No pests this time, and Joba shows what might have happened had the Orkin man been around last October.
Recap: In a game eerily similar to last year’s game 2 (except it’s Wang starting and not Andy), the Yanks had a 1-0 lead (once again, the only run was a Melky HR). This time, there were no midges to bother Joba in the 8th. After Wang pitched 7 scoreless, (9 K’s!) Joba had a 1-2-3, 2 K’s, and then Enter Sandman. 1-2-3, 2 K’s. Back at .500.
Wang becomes the first Yankee pitcher to start 5-0 since (UGH) Kevin Brown in 2004.
On the postgame, Girardi refutes the Times’ report of a muscle tear in Posada’s shoulder. Whatever it is, it isn’t good. Jorge couldn’t throw today and will be going on the 15-day DL. Meaning Molina will have to catch. Who his backup will be….who knows. P. J. Pilittere was at .313 at Trenton, but that’s AA. Chris Stewart? Jason Brown? That’s your options at AAA. Damn that collision on Cervelli! Girardi just states that the strain hasn’t healed, that a recent MRI didn’t show anything worse and that Posada will go on the DL to give it more time to heal. You do wonder though, if it is more serious. One thing that IS serious…the Moeller/backup situation now that Molina will be the starting catcher for a while. We have a problem.
25 minutes to game time on TBS. I have two papers I haven’t looked at, and no coffee in my system. A sore hip kept me up last night—late. Ugh.
Here is the lineup:
YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Duncan 1B
Ensberg DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Wang (4-0, 3.94)
Pete Abraham does note that Hideki Matsui is out for the second straight day. He said he is healthy. He also is riding a seven-game hit streak. Ross Ohlendorf has appeared in nine games. The Yankees have lost eight of them.
Weekly stats look: 3rd in BA, 9th in drawing walks, OPS+ 109. Right on the Pythagorean (meaning their record is what the runs scored/runs allowed project it to be.) Molina 42 AB, 0 walks. Jeter 2 walks in 78 AB. Alex 5 in 86. Cano 7 in 92. Posada 3 in 63. Ensberg 1 in 32. Abreu 7 in 92. Patience, guys?
The big one: RISP .243 RISP w/2 outs .230
ERA+ a 90. 4.74 ERA is 12th in the league.
I’ll try to watch the game and catch up a bit. Join you later.
UPDATE: Posada is a late scratch. Molina hits 9th, all previously 6-9 move up one.
Both teams strand two in the first. Interesting stat. Wang is trying to become the first Yankee pitcher to go 5-0 since….do you believe….Kevin Brown in 2004. Brown of course bombed in the ALCS that year. Brown was 10-6, 4.09 that year, meaning he was 5-6 after the 5-0 start. Combine that with a 4-7, 6.50 in 2007, and Brown went 9-13 in his Yankee career after the 5-0 start. It helped Brown that his first three starts in 2004 were all against Tampa Bay (the first one being in Tokyo) and that all were wins.
Poor 2nd for the Yanks. It looked (once again) that the hitters didn’t have a plan. Wang has a good 2nd as Shelley uses all 6′5″ or so of himself to save the Captain from a throwing error. Great play by Shelley D.
hmm…Pirates axe Matt Morris, Big Papi (knee) gets the day.
End of 3. No score.
This is looking like another game where the so-called high-powered offense will be lucky to score 4 runs.
Cano singles, then is picked off. Melky follows with a HR. # 5. Who’d have thought that on this date that Melky would have more HR than anyone except Giambi? Meanwhile, Wang K’d the side last inning. 5 K in 4 IP for Wang. 1-0 Yanks after 4 1/2.
7 K for Wang after 5. Still 1-0.
BAD NEWS FROM PETE ABRAHAM: Remember that Moeller was just DFA’d and that the Yanks could lose him. OUCH.
The New York Times is reporting that Jorge Posada has a muscle tear in his shoulder and will be headed to the disabled list. You can’t hide the truth for long.
Six pitches, slightly over 100 pitches for Wang. Offense, get the guy some runs already. CC has been CC today…got to give him credit for that. Exactly what I’ve mentioned…how about some littleball?
9 K by Wang through 7. I might take it batter by batter with him.
Hmmm…I see my Steelers took the QB from Oregon? Not a bad choice for a backup to Big Ben. Not bad…and 5th round. The only PSU boys I saw go so far were Connor (3-Carolina) and King (4th to Rams). The kid from Rutgers, Rice, went to Baltimore yesterday.
Nope. It’s Joba. Just like last time. 1-0. If there is bugs, Tim goes nuclear.
1-2-3. 2 Ks. Take that, midges.
1-0, 9th inning. Enter Sandman. 1-2-3, 2 Ks.
Take that, midges. THUUUUUUUUUUUUH Yankees win.
57 responses so far ↓
1 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 1:22 pm
anyone around?
any news on jorge?
2 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 1:28 pm
these TBS guys are total idiots; have ya noticed?
3 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 1:40 pm
sabathia getting a gigantic K zone-
4 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 1:49 pm
They say no word on Jorge until the postgame.
5 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 1:51 pm
i’m noticing that this is one of those umps with a very high strike zone-never a good thing for wang- if he stays high, he runs the risk of getting hit badly. if he hits his spots but they are at the kneesl, the ump seems to be calling a ball- result will be walk. we’ll see
6 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 1:51 pm
thanks mike- can’t be good news.
7 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 1:52 pm
yay shelley-he saved jeter’s ass
8 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 1:59 pm
mike, can you believe this swinging at the first pitch BS? this is with a pitcher who walked two in the first inning, but even abreu comes up hacking away…
are these the yankees?
9 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:04 pm
nice catch by jeter. bad luck with that bloop double
10 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:06 pm
another good play by shelley. threat avoided. wang has settled into the game. i have a feeling he’ll go deep into the game
11 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Agreed. Mike. The ?? I have is will Wang get run support? As I mention above, this looks like another game where they can’t score 4 runs. The “high-powered offense” has ONE game in 25 where they’ve put up a 10 spot. ONE. This doesn’t look like one today, either.
12 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Anyway, I am really starting to lose my temper with the offense. Yesterday was just disgusting.
13 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Gutierrez is gunned down stealing. Thank you for giving up outs on the bases Mr. Wedge.
14 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Wanger with his 6K of the game. Me likey.
15 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Make that 7. Molina…what a pickup. Now if he can just draw a walk once in a blue moon.
16 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:52 pm
hey tim-
wang looks great. too bad robbie got caught napping or it’d be 2-0
17 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:53 pm
heck of a hit from jeter, lets see if this can be an inning for us
18 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:54 pm
We need to score Jeter. Carsten Charles is not going to give up the big inning. The Sox are losing 1-0 in Tampa. The Junior Varsity leads the Braves 4-1 in the top of the 6th.
19 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:56 pm
bad news in the times about jorge- he’s probably headed to the DL- hope moeller clears waivers
20 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Yup. Just saw it Mike.
21 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:57 pm
a-rod looks like he’s swinging for the fences when all we need is a hit
22 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:58 pm
K. *sigh*
and the announcers are thrilled to see the strikeout. the anti-yankee bias is stunning sometimes. please shelley get this run in
23 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I am going to mutilate Chip Caray, with a rope, kersoine, matches, and a parking ticket.
24 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:01 pm
i’d really like to help you hack him to pieces tim- or at least hold him for you
25 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:02 pm
There should be allow against having to put up with Tim McCarver and Chip Caray in the same weekend.
26 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:02 pm
they barely made note of melky’s homerun-
at least FAKE being impartial guys. worse than joe morgan- yeah, i said worse
27 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Then there is John Miller trying to act Latino. Carlos BELL TRAHN. Jorge Posatha. On and on…. The only national announcers I like are Thom Brennamen, Joe Buck, and Dan Shulman(at least for NBA games).
28 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:05 pm
hilarious replay of the beckett gaffe.
29 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:06 pm
still, when you can’t put a leadoff double across the plate with the heart of your order, then i don’t know what to say
30 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Nice play by Shelley there. He’s made a few today that the Big G doesn’t even make in his dreams.
Joe Buck? Put it this way. There are extremely few I like. Extremely few.
True, Mike. True.
The way the offense has been, this is like walking a tightrope. Like Game 2 of the ALDS last year…only without the midges.
31 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:10 pm
and if i’m correct, the only offense that day was a homer by melky…
32 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Decision time gentlemen. Send Wang out there and go out by out? Or try and have Joba and Mo do some extra work?
33 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:14 pm
tim, i was wondering the same thing to myself. i say send the wanger out
34 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:14 pm
i mean send him back out–not out of the game
35 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Depends on how that hammy of Joba’s is. That tweak Thurs. is how bad?
Mike F., you are absolutely correct.
36 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:16 pm
down goes ensberg swinging…
37 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:23 pm
If I see any midges in this game, there will be blood. The minute the Yankees leave I will go Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Cleveland.
38 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:30 pm
9K!
great outing-now we have to hold them
39 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Insurance runs please.
40 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:31 pm
9 K, I might just go batter by batter. Of course some runs would make the decision to leave him in much easier.
41 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:40 pm
what a freaky replay of that ALDS game- lets hope the similarities end right now
42 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Yup. Exactly. Same score, only let’s see what happens WITHOUT midges.
43 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:44 pm
No midges, no problems.
44 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:44 pm
cold assassin for ya mr sommer; no fist pump- but deadly
45 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:46 pm
tampa just scored another run 2-0
46 Mike Sommer // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:49 pm
and I like.
47 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I don’t mind the emotion so long as it isn’t pre-meditated. Chad Johnson’s TD celebrations drive me insane. However, fist pumps are ok by me. Though for as much as I love Frankie Rodriguez, he is a bit over the top.
48 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:54 pm
a touch of “thriller” for you there tim
49 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:59 pm
ice cold. how bout that inside pitch?
50 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Thriller is a great song. I know the whole dance as well. Though my favorite is defintely smooth criminal.
51 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:01 pm
The Rays tack on one more. 3-0 Rays going to the top of the 9th.
52 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Finally some kick ass pitching. We won the game so everyone calm the hell down, cough Josh Imboden cough.
53 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:02 pm
wow- what a pitching performance today- the hitters sucked, but we got the win
tim - i think you should be filmed doing the thriller routine and put it on youtube for us.
now TB bullpen- hold up
54 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:05 pm
oh- i see it is still shields pitching for the rays. boston down to their last out
55 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:06 pm
rays sweep sox- complete game from shields
56 Tim The Wizard // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Mighty Midget Pedroia flys out. Rays win 3-0. We are now 1.5 games back. F the BlowSox.
57 mike f // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:11 pm
and the smoke and mirrors orioles are losing to the “good guys” in chicago
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