To quote an Avis Rent a Car commercial 'Total domination'
-First and foremost, AJ Burnett was everything you could have hoped for and more last night. That wasn’t the good AJ last night, it was the great one. The one we’ve seen only a handful of times this year, notably against the Red Sox and Mets. Even the lone run he allowed should never have scored. Matt Stairs hit a grounder that went right under A-Rod’s glove, scoring Raul Ibanez from 2nd. He threw 1st pitch strikes seemingly all night, struck out 9 and walked just 2. When AJ gets ahead of hitters it means he’s commanding his fastball, and then his wicked curve/slider become devastating. He benefited from a somewhat wide strike zone by home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, but so did Pedro. He answered all questions last night in the biggest game of his life.
-Say what you want about Pedro, but he was a joy to watch last night as well. He has completely reinvented himself as an off speed pitcher and had the Yankee hitters off balance all night. He also has a bag of tricks to reach into, and the Jeter quick pitch for strike 3 was right down the middle, but caught Derek off guard. He’s one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game, and might have pitched his final game last night. If he did, he went out in style, which is fitting for a pitcher with his resume. Charlie Manuel left him in 2 batters too long, but FOX showed him grilling Pedro in the dugout and Pedro clearly wanted to stay in the game. Can’t blame Manuel for that.
-To his credit, unlike Manuel Joe Girardi took no chances and brought in Mo for the 6 out save. With a lead, I would have let AJ start the 8th considering how dominating he was. But taking him out after 108 pitches also leaves open the option of starting AJ in Game 5 on short rest. But I don’t expect that to happen, unless its an elimination game.
-Critics of Jose Molina as AJ’s personal catcher had a bad night last night. He was blocking balls in the dirt all night, sometimes with men on base. Many of those were balls that likely get past Posada. In the 4th inning, Molina brilliantly threw out Jason Werth at 1st base with a lefty batter in the batter’s box, which is something you rarely see. Blocking balls in the dirt may not sound like much, but it can keep innings from getting out of hand, which is the biggest issue with AJ. Posada did pinch hit in the bottom of the 7th and lined an RBI single, so he got a chance to contribute as well and the Yanks wound up with a walk and an RBI single from the Catcher’s spot in the lineup.
-The Jeter bunt play with 2 strikes was inexcusable. Little leaguers know not to do that. He bunts on his own, so the Girardi bashers will have to look elsewhere on that play. To his credit, he took full responsibility. Peter Abraham Tweeted this quote from Derek:
“That was me. That was stupid.” (on his bunt).
-Alex is 0-8 with 6 SO. The 6 strikeouts bother me more than the 0-8 does, in the ALDS and ALCS, he was on every pitch and FOX had a stat saying he hadn’t swung and missed at a single pitch in either series. He’s fouling pitches straight back that he was putting into the stands a week ago. He’s clearly off his game a bit. To compound matters, he took his troubles out on the field on the Matt Stairs run-scoring grounder, which went right under his glove. Hopefully Tex snapped out of it last night, and Alex will start getting better pitches to hit as a result. Next up is lefty Cole Hamels in hitters-haven Citizens Bank ballpark, which should be a good match up for Alex. But if you feel like jumping on Alex after 2 bad games, I would remind you that we wouldn’t be playing right now if not for his brilliant October leading up to the World Series.
-I know people will have their knee jerk reactions to the umpires, who have certainly had a bad post season, but that Ryan Howard play where he trapped the ball was difficult to see on slow motion, much less in real time. I can’t go crazy about that play. Did the Yanks get a bad call? Yep, but it didn’t decide anything and most blown calls rarely do. Blaming umpires is generally just a convenient scapegoat for fans in a losing cause.
-Andy Pettitte faces Cole Hamels on Saturday night. Hamels has been very inconsistent all year, specifically with his ability to locate. Keep an eye on who the Home plate umpire will be. CC Sabathia has already been announced as the Yanks game 4 starter, while Manuel is waiting to see what happens in Game 3 before announcing his. He wants to avoid using Lee on short rest if at all possible. If the Phils win on Saturday, it will likely be Joe Blanton facing CC on Sunday, which is a fairly lopsided match up. But a Philly Game 3 win also sets up a Cliff Lee vs Chad Gaudin match up for Game 5 (assuming the Yanks win Game 4). If the Phils were to lose Game 3, Manuel could come back with Lee on short rest to face Sabathia. But we could have two pitching mismatches in Game 4 and 5 should the Yanks lose Game 3 on Saturday. I don’t think Girardi will pitch AJ Burnett on short rest in Game 5, unless its an elimination game. Looks like a long series, folks.
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13 Responses to Random Thoughts-World Series Game 2
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to me, you just can’t start Gaudin. Sure everyone is going to go on short rest, but this is the World Series and Gaudin does not belong anywhere near the starting rotation.
I have to agree, Gaudin just doesn’t match up against this lineup either. I would be much more comfortable with everyone going on short rest.
I totally agree HP umpire Nelson’s big strike-zone helped both pitchers, but really helped AJ. Getting those called first strikes helped his confidence and really help to set up the hitters with his great stuff. Molina was absolutely brilliant behind the plate. That helped AJ too, IMO.
But… I also agree Pedro benefited too. Great game!
I agree with mostly everything you say except the part about the umps not playing a role. There is no way the umps can continue to get free passes.
You say that blaming umps is generally just a convenient scapegoat for losing fans and while that may sometimes be the case, I think that people saying the umps don’t decide the game is just a crutch. Umpires are arbiters. Arbiters are those with the power/authority to decide a dispute. They very much decide the game in many respects. It’s the sum and purpose of their job description.
Nothing about the Howard play made you think he caught the ball. If Howard himself actually thought he caught it, he would have just double up Posada by touching 1st and would not have thrown to 2nd to start the double play and then gone to 1st waiting for the return throw. The ball bounced and the umps missed it. Common sense alone should have been able to guide the umps there even if they didn’t see the play (which they obviously didn’t). To hear them say they got it right after the game just further shows how badly they need oversight.
While the Yanks still won, it had a very real effect. Instead of bases loaded and 1 out for Teixeira, A-Rod and Matsui, it was the end of the inning. They could have broken the game open, which would have eviscerated the need to go to Mo for 2 innings. Now I know everyone loves Mo for 2 innings (and I do too), but it’s dangerous to keep doing it. This isn’t about a long-term concern – it’s about the short term. I think we can all agree that his stuff doesn’t quite hold up as well over 2 innings as it used to. It would have been nice to blow the game open there and save some bullets for the 3 in a row this weekend.
In any event, the Yanks are set up well now to take at least a couple in Philly and take the Series.
Agreed – everyone on the field knew it was a trap – otherwise Howard would have simply walked to first base and touched the base instead of frantically making a desperate wide throw to second. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain what happened. Unfortunately, 4 umpires conferencing together don’t equal 1/2 a brain. These guys are not just making bad calls, they’re making idiotic calls. They’re constantly out of position when there’s no reason to be out of position. The Swisher being called out for leaving 3d base early call in the ALCS was just plain laziness. It’s a high fly ball. Get your lard butt 10 steps back so you’re in line with the bag and the catch! There’s no excuse anymore. It’s time to realize that the state of umpiring in baseball is at the lowest point in recent memory and something needs to be done about it. It’s detracting from the integrity of the game. Missing bang-bang plays is one thing, but many of these blown calls are inexplicable.
One more random thought, how bout Jerry Hairston getting his first start in the post season and ends up getting a basehit that ended up being a great insurance run.
Good job by JoeG with the scouting report on that one. Give him his props when he gets one right.
I know Posada is a better hitter than Molina by far, but I think this situation was taken out of proportions. Molina had 2 PA and walked in 1 of them. Given the way Pedro was pitching, I don’t knle how much better Po was going to do. He has’t been to the plate more than 2 times on any of the 4 games he has started.
Theres’s no way he’s going to have 4 PA (unless is a Yankee blowout,wich maked the ponit moot). So let’s just accept the fact that he’s going to be catching AJ’s next start, loke it or not
I have always been for Pedro getting beat badly when he faced the Yanks, but I have grown to really like him as a person.
He is witty, very intelligent, sensitive, articulate, and very, very funny, besides being an all time great pitcher. If he was my neighbor, I would be friends with him and enjoy talking to him.
In an alternate universe, the Yankees would have acquired him from Montreal, instead of Boston (as I hoped, at the time). I think that he has always secretly wanted to be a Yankee, as his remarks yesterday betrayed.
But, I hope we beat him again, next time he starts in this series.
I don’t know why Cashman didn’t sign him for a measly $1M down the stretch. He went 5-1 for the Phillies, and could have been our 4th starter in this series. This would have eliminated all this stress of our guys going on short rest.
Hopefully Andy gets us a W in game 3. Then throw CC on short rest in 4 vs Cliff Lee (never started on 3 days in career) Got to like CC in that matchup because of the short rest. After that 3 shots at #27. Game 5 AJ Game 6 Pettitte Game 7 CC again. All would be on 3days rest but you got to like your chances especially since if Lee does go for Phillies in Game 4 and the Yankees get a win he isnt available again until game 7 on short rest again. This also means Pedro in game 5 on short rest or Blanton! Cmon Yanks get a win in GAME 3 and just like that the cards are in your hands!!!
I’d throw CC on 3 days rest, but use Gaudin for Game 5. The numbers don’t lie. Most pitchers are much, much worse on 3 days. CC is a different guy. AJ on 3 is a recipe for disaster, imo.
Your right I personally probably wouldnt use AJ or Andy on short rest. (although I think AJs numbers on short rest are pretty good, not positive I will look them up) But assuming Andy gets a win in 3 and CC (100 percent trust on short rest)can get a win in 4 the Yankees are up 3 to 1. Then your right throw Gaudin out there in game 5 and if he fails you got two cracks at it with AJ and ANDY on full rest. Good point about most pitchers much worse on 3 days. I would have to say this is true for Lee as well considering he has never done it.
Perhaps in the up 3-1 senario if they go to Gaudin and lose and pitch AJ in 6 and are back to a game 7 they pitch CC again on short rest with Andy on full rest as the bridge to Mo (assuming we need a bridge). It just seems if they are going to pitch Gaudin in the series and not pitch CC in game 7 they should pitch Gaudin in game 4 then. I really think CC gets games 4 and 7 barring injury and assuming it goes that far. I also think its far more likely that AJ and Andy go on short rest than Gaudin getting a start (not that he has been so bad and I wouldn’t be shocked if he actually pitched a good game — although he has only pitched one inning since sept).