Abreu's SLG on the season, including his two homers Tuesday? .358.
It’s rare for Mariano Rivera to pitch badly in two consecutive appearances. It’s rarer still for him to give up a home run. But that’s exactly what happened Tuesday night as Mariano Rivera came on to pitch the ninth in a 4-4 game only to let the lead slip away on a Bobby Abreu two run homer, his second of the night and just the second one Mo has allowed all year.
This one was a frustrating mix of highs and lows from start to finish. Through five innings A.J. Burnett looked unhittable. He was blowing his fastball by hitters — something he rarely does — and had command of his curve ball. He had struck out six and walked none entering the sixth inning. Dan Haren was his usual self (more on that in a moment), so the Yankees hadn’t given A.J. much to work with. Curtis Granderson hit a homer in the first inning, and that was it. But, the way Burnett was pitching that lone run looked like it may have been enough.
The wheels came off in the sixth. Burnett lost a long at-bat to Bobby Abreu (him again), who snuck one just over the short porch in right to tie the game. After that, A.J. lost the zone. He got two more outs, but also walked three (one intentionally) to bring Jeff Mathis to the plate. Jeff Mathis is a bad baseball player. In fact, he entered the game with a 27 wRC+. I’d say he’s barely a major leaguer, but that’s an insult to AAA players everywhere. If ever there was a player for any pithcer, nevermind A.J., to get out, Mathis is the guy. Of course he hit a two-run ground rule double to deep center on a hanging curve. Adding insult to injury, Burnett let another run score making it 4-1 on a wild pitch before he got out of the inning.
A funny thing happened on the way to a text book A.J. implosion leading to a Yankee loss. Dan Haren also imploded (or got over worked, depending on your perspective). Haren had been excellent until the seventh inning. In fact, through 6.2 innings he had allowed just three hits. Then, he came undone, with his pitch count well above 100. Russell Martin roped a double. Eduardo Nunez knocked him in with a single, making it 4-2. Brett Gardner reached and movEd Nunez to third with a single before stealing second. That was it for Haren after 120 pitches, but Derek Jeter knocked the two runs anyway off Fernando Rodney, tying the game at 4-4. Curtis Granderson struck out to the end the inning, but the Yankees had rallied from the bottom of the lineup.
This one looked like it was headed for extra innings entering the ninth. Cory Wade and David Robertson took care of business in the seventh and eighth innings to hand things over to Mo. We don’t need to relive what happened to him here. The Yankees threatened in the ninth, managing to get two runners on, but the team was determined to drive its entire fan base insane Tuesday. Down to their final out, with Mark Teixeira at the plate, Curtis Granderson was hung up stealing second to end a maddening game. After winning eight in a row the Yankees have now lost three straight.
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8 Responses to Yankees do everything possible to make fans’ heads explode, lose 6-4
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TIQ IQ
nah, still there. Just a little mushy.
Burnett CANNOT face the Rays-with-Shields on Sunday. The Yanks should give Burnett one last start against the Royals next Monday and if he sucks in that start be removed from the rotation. Enough with this guy. And once again, the Yanks should offer him and $1.5M to the Braves for Derek Lowe. Both guys would clear waivers.
The real culprit of this game is 10 runs in 4 games until the comeback which was somewhat flukey as Captain Can’t Hit Anymore completed it. Just like the homeruns Sunday night were flukey. This offense once again shows they are crap against ace and #2 like starters. It’s not hard to be that when you’re a .250, .260, or .270 something hitter and you have exactly one everyday player hitting .290 something.
If the Yanks are not careful they could be only 4 games ahead of the Angels for the wildcard and 6.5 games ahead of the Rays through Thursday with the Rays coming into Yankee Stadium this coming weekend and then it’s panic time.
So help me some higher force if the Yanks blow the wildcard lead and miss the postseason I want Cashman, all his people, Girardi, Long (since he’s Joe’s hiree), and Mark Newman fired upon elimination.
Cashman can’t be fired. His deal expires at the end of the season. If he doesn’t come back it will be because he walks away, not because the Yankees don’t want him back. I would be really afraid if that happened, because then Hank and Hal are in charge 100% and this team will freefall in bad decisions.
Why would you fire one of the best hitting coaches in baseball? To spite Joe? That would be awfully silly, the definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Guess who else is “crap” against guys like Dan Haren?
EVERYBODY IN THE LEAGUE.
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I was at the game last night — awful game to attend in person, given how suddenly things turned in the 9th with Mo and Grandy’s blunder — so I didn’t hear the TV/radio analysis.
Does anyone know why Girardi ordered the IBB on Macier Izturis even though there were two outs?
AJ had killed Bourjos twice on a low-outside sliders, once for a K and te other time producing a grounder perfect for the double play. Izturis is a thorn-in-the-side scrappy hitter.
That’s what they said on TV?
Scrappy hitter or not, there were two outs and no reason to walk a guy that has a hard enough time reaching base as it is.