Pitching with a burst blood vessel in his right thumb, Joba Chamberlain looked shaky in the first inning of yesterday afternoon’s rubber game in Baltimore. Five of the seven batters he faced in that frame got a hit, and Aubrey Huff gave the Orioles an early lead with a three-run homer to right center. However, Huff’s was the only extra-base hit of the inning, Melvin Mora, who followed Huff with a bunt single, got picked off (2-3-6-2-4-3), and the Orioles failed to add to that early tally. Just as he did in his previous start, Chamberlain shut the door after the first, holding the O’s scoreless for his remaining five innings.
Koji Uehara’s line was similar, with a solo home run by Mark Teixeira in the top of the first being the only run he allowed in six innings. Uehara threw just 94 pitches in those six innings, but Dave Trembley decided to go to his bullpen in the seventh, calling on lefty Jamie Walker to face the bottom of the Yankee order. Walker struck out switch-hitter Nick Swisher (though it took him nine pitches), but gave up a solo home run to actual lefty Robinson Cano, who just happens to be crushing lefties this year (now .371/.405/.657 vs. LHP on the season). After Walker got switch-hitter Melky Cabrera to fly out for the second out, Trembley called on righty Jim Johnson to pitch to rookie catcher Francisco Cervelli. On 2-1, Cervelli hit a very slow ground ball into the second-base hole that he just beat out for an infield single. Derek Jeter followed with another infield single, a squib to the left side that Mora was unable to get to in time to make a throw. Despite playing matchups with the bases empty against Cervelli, who had two major league hits coming into the inning, 
Trembley left the righty Johnson in with the tying runs on base to face lefty Johnny Damon, who had hit .462 with four home runs over his previous six games. Damon took Johnson’s first five pitches to run the count full, then launched a three-run homer to right-center that gave the Yankees a 5-3 lead.
With Joba at 104 pitches, Phil Coke pitched a perfect seventh and worked around a one-out single in the eight to get the ball to Mariano Rivera in the ninth. Coming off his surprising loss in Thursday’s game, Rivera issued his first walk of the year, to Felix Pie with one out, but struck out ninth-place hitter Robert Andino and got Brian Roberts to ground back to the mound to end the game and give the Yankees the 5-3 win and a much-needed series victory.
I was depressed by just how tough Papelbon looked after putting men at 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Better baserunning would have had Iwamura score on Bartlett's hit (he waited to see if it would land, but there was no way it wasn't clearing the infield and no way it was getting caught), but with none out and the runner hesitating, they were right not to then wave him. Papelbon has his own version of the 'one pitch' ... he throws a 97 mph heater at the VERY top of the zone, and the espn box kept showing it was right there, not a waste pitch they were chasing. 3 ks to end it. Upton is a mess right now, but Crawford and Pena are not. Damn.
(I am aware that some people might already be saying let Boston win the east we are battling the Rays - and Jays? - for the wild card.)
I am a charter member of the Fire Joe Morgan Society. I will send money.
I was surprised Johnson was left for Damon, too, Cliff ... but he's allegedly their closer-in-waiting. Yankees were THAT close to a truly dismal weekend. Two lucky singles.
Is Johnny Damon a Hall-of-Famer if he stays healthy enough to get 3,000 hits?
[2] No, not close.
Most Similar players (according to BR): Cesar Cedeno, Amos Otis, Willie Davis.
Getting 2 of 3 was the bare minimum in Baltimore. To be honest, considering that they lost to Adam Eaton, I think it’s a disappointment. Also, in spite of two wins, I don’t think there many signs for a sustained turnaround.
I do wonder, however, if yesterday’s win saved Girardi’s job. There haven’t been any rumblings, but 3 games under heading to see Doc Halladay might have been a prescription for regime change.
Generally, I think 3000 = HoF. Steroids may have killed 500 HR = HoF, but I'm not sure the same can be said for the hit total.
[3] That's now, but if Damon has 700 more hits in him, I'm sure he'd stand a chance to make it.
Saturday was indefensible, but I can't really complain about a road-series win. Next 10 against Toronto, Minnesota, and Baltimore...Yanks need to fatten up here. Because no, I do not take Toronto seriously at all. I think they have more '05 Orioles in them than '08 Rays.
[4] This is a crucial series for Girardi. If they win even 1 of 3, I think he's OK for while longer. But should they get swept, and are suddenly 8.5 games out, he would be in serious trouble.
[1] The Rays helped Papelbon out immensely. The shit they were swinging at was just ridiculous. It pissed me off because I want that fucker to blow a save already.
Replace the Rays in that game with the Yanks and Yankee fans would have been pulling their hair out. In I think the 7th, bases loaded, no outs, down one and they get one run? Then of course the ninth. Papelbon is having trouble (for him) throwing strikes. You've got the tying run on third with no outs and can't get him home? My god. Everyone's heads would have collapsed.
[5] [6] Exactly right. If judged today, nope, if he plays three more years after this at a high level, he is awfully close. The 3000 is, still, a lock.
Jays may fade later, but it isn't going to happen in a hurry. They are getting the kind of 'unknown starter' excellence the Yankees get eaten up by, and Halladay is as close to a lock as the league has. I think Burnett is iffy in Toronto, too amped. I say Jays win tomorrow, Sabathia wins Thursday, Pettite vs Tallet is the swing game in the middle. No fattening up to be expected, not on the road (though for a few years they played the Jays well in Toronto, and badly in NY).
[8] Hadn't thought about that but you are right ... 8.5 out and maybe 7.5 back of BoSox in mid-May. Trouble, right here in River City.
[9] Not how I saw it, or the ESPN box. He was drilling the very top of the K zone. I hate the guy, but those were NOT the high and nowhere close waste pitches Mo sometimes gets people to chase. I think only ONE was clearly a ball, and since he was so close with all others, it could have even been called a high strike. But yes, the sound of collapsing heads and garments being rent if that had been our big three swingers would have been terrifying!
re: all this Girardi may be in trouble stuff. Not saying he's not, but do we have much of any reason to believe that any combination of Cashman and the brothers Steinbrenner have anything approaching the itchy trigger finger that George did? What comments have been made?
[10] Watching the same broadcast, what I saw was most of the pitches were balls. They were close for the most part, but out of the zone. Crawford's at bat was most telling; There were three or four that were high.
I just think they got antsy.