Three homeruns in an inning. Not a bad way to start the return from the All-Star Break.
Final Score: Yankees 7, Devil Rays 3
WP: Andy Pettitte (5-6, 4.27 ERA)
LP: James Shields (7-5, 3.98 ERA)
The Positives: Primarily, the offense. Everyone got a hit other than Cano, and many of the outs made were still productive outs. Not often you'll see a player (in this case, Bobby Abreu) clapping for himself for rolling a ball over to right field and moving a runner over to third on a groundout, but he was. And for a team that needs to win any way they can, it's a nice thing to see.
So is three homeruns in an inning from Jeter, A-Rod, and Abreu. But, you know, we in New York aren't picky.
Vizcaino and Rivera were great out of the bullpen. Farnsy was Farnsy. He made the blood pressure rise but, at the end of the day, he was striking a guy out with that nasty slider. All in an inning's work.
The Negatives: Can't call Pettitte's outing a "negative" per se. He didn't give up eight runs in this game. That's a positive in and of itself. It's just funny how the season's worked out so far. He pitches some amazing baseball and gets absolutely zero support from his offense and his bullpen. Now, he struggles and wins games. Getting out of that bases loaded jam in the 4th with only one run allowed was impressive. And no matter how the results come out, a 12-1 record against any team is pretty impressive.
Talking Points: Maybe I shouldn't be asking this on a 1-4 night where he left 3 men on base. But is first base really the position we need to be targetting as the trade deadline approaches? I can see going after a backup catcher or a reliever. Maybe a starting pitcher, though Hughes and Karstens should be well on their way to returning by the end of July. But it seems like wherever I look, people are still talking about first base as if we have a black hole over there. Last I checked, Andy Phillips is wielding a hot bat right now, and it's not like he embarasses himself in the field by any stretch. If you want to target someone long-term, fine. But I don't see why 1B continues to be a point of contention for the short-term. Phillips is fine. If he's not, you have Cairo. You'll have Mientkiewicz ready to go soon enough. And eventually, I assume, Giambi will return from whatever black hole he's fallen into since that whole mess with him started. Does that move Damon to first base? I can't see pulling Melky from the outfield, given how well he's playing both in CF and as the #2 hitter in the line-up.
At this point, you have something that's working. It's not an all-star at every position, but they're winning with this line-up. In a few weeks, it could become apparent that they need a change. But for right now? You're winning. Ride it out.
~~~
Shows you how little I pay attention. I see this headline on MLB.com: "Reds' win streak snapped." And my first thought is, the Reds had a win streak?
(I follow the Nationals. I'm allowed to tease gently.)
Final Score: Mets 3, Reds 2
WP: Orlando Hernandez (5-4, 3.20 ERA)
LP: Bronson Arroyo (3-10, 4.78 ERA)
Both New York teams had back-to-back homeruns in an inning. Huh.
Final Score: White Sox 9, Orioles 7
WP: Jon Garland (7-6, 3.85 ERA)
LP: Jeremy Guthrie (4-3, 3.07 ERA)
I'm not sure Guthrie will take comfort in the fact that he lost this game for himself instead of the team losing it for him. But hey, it's something. A 9th inning homerun for Kevin Millar didn't amount to much, as Bobby Jenks came in to close the door on an attempted Orioles comeback.
No comments:
Post a Comment