Overall, the 2010 season was a disappointment because the Yankees did not win the World Series, but last year’s championship softens the blow a bit.
This is not the collapse of 2004, the gutwrencher of 2001 or the frustrating drought of 2005-08. Instead, this was a good team, but not a great team.
With that in mind, let’s hand out grades for 2010 to every pitcher with at least 26 innings and every hitter with at least 72 at-bats.
In the end, the Rangers were simply better than the Yankees in every facet of the game.
During the six games of the American League Championship Series, Texas outscored New York, 38-19, outhit the Bombers, .304 to .201, and outpitched them, 3.06 to 6.58 in the ERA category.
The Yanks were also outmanaged.
New York was the highest-scoring team in baseball this year and had the third-most home runs, but Joe Girardi’s resistance to using small ball sent the Bombers into offensive droughts when the homers stopped coming.
The Yankees ranked just eighth in the American League in steals and sac flies and 11th in sacrifice hits.
The downfall of station-to-station baseball was never more evident than in the ALCS, when the Rangers stole nine bases and laid down three sacrifice bunts, while the Yanks stole only two bags and had just one sac bunt.
But Girardi’s biggest blunder came when he pulled Phil Hughes during the fifth inning of Game 6. The right-hander had just surrendered a two-run double to Vladimir Guerrero, but he was still pitching well.
At the time he was taken out, Hughes had allowed three runs on four hits and two unintentional walks with three strikeouts over 4.2 frames.
He had thrown only 83 pitches and retired 12 of the previous 18 batters he had faced, with two of those six men reaching via intentional walks.
This was a complete panic move by Girardi, who bought into the myth that you have to immediately pull your starter at the first sign of trouble in an elimination game.
So with the season on the line and 16 outs for the bullpen to get, did the manager go to Mariano Rivera (who he had been saving all series allegedly for this very spot) or Kerry Wood or even CC Sabathia? No, he went to David Robertson, who yielded five runs in one-third of an inning in Game 3.
Girardi brought the right-hander in to face Nelson Cruz, who smacked a two-run single off Robertson in Game 3, and the outfielder quickly put Game 6 on ice with a 425-foot two-run blast.
What’s even more confounding is that the skipper brought in Wood to pitch the sixth. If Wood is allowed to pitch as early as the sixth and he’s been better than Robertson over the prior two months, why not bring in Wood in the fifth?
Because that’s not allowed.
Managers must follow a strict regimen that dictates that you have to bring in your middle reliever first, then your setup man, and then your closer, even if your season is on the line in the fifth inning, not the ninth.
This is why, despite Girardi’s bonehead decision, I’m not calling for his head. Because, after all, who would replace him?
Joe Torre made the same mistakes, so I was excited when Girardi, a small ball manager with the Marlins, came over to replace him. But the new Joe fell into the same patterns as the old one.
There are only a few managers in baseball these days that have the guts to think outside the box, and since Joe Maddon, Mike Scioscia and Ozzie Guillen are all currently employed, the Yankees can’t really do anything but bring Girardi back. After all, he did help lead the team to a World Series title last year.
You just have to hope he learns from his mistakes.
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison. Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and authorhouse.com. Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
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Despite winning a World Series last fall, Yankees GM Brian Cashman kept busy over the winter.
He acquired Curtis Granderson in a three-team deal that sent top outfield prospect Austin Jackson to Detroit along with lefty reliever Phil Coke, as well as starter Ian Kennedy to Arizona.
If not for Granderson’s late-season surge that came thanks to hitting coach Kevin Long, this deal would’ve been a complete disaster. Instead, it’s almost a push.
The outfielder finished the year hitting just .247 and continued to struggle against lefties, posting a meager .234 average, but he did provide some power with 24 homers and stole 12 of 14 bases. That number would have been higher, however, had his on-base percentage been better than .324.
Granderson shined the most in the playoffs, when he led the team with a .357 average.
Jackson, meanwhile, is the favorite to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award after hitting .293, scoring 103 runs, collecting 34 doubles and 10 triples and swiping 27 bags thanks to a .345 OBP.
All of those numbers were better than Granderson’s and Jackson is six years younger, so I’d definitely rather have Jackson on my team.
Coke (3.76 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) had a mediocre year, but Kennedy had a pretty good one, posting a 3.80 ERA in 32 starts.
Granderson trade: C-
Acquiring Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan from the Braves for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino would have graded an “F” if not for Logan’s good year and Cabrera’s terrible one.
As expected, Vazquez was even worse than in his last stint with the Yankees. He went 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA and was even less impressive against winning teams, going 5-6 and 6.22. The right-hander was so bad that despite earning $11.5 million this year, he was left off the postseason roster. Kennedy would have been a better No. 5 starter.
The unlikely gem in this deal was Logan, who posted a 2.93 ERA and held lefties to a .190 average, far better than the .273 left-handers hit off Coke.
Cabrera, meanwhile, was recently released by Atlanta after hitting .255/317/.354 with just four homers and 42 RBI in 147 games.
Dunn, on the other hand, gave the Braves 19 serviceable innings after being called up in mid-July. His 1.68 WHIP was way too high because of 17 walks, but he struck out 27 and posted a 1.89 ERA.
Vizcaino could turn out to be the best player in this trade after going 9-4 with a 2.74 ERA in Class A and A+ ball this year.
If you just look at the main pieces in this deal, you could call it pretty even because neither side improved much from it. But the Yankees were definitely hurt more.
Vazquez was supposed to be an innings-eater for New York, but he pitched only 157 1/3 frames and just 10 of his 26 starts were quality outings.
You know who had a better ratio than that last year? Joba Chamberlain. He made 11 quality starts over his first 20 outings in 2009, posting a 7-2 record and a 3.58 ERA before the Yankees began deconstructing him as a pitcher.
Chamberlain was the biggest loser in the Vazquez acquisition because he lost the starter’s spot that he was promised and deserved.
And I promise you, he would’ve gone better than 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA.
Vazquez trade: D+
Cashman chose not to re-sign 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and championship contributor Johnny Damon, instead inking Nick Johnson to be the full-time DH and trusting Brett Gardner to take over in left field, while signing Randy Winn to back him up.
I didn’t want to let Matsui go, but once he was gone, I was pleased with the Johnson signing because he has a lifetime .401 on-base percentage. But Johnson’s Achilles’ heel—injuries—reared its ugly head again: the DH hit just .167 before being lost for the season after only 24 games.
Godzilla, meanwhile, barely slowed down at all. His .274 average with the Angels was exactly the same as his mark with the Yanks last year, and his .361 OBP, 21 homers and 84 RBI were only slightly below his ’09 numbers.
Trusting Brett Gardner proved to be the best thing Cashman did this past off-season. The outfielder had a career year, hitting .277 with a .383 OBP and 47 steals in 56 attempts.
Damon played well for the Tigers, batting .271, getting on base 35.5 percent of the time and swiping 11 of 12 bags, but the Yankees definitely got younger and saved some money with this exchange.
Winn, on the other hand, was a complete bust, hitting just .213 in 61 at-bats before being released and signing with the Cardinals.
New DH: F
New LF: B+
Cashman didn’t make a big splash at the trade deadline, but he actually helped the team more with these little moves than he did with the larger ones in the off-season.
The Yankees didn’t have to give up much to get Kerry Wood, Lance Berkman, and Austin Kearns, so whatever they got out of them would prove to make the deals valuable.
New York got the most out of Wood, who allowed just two earned runs on 14 hits over 26 regular-season innings (0.69 ERA), before contributing again with a 2.25 mark in eight playoff frames.
Berkman struggled when he first came over from the Astros, but he turned things around and proved to be a worthy DH against right-handed pitchers. He hit .303 in September and slugged .688 in the postseason.
Kearns was a bust, hitting just .235 in 36 games.
But you also have to look at what Cashman didn’t do at the deadline. The Yankees really needed starting pitching help, and while I understand his reluctance to part with more big prospects for a guy like Cliff Lee when you can just sign him as a free-agent this winter, Cashman could have nabbed a second-tier hurler like Ted Lilly.
Trade Deadline: A-
Overall, I’d give Cashman a C-. He did well at the deadline, but all of his moves over the winter came under the heading of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison. Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com. Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
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A.J. Burnett was pitching well until Bengie Molina sent the first pitch he saw in the sixth inning into the left field seats for a three-run homer and a 5-3 lead, one the Rangers would never relinquish en route to a 10-3 victory in Game 4 and a 3-1 American League Championship Series lead.
I don’t have any problem with manager Joe Girardi leaving Burnett in to face Molina. After all, up to that point, the right-hander had allowed just two runs on five hits over five-and-two-thirds innings and had thrown fewer than 100 pitches. Is that really a line that screams “take him out?”
He just made a bad pitch.
However, the decision to intentionally walk David Murphy right before Molina is somewhat curious. It’s certainly not the worst move Girardi has ever made, but why put the go-ahead run on base for a guy who has killed the Yankees over the years and was 2-for-6 (.333) lifetime off Burnett, including a single in the previous inning?
Murphy was 0-for-1 on the night and 5-for-18 (.278) in his career against the Yankees starter, and if he hits a homer there, it’s only a one-run deficit instead of two.
But Girardi’s decision making and Burnett’s bad pitch to Molina weren’t the only reasons New York got blown out. The Yankees have scored just 11 runs in this series and once again failed in the clutch on Tuesday, going 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position while stranding eight runners.
Here are the grades from the Game 4 loss in the Bronx.
Joe Girardi, Manager: (C-) With runners on first and second and nobody out in the third, Ron Washington had Mitch Moreland lay down a sacrifice bunt. Yankees fans were probably aghast at such a move so early in a game, but it was the right call and led to the tying run being scored when the next batter, Elvis Andrus, grounded out to first. The bunt actually led to two runs because the next man, Michael Young, reached on an infield single when Alex Rodriguez double clutched and Molina scored.
With runners on first and second and nobody out in the fourth, the Yankees found themselves in the same situation. Up next was Nick Swisher, who is hitting .067 this series, but Girardi did not have him bunt. Instead, the right fielder struck out swinging and the baserunners could not advance. New York did scratch out a run that inning, but it could’ve been more if they had played small ball.
In the following frame, the Yanks found themselves in the same situation once again. This time, Mark Teixeira was up with two on and nobody out. Well, you can’t have Teixeira bunt. Or can you? If David Ortiz can lay one down once in a while, certainly Teixeira can, especially if he enters the at-bat 0-for-13 in the series. Instead, the first baseman grounded into a forceout at third, got injured on the play and A-Rod followed with an inning-ending double play.
I’ve written this countless times, but it bears repeating: If your offense is struggling, isn’t it a good idea to try to score by using bunts, steals and hit-and-runs instead of just sitting back and waiting for a three-run homer all the time?
The Yankees have put 41 men on base during this series and have stolen just one bag and laid down no successful sac bunts. The Rangers, on the other hand, have seven steals and three sac bunts.
Derek Jeter, SS: (A) The captain doubled, tripled and scored a run.
Curtis Granderson, CF: (A-) Granderson drove in a run with an infield single in the third and walked twice.
Mark Teixeira, 1B: (D-) Teixeira went 0-for-3 with a strikeout but did make a nice pick on Andrus’ RBI grounder to first in the third. He strained his right hamstring running down the first-base line in the fifth and will probably be lost for the remainder of the postseason. Girardi indicated after the game that the team will probably call up Eduardo Nunez. Despite Teixeira’s struggles at the plate, this is obviously a tremendous loss for an offense that has been sputtering.
Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (C) A-Rod went 0-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a run scored. After a tremendous postseason last year, Rodriguez is just 5-for-31 (.161) during these playoffs.
Robinson Cano, 2B: (A+) Cano has been the only bright spot for the Yankees in the ALCS. In the second inning, he hit his third homer of the series, a controversial shot that appeared to land over the wall; however, fans did make contact with right fielder Nelson Cruz’s glove. Either way, it’s ludicrous that the play was not reviewed.
Nick Swisher, RF-1B: (F) Swisher went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and is now 11-for-74 (.149) over the past two postseasons.
Lance Berkman, DH: (C) Berkman singled and struck out in four at-bats. He also missed a home run by the slimmest of margins when his second-inning drive barely missed the right-field foul pole and was correctly reversed to be called a foul ball upon review.
Brett Gardner, LF: (C+) Gardner was 1-for-4 and knocked in a run with a forceout in the fourth.
Francisco Cervelli, C: (D) Cervelli correctly got the start because Burnett has far better numbers throwing to Cervelli than Jorge Posada. Cervelli was 0-for-2 at the plate and 0-for-2 throwing out base stealers.
Marcus Thames, PR-RF: (INC) Thames pinch-ran for Teixeira and struck out in his only at-bat.
Jorge Posada, PH-C: (INC) Posada pinch-hit for Cervelli in the seventh and struck out. He finished 0-for-2.
A.J. Burnett, SP: (D) Burnett was turning in a B+ effort until that one bad pitch to Molina, but five runs over six innings isn’t going to get the job done. It was still the correct decision to start Burnett in this game instead of forcing CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte to pitch on three days’ rest before Sabathia would have to do it again in a possible Game 7.
David Robertson, RP: (B+) Over the past two nights, Robertson has faced nine batters and Mariano Rivera has faced none.
Boone Logan, RP: (F) Logan’s only job is to get Josh Hamilton out. Hamilton doubled off him in Game 3 and homered off him in Game 4.
Joba Chamberlain, RP: (F) These are the guys people wanted Girardi to bring in for Burnett in the sixth?
Sergio Mitre, RP: (F) It’s a good thing Girardi didn’t have Rivera pitch the ninth inning of Game 3, so that he could pitch two innings in Game 4.
Yankees Overall Grade: (D) The Yanks have reached the point they didn’t want to reach. They now know that they must beat Cliff Lee in order to win the ALCS. But let’s take it one game at a time. New York should be able to extend the series with its best pitcher on the mound Wednesday, and then it needs its lineup to come alive in support of Hughes in Game 6. It ain’t over til it’s over, but the Yankees must start hitting.
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison. Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com. Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Things have gone exactly to plan for the Yankees so far this postseason.
New York tanked the American League East so it could face the whipping boy Twins instead of Cliff Lee and the Rangers, and what happened?
The Bombers once again easily dispatched of Minnesota in three games, while the AL East champion Rays were taken to the limit before being eliminated thanks to Lee’s second dominating performance in the AL Division Series.
Now, not only do the Yanks avoid playing pesky Tampa Bay, which took 10 of 18 from New York this season, but they get to square off against the Rangers, whom they have beaten nine out of 10 times in their previous three playoff encounters in the 1990s. Not only that, but the Pinstripes won’t have to face Lee until Game 3.
The only negative is that New York doesn’t have home-field advantage and went 1-4 in Arlington this season, including an excruciating three-game sweep in September. Then again, Texas has never won a home playoff game.
So how do these two clubs match up? Let’s take a look at the pitchers for the AL Championship Series.
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 15: CC Sabathia (21-7, 3.18) vs. C.J. Wilson (15-8, 3.35)
Sabathia turned in the worst performance of the Yankees’ starters in the ALDS, but still earned the win, allowing four runs (three earned) over six innings in Game 1.
The defending ALCS MVP was 10-5 with a 3.34 ERA on the road in 2010, and he dominated the Rangers at home on April 16, yielding just one run on three hits and no walks with nine strikeouts through six frames to earn the 5-1 victory.
The big lefty is 8-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 14 career starts against Texas, including a 4-2 record and 4.71 mark over six outings in Arlington.
The current Rangers roster hits just .188 off Sabathia, with Michael Young (12-for-38, .316) sporting the only average above .261. Vladimir Guerrero is 3-for-17 (.176) and Bengie Molina is 1-for-19 (.053).
The southpaw is 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA in six playoff starts with the Yankees.
In his postseason debut, Wilson walked just two batters over 6.1 scoreless innings to beat the Rays, 6-0, in Game 2, but the left-hander led the league with 93 bases on balls this year, so he could run into some trouble against the patient New York lineup.
The 29 year old made three starts vs. the Bombers this season, going 0-1 with a 5.65 ERA and walking nine in 14.1 innings. The converted reliever is 0-3 with a 4.12 mark in 20 appearances against the Yanks.
Marcus Thames will certainly get the start at DH in Game 1 because he leads the club with a .455 average (5-for-11) vs. Wilson. Derek Jeter is 5-for-14 (.357) and Nick Swisher is 6-for-20 (.300) with three doubles and a homer.
Austin Kearns is 3-for-7 (.429) with a double and a walk against Wilson, but I don’t see him getting the nod over Curtis Granderson (0-for-6) or Brett Gardner (0-for-5).
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 16: Phil Hughes (18-8, 4.19) vs. Colby Lewis (12-13, 3.72)
Hughes pitched just one scoreless inning against the Rangers this season, but the decision to start him in Game 2 over Andy Pettitte was the correct one because the right-hander was 7-4 with a 3.47 ERA on the road in 2010, and he’s surrendered just three hits and four walks with 13 strikeouts over 15.1 scoreless frames in his career against Texas, with all of that work coming in Arlington.
The Rangers’ current roster hits a paltry .079 (3-for-38) vs. Hughes, who gave up only four hits and one walk to go along with six K’s over seven scoreless innings in a Game 3 win over the Twins.
Josh Hamilton doubled in three at-bats against the 24 year old, but Young, Jorge Cantu, Ian Kinsler, Jeff Francoeur, David Murphy and Elvis Andrus are a combined 0-for-25.
Hughes allowed one run on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts over 2.2 innings in three relief appearances during last year’s ALCS.
Lewis didn’t receive a great deal of run or bullpen support this season and that was once again the case when, in his postseason debut, he fired five scoreless innings in Game 3 against the Rays, but took a no-decision as the Rangers fell, 6-3.
The right-hander was 6-4 with a 3.41 ERA at home this year, but did not face the Yankees. He is 0-2 with a 6.89 ERA in three career starts vs. New York, but because Lewis was out of the majors from 2008-09, only three current Bombers have recorded official at-bats against him.
Jeter is 3-for-5 (.600) with two homers, but Jorge Posada is 0-for-6. Lance Berkman is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see him sit against a righty.
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 18: Andy Pettitte (11-3, 3.28) vs. Cliff Lee (12-9, 3.18)
All of the questions surrounding Pettitte’s ability to pitch well in the postseason following his return from the disabled list were answered when the veteran held the Twins to just two runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings of Game 2.
The left-hander allowed just two runs on four hits in eight innings to beat the Rangers, 5-2, at home on April 18, but he is 11-9 with a 5.24 ERA in 23 career starts against Texas, including an 8.22 mark in Arlington, so it made sense to push Pettitte back to Game 3 in the Bronx.
The current Rangers roster hits .310 off the 38 year old. Francoeur is 5-for-8 (.625) with a double and a homer, Murphy is 4-for-11 (.364) and Vlad is 9-for-26 (.346).
Kinsler, however, has a rough time against Pettitte, going 3-for-14 (.214), as does Nelson Cruz, who is 1-for-11 (.091).
The southpaw is 19-9 with a 3.87 ERA in the playoffs, including a 7-1 mark in the ALCS, so despite his struggles vs. Texas and at Rangers Ballpark, most Yankees fans would be pleased to have him start a possible Game 7.
New York doesn’t want it to get that far, though, because the prospects of facing Lee in a decisive game are not favorable. Just ask the Rays.
The left-hander, who led the league with a 1.00 WHIP and seven complete games this season, held Tampa Bay to just one run over seven innings in Game 1 and one run through nine frames in Game 5. He struck out a total of 21 batters and didn’t issue a single walk in the two starts.
Lee was 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA in three outings against the Bombers in 2010, but is 6-4 with a 4.42 in 12 career regular season starts vs. New York, including a 2-0 record and 2.40 mark at the new Yankee Stadium.
The 32 year old went 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in last year’s World Series, so the Bombers have to win one of the first two games in Arlington and definitely cannot allow this ALCS to go the distance.
Jeter should have a good series, as he is 15-for-36 (.417) with four doubles and a triple against Lee, and Mark Teixeira is 10-for-30 (.333) with five doubles and a homer.
Just like in Game 2, I’d throw the natural matchups out the window and start Berkman (3-for-8, .375, 2 2B) over Thames (7-for-36, .194, 15 K’s).
Game 4: A.J. Burnett (10-15, 5.26) vs. Tommy Hunter (13-4, 3.73)
I agree with starting Burnett in Game 4 because you can’t ask Sabathia to start on three days’ rest in back-to-back starts (assuming he’d also pitch Game 7) and then expect him to pitch two or three more times in the World Series. The only way I’d change my mind is if the Yankees were down 3-0 in the ALCS.
The right-hander went 1-7 with a 6.61 ERA over the final two months of the season, but he was 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three starts against the Rangers and sported a more reasonable 4.59 mark at home.
Burnett is 4-3 with a 3.66 ERA in his career vs. Texas, and the current roster hits just .207 off him, with no one other than Matt Treanor (1-for-1) batting over .300.
Guerrero is 12-for-50 (.240) with 12 strikeouts and Cruz is 2-for-14 (.143) with eight K’s, so this could just be the perfect matchup for Burnett, who made three great starts and two terrible ones in last year’s playoffs.
Hunter was pitching pretty well, allowing three runs (two earned) with seven strikeouts and no walks over four innings, before manager Ron Washington decided to pull him from Game 4 of the ALDS, which the Rangers eventually lost, 5-2.
The right-hander yielded two runs in five frames at home against the Yankees on Sept. 11, but he went 6-4 with a 4.48 ERA on the road this season. He is 0-1 with a 6.75 in two career starts vs. New York and has never pitched in the Bronx.
The Bombers’ roster hits .364 off Hunter. Granderson is 4-for-6 (.667) with a homer and Berkman is 2-for-4 (.500). However, Alex Rodriguez, Swisher and Gardner are a combined 0-for-9.
Starting Francisco Cervelli in Game 4 makes sense because he is 1-for-1 with an RBI and a walk against Hunter, and Burnett has a 4.66 ERA with Cervelli behind the plate as opposed to a 7.28 with Posada back there. In addition, Posada gets some rest with a Game 4 night affair being followed by a Game 5 afternoon start.
Prediction
The Yankees have favorable pitching matchups in the first two games, and while I don’t expect them to beat Lee, they even have a good matchup with Burnett against Hunter in Game 4. I’ll take the Yanks in 6 and Derek Jeter to go 10-for-24 (.417) en route to MVP honors.
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison. Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com. Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
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No matter what they say, over the final three-plus weeks of the season, the Yankees played as if they favored taking on the Twins in the first round of the playoffs over securing home-field advantage and having to play Cliff Lee and the Rangers.
New York (95-67) seems to have gotten what it wanted and will open up the best-of-five American League Division Series in Minnesota (95-67) on Wednesday night.
The Bombers have ousted the Twins from the ALDS three times since 2003, including last year’s sweep, and they took four out of six from the AL Central champs this year, winning two of three in the Bronx and at the new Target Field.
Minnesota is a highly capable offensive club, finishing second in baseball with a .341 on-base percentage, third with a .273 batting average and sixth in runs scored, but they will be missing the injured Justin Morneau.
The Twins’ pitching, however, is not as strong since they sport the 11th-best ERA at 3.95 and seventh-worst batting average against at .266, so this could be a high-scoring series.
Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups.
Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 6 – CC Sabathia (21-7, 3.18) vs. Francisco Liriano (14-10, 3.62)
Cy Young candidate Sabathia gets the ball in Game 1 for the Yankees and that has to make Joe Girardi’s bunch feel good. The big lefty led the league in wins and is 13-8 with a 3.05 ERA in 28 career starts against the Twins.
He didn’t face them this year, so he has never pitched at Target Field, but he was 9-5 with a 3.48 in 17 outings at the Metrodome.
The Twins’ roster hits just .228 off Sabathia, with everyone other than Alexi Casilla and Denard Span sporting averages below .225.
Casilla is a ridiculous 9-for-13 (.692), but Span is only 1-for-3 (.333) and everyone else struggles. Michael Cuddyer is 11-for-52 (.212) with 11 strikeouts, Nick Punto is 6-for-36 (.167) and Joe Mauer is 5-for-23 (.217). Jim Thome is feast or famine against the southpaw, picking up just four hits in 27 at-bats (.148) with 14 strikeouts, but all four hits were home runs.
All five of Sabathia’s postseason outings last year were quality starts as he went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA. He allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits with no walks and eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings to beat the Twins, 7-2, in Game 1 of the ALDS.
Liriano closed the regular season with three straight losses, but he had a 3.46 ERA in two starts against the Yankees and went 7-5 with a 3.11 at home this year.
The left-hander, who finished fifth in the AL with 201 strikeouts, is 0-2 with a 3.12 mark in five career appearances (four starts) vs. New York, but he has never pitched in the playoffs.
Derek Jeter is 5-for-13 (.385) with a homer, Robinson Cano is 4-for-12 (.333) and Nick Swisher is 5-for-16 (.313) off Liriano.
But there is no middle ground against him; everyone on the Yanks either hits over .300 or under .200 off the southpaw. Mark Teixeira is 3-for-16 (.188) with eight strikeouts, Alex Rodriguez is 1-for-9 (.111) and Curtis Granderson is 4-for-22 (.182) with 12 K’s, but the way he’s been surging lately, I doubt Girardi sits him for Austin Kearns (2-for-5, .400).
Marcus Thames (5-for-14, .357, three homers), however, should definitely start at DH over Lance Berkman (0-for-3).
Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 7 – Andy Pettitte (11-3, 3.28) vs. Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.75)
Pettitte’s first start after returning from the disabled list was good, but he struggled in his next two against the Red Sox. Nevertheless, the Yankees had to be encouraged with his eight strikeouts in four innings on Saturday.
The veteran put up stellar numbers on the road (4-0, 2.56 ERA) and against the Twins (2-0, 1.26) this year. He held Minnesota to two runs on eight hits and no walks over eight frames in a 3-2 victory at Target Field on May 26. Pettitte is 11-5 with a 3.46 mark in 21 career starts vs. the Twins, but the current roster hits .290 off him.
Delmon Young is an astounding 11-for-19 (.579) with three doubles and Cuddyer is 7-for-18 (.389), but Thome is 6-for-28 (.214) with 10 strikeouts and J.J. Hardy is 1-for-15 (.067).
Pettitte was 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA during last year’s postseason, winning every clinching game, including a 4-1 victory over the Twins in the ALDS, when he yielded just one run on three hits with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.
Pavano made only seven starts during his last year with the Yankees in 2008. He led baseball with seven complete games this season. But the right-hander can really stick it to the Bombers, who he didn’t face this year, by beating them in Game 2.
The New Britain, Conn., native is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in four career starts against New York, and the current roster hits .267 off him.
Jeter is 4-for-10 (.400) with two doubles, but Swisher, Brett Gardner, Jorge Posada and Cano are a combined 2-for-19 (.105) with seven strikeouts.
This is a rematch of last year’s Game 3, when Pavano surrendered two runs on five hits and no walks with nine strikeouts in seven innings, but was outdueled by Pettitte. Pavano gave up both of the runs on solo shots by A-Rod and Posada.
Game 3: Saturday, Oct. 9 – Phil Hughes (18-8, 4.19) vs. Brian Duensing (10-3, 2.62)
The Yankees opted to go with Hughes in this game due to A.J. Burnett’s struggles of late, but this move comes with its own risks. After starting the year 10-1 with a 3.17 ERA, Hughes went 8-7 with a 5.07 over his last 18 appearances (16 starts). However, he did turn in quality starts against Tampa Bay and Boston in late September.
Then again, the right-hander also carried a 4.66 ERA at home this season, where this game will be played, and didn’t face the Twins at all this year. In his career against the Twins, Hughes has no record with a 3.68 ERA in three outings (one start).
Jason Kubel, Span and Young are a combined 5-for-10 (.500) off the 24-year-old, but Mauer is 0-for-3.
This will be Hughes’ first postseason start, but he is 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA in 11 relief appearances. He pitched two-thirds of an inning in each of the three games in the ALDS against Minnesota last year, turning in scoreless appearances in Games 1 and 3, but giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in Game 2.
Duensing, who has never pitched in the playoffs, made 39 relief appearances before being converted to a starter in late July. He went 7-2 with a 3.05 ERA in that role, but struggled in his final two starts.
The left-hander allowed two runs over four innings in three appearances out of the bullpen against the Yankees this year. In two outings at Yankee Stadium, he’s yielded one run in one inning.
Thames should get the start again because he is 3-for-6 (.500) with a double and a walk vs. Duensing. A-Rod, Swisher, Gardner, and Francisco Cervelli are a combined 0-for-8.
Game 4*: Sunday, Oct. 10 – Sabathia vs. Nick Blackburn (10-12, 5.42)
The Yankees made the smart choice by going with Sabathia on short rest in Game 4. He is 3-1 with a 1.01 ERA in four career regular-season starts on short rest and allowed just four runs over 14 2/3 innings (2.45 ERA) in two Yankees victories last postseason, working on short rest.
Burnett went 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in two starts against the Twins this year, but both of those came in May when he was pitching well. The right-hander is 1-7 with a 6.61 over the past two months.
The Twins have Blackburn lined up to pitch Game 4 in what would be his first postseason appearance. Despite a rough season, he won both of his starts against the Yankees, pitching to a 3.21 ERA. He is 2-1 with a 4.73 in six career starts vs. New York, including a 1-0 record and 4.30 mark in two starts at the new Yankee Stadium.
Teixeira is an obscene 10-for-13 (.769) with two doubles, a homer and six RBIs off the right-hander, while Jeter is 6-for-15 (.400) with four walks.
Rodriguez, however, is 3-for-15 (.200) with five strikeouts and Cano is 2-for-14 (.143).
Game 5*: Tuesday, Oct. 12 – Pettitte vs. Liriano
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .
Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.
Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
One of Bernie Williams’ most memorable conversations with the late George Steinbrenner had nothing to do with baseball.
About eight or nine years ago, the Yankees suspended their annual Family Day at the Stadium, an event during which the players were able to bring their children to play around on the field.
Williams’ wife, Waleska, was upset because the couple’s kids always looked forward to going, so the center fielder decided to take action. First, he went to manager Joe Torre, who told him the decision came from the top.
So he called The Boss.
“I don’t think he was expecting a call from me,” Williams, who is promoting MasterCard’s new Reserved by MasterCard program, told a group of six bloggers at a recent roundtable discussion in Midtown Manhattan.
“I said, ‘Mr. Steinbrenner, how you doing?’ He said, ‘Good. What can I do for you?’ I said, ‘Well, I heard that we’re not having Family Day this year, and I was wondering why we’re not having it because I know my kids are looking forward to it, and I’ve been one player that I don’t really ask for much, but I’d really like you to reconsider this decision because it’s really important for me and my family.’
“He said, ‘OK, I’ll get back to you on this.’ And I think it was because we won that day, he said, ‘OK, we’re going to have Family Day tomorrow.’ “
Williams felt he had earned the right to be honest with the owner, like during a more serious conversation with Steinbrenner a few years earlier.
In 1998, Williams helped lead New York to its second World Series title in three years, becoming the first player to capture a Gold Glove, batting title, and ring during the same campaign. After the season, the outfielder, who began his career with the Bombers in 1991, became a free agent.
“Being part of the Yankees for [eight] years, with no options of doing anything, not having the free will to decide my own destiny, I think I sort of owed it to myself to at least be able to explore the possibility to maybe just see what’s out there,” Williams explained.
The D-Backs, Tigers, and rival Red Sox were courting Williams, who thought it was pretty cool to be a part of the free market.
“But at the end of the day, I had been with the Yankees for such a long time—I was so used to the city, the system, my teammates—I was like deep down inside, I knew I just wanted to be a Yankee,” he said.
While the negotiations were ongoing between Williams’ agent and the organization, the player himself decided to call Steinbrenner from his home in Puerto Rico.
“‘I don’t think they’re getting it done the way I want to get it done,'” Williams told the owner. “‘I just want you to hear from me that I want to remain a Yankee and I want us to work this out,’ and he said, ‘What do you want?’ “
Williams explained to Steinbrenner that he desired a contract similar to the one Mike Piazza had at the time with the Mets. So the owner discussed it with his people and within a few hours, he returned with an offer that ended up being signed at seven years, $87.5 million. The five-time All-Star would win two more titles and play out the rest of his career in New York.
That tenure came to an end after the 2006 season, which the veteran had played under a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
The Yankees invited Williams to spring training in ’07, offering him the opportunity to earn a spot on the roster, but he wanted a guaranteed spot and turned down the invitation.
The lifetime .297 hitter hasn’t played in the big leagues since, but he has never officially retired.
“The first year or two, I was going through somewhat of an existential crisis,” Williams said about his life after baseball. “It takes some time to adjust and you have this possibility of maybe playing for another team, and you start missing the game. Going through the World Baseball Classic [in 2009], I was like, ‘I can do this again,’…but I sort of kept it open, I think maybe trying to fool myself into thinking that maybe one day I could come back. If it’s not this year, maybe next year I’ll definitely make it official.”
And maybe after that happens, Williams’ No. 51 will be hung in Monument Park next to the likes of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and former teammate Don Mattingly.
“I have no expectations as far as that goes. That’s their decision to make,” said the 1996 American League Championship Series MVP. “I have my experiences, the years that I’ve played with them, the World Series rings, the batting title, the Gold Gloves. Even though I left in not the best terms, I’m able to feel that I’m still part of this great organization…The number would be icing on the cake.”
Williams is keeping plenty busy away from the game of baseball. Last year, the classically trained guitarist released his second major album, Moving Forward, which earned him a Latin Grammy nomination.
The 42-year-old attended a performing arts high school, and always carried a guitar with him throughout his baseball career. During rain delays or after batting practice, he and ex-teammate Paul O’Neill, who plays drums, would retreat into the paint room at the old Yankee Stadium for their very own jam sessions.
“Even though my skill level may not be there, just to have the opportunity to [perform], to me, it is a blessing,” said Williams.
He’s being awfully humble because the San Juan native is probably the only person ever to win a World Series and have an album reach No. 2 on the U.S. jazz charts.
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .
Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.
Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
It only took six days for Joe Girardi to finally realize the Yankees needed to start winning games or they wouldn’t be going to the playoffs.
On Sept. 20, I wrote how there was a very real chance of Boston pulling within 4 1/2 games of New York with a sweep at Yankee Stadium and that Girardi needed to stop counting his chickens before they hatched by throwing Chad Gaudin and Jonathan Albaladejo into every game and continuing the farce of Phil Hughes’ innings limit.
The skipper finally wised up by allowing Hughes to start Sunday’s series finale against the Red Sox instead of spot starter du jour Dustin Moseley.
Hughes delivered six solid innings of one-run ball and the Yanks got a win they needed badly, despite Mariano Rivera’s third blown save in his last six opportunities.
Girardi even managed a good game, pinch-hitting and pinch-running at the right times and playing small ball with steals of third and bunts.
The result was New York’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot being cut to one, which means if it wins any of its final six games or if Boston loses any of its final seven, the Yankees are definitely in. Worst case scenario is a Wild Card tiebreaker with the Red Sox on Monday.
This doesn’t mean Girardi should begin resting starters again and forget about winning the division to lock up home-field advantage, but it does mean we can start taking a look at what the Bombers’ American League Division Series roster should be.
Lineup
SS Derek Jeter (1)
RF Nick Swisher (2)
1B Mark Teixeira (3)
3B Alex Rodriguez (4)
2B Robinson Cano (5)
C Jorge Posada (6)
CF Curtis Granderson (7)
DH Lance Berkman (8)
LF Brett Gardner (9)
Rotation
LHP CC Sabathia (10)—The big lefty will start Game One of the ALDS on Oct. 6th and the Yankees should use him again on short rest in a possible Game Four on Oct. 10th. That would line him up to start Game One of the AL Championship Series on full rest Oct. 15th.
LHP Andy Pettitte (11)—It doesn’t matter if the Yankees use back-to-back left-handed starters; it’s more important to have their two best guys pitch four of a possible five games.
Pettitte was certainly not as good in his last start against Boston as he was in his first outing back from the DL vs. Baltimore, but he’s had a great season and will have another chance to right himself in his final regular-season start Wednesday against Toronto. He would be able to pitch Game Five on normal rest and we’ve seen what Pettitte is capable of in decisive playoff games.
RHP A.J. Burnett (12)—Burnett has had a very inconsistent year, but he’s had a more stable 4.33 ERA over his first five starts this month. He is 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three outings against Texas this season and 1-0 with a 1.54 in two starts vs. Minnesota.
Bullpen
RHP Mariano Rivera (13)
RHP Phil Hughes (14)—Hughes has pitched well in his last two starts, but I’m sure the Yankees are shutting him down for the rest of the regular season, so I don’t know if I’d want him starting Game 3 of the ALDS on 12 days rest. He’s 1-2 with an 8.04 ERA this season on at least six days rest. Hughes hasn’t made a single start against the Twins or Rangers this year, but he’d definitely be an asset as an eighth-inning guy or a long man.
RHP Kerry Wood (15)—I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Wood’s performance since coming over to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline. He’s allowed just one run on 14 hits in 25 innings (0.36 ERA), but he needs to cut down his walks (15).
LHP Boone Logan (16)—Lefties are just .197/.291/.224 against him.
RHP David Robertson (17)—His 1.47 WHIP is way too high for a reliever, but he should be used when the Yanks need a strikeout because he has 67 in 57 1/3 innings.
RHP Joba Chamberlain (18)—The Twins’ roster is 6-for-27 (.222) off him, but Texas kills him (.391 avg). I’d seriously consider leaving him off the roster if the Yanks play the Rangers, but it’s looking like they’ll play Minnesota.
RHP Ivan Nova (19)—Hughes would be the primary long reliever, but Nova has proven he can hold a good team down for three or four innings much better than Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, Dustin Moseley, and Javier Vazquez.
RHP Sergio Mitre (20)—Mitre has somehow put together a 3.51 ERA and 1.15 WHIP this season, but I wouldn’t trust him in any situation other than a blowout. He allowed one run on four hits in five innings in his only appearance against the Twins, and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless vs. the Rangers.
Bench
DH Marcus Thames (21)—He’s hitting .300 against lefties, so he should start against southpaws or pinch-hit for Berkman or Granderson when a lefty reliever comes in late in a game.
C Francisco Cervelli (22)—Burnett has a 4.31 ERA in 23 starts with Cervelli behind the plate as opposed to a 7.28 mark in eight outings with Posada.
IF Eduardo Nunez (23)—Nunez is hitting .298 and has been successful in all five of his stolen base attempts.
OF Austin Kearns (24)—Kearns is hitting just .239 with the Yankees, but he can be used as an extra outfielder. He hits .286 against the Twins’ current staff and .290 vs. the Rangers.
IF Ramiro Pena (25)—He has stolen six out of seven bags.
Off the roster
RHP Javier Vazquez—He allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings in his only start against the Twins this year. Vazquez made two starts against the Rangers, giving up 10 runs on 14 hits over 9 1/3 innings (9.64 ERA). He has a 6.09 ERA since July 21st, so the Yanks should cut their losses on this deal.
RHP Chad Gaudin—He yielded a run on two hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings vs. Minnesota. Gaudin made two relief appearances against Texas, going 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. He’s surrendered 12 runs (nine earned) over his last 14 1/3 innings since Aug. 24 (5.65 ERA).
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .
Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.
Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Don’t tell Joe Girardi, but the Yankees haven’t clinched anything yet.
The sputtering Bombers, who have lost nine of their last 13, somehow still have the best record in baseball. But their lead entering their final four-game series with the second-place Rays is just half a game, so the American League East title and homefield advantage could very well be decided this week in the Bronx.
But there could be even more on the line for New York, who lead third-place Boston by just seven games with six head-to-head meetings coming up in the final two weekends of the season.
If the Yanks drop three of four to the Rays and the Red Sox sweep three at Fenway from the Orioles, the potential Wild Card lead would be down to 4 1/2 entering this Friday’s opener at the Stadium. At that point, the feisty Sox would pretty much control their own destiny.
The time for the Yankees to start winning is now. Nine of their last 12 games have been decided by one run, and they’re just 3-6 in those tight contests.
So what’s the problem?
It’s more than Mariano Rivera blowing two of his last four save opportunities. It’s the Bombers’ over reliance on homers and inability to tack on runs using small ball and situational hitting. It’s also due to Girardi’s obsession with resting players and treating the expanded 40-man roster like it’s a Little League team on which everyone must play.
Both problems were on display in Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Orioles.
In the top of the 11th, Girardi made the right move by pinch-hitting Marcus Thames for Ramiro Peña with a runner on third and nobody out. Thames failed to accomplish the seemingly simple task of hitting a fly ball and wound up striking out.
That’s when Buck Showalter took Girardi to school.
The Orioles intentionally walked Mark Teixeira, who entered as a pinch-hitter for Brett Gardner, and Derek Jeter to load the bases for Lance Berkman, forcing him to bat right-handed, a side of the plate from which he hits a stellar .173. Berkman, of course, grounded into an inning-ending double play and the Yanks went on to lose in the bottom half of the inning.
But the bigger question is why were Alex Rodriguez and Teixeira, two guys with a combined 212 RBIs, coming off the bench in the 11th inning? Shouldn’t perennial All-Stars be in the starting lineup this late in the season when their team is still playing for something?
If guys are healthy enough to pinch-hit, they should be healthy enough to start in a league that uses a designated hitter. And if you really feel the need to give one of them a day off, then don’t compound the problem by resting both of them on the same day.
Girardi has been doing this all month with A-Rod, Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Gardner and so it’s no surprise that the Yankees are averaging just 4.41 runs per game in September, after putting up 5.43 per game in the previous five months.
Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups for this huge four-game set with the Rays.
Monday, Sept. 20 – Ivan Nova (1-0, 4.30) vs. Matt Garza (14-8, 3.88)
With Andy Pettitte rejoining the rotation, the Yankees have opted to keep the rookie Nova as a starter ahead of Javier Vazquez, a guy they traded for this past offseason who is making $11.5 million. That should tell you how much of a failure that deal was.
Nova has pitched pretty well in his five starts, dominating the Rays over his first four innings last Tuesday before being touched up for six runs in the fifth.
Garza was just as bad in that game, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. He took a no-decision in New York’s 8-7 win in 10. The right-hander has served up six home runs in his last two outings against the Yanks and Red Sox.
He is 1-3 with a 4.11 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts) against the Bombers, including a 7.71 mark in two no-decisions this season. Garza had a 6.17 ERA at the old Yankee Stadium, but has surrendered just one earned run in 12 innings (0.75 ERA) at the new ballpark.
Jeter is 9-for-30 (.300) off him, Robinson Cano is 10-for-27 (.370) with two homers, A-Rod is 9-for-20 (.450) with two long balls and Swisher is 6-for-13 (.462) with three blasts. So they better all be in the lineup.
Girardi may sit Teixeira again, though, as he is just 2-for-18 (.111) against Garza. Gardner is 1-for-11 (.091) with six strikeouts and Berkman is 1-for-10 (.100).
This would be my lineup for the opener: Jeter SS, Swisher RF, Teixeira 1B, A-Rod 3B, Cano 2B, Curtis Granderson CF, Jorge Posada C, Austin Kearns DH, Gardner LF
Tuesday, Sept. 21 – Phil Hughes (16-8, 4.31) vs. James Shields (13-12, 4.86)
This is a rematch of Wednesday’s 4-3 win by the Rays, during which Hughes pitched well other than surrendering a pair of two-run homers to Dan Johnson.
The right-hander is now 0-2 with a 6.59 ERA in September and 0-2 with a 4.97 this year against Tampa Bay. He is 2-3 with a 4.55 mark in nine career appearances (four starts) vs. the Rays.
Carlos Peña and B.J. Upton are both 3-for-9 (.333) off Hughes with Peña adding two home runs. But Carl Crawford is just 2-for-11 (.182).
Shields took a no-decision last Wednesday despite yielding just one run and striking out eight over 6 1/3 innings.
They don’t call him “Big Game” James for no reason. He’s 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA in five starts against the Yankees this season, but just 11-12 with a 5.35 vs. everyone else.
In his career, however, the right-hander is 3-7 with an ERA of 4.69 in 14 outings against the Bombers, including a 2-3 record and 5.62 ERA in the Bronx.
Jeter (16-for-47, .340) and Cano (16-for-38, .421, .868 slugging) have killed Shields, but their teammates haven’t had as much luck.
Teixeira is just 6-for-31 (.194) with 13 strikeouts, Granderson is 2-for-29 (.069) with eight K’s and Gardner is 1-for-9 (.111).
This would be my lineup for the second game of the series: Jeter SS, Swisher RF, Teixeira 1B, A-Rod 3B, Cano 2B, Marcus Thames LF, Posada C, Berkman DH, Gardner CF
Wednesday, Sept. 22 – A.J. Burnett (10-13, 5.08) vs. Wade Davis (12-9, 4.19)
The Yankees have to like what they’ve been seeing out of Burnett lately, who has put together four pretty good starts in a row. In his last outing, he held the Orioles to three runs over seven innings and most importantly, issued just one walk for the first time since July 23.
The right-hander has struggled against the Rays this season, however, going 1-2 with a 6.89 ERA. He is 12-6 with a 3.16 ERA in his career vs. Tampa Bay.
Crawford (17-for-52, .327) and Evan Longoria (12-for-31, .387) hit Burnett well, but that’s about it. Upton is just 7-for-36 (.194) with 15 strikeouts and Peña is 5-for-35 (.143) with 13 K’s.
Davis has been on a tear since the All-Star break, posting a 6-0 record and a 3.24 ERA. In fact, he hasn’t lost since June. The right-hander’s success includes starts against the Yankees. He is 2-1 with an ERA of 3.86.
Once again, Jeter (5-for-12, .417) and Cano (5-for-11, .455) lead the charge against a Rays starter, but expect Rodriguez to join the party as he is 4-for-11 (.364) with two homers against Davis.
Teixeira (1-for-9, .111, 4 K’s) once again struggles, however, as does Swisher (1-for-7, .143).
This would be my lineup for the third game of the series: Gardner LF, Jeter SS, Teixeira 1B, A-Rod 3B, Cano 2B, Thames DH, Swisher RF, Cervelli C, Granderson CF
Thursday, Sept. 23 – CC Sabathia (20-6, 3.05) vs. David Price (17-6, 2.79)
When I purchased my tickets for this game in March, I had no idea I’d be seeing two Cy Young candidates battle for a division title, but I’m glad it turned out that way.
Sabathia picked up his career-high 20th victory in his last start against the Orioles, but it was what he did in his previous outing that really impressed Yankees fans.
The big lefty shutout the Rays on two hits over eight innings, but Price matched him pitch for pitch before Girardi lost his mind and sent out Sergio Mitre to serve up a game-winning homer to Reid Brignac in the 10th.
Sabathia has a tiny 1.84 ERA in four starts against the Rays this season, but he’s received little run support as shown by his 1-1 record in those matchups. He is 8-4 with a 2.90 mark in his career vs. Tampa Bay.
Ben Zobrist is 7-for-22 (.318) off Sabathia, Kelly Shoppach is 5-for-15 (.333) and Johnson is 5-for-9 (.556) with two doubles.
Peña, however, is 4-for-35 (.114) with 19 strikeouts and Rocco Baldelli is 6-for-26 (.231).
Price is 2-0 with a 1.55 ERA this month, but he hasn’t been as consistent against the Yankees. The left-hander is 1-1 with a 4.35 in three starts this year. He is 2-1 with a 3.22 mark against them in his career, including 0-1 with a 5.40 in three outings at the new Stadium.
New York’s roster hits just .174 off Price and the highest batting average belongs to Swisher at just .273 (3-for-11, HR). Not surprisingly, the lefty Granderson is 2-for-13 (.154) with six strikeouts, Teixeira is 2-for-15 (.133) and Posada is 1-for-15 (.067) with seven K’s.
This is really a game in which the Yankees will need to use small ball to score runs.
This would be my lineup for the finale: Jeter SS, Swisher RF, Teixeira 1B, A-Rod 3B, Cano 2B, Marcus Thames LF, Cervelli C, Eduardo Nunez DH, Gardner CF
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .
Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.
Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Before the Yankees‘ painful 1-0 loss to the Rays in 11 innings on Monday night, Manager Joe Girardi told MLB.com that “the division is important because everyone wants their home fans behind them as long as you can. We had it last year and it worked out very well for us. It’s important to us.”
He was obviously not telling the truth.
If you really feel that it’s important to win the American League East and secure home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs rather than sneak in as the Wild Card and have to play all your Game 1’s on the road, then you wouldn’t bring in Sergio Mitre to pitch the 11th inning of a scoreless game with first place on the line in mid-September rather than go to Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, or Joba Chamberlain.
Of course, Girardi did hand the ball to Mitre at this critical juncture and the right-hander promptly surrendered a game-winning homer to the first batter he faced, Reid Brignac, a guy who entered the at-bat with just six home runs in 132 career games.
The loss was the Yankees’ fourth in a row—the first time they had done that all year—and their seventh in the last eight games, dropping them a half-game back of the Rays.
Before bringing in Mitre, Girardi had already flirted with disaster by having Chad Gaudin (5.37 ERA) get the final two outs in the 10th. The right-hander walked two and gave up a hit, but eventually escaped a bases-loaded jam to delay the agony one more inning.
But that wasn’t the only way Girardi confused fans on Monday. Before the game, he said that Nick Swisher, who is dealing with a bone bruise on his left knee, would “probably not” be used. The right fielder was not in the starting lineup, replaced by Greg Golson, who went 0-for-2 to drop his average to .231, but Swisher later appeared as a pinch-hitter, grounding out on the eighth pitch he saw in the eighth inning.
I can understand if Swisher isn’t healthy enough to play the field, but if he’s healthy enough to pinch hit, isn’t he healthy enough to DH? Wouldn’t you want his .288 average and .515 slugging percentage in the game when you’ve scored just one run in the past 10 innings coming in?
The Yankees have now scored just one run in the last 21 innings and another reason why is because Girardi decided to sit Alex Rodriguez on Sunday against left-hander Cliff Lee, a guy A-Rod is 6-for-22 (.273) with two homers against.
And even when New York does get runners on base, Girardi often does very little to advance them. He did have Curtis Granderson bunt after Austin Kearns led off the 11th with a single, but he failed to put the bunt on when Kearns came to the plate in the eighth after Posada led off by reaching on an error. Kearns then grounded into a double play. I understand Posada is slow, but they could’ve pinch ran for him. Girardi loves pinch-running for A-Rod late in games, but he sticks with Posada there?
Finishing as the Wild Card might work out for the Yankees in the AL Division Series as it appears they’d get to play the Twins rather than the Rangers, and we know how much success New York has had against Minnesota in the postseason. But the Bombers are 49-25 at home and just 38-32 on the road, so don’t tell me that home-field advantage is not important.
And don’t lie to me about your desire to get it.
Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .
Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.
Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com