The Yankees’ starters touched up Francisco Liriano this afternoon, but the next six Twins hurlers, including former Yankee farm hands Jason Jones and Sean Henn, held the line as the Twins beat the Yankees for the second straight day, this time by a score of 7-3 at Steinbrenner Field. The big story, however, was that Jorge Posada was a late scratch after reporting soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder.
Lineup:
L – Johnny Damon (LF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Jose Molina (C)
R – Shelley Duncan (DH)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Doug Bernier (2B), Ramiro Peña (SS), Angel Berroa (3B), Francisco Cervelli (C), John Rodriguez (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Jesus Montero (DH)
Pitchers: Joba Chamberlain, Dan Giese, Jose Veras, Michael Dunn, Kei Igawa, Kanekoa Texeira, David Robertson
Big Hits:
The Yankees’ only extra-base hit of the game came off the bat of Mark Teixeira (1-for-3) as he shot the opposite field gap for a double while batting righty against the lefty Liriano. The only multi-hit game was by Shelley Duncan, who singled twice in three trips.
Who Pitched Well:
Jose Veras worked a perfect fourth inning, striking out two, mixing his slider and curve nicely and sitting around 93 with his fastball on the YES gun. Kanekoa Texeira pitched a perfect eighth. Kei Igawa pitched two efficient, soreless innings allowing just one baserunner on a single.
Who Didn’t:
Joba Chamberlain was leaving his pitches up in the zone and didn’t hit 90 mph on the YES gun. He did uncork one typically nasty slider for a swing-and-miss, but oherwise he used up his 22 pitches in the first inning and only threw 11 of them for strikes. In total, he allowed two runs on three hits, two of them booming doubles by Delmon Young and Jason Kubel, and didn’t strike out a batter. Dan Giese followed Joba by giving up four runs on four hits, including a Carlos Gomez homer, and a walk in his two frames.
Battles:
Jose Veras made up for his rough first outing with an impressive inning, but David Robertson was again disappointing, giving up a run on two hits in the ninth and getting his third out on an appeal because a baserunner left second base too soon on the warning-track sac fly that scored the run. Dan Giese hurt his candidacy for the long-relief job. Nick Swisher went 0-for-3. Melky Cabrera went 1-for-3.
Ouchies:
It’s impossible to say right now if Posada’s shoulder soreness is simply a typical post-surgical ache likely to pass with a couple of days of rest or a major red flag. Jorge, of course, is downplaying it, but that’s the sort of behavior that landed him on the DL to begin with last year. Posada tweaked the shoulder stretching in the on-deck circle before his first at-bat (the one in which he homered) on Thursday and played in both that game and Friday’s before mentioning it to anyone. To me, this is the key sentence from the above linked story:
Posada said he performed one stretching exercise that he was not supposed to, bringing the bat up over his head and behind his neck, when he felt something in his shoulder.
Anyone else get the sense that the obstianance of the aging Posada and Jeter is going to be as much of an injury threat as their advancing ages? Guys, follow your doctor’s orders and take the day off when you’re hurting. Please. Do it for the team.
Pete Abe did some pre-game reporting on Posada and has some audio from Jorge here.
Ugh, does Posada not realize he should maybe avoid that stretch for a reason? Does he think the Doctors are all evil scientists twirling their mustaches or something?
At least Cervelli doesn't have a broken wrist like last year!
Jorge wasn't supposed to catch until the 15th. That's undoubtedly been pushed back now...
Bleh!
: /
Jorge, of course, said he didn't see why he couldn't make that 3/15 date. He does say it doesn't hurt when he throws, but the Yankees aren't going to let him throw for a few days.
As for Cervelli, he's still young, but from what little I've seen he's not ready to hit in the majors, and I don't mean "hit well," I just mean hit.
Bengie Molina? When did we get him?? (couldn't we have gotten Yadier instead?)
[3] he says it doesn't hurt when he throws? that's great! i saw he said it doesn't hurt when he hits. well, if it doesn't hurt when he hits OR throws, we shouldn't have much of a problem! maybe he just shouldn't stretch! ; )
[4] i was real happy when Yadier hit that game 7 homer vs. the Muts! : )
"pavano perfect in debut" <--- that was an actual headline today. oy! 2 perfect innings. what a chump!
[7] headline in Cleveland? they must really be desperate..
I am very, very worried that Posada is never going to catch regularly again..this could be a disaster for the team..
Kanekoa Texeira, what a name!
Igawa pitched two effective innings..run for the hills!
[7] i think it's "run TO the hills"! Up The Irons!!! yeah, i like METAL, as much as jazz...if not more!!! : )
how was your beer? i'm about to imbibe some more soon. i need to practice conducting first!!!
Oops on Molina. It's fixed.
thelarmis, I still think "Run To The Hills" should be Joba's entry music, even as a starter, though I can't decide if that's racist or not. If it is, he could just use "Aces High."
[9] definitely not racist, even in today's politically correct world! i remember we had lotsa posts about his entry music. i'm down w/ either of those maiden tunes! i do think 'run to the hills' is perfect for him, esp w/ the cool drum intro. what's funny, is i played it on the bandstand last week on a jazz gig! i had 2 subs with me and they just didn't get it. oh well.
Clive Burr, kicked a lot of ass on the first 3 Maiden records. too bad he got so sick. i'm not sure if he survived or not. i think he's still alive, just ill...
They need to protect Posada from himself, including leaving him FLA until May if necessary.
[8] Friday beer postponed as had to help the lady move office! Last night instead and it was excessive..but hit three jazz bars in all so a good night all around.
As long as Joba doesn't use any country music as his entry tunes I'm on board! (though the whole music when coming to bat/pitch is really lame methinks..just get up there and hack!)
off topic: with the exception of Jeter (obviously), do the Yanks have any journalistically-cliched "gritty" and "scrappy" players?? my Red-Sox fan buddy claimed that was impossible, as the national media buys into the Evil Empire bit so all Yankees are overpaid lolly-gaggers...
Well, we doctor are evil scientists. I need to start growing a mustache. Then I can twirl it. Yes. My plan is all coming together!
Don't forget the monocle, top hat and cape!
[12] Brett Gardner! He's no overpaid lollygagger.
Gritty & Scrappy? Given that I'm too tired right now to argue against the concept, I'll just offer up Gardner, of course, but also Damon (an original Boston Dirt Dog your Soxfan buddy can't deny), Swisher, Jeter, Posada, and, yes, Alex Rodriguez. Alex has a pretty-boy rep, but he plays hard every day, he'll drop a shoulder on a catcher (or slap at a pitcher trying to tag him out), he steals bases . . . he's a dirty uniform grinder. if anything (it's been said a million times at this point) he tries too hard.
[16] Ha!
[16] Oh, neither of believe in it either! we were just thinking about the media and who is or isn't a Son of Eckstein..
But good point about A-Rod. Maybe they can bring back Bubba Crosby too?
[16] Scrappy lil' A Rod? I love it. Start the re-branding now ... He's the new David Eckstein, people!
I would argue without fear of contradiction, that the most significant "gritty" and "scrappy" influence within the organization today comes from Joe Girardi and we'd have to go back to the days of Billy Martin since that was the case before when titles were involved.
;)