2009 Yankees Game Thread

[yankees228]

Ian Snell looks bad in the first, but gives up nothing. Should be only a matter of time.

 

We'll see what Joba has.

[yankees228]

Either Joba is nibbling and walking everyone or he's being aggressive and getting hammered. I hope they have a solution come next year.

[yankees228]

Why would you put another guy on here, in the second inning, with Joba on the mound?

 

Not to mention you're going to make Joba pitch with the bases loaded.

[26 to 6]

It's really not fair to say that I'm using hindsight. How do you know that I wasn't sitting there watching the game, hoping they'd walk Ichiro?

 

I wasn't worried about Ichiro hitting a HR. However, I was worried about a single, and a tie game. Remember, the Yankees are on the road and would have already used Hughes and Rivera. Not to mention Robertson is unavailable. If they tie the game there, they likely lose anyway. If I'm Girardi I'm playing for the win, and my best chance to accomplish that is to pitch to Franklin Guitterez instead of Ichiro.

That doesn't make any sense though, because if you're playing for the WIN then you don't put the winning run on first base in the form of the fastest man alive. All Gutierrez has to do is poke one in the gap and the game is over anyway. you're sitting here talking about how devastating it would be if they tied the game, but what about IF THEY WIN THE GAME? .......which they ended up doing anyway. All I'm saying is how can you defend your point in playing for the win by wanting to put the winning run on base. That makes absolutely no sense.

[yankees228]

That doesn't make any sense though' date=' because if you're playing for the WIN then you don't put the winning run on first base in the form of the fastest man alive. All Gutierrez has to do is poke one in the gap and the game is over anyway. you're sitting here talking about how devastating it would be if they tied the game, but what about IF THEY WIN THE GAME? .......which they ended up doing anyway. All I'm saying is how can you defend your point in playing for the win by wanting to put the winning run on base. That makes absolutely no sense.[/quote']

 

All things considered, if they tie the game, they probably win it. Therefore putting the winning run on base doesn't bother me in that situation.

[26 to 6]

Probably doesn't guarantee anything though. I see your point, but I guess that's the difference between me and you. I'll take my chances with the best relief pitcher in the history of the game before I put the winning run on base in the form of someone who can run a mile in 13 seconds.

[yankees228]

Probably doesn't guarantee anything though. I see your point' date=' but I guess that's the difference between me and you. I'll take my chances with the best relief pitcher in the history of the game before I put the winning run on base in the form of someone who can run a mile in 13 seconds.[/quote']

 

For me, it doesn't matter who is on the mound. In that situation, no matter what, I'm walking him.

[Mr Crunchy]

Joba is awful at this point, they intend to use him as a #4 in the playoffs?

Hopefully game 4 dont mean anything to them because they dont want him with the ball when it matters.

They're still the team to beat, from soup to nuts the best team in the league....on paper.

But they look very human all of a sudden and with Petitte being old and tired,Joba sucking hind tit and AJ Burnett being a mental case that leaves Sabby, the man who resembles Arod in October to be the man.

Their bats will bail out a sucky start or 2 from their staff but theyre going to need either Burnett or Petitte to step up and pitch well or they will struggle win anything and if Sabby throws his typical batting practice garbage in October they are finished.

Quite frankly Id be shocked to see anyone other than NY playing for the pennant, theyre the best team in the league......on paper.

[yankees228]

Joba is awful at this point, they intend to use him as a #4 in the playoffs?

Hopefully game 4 dont mean anything to them because they dont want him with the ball when it matters.

They're still the team to beat, from soup to nuts the best team in the league....on paper.

But they look very human all of a sudden and with Petitte being old and tired,Joba sucking hind tit and AJ Burnett being a mental case that leaves Sabby, the man who resembles Arod in October to be the man.

Their bats will bail out a sucky start or 2 from their staff but theyre going to need either Burnett or Petitte to step up and pitch well or they will struggle win anything and if Sabby throws his typical batting practice garbage in October they are finished.

Quite frankly Id be shocked to see anyone other than NY playing for the pennant, theyre the best team in the league......on paper.

 

If they win the division (and maybe even if they don't) they'll use a three man rotation in the first round.

 

The bad play does not concern me at all. This is the first time they've played poorly over the course of more than one series in the entire second half. That's saying something, and it was bound to happen eventually.

 

With that being said, I am concerned about the rotation, but I think you're really harping on the negatives. Pettitte, as I mentioned in another thread, has been great in the second half (and he's actually striking out people). Tonight is very important, if only to see what Pettitte has coming off his should fatigue.

 

Everyone who has read my posts knows that I don't think too highly of Burnett, but his last start was at least encouraging, albeit against a really bad offensive team. He has a nice test coming up in his next start against the Angels.

 

As for Sabathia, do you honestly think he is going to struggle in the playoffs this year because of his past performances in the playoffs (which is an incredibly small sample size by the way)? He might get hit, but it will have nothing to do with what has happened the previous two years.

[yankees228]

Regardless of the outcome of this game, this is a very important game when it comes to assessing the Yankees' chances to go deep in the postseason.

[yankees228]

Another wasted opportunity.

[msubulldogs21]

Whew. Saunders got out of a jam there.

[yankees228]

Pettitte is getting absolutely nothing on the inside part of the plate.

[a700hitter]

Pettitte has nothing. He's luck that Figgins got caught stealing.

[yankees228]

This doesn't look like the Pettitte that pitched well in the second half so far, which is evident by his inability to get even one swing and miss. Still early though.

 

EDIT: Good change there.

[yankees228]

Regardless of whether they lose this game or not, this is very concerning.

[a700hitter]

Hunter hammers a gap shot for a 2-0 lead.

[yankees228]

Saunders does not look good early, and now he's hurt, but once again the Yankees are not taking advantage.

[yankees228]

Yanks could catch a break if Saunders is forced to leave the game.

 

EDIT: Well, it's still Saunders.

[Optimist]

Pettitte has really settled down since the first, got to think he was shaking off a bit of rust from the long rest. Now just need the team to score some runs.

[yankees228]

Dammit, Damon just missed that one. Andy hasn't looked great tonight, but the most important part is that he seems healthy. The Yankees, with the exception of Saturday, look really bad offensively. Bound to happen eventually I guess.

 

EDIT: Nice 1-2-3 inning through through the power of the order.

[yankees228]

Posada gets ahead 3-1, and swings at two straight pitches out of the strike zone. Nice job by the instigator.

[Gom]

This game is meaningless.

[yankees228]

At what point do the Yankees stop giving Brian Bruney opportunities?

[yankees228]

This game is meaningless.

 

I think they'll win the division also, but let me ask you a couple questions...

 

Do you think there is a legitimate possibility that the Yankees get swept in LA?

 

Do you think there is a legitimate possibility that the Red Sox win the next three in KC?

[yankees228]

Also, HFA in a seven game series isn't important to me, but Gom, how do you feel about that? If the Angels sweep they would pull very close to the Yankees.

[yankees228]

Tying run up...

 

EDIT: And that's the ball game. The fact that Pettitte looked good after giving up the two runs early is really a good sign though. They need him to be healthy and pitching well in the playoffs. They also got a huge break tonight in the standings.

[a700hitter]

I think they'll win the division also, but let me ask you a couple questions...

 

Do you think there is a legitimate possibility that the Yankees get swept in LA?

 

Do you think there is a legitimate possibility that the Red Sox win the next three in KC?

While it would be a long shot for both of those things to happen, it is far from being a prohibitive long shot.

[Mr Crunchy]

The older and more feeble these guys get the more you see them getting beaten up early in the game.

See Brett Saberhagen, Dave Cone, Ramon Martinez and...Andy Petitte for examples.

Clemens and Pedro both had hard times getting out of the 1st innings later in their careers but lets face facts for a moment...NY is 5-18 against the Angels in their last 23 outings, this isnt an accident but rather a continued ""owning"' of NY since the 02 season.

[yankees228]

If anything, towards the latter part of Clemens career, he got worse as the game went on.

 

Explain the logic behind that statement. Why would older pitchers struggle early in the game? If anything, wouldn't you think they would struggle late in the game, due to decreased stamina?