The Sommer Frieze

Maybe today’s win can be attributed TO the Joba rules.

For Joba went 3 ip, 2 R, 4 H, 0 walks and 1 K. He was pulled after 3 innings, 35 pitches. Now maybe he would have settled down and given up no more runs. We don’t know that.

What we DO know is what his replacement, Alfredo Aceves, DID do. 3 scoreless innings of relief for the win. Aceves is now 9-1. He’s been a bullpen lifesaver this year.

Marte and Robertson each got one out apiece, and Phil Hughes entered at a critical moment (Yanks up 3-2, top 7, 1st and 2nd, two out) and got out of the inning. Fabulous Phil pitched a scoreless 8th and lowered his ERA to 3.22. Considering it was 5.45 as a starter, you can see how dominant he has been as a reliever.

Backtracking a bit, after Joba gave up a run in the first, a Teix SF tied it in the bottom of the inning. Joba gave up another in the 3rd, but the Yanks went up 3-2 in the bottom of the 3rd on JD’s 2-run HR. #24 matches his career high, set with the Yanks in 2006.

That’s where it stood when Hughes got that big out in the 7th. In the bottom of the 7th, the Yanks broke it open with a five-spot. Melky had an RBI double, Hairston stepped in for JD (calves acting up, s/b ok) and hit a PH SF (Hairston—great pickup) and Teix hit a 3-run HR to ice the game. #32 for Teix and he passed the 100 RBI mark. The 4 RBI day gives him 101 for the year.

Jeter had 2 hits and is now at 2710—11 from Gehrig. The 35 year old SS is now at a scorching .335.

One disapponting note occurred in the 9th. Coke came in for mopup work and gave up yet another gopher ball, raising his ERA to 5.13. He had a great year when brought up last year and started out this year fine. But it seems as if the league is catching up to him. He has to make adjustments…and soon. You can check his most recent work (last 2 weeks, last week) here. Not pretty.

Up in Boston, Paul Byrd, who basically was on hiatus and retired (he wanted to take most of the year off, then latch on with someone after the break) for most of the year until signing with Boston in early August, pitched scoreless six innings. 

I think the Yanks had some interest but it didn’t work out.

Anyway, he is activated right before the 9/1 postseason deadline. So he’d be eligible to pitch in the postseason. Must be nice to have Spring Training through July off (and not because you are on the DL) then latch onto a postseason contender right before 9/1.

Carpetbagger.

Paul Byrd?

The Yanks now head to Camden Yards, where, with the O’s being generally lousy since their last winning season in 1997, you get so many Yankee fans there that it seems like “Yankee Stadium South.”

So an 8-3 win today. The Magic # is now 27. 

As for the Joba Rules in September, don’t worry too much about the bullpen. Remember rosters can be expanded on 9-1. Therefore help and reinforcements are coming in via Edwar, Albaladejo and maybe Melancon or Zach Kroenke. Ok, maybe not the cavalry, but it does help to have those extra bodies. In a blowout in September, why waste an Aceves or Hughes? You can go with Edwar, Alby or Melancon and save the other guys. Something we are pretty sure Girardi will do.