Game 10: New York Yankees VS Oakland A's
The Starter: Rasner pitched really well tonight. It looked like we'd be in for a rough ride after he gave up 4 hits in the first inning and allowed 3 runs (all unearned thanks to a Jeter error, though), but from that point on he only gave up one more hit, and walked nobody. He had a great strike to ball ratio too. The one glaring problem was that he only went 5 and 1/3rd IP (not his fault, Torre pulled him way too early as the rest of the game would show). I'd say he earned himself another start after that.
The Bullpen: Yet again, the bullpen pitches ridiculously well and bails the Yankees out yet again. And this time there was no screwing around...every single pitcher in the bullpen made an appearance. They pitched 7 and 2/3rd innings of scoreless ball. Yeah, there were some hits and walks scattered around, but they got the job done, period. This bullpen has seriously bailed the Yankees out this year. Words can't quite describe how ridiculously good the bullpen has been for the most part. Farnsworth has had some problems (although he pitched a scoreless inning tonight) and Proctor struggled a little to start, but that's it. Everyone knew Mariano would be lights out and I thought Vizcaino would be good, but Henn and Bruney in particular have been absolutely lights out. And special credit to Bruney tonight.
The Offense: Well, it could have been better. They had their chances to win this game earlier than the 13th inning and didn't get it done, but Blanton also pitched well, and Street always pitches well against the Yanks. A-Rod had another important home run, Posada had a big pinch hit double, and of course, Giambi finally gets another home run to take the lead in the 13th. He hasn't been hitting well this year, but his two home runs have both been huge. Nice job for Cano, too. 3 for 4 and 2 walks, with 2 runs scored. A very good game for him.
The Defense: Okay. Overall, good lord, this was bad. Four errors on the day! Jeter's error in the first was particularly bad as it cost the Yankees all 3 runs. But in spite of the sloppy game again, there were a few nice plays. Jeter made a couple, and Melky did as well, including gunning down Crosby to end the first inning when he tried to score. Doesn't sound that big since it was the first, but guess what? That run scores and the Yanks lose. Think about that, all you "early runs don't count" folks who always used that to bash A-Rod. So while the defense was insanely sloppy today and four errors is clearly bad, at least this time there were a couple nice game saving plays.
Player of the Game: I'm going to give it to Brian Bruney. Giambi had the huge home run in the 13th that the Yankees really badly needed. Bruney was clearly shot and couldn't have pitched a 14th in all likelihood, which means that unless Pavano is healthier than we've been led to believe, Andy Pettitte was coming into that game and we would have to go scrounge up another pitcher from the minors to start tomorrow. So big, big home run for Giambi.
But I feel like I need to give credit to Brian Bruney. Last night in a loss that was barely his fault (the triple was, but he really should have been out of that in the end), he threw 36 pitches and supposedly wasn't even going to be available today. But with everyone else used, Bruney had to come in in the 12th, and pitched a perfect inning. Then he came back out for the 13th after Giambi hit the home run and, while very clearly running on fumes alone, walked the first batter on four straight pitches, gave up two long outs, and then struck out the final batter to end the game. Bruney went way above and beyond what he should have been asked to do considering the circumstances, but because the alternative was bringing in tomorrow's starter, Bruney went back out there and got the job done. He shouldn't have even had to pitch one inning after yesterday; instead he pitches two. I give Giambi a world of credit for his huge home run and normally I would have given it to him, but it was partly because he wasn't hitting beforehand that the Yanks were even in the 13th. The bullpen stepped up big time tonight, and nobody moreso than Brian Bruney. Yet again, the bullpen is the reason why we won this game.
Overall Thoughts: Pettitte better pitch a complete game tomorrow, because this is killing me here. Someone needs to check the pulse of the bullpen, because they're practically dead after the last two nights. Mariano can go for an inning tomorrow, and I'm sure a couple more such as Henn can throw a bit, but there is no way Bruney pitches tomorrow, and Farnsworth, Vizcaino, and Proctor all pitched the last two days. Henn can definitely go a couple innings if necessary, but it'd be nice if he didn't have to. Great win for the Yanks tonight, and it's a real blessing that Monday is an off day. This bullpen needs about a week off, and deserves it too.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Yankees (Pavano) VS Twins (Ponson), Game 6
Game 6: New York Yankees VS Minnesota Twins
The Starter: Much, much, much better. Pavano went 7 innings and gave up 2 runs, 6 hits, and no walks. And really, if he felt like it, Torre could have left him in another inning. He only threw 79 pitches. A very encouraging start especially based on the fact that Pavano pitched well until he tired out in the 5th inning in his first start. Hopefully this is the Pavano we'll see more often than not.
The Bullpen: Perhaps the best part of Pavano's start was that the bullpen actually got a little rest. Brian Bruney threw an easy inning. He looks absolutely nasty right now, with 7 strikeouts in 3 and 2/3rd innings pitched (while allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, and no runs). Farnsworth walked a batter but otherwise pitched a good 9th inning. The bullpen continues its dominance.
The Offense: Good job by the offense today. Abreu had 4 RBIs and an excellent at bat against Ponson that resulted in a 2 run home run. A-Rod picked up his 5th home run of the season (the fastest any Yankee has ever hit five). Damon saw his batting average plummet today as he went 2 for 4. Jeter picked up 3 hits as well, and Posada contributed with a two run ground rule double. The bottom of the lineup struggled, however, but when the top scores 8 runs, I think all Yankee fans can live with that.
The Defense: Much better. Melky got a late jump on a ball that he probably could have caught (which resulted in an RBI double), but the infield defense looked great today. Jeter, Mientkiewicz, and Cano all made excellent plays.
Player of the Game: Although Abreu's 4 RBIs make a strong case, it really has to go to Carl Pavano. I commented at one point before the game that after the first five games, if Pavano went 6 innings and have up 4 runs, he'd be a hero in New York. He went above and beyond, pitching 7 innings (and really, he could have given more, but Torre is being cautious) and only giving up two runs (and both long after the Yankees had scored plenty of runs). The Twins don't exactly have the best offense all around, but they do have some solid hitters (such as the AL Batting champion and the AL MVP). Pavano shut Morneau down completely. He's the easy choice for player of the game.
Overall Thoughts: A good game for the Yanks today. The bullpen got some rest, Pavano had a good start, the offense got it done, and A-Rod continued his hot streak. Plus, the strong defense was a nice touch.
The Starter: Much, much, much better. Pavano went 7 innings and gave up 2 runs, 6 hits, and no walks. And really, if he felt like it, Torre could have left him in another inning. He only threw 79 pitches. A very encouraging start especially based on the fact that Pavano pitched well until he tired out in the 5th inning in his first start. Hopefully this is the Pavano we'll see more often than not.
The Bullpen: Perhaps the best part of Pavano's start was that the bullpen actually got a little rest. Brian Bruney threw an easy inning. He looks absolutely nasty right now, with 7 strikeouts in 3 and 2/3rd innings pitched (while allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, and no runs). Farnsworth walked a batter but otherwise pitched a good 9th inning. The bullpen continues its dominance.
The Offense: Good job by the offense today. Abreu had 4 RBIs and an excellent at bat against Ponson that resulted in a 2 run home run. A-Rod picked up his 5th home run of the season (the fastest any Yankee has ever hit five). Damon saw his batting average plummet today as he went 2 for 4. Jeter picked up 3 hits as well, and Posada contributed with a two run ground rule double. The bottom of the lineup struggled, however, but when the top scores 8 runs, I think all Yankee fans can live with that.
The Defense: Much better. Melky got a late jump on a ball that he probably could have caught (which resulted in an RBI double), but the infield defense looked great today. Jeter, Mientkiewicz, and Cano all made excellent plays.
Player of the Game: Although Abreu's 4 RBIs make a strong case, it really has to go to Carl Pavano. I commented at one point before the game that after the first five games, if Pavano went 6 innings and have up 4 runs, he'd be a hero in New York. He went above and beyond, pitching 7 innings (and really, he could have given more, but Torre is being cautious) and only giving up two runs (and both long after the Yankees had scored plenty of runs). The Twins don't exactly have the best offense all around, but they do have some solid hitters (such as the AL Batting champion and the AL MVP). Pavano shut Morneau down completely. He's the easy choice for player of the game.
Overall Thoughts: A good game for the Yanks today. The bullpen got some rest, Pavano had a good start, the offense got it done, and A-Rod continued his hot streak. Plus, the strong defense was a nice touch.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Yankees (Igawa) VS Orioles (Trachsel), Game 4
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.
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.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Yankees (Mussina) VS Orioles (Loewen), Game 3
Game 3 - New York Yankees VS Baltimore Orioles
The Starter: Mussina simply didn't look good tonight. This time it wasn't the Yankee defense that killed him (although there was one bad play that led to a run), he just didn't have his control tonight. He walked too many guys, gave up too many hits, and struggled throughout the game. Hopefully for the Yankees Igawa shows them something tomorrow, because no Yankee starter has even made it through 5 innings yet.
The Bullpen: Excellent tonight. Sean Henn was fantastic, giving up only 1 hit in 3 innings and keeping the game close. Myers got his two lefties out. Proctor had a scare on a hard hit ball, but it was caught, and so all is well. In 5 innings the bullpen allowed one hit (a single to Melvin Mora) and one walk (Myers walked Roberts, who was batting right handed). I'll take that gladly.
The Offense: Not good, not good, not good. The Yankees had a lot of opportunities to score more than 4 runs, and they didn't capitalize. Matsui, Posada, and Cano all got RBIs, but the rest of the team didn't get it done when it mattered. Still, it's a formidable offense, so I'm sure things will improve in that regard. Would have been nice if they worked the bullpen a bit, though, since they do have two more games in a row against Baltimore. Baez, Bradford, and Ray barely had to work.
The Defense: Well, certainly better than the first two games. The only glaring mistake was the failure of anyone to cover second on a stolen base attempt (which led to a run when the hitter singled). The Yankees can't allow that kind of thing to happen. Errors are always going to be there, but there's no excuse for not even covering the base.
Player of the Game: Probably Loewen, although he wasn't as good as he was most of last year against the Yanks. He got out of jams well though, and the Yankees couldn't capitalize much.
If you're going to pick a Yankee, Sean Henn would be my easy choice. His three scoreless innings after Baltimore scored 6 runs in the first 4 innings kept this game close. If the offense had managed to knock in just a couple of those runs, he'd be the reason why they even had that opportunity.
Overall Thoughts: Another poor game for the Yankees. It's not that they're getting beaten that bugs me, it's that they're beating themselves. Let's hope Igawa can pitch well tomorrow and actually make it 5 innings.
The Starter: Mussina simply didn't look good tonight. This time it wasn't the Yankee defense that killed him (although there was one bad play that led to a run), he just didn't have his control tonight. He walked too many guys, gave up too many hits, and struggled throughout the game. Hopefully for the Yankees Igawa shows them something tomorrow, because no Yankee starter has even made it through 5 innings yet.
The Bullpen: Excellent tonight. Sean Henn was fantastic, giving up only 1 hit in 3 innings and keeping the game close. Myers got his two lefties out. Proctor had a scare on a hard hit ball, but it was caught, and so all is well. In 5 innings the bullpen allowed one hit (a single to Melvin Mora) and one walk (Myers walked Roberts, who was batting right handed). I'll take that gladly.
The Offense: Not good, not good, not good. The Yankees had a lot of opportunities to score more than 4 runs, and they didn't capitalize. Matsui, Posada, and Cano all got RBIs, but the rest of the team didn't get it done when it mattered. Still, it's a formidable offense, so I'm sure things will improve in that regard. Would have been nice if they worked the bullpen a bit, though, since they do have two more games in a row against Baltimore. Baez, Bradford, and Ray barely had to work.
The Defense: Well, certainly better than the first two games. The only glaring mistake was the failure of anyone to cover second on a stolen base attempt (which led to a run when the hitter singled). The Yankees can't allow that kind of thing to happen. Errors are always going to be there, but there's no excuse for not even covering the base.
Player of the Game: Probably Loewen, although he wasn't as good as he was most of last year against the Yanks. He got out of jams well though, and the Yankees couldn't capitalize much.
If you're going to pick a Yankee, Sean Henn would be my easy choice. His three scoreless innings after Baltimore scored 6 runs in the first 4 innings kept this game close. If the offense had managed to knock in just a couple of those runs, he'd be the reason why they even had that opportunity.
Overall Thoughts: Another poor game for the Yankees. It's not that they're getting beaten that bugs me, it's that they're beating themselves. Let's hope Igawa can pitch well tomorrow and actually make it 5 innings.
Yankees (Pettitte) VS Devil Rays (Seo), Game 2
Game 2 - New York Yankees VS Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Starter: Andy Pettitte really didn't look very good tonight. He looked alright initially, but then struggled. Of course, the errors behind him really didn't help any. Considering the cold and the fact that he had a shortened Spring Training, I'm willing to give him a pass. Still, it could have been a lot better. Hopefully his next start will give us a better indication of what to expect.
The Bullpen: Mixed Results here. Proctor got beaten up, and Vizcaino struggled too. Farnsworth had another good outing though, as did Bruney. Myers did fine as well.
The Offense: Meh. Sure, they did get 6 runs and 14 hits, but many times they had the opportunity to drive in runners, and failed to do so. Mientkiewicz picked up another pair of hits though, and Posada contributed offensively with 3 singles.
The Defense: Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the defense. For the second game in a row, the Yankees looked awful defensively. Cano blew a play early on (although he wasn't given an error, oddly enough), Jeter picked up 2 errors (although one was a bit iffy). Mientkiewicz picked up an error, but I don't think it was a fair one at all. Pettitte fielded a ball and had to throw it off balance, throwing it directly over the plate as the runner reached it. Could Doug technically have caught that ball? Sure, if he wanted to miss the next few months with a broken arm. There was no possible way Doug could have made that play without risking a major injury...Pettitte simply wasn't able to make a good throw since he was off balance.
Beyond the errors, Posada looked horrible at the plate. Balls were constantly getting away from him (sometimes the pitchers fault, sometimes his), and it allowed some of those runs to score.
Pettitte did make a nice little play at home (on another of those passed balls) to get a runner out, but other than that, another very sloppy defensive day for the Yankees. They really need to fix that, soon.
Overall Thoughts: Poor showing tonight, but it's still just one game. The problem once again
was the defense. The pitching wasn't great, but the Yankees win that game if they played better defense. They need to really work on that.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Yankees (Pavano) VS Devil Rays (Kazmir), Game 1
Game 1: New York Yankees VS Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Starter: Carl Pavano ended the day with 4 and 1/3rd IP, 5 runs allowed (4 of which were earned, as well as 6 hits and 2 walks. Face value, not so good, but there are extenuating circumstances. The defense behind Pavano was god awful, to the tune of three errors. It's ironic, but the error that gets the most focus was the only one that didn't have any real effect on the game. A-Rod overran a foul popup in the first inning, but Pavano got a groundout two pitches later. The second error, Jeter's poor throw that Phelps couldn't come up with, not only resulted in an unearned run, but forced Pavano to throw another 10 pitches or so. In the 5th inning, Pavano started falling apart, but even didn't have to be as bad as it turned out to be. Phelps threw a ball into center field after Crawford got stuck between 1st and 2nd base. Couple that with poor throws by Posada on attempted steals for the most part, and poor throws to home plate on theoretical plays at the plate, and Pavano got absolutely nothing to work with behind him. Also, it bears keeping in mind this is his first major league game in almost 2 years. I was more concerned with his early performance prior to the game than later on (when he would undoubtedly be tiring), and he looked good early on. It's something to build on. It wasn't a great start and he doesn't come up with a win, but it's something to work on.
The Bullpen: Very good. I liked what I saw. Bruney allowed one of Pavano's runners to score, but only gave up the one hit. Vizcaino needed 5 pitches to get through the 7th inning and earn himself a win. Kyle Farnsworth looked just fine, allowing one single but nothing else. Mariano Rivera made his three hitters look silly, striking out the side. If anyone ever earned an extension, it's him. I'm just saying.
The Offense: Pretty much what we've come to expect from this team. They worked Kazmir out of the game after 5 innings, they scored a bunch of runs using both small ball and the home run. Giambi got himself 3 RBIs, Jeter had a big bases loaded game tying hit. It's also unfortunate that everyone is going to remember that stupid dropped pop up and strikeout in the first inning, because Alex did exactly what the haters claim he can't do. With the score tied, he got a rocket hit through the shortstop, stole second, scored the go ahead run on Giambi's single, and then hit a big 2 run home run in the 8th inning. I know people have already started saying it's just stat padding because the Yanks already had a 2 run lead with Mariano on the mound, but you know what, as much confidence as I have in Mariano, I'll take those 2 runs anyday. You never know when some bloop hits will lead to a run or two.
Also, thumbs up to the 9 hole guys. After all the "Blah blah blah, this turns the Yankees into an automatic out National League team" garbage, the 9 hole guys were 1 for 1 with 2 walks and a sacrifice bunt. Naturally that's not going to continue forever. Mientkiewicz really isn't all that great of a hitter, but if he can simply hit better than his 2004 and 2005 seasons, he should be good enough, especially with Phelps spotting him against lefties. Could the Yankees improve there, probably, but is it absolutely necessary? No, I don't think so. But then again, a big injury could change that, and I'll wait and see what happens when Nieves has to give Posada a day off.
The Defense: Awful. Bad bad bad. No real great plays of note and 3 errors on the day. On the bright side, they're not going to make 3 errors every game. Isn't it nice that the Yankees actually won the game where they played awful defense? Still, Phelps didn't look good (not a huge problem, since he's only really there against lefties, unless he sets the world on fire with his hitting while Mientkiewicz does nothing), and Jeter threw a couple in the dirt. A-Rod's popup isn't nearly as big a deal as some make it out to be. It didn't lead to a run, it wasn't exactly an easy play since he had to run down the line pretty far, and he's never been good with popups anyway. The Yanks looked bad in the field, but hopefully it'll improve some.
Player of the Game: I would go with Giambi. Sure, Jeter had the big game tying hit, but Jason singled in two runs right off the bat to give the Yankees the initial lead of the game, and then broke the 5-5 tie again later on. And not that I make a big deal of it, but Giambi and Phelps were the only starters not to leave anyone on base.
Overall Thoughts: Except for the awful defense, it was a good game. The bullpen looked good, there are reasons to think positively about Pavano's start, and the offense did its thing. The defense was bad (I'm not sure if I've painted a clear enough picture of just how bad they looked defensively today...) but these days happen. The Yanks aren't an amazing defensive team by any stretch, but they're good enough that this isn't going to happen consistently.
Wednesday Pettitte faces off against Jae Seo. The bottom line is if the D-Rays were going to take a game, Game 1 was the time to do it. They didn't. Obviously anything can happen in this game, but the Yankees really shouldn't have much of a problem in Games 2 and 3.
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