What Happened
The Yankees fell 4-3 on the strength of a solo homer run by Carlos Pena in the top of the 10th, off Phil Coke. AJ Burnett started and was decent going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs. Mark Teixeira had a game tying three run double with two outs in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game, but could not drive Johnny Damon in from 3rd with one out in the last of the 10th. The Yankees could not score a runner from 3rd in the 9th as well, as Ramiro Pena and Jose Molina were forced to bat due to the Yankees poor bench. The loss dropped the Yankees under .500.
What I Liked
1) Johnny Damon- Damon seems to be Mr. Clutch thus far this season, seemingly in the middle of every rally and coming through with big hits on a regular basis. His double with one out in the 10th seemed to be one of those plays, but the Yankees could not bring him home. Hopefully Johnny stays healthy all year and continues to produce as well as he has for the last season and a month.
2) Mark Teixeira in the 8th- That was a storybook hit, a bases clearing double in the rain at the Stadium to tie a game and possibly end a losing streak. It was not to be.
3) The Bullpen- 4IP, 3 hits, 1 run. Phil Coke allowed the home run to Pena, but other than that looked pretty solid, as did Albie and Edwar. Mariano needed to labor a bit through his inning but ended up striking out the side after allowing the lead off man to reach.
What I Didn’t Like
1) AJ Burnett- The start was adequate, but the team is paying him to be a lot better than adequate. This kind of start is fine if he can mix them in with some dominant performances. Thus far, that has not been the case, as he has had to gut through a number of starts. While it is admirable, I would love to see the dominant AJ for a while now.
2) Teixeira in the 10th- Gotta hit a sac fly there. I just want to take this opportunity to tell everybody that the Yankees will not hit under .200 with RISP all season long. Not going to happen.
3) Brian Cashman- The fact that Ramiro Pena and Jose Molina needed to bat with two runners on in the 9th last night is an indictment of Brian’s poor bench building skills. We harped on this prior to the season, and will continue to do so until it is fixed. Wouldn’t it have been better to have Jim Edmonds there? Or at the very least Juan Miranda or John Rodriguez?
4) The umpire at 1st- Pena was safe in the 9th, which would have brought Molina to the plate with one out instead of two and the bases loaded. Awful call in a huge spot. What is this, the NBA?
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8 Responses to Recap: Yankees Falter Vs. Rays, Drop 4th Straight
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I haven’t been reading much Yankee related news this morning because I ‘m tired of the doom and gloom (although you guys stay pretty much middle of the road which is refreshing) but I’m sure somewhere, someone is blaming the bullpen, namely Phil Coke for last nights loss.
Thing is though, the pitch Coke threw to Pena was a really good pitch. Fastball on the outside corner. Pena just hit it a long long way. What else can Coke do there? My only question however was why didn’t Rivera pitch the 10th? He did just have about a week off no?
Exactly- Cokes pitch was perfect, and Pena actually only got it with the end of the bat. he just has great power.
On the Rivera thing, he struck out the side but labored a bit. In a tie game in May, I had no problem with that, although I can see why some did.
How about the home plate umpire tossing Swisher almost immediately after he began to argue?
Yeah, that was a bit quick, but at least it was within the rules.
True Moshe, I can see your point on pulling Mo. And Coke did do a nice job, Pena was just a little better, lol.
I agree Johnny Damon is hitting clutch but he looks so old and slow in the outfield. When do you think they will give Austin Jackson a call up? And I agree with bringing up some of the players who could really provide punch off the bench like Rodriguez or Shelley Duncan.
I think the fact that they have not called him up yet means they are not going to be influenced by the needs of the big club. It might be a while.