All-star Yankee, Nick Swisher, launched a game-tying homerun to lead off the eighth inning against the Tampa Rays Friday in New York. Swisher planted Joaquin Benoit’s 2-1 offering into the stadium seats to knot the AL East rivalry game at 4-4. An inning later, the Yankee slugger drove home the winning run off Lance Cormier as New York bested the Rays 5-4. Mariano Rivera was the winning pitcher after completing a scoreless ninth. The walk-off victory was a fitting way to begin the season’s second half for the defending champions. It was an emotional night in the Bronx, as the team paid tribute to the late owner, George Steinbrenner and public address announcer, Bob Sheppard.
The Rays had an early advantage in a back-and-forth affair in which Tampa scattered nine hits off Yankee pitching. C.C. Sabathia allowed right of those hits. The lefty yielded a second inning run on Willie Aybar’s sacrifice fly to center and gave up another run in the top of the third on an Evan Longoria double. The Bombers got a run back in the bottom half of the frame on Swisher’s RBI single. Swisher went 3-for-5 at the plate but contributed one of two New York errors in the field. Rays’ starter, James Shields tossed six innings of four hit ball. Shields walked three and struck out five while allowing three runs. Tampa built on their 2-1 lead in the fifth but could have produced more runs. Sabathia and the Bomber defense limited the damage after the Rays loaded the bases with no outs. Jason Bartlett tallied the third Tampa run on Longoria’s double play groundout.
Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada erased Tampa’s two run cushion in the fifth. Cano knocked home a run on his own solo shot off Shields. Posada pounded a 3-0 high fastball into the second deck in right to tie the game at 3-3. Both long balls came with two outs. Sabathia remained in the game through the seventh, allowing another run to cross the plate. Tampa retook their one run edge on Ben Zobrist’s groundout to first base. B.J. Upton scored on the play. Sabathia retired the next batter to end the threat with two runners on base. The 30 year old hurler fanned six Rays on the night but left without earning his 13th win. Tampa’s Grant Balfour held the Yankees scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, and New York reliever, Dave Robertson, struck out the side in the top of the eighth.
After Rivera held the contest at 4-4 in the ninth, the Yankees came to the plate to face Randy Choate. Curtis Granderson singled to lead off the frame and reached second on a sacrifice bunt by Ramiro Pena. Brett Gardner walked on a full count to put runners on first and second with one out. Dan Wheeler was called in from the Rays’ bullpen and retired Derek Jeter for the second out. Seven-year veteran, Cormier, couldn’t record the final out for the Rays. Swisher lined a base hit to punch home the winning tally and keep New York’s record as the best in baseball. Choate was charged with the loss.
Parting Points: I didn’t know J.J. Redick was worth that much.
Stephen Strasburg is something else. I like this kid.
Finally, I can’t wait to see the deal the Rams have in store for Sam Bradford.
Song of the day- “Until I Fall Away” by Gin Blossoms. These guys drop a new album in September titled “No Chocolate Cake”. I can’t wait to hear it.
Showing posts with label Tampa Bay Rays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tampa Bay Rays. Show all posts
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tampa Topples Tomahawks on Tuesday
Tuesday’s ballgame in Atlanta pitted the East’s two first place teams against each other. The National League East leading Braves dropped a 10-4 decision to their American League counterpart, Tampa Rays. The Rays remained deadlocked in first place with the New York Yankees after touching up the Braves following a 2 ½ hour rain delay. David Price became the AL’s first ten game winner as the Rays’ hurler cruised through five innings of two run ball. Price allowed ten base runners and issued two walks in a somewhat inefficient effort, but Tampa’s offense put the game out of reach in the sixth inning. Kenshin Kawakami wasn’t creamed but still suffered his ninth loss of the season, a Braves’ franchise record to begin a year. The Japanese right-hander allowed seven hits and issued three walks. He hasn’t won a start since last August. Kawakami’s poor defense didn’t help the pitcher’s case as Atlanta committed four errors in the inter-league contest.
Evan Longoria starred for the Rays, decking his twelve homer of the season on a full count in the first frame. Yunel Escobar’s throwing error preceded Longoria’s homerun. The talented All-Star third baseman went 2-for-5 Tuesday, knocking in three runs. Sean Rodriguez drove in a pair of first inning runs with a double to left field to complete the Rays’s four run opening frame. Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 15 games with the double inside the third base line. Atlanta answered with one run in the bottom half of the first. The Braves scored on an unearned run when Price’s wild pitch sailed past catcher, John Jaso, and had a chance to add to their tallies in the second. The Rays went up 5-1 on Jaso’s single in the second. Atlanta had a chance to collect on a bases-loaded, no outs situation in the bottom half, but failed to score. The Braves stranded 14 base runners and went 1-for-15 with runners-in-scoring position in Tuesday night’s loss.
The Braves did add a run in the bottom of the third on Carlos Pena’s RBI sacrifice fly. They cut the Tampa lead to two in the fifth inning but didn’t find the plate again until Chipper Jones’ solo shot in the eighth. Jones blasted a double earlier in the game before driving one deep for his fourth of the season late in the game. There were talks before the game about the 38 year old retiring after the season, but the future Hall-of-Famer collected both of the Braves’ extra-base hits. Price lacked command but was the benefactor of sixth Tampa extra-base hits. The Rays scored five runs in two innings to increase their lead over the first place Braves. Jaso opened the sixth with a single off newly promoted reliever, Chris Resop. The 27 year old walked Carl Crawford and Pena to load the bases for Ben Zobrist. Zobrist singled in Jaso and Crawford raced home barely avoiding Brian McCann’s tag at the plate. Crawford went 2-for-4 with his 22nd stolen base of the season. The speedy outfielder roped an RBI triple in the seventh and Longoria cracked open the game even more with a double to damage Resop’s debut for Atlanta. Longoria has now reached base safely in 32 consecutive games. Jason Heyward had two hits for Atlanta. The Braves hold just a half-game lead in the division over second place New York. The Yankess rocked Roy Halladay and the Phillies last night to remain tied for first with Tampa.
Parting Points: Painful loss for Big Blue-Domenik Hixon is out for the year with a torn ACL.
Lakers-Celtics has come down to a Game 7. I predicted Boston in 7 and I am staying with my prediction.
Happy Bloomsday to the James Joyce fans out there.
Evan Longoria starred for the Rays, decking his twelve homer of the season on a full count in the first frame. Yunel Escobar’s throwing error preceded Longoria’s homerun. The talented All-Star third baseman went 2-for-5 Tuesday, knocking in three runs. Sean Rodriguez drove in a pair of first inning runs with a double to left field to complete the Rays’s four run opening frame. Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 15 games with the double inside the third base line. Atlanta answered with one run in the bottom half of the first. The Braves scored on an unearned run when Price’s wild pitch sailed past catcher, John Jaso, and had a chance to add to their tallies in the second. The Rays went up 5-1 on Jaso’s single in the second. Atlanta had a chance to collect on a bases-loaded, no outs situation in the bottom half, but failed to score. The Braves stranded 14 base runners and went 1-for-15 with runners-in-scoring position in Tuesday night’s loss.
The Braves did add a run in the bottom of the third on Carlos Pena’s RBI sacrifice fly. They cut the Tampa lead to two in the fifth inning but didn’t find the plate again until Chipper Jones’ solo shot in the eighth. Jones blasted a double earlier in the game before driving one deep for his fourth of the season late in the game. There were talks before the game about the 38 year old retiring after the season, but the future Hall-of-Famer collected both of the Braves’ extra-base hits. Price lacked command but was the benefactor of sixth Tampa extra-base hits. The Rays scored five runs in two innings to increase their lead over the first place Braves. Jaso opened the sixth with a single off newly promoted reliever, Chris Resop. The 27 year old walked Carl Crawford and Pena to load the bases for Ben Zobrist. Zobrist singled in Jaso and Crawford raced home barely avoiding Brian McCann’s tag at the plate. Crawford went 2-for-4 with his 22nd stolen base of the season. The speedy outfielder roped an RBI triple in the seventh and Longoria cracked open the game even more with a double to damage Resop’s debut for Atlanta. Longoria has now reached base safely in 32 consecutive games. Jason Heyward had two hits for Atlanta. The Braves hold just a half-game lead in the division over second place New York. The Yankess rocked Roy Halladay and the Phillies last night to remain tied for first with Tampa.
Parting Points: Painful loss for Big Blue-Domenik Hixon is out for the year with a torn ACL.
Lakers-Celtics has come down to a Game 7. I predicted Boston in 7 and I am staying with my prediction.
Happy Bloomsday to the James Joyce fans out there.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Record Rolling Rays
Tampa Bay is a major league best 15-5, a franchise record for April, following an 8-6 hammering of the Oakland A’s Tuesday night. The Rays have won 12 of their last 14 games and are off to the best 20 game start since the 2005 White Sox. They reached the fifteen win mark by weathering a shaky five innings from starter, Wade Davis. The right-hander buckled down his second win of the season after Pat Burrell’s three-run homerun snapped a 4-4 tie in the third inning. Reid Brignac added a solo shot as the number nine hitter for Tampa in the fourth. The A’s scored a pair of runs in the latter innings to trim the deficit to two, but Rafael Soriano tossed a perfect ninth to secure his fifth save.
Bay area newcomer, Ben Sheets, gave up four runs in the second inning as the Rays battered the $10 million Oakland starter. Sheets is 1-2 with a meteoric 8.0 ERA on the year. He allowed nine hits total and was charged with all eight runs. Meanwhile, the Rays’ new arrival is hardly having a rough time roping the ball in the hitter-friendly American League. The former Philly, Burrell, has keyed many rallies for the Rays so far this season. The first place Rays used a complete team effort in taking down the AL West’s top team. Jason Bartlett and John Jaso had monster nights at the Trop, with three hits each. The Rays are 5-0 with Jaso behind the plate, and the catcher is slugging .500 through eight contests. B.J. Upton tapped a pair of singles and scored twice in the win, and Burrell delivered the biggest blow to the Bay area ballclub. Carlos Pena put Tampa on board in the second with a single and scored on Jaso’s double to right field. Barlett’s single off Sheets punched home two more runs as the Rays took a 4-0 lead after two frames. Davis erased his team’s lead back during a 41 pitch third inning. He allowed four hits and walked two as Oakland tied the game. Davis walked Eric Patterson on a full count and issued an infield single to a hustling Adam Rosales to begin the frame. Cliff Pennington preceded by planting a poorly located 1-2 fastball into the seats for three tallies. Oakland right fielder, Gabe Gross’s sacrifice fly knotted the game even. Pennington and Rosales were the shining stars at the plate, with four hits apiece, for the Athletics. Pennington pounded two doubles in addition to the three run shot.
Tampa’s defense and bullpen was on the mark as the Rays’ bats came through to bailout Davis and regain the lead in the bottom of the third. The league leaders in runs scored added three more in the third. Upton’s single scored Pena to break the tie and Burrell’s blast gave the Rays a comfortable advantage. The Rays’ DH has 12 RBIs, including five go-ahead RBIs. Brignac tacked on another run to add to the Tampa lead in the fourth. Randy Choate retired all four batters he faced after Lance Cormier coughed up a run in relief of Davis. Pennington picked up his first double off Cormier and contributed a second double in the eighth off 32 year old reliever, Grant Balfour. Rosales’ RBI single in the eighth off Balfour made it a two-run game, but that was as close as visiting Oakland would come to a win. Both teams stranded eight runners, but it was high fives all around for the Rays as they continue to do nothing but win.
Parting Points: Washington’s Mark Emmert is the new NCAA President.
The Mets are hot. I am sure they will forget how to play come September.
The Lakers can’t lose again the way they routed Oklahoma City 111-87 last night. It won’t be easy to close out the series on the road, but I don’t expect L.A. to lose this one.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Alex Ovechkin and the Caps go down to Montreal tonight.
Bay area newcomer, Ben Sheets, gave up four runs in the second inning as the Rays battered the $10 million Oakland starter. Sheets is 1-2 with a meteoric 8.0 ERA on the year. He allowed nine hits total and was charged with all eight runs. Meanwhile, the Rays’ new arrival is hardly having a rough time roping the ball in the hitter-friendly American League. The former Philly, Burrell, has keyed many rallies for the Rays so far this season. The first place Rays used a complete team effort in taking down the AL West’s top team. Jason Bartlett and John Jaso had monster nights at the Trop, with three hits each. The Rays are 5-0 with Jaso behind the plate, and the catcher is slugging .500 through eight contests. B.J. Upton tapped a pair of singles and scored twice in the win, and Burrell delivered the biggest blow to the Bay area ballclub. Carlos Pena put Tampa on board in the second with a single and scored on Jaso’s double to right field. Barlett’s single off Sheets punched home two more runs as the Rays took a 4-0 lead after two frames. Davis erased his team’s lead back during a 41 pitch third inning. He allowed four hits and walked two as Oakland tied the game. Davis walked Eric Patterson on a full count and issued an infield single to a hustling Adam Rosales to begin the frame. Cliff Pennington preceded by planting a poorly located 1-2 fastball into the seats for three tallies. Oakland right fielder, Gabe Gross’s sacrifice fly knotted the game even. Pennington and Rosales were the shining stars at the plate, with four hits apiece, for the Athletics. Pennington pounded two doubles in addition to the three run shot.
Tampa’s defense and bullpen was on the mark as the Rays’ bats came through to bailout Davis and regain the lead in the bottom of the third. The league leaders in runs scored added three more in the third. Upton’s single scored Pena to break the tie and Burrell’s blast gave the Rays a comfortable advantage. The Rays’ DH has 12 RBIs, including five go-ahead RBIs. Brignac tacked on another run to add to the Tampa lead in the fourth. Randy Choate retired all four batters he faced after Lance Cormier coughed up a run in relief of Davis. Pennington picked up his first double off Cormier and contributed a second double in the eighth off 32 year old reliever, Grant Balfour. Rosales’ RBI single in the eighth off Balfour made it a two-run game, but that was as close as visiting Oakland would come to a win. Both teams stranded eight runners, but it was high fives all around for the Rays as they continue to do nothing but win.
Parting Points: Washington’s Mark Emmert is the new NCAA President.
The Mets are hot. I am sure they will forget how to play come September.
The Lakers can’t lose again the way they routed Oklahoma City 111-87 last night. It won’t be easy to close out the series on the road, but I don’t expect L.A. to lose this one.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Alex Ovechkin and the Caps go down to Montreal tonight.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Rivera's Ray Revenge
The defending American League champions arrived in New York Friday. The Tampa Bay Rays were expecting to begin another series at the new Yankee Stadium, but after a washout, the opener was pushed back to Saturday afternoon. Tampa hardly seemed intimidated by the Yankee lights-out closer, Mariano Rivera the first time the teams played in early May. Rivera served up back-to-back homers for the first time in his career a month from yesterday in an 8-6 home loss to the Rays. Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria feasted off Mo in that game. Saturday it was Joe Dillon connecting on a cut fastball for the tie breaking single in the top of the ninth. The Rays surged back by touching up Rivera again. Tampa’s 9-7 topping was of the comeback sort. The team battled back with a four run rally and Rivera suddenly looked all too vulnerable.
The Yankees tied the game at five in the bottom of the eighth Saturday. Mark Teixiera vaulted a pitch off Tampa’s bullpen into the stadium seats. With last licks, the Bombers tried to grab the lead again after Rivera coughed it up in the ninth. Rays reliever, Dan Wheeler, with plenty of cushion room, gave up three straight hits to start the inning. Teixiera thwacked a double for two runs to trim the Tampa lead by two. Wheeler worked out of the jam retiring Alex Rodriguez and setting down Jorge Posada. Randy Choate, the ex-Yankee, got Cano to fly out on a deep diving drive to center-fielder, B.J. Upton, for the save. Willy Aybar and Ben Zobrist hit long balls for the Rays, and Rodriguez homered for New York in the game. Tampa won the first game despite a number of errors, including three wild throws by All-star catcher and another former Bomber, Dinoer Navarro.
Rivera hadn’t allowed four runs in a game since April, 2007. He was knocked around by the Rays on Saturday for three earned runs. The 39 year old took the loss and declared his out pitch ineffective. He did not adjust to the Rays hitters and wasn’t his steady self. Marino’s famed cutter did not have as much break on it, and the hitters took advantage of the ball finding too much of the plate. Rivera was even asked by manager, Joe Girardi, to intentionally walk All-star third baseman, Evan Longoria. Longoria has a nice right-handed stick but is currently nursing a gimpy and ailing hamstring. Rivera seemed insulted by the demand but complied nonetheless. Instead of facing Longoria, Rivera pitched to the .218-hitting Upton. The center-fielder clocked a single for one of the ninth-inning runs that would beat New York. Rivera was yanked after getting just two outs. His ERA is the its been since 1995 when he appeared in just 19 games. The closer does not have a win yet this season. It’s hard to believe Rivera will go winless in 2009, but he is allowing more hits than he has historically in his career. Still, walks remain low and strikeouts high. I am not overly concerned about him performing. He proved why on Sunday. Yesterday, Rivera was back on the mound in the ninth to preserve a Yankee comeback and his 13th save. He went head-to-head with Longoria this time, and the Yankees came away with the win after their closer got revenge relieving a perfect ninth inning. Rivera was reliable and brilliant.
Joba Chamberlain was out-pitched by Matt Garza in a hard-throwing mound match-up. The Yankees haven’t had success against Garza in the past but were able to reap his shortest outing in 12 starts this season. The hitters were patient in each count and made the Tampa starter work for every pitch. He lasted just five frames after escaping a tense fifth inning. Garza gave up a Nick Swisher smack in the bottom of the third. It was Swisher’s 100th career blast. Crafty Chamberlain allowed two hits and a run in the top of the inning, highlighted by Upton’s RBI double-bagger. Joba went six innings but issued just one walk. The 25 year old right-handed Garza walked the first two batters he faced in the fifth. Teixeria popped up with the bases loaded to get Garza off the hook. Chamberlain was not so fortunate with the bases juiced and two outs in the sixth after his sole pass to Matt Joyce. Gabe Gross made it a 3-1 game with a center-field grounder. Navarro struck out to end the inning. Joba surrender three runs on five hits Sunday in a quality start. He wasn’t dominating like he was against Cleveland, but Joba was not tripped up either.
It wasn’t pretty in the eighth, but the Yankees took a 4-3 lead. Johnny Damon’s liner off Grant Balfour was followed by Teixeria’s timely single. Alex Rodriguez walked with runners at the corners to load the bases. J.P. Howell relieved Balfour with no wiggle room and nowhere to put Robinson Cano. The semi-flammable bullpen pitcher made it a one-run game by issuing the pass to Cano. Jorge Posada bounced a Howell pitch to third. Aybar, subbing for Longoria, turned a two-run eighth inning lead into a tie ball game. The third baseman gave Posada an RBI when he was charged with an error on a booted ball. Hideki Matsui chopped a soft grounder with the tie scored at three. Matsui beat the throw to prevent being doubled up, and extended the inning on the fielder‘s choice. I was pleased to see Matsui able to run that surely with all the knee problems he’s had. It was substantial for Matsui to reach base in that situation, and he avoided the inning-ending double play. Alfredo Aceves threw two innings of relief and yielded one hit to pick up the win. He fanned four. The Yankees rallied to scrape out the 4-3 win in their 20th come-from-behind beating. The Bombers resume staging these late-game comebacks. Not all is rosy and cozy for New York. Despite the win, the Yankees were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They stranded eight men on base and have now made an error in five straight games.
The dependable Rivera buzz-sawed Joyce, Gross and Longoria on 10 pitched in the top of the ninth. Joyce leaf off with a grounder and Gross went down swinging. Pinch-hitting Longoria grounded out as Tampa’s final batter. Sunday, Rivera protected the one run lead with a 92 mph cutter in a familiar ending. Mo’s hissing hot fastball was like something frying in a skillet as the ambitious closer steamrolled the Tampa trio. The command and composure returned for the loose Panamanian, and the Yankees edged a half game ahead of Boston in the standings. There were no hanging fastballs in the ninth 24 hours after Rivera cracked. Mariano notched his 495th career save and helped Girardi earn his 200th managerial win. The Yankees put a lot of trust in Rivera. There is a reason he is hands-down, the best closer of all time. He can shut down explosive lineups and is problematical to pulsate and pound. On the rare occasion he disbands, re-usable Rivera retaliates the only way he knows how. He marches to the mound again the next day to pick up the pieces of a disheartening loss. Remarkable Rivera has a will to win, welcomes work and wields wryness.
Parting points: A new song and an oldie for today- “A Dustland Fairlytale” by The Killers and “Everything Zen” by Bush
How about Roger Federer winning the French Final? Not bad…but I still consider Pete Sampras the best of all time even sans a Roland Garros title.
“Hey you, you’re constant companion”- 311
The Yankees tied the game at five in the bottom of the eighth Saturday. Mark Teixiera vaulted a pitch off Tampa’s bullpen into the stadium seats. With last licks, the Bombers tried to grab the lead again after Rivera coughed it up in the ninth. Rays reliever, Dan Wheeler, with plenty of cushion room, gave up three straight hits to start the inning. Teixiera thwacked a double for two runs to trim the Tampa lead by two. Wheeler worked out of the jam retiring Alex Rodriguez and setting down Jorge Posada. Randy Choate, the ex-Yankee, got Cano to fly out on a deep diving drive to center-fielder, B.J. Upton, for the save. Willy Aybar and Ben Zobrist hit long balls for the Rays, and Rodriguez homered for New York in the game. Tampa won the first game despite a number of errors, including three wild throws by All-star catcher and another former Bomber, Dinoer Navarro.
Rivera hadn’t allowed four runs in a game since April, 2007. He was knocked around by the Rays on Saturday for three earned runs. The 39 year old took the loss and declared his out pitch ineffective. He did not adjust to the Rays hitters and wasn’t his steady self. Marino’s famed cutter did not have as much break on it, and the hitters took advantage of the ball finding too much of the plate. Rivera was even asked by manager, Joe Girardi, to intentionally walk All-star third baseman, Evan Longoria. Longoria has a nice right-handed stick but is currently nursing a gimpy and ailing hamstring. Rivera seemed insulted by the demand but complied nonetheless. Instead of facing Longoria, Rivera pitched to the .218-hitting Upton. The center-fielder clocked a single for one of the ninth-inning runs that would beat New York. Rivera was yanked after getting just two outs. His ERA is the its been since 1995 when he appeared in just 19 games. The closer does not have a win yet this season. It’s hard to believe Rivera will go winless in 2009, but he is allowing more hits than he has historically in his career. Still, walks remain low and strikeouts high. I am not overly concerned about him performing. He proved why on Sunday. Yesterday, Rivera was back on the mound in the ninth to preserve a Yankee comeback and his 13th save. He went head-to-head with Longoria this time, and the Yankees came away with the win after their closer got revenge relieving a perfect ninth inning. Rivera was reliable and brilliant.
Joba Chamberlain was out-pitched by Matt Garza in a hard-throwing mound match-up. The Yankees haven’t had success against Garza in the past but were able to reap his shortest outing in 12 starts this season. The hitters were patient in each count and made the Tampa starter work for every pitch. He lasted just five frames after escaping a tense fifth inning. Garza gave up a Nick Swisher smack in the bottom of the third. It was Swisher’s 100th career blast. Crafty Chamberlain allowed two hits and a run in the top of the inning, highlighted by Upton’s RBI double-bagger. Joba went six innings but issued just one walk. The 25 year old right-handed Garza walked the first two batters he faced in the fifth. Teixeria popped up with the bases loaded to get Garza off the hook. Chamberlain was not so fortunate with the bases juiced and two outs in the sixth after his sole pass to Matt Joyce. Gabe Gross made it a 3-1 game with a center-field grounder. Navarro struck out to end the inning. Joba surrender three runs on five hits Sunday in a quality start. He wasn’t dominating like he was against Cleveland, but Joba was not tripped up either.
It wasn’t pretty in the eighth, but the Yankees took a 4-3 lead. Johnny Damon’s liner off Grant Balfour was followed by Teixeria’s timely single. Alex Rodriguez walked with runners at the corners to load the bases. J.P. Howell relieved Balfour with no wiggle room and nowhere to put Robinson Cano. The semi-flammable bullpen pitcher made it a one-run game by issuing the pass to Cano. Jorge Posada bounced a Howell pitch to third. Aybar, subbing for Longoria, turned a two-run eighth inning lead into a tie ball game. The third baseman gave Posada an RBI when he was charged with an error on a booted ball. Hideki Matsui chopped a soft grounder with the tie scored at three. Matsui beat the throw to prevent being doubled up, and extended the inning on the fielder‘s choice. I was pleased to see Matsui able to run that surely with all the knee problems he’s had. It was substantial for Matsui to reach base in that situation, and he avoided the inning-ending double play. Alfredo Aceves threw two innings of relief and yielded one hit to pick up the win. He fanned four. The Yankees rallied to scrape out the 4-3 win in their 20th come-from-behind beating. The Bombers resume staging these late-game comebacks. Not all is rosy and cozy for New York. Despite the win, the Yankees were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They stranded eight men on base and have now made an error in five straight games.
The dependable Rivera buzz-sawed Joyce, Gross and Longoria on 10 pitched in the top of the ninth. Joyce leaf off with a grounder and Gross went down swinging. Pinch-hitting Longoria grounded out as Tampa’s final batter. Sunday, Rivera protected the one run lead with a 92 mph cutter in a familiar ending. Mo’s hissing hot fastball was like something frying in a skillet as the ambitious closer steamrolled the Tampa trio. The command and composure returned for the loose Panamanian, and the Yankees edged a half game ahead of Boston in the standings. There were no hanging fastballs in the ninth 24 hours after Rivera cracked. Mariano notched his 495th career save and helped Girardi earn his 200th managerial win. The Yankees put a lot of trust in Rivera. There is a reason he is hands-down, the best closer of all time. He can shut down explosive lineups and is problematical to pulsate and pound. On the rare occasion he disbands, re-usable Rivera retaliates the only way he knows how. He marches to the mound again the next day to pick up the pieces of a disheartening loss. Remarkable Rivera has a will to win, welcomes work and wields wryness.
Parting points: A new song and an oldie for today- “A Dustland Fairlytale” by The Killers and “Everything Zen” by Bush
How about Roger Federer winning the French Final? Not bad…but I still consider Pete Sampras the best of all time even sans a Roland Garros title.
“Hey you, you’re constant companion”- 311
Friday, May 8, 2009
First Figures
The two pitchers remaining on the Yankees roster from last decade’s championship teams experienced unwelcome figures for the first time in their storied careers. The legendary New York closer, Mariano Rivera, surrendered back-to-back homeruns for the first time in 862 games. Starter, Andy Pettitte, served up four bombs for the first time ever. Pettitte has never allowed that many blasts in his 441 outings as a major leaguer. The Rays hit a record tying six homeruns to seal an 8-6 Thursday thumping of the Bombers at Yankee Stadium.
Evan Longoria took Rivera deep in the top of the ninth after Carl Crawford’s shot out of the park doomed the Bombers the batter before. Rivera was responsible for Crawford’s connection as the Yankees suffered their fifth consecutive loss. Mariano has already allowed four homers this year, matching his total for each of the last two seasons. In April, Mo was drilled by Detroit’s Curtis Granderson and Boston’s Jason Bay. It’s been 11 years since Rivera has even been taken deep twice in a game. Joe Girardi claims Rivera is still not fully recovered from shoulder surgery, but the closer is making no excuses. His warped arm is the most important body part this side of Alex Rodriguez’s hip in determining the Bombers’ 2009 success. Typical Rivera insouciance is still present but the formerly unbreakable closer is not as imposing as before.
Jason Bartlett, Ben Zobrist, and Carlos Pena also decked dingers for Tampa. Pena’s pulverizing plant was his 13th of the year. He leads the AL in homeruns. Another first: The Rays won their third straight game for the first time this year. Johnny Damon’s game-tying 8th inning homerun off reliever Dan Wheeler got the Yankees back in a game where Pettitte did not pitch well. Andy lasted six innings against a team he holds a 15-4 career mark. He struck out five batters on 115 pitches. Bartlett led off the game with a homerun off Andy and Pena fancily followed two batters later with similar results. Longoria belted his first tater of the game off Pettitte for two runs in the third. The Rays were on top 4-0 after three innings. Tampa starting pitcher, Jeff Niemann, was not sharp on the hill either. He lasted 3 ½ innings and manager, Joe Maddon had him on a short lease. He gave up two runs on three hits and walked four Yankees. In the bottom of the third, Maddon made it clear he was ready for a bullpen siege when Lance Cormier began warming up. A hit batter and wild pitch were enough for the Rays’ skipper to bring Cormier into the game in the fourth inning. Jose Molina and Damon doubled in that inning to start the Yankees comeback rally. Hideki Matsui lead off the fifth and worked the count full before lining a solo shot to tie the game at 4 and negate Tampa’s previous efforts.
The Rays regained the lead in the sixth on Zobrist’s two out shot to left. Longoria scored in the seventh on outfielder, Pat Burrell‘s RBI single off Jose Veras. Damon’s clutch two-run homer off Wheeler tied the game again in the bottom of the eighth for New York. Wheeler hadn’t allowed a hit in his previous five outings or a run in his last six until Thursday night.
Rivera was summoned to pitch the eighth and quickly put Crawford in an 0-2 hole. Rivera lashed out nine pitches to the sassy speedster during the at-bat. Crawford fouled off Mo’s moving pitches to work a full count. Carl clocked his first homerun, a solo shot, on the ninth pitch for the go-ahead Tampa run. Longoria extended his major league best RBI total to 38 with his second slam of the night as the very next batter facing Rivera. The second year third baseman has already swated 10 homers in 2009. Yankee reliever, Dave Robertson, replaced Rivera to get the final out.
The Bombers were retired in the ninth and retreated to their dugout sluicing away any attempt at a comeback win. Matsui and Robinson Cano grounded out, and Nick Swisher went down swinging at strikes. Ben Shouse got the win in relief for the Rays, and Joe Nelson slated his first save with the final out of the game.
The Rays showed strength in winning tie ball games and coming from behind this series. Their response when down tells all you need to know about the mental fortitude of the team. They play amped-up intense baseball and believe in themselves. Tampa feeds off each other and their manager keeps them focused. They are only 14-16 but have won six of their last eight games. Tampa will see a drastic turnaround in the win-loss column if they continue to do what they did last year. They are a team on a mission headed into Fenway Park this weekend. The Rays don’t fit the mold of a gritty team . That title goes to the Red Sox. But Tampa, not New York, is now the real contender in the AL East for Boston. The fiery Rays are a tough team.
Meanwhile, the Bronx Bombers are looking flimsier by the day. The team is already without Jorge Posada at backstop and now will send Jose Molina to the DL from a quad injury that occurred in the fourth inning last night. Rodriguez returns tonight for the timely series against Baltimore. Arod’s bat should help struggling slugger, Mark Teixeira. The $180 million first baseman is hitting under .200 and left five runners on base last night. He went 0-5 in the loss and has not been hitting the ball with any authority whatsoever. Teixeira is hacking away and taking scantily silly swings. Baseball minds are quick to point out Mark has historically slow Aprils. The reasoning is not sound. It’s now May and Teixeria is expected to be a full power source.
The Yankees lack a killer mentality despite their injuries and missing components. Hitters are not pounding out base hits but instead counting on hooking homeruns. Damon plated four RBIs last night but the rest of the lineup didn’t drive in runners with base hits. The Yankees are 4 for 32 with runners in scoring position over their last four games. Melky Cabrera is playing well and may be another exception. He stole a base, walked twice and is batting .333 this year.
The starting pitching has been just good enough to keep the team afloat. The brutal bullpen has been a depressing disaster though, and even Rivera cannot be completed trusted to hold leads. Rivera’s velocity is down, only topping the low 90’s. New York is 6-7 in their home park and are bordering on mediocre (13-15 overall) at one game under .500 a month into the season. The good vibes are gone and forgotten quickly in New York. It is not panic time quite yet, but things have to change soon. The Yankees cannot dig themselves a hole because I do not candidly think this is a team capable of ascending from a deep ditch.
Parting points: First for L.A.- A Dodgers home loss in 2009
Happy Birthday to Bill Cowher.
Evan Longoria took Rivera deep in the top of the ninth after Carl Crawford’s shot out of the park doomed the Bombers the batter before. Rivera was responsible for Crawford’s connection as the Yankees suffered their fifth consecutive loss. Mariano has already allowed four homers this year, matching his total for each of the last two seasons. In April, Mo was drilled by Detroit’s Curtis Granderson and Boston’s Jason Bay. It’s been 11 years since Rivera has even been taken deep twice in a game. Joe Girardi claims Rivera is still not fully recovered from shoulder surgery, but the closer is making no excuses. His warped arm is the most important body part this side of Alex Rodriguez’s hip in determining the Bombers’ 2009 success. Typical Rivera insouciance is still present but the formerly unbreakable closer is not as imposing as before.
Jason Bartlett, Ben Zobrist, and Carlos Pena also decked dingers for Tampa. Pena’s pulverizing plant was his 13th of the year. He leads the AL in homeruns. Another first: The Rays won their third straight game for the first time this year. Johnny Damon’s game-tying 8th inning homerun off reliever Dan Wheeler got the Yankees back in a game where Pettitte did not pitch well. Andy lasted six innings against a team he holds a 15-4 career mark. He struck out five batters on 115 pitches. Bartlett led off the game with a homerun off Andy and Pena fancily followed two batters later with similar results. Longoria belted his first tater of the game off Pettitte for two runs in the third. The Rays were on top 4-0 after three innings. Tampa starting pitcher, Jeff Niemann, was not sharp on the hill either. He lasted 3 ½ innings and manager, Joe Maddon had him on a short lease. He gave up two runs on three hits and walked four Yankees. In the bottom of the third, Maddon made it clear he was ready for a bullpen siege when Lance Cormier began warming up. A hit batter and wild pitch were enough for the Rays’ skipper to bring Cormier into the game in the fourth inning. Jose Molina and Damon doubled in that inning to start the Yankees comeback rally. Hideki Matsui lead off the fifth and worked the count full before lining a solo shot to tie the game at 4 and negate Tampa’s previous efforts.
The Rays regained the lead in the sixth on Zobrist’s two out shot to left. Longoria scored in the seventh on outfielder, Pat Burrell‘s RBI single off Jose Veras. Damon’s clutch two-run homer off Wheeler tied the game again in the bottom of the eighth for New York. Wheeler hadn’t allowed a hit in his previous five outings or a run in his last six until Thursday night.
Rivera was summoned to pitch the eighth and quickly put Crawford in an 0-2 hole. Rivera lashed out nine pitches to the sassy speedster during the at-bat. Crawford fouled off Mo’s moving pitches to work a full count. Carl clocked his first homerun, a solo shot, on the ninth pitch for the go-ahead Tampa run. Longoria extended his major league best RBI total to 38 with his second slam of the night as the very next batter facing Rivera. The second year third baseman has already swated 10 homers in 2009. Yankee reliever, Dave Robertson, replaced Rivera to get the final out.
The Bombers were retired in the ninth and retreated to their dugout sluicing away any attempt at a comeback win. Matsui and Robinson Cano grounded out, and Nick Swisher went down swinging at strikes. Ben Shouse got the win in relief for the Rays, and Joe Nelson slated his first save with the final out of the game.
The Rays showed strength in winning tie ball games and coming from behind this series. Their response when down tells all you need to know about the mental fortitude of the team. They play amped-up intense baseball and believe in themselves. Tampa feeds off each other and their manager keeps them focused. They are only 14-16 but have won six of their last eight games. Tampa will see a drastic turnaround in the win-loss column if they continue to do what they did last year. They are a team on a mission headed into Fenway Park this weekend. The Rays don’t fit the mold of a gritty team . That title goes to the Red Sox. But Tampa, not New York, is now the real contender in the AL East for Boston. The fiery Rays are a tough team.
Meanwhile, the Bronx Bombers are looking flimsier by the day. The team is already without Jorge Posada at backstop and now will send Jose Molina to the DL from a quad injury that occurred in the fourth inning last night. Rodriguez returns tonight for the timely series against Baltimore. Arod’s bat should help struggling slugger, Mark Teixeira. The $180 million first baseman is hitting under .200 and left five runners on base last night. He went 0-5 in the loss and has not been hitting the ball with any authority whatsoever. Teixeira is hacking away and taking scantily silly swings. Baseball minds are quick to point out Mark has historically slow Aprils. The reasoning is not sound. It’s now May and Teixeria is expected to be a full power source.
The Yankees lack a killer mentality despite their injuries and missing components. Hitters are not pounding out base hits but instead counting on hooking homeruns. Damon plated four RBIs last night but the rest of the lineup didn’t drive in runners with base hits. The Yankees are 4 for 32 with runners in scoring position over their last four games. Melky Cabrera is playing well and may be another exception. He stole a base, walked twice and is batting .333 this year.
The starting pitching has been just good enough to keep the team afloat. The brutal bullpen has been a depressing disaster though, and even Rivera cannot be completed trusted to hold leads. Rivera’s velocity is down, only topping the low 90’s. New York is 6-7 in their home park and are bordering on mediocre (13-15 overall) at one game under .500 a month into the season. The good vibes are gone and forgotten quickly in New York. It is not panic time quite yet, but things have to change soon. The Yankees cannot dig themselves a hole because I do not candidly think this is a team capable of ascending from a deep ditch.
Parting points: First for L.A.- A Dodgers home loss in 2009
Happy Birthday to Bill Cowher.
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