Matt Thornton is gone and some changes are afoot for the Yankee bullpen.
Meanwhile, David Price makes his debut for the Tigers tonight at The Stadium.
The Yanks have their work cut out for them. Our man Hiroki goes for the Bombers:
Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Carlos Beltran DH
Brian McCann C
Chase Headley 3B
Martin Prado RF
Brendan Ryan 2B
Never mind the odds:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Via: r2-d2]
I'd love to see Banuelos take his place.
Sure, it's risky.
Let's hope the Price is wrong tonight.
Hmmm, not looking good.
Um, me?
[3] I missed the beginning. What happened?
Ellsberg was on first and got picked off running to second. He ran back to first and instead of Kinsler throwing to Miggy, he decided on a foot race. Kinsler lost.
McCann!
Hm, you don't know your own name.
:-)
Megan's Law!
NO PLAYS.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH, BUNT, STABBY, STABBY!!!
[6] Damn autocorrect.
Bravo!
BRAVO, JOE!!!
THAT PLAY WAS SUPERAWESOME!
Sure glad you pissed away that 1st out.
Unreal.
Me! Much better.
Ellsburg!
I'm eating some Stop & Shop Baked Cheese Snack Crackers (with gin and tonic).
They are definitely worse than Cheez-its.
Hells Bells!
Might be bordering on Sacrilege; why is, Derek Jeter, batting second in the Yankee lineup?
[13] Elfsbörg!!!
I had 2 Trader Joes Plznr beers, with TJs pretzels...not bad.
[15] Eh, the Yankees have put pandering to Jeter's ego before winning for a decade now, no reason to stop in his final year ...
[17] Yeah, that sounds better.
[15] He actually has the second-highest BA on the team.
Fucking Kuroda. What a stud.
[19]
He's 7th on the team in (qualified) OPS+, behind such stalwarts as Kelly Johnson and Port Jervis.
We probably don't want to talk about the defense ...
[21] Though I admit, his defense has little to do with his efforts at the plate.
[21] Yeah, I thought maybe BA is what you want in a #2 guy? Uh, I mean hitting slot, not uniform number.
Wow, screwing around on BR, I had no idea that Frankie Brains is 2nd on the team in OPS+ at .799; obviously, it's in limited at bats, but still, seems like the team should be finding ways to try and get his bat into the lineup, considering how many holes it has in it ...
[19] I man love DJ, but his 13 GDPs and oftentimes failure to move runners over is tough to watch. Would it be so bad if he batted seventh? His misses kinda tarnish his victory lap year. He would still have moments of greatness batting seventh. Just sayin'.
[23] Given that the #3 guy will usually be the best hitter on the team, I'd say OBP is still more important in the #2 slot than a slappy BA hitter. Jeter ranks 5th in OBP at .329; which says a lot about why the Yankees have struggled to score runs this year ...
[24] Holy fuck.
I remember when we had list seven guys over .800. Not that long ago -- Posada was one of them, and he was in one of his last three years.
Yo!
Just when I was thinking he seemed to suck.
Prado devils the ball?
MAAAAAAAAAARTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!
Alright, this is an automatic out, Megan's Law won't get 2 hits in any game ...
David Price has a very, very weird face. It's a bit like a shovel, a bit wide and much too long ...
RI! I like your profane fortified by gin side!
The devil wears Prado!
Prado saks one onto Fifth Avenue!
This is not Prado's first Rodeo (Drive)!
The man on the Short Hills serves one up to the fashionable Prado!
[27] Have to account for the falling RE, but, it ain't no joke, these are mostly the Bronx Banalities ...
[32] he's better looking than Drew Carey
Bloopalicioush!!!
So has Jeter been readin the Banter?
[31] I'm afraid to ask...why is Ryan Megan's Law?
Damn, a homer, a single, and three K.
I wish Price was a Yankee.
[32] Face like a shovel? I thought that was Tori Spelling?
Dang it.
The Wrong Romine homers.
[40] You are familiar with California's "Megan's Law"?
Google of "brendan ryan images mustache seattle".
Unfortunate ...
[43] That was my guess.
I was afraid to ask, too.
I like this "THAT'S HEADLEY!!!" fellow, I like right-sided fielders who throw over the top.
Tesh will almost certainly waste it, but, hey! another chance!
Wasted.
In some ways, Ryan's creepier without the rapist 'stache ...
And now I just lost the satellite.
Ok, it's back, but a small storm is in the offing.
Must get Avila...
Dammit!
SHIT.
[48] not to slander the man: you think he looks like a sex offender, but in actuality he isn't one, right? Maybe you should keep those observations a little closer.
Avila has a nice beach named for him, just outside San Luis Obispo.
[53] You don't know Cult of Baseball too well, right?
Museo Nacional!
Price was a teammate of a, if I remember it correctly, convicted rapist, Josh Lueke.
Squandered.
Bummer...
Now Betances needs to be as tall as his stature.
[55] Please, friendO ... it's "Cult of Basebaal".
If you're going to stop by, at least get the address right ...
[57] that fact can be shouted out to the world if you wanted to.
Interesting. Betances is the right call, but I expected he'd be the closer tonight. Joe is showing flexibility!
[60] Alternate spelling?
DEALIN' DELLIN BETANCES!!!!
THAT was a strong pitched inning!
Day-um, making a future HoFer look foolish.
Damn, Dancin' Bettances!
[61] I'm willing to give most a second chance, even a third. Not to murderers and rapists. He's got to wear it the rest of his life.
This just in.
Yankees, win, ok????
Hmm, Dellin for a second inning.
A pinch runner for Torii Hunter. How times change.
[71] I know you don't run with your hands, but his might be broken.
Ah. A pitchout. Great.
Plays. Plays are my favorite.
Le sigh.
Oh goody, Nathan is up in the pen for the Tiggers.
Okay.
We're the favorites again.
NOW. WIN THIS GAME.
And step one is now executed.
Get on, get over, get in.
Step one completed, bunt here? On 2-0?
Jesus. So McCann can't bunt the ball to the left side of the infield??? There was nobody there at all. But a fly ball is vastly superior.
Boooo!
So, Joba time?
Wonder how Joba 's feeling right about now.
I bet he walks Prado.
Didn't know how Jobber was feelin' right about, until now ...
Or that.
Free baseball! I didn't want that. Have a rare morning meeting at work. I hates meetings. Night all.
Ok, I m done with capital letter admonishments.
Let's just go...
This just has aggravation written all over it, the ending of this game, no?
Headley, baby!!!!
(And Teix.)
Hotdamn! Nice play!
Many 1b just make a blind stab. Methinks Teix read that hop the whole way. Sweet play all around.
Thought this guy was a New Orleans chef.
I fear those three innings in Boston may have convinced Joe that Esmil Rogers doesn't suck.
We're catching some luck with Rogers, huh?
[94] And for now, he doesn't.
(But I'm no more optimistic than you are.)
Fourth appearance, and hasn't sucked yet.
This jobs guy seems like a pretty good pitcher.
Isn't it about time for Joba to give up two booming doubles?
Any particular reason we're supposed to care about Joba vs Jeter?
There. That's the Joba Chamberlain I remember.
Poor joba, he just can't help it.
Dang. I was pretty sure he was going to Joba the game.
Well, more free baseball.
Well that was disappointing. I would have liked to see Joba fail.
[100] Joba was once the new face of the franchise, leader of the famed Generation Tre, the new Doctor J, the Nebraska K-Boy, etc etc..
Wow, Joba really shook up after hitting Jetes.
Well, there ya go. Can't predict baseball.
Miggy's 0fer against Rogers.
[105] But he wound up being just another Yankee disappointment. If that's gonna be a big deal, we're in for a lot of this.
Matchups!
I love Matchups! Almost as much as Plays.
I wish Joe Maddon were here.
I feel like Ezequiel Carrera is not a player you need to match up against
For what its worth, Hill did not spend the entire year in the minors.
He has no innings pitched because he didn't get out any of the major league batters he faced
Cut Rich Hill.
Perfect. A job well done by our new LOOGY.
[110] I dunno, you think a righty could have hit him? To me you really want a lefty to bean a lefty.
Ah. Matt Daley. And what will his role be, I wonder?
A one-pitch guy!
[114] Remember when we used to employ Phil Coke to come in give up a homer to a lefty and leave?
[116] I felt that was overdoing it. You really just want your LOOGY to walk a batter -- hit him if necessary. A homer is gilding the lily.
Ah yes, Cokey and Joba. I wonder what ever happened to them...
I never used to find extra innings boring.
Three pitchers pitched less than an inning. Joe really managed this game like he's afraid to find out what inning comes after 12.
Sigh.
Well, bullpen roolette. BANG.
[119] Whitley.
The problem is that every one of the pitchers he used had to be okay tonight. Eventually he was going to run into a stinker.
[121] The problem have three, maybe four guys in the bullpen who really shouldn't be on a major league roster
Oh, man, I thought that was gone.
[122] Yeah, well, relief pitchers suck, as a general rule.
And that'll do it.
Didn't deserve to win, although I feel a little sorry for Kuroda.
Sad loss. Up 3-1, Miggy not a factor, Hiro pitching well. Oh well.