Tagged: Marcus Thames
On to the ALCS!!!
Yankees Sweep Twins…Again!
Remember in my last post when I said the Yankees were reminding me of the Yankees from last year? Well, last night, this statement proved to be even more true. The most apparent reason was because last night my Yankees wrapped up their 3-game sweep of the Twins to win the ALDS – just like last year. But more importantly, the Yankee have established an amazing 1-2-3 punch, which is Powerful at the beginning, Crafty in the middle, and Philthy at the end.
Pitching Analysis: Phil Hughes is the “Philthy” component of the 1-2-3 punch, in case you didn’t get my analogy. And BOY was he philthy last night. I didn’t know what he was going to give us, having not pitched since September 26, and starting in the postseason after struggling in postseason relief last year. Did I expect Hughes to throw 7 shutout innings, allowing just 4 hits and striking out 6 along the way? I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Hughes was a beast.
Huuuuuuuuughes!!!!!!!!
If the starting pitching in this ALDS is a sign of things to come for my Yankees, then I think the team is in pretty darn good shape. Their chance of a repeat is within striking distance. The combo of CC, Andy, and Phil reminds me of the CC, A.J., and Andy the Yankees used last year. And when you can compare anything, especially pitching, to the 2009 Yankees, you definitely have reason to smile. Eeeeek!! I’m excited!
Offensive Analysis: JUST like last year, the Yankee offense got to Brian Duensing. I felt kind of bad for the kid…his family was in the audience, and he received the loss. The look on his face as he sat there, all dejected on the bench after being taken out almost broke my heart. The poor guy looked like he was going to cry. But really, it was not his fault that the Yankees won. Sometimes, you gotta give credit where credit is due. The Yankees are a pretty good baseball team.
The offense started in the 2nd inning, where Robinson Cano led off with a triple. He scored on an RBI single by Jorge Posada. In the 3rd, Nick Swisher doubled with 2 out, and Mark Teixeira drove him in with an RBI single. That was a bullet of a single…it hit off the wall too hard and too fast for Mark to advance. But that’s okay. The Yankees were up 2-0.
Tex’s big swing!
In the 4th with Cano on first, Marcus Thames took his turn. He did what he always does, only different: Thames homered, but it was to right field. Thames went oppo! And the Yankees led 4-0. I think that was the swing that ended Minnesota’s season. Minnesota was done…but the Yankee bats weren’t. Brett Gardner tacked on a run with a sac fly, and Nick Swisher homered in the 7th. The Yankees were up 6-0. They went on to win it 6-1.
Thames’s reaction to his homer.
Swish’s smiley reaction to his homer.
Aww
The Heroes for this ALDS-Winning Victory are Phil Hughes, for proving that he can start in the postseason and for solidifying the Yankees 1-2-3 punch, and Marcus Thames for providing what was in essence the winning blow.
The Somebody Needs a Hug goes to….hmm…..I guess the Twins. They got swept…again. But I really shouldn’t be feeling bad for them, I mean the Yankees HAD to beat them. Forgive me for having a heart.
Okay the REAL Somebody Needs a Hug goes to Mick Kelleher. The poor guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time…in the 4th inning, on Robinson Cano’s infield single, the Twins threw the bald wildly…and it hit Mick…yeah…no guy wants this…
Ouch…
I leave you now with some HAPPY images of my Yankees celebrating with the bubbly after their win. 3 wins down, 8 wins to go.
A-Rod gets double-teamed. Look all the way on the right…see that cutie with the goggles? CERVELLI!!! Hi sweetie!
OMG Curtis! Look at him…such an innocent little boy. You are my MVP of the ALDS, with that .455 batting average. Keep up the good baseball, darling!
The next time the Yankees play is on Friday. That’s a long time…I’m going to miss them. I hope they rest up, but stay hot at the same time. From here on, it only gets harder. But I’m ready!
GO YANKEES!!!
A Week of Winning!
But I guess it could be worse. I am not taking science or math this year because my math teacher scarred me for life last year. And this year, I actually like all my teachers. I’ve had them all before. Some of them are very fun to talk baseball with. And, oh yeah: IT’S SENIOR YEAR. I should enjoy this.
Even though I haven’t blogged recently, I have watched all the games. My boys are making me so proud. So far, the heroes for this winning streak are Curtis Granderson and Marcus Thames for their hot-hitting, and the bullpen, which has done an absolutely fantastic job.
Yesterday’s 7-5 win over the Blue Jays was the typical win of this winning streak.
Pitching Analysis: After beasting in the bullpen, Javier Vazquez was inserted back into the starting rotation. I had a feeling he would be….suckish. Javy tends to give up the longball. The Blue Jays tend to hit the longball. The wind was making it easier to hit the longball. Add all that up, and it wasn’t going to be a pretty day for Javy.
Weather-wise, it was a beautiful day…but not for Javy.
Javy did give up the longball. Homers by Overbay and McDonald gave the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead. Vazquez didn’t even get through 5 innings, and he allowed 5 runs.
The bullpen again had a lot of outs to get, and they did another amazing job. The combo of Dustin Moseley, Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain, Kerry Wood, and Mariano Rivera shut the door on the Blue Jay batters’s faces. They allowed 0 runs on 3 hits, and struckout 5. THEY ARE BEASTS!!!
Offensive Analysis: Despite being down 3-0, the Yankee bats weren’t ready to give up. They had that rally in them. And the rally all started thanks to my sweet Francisco Cervelli ♥ In the 3rd with 1 out, Cervelli hit a ball in the left-center gap. And he hustled. And because he hustled, Francisco Cervelli had himself a double. That ball never made it to the wall. Many guys would have just settled for a single. But not my Cervelli. And that’s why I love him.
Then Brett Gardner walked (the 9th straight game he did that!), and Derek Jeter ripped a double, scoring Cervelli. Inching closer, it was now a 3-1 game.
After Mark Teixeira walked to load the bases, a struggling Robinson Cano stepped up to the plate. He hit a ball back up the middle, and it found grass! 2 runs scored on Robbie’s game-tying single.
The Yankees went ahead in the 4th. Cervelli doubled with a man on and 1 out, then Gardner drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI groundout. A wild pitch let another score, making it 5-3.
And finally, in the 7th, the Yankees had their share of the longball. With 2 outs, Cano singled, bringing up Hank Aaron Marcus Thames. He had a few good swings earlier in the game, but didn’t have a hit to show for it. Until this:
I love my Marcus Thames!!!!!
That made it 7-5 Yankees. And that’s the final 🙂
Another win, another series win, and another game gained on those Pesky Rays. The heroes for this victory, the 8th in a row, are the bullpen, for cleanly eating up all those innings. And Marcus Thames, for turning into the Home Run King. Hank Aaron who? Hahaa…The other hero is my Francisco Cervelli, because he started the rally. And just cuz I love him ♥
Oh, Francisco….too cute for words.
The Somebody Needs a Hug goes to Javier Vazquez. Javy, your confidence has taken a rollercoaster ride throughout the entire season. I don’t want you to lose it after 1 icky start. You were great out of the bullpen, and that was no fluke. Believe in yourself!
Yankees, the season is winding down. And you are still leading the AL East! Congrats on everything you have done so far. Please just keep it up. Go as far as you can this season, because I need to keep seeing you.
I love you! GO YANKEES!!!
The Best Yet!
Yanks Win Series Opener
Last night’s 11-5 win over the A’s was a HUGE win for the Yankees this season. Why? It brought them to a new high-water mark of 31 games over .500 for the year! They are 81-50, still tied for first with those Pesky Rays. The Yankees hovered at around 30 games over .500 for so long – and finally, they broke through! The Yankees played a great game last night, and I see signs of an even brighter future for 2010. No more .500 baseball this month!
Pitching Analysis: Dustin Moseley toed the rubber for the Yanks, coming off two very good starts in a row. At first I was optimistic, thinking, “Well maybe he could string three good ones together!” But after seeing him allow three runs in the first inning alone, my hopes were seemingly gone. I thought there was no way the Yankees or Moseley would win after those three runs – especially because the Yankee bats were going up against one of the toughest pitchers in the league, Mr. Trevor Cahil.
Moseley’s outing wasn’t too long, and he wasn’t horribly awful either. In 4.1 innings, Dustin allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, and 4 walks (that’s bad). But Moseley gave the team a chance to win the game. And thanks to a certain someone who shut the door on the A’s batters’s faces, the Yankees did win.
Aw, Javy ♥
I felt bad when Javy Vazquez was demoted to the bullpen. I knew his confidence was shot, and I thought his demotion was the last straw. But no. Javy, unlike me, didn’t melt. He embraced his new role. And last night, Javy really made me proud. Oh, he was brilliant. The best I’ve seen him in a long time. Javy shut down the opposition, and for his efforts, picked up the win. In 4.2 innings, Javy allowed 1 little run on just 2 hits, stirking out 6 along the way. Javy was the only reliever the Yankees used last night. His command was back, and he survived with that 89 mph fastball. I hope he can keep this confidence, because if he does, he’ll keep getting these results. Oh, Javy…maybe you can go back into the rotation now?
Defensive Analysis: Jeter hasn’t been doing much (anything) with the bat lately, but that hasn’t affected him in the field at all. He proved this in the 5th inning last night, with his patendted Jetarian jump-and-throw to nail Kouzmanoff at 1st. Good job, Derek. Oh, and Jorge and Moseley’s strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play was nice, too.
Offensive Analysis: The Bronx Bombers showed up last night, and the offense exploded multiple times. The Yankees pounded out 11 runs on 13 hits. So many guys had great nights at the plate, especially those in the middle of the order. Tex, Cano, Swish, and Thames were almost impossible to get out. Three Yankees went deep last night.
Tex was first.
And Robbie went back-to-back with him.
Thames’s 3-run blast gave the Yanks an 11-4 lead.
Last night’s game had so many positives, and it had the desired result. The heroes for the victory are the homer boys Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, and Marcus Thames, as well as Javy Vazquez for pitching over 4 stellar innings of relief. I think the Yankees should keep playing Marcus Thames – even when Berkman comes back. Don’t mess with success, right? And Javy…I hope and pray that he keeps this up. We need another guy to trust.
The Somebody Needs a Hug goes to Derek Jeter. The poor guy was 0-4 once again last night, and his average has dipped to an un-Jeter like .268. He’s still trying so hard, maybe too hard. Jeet, we love you no matter what. But still, you need to fix yourself, because we need you. The Yankees need their Captain 🙂
GO YANKEEEES!!!!!!!!
A Taste of Their Own Medicine
Offense Explodes and Power Surges
Well, it’s not really fair to say that home runs are the Jays’s medicine. After all, the Yankees are the Bronx Bombers. So the Blue Jays lead the Bigs in home runs…big deal. Bautista has 40, when his previous career high was 16. Take away half of Bautista’s homers, because their is no way they are legit, and then the Yanks and Jays are neck-and-neck in the home run count. The Yankees had 5 homers last night. Combine that with solid starting pitching, and you have a win. The Yanks evened the series last night with their 11-5 victory.
Pitching Analysis: Ken Singleton pointed out during the broadcast that Dustin Moseley had alternated wins and losses in all of his Yankee starts. He won his last start, so according to the trend, Moseley was going to lose last night. But after Moseley struckout the steroid monster Bautista to end the 1st inning, I had a feeling the trend would end. And I was right.
Dustin’s game face
Moseley pitched beautifully again last night, tossing 6 innings of 2-run ball. He didn’t allow a home run. The other three Blue Jay runs were given up by Chad Gaudin.
Offensive Analysis: The 11 Yankee runs came mostly off the longball. And it was so fun to watch. Homer after homer, the Yankee attitudes remained the same. Each Yankee who homered rounded the bases in the most modest and classy manner – perfectly Yankee. There was no bat-flipping, staring, trotting, or fist pumping right in the catcher’s face as they crossed the plate (ahem, Jose Bautista). They just put their adorable faces down and ran. God I love these men.
The 3rd inning alone contained 3 of the Yankees’s 5 home runs. First was Mark Teixeira, whose solo home run gave the Yanks a 3-0 lead.
After a Robinson Cano walk, Marcus Thames went deep with a 2-run shot.
And Jorge Posada went back to back with Marcus.
In the 5th, after a Marcus Thames single and an Austin Kearns walk, Curtis Granderson decided it was his turn to go deep. His 3-run shot gave the Yanks a 9-1 lead.
Then, it was the Captain’s turn. It was Jeet’s first home run since….jeez, I don’t even remember! That made it 10-1. And the Yanks went on to win it 11-5.
Overall, it was a great win for the Yankees. They pounded out 11 runs on 17 hits, and got contributions from guys up and down the lineup. The heroes for the victory are the Homer Boys Tex, Thames, Jo-Po, GrandyMan, and Jeet, as well as starter Dustin Moseley.
The Somebody Needs a Hug recipient is Nick Swisher. In the 7th inning last night, Swish fouled a ball off his knee, and he went down. He yelped in pain…which really hurts me. It’s sad to see Nick Swisher not smiling. The part that made me yell, “AWWWW” was when Swish insisted that he stay in the game. But two pitches later in to the at bat, Girardi pulled him. Swish again put up a fight, but it was no use: Girardi won. Then Brett Gardner had to finish the at bat. It was his birthday, and he didn’t even think he was going to play. He didn’t even have his high socks. Brett struckout. I’m sure he, and Swish, were not too thrilled.
Swisher says he is okay. He was his jolly smiley self in his postgame interview. I hope he can play today ♥
GO YANKEES!!!
Happy Belated Birthday to Me!
Yanks Finally Win – A Day Late, But I’ll Take It
I’m not even kidding: I think the Yankees have a secret camera in my house. Yesterday, I was frustrated after they lost on my birthday (17!!!), and needed to take out my frustration. So for FanVsFan, I posted a debate about Joe Girardi, and how he deserves some of the blame for the offensive woes:
http://fanvsfan.com/claims/joe-girardi-is-partly-to-blame-for-the-yankees-s-offensive-struggles
He must have heard me recording this, because he took my advice. And it paid off! The Yankees won 6-2….on Jorge Posada’s birthday instead of mine. But that’s okay. We just needed a win!
Pitching Analysis: The Yankees looked toward CC Sabathia to throw up a bunch of zeros and stop the bleeding last night. I thought he was the perfect guy to be on that mound last night to turn things around for the Yanks. But after the first pitch of the game connected to A-Jax’s bat and landed in the seats, I lost faith. 1-0? Already? In the 1st inning? That was asking too much from the Yankees, who lost a game 1-0 to the Royals the other day. I thought we were screwed.
THANK GOD, I was wrong.
My sweet Hefty-Lefty settled down after 2 innings. After that leadoff homer, CC shut down the Tigers offense until Inge homered in the 7th. CC got into a little jam in the 7th, but made it out unscathed. I read his lips when he left the mound after the 7th: “F*** YEAH!!!!”
I was thinking the same thing, CC ♥
The bullpen, which all of a sudden has turned itself around, did well last night. David Robertson pitched a clean 8th, and Mariano tossed a scoreless 9th.
Defensive Analysis: Curtis Granderson has always played a good centerfield. Even when his hitting wasn’t there, he contributed with his glove. In the 1st inning, Granderson made two exceptional plays: One going to his left, and one diving going to his right. He helped set the tone last night, and got CC out of some potential jams. Thank you, Curtis!
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=11053857&topic_id=8877494&c_id=nyy
Offensive Analysis: This was what I really wanted for my birthday: runs. Joe Girardi took my advice. The Yankees really forced the action last night, which you have to do against a pitcher like Verlander. I saw a bunt last night. And I even saw a steal – by JORGE POSADA!!! Happy Birthday Jo-Po! That’s a single season-high 3 steals for him this year. And aside from the small ball, the Yankees actually hit last night. Hallelujah.
After falling behind 1-0 in the top half of the 1st, the Yankees came right back, which surprised me – they haven’t done that in ages. With loaded bases, Nick Swisher knocked in 2 with a single, giving the Yanks a 2-1 lead. It seems like ages since they’ve had a lead…
Swishialicious…
In the 2nd, my cute little Curtis hit a solo home run, making it 4-1 Yanks. Boy, he sure is cute when he’s swingin’ that stick so well 😉
In the 6th, Brett Gardner hit a 2-out double. That brought up Jeter, who I couldn’t help being angry at because of the loss on my birthday: the Yankees were down 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th. With bases loaded and 1 out, Jeter grounded into a game-ending double play. I hoped he could do something to make me happy last night. And he did. His 2 out RBI single scored Gardner, and gave the Yanks a 4-1 lead. Thank you, Derek.
In the 7th, Robbie Cano homered, making it 5-2. He’s been struggling lately, so that homer was a good sign. Later in the inning, Nick Swisher got hit by a pitch right on the foot. He went down, and was in a lot of pain. I didn’t even think Nick would have been in the lineup last night, because he hurt his forearm the night before. But with Berkman and A-Rod still hurt, Swish chose to play last night. What a guy. I was relieved when I saw him trot down to first base.
After an infield single by Marcus Thames and a Curtis Granderson walk, the bases were loaded for Ramiro Pena. He tacked on a run with a sac fly, giving the Yanks a 6-2 lead. And that’s the final score.
Last night’s win was comforting for sure. But is the offensive slump over? I wouldn’t exactly call 6 runs an explosion. But the offense doesn’t always need to explode for the team to win. I’m not going to say if the slump is over or not….I’ll just stay quiet and watch them play. I’m not going to be the one to jinx them (that’s Michael Kay’s job). The heroes for the victory last night are CC Sabathia, for another win, giving him the league-leading 16, Curtis Granderson, for his contributions with both the glove and bat, and Nick Swisher, for being a man, and for giving the Yankees their first lead since God knows when.
My little brother had an idea for a new segment on my blog: the “Somebody Needs a Hug” segment. This is brilliance at its best. Every game I watch, I always say that at least once. So why not write it, too? The “Somebody Needs a Hug” recipient is someone who either did something or had something happen to him that makes me pity him. The hug is to either comfort, or show that I appreciate him and his efforts. Thank you Tommy for this idea.
The first ever Somebody Needs a Hug goes to….Nick Swisher. Like I said before, he played through pain, and then got hurt again. I love my macho Yankees.
Stay tough, boys! And thanks for winning 🙂
Winning Without Me
Drama Club Steals the Show from Lee and the Rangers
I want to kill my TV. It sucks. Seriously, I’ve had enough with it. It just doesn’t work anymore. Maybe it’s because I always throw my shoes at it….
Maybe, but I don’t think that’s the main reason. Our TV is a dinosaur. I’m not kidding, our TV is 24 year old Zenith. It’s big and beautiful – the screen is embedded into the piece, and it’s like a piece of furniture.
Exactly like this one! Only with mine, it’s hard to watch baseball.
So last night, we put the YES Network on around 7:30 and listened to the pregame while we ate dinner. Then around 7:50, the picture and sound were gone. Oh great. And of course, it didn’t come back. The clock said 8:07, and I was itching to see my Yankees. But no. tHe picture was gone.
The cable guy says it’s not because the TV is old, it’s because the cable lines are either filled with water, or get this: the SQUIRRELS are chewing them.
I think we just need a new TV.
Anyway, of course the YES Network was dead last night, but the stupid movie channels worked. And of course, my Dad found the perfect thing to watch on my favorite channel: Encore Westerns. God help me.
All of a sudden, I hear my older brother, who was downstairs on the computer, scream. My Dad asked him what was wrong, and he said, “THEY SUUUCK. Javier gave up a home run.”
Yankees down a run….and facing Cliff Lee…then I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to watch the game, even if the TV would let me.
Eventually, my parents went to bed, leaving me and my little brother with control over the TV. No more westerns!
We tried the YES Network again, and it worked…but I lost my desire to watch. The score was 6-1 Rangers.
So we switched it over to our favorite movie, Tropic Thunder. If you’ve never seen it, I suggest you do. Nonstop laughter, and there’s actually a plot!
Through our intense laughter, we heard clapping from downstairs. After pulling ourselves together, Tommy and I yelled to Bobby, “Hey! What’s going on down there?”
Turns out, the Yankees scored.
Okay, so they scored…but could they really come back from this huge deficit?
Every once in awhile, we would switch back to YES. In the 8th, we saw Marcus Thames rounding the bases. He hit a home run? And then we noticed the score: 6-5???
Are they seriously coming back?
When the game reached the 9th inning, we decided to watch. Luckily, we saw the good stuff: With 2 men on and the infield in, Derek Jeter hit a bouncing ball through for a base hit! That tied the game at 6.
After Nick Swisher struckout again, it was up to Marcus Thames. And again, Thames delivered a solid base hit through the left side, giving the Yankees their first lead of the night: 7-6.
Mariano made things too close for comfort in the bottom of the 9th, surrendering a leadoff triple. But there was no way Mo was going to lose the game 2 nights in a row. So the Great Mariano did his thing, and that runner didn’t move. YANKEES WIN 7-6!
I never in a million years thought they would win it last night. I mean, the team has looked so dead for the past few days. But I guess last night was different. The heroes for this victory are the guys that I saw win it for the Yanks: Jeet, Mo, and Marcus Thames.
When the Yankees got Marcus Thames in the offseason, I didn’t think much of it. I celebrated over getting Granderson and Vazquez. But in reality, little Mr. Marcus Thames has proved to be the best acquisition the Yankees added this year. He doesn’t play much, but when he does, he contributes. I hope they keep him.
With an ever-so-slim 1.5 game lead in the AL East, I’m hoping the Yankees can sweep the Kansas City Royals and gain a little ground. And hopefully, I’ll be able to actually watch them do it.
GO YANKEEEEEEES!!!!!!!
Quite Unorthodox
Yanks Win Series Finale in Epic Adventure
Last night’s Yankee game was far from the norm. And if I may be permitted a cliche, you never know what you are going to see on the baseball diamond. A lot happened on the diamond last night that utterly confused me. But it was okay, because the Yankees won 11-4 and won the series.
Pitching Analysis: I was a little ticked off at Girardi for losing faith in Sergio Mitre so quickly – I mean it was 1 bad start. But whatever, I have a heart. That’s why he’s the manager and I’m not (that was harsh, Joe. I apologize). So Dustin Moseley got the start last night, and I have to say: he really impressed me.
I wasn’t too sure at first, though. Moseley got into a quick bases-loaded jam in the 1st inning. I was beginning to think “Would Mitre be any worse?” But unlike Mitre, (I’m sorry baby! I must be honest…), Moseley didn’t unravel. He battled back, and escaped the inning having allowed just 1 run on a sac fly by Austin Kearns. He threw 30 pitches to do so, but he did it.
Dustin Moseley: A beast on the mound 🙂
After that, Moseley was amazing. He really was. That was the only run he allowed in his 6 innings of work. Despite throwing 30 pitches in the 1st inning, Moseley got his pitch count under control. He threw 83 pitches, and 55 were for strikes. With every inning that passed, I was beginning to fall more and more for Moseley. He looked really….really good….kinda like Mitre….if you know what I mean….
Those eyes…Oh baby…
I never thought it would happen this quickly, but I think it did. I mean, I never thought I would like the guy replacing Mitre, who I LOVE. But now…well….OKAY I’LL ADMIT IT!
I LOVE DUSTIN MOSELEY!
Ahh…that’s better 🙂
So the bullpen was one thing that remained normal this game: David Robertson was good, and Chan Ho Park was suckish. Very. And he knew it.
Ooh…he doesn’t look to good…now I can’t help but think about that diarrhea thing….
This poor man…
Defensive Analysis: The defense was good up until the 9th inning. I guess Girardi was so sure that the Yankees were going to win. Otherwise, he would have never put Marcus Thames at 3rd base. MARCUS THAMES HAS NEVER PLAYED THIRD BASE! It’s no wonder he airmailed that throw to 1st into the SEATS. He was throwing like an outfielder. It was the weirdest thing, because he made a great play to get to that ball. But his throw was an epic fail. That 9th inning got a little too interesting. The Indians scored three runs, and I was waiting for Girardi to get Mariano warming.
Offensive Analysis: Once again, the Yankee offense exploded. But it took a long time for the explosion to actually occur. A-Rod had a sac fly in the 3rd to tie the score at 1. And in the 6th, the Yankees finally took the lead on an RBI single by Jeter. But after that, the floodgates opened.
In the 7th:
-Cano hit a solo homer, giving the Yanks a 3-1 lead
-Swish and Gardner walked
-Cervelli got an RBI single, making it 4-1
-Colin Curtis was hit in the butt (poor cutie) to load the bases
Aw.
-Jeter walked with the bases loaded, making it 5-1
-Granderson got a 2-run single, now 7-1
-Alex Rodriguez got a 2-run single. 9-1 Yankees!
The offense had a mini explosion in the 8th when it tacked on 2 more runs. RBI singles by Ramiro Pena and Juan Miranda gave the Yanks an 11-1 lead.
But perhaps the best offensive highlight, was the no offense at all. In the 9th inning, the Indians did what the Yankees did back on April 13th last year: they used a position player to pitch! What! But the best part was that the Yankees didn’t have a 1-2-3 inning since the first. And wouldn’t you know? Little Andy Marte pitched a 1-2-3 inning. AND HE STRUCKOUT NICK SWISHER!
Andy Marte for Cy Young!
I bet Nick Swisher is the only position player to ever have gotten a strikeout as a pitcher, and to have struck out against a position player. I think letting Marte pitch was a good decision by Manny Acta. It was a miserable game for his team, so why not boost their spirits with some humor? The Indians really got a kick out of it. And so did the Yankees! I bet Nick Swisher did.
So the Yankees won the series finale for the 11th time in a row. The heroes for this not-so-regular win are the entire Yankee lineup for their contributions. And for the first time ever, a hero will be from the other team: Andy Marte. It was amazing what he did out there.
Oh, and how could I forget the other hero: Dustin Moseley, my newest love ♥
These two are so cute!
The Yankees start that crucial series with the Rays tonight! I wish them luck.
And That Concludes the 1st Half!
Yanks Take 3 of 4 in Seattle
Winning this series before the All-Star break is incredibly comforting. If anything else, it shows that my Yankees aren’t getting lazy – they stay focused no matter what time of year.
Here are my quick thoughts about each game:
Game 1 – Yankees win 3-1
Andy Pettitte continued to amaze me, but I wondered: Why can’t he field a bunt? Alex Rodriguez continued to be clutch. 3rd in the league in RBI? Pretty beast.
CLUTCH…
Game 2 – Yanekes win 6-1
Mark Teixeira’s hot-streak was not a fluke? 2 HR in one game is good Mark, but sadly not good enough to get you onto that All-Star roster. You’re a little late. And Phil Hughes! Bouncing back from some not-so-good starts…way to get back to your Philthy self!
I was praying that he’d be good. God, thanks for listening 🙂
Game 3 – Yankees lose 4-1
Javier Vazquez silenced all those idiots who wanted to trade him for Jayson Werth by tossing 5.2 no-hit innings before Ichiro got the first “hit,” a ball hit off Javy that he threw wildly (should’ve been an error.) Nick Swisher continued his hot-hitting with a big fly of King Felix. AND WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH JOBA CHAMBERLAIN???? He single-handidly destroyed the game for Javy and the Yanks.
Aw, Javy…it was an error! You pitched great. Thank Joba for spoiling your “W.”
Game 4 – Yankees win 8-2
A pitching rematch from the game I saw on July 1st. CC Sabathia dominated just like he did when I saw him. And I love when everyone is hitting! The entire lineup, including guys like Marcus Thames, contributed to this win. And when you add to this the Mariners’s sloppy defense and the bright shining sun, it gets even more fun.
Mark Teixeira’s “sun double.” Poot Saunders…that must be a helpless feeling.
The Yankees concluded te first half with a sparkling record of 56-32, 2 games ahead of the pesky Rays. Looking ahead to the 2nd half, these are a few things I’d like to see:
-Curtis Granderson heating up. He’s hitting around .350 over his last 6 games. Hopefully he can keep this up after the break.
-Maybe I should call this “things I WOULDN’T like to see.” I wouldn’t like to see Chan Ho Park anymore. Just get rid of him. Designate him for assignment, and bring up someone who can actually help this team, maybe Boone Logan.
-Continued dominance from our starters (duh).
-A healthy Mariano. He’s a little worn out, which is why he’s not going to be at the All-Star Game even though he’s an All-Star. Hopefully, he can rest-up over the break and be back to his regular robotic self for the 2nd half.
-#600. A-Rod is getting closer every day to that magic number. I remember his 500th home run against the Royals. It was an unforgettable moment. I can’t wait for this next milestone!
-Nick Swisher in the Home Run Derby! THAT’S TODAY! I spent a pretty nice chunk of my week voting for Swish in the Final Vote Campaign, and it paid off! I must have voted around 3000 times, give or take.
I honestly don’t think Nick is going to win the Home Run Derby, but hey – you never know. Nick has really surprised me with his outstanding first-half this year. I’m starting to believe that he can do almost anything. But no matter what happens tonight, I’ll be happy. Just seeing Nick at this event is going to make me smile.
I’ll have a big smile too, Nick ♥
I can’t believe the season is halfway over. That’s kind of sad. It’s been so much fun so far.
But I know that the best has yet to come.
Yankees, congrats on a great first half! Enjoy the break, enjoy the All-Star festivities, and I’ll see you again Friday 🙂
Start Them Up….They’ll Never Stop
1st Of Many Walkoffs for Yanks
Don’t you hate it when you are so tired and you know it’s late, but you don’t go to bed and then by the time you DO go to bed, you aren’t tired anymore? I usually hate this. But last night, I didn’t mind it one bit. I laid there for awhile, knowing I should get a good night’s sleep because it was only Monday (well, almost Tuesday at this point), but it was the peaceful kind of not sleeping. And eventually, I drifted asleep with comforting images of my Yankees. Yes, my Yankees…they played an amazingly dramatic game Monday night – I game I don’t think I will forget.
Pitching Analysis: Joe Girardi did what I thought he would do, although it didn’t please me. He skipped over my Javier in favor of the Phenom Phil Hughes to start the series opener. But to everyone’s surprise, Hughes struggled mightily. Hughes let a large lead slip away, on the strength of homers by Ortiz and Martinez. Phil only pitched 5 innings, and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits, turning the once easy-night for the Yanks into an outright nail-biter.
Hughes…I can’t believe YOU made me nervous…
The bullpen sent me onto the brink of insanity. Boone Logan surrendered a solo home run to V-Mart. But he wasn’t the scary one. Chan Ho Park, fresh off the DL, couldn’t keep it in the park. Deja vu. He allowed Pukilis to hit a monster 2-run home run, which turned the tides into the Red Sox favor, because they finally had the lead. It was detrimental to my confidence, and, I thought, to the Yankees’ confidence as well.
Damaso Marte flirted with disaster when he put 2 men on base in the 8th inning. With 2 out, Girardi made a bold move: he brought in Javier Vazquez. This was it – it was Javier’s first time relieving for the Yankees since the ’04 Damon grand slam tragedy. It was Javier’s time to redeem himself and give the Yankees a chance to win. And he did. And they did. Javier stuckout the always-dangerous Youkilis, ending the Red Sox rally.
Good job, Javy ♥
Offensive Analysis: The Yankees got out of the gates quickly and scored a boatload of runs early. In the 1st, Jeter and Gardner singled, Teixeira walked, A-Rod hit a 2-run single, Cano hit an RBI single, Cervelli got an RBI double, and Thames got a sac fly. Add that all up, and by the end of the 1st, the Yankees smashed Dice-K around well enough for a 5-0 lead. In the 2nd, Tex added another run with an RBI double. That made it 6-1.
The Red Sox inched closer, and the Yankee bats died a bit. Marcus Thames added to the now-slim lead with an RBI double in the 5th, making it 7-5 Yankees. But after this, the Yankees failed to score again. Well, until later…..
After Park blew the lead, the momentum shifted in favor of the Red Sox. But after Javier struckout Youk, the momentum was back in favor of the Yankees. And just in time – it was the bottom of the 9th. Crunch time. Comeback time for the Drama Club. But they would have to do it off Jonathan Papelbon. They’ve already embarrassed him once this season – but Granderson was not around to hit another homer off him. It was up to heart of the Yankee order.
Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the 9th with a double. The Yankees needed 2 runs to tie, 3 to win. Mark Teixeira hit a deep fly ball to right-center, but it was caught for an out. I thought it was gone and jumped up. But it wasn’t. I thought the ball wasn’t carrying anymore. Thank God I was wrong.
Alex Rodriguez, the Drama King of the Drama Club, stepped up to the plate with hopes of keeping the rally going. I begged to the TV, “Ohhh….Come on A-Rod…Please, please do something baby…”
Papelbon threw the pitch, and A-Rod connected. I was ready to jump up, but I stopped myself – not wanting to jinx it like I did with Teixeira’s. Was I seeing things? I gasped, “Oh!.” It was really going. Going, going….GONE! A-Rod did it again! His 2-run, storybook home run tied up the game at 9, and sent the stadium and my living room into an unbridled frenzy of cheers. My Grandma and I high-fived. Our boys were alive. But they were more than that – they were revived, ready for a comeback. I knew then that the pie was going to happen that inning.
Haha…what NOW Papelbon???
After Cano hit a ball well for an out, my darling baby Francisco Cervelli came up to bat. Sensing his excitement, I too was excited. I thought he would get the pie. Papelbon decided to throw a hissy fit. He decided to ruin my fantasies, and send me back into a painful reality.
The pitch was too fast and too inside, I knew that right away. Francisco tried to get out of the way, but he couldn’t. All I saw was that it was up and in – I didn’t know where it got him. I was immediately thinking of his poor little head, although I knew it didn’t get him there. As it turned out, it his Cervelli in his sexy tricep, and he was mad. And I was mad. Rightfully so. I screamed when he was hit, and my little brother came out from his bedroom only to say, “Hey! I’m trying to sleep here…no more screaming!!!”
No one does that to MY baby on purpose….
Marcus Thames then came up, and I was still annoyed that Cervelli wouldn’t be the hero. But before I even had the chance to pout, or think anything, Papelbon threw the pitch. I knew Thames’s claim to fame was that he could crush a fastball. He was sitting dead-red. Indeed it was a fastball. Indeed, Thames crushed it. This was a no-doubter. Marcus Thames hit a beastly walkoff, 2-run home run off the most arrogant obnoxious excuse for a pitcher in baseball. He touched the plate, threw his helmet, and the celebration began. Ignoring my brother’s request for silence, I screamed. We won! How could I not?
Connection!
Yankee teammates get ready to mob Marcus.
Everyone knew what was to come next: In Marcus’s on-field interview, all hears were on Marcus, but all eyes were scrambling around, looking for the Pie Man. Slowly, stealthily, A.J. Burnett emerged from the dugout, and squished that pie into Thames’s smiling face. Direct hit. The crowd went wild.
That’s a hot look for him 😉
And so concluded my wonderful Monday evening. Yankees win it 11-9. The heroes for this Yankees Classic-worthy victory are Javier Vazquez, for proving he can do it and for shifting the momentum, A-Rod, for his game-tying big fly, and Marcus Thames, for winning it in walkoff fashion. Walkoff….the Yankees have a knack for getting into the knack of walkoffs. Once they get a pie, they want more and more.
If you start them up, believe me – they’ll NEVER stop…
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!
Live, Eat, and Breathe Yankees 