The Yankee offense continued its run of futility today and it cost them another game as they were shutout, 3-0. That’s the main story though there are a few subplots worth mentioning. First, Hiroki Kuroda was terrific, giving up three runs (should have been just one) in 7.2 innings, five hits, no walks and 11 strikeouts. Working on three days rest for the first time in his major league career, he was a stud. Second, is that there were so many empty seats at the Stadium today you’d think this was Atlanta in the late ’90’s. It’s as if Yankee fans showed their displeasure by staying away or that since Derek Jeter wasn’t going to be there, neither were they.
The other, more enraging part of the game was a blown call buy Jeff Nelson in the eighth inning that would have kept the score 1-0. Omar Infante overran second base on a base hit to right field, Nick Swisher threw the ball to Robinson Cano who applied the tag.
Instead of ending the inning, the Tigers took advantage of the umpire’s gaffe and tacked on two runs. Joe Girardi got himself run arguing the call and spent most of his post-game press conference talking about instant replay (while Nick Swisher bellyached about the Bleacher Creatures). Nelson told reporters, “The hand did not get in before the tag.The call was incorrect…I had the tag late and the hand going into the bag before the tag on the chest.”
“I think the umpire got confused ’cause he saw my hand, something with my hand made him think I was safe,” Infante said.
When asked if he he out, Infante said, “Of course.”
Two critical calls go against the Yankees in the first two games and yet while they give us something to pin our anger on, it’s not what cost them either game. The Yankees didn’t win today because they couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a fucking boat. Four hits all game and none for Robinson Cano, their best player who is in a horrid drought-0-for-his-last 26. ‘
Shit, even if they could hit that doesn’t mean it’d result into runs crossing the plate.
“We’ve been through stretches like this all year,” Alex Rodriguez said. “It has been a very volatile stock market for us this year. You just hope you take a day off and come back with a lot of energy and turn it around…It may start with a change of scenery. I think getting a day of rest tomorrow, take a deep breath, everybody come out and not try to do too much, let the river flow a little bit. We’ve been used to this type of hostile environment and having our backs against the wall, but I’ll tell you what, our heads are not going to go down.”
The fair weather, front running dilettantes have already bailed on this team as evidenced by all the empty seats today.
As irritated as we may be, however, round these parts we stick with our team through it all. And yeah, Verlander vs. Hughes in Game Three seems like Doom on a Platter. But stranger things have happened. Like the 1996 Whirled Serious, as Matt B pointed out last night in a text last night.
Regardless of the slumps and the loss of Jeter and the overall mishegoss we love our boys. And if we don’t always love ’em, we won’t stop rooting them on. They aren’t done yet, no matter how poorly they are hitting, and they are still one of the the final four teams playing.
Could be worse. Could be raining.
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America; Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports]
I got one set of tix per round. Normally for the playoffs i expected a full house. I was shocked to see so many empty seats this time. Only 47K for a Sunday afternoon game!
Methinks it's time for the Yanks to lower ticket prices and get the real fans back in the seats.
Yeah, the rattle your jewelry fatheads jumped ship but quick. Spoiled douche bags.
[1] That's horrible. Despite my broken heart, I will be pulling for a Motown Miracle.
I like what A-Rod is saying. I think they are not going down like lambs.
Let's rock Verlander and rock Detroit's world.
Now we need a word from Jeets, donchatink? This is an opportunity for him to be the Captain, but not in his typical way...let's hear something, Derek. Come-on, rally the Bombers!
What ARod said was very cool.
"... not try to do too much, let the river flow a little bit"
Jeez, the guy sounds downright intelligent.
This offensive slumo seems beyond anything we have ever suffered. It's not a team slump as much as an Cano/Grandy/Swisher/ARod slump. The rest of the guys are doing OK or better.
PS slash line for the Poor Four: .112 / .181 / .168 / .349
PS slash line for the Yankees:: .205 / .277 / .326 / .603
PS slash line for the Bad Guys: .213 / .255 / .303 / .559
Unbelieveably, we have outhit our opposition, or more accurately, we have WAY outpitched them.
Cano/Grandy/Swisher/ARod have a .349 OPS (Not OBP, but OPS!!!!!!!)
It almost seems statistically impossible.
[4] .349!!!
[5] Numbers, fuckin' numbers. What do I need with numbers?
The game is played on grass and dirt with heart and grit. That's what it will come down to, boys.
I'm not suggesting he's necessarily up to the task vis a vis Verlander but it seems to me that not enough was made of Hughes's last outing. He was really good.
[7] And he did out-pitch Verlander in Detroit earlier this year.
This is not done yet. BUT - if the bats don't show up, it won't mean a thing.
I think you're being a little harsh, B. The offense has given almost no one a reason to show up to the park, yet the pitching is our only realistic hope for advancing. But who wants to sit in and out of Bronx traffic to watch a bunch of mopes cave into circumstance or who "look" defeated at the plate?
If the Yanks do get swept, then there are plenty of reasons to be angry about it, starting with the guys who were supposed to hit and haven't for three years now... and THIS time I don't blame Joe for any of it. At that point, it's time to cut bait and tweak their "veteran presence" philosophy... dag, where's Bob Watson when you need him?
I'm as disappointed as the next guy that were in this hole. Just gotta hope it's like '96 in Atlanta. This team was streaky all year. Rarely had the full complement of players and I can't remember a team that even made the playoffs with so many injuries during the season. Yeah, Arod, Swisher, Granderson and Cano have been awful and now the captain is out. No reason to abandon ship at this point. I hope Girardi uses Arod at SS, Chavez at 3rd and Ibanez as the DH. you got your best hitters left going that way. So, maybe Arod sets a new record for strkeouts in the post season. What sucked in my mind about this whole thing is the Yankees played three straight at home against Baltimore, went xtra innnigs in two of those games and had to play these last two games without any rest. I've always hated the wildcard and now with two wildcards, hate it more. That was done to satisfy TV, not for the good of the game.
Lets go Yankees!!!!!