Tagged: Alfredo Aceves
Where Are My Yankees?
Tough Series in Detroit for Yanks
So today in school I was dreading to go to gym as I always do. And as always, gym period came. For the first time since like….well…ever, I had fun in gym. We played baseball! Only with a squishy ball and a wiffle bat. My team was awesome. Our whole lineup, which consisted of Rafael, Megan, Leland, Zach, Stephen, Jackie, and me, exploded with offense. And our pitching was great, thanks to Raf who filled in for the gym teacher. And the defense, especially Megan and Stephen, were on top of their game. We won in blowout fashion, something like 19-3. Our team was consistently good througout.
Why can’t my Yankees do this?
It’s frustrating….This past series in Detriot was utterly dreadful, with exception to game 3 in which Phil Hughes continued to shine and the offense woke up. I’m beginning to worry – have the injuries actually caught up with this club?
The fact is, the Yankee lineup just isn’t as intimidating at all. On Opening Day, the best bunch were sent out there:
- Derek Jeter, SS
- Nick Johnson, DH
- Mark Teixeira, 1B
- Alex Rodriguez, 3B
- Robinson Cano, 2B
- Jorge Posada, C
- Curtis Granderson, CF
- Nick Swisher, RF
- Brett Gardner, LF
Take away Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson. Then you have Marcus Thames and Randy Winn filling in. But if they play, then there is no one on the bench. Except Ramiro Pena and Cervelli (♥) Not to be mean, but Ramiro really stank the other day. He came up 3, I repeat 3 times with men on base/in scoring position, and made unproductive outs every time. Guys like Greg Golson and Juan Meranda are emerging, but are far from the quality of the Big names.
Wake up, cutie! You used to be so clutch…
Our pitching has been relatively icky lately as well. Javier Vazquez was very solid in his start, going 7 innings for the first time all season. Injuries to pitchers like Pettitte, Park, and Aceves have hurt the pitching staff. Sergio Mitre started for Andy the other day and wasn’t great. Sorry Sergio, you weren’t. David Robertson has been a nightmare out of the ‘pen. CC and A.J. both got knocked around too much in their last starts. It’s scary when the guys you really depend on fail you. A.J. goes tonight….I hope he fixed himself.
CC I was disappointed with you yesterday. I hope you do better next time, my Hefty-Lefty ♥
I know, I know…the team is just going through a bad stretch. But can they really afford to do this? Now? The Rays haven’t stopped winning. And tonight marks the start of an extremely hard part of the schedule for my Yanks: 3 against the Twins, 2 against the Red Sox (I’m still enraged at Josh Beckett), 2 against the Rays, and then 3 on the road against the Mets. These are games that the Yankees have to win, or else it’s gonna look bad.
But maybe….hmmm….maybe this bad stretch DID come at a good time….Maybe since they did bad the past series, the odds are in their favor to go on a nice long winning streak. And, maybe since Derek Jeter only got 3 hits in like 30 at-bats on this road trip, maybe he’s ready to wake up now. Yeah….and Cano will get hot again, because odds are he won’t be in a cold stretch for too long. And A.J. will beast tonight because, well, he’s a beast. Javy will follow up with another good start. CC will bounce back C “Cy” style. Robertson will find it. Cervelli will keep being sexy. And eventually, my wounded-warriors, Curtis GrandyMan (miss you baby ♥), Nicky-J, DandyAndy, Ace, and Chan Ho will come back.
Things will get better for my Yankees. Just as they did for me. My AP’s are OVER, and I miraculously survived. And I had fun in gym today? When does that happen?
Only 14 real school days left. Whoa. Then it’s practically summer, and in summer I can blog everyday again…. I bet a lot will happen in these 14 days, for me and for the Yankees. I bet we get some of our hurt players back, and the other guys will get hot again. And some guys, like Francisco Cervelli-welli-jelli-belli ♥♥♥ will remain hot all year long.
Jesus…I waaaaant him ♥♥♥♥
Oh yeah….I sure love these guys. Good luck tonight boys!
GO YANKEES!
Bashing the Birds
Yankees Sweep Orioles!
It is yet another series win for the Yankees. This one has been especially entertaining for me, because a certain player who I love so much has seen some extra playing time, and has made the most of it. But I’ll get to that later 🙂 The Yankees won game 1 and game 2 by the same score of 4-1, and won game 3 by the score 7-5 to complete the sweep.
Game 1
Game 1 was a close game from start to finish, but for some reason it never felt that way. Even when the Yankees were behind, it didn’t feel like they were losing. I just knew they were going to come back, and they did. CC Sabathia allowed a solo home run to Matt Wieters in the 2nd, but other that that he was great. By limiting the amount of damage, CC enabled the potent Yankee offense to come back. And they did.
There he is: C “Cy” in action ♥
In the 4th, A-Rod led off with a single, and eventually came around to score on a Swisher single to tie the game at 1. Brettiboo Gardner followed with a single. Then Randy Winn came up. My Mom was just saying how the Yankees really needed to bring up another outfielder, because Randy Winn can’t hit. I guess Randy heard this. He connected for a monster 3-run home run, and gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead! How cute! Thanks to Randy’s big fly, the Yankees won the game.
How cute is this? Randy Winn? That’s so random!
Game 2
This is the game that I liked the best. OMG it was like I died and had gone to Cervelli Heaven…♥♥♥ It was amazing…I was extremely jealous that my teachers all went to see this game. The history teachers all went together. That’s kind of cute. Those three are my favorite teachers at the school. I told them to say hi to Cervelli for me, but I don’t think they did….
Look at that arm….ow-ow!…I’m lovin’ those tattoos 😉
The combo of A.J. Burnett and Francisco Cervelli proved to be very dominant once again for the Yankees. A.J. pitched 7 1/3 innings of solid baseball. He only allowed 1 run, but it was unearned. The 3rd inning was just down-right awesome. Burnett got into a jam: With a run already in due to a throwing error, the Orioles looked to add to that with runners on 2nd and 3rd and none out. I was afraid A.J. was going to unravel. But Cervelli calmed him down, and together, those fears were washed away. Burnett struckout Jones for out #1. Then, Nick Markakis struckout for out #2. It was then Matt Wieters’ turn. Guess what happened to him? Wieters struckout for out #3. Inning over. Crisis averted. Cervelli fist-pumped out of excitement, and the momentum was now in the Yankees’ favor.
Mmmm….Cervelli-welli-jelli-belli…God only knows how much I love you ♥♥♥
In the bottom half of the 3rd, Cervelli led off. I guess he was still so pumped up from A.J.’s performance in the top of the inning. He hit a ball in to the outfield, that fell out of reach of the diving Oriole. He saw the ball was heading all the way to the wall. So as he rounded 2nd, he knocked off that silly helmet and hustled all the way to 3rd for a LEADOFF TRIPLE!!! It was the first triple of his career. He was so pumped up, and so was I. He then scored on a Ramiro Pena groundout to tie the game at 1.
In the 4th, Cervelli decided to show off his glove. A foul ball was hit by the Yankee dugout, and Cervelli tracked it down. But the ball was going to land in the dugout. Cervelli made a bold, brave move, and jumped headfirst into the Yankee dugout to catch the ball! He knew his teammates would save him. It was an amazing play, and it sent me into my continuous “Cervelli is cute” cheers that I have become so accustomed to in the last few days. It was funny how all the teammates grabbed hold of Cervelli to prevent him from falling in the dugout. I was a little jealous of them there….I wouldn’t mind touching Cervelli down there by the tush….
In the 5th, Gardner led off with a walk, Cervelli singled, and Ramiro Pena bunted. The throw went crazy, and everyone was safe! A run scored on the play, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Tex walked, and with the bases loaded Alex Rodriguez had a great at-bat. After fouling off about 100 pitches, 2 of which almost took out Cervelli at 3rd, Alex walked to force in a run. 3-1 Yanks! The 4th and final Yankee run came in the 8th inning on a sac fly by Ramiro Pena. Joba held on to close out his 2nd consecutive game, and the Yankees won it!
Game 3
I didn’t see much of this game because it came on a 1, and I got home at 3:30. But from what I heard it was a great game. the Yankees won it 7-5. Andy Pettitte started and did a pretty nice job, going 5 innings and allowing just 1 run. But he exited the game early, which may be a reason for concern. His elbow is a little stiff, but hopefully everything is okay. I guess it’s good he came out – better safe than sorry. The Yankee bullpen did a lot of work today. Sergio Mitre, Damaso Marte, David Robertson, Boone Logan, and Alfredo Aceves all pitched. Mitre and Robertson allowed a few runs, but whatever. The Yankees had a big lead, I don’t blame the guys for throwing strikes.
I hope your arm feels better, Andy.
On the offensive side, the Yanks scored 7 runs on 10 hits – hits from some guys we wouldn’t expect. Like Nick Johnson! He hit a solo homer in the 1st inning today. Aw. He may finally be getting out of that season-long slump! The only bad thing about this is….I think he’s going to keep that icky perv mustache. Usually, players don’t like to change anything about them when they are doing well. Oh well….as long as he hits, I’ll take it. Nick Swisher also had a HR today; congratulations Swishalicious. You are have had quite the hot series 😉 Cervelli also had another hit today, what a surprise lol. He’s just too good to be true…
Even with the moustache, I still think he’s cute. It must be the pinstripes 😉
This series has been awesome. I’ve been pretty stressed out lately and these guys have really helped me get through it. The heroes for the series sweep are the starting pitchers: CC, A.J., and Andy, for their dominance, Nick Swisher, for beasting throughout the entire homestand, and…..and…..FRANCISCO CERVELLI ♥♥♥ for doing everything and anything the team needed. God bless that adorable man. I want him soooo badly…he is my favorite Yankee, and that really is saying a lot.
I’m glad the Yankees are off tomorrow, only because I will be able to get to bed early. Friday is my AP US history exam, and I am freaking out a bit. But you know what? It’s okay. It really is okay. I already got college credit for this class, so the AP exam is just bonus. And I think I will be alright anyway…I’ve been studying my tail off this past week. Hopefully it pays off 🙂
GO YANKEEEEEES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Win After Win After Win
Yankees Win 4th Consecutive Series
The past week has been a great one for the Yankees. For me it’s been busy, but just as great. The Home Opener was awesome, especially because I won the cookies! Thank you, Yankees, for winning to the score I predicted: 7-5. They lost Wednesday, but who cares? They bounced back with a win on Thursday 6-2. Then the Rangers came into town. My Yankees won last night in a short 6-inning rainy game by the score of 5-1, and just won today 7-3, locking up their 4th series win in 4 series. I’m so proud of these guys!
The funny thing about all this is, throughout the week I have only seen 1, I repeat 1 Yankee game from beginning to end. Yeah. I don’t really like that…but what can I do? This is junior year…by far the most stressful year of my life so far. School has been intruding its way into the more important things in my life…sorry Yankees. That 1 game was on Thursday, where I decided not to do any of my work. Today, Saturday, I didn’t have to do any work. But my best friend was home feeling under-the-weather and asked if I could come over. Of course I did. Hopefully she’s feeling better now ♥ By the time I got home, it was 7-0 in the 6th. Whoa. My boys are holding their own without me.
Pitching Analysis: A.J. Burnett was a real beast today. He went 7 innings of 6-hit, shutout ball, recording 7 K’s along the way. I was pleasantly surprised to see him come out, and complete the 7th inning. I was worried, like many others were, about his pitch count. But then I remembered something: A.J. Burnett is a man. A big, tough, sexy-tattooed man. He can handle 111 pitches this early in the season. Oh yeah. He can 😉 Another thing that surprised me was that he did all this with Jorge behind the plate. It really pleases me to see them getting along. The only thing I don’t like about that, is that it means Cervelli (♥) won’t be catching him every 5 days…I enjoyed seeing him yesterday though.
Alfredo Aceves allowed a 3-run homer to Nelson Cruz in the 8th, and was pulled for Marte, who did a nice job. Joba Chamberlain closed it out nicely, ending the game with a strikeout. He looks mighty fine himself…
Offensive Analysis: The offense exploded once again! Boy do I love when this happens. they didn’t score at all when I finally got to watch it, but that was okay – they had a huge explosion earlier in the game. Nick Johnson walked with the bases loaded to force in a run, and Tex drove in a run with a cheap little hit in the 2nd.
The 3rd was where the real explosion occurred. Gardner, who had a stereotypical “Gardner” day at the plate, (with 3 pesty little infield singles) drove in Jorge with an infield single. Then he and Granderson, who was on 3rd, tried to pull that old double steal of 2nd and home trick. Gardy broke for the bag, and the throw went wild! GrandyMan (♥) scored, the inning continued. Yay. In the same at-bat, Derek Jeter hit a 2-run home run, making it 6-0. What is up with Jeter lately? He’s on quite the power surge. I hope this keeps up.
Jeet also singled in the 2nd. He just sprays the ball all over the field.
In the 4th, Alex Rodriguez came up, still searching for his first HR of the season. After that at-bat, his wait was over! A-Rod went deep to right, finally filling in that home run column, and more importantly, giving the Yankees a cozy 7-0 lead. Awesome.
Hey good lookin’, whatchya got cookin’? HOME RUN!! Mmm…my favorite 😉
Good game today boys! Everything worked so smoothly. The heroes for this well-played win are A.J. Burnett, for his sexy-beastness on the mound, Brettiboo Gardner, for being “annoying” and making me proud with 3 infield hits, and Alex Rodriguez, for getting his 1st of many homers this season 🙂
It’s been a fun week to be a Yankee fan. These boys just make me so proud. Already, they are 8-3, and are in first place in the AL East. It seems as if a few guys left, a few new guys came, but the team is continuing right where they left off last season. I know it’s early, but #28 doens’t sound too far-fetched…
I love you guys ♥ Keep up the good baseball!
Our First “W!”
Yanks Even Series!
I knew I didn’t have to worry. Well, actually, during last night’s game I was worrying quite a bit. Yankees/Red Sox games just do that to me. But last night, by the time it was all over, I felt at peace once again. The positives of Sunday night were present again, ad the negatives turned themselves around. And seeing a certain someone pitch like way back in the days when that certain someone was good, that gave me the utmost sense of relief. My Yankees beat the Red Sox last night 6-4, and picked up their first of many “W’s” of the season.
Offensive Analysis: It was yet another strong offensive night for my boys last night. I was very proud, not only that they scored a lot, but they did so off such a tough opponent in Jon Lester, who surrendered 4 of the Yankees’ 6 runs. It’s comforting to know that no matter who the enemy puts on the hill, my Yankees never back down.
The Yankees got on the board in the 2nd inning, when Cano singled, Jorge walked, and the Swishalicious Nick Swisher drove in a run with his RBI double. I think this new hitting approach is going to really improve the already-solid Nick Swisher. That tied up the game at 1-1.
The Yankees kept fighting back last night, playing catch-up until the very end. The Yankees had a mini-offensive explosion in the 5th inning. Cutie-Curtis Granderson led off the inning with a single. Jeter followed that with a single of his own, which sent Granderson to 3rd base. Then Nick Johnson was hit by a pitch right in his back. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not. It may have been, because loading the bases there would create a force at every base. But there were none out, so I doubt it was intentional. With loaded bases, Mark Teixeira got an RBI groundout, bringing the score to 3-2. Trailing by 1, Alex Rodriguez came up in a clutch situation. I hoped his clutch-streak from last season would continue. A-Rod didn’t let me down: he delivered with an RBI double to tie the game at 3. Robinson Cano drove in the go-ahead run with a sac fly. 4-3 Yanks!
In the 8th, again trailing, the Yankees rallied. With the bases loaded, Mr. Plate Discipline, Nick Johnson, had a great at-bat. He walked, and forced in a run which gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead. The Yanks added a final insurance run in the 9th, when Robbie Cano hit a no-doubt home run. My Grandma was so silly in the 9th. She was begging for another run because she “is always a little unsure when Mo comes in. He is iffy.” That comment really caught me off guard. My response?
“Grandma, don’t be silly. Mariano is the greatest closer EVER! What do you mean he is ‘iffy?'”
That made her quiet.
But Grandma got her insurance run, and made it through the 9th inning just fine.
ROBBIE!!!
Defensive Analysis: There was a lot of stellar defense last night, along with some not-so-stellar defense. Derek Jeter experienced both. He made 2 breathtakingly beautiful plays: the first was in the 5th, where he made a fabulous jumping leaping play on an Ellsbury liner. He then stole my breath when in the 6th, he made a lovely stretching-reaching play to his right on an Adrian Beltre hot-shot. His error was just a little throwing error in the same inning. Luckily, it didn’t amount to anything for Boston.
Jorge Posada and Damaso Marte once again had defensive issues last night. In the 1st, Jacoby Ellsury got a cheap blooper that fell in front of Marcus Thames, (Gardner would have gotten it, but whatever) and then tried to steal 2nd. Jorge Posada flung the ball wildly into centerfield, letting Jacoby go to 3rd. Marte made a wild pickoff throw in the 8th. Actually, it wasn’t wild at all. It was lobbed to Tex as if a little girl threw it. Mark was not expecting that kind of throw, and missed it.
Pitching Analysis: A.J. Burnett started for the Yankees last night, and boy did he look good. He pitched okay, but he looked sooo goooood…..those tattoos…I don’t know what it is but I just fall for him. He was pumped up last night, which may have been why he struggled. A.J. went 5 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits, and struckout 5. He looked so good that I wasn’t even mad at him when he was stinky.
The run he allowed in the first was unearned, thanks to Jorge’s little blunder. Speaking of Jorge, I think he and A.J. cooperated pretty well last night, considering everything they went through. The big oopsy of his outing was the 2-run homer V-Mart hit off him in the 3rd inning. Martinez got to Burnett again in the 5th, when he knocked in a run with a double.
It’s cute when they aren’t arguing.
The bullpen was much better last night, thank God! Alfredo Aceves was really spectacular, continuing right from where he was last season. I guess his back really is feeling better. His 2 innings of perfect pitching amounted to him picking up his first “W” of the season.
The real star of last night was Joba Chamberlain. Oh, Joba…what a surprise! You can be dominant in relief! We never knew….jk! Joba entered the game in relief of Marte in the 8th, and inherited a very sticky situation: a man on 2nd, 1 out, and a slim 1-run lead. I prayed he would be the Joba I knew and loved way back when.
It made me almost tear up. Joba was spectacular. He struckout Beltre, then struckout Drew. Then, to my hopes and surprise, Joba fist-pumped. He hasn’t done that in so long! It was beautiful to see him having fun with it again, while also being dominant at the same time.
So beautiful….(sniffle)…HE’S BAAACK!!!
It was a fun night to be a Yankee fan. The game was very topsy-turvy, with the lead switching several times. But this time, it was my boys who came out on top. The heroes for the victory are Nick Johnson (cute!!!) for his patience at the plate, Robbie Cano for his production and that homer, and….JOBA, for his pure enthusiasm which led to success. Great job, boys. You’ve evened the series.
Tonight is the rubber game of this 3-game set. It would be very nice if my boys could win it, get a little lead over the Smelly Sox who cheat at Fenway, Oops…I insulted them again.
It happens 🙂
Rookies Running Wild!
Today has been so much fun, and now it all gets better from here. With Spring Training officially over, the regular season is about to start. I had the greatest pleasure of watching the Yankees play an exhibition game against the Future Stars. It was great – no matter who won, the Yankees would win! As it turned out, it was the Big Boys who came out on top. I got a little confused at the end of the game, because the Yankees put in all their rookies. So it was the Future Stars versus the rookies! For all of you who know me, you know I just LOVE rookies. Today was especially fun for me.
It was a good day all around. I don’t think anyone cared about the final score: Yankees 9, Future Stars 6. In fact, the rules hardly applied to this game. Marcus Thames was randomly thrown into the lineup without replacing anyone. His home run in the 5th was a monster shot.
I had the pleasure of watching Jesus Montero again today, who I don’t hate anymore. How could I? I only hated him because I thought he was a threat to Cervelli’s job. But Cervelli is safe for now, so I can now freely love Montero. He is cute…always, ALWAYS smiling! He reminds me a little of Melky Cabrera with his smile. And he’s good too, getting 2 hits today: a powerful double and a line-drive single. If I wasn’t falling for him before, I am now…he’s so muscular…and young…ooh-la-laa 😉
Nice muscles ;)….
There’s the smile :)….
Ooh and he’s a goofball too? Aw…
Mmmm…..
Okay. Before when I said, “If I wasn’t falling for him before, I am now…” well, that’s somewhat of a lie now. I HAVE FALLEN FOR HIM. I thought you should just know this…
Remember how I was all depressed that Melky was gone? Well today, I was pleasantly surprised. As they showed the lineup for the Future Stars, a name caught my eye: Melky Mesa. Then the “Oh my God”s rampantly flew from my mouth. I could not wait to get a glimpse of him. When I saw him at-bat, I realized he didn’t look anything like the Melky I love. But I guess that’s okay. He is a different person…a different Melky…but I hope I can still love him the same. Like I said before, he looks different than Cabrera, but I can’t say that I’m disappointed at all. He’s still a cutie.
Here he is, the new Melky: Melky Mesa
Melky Mesa…mmm…skin a little darker than Cabrera’s, body a little thinner…but same youthful demeanour. I’m pulling for this kid all the way. ♥♥♥
I can’t get over how much fun today was for me. Aside from assessing the rookies’ looks, I assessed their skills! One player I think will be very very good is reliever Jonathan Ortiz. He has a very unorthodox delivery that creates deception. From the little I saw of him, I think he’s going to be special. Mark my words. I’ve “scouted” other players in the past too…like Ramiro Pena.
Ortiz will be good! I know it!
Spring Training, and especially today, was a blast. But now the real thing is here! The war is about to begin….and luckily, my Yankee warriors are back to good health. Cervelli will be okay, as well as Nick Johnson, Damaso Marte, and Alfredo Aceves. This is good…now, the Yankees will be able to deploy their finest, strongest, best warriors on the battlefield of Fenway tomorrow.
I’ll be there in spirit boys, just like I always am 🙂
The 2010 season…I just can’t believe it is really here!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!! The quest for #28 starts tomorrow!
Here we go again 🙂
Go on, boys. Make this momma proud.
♥♥♥
What I Miss About Ace
Alfredo Aceves
So it’s been the offseason for about 5 days now and I’m starting to miss each of my Yankees a little more each day. This always happens to me. But unlike the years of the past, I have this blog now. So I can just let things out. Throughout the offseason, I will be making posts about things I miss about each player, as well as things I remember, and just any random stuff about that Yankee. Let me start with a man they call “Ace.”
I miss Alfredo! He was so important to our Yankees this year! That 10-1 record was surely something else. He was always there, ready to pitch 2, 3, 4, even 5 innings if he had to. No wonder he had 10 wins in relief. Whenever the starter seemed to be lost and the game seemed like it was getting out of hand, Ace was there. He came in and shut the opponents down.
It seems like Aceves does what he does in a very quiet way. He isn’t the hardest hurler out of the Yankee ‘pen, he doesn’t have the biggest breaking curveball, but he is good. Alfredo Aceves is really, really good, and it is kind of scary. At age 26, Ace is one of these young-guns the Yanks have in their ‘pen, hopefully here to stay for a long while.
Ace is also a very cute Yankee. I heard this story about him: He once went to dinner with his wife, and pulled out a guitar and sang to her in Mexican. How cute is that? But his Yankee teammates found out, and wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. They even played it on that giant screen in the outfield and laughed at him! Aw, poor Aceves. Why were they making fun of him? I think that is sweet. He loves his wife!
I think I have a pretty good celebrity lookalike for Aceves…..
….Ace, and……..
…….Vin Diesel! I have to say, I’m pretty proud of this one.
Alfredo, I’m going to miss you! I’m going ot miss that feeling of relief knowing that when you come in, the other team is going to stop hitting. Have a nice offseason, Ace. 93 days until you and the other pitchers and catchers report! I hope to see you soon!
WHY! Why, Why, Why, Why, WHY???
TELL ME WHY!!!!!!!!!
Okay, the word “why” is starting to look and sound really weird. I must have pondered that decision for hours. Girardi is an idiot. Seriously. I am really mad at him right now. My anger didn’t subside yet. It won’t until they win tonight. My God. How can anyone be that stupid? Watching them lose to the butt-ugly-non-cutie Angel team made me sick. I managed to avoid throwing my shoe this time, but I did go on a cursing rampage. Ask A.J. over at “Yankee Yapping.” He’ll tell you how infuriated I was. I also punched my thigh and it still hurts a bit. When the Yankees lose like this, I get angry. It is not healthy. If they care about me even just 1% as much as I care for them, then they would win tonight so I don’t kill myself. My Yankees lost game 3 of the ALCS 5-4.
Pitching Analysis: Andy Pettitte was great yesterday. It’s really a shame that they lost. He allowed 3 runs over 6 & 1/3 innings. Andy did his job very well. Joba came in with 1 out in the 7th, and was totally ineffective. He let the go-ahead run score. Coke and Hughes pitched the 8th, and Hughes also pitched the 9th, and gave up a leadoff double to Mathis in the 10th. He was pulled for Mo, who gave a gutsy performance and escaped a bases loaded jam without allowing a run.
David Robertson got two EASY outs in the 11th. And, for some unknown reason, Girardi pulls him for Aceves. WHY? I-friggin-DK. Ace gave up a run in game 2, but thanks to Arod that was erased. Taking out a dominant guy and replacing him with a not-as-dominant guy who allowed a run the other day is an absolutely inane, brainless move. And sure enough, Aceves eff-ed things up for the Yankees, and for me. I don’t even want to think about it. Do you have any idea what seeing THIS sh!t does to me?:
GET THIS CRAP OUT OF MY BLOG!!!
GET THE F*** OUTTA HERE!!!
I don’t wanna see this. EVER AGAIN. The YANKEES are the walkoff guys. Not the Angels. STOP CELEBRATING!!! YOU SUCK! YOU ONLY WON BECAUSE GIRARDI IS A MORON!!! IT WASN’T BECAUSE OF YOUR SKILL! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CELEBRATE!
Okay, on to offense.
Offensive Analysis: The Yankees’ 4 runs came on the strength of 4 solo homers. By Jeet, Arod, Johnny, and Jorge. That was it. Just homers. Now I love the longball, but they need to score in other ways. The Yankees were horrible with runners in scoring position yesterday. They had a ton of chanced to break the game open, and they couldn’t do it.
Okay, so I was miserable after this loss. But hey. At least we have a 2-1 lead in the series. And at least we are in the postseason. C “Cy” tonight, I think he’s the perfect guy ot have on the mound for tonight. GO YANKEES! I STILL LOVE YOU! AND I ALWAYS WILL!!!
An Odd, Exciting, AWESOME WIN!!!
These Yankees Amaze Me
This entire postseason has been so much fun. And last night? Just another crazy “walkoff” win from the Drama Club. I was so tired when it ended. The time on my clock as I climbed into bed was 1:37 am. I was beyond exhausted. I had the PSAT, and then that game. It was insane. The Yankees beat the Angels last night/this morning 4-3.
Pitching Analysis: A.J. Burnett was dominant. His stuff was naaaaaaasty. Molina caught him again, and mixed his pitches very well. Once again, the usually-explosive Angel lineup could barely amount to anything. They scored 2 runs off A.J. Acutally, if you think about it, A.J. beat himself last night. He’s just too good! In the 5th, things got a little messy. A.J. just could not control that curveball. There were hit batsmen and wild pitches. The Angels only got 2 hits that inning, but those hits plus A.J.’s wildness added up to 2 runs, and a 2-2 game.
The bullpen did a magnificant job last night. They went over 6 innings, and allowed just 1 run. Coke, Joba, Hughes, Mo, Ace, Marte, and Robertson all pitched last night. Only Aceves gave up a run; an RBI single by Figgins in the 11th inning. The bullpen guys were the heroes last night. and A.J., too. He really pitched a great ballgame. He received a lovely ovation when he was taken out. He deserved it.
A.J. heading back to the dugout…but he will emerge later with a pie…
Defensive Analysis: The defense was uncharacteristically sloppy last night. Jeet made an error and Cano made 2. But unlike the Angels the night before, the Yankees were able to win despite the bad “d.” Oh, and Johnny Damon made another fine play last night in the 9th.
The bad “d.”
The good “d.”
Offensive Anlaysis: The Yankees had a little trouble with runners in scoring postition last night; in fact they were 0-8 in those situations. But they managed to get the BIG hits when they really needed them. In the 2nd, Swish drew a 2-out walk, and Cano tripled him in, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead. In the 3rd, Jeter hit an opposite field solo homer to give the Yanks a 2-0 lead.
In the 11th, the Yankees were trailing 3-2 , and the Angels sent out Fuentes to pitch. Arod was to lead off the inning, but there was no way I was going to expect him to be clutch again. How ignorant of me. With an 0-2 count, Alex got a high fastball, and he smashed it into the right field seats for a GAME TIEING HOME RUN!!!!! GOD do I love that man?!!!!!!
I FRIGGIN’ LOVE YOU, ALEX!!!!
It seemed like the game would never end. The Yankees kept getting runners on, and they kept stranding them. So in the 13th when Jerry Hairston led off with a pinch-hit single, I didn’t think much of it. Gardner then bunted him over, and Cano was intentionally walked to get to my man Melky, the Yankee who has received 3 pies this year. “Stupid move,” I thought. But Melky hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Izturis’s left, and I was like, ‘Oh, no! Melky, no!” But Izturis, the same guy the stupid FOX annoncers were praising the whole game, threw to Aybar at second, and threw it wild! The ball was heading into foul territory. Jerry hustled around third, headed for home, and SAFE! JERRY SCORES! THE ANGELS DEFENSE SCREWED UP! AND THE YANKEES WIN!!!!!!!!!!
JERRY SCORES THE WINNING RUN!
VICTORY!!!!!
Jerry gets tackled by his teammates.
AND GETS THE TASTE OF VICTORY PIE!!!
It was cute seeing Jerry get pied. Even though Melky hit the ball, Jerry deserved it. It was great. Burnett used the direct approach this time. Usually, he sneaks around behind the player as they are getting interviewed. But this time, he approached Jerry head-on. He paused and showed Jerry the pie, and then smushed it in his face. Taste good, huh Jerry?
I loved this game! The heroes are Arod, for keeping the Yankees alive, the Yankee pitchers, for also keeping the Yankees alive, and Jerry Hairston, for running hard and winning it for us. The Yankees head to California up 2 games to none, and they have to be feeling pretty good about things. I know I do. These Yankees never give up. They have that mentality. And they have that Yankee Stadium Magic, and the best fans. They are lucky to have all that. And I’m so lucky to have them. GO YANKEES! I LOVE YOU!
The Greatest Game I Have Ever Seen
O to the M to the G
Game 2 of the 2009 ALDS between the Yankees and the Twins was the best game I have ever seen in my young life. It is an instant Yankees Classic. This game was an emotional roller coaster. There were times when I hid my eyes behind my hands, times when I fist-pumped, a time when I cried (literally) and a time where I jumped for joy, and almost cried again. There was the time where I was laying in bed exhausted, but unable to sleep because I was too excited. There was Yankee Stadium Magic, clutch pitching and offense, and that Drama Club mentality to never give up. This game summed up my Yankees. My Yankees won this game 4-3 in 11 innings.
Pitching Analysis: A.J. Burnett made his first career postseason start last night, and was caught by Jose Molina. That was a smart, SMART decision. A.J. went 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits, walked 5 and hit 2, and struckout 6 along the way. This was the A.J. I love. His stuff was electric, and his wildness proved to be affective. He really pitched a great ballgame, and the thoughts of whether A.J. would succeed in the postseason are gone.
The bullpen guys were the quiet heroes of the game last night. Joba, Coke, Hughes, Mo, Ace, Marte, and Robertson pitched last night. Hughes had a little trouble. In the 8th, a 2 out walk to Gomez started a rally for the Twins. Hughes allowed a run to give the Twins a 2-1 lead. He was pulled for Mo, who served up an RBI single to Span, giving the Twins a 3-1 lead. That run was charged to Hughes. It didn’t look too good for my Yankees right about now. I was beginning to worry. How silly of me.
Marte started off the 11th. Mauer hit a ball down the left field line that fell just out of the reach of Melky, and bounced into the seats. It looked like a double. But umpire Phil Cuzzi sayed it was foul. Fine with me! But the replay showed that it was clearly a fair ball. He really screwed up that call. Why? I think it was the ghosts. I think Babe Ruth blew at the umpire, forcing his arms to point foul instead of fair. Whatever the reason, the Yankees had gotten a break. They had a bunch of bad calls before, so I guess it evened out. Mauer reached with a single anyway. Then Kubel singled. Girardi called upon rookie David Robertson to get out of the jam.
Phil Cuzzi is my favorite umpire 🙂
Robertson gave up a hit to make it bases loaded with none out. I was freaking out. I was hiding behind my hands here. I was thinking, “How can they get out of this?” With Cervelli catching and Robertson pitching, I was thinking these guys were too young to get out of it. Well, on 2 pitches, Robertson got 2 outs, and was 1 away from getting out of this big-time jam unscathed. Cervelli punched his glove, obviously sensing how close they were. Brendan Harris, who earlier tripled in a run, came up. I was shaking, sweating, and close to dying. I heard the crack of the bat and was brave enough to look. I saw Garder under the ball, and he caught it! They did it! They got out of a bases loaded, 0 out jam and kept the game tied! I was in awe. It was the best relief performance I have ever seen. I was so psyched.
Defensive Analysis: The Yankee defense was great last night. They made all the plays. In the 4th, Nick Swisher made a great play. He threw behind Gomez at 2nd, and Jeet tagged him out before Delmon Young scored! The inning was over, and the score remained knotted at 0. Nick Swisher also made a sparkling play in the 9th. I was upset in the 9th because we were losing, but I still marveled over the catch.
Swish making a Swisher-ish play.
Offensive Analysis: In the 6th, trailing 1-0, Jeter looked to start a rally. He doubled with 1 out. Johnny walked, and Tex popped out, making it 2 outs for Arod. Arod stayed calm, and got a pitch to hit, which he did. Arod’s RBI single tied the game at 1. His clutch-ness continues!
In the 9th, the Yankees were trailing 3-1 and had to face Joe Nathan. Tex led off with a single. I was excited, but I didn’t want to show it. I didn’t even want to move because I was afraid to jinx them. Arod came up. I was thinking, “Him again? How many times can he come through?” My Dad was sitting on the chair next to me. He doesn’t like Arod too much. He said he wouldn’t like him until he did something dramatic in the postseason to help the Yankees. My Dad never gives Arod credit for anything. So I was even more nervous last night in the 9th for Alex, because I knew that if he failed, my Dad would go on another tirade about how Alex is worthless. His other RBI wouldn’t matter if he didn’t come through again.
My living room was quite. I could sense my Dad there, watching Arod’s every move. I was jamming my pen into my knee as I sat there. It hurt, but there was no way I was going to stop doing it. The Yankees looked to be rallying. It would have been selfish of me to put the pen down and stop the pain. Then the Yankee rally would have ended, and it would have been all my fault. Well, I wound up flinging the pen across the room. Arod got a pitch, and he hit it…….and……and…….Gomez was looking up…..the ball….it kept going….Gomez climbed the wall……but the ball….it was….GONE!!!!!!! IT WAS A MONSTER SHOT! A 2-RUN, GAME-TYING HOMER OF JOE NATHAN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 9TH BY ALEX RODRIGUEZ! My Dad jumped up, and said, “That was it! That was his Yankee moment!” I can’t describe what I was feeling there. I hugged my Dad, I saw my Mom coming out into the living room cheering, and I went over and hugged her. We were all screaming. I was so happy, it was really confusing. I just started crying hysterically. As I hugged my Mom, the tears just kept coming. It was uncontrollable. I was crying after Alex hit that home run. It was all just too emotional. Arod did it, he came through, and my Dad admitted it. The Yankees were back in the game, and it was amazing. I couldn’t stop crying. After the screams died down, the sounds of my crying finally became noticed. My brothers were making fun of me for crying. Well, sorry! It’s not my fault! How could I control my emotions? I eventually stopped. It was the most confusing thing ever. But I loved it. The Yankees were alive, and the game was tied 3-3.
…..wow…
……….here come the tears again……
After Robertson’s fabulous performance in the 11th, the momentum was back on the Yankees’ side. Texy-wexy led off the inning. And it couldn’t have been led off in a better way. Tex hit a line-drive to left, and it got out in a hurry. WALKOFF HOME RUN!!!!!! MARK TEIXEIRA!!!! MVP!!!! It was his first walkoff as a Yankee,…..
….and got his first taste of victory pie.
I cheered loud after that homer. I almost cried again, but I managed to control it. I can honestly say that this was the greatest game I have ever EVER seen. Just, wow. The heroes for this great victory, well, there are quite a few. A.J., for his great start, Swisher, for his defensive success, Robertson, for the gutsiest pitching performance I have ever seen, Arod, for making me cry, and Mark Teixeira, for making this game one to remember because it was a win. Once again, I have to say it: I love this team. They complete my life. And when they are this good, this dominant, this special, I can’t help but to love them more. Just 1 more win in the next 3 games, and we move on to the ALCS. And I believe that if we get past the ALDS, we are going all the way. The Yankees are ready for these final steps in the journey to #27, and I’m ready, too.
Another Random Loss….But It Doesn’t Matter, Right?
Yanks Lose To The Team I Now Hate
We lost again. That was our third loss in a row. But it doesn’t matter, does it? We already clinched, so we are in for sure. But are these losses ruining the momentum of the Yankees? Are they trying their best? Is it wise to rest the players so much, or will they lose their groove at the plate? I don’t know. I hope Girardi knows. The Yankees lost last night 5-3.
Pitching Analysis: Andy Pettitte started for the Yankees. He wasn’t too good, but he wasn’t too bad. They took him out early to give the relievers some work. Andy went 4 & 1/3 innings of 5 run ball (just 3 were earned). His line could have looked better if he pitched longer, but it was more important to test the relievers.
Andy’s game face.
Alfredo Aceves and Chad Gaudin pitched in relief last night, and they both did an excellent job. If it wasn’t for that error, maybe the Yankees would have had a chance to win.
Defensive Analysis: In the 5th after Andy was pulled for Aceves, something stupid happened. With 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Ace had the runner picked off who was breaking for 3rd. He threw to Hinske, and the ball went off the top of Hinske’s glove, and into left field. 2 runs scored, and I was a bit annoyed. Those runs were charged to Andy, and the error was charged to Aceves. I thought it was Hinske’s error, because he did get a glove on it. Whatever. The runs scored, it doesn’t matter whose fault it was.
Offensive Analysis: The Yankees struggled at the plate once again. They scored just 3 runs on 9 hits. They out-hit the Rays, but they failed to get the big hit. I started to get mad at the Rays again. They hit Jerry Hairston twice, the first time in the kidney and the second time in the shoulder. Poor Jerry.
In the 5th, Johnny Damon got himself a much-needed RBI single, which was followed by an RBI single by Tex. In the 6th, Jerry had an RBi infield single. Other than that, the offense didn’t do anything.
What I liked seeing last night was the running game. Gardner had 2 stolen bases, Guzman had one, and Jerry tried to steal but was caught. That’s okay, though. I would rather see them get out stealing than just standing there on the base and letting the hitters make out. Stealing bases forces the other team to make the play. If they do, it is no fault on your part, they just deserve credit.
So the Yankees lost again, but I don’t think Girardi managed the game to win. He put in all the second-string guys and he pulled Andy early. Is this a problem, though? Shouldn’t he try to win so the Yankees have momentum going into the playoffs? Well, in 2000 the Yanks had a rough September and they won it all. This year, we aren’t really having a rough September. We clinched early and now we are just casually heading into the postseason. I shouldn’t be worrying. The Yankees are the best team; they will be fine. GO YANKEES!
Live, Eat, and Breathe Yankees 