a bomb from little Gardy and how timely. There were a couple of errors in the infield, but overall tonight’s series finale was a well played contest and an important one, even though it’s only April. It doesn’t hurt to beat our division rival and set a tone.

I especially enjoyed winning in front of a national audience on ESPN, I admit it. Despite missing many of our marquee guys, the Yankees are still capable of showing everybody who’s boss.

The First Janer Of The Season!

April 8, 2013

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.

Progress!

November 28, 2012

Next up better be…

I’ll feel a lot better when Mo’s deal is done.

Beyond that, it’s sounding like Russell Martin could go elsewhere for more years and $$, but if it’s between the Yankees and the Pirates would he really take Pittsburgh?

B.J. Upton for $75 million? I didn’t see that coming.

“No Thanks, Yankees”

November 9, 2012

That’s what Swisher, Soriano and Kuroda said to the Yankees and their contract offers. I can’t blame any of them (or their agents) for seeking more money/years elsewhere, but – and clearly I’m biased – isn’t playing for the Yanks in New York on the biggest stage for a team that will undoubtedly make the playoffs every postseason enough of reason to accept the offers?

I get that Swisher has lots of options and that Soriano wants to be a closer, but Kuroda?

It will be interesting to see how Cashman fills the gaps.

Also, very sad to read about the death of former Yankees GM Lee MacPhail, as it always is when baseball legends pass away.

"No Thanks, Yankees"

November 9, 2012

I get that Swisher has lots of options and that Soriano wants to be a closer, but Kuroda?

It will be interesting to see how Cashman fills the gaps.

Also, very sad to read about the death of former Yankees GM Lee MacPhail, as it always is when baseball legends pass away.

ALCS Game 2: Ice Cold

October 14, 2012

The above just about sums up the situation, folks. Once again the starting pitching was spectacular, but the bats were dead. Huge applause for Kuroda, especially since everybody was worried about him going on three days rest. He came through in a big, big way.

Yes, he ran into trouble in the 8th and what trouble it turned out to be.

As we all saw from replays, Swisher’s throw was a good one and so was Cano’s tag, but the ump blew it. I would have gone crazy if I were Girardi and, though he got tossed (on his birthday, no less – what a tough week for him), there really wasn’t much point. As he said in his post-game remarks, the call was awful and could have been rectified with instant replay, but he also agreed that it was the offense, not the umpiring, that cost the Yankees the game.

I was interested in his perspective on the fact that all the hitters – we’re talking about a collective swoon with an exception here and there – have looked baffled by the Tigers’ pitching and the Orioles’ pitching. He mentioned that they had to “make adjustments.” What could those adjustments be at this point? Will they suddenly learn how to hit off-speed stuff? Stop taking big swings when a poke through the infield would do? Change their batting stances? I wouldn’t want to be Kevin Long right now.

I was hoping that they’d all rise to the occasion and win one for the Captain, but they just seem impossibly out of sync. Very disheartening as well as puzzling.

But we’ve seen this before, this “going cold.” It’s like one of those flu bugs that sweeps through the clubhouse and infects everybody. Maybe they should take antibiotics.

All that said, it pains me to hear the fans booing, as justified as they may be. Bald Vinny, who leads the Bleacher Creatures in the roll call, was tweeting about how Swisher wouldn’t face the stands and joke around with them as he usually does but rather warmed up behind home plate before the game and never acknowledged them during the game. (Nice touch, by the way, when the Creatures included Jeter in the roll call.) Clearly, there’s a lot of fan rage out there. It pains me, as I said. They’re still our Yankees, for better or worse.

Still #1

September 23, 2012

I missed the first few innings today while at a screening for “Trouble With the Curve” (see the Mainly Jane blog), but when I joined the game in the 5th inning or so, Kuroda was already on his way out. Not a good outing for him. I hope he’s not in the dreaded “dead arm” phase of the season.

I could harp on Eduardo Scissorhands – two errors, seriously – but what’s the point. I just wish Jeter could play shortstop from now on.

John Sterling drove me nuts with that call in the bottom of the 9th on A-Rod’s fly ball to the wall. “It is high, it is far, it is….caught.” He totally made me think the Yankees had tied the game, and I was so disappointed when he said the word “caught.” Ugh.

But thanks to the Red Sox, the Yanks go to Minny clinging to the division lead. It’s nail biting time, people.

A Little Bit Of Everything Today

September 16, 2012

And Friends of the Blog, John and Peggy, got to meet up before the game and see all the excitement.

(Note to all commenters. Love the occasional pics but please re-size them before emailing so they’re not large files. Thanks.)

What John and Peggy got to see was small ball, long ball, good defense, misplays and errors, steals, even a warning and a couple of ejections. That’s an interesting combo for a Sunday afternoon.

Best of all, the Yankees won the series, shoved the Rays down the ladder and can take the next day off feeling good about things.

Here’s what I felt good about:

Nunez’s running game. I realized how much the Yanks have missed having someone speedy. He made some nice plays on defense too.
More RBIs from Jeter and A-Rod, our “senior citizens.”
Russell Martin’s resurgence at the plate.
Having David Phelps in the bullpen.
Dave Robertson looking more like Dave Robertson.
Soriano untucking after the save and not making an adventure out of it.

Here’s what I wasn’t thrilled about:

Moore throwing over Granderson’s head. I had steam coming out of my ears and was grateful Grandy was quick enough to duck out of the way.
The ump issuing warnings to both teams. Why not just eject a pitcher that throws at a guy’s head, intentional or otherwise? I know, I know. The warnings are to prevent the other team from retaliating. But to me, a better idea is to send the culprit to the showers.
Kuroda not pitching well with the nice lead. Maybe he prefers having zero run support?
The A-Rod error. It could have been costly, but wasn’t, thankfully.
Hearing Michael Kay say that Mo was at the game but not having the YES cameras show him.

On balance, today’s win was about the Yankees looking like the Yankees again.

yankee-ring — Courtesy: New York Yankees

Sloppy, Sloppy, Sloppy

September 11, 2012

Oh, Yankees. Did you not care about winning tonight’s opener in Boston? Because you sure looked like you didn’t (except Jeter, as usual). You only managed six hits, never mind three runs. You kept letting a struggling Jon Lester off the hook. You were inept with men on base. Your defense (yes, you, Cano and Swisher) was less than stellar. And your relief pitching (except Joba) was horrendous; I get that Robertson had thrown a lot of pitches by the time he coughed up the game but so what?

Kuroda wasn’t bad. If the team had been hitting, which they never do when he’s on the mound, he might have gotten a win. But with the O’s beating the Rays, tonight’s loss was especially maddening.

The Yankees need to play baseball as if they mean it. And yes, this one pissed me off.

Deflated

August 31, 2012

I really hoped the Yankees would pull themselves out of the doldrums in the opener against the O’s tonight. Obviously. But instead of seeing a team that was revved up and ready to do battle, I saw one that went down to defeat in a surprisingly and disturbingly wimpy way. I mean, watching Swisher flail at the ball all night was painful. And he had plenty of company in the flailing department. Kuroda wasn’t perfect, but he must wonder what he has to do to get his guys to score runs for him. And Derek Lowe. Sigh. He might as well be Sergio Mitre at this point.

I never thought the Yanks would maintain, let alone, pad their 10-game lead, but to lose so many games and have that lead dwindle to two? Yes, it feels like the air’s gone out of the balloon.

Still, there’s a month of baseball left to play and they can get hot again, particularly with A-Rod and Tex back in the lineup and Pettitte on the mound. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt if Girardi sat everybody down in a room and yelled at them until the veins in his neck popped out.

I Have An Idea

August 25, 2012

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.

Let’s Hear It For The Land Of The Rising Sun

August 19, 2012

What a great night for Kuroda and Ichiro.

Kuroda has been a model of consistency in a rotation that’s begged for consistency. I just love the way he’s adapted to the Yankees and the American League after his somewhat shaky start. He’s so smart and such a warrior. Great, great pickup by Cashman.

I was not a fan of Ichiro and didn’t think we’d see even flashes of his former glory. I was wrong. He has indeed elevated his game since putting on the pinstripes, and tonight’s two homers were resounding evidence. I loved his curtain call after the second one.

Jeter continues to amaze. When he got that leadoff hit off Beckett, I relaxed and knew the Yanks would prevail. I’m always happy when we score first.

And then there’s Soriano, AKA “Mr. Untuck,” as we call him on Twitter.

Sori.untucked204812 — Photo: Reuters/wsj.com

Supposedly, he untucks his shirt after a save because it means he’s finished his work for the day. All righty then. He’ll never be Mo, but I don’t want to think where we’d be without him. Great, great pickup by Hal.

As for the Red Sox, this felt like an unusual series with them. The games didn’t last forever, although Saturday’s felt that way. Beckett took his customary eternity between pitches, but even so it went faster than the old days. The biggest story in the ESPN booth was the “drama” over when Carl Crawford would have surgery. Yawn.

Let's Hear It For The Land Of The Rising Sun