There is no other way to say it: This game was terrible. The Yankee offense couldn’t get anything going and whenever they did get people on base, the good ol’ RISP fail reared its ugly head.
Of course, the worst news of the night wasn’t the loss. No, there was something much worse.
In the top of the eighth inning Felix Hernandez was having some control issues. He had plunked Derek Jeter to lead off the inning, threw a wild pitch while Curtis Granderson was up and then followed that up by hitting Alex Rodriguez on his left hand. Rodriguez was taken out of the game, got x-rayed and a non-displaced fracture of his left hand – more specifically, his left pinky is fractured. [insert a long stream of expletives here] So now, he is heading for the disabled list and just as he was starting to hit the ball. [insert another long stream of expletives here]
At the time of this recap there was no definite word on how long Rodriguez will actually be out but early estimates have his time away ranging anywhere from 4-8 weeks.
Well, isn’t that just swell?
So now, all of the people who constantly complained about how bad Alex was and who wanted him designated for assignment are going to find out how much the Yankees actually need him in the lineup. And of all the bad luck. He was finally able to stay healthy this season and a freak accident like this has to happen.
Someone needs to grab Robinson Cano and wrap him in bubble wrap, pronto.
Anyway, back to the game itself. Poor Freddy Garcia gave up three runs early, lasted until there was one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, threw only 89 pitches and has nothing to show for it. And he actually retired the last 15 batters he faced. It wasn’t a bad start at all for him considering the early troubles he had. It was just a tough luck loss for Garcia who is now 4-4 on the year.
Granderson hit his 27th home run of the season in the first inning, putting the Yankees on the board first. They wouldn’t score again until the eighth inning.
And speaking of the eighth inning, the bottom of the frame was definitely not one of Joe Girardi’s finest managing moments. He made four pitching changes which resulted in Seattle scoring an insurance run to put them up 4-2.
His gaffes, in order:
- He took Garcia out too soon.
- He took Clay Rapada out too soon.
- He brought Chad Qualls in who intentionally walked Jesus Montero (Say what now?)
- He brought in Boone Logan whose arm is going to fall off soon.
- And finally brought in Cody Eppley who finally ended the inning.
Now what would have happened if the Yankees had actually tied the game in the top of the ninth, held Seattle scoreless in the bottom of the inning and had forced extra innings?
Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you want to look at it) we didn’t find out.
Hernandez won his ninth game of the season for Seattle and Tom Wilhelmsen picked up his 11th save.
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10 Responses to Yanks Lose 4-2 To The Mariners, Lose A-Rod To Injury
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TIQ IQ
Nothing at all on what an abomination Girardi’s 8th inning managing was?
Okay, I wrote something about the eighth inning. I edited the post. Sorry about that.
Why did Girardi leave Ibanez in to face a left-hander with the game on the line?
T.o. Chris – time to get Chase Headley…right?
Not really sure what the problem is you have with me but I really don’t get it…
As for the actual question, whether you were serious or not. No, Headley would be way too expensive in terms of prospects for someone who would be a starter for the next 6-8 weeks and then goes to the bench. Alex isn’t going to be the DH next season, so spending that much on a starting 3B now makes no sense.
No problem with you at all T.O.
Why can’t Alex be DH next season? Surely he’s better than Ibanez or Jones?
I really doubt they’re ready to have a 25 million dollar DH at this point. Plus Alex is still a solid defender at third and he has the third best OPS of all third baseman in the AL. Though looking at his numbers this year he’s actually hitting much better at DH,which does surprise me. The reason I’ve seen from some for making him a DH is it would keep him healthy, but once again Alex proves he doesn’t get injured fielding. This in an injury he gets whether he’s at DH or 3B, so I don’t see the need to cut his value by taking away his ability to field.
Good reply T.O.
Your keen analytical prowess has not diminished.
Six straight with no hitting as the plunge continues. Girardi over-manages yet again to solidify his reputation as a mis-manager. This team is not playoff material. And, if the Yankees had managed to tie it in the ninth, Girardi would have played musical relievers and blown it in the bottom. Amazing how a mis-manager with such a good record and WS under his belt can be so bad.
Wasn’t the IBB because Qualls fell behind in the count? I passed out in the 8th before Alex got hit but I think that’s what happened.