This was a frustrating loss. Just one day after the Yankee bats exploded for 17 runs, the Bomber offense fell silent, unable to come up with big hits with runners in scoring position. Rich Harden took a vacation from the DL to pitch 5.1 innings of two run ball, which isn’t good, but A.J. Burnett was no better, giving up three runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Derek Jeter had a strong day, going three for four with a double. Robinson Cano also looked good with the lumber, going two for five with a two-bagger of his own. To the extent there was an offensive highlight for the Yankees, it came off Nick Swisher‘s bat. Swisher hit a booming homer to right field that bounced off the front wall of the upper deck. While the Yankees had nine hits on the day, the team only had those three extra base hits.
The Yankees were in it right to the end. With one out in the bottom of the ninth and the Yankees down by two, Mark Teixeira came up with runners on second and third. He hit a sacrifice fly to bring Cano to the plate with the tying run just ninety feet away. Cano tried to call time before Oakland closer Andrew Bailey delivered his third pitch, a high breaking ball. Robbie wasn’t granted time, and took a weak hack at the pitch, putting a slow roller to the third baseman for the final out of an annoying loss.
Gio Gonzalez faces off against Bartolo Colon in tomorrow’s rubber match. Game time is at 1:05 pm. It goes without saying, but I’m frustrated so I’ll say it anyway: Sunday’s game feels like an important one for the Yankees. With three weak teams coming into the Bronx for the next eight games the Y
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4 Responses to Yankees strand 11, fall to the A’s 4-3
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I wouldn’t call the As, Mariners, and Os three weak teams in that the Yanks will have faced the As 1-2 and a dude who used to be a solid #3 who beat them today. Every Mariner starting pitcher has an ERA under 4 with three of them being 3.30 or less since I’m guessing Felix Hernandez’s ERA shot over 3.30 if he was one of the pitchers who got drubbed by the Red Sox last night (I didn’t check the boxscore.) Today’s game is a perfect example of a team that can’t hit but can pitch beating you as such. The As got only 4 runs today but allowed only 3. The Os suck but they’re dangerous in that a split is a moral victory for them and there is zero pressure for them to beat the Yanks. If the Os take the first game Friday, they’re playing with house money needing only one win in the next three games to split. If the Yankees lose tomorrow, split the first two with Seattle, and get dominated by Felix Hernandez again for a 2-4 homestand going into next weekend, who will have all the pressure on them, the Yanks or the Os? I say the Yanks and that pressure makes taking three of four over the Os or sweeping them that much more difficult. Didn’t the Yanks drop two of three to the Royals earlier this year? The Rays have already dropped their first game to the Royals last night and Boston got lucky last night.
Add to all this that next weekend is a four-gamer with a doubleheader and a split is entirely possible considering the Yanks record in four-game series which is 1-1-3 (1 win, 1 loss, 3 ties.)
My prediction for the homestand is 2-1 vs. the As (the Yanks will win tomorrow), the same vs. the Mariners (“King Felix” winning or not), and a split with the Os (the Yanks will split the doubleheader) for a decent 6-4 homestand. I’d be thrilled with 7-3 cuz what’s wrong with .700 ball? These teams aren’t so bad that you could go 9-1 or 10-0 against them and 8-2 would be tough when you have to face Cahill, Gonzalez, Hernandez, four other Ms starters with ERAs under 4, and two Os starters with 4.05 and 4.35 ERAs.
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Yo what’s with this “Yankees News Source” post after almost EVERY post I make? LOL
Welp, Seattle laid down for Boston again, but Kansas City has stepped up big time and I think ended any chance the Rays had of winning the division now that they’re 9.5 games behind Boston. The Yanks have a decent 6.5 game lead on Tampa Bay. ‘Problem is, the Angels are 5.5 games back and gaining steam.
The Yankees are looking more and more like a wildcard team moreover one who will have to beat back the Angels, Rays, and maybe even the Indians to win it. Boston has more heart and fire, more comeback than the Yankees and I think that is what will ultimately win them the division, if they win it. I would be very surprised if the Yankees beat Boston in the A.L.C.S. if the two teams meet there the way the Yanks are presently constituted.
Which brings me to the Yankees current situation. They need to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez and if they do, Hughes, not Colon or Garcia, should be removed from the rotation. History as far back as 1976 – 35 years ago – shows that when the Yanks trade farm system talent for a marquee starter, it pays dividends. Doyle Alexander helped the ’76 Yanks go to their first World Series in a dozen years, David Cone helped the ’95 Yanks go to their first postseason series since ’81, and Roger Clemens helped the ’99 and ’00 Yanks win two World Series and get to two more after that in ’01 and ’03. Anyone who tells me Scott McGregor went to one World Series with the Os and won another with them, so what? The Yanks went to three straight WS 1976-78, won the latter two of them, had an ok ’79, went to the ALCS in ’80, the WS in ’81, and finished with 91 wins in ’83 after a bump in the road ’82. What did any of the farmhands traded for Cone and Clemens do for Toronto?
Btw how’d that trade Texas made for Cliff Lee go for them? They went to their first World Series ever.
When the Tigers traded a young John Smoltz to Atlanta for Doyle Alexander for the 1987 stretch run, they got back one of the most money stretch-run performances in the history of MLB and hands down the best one in the post-free agency period in Alexander: 9-0, 1.53 ERA in 11 GS. The man was an even bigger beast than 2011 Sabathia.
Yes, Boston traded a young Jeff Bagwell to Houston for an old Larry Andersen, but Andersen helped the Red Sox make it to the 1990 postseason. Bagwell had a very nice career with the Astros, even helping them get to their first and only World Series ever, but he never won a WS with them and Boston won two World Series while he was a player. Boston from 1990 on had far more postseason sucess than Houston with Bagwell.
You want to fantasize about Montero being the next Miguel Cabrera, go ahead, but if he was so good, Seattle would’ve traded Cliff Lee to the Yankees for him et.al. last year, they didn’t. I’m sick of hearing about his potential. Call him up now and let’s see what he can do, what he’s made of (send Dickeron back down.) He can’t be any worse than Posada.
Back to Hughes. He has sucked in four of his six starts and was ehhh in the start before his latest stinker this year, which is not an extension of 2010 which is long gone. And so is the Hughes you saw in his first 13 starts last year. He’s not coming back as that, at least not this year, I don’t see it.
If Jimenez is acquired and Hughes is removed from the rotation, whoever does worse between Burnett and Colon should be the next one to get it i.e. get the boot out of the rotation if he doesn’t shape up. Right now it looks like Burnett and if it is and he’s not in the postseason rotation, time to trade him in the offseason. Burnett to Atlanta for Derek Lowe and I think Atlanta would make the trade.
I would go to war with Sabathia/Jimenez/Garcia/Colon/Nova if that was the best rotation the Yanks could put out there (I put Colon in the #4 cuz he’d be the Game 4 starter in all postseason series.)
Is it just me or does Gardner always seem to struggle/underperform in the lead off spot?