Mariners Archives - Page 2 of 4

And They're Streaking

June 9, 2013

(I love that this guy is on the phone while he’s getting tackled.)

The Yankees won the series today by eeking out another close game against the Mariners. It was especially satisfying because it was Phelps versus King Felix and Phelps turned out to be the more kingly of the two. He’s been great his last couple of times out there.

Brett Gardner, always a streaky hitter, is on a hot streak at the moment. And Chris Stewart, after I badmouthed him in a previous post, earned his keep with a big RBI single. Dave Robertson is wearing me out with his Houdini act. Yes, he ended up pitching scoreless baseball, but must he always put men on and then get out of trouble? At least when Mo does it – and he did allow baserunners today – it’s a fluke.

Bottom line: the Yankees are playing to win right now. The Mariners aren’t exactly a powerhouse offensively, but in order to be there in October you have to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat and the Yanks did that in this series. Well done.

A Big Day For The Pettittes

June 8, 2013

Andy and Josh Pettitte — Photo: Chris Rupp

While Andy was pitching a brilliant game against the Mariners today, his son Josh was getting drafted by the Yankees. How perfect is that? Yes, the Pettittes have agreed that Joshy will go to college instead of playing pro baseball for now, but it’s still cool that father and son could both turn out to be pinstripe-wearers. Now if we could get Mo’s son drafted, it would be even cooler. Too bad Jeter doesn’t have a kid.

I didn’t see the game, but it sounded like things couldn’t have gone better. Even Vernon Wells had a couple of hits, so that was news.

Phelps versus King Felix tomorrow could be a bit more challenging, but baseball is unpredictable.

“And the ball gets away from….”

June 7, 2013

I think Ken Singleton said that a zillion times about Chris Stewart during tonight’s loss to the Mariners. Granted the Yankees offense was somehow stymied by the once-competent Jeremy Bonderman and Kuroda had a meltdown in the fourth or fifth inning (can’t remember), but the fact is that Stewart is just not a great catcher. I’d rather have Romine out there.

What is there to say about this game? Not much. Preston Claiborne continued to impress, but the hitters must have eaten too much of Safeco’s famous sushi. (Wells has become the new Ben Francisco.) They looked sluggish and not into it, and neither was I. I went back and forth between the game and the replay of the Nadal-Djokovic semi-final at the French Open. Now that was a match and so much more entertaining.

"And the ball gets away from…."

June 7, 2013

While You Were Sleeping….

June 6, 2013

The Good Hughes showed up in Seattle. That’s basically all you need to know.

He was so good that I fell asleep after the Yankees scored their runs on back-t0-back homers by Cano and Tex early on and it looked like we were in control. I’d wake up, check the score, see that the Mariners still hadn’t scored, and go back to my nap.

I love that the Yankees ended up winning, that Hughes pitched well and that the bullpen did its job in the 8th and 9th. Only Youkilis’ error (the ball went right through his legs) provided any tension. Otherwise, it was all Yankees – a nice way to begin the road trip.

CC OutLasted The Indians

June 5, 2013

And he definitely outlasted his son, who fell asleep in the car after the game. I love this pic that Amber Sabathia tweeted earlier today of her little CC. (Notice his ears. They’re just like his dad’s.)

A complete game performance by the big man and homers from Hafner and Gardner seem to have done the job to finish the series with a sweep. I didn’t watch – it was a work day – but I enjoyed keeping up with the game score and summary.

Now the Yankees are off to my part of the world and while I know the east coasters reading this groan at the late hour of the games during these west coast swings, I couldn’t be happier. I get a full day’s work in and then watch the boys while I’m having dinner. I just hope they don’t ruin my appetite by letting the Mariners beat them, Raul Ibanez in particular.

I’m Telling You, The Yankees Are Made Of This!

May 16, 2013

That’s right, shattered glass. It’s insane. Andy Pettitte was cruising along tonight, albeit having given up a run, and then – boom – he was gone, attended to by the dreaded Stevie Donahue. Let’s see how long he’s out with this cockamamie trapezoid thingie. Ugh.

And Stewart. He was running the bases and he “felt something” that turned out to be a groin injury. Not good for a catcher. Come on, guys. Get it together and stop falling apart! I’m sick of this. Is Romine ready to catch CC and Kuroda and the whole staff? Who’s the backup catcher now?

Okay, rant over.

The Yankees dropped the series finale to the Mariners and they should have won it. The offense went to sleep, period. I did too. This game was too boring for words with only some moderate will-they-mount-a-comeback suspense at the very end. Snore.

I'm Telling You, The Yankees Are Made Of This!

May 16, 2013

Okay, rant over.

The Yankees Were Due For A Laugher

May 15, 2013

What else can you do but laugh when your starter can’t pitch his way out of the first inning? Hughes has been pretty good lately, so I’ll give him a pass on tonight’s meltdown. I guess. Ibanez was bound to hit at least one homer against him, since he’s hit them against everyone else at Yankee Stadium. Why Cashman didn’t hang onto Rauuuul I’ll never know. But bottom line? The Mariners are a weak-hitting team that nevertheless scored 12 runs, which proves that anybody can beat anybody on any given day.

This blowout reminded me of that game against the Rays when Swisher pitched. Instead, we had Alberto Gonzalez taking a turn on the mound, with Wells at second and Stewart at first. Craziness.

Preston Claiborne seems to be impressing everyone. Maybe he’s the new Joba, as in the Joba of ’07.

Another Injury?

May 14, 2013

I couldn’t believe it when, as I was cheering the return of Granderson, I read that Hafner was out with a sore shoulder and that MRI results are pending. Jeez. Am I wrong in thinking the injury bug has invaded all of baseball, not just the Yankees? It’s crazy out there.

Granderson clearly needs some major league games under his belt. He looked rusty, but it was nice having him back. I missed a lot of the game (I went to see “The Great Gatsby”), but caught enough of it to see that CC notched quite a few strikeouts and Mo got yet another save. I did not get to see the Overbay/King Felix collision except for replays. Sounds like Felix was in command before that happened though.

What was so heartening to read about was the comeback aspect of the Yanks. Being down a few runs against The King isn’t a happy prospect, but they clawed their way back and stole it. Bravo.

Old Faces…And A New One

February 13, 2013

Shawn Kelley. That’s the name of the above new face, although who knows if we’ll ever see him in pinstripes. The Yankees traded Almonte, a AA prospect, for Kelley, a reliever who was DFA-ed by the Mariners and will need shoulder surgery. Seriously, people. Why?

On a happier note, it’s been really great to read about Pettitte (still Andy), CC (trimmer) and Mo (godly as ever) at camp. I’m not wild about Mo’s annual I-can’t-tell-you-about-my-retirement-plans-yet game that he plays with the beat writers, but I think we all assume this will be his finale and that’s OK. We’re lucky we have him back this year; I’m grateful for that.

A-Rod? Not coming to camp. Ever. Well, probably not. Cervelli? Wouldn’t say who referred him to the Biogenesis clinic so questions linger. Girardi? As positive and upbeat about the whole PED thing as you’d expect him to be.

And now, it seems, the conversation about banned substances has shifted over to the Red Sox since Schilling made his comments and Lester made his and Papelbon made his from afar. I took Toradol, the anti-inflammatory they’re all talking about, in the hospital after surgery and it’s no extra-strength Advil, as Lester suggested. It’s a heavy duty drug that’s not to be used for long periods of time. Maybe someday MLB will clean out the medicine cabinets of ballplayers. And maybe not.

I do wish all the writers would stop with how old this team is, but I guess it’s true and only time will tell if it matters.

Spare Parts

August 5, 2012

What struck me about today’s victory over the Mariners, aside from how sweet it always is to win as opposed to the opposite, is that guys like Ibanez, Nix and Stewart made important contributions.

Ibanez has been a bona fide star over his long career, but at 40 he wasn’t expected to produce the way he has this season. I certainly didn’t expect it, especially after his horrendous spring training. He’s just so impressive, whether it’s clocking a ball into the seats or getting a hit after a tough at bat. A professional hitter, that’s what he is.

Nix has been a journeyman – nothing fancy, just a guy who keeps grinding in almost a Brosius blue collar way. His throws at third really impressed me today, and his offense has been a pleasant surprise.

And Stewart? I didn’t have a clue. I think many of us were wondering why Cervelli didn’t get the backup catcher job instead. But “Stewy,” as I’m sure Girardi calls him, manages to make something good happen whenever he plays. And catching Sweaty Freddy with all his walks and wild pitches can’t be easy.

Of course our regulars – from Tex to the back end of the bullpen – were great too. And the best part? We won a series heading into what will be a tough one against the Tigers. I am not looking forward to facing this guy tomorrow night.

If You Blinked You Missed It

August 4, 2012

I didn’t watch the game, but Michael had it on so I kept checking from time to time.

“Still 1-0?” I’d say every 20 minutes or so.

“Uh-huh,” he’d say with a glazed look.

And eventually it was over. Fast. I’m really glad I didn’t buy tickets to that one.

Felix really does dominate the Yankees, doesn’t he? Sheesh. It could easily have been a no-hitter. And poor Kuroda. Remember how we used to joke that he should be thrilled to come to the Yanks after getting no run support with the Dodgers? He must be feeling a sense of deja vu, because he hasn’t gotten much offense with his new team either. Pity.

I guess losing 1-0 is more tolerable than getting beaten 16-0, but it couldn’t have been very entertaining to watch. Yawn.

CC Looms Large

August 3, 2012

Joe Girardi, CC Sabathia — Photo: AP/Kathy Willens

I laughed when Girardi went out to the mound in the ninth. Supposedly, the skipper wanted to give his ace a “pep talk,” but more likely he wanted to be talked out of pulling him in favor of Soriano. CC stared him down and stayed in to finish up, and the Yankees beat the Mariners is a tidy game. Our ace was truly ace-like. In the early going, I really thought he might throw a no-hitter; he was that dominant.

Other things I loved about the win:

Jeter’s hustle on a comebacker that resulted in a double.
Tex’s free swinging, which suggested that his wrist is fine.
Martin not only catching CC for the first time this season but getting his hits too.
Chavez’s fan-aided homer.

Here’s what I didn’t love:

Chavez’s “stiff” leg/foot/something.

Nothing against Jayson Nix and our newly acquired Casey McGehee, but Chavez has played a brilliant third base and I’d hate to lose him to an injury. Hate.

I’ll end on a happy note. The Yanks are back to winning. Yay.

Now That Was Better

August 1, 2012

No cursing during this Janer today, although when the Yankees scored early I had to remind myself not to get too excited. But they kept scoring – yay for consistency! – and Hughes held the O’s in check and all was well in Yankeeville.

I guess the only newsworthy items were the return of Joba and the arrival of McGehee.

Whoever photo-shopped McGehee’s Pirates pic forgot to erase the beard, but whatever. He’s ours and he figured into today’s win, even if it was in a relatively minor way.

Girardi was smart to use Joba in a no-pressure situation. If only he hadn’t given up a homer and those singles. Oh well. He needs to get used to major league hitters again. I’m sure he was disappointed in his performance though.

So it’s on to the Mariners this weekend. Seems like we played them yesterday, but I really hope the results are better this time around – with no hit batsmen.

Nix This, Mariners

July 25, 2012

Am I ever happy the Yankees got out of ~~Dodge~~ Seattle alive. The Mariners pitchers were treating our boys like it was target practice with all the brush-backs and plunkings. Watching Jeter get nailed in the upper thigh/lower butt was the last straw for me. Grrrr.

Today’s game was a tough one to sit through for lots of reasons. Nova kept walking people and our hitters kept leaving men on base and everybody looked sort of listless – until the eighth inning. Then the fun began.

With the bases loaded, who played the hero? None other than Jayson Nix, the journeyman. (“Nixy,” as Girardi calls him, actually smiled during the post-game interview – a rarity.) It was thrilling to see the bases clear after innings of nothingness, and Martin’s contribution to bring Nix home provided nice insurance.

Excellent work by the relievers, especially Phelps, who is really proving his worth to this team.

I still think Cashman should get a third baseman because Chavez needs to be wrapped in this.

But in the meantime, the rest of the guys need to start mashing the ball, pure and simple. The off-day will give them a chance to get over their jet lag and with any luck they’ll be up for the games against the Red Sox and the O’s. I mean really up for them.

Yankees jump — Photo: Nick Laham/Getty Images

Nightmare Upon Waking

July 25, 2012

The Yankees were down by a couple of runs when I shut off the TV and went to bed. I wasn’t worried. Sweaty Freddy looked strong and we were facing the weak-hitting Mariners, and although King Felix was on the mound, Ichiro had just smacked a double. I was hopeful.

And then I woke up to….The News.

Absolutely horrifying that A-Rod has joined the list of casualties this season. Just when we shore up the outfield following the Gardner/Swisher injuries, Felix goes and breaks Alex’s hand/metacarpal/pinky. After I read about it, I nearly threw my laptop out the window.

And yeah, we lost the game. (Thank you, Rapada, Qualls and Logan.)

So now what? Sure, Chavez is a great third baseman but he’s not an everyday player, was never meant to be. Ramiro Pena is a known quantity but not a major league caliber hitter. And then there’s this guy.

Yup, they could call up Eduardo Scissorhands and give him the part-time job. I don’t even want to think about that.

And then, since Cashman is on a roll with his trades for aging superstars, maybe he’ll pull off a stealth move for this nearly retired future HOF-er.

mlb_u_cjones_sy_576 — Photo: US Presswire

Yes, I know Chipper is going out in a blaze of glory with the Braves. Any other ideas? The player has to be over 35, be a star past his prime, be referred to by his first name (like Madonna or Cher), and generate lots of media attention to deflect from the misery of losing A-Rod in a season of losing Mo, Pettitte, Joba, Gardner, Pineda, and probably others I can’t remember because I’m in shock.

And I’m pissed off. Everybody says Felix didn’t hit three of our guys on purpose and it’s part of the game. After all, CC broke Carlos Pena’s wrist/hand a few years ago. It happens and nobody’s to blame. But still. I now officially don’t like Felix Hernandez.