Just got back from the game. Too bad for all those people who left early. Guess what? The game isn't over until it's over. I've never left a game early, and today is one of the reasons why.
Game 4 - New York Yankees VS Baltimore Orioles
The Starter: Igawa didn't look good at all (although, on the bright side, he made it a whole 5 innings!). 8 hits and 3 walks (to go along with 7 runs) in only 5 innings is a bad line. That said, while Igawa did get hit pretty hard all night, the big blow was a simple unlucky bloop double that barely fell between Mientkiewicz, Abreu, and Cano. I'm not letting him off the hook, he put the runners on in the first place. But if that gets caught, we're talking about how he had a disappointing start, but at least he outpitched the other three by going 5 innings. Hopefully he'll improve next time out...he simply wasn't throwing strikes.
The Bullpen: With all the talk about A-Rod's huge hit (and having lost Game 3), what's going to go missing in all this is the fact that in two days, the bullpen has pitched 9 innings and given up a grand total of 2 hits, 2 walks, and zero earned runs (with both hits being singles, by the way). Today, Brian Bruney, Mike Myers, Luis Vizcaino, and Mariano Rivera combined for 4 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. A-Rod will get much deserved praise for his offensive performance today, but the bullpen is the reason he was even in that position. The Yankees may have lost yesterday, but the only reason that game was even close was because of the bullpen. As awful as the Yankee starters have been this season (and they've been awful), the bullpen has been just as good.
The Offense: Well, the offense started off not very good again. A-Rod was the only one hitting through the first few innings. But in the last two innings the Yankees finally showed what they were missing the last two days. This time, when they got opportunities, they capitalized on them. Giambi launched the three run home run to make it a one run game, and then with 2 outs and the bases empty, Cano singled, Jeter walked, Abreu got hit by a pitch, and A-Rod came through with the huge walkoff Grand Slam. That's what they were missing in Games 2 and 3. Sure, most of the offense may have been shoved into the final two innings, but it's very hard to argue with 10 runs on the day. The Yankee bats came through when it mattered and that's what really counts.
The Defense: Nothing really standout either way. The error was on Igawa, after he booted a ball. Not a really big deal, and Mientkiewicz made a great play to simply stop a second error. I haven't watched the game on television yet (since I was at the game), but it looked like Jeter misplayed the throw to second on the bloop "double", which allowed that third runner to cross the plate. It wasn't called an error though. Still nothing amazing, but at least it wasn't as horrific as the first two games.
Player of the Game: Gee, I wonder who it could be? Alex Rodriguez was 3 for 4 with 2 home runs, 6 RBIs, and a walkoff grand slam. Yeah, it's him. Honorable mention to Jason Giambi for closing the lead from 4 to 1, and also honorable mention to the whole Yankee bullpen. They are the reason why A-Rod and Giambi were given the opportunity to do their thing. The Devil Rays and Orioles aren't exactly the Yankees and Mets in terms of offense, but they've got some very good hitters who were all over every Yankee starter so far. With the exception of Proctor and Vizcaino struggling a bit on Thursday, the bullpen has been completely lights out.
Overall Thoughts: It was a pretty ugly game early on for the Yankees. From the 6th inning on, it was fantastic, a really fun game. A-Rod really needed that hit, and he came through. Giambi needed a big hit too, and he came through. Igawa struggled, but the bullpen picked him up big time, with Bruney striking out the side, Myers pitching a whole inning, and Vizcaino throwing a perfect inning as well. Mariano, of course, is Mariano. A bloop single was the only blemish on his record. And poor, poor Freddie Bynum. The Orioles threw him to the wolves there, bringing him in in the 8th so that his only at bat is against Mariano Rivera. Ouch. Not surprising, he struck out.
Hopefully this game buys A-Rod a little leeway. I know his walkoff last year didn't, but it was right in the middle of multiple poor performances. Let's give the guy a break, huh? He came through huge this time.
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