Roy, Rios & Rolen Rebuttal

Roy Halladay retired seventeen batters in a row and bested his former Toronto teammate to win his league leading 7th game of the season. The Yankees fell to 15-17 on the year and A.J. Burnett suffered his first loss in pinstripes. Burnett walked four batters in the 5-1 loss. Three of the four went on to score runs for the first place Jays. Third baseman, Scott Rolen ripped three hits and three RBIs Tuesday for Toronto. Doc Halladay tactfully threw a complete game, going the distance on a five hit gem.
The division rivals got on the board first when Rolen’s 3rd inning double produced two tallies. Vernon Wells, who Burnett walked earlier in the frame, scored on the double by Rolen. Alex Rios also crossed the plate for Toronto after leading off the inning with a double of his own. Adam Lind scored from third base one out later on a Rod Barajas sacrifice fly to Melky Cabrera in right field. Fill-in catcher, Kevin Cash, dropped the one-hop throw from the right-fielder and the Jays grabbed a 3-0 lead. Cash is filling in for the injured, Jorge Posada and Jose Molina behind the plate.
The Yankees were also playing without starting shortstop, Derek Jeter. Jeter was scratched from the lineup with a torn oblique. Ramiro Pena replaced him on the field and batted ninth in Joe Girardi’s pedestrian lineup. The team facing Halladay last night was not one radiating with command. Brett Gardner leading off went 0-4 and is only batting .214 this season. Gardner’s speed and astuteness defensively do not make up for his offensive deficiencies. Alex Rodriguez, the clean up hitter, is batting the same as Gardner in just his first week back from surgery. Arod accounts for RBIs and has the hardware to do damage. I am not worried about the third baseman coming around with his right-handed bat, but he sometimes comes up empty in the big spot. Johnny Damon and Mark Texieria hit between Gardner and Rodriguez, respectfully. Damon clubbed two base hits Tuesday but Texieria had another o-fer against the top pitcher on the mound. Hideki Matsui was slated behind Arod but left the game in the fifth inning with a tight hamstring. He is listed as day to day. Matsui always reminded me of Paul O’Neill because he hit to all parts of the field and for high average. Age has caught up to him very quickly though. Matsui is not the same product the team first signed from Japan. Nick Swisher hit DH for Matsui and is also a replacement player for the sidelined Xavier Nady. Swisher is capable of lighting a fire, figuratively speaking. His confident persona and charismatic clubhouse candor create comic relief. Nick is like the Miguel Cairo or Luis Soho of the 1990’s Bomber teams to me. Girardi’s bottom of the order last night was helpless and halfhearted. Robinson Cano, Cabrera, Cash and Pena went a combined 2 for 12 as the bottom four Yankee hitters.
This team is not assembled as a coercing one right now. There are many injuries and the team is having a hard time overcoming fallen players. Injuries are not an excuse when it comes to wins and losses, however. Teams can accomplish plenty even with backup players. Yankees fans should be concerned about this team’s inability to comeback and the fact the bullpen cannot uphold leads. They lack an affirmative outlook, play imprudently and appear unable to string together wins. The only time the visitors scored yesterday was on Rodriguez’s seventh inning single. Damon’s one out double in the 7th broke Halladay’s streak of 17 consecutive batters retired, but Texieria went down looking on a called third strike from the ace. The first baseman is progressing at the speed of a snail. I thought by now Mark would be hitting his usual .300 as the stern off-season addition to the team.
The 23-13 Bluejays got a solo homerun to left field from Aaron Hill. Hill’s batting average is .357. Rolen went 3 for 4 in the team’s third straight victory and 8th in their last 11 tries. Prior to last night, Rolen was hitless off Burnett. Scott lined an RBI single in the 8th inning that scooted down the line. The third knock from Rolen gave Halladay the comfortable win and cushion he would need in notching his 41st career complete game. Roy’s ERA is 2.95 and he did not allow a walk in yesterday’s effort. His location was dead on again. I did not expect Yankees would score many runs against a pitcher who has completely owned them throughout his career. He is 15-5, including 5-1 in 2008, with a 2.86 ERA against the Bombers but is beatable. Even though they were up against a dominant starter, the Yankees were lackluster at the plate. The hitters failed to get the ball out of the infield. The bats were helpless and have been lifeless save for a few players. Damon has been on fire and the most aggressive Yankee by far. He was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double during the first inning Tuesday. Johnny has a .338 average against Halladay with 6 extra-base hits and 9 walks. Damon could emerge as a leader and spokesman with Posada on the bench. The fiery and hard-nosed outfielder may be the spark the clubhouse needs to amend their attitude but should not be the one carrying the club.
I don’t know whether age is the biggest issue or not, but the Yankees need to improve or they will not be talking playoff baseball in 2009. Jeter and Posada’s skills have diminished but with the wear and tear of baseball, that is probable. The Jays are a real division threat, and the Red Sox and Rays are not laying low in the AL East either. When the cream of the crop is sifted in September, will the Yankees be included? Burnett pitched decently but he still allowed five runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings. Burnett tossed 110 pitchers and struck out three. A.J. has not won now since the middle of April.
Quality pitching, including the bullpen, is imperative. Just getting by isn’t good enough anymore with the hitting talent in the league. I am down on the pitching even though the Yankees on paper still boast a stellar starting five. Pitching is the template for success in baseball. Joba Chamberlain’s velocity, Andy Pettitte’s longevity, C.C. Sabathia’s exactness and Phil Hughes’ makeup concern me. Wang may be back after another minor league start and pitching coach, Scott Aldred, feels his slider is outstanding all of a sudden. The bullpen inconsistency and streaky offense augment and exacerbate my frustrations and uneasiness. The holes do not stop with the pitching and offense. Arod had a fielding error last night and the backup position players are not defensively sound. Fans can speculate all they want about how legitimate the Jays are. Just compare their record to New York’s. It’s not so hard to comprehend which team is in better shape right now. The picture is quite graphic and doesn’t bode well for the Yanks.
The Yankees look to even the series at Rogers Centre with procedural Pettitte on the hill tonight. But, the Jays are countering with a pitcher the Yankees have never faced before in Scott Richmond. Historically, the Bombers have struggled to slash the ball against first time hurlers.

Parting Points: Song of the day is “Karma Police” by Radiohead

The Mets and Braves are in extras here in NY in what has been a back and forth battle all afternoon.