Tagged: Juan Miranda
We’re In!
Yanks are Officially in the Playoffs!!!
The Yankees were playing so badly that I thought they were on the verge of a catastrophic collapse. It was sickening…embarrassing…the team was dead. I remember them being 2 wins away – so close I could almost taste it – and yet I felt those 2 wins might have well been 200, because I didn’t think there was any way they could win the way they were playing. But that’s all over now. With just 3 games left to play, the Yankees are tied for first with those pesky Rays in the AL East. Homefield advantage would be nice, but I don’t really care about it as much as I did a few days ago. I’m just THRILLED that the Yankees are in the postseason! I think that if they win the ALDS, then they are going all the way. But I’m getting ahead of myself: I want to talk about how we clinched!
September 26, 2010. Yankees vs. Red Sox. A game I surely thought the Yankees would lose, especially because they were losing 1-0 in the 7th inning, having shown zero signs of life with the bat. But all that changed with 1 swing of the bat by The Drama King himself, Mr. Alex Rodriguez. His 2-run homer in the 7th gave the Yankees a new life, and their first lead of the night. They were ahead 2-1.
Just like last year, Alex is arguably the most important player for the Yanks.
I thought that would be enough for them to win…but Mariano Rivera was icky – VERY icky – in the 9th, allowing 2 runs and letting the Yankee lead slip away. 3-2 Red Sox. But in the bottom of the 9th, Robbie Cano singled sharply with the bases loaded, tying the game. For the first time in ages, the Yankees were showing fight. They weren’t done yet.
In the 10th, Curtis Granderson led off with a single and Brett Gardner laid down the perfect bunt for a single. For some reason, which still seems mindless to me, the Red Sox intentionally walked Derek Jeter, to LOAD THE BASES WITH NO ONE OUT. Why on earth would anyone do that? ESPECIALLY when the other team can get a walkoff? I don’t know.
Patience proved to be a virtue for my Yanks and Juan Miranda. His patience at the plate and great at-bat resulted in a walk – a WALKOFF WALK, and the Yankees won 4-3. Sadly, I didn’t see any pies fly. But that’s okay…I was just glad to see them win!
Thank you, Juan!!!
The Heroes for this Victory which brought the Yankees magic number down to 1 were Phil Hughes, for his starting effort, A-Rod, for that super-clutch homer, and Juan Miranda for the walkoff.
The clincher came on September 28 against the Blue Jays, and the Yankees couldn’t have had a better guy on the mound for a game of this importance. CC Sabathia was fabulous, throwing over 8 innings of 1-run ball.
CC was his usual C”Cy” self, but what impressed me most about this win was the offense: the Yankees built every one of their runs. A-Rod, Teixeira, and Cano had sac flies. A-Rod also had a bases loaded walk. Greg Golson had an RBI groundout. There were no home runs. Everything was built, and that’s good. In the postseason, the Yankees are going to have to be able to score like that if they want to win. And they do want to win. So they’ll have to.
The Yankees won this game 6-1, and had a little fun with the bubbly. Watching my boys run around pouring ice cold champagne on each other’s heads is enough to make me smile any day.
The Captain gets a taste.
My Cutie-Curtis Granderson gets his first ever taste of postseason parties.
A bunch of my goofy boys ♥
I can’t decide how I think the Yankees will do in the postseason this year. Do I think they are as good as last year? I don’t know. There were a few bad stretches last year, and I guess I didn’t notice as much because the struggles weren’t right before the season’s end. This year’s struggles arrived at a more nerve-racking time.
Even so, I don’t think anyone, even myself, has the right to or should predict the Yankees postseason success. The postseason is a whole different animal. I enjoy it. But it also makes me a wreck – even when they win. I can’t take the pressure.
With that said, I’m going to enjoy these final three games of the regular season in 2010.
GO YANKEES!!!
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!
I Officially Hate The Rays
CC Fails To Get #20 As Yanks Lose Miserably
Who in the world do the Rays think they are? What is there problem? I have lost all respect for them. What they did to Tex was uncalled for. And that ruined the atmosphere of the whole game. Poor CC. I am so mad at the Rays. I used to have a lot of respect for them, but now I hate them. The Yankees lost 13-4 last night, but that’s not why I hate them.
Pitching Analysis: Oh, CC! What happened?! The poor thing! This was the worst performance I’ve seen from CC. And he didn’t get his win. It’s so sad. CC really struggled last night. He failed to get out of the 3rd inning. CC allowed 9 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits and 5 walks. CC got into bases loaded jams in all 3 innings. He threw 82 stressful pitches. His command was way off, and he just looked uncomfortable. After what happened to Tex, I think CC’s mind changed gears and he just couldn’t execute on his pitches. Whatever the reason, CC was dreadful last night. Usually when a Yankee pitcher stinks, I get angry. But last night, I became pitiful. I felt so bad for CC. It was hard for me to watch such a good pitcher struggle like that. I was relieved when Girardi pulled him. CC was furious with his performance. After being taken out, he violently threw his glove at the water bottles in the dugout. Poor CC.
Oh, CC! I still love you. Don’t be too hard on yourself!
The bullpen actually did a nice job last night, all things considered. Albaladejo, Robertson, Bruney, Coke, Hughes, and Marte pitched. Albaladejo gave up 2 runs, and Robertson and Hughes gave up 1. They knew the game was out of reach, so they just threw strikes. Oh! I just feel awful for CC…..
Defensive Analysis: Tex made a big boo-boo in the 1st. His error forced CC into more of a jam. But you can’t blame the whole thing on Tex. CC obviously didn’t have it last night. And Tex has been superb for us this whole year. I feel bad about what those stupid Rays did to Tex….. Nick Swisher made a Nick Swisher-ish play in the outfield. A sharp liner was hit over Cano’s head and into right field, and as the ball was rolling on the turf, Swish dived for it! But he missed, and Upton wound up with a bases clearing triple. Ahh, Swisher…. Hey that’s another thing I hate about the Rays. Scattered effort. Upton didn’t try all year, and he went 5-5 and hit for the cycle last night? Maybe if he tried this year he would have had a good season.
Offensive Analysis: The offense struggled last night. They only got 4 runs on 6 hits. Melky had an RBI single (Yeah, Leche!), Juan Miranda hit a monster 2-run homer, the 1st of his career, and Ramiro Pena had an RBI single.
I got very mad in the 1st inning. With 2 out and nobody on base, Mark Teixeira came up to the plate. On the first pitch, David Price threw a high hard one that hit Tex in the hand, and he went down. I was terrified. I thought it hit him in the face. It came so close to hitting him there. It hit like off the top of his hand by his jaw, and it bounced away awkwardly as if it hit his face. I was filled with anger. How could they do that to Tex? Why? It was “retaliation” for what happened to Carlos Pena at Yankee Stadium. I think CC was pitching that day. Anyway, Pena tried to check his swing, and the ball happened to hit his hand. Pena’s season was over, but it was not intentional at all. Why would the Yankees want to hit Carlos Pena? The Rays were out of it, and the Yankees wouldn’t want to start random trouble with a respectable man like Pena. Who the f— do the Rays think they are by hitting Tex, such a nice man? That was not good baseball, that was not brushing him off the plate, that was a horrible thing to do. And the Yankees couldn’t retaliate because they can’t afford a suspension or a fight now. It was just the cruelest thing to do. Thank God Tex is okay. I don’t think Girardi is going to let this slide. If he doesn’t do it this weekend, Joe will definitely retaliate next year. I hope he does. Teach those Rays a lesson. I want to see that happen.
It was a very upseting game. CC didn’t get his win and he pitched badly, and that whole little scare with Tex happened. But I did get to see my Cervelli ♥. And the game didn’t mean much because we clinched, unlike the stinky Rays who I now hate. Ha, ha! We are in the postseason and you Rays are not! Maybe if your team actually tried they would make it, but then again the Yankees are so much better so you wouldn’t. It’s kind of weird hating the Rays. I always had respect for them. But now, now there is a rivalry. GO YANKEES!
An Odd Win, And A Not-So-Exciting Loss
Yankees Take 2 of 3 from Royals
That walkoff win was pretty awesome. It was definitely a Drama Club win if I have ever seen one! In last night’s loss, the Yankees looked a bit tired. On Tuesday the Yankees won 4-3, and last night they lost 4-3.
The Win
Pitching Analysis: A.J. Burnett beasted it Tuesday night. He was great!!! He was spotting his fastball, and used that curve to his advantage. I think I am ready to fully trust A.J. again. Whethere he is the #2 or #3 starter in the postseason, I think he will do a fine job. Yeah, A.J.!
I love him!
Phil Coke (he signed my baseball!) pitched well in the 7th, it was his defense that was gross. David Robertson returned on Tuesday. He recorded 2 outs in the 7th, walked Callaspo,and was pulled for Bruney. He looked good, his velocity was there, and I was glad to see him back. Bruney did a nice job as well.
Defensive Analysis: Phil Coke’s horrible defense was the reason the walkoff was needed. He took too long to field the bunt, and it wound up being a single. Then, with first and second and 1 out, he got a comebacker, which he threw into left field! A run scored, and now the Royals had a 2-1 lead. Then another comebacker was hit to him, and instead of throwing home, he threw to first! COKE! What was wrong with you? You pitched great, but your defense! Ugh! At least we won that game.
Offensive Analysis: These Yankees have a LOT of power, and they seem like they can always come back. Tex hit a solo homer in the 6th to tie the game at 1. In the 7th, Swish led off with a solo homer, cutting the deficit to 3-2. the 9th is where the magic happened.
Ex-Yankee Kyle Farnsworth was called upon to nail down the save for the Royals. But a Yankee rally was on its way. My darling-baby Francisco Cervelli got himself a 1-out single to start the rally. Eric Hinske pinch-hit, and he got a single, moving Cervelli to 3rd. Hinske (he signed my baseball!) then surprisingly stole 2nd! The throw went wild, and Hinske went to 3rd as Cervelli scored, knotting the score at 3-3. Johnny Damon was intentionally walked to get to Juan Miranda. I was thinking that Tex was on deck, but he was taken out. It was going to be Miranda. I was thinking, “Miranda? Oh, this kid isn’t gonna do anything. It’s too much pressure. Well, with 1 out, all he has to do is put the ball in play….I hope he doesn’t strike out…” Obviously, Miranda heard me. All he had to do was put the ball in play, and the Yankee Stadium Magic would take care of the rest. And that’s what happened.
Yay for Miranda!
Miranda hit a sharp comebacker to Farsworth, and off the bat I was thinking, “Oh sh!t. This won’t get the job done.” But then the Yankee Stadium Magic took over. The ball hit off Farsworth’s foot, and began heading for foul territory! And it was a fair ball! Farnsworth raced toward the ball, and Miranda hustled toward the bag. Miranda won. The dugout emptied, he got pied, and the Yankees won 4-3. It was odd, but I loved it.
Our 15th pie….and they still taste great, don’t they, Juan? 🙂
The Loss
Pitching Analysis: Joba Chamberlain started last night, and he really disappointed me. He only went 3 & 2/3 innings, and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, and he threw 91 pitches. That’s a little ridiculous. I expected better things from Joba last night. He didn’t make me too happy.
Joba, Joba, Joba….what are we gonna do with Joba….
Aceves, Albaladejo (he signed my baseball!), Marte, Mitre (♥I♥love♥this♥guy♥), Hughes and Mo all pitched in relief last night. I had a big history test to study for last night. I set time aside for it, and since nothing spectacular was happening in the game last night, I was going to study for a long time. On my way to my room to study, I heard, “And Mitre will get off the bench, and he will come in to pitch.”
I stopped in my tracks. My thoughts: “Mitre? Tonight? Right now? But the test, it’s my first one and I know it will be hard. But Mitre! He’s hot and I love him and it could be the last time I see him. AAAAHH!!! What do I do? Do I drool over that sexy-thang and wind up flunking tomorrow, or do I study and miss my baby? I only had a short time to decide, the commercials are short between pitching changes. Although I like my history teacher and would love to do well, I like Mitre more. I watched him. I just studied after. I made such a big deal about that decision. I just studied after Mitre pitched. I won both ways!
Defensive Analysis: Now I love Nick Swisher, but when Mitre was pitching in the 7th, what happened on that play? John Buck hit a deep fly ball to right, and Swish looked as if he was going to make the play. But he turned and switched directions, and the ball fell. Then he was lying there on the ground, and tried to roll the ball over to Melky. It was a disaster. Buck wound up with an RBI triple, and Mitre gave up a run. But it was charged to Marte, so I was not as annoyed. That run was the difference in the game. Oh well. You can’t win them all.
Offensive Analysis: The offense was quite dead last night. 3 runs on 5 hits. Jeet had a solo homer and Swish had a 2-run shot, but that was it. They looked tired last night. Whatever.
We won the series. And we clinched awhile ago! I love the way that sounds! The heroes for the victory on Tuesday are A.J. Burnett for his stellar performance, and his pieing, Eric Hinske, for that timely stolen base that set the whole thing up, and Juan Miranda, for putting the ball in play and letting the magic take over. That was the last regular season game in the Bronx. I believe that the new stadium is going to provide the Yankees with a huge homefield advantage. I can’t wait! I’m, getting so excited!!! GO YANKEES!!!!!!
Rookies, Rookies Everywhere!
Second-String Yanks Beat Royals
Last night’s Yankee game was like Heaven for me. The cutest guys were playing. All the little rookies that I love. If only Mitre pitched….I think I would have died….-sigh-….Uhh…anyway, the Yankees beat the Royals 8-2 last night, and they did it with the second-string guys.
Pitching Analysis: Chad Gaudin started for the Yanks last night, and once again, they won with him on the mound. Chad pitched well. Very well. I think this was his best start as a Yankee. He went 6 & 2/3 innings of 2-run ball. He allowed just 4 hits, and struckout 5. Yeah, Chad! He is pitching his way onto the postseason roster! He is a good guy to have, if he continues pitching this well. His versatility makes him even more of a weapon. Gaudin can be used in many different ways, and he is equally dominant in each role.
Marte and Aceves finished out the game. They both did a nice job. The pitching was excellent yesterday. Keep it up, Yanks. October awaits!
Offensive Analysis: It was the cutest lineup ever. I was dying to see the game, and when I heard there was a rain delay, I was so mad! I was all ready to sit and watch the game at 7:00. I did all my work, all my studying, I was all set! And then the rain ruined it. I had to wait for what seemed like 10 hours! Do you know how I felt? It would be different if I didn’t know the lineup. But I did, and I knew about Cervelli and then I just went crazy.
But, after an eternity an hour and 56 minute rain delay, the game finally started. Here is the lineup, and the game stats to go along with it:
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Gardner, CF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .275 |
| Cabrera, Me, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .273 |
| Cano, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .322 |
| Posada, DH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .290 |
| Hinske, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .242 |
| Duncan, S, RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .231 |
| 1-Guzman, F, PR-RF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 |
| Miranda, 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .200 |
| Cervelli, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .289 |
| Pena, R, SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .290 |
| Totals | 33 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
Frikin’ adorable! Cervelli, Melky, Ramiro, and Brettiboo all in the same lineup! The offense was good last night. In the 4th, Hinske got an RBI single, right through the whole of the shift. Ramiro Pena hit is first career homer, a solo shot, in the 5th. Arod decided to give him the silent treatment. He and Swisher told everyone not to congradulate him. Ramiro headed back to the dugout, and no one even looked at him. The poor thing! Then suddenly, the whole dugout jumped up at once and went over to congradulate the cute kid. CONGRATS, RAMIRO!!! That made it 2-1 Yankees.
RAMIRO!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!
Later in the game, the 7th to be exact, Robbie Cano hit a grand slam. He has been ON FIRE lately. Good for him!
Look at all those cuties…did I die and go to Heaven? Wow!
It was a fun game for me last night. I love those little cuties. The heroes for the victory are Chad Gaudin, for his great start, Robinson Cano for his grand-salami, and Ramiro Pena for being cute and getting his first homer. And Cervelli, just because I watched him behind the plate instead of watching Gaudin pitch. I do that. Whenever he plays, I just stare at him the whole time. Everything he does is cute! I can’t explain it…I’m just obsessed with the guy. No one cares about what the Red Sox did, because WE CLINCHED ALREADY!!!! God, I love the sound of that. Hahaha. GO YANKEES!
Live, Eat, and Breathe Yankees 