Dan Haren Dominates: Angels 6, Yankees 0

by Frank Campagnola on Sep 11, 2011 12:24 AM EDT in Game Recap

Dan Haren tossed a complete game shutout and CC Sabathia labored through six innings as the Yankees fell 6-0 to the Angels on Saturday night.

Haren turned in one of the best pitched games against the Yankees I've seen this season. Over nine shutout innings, he allowed just four hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out seven. At one point, he retired eighteen Yankees in a row.

You've got to give credit where credit is due, and Haren deserves all the credit in the world tonight. He commanded the strike zone, changed speeds effectively, and induced twelve groundouts to just three flyouts. He was truly dominant.

The Yankees' pitching could not measure up to Haren tonight, as Sabathia struggled over six innings. He consistently worked around trouble, surrendering one run on eight hits while walking four and striking out five. He didn't have his best stuff and certainly didn't have his best command, but Sabathia dealt with it and was effective enough to keep the Yankees in the ball game.

Hector Noesi could not minimize damage like Sabathia did, giving up four runs in just 2/3 of an inning, with the big blow coming in the form of a two run homer off the bat of Jeff Mathis. With the way Haren was dealing, a 5-0 seemed insurmountable, especially with a struggling Yankees lineup.

By the time George Kontos came in and served up a homer to Torii Hunter, the game was already out of reach.

The last four games haven't shown the best the Yankees have to offer, but at least the Red Sox lost again. Let's hope the Yankees right the ship soon.

Box Score.

Play of the Game: Maicer Izturis' RBI double (12%).

Thoughts and observations after the jump.

Jorge Posada appeared in his first game behind the plate since game six of the 2010 ALCS due to Russell Martin's thumb injury. He even threw a runner out at second base despite a high throw.
I know Hector Noesi got knocked around, but he still made some quality pitches. He got unlucky on a nice 0-2 slider off the plate that Mike Trout blooped into right for an RBI. Prior to that, he painted the corner with a 94 mph two seamer. If he gets Trout, that inning changes a lot.
You have to appreciate the way CC battled tonight. He needed 119 pitches to get through six innings, and to minimize the damage to just one run is impressive.
Eduardo Nunez didn't run out a line drive that was dropped, and in turn, ended up being a double play. He probably wouldn't have beaten the play anyway due to the fact that he hit it so hard, but he should still hustle.

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Comments

The worst part of these past two games were the two previous games against the Orioles

Getting shut down by Weaver and Haren is not something to get too frustrated about. They sure aren’t the pitchers you want to face when your offense is in a funk.

Usqueadbaugham! Anam muck an dhoul ! Did ye drink me doornail?

by Q-TDSK on Sep 11, 2011 12:28 AM EDT reply actions

I still hate the Wildcard

That is all!

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 12:29 AM EDT reply actions

I'm going to the game tomorrow

I hope they play better than they have the last few games…

by Yankees10 on Sep 11, 2011 12:30 AM EDT reply actions

Switched between this and the ND Michigan game.

Glad I didn’t witness it al.

Residing on the BEast coast.

by DCyanks21 on Sep 11, 2011 12:37 AM EDT reply actions

I hear ya!

(and stop calling me Al!)

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 12:38 AM EDT up reply actions

Offense can wake up anytime now

by lololol on Sep 11, 2011 12:44 AM EDT reply actions

Yup. I'm gonna' get nauseous if I hear the "blame" go to opposing pitching again. Did you see our

hitters’ at bats? John Lackey would be having his way with this line-up right now!

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 12:56 AM EDT up reply actions

I mean seriously

The Yankees offense should EASILY match up against McChumpnuggets like Weaver and Haren!

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Weaver and Haren were poor (by their standards) in their recent starts. And that Orioles

bullpen is not feared in the MLB as far as I’m aware.

Yankees offense ‘fixed’ all of that.

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 1:09 AM EDT up reply actions

If you go by that

Then Weaver and Haren were due for good games. Also, Proctor and Laffey are probably not feared in the MLB either.

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 1:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Haren has been pretty sloppy of late, but tonite he gets career shutout #5 in 253 starts?

Honestly though, I’m not going to argue Weaver and Haren’s bona fides…would love to have them both on the Yankees in a second. My only point is that our offense is not blameless in this, far from it. It’s not just that they’re not getting hits, its also how hapless they’ve looked during their at bats. They simply don’t look like they care, or at least not much…zero patience…some hilarious swings…no glaring at the ump on dubious calls…etc, etc.

Mebbe’ its just me but I’m sure I’ve seen a completely different approach to hitting from our starters.

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 1:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Shut outs mean nothing. Haren has been one of the best pitchers in the league for years now. severally underrated.

by lololol on Sep 11, 2011 1:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, it's called a slump.

Every offense in the majors goes through it at some point. Ours just happened to pick a bad time…or a good time if you consider the fact that the Red Sox have also lost the last 5 games.

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 1:49 AM EDT up reply actions

Last 4 but I know ti feels like more. You're always gonna' have 1 guy in a slump,

heck you might even have 2…even 3. But when it’s everybody (except that exuberant kid they called up), then at some point you’ve got to look at the manager…

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 1:54 AM EDT up reply actions

No, you really don't

You can blame Girardi for his piss poor bullpen choices the two previous nights, but he can’t just wave his magic Dickerson and tell the team to start hitting.

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions

I disagree. Managers can motivate, they can de-motivate or they can do neither.

I’ve got a view into which category Joe falls this week.

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 2:05 AM EDT up reply actions

That's absurd

But even if that were the case, something has to be on the line in order for them to be motivated with. They’re pretty much making the playoffs and I’d say close none of them are in danger of losing their job, and the ones that are were probably losing it at the end of the season anyway. So what is Girardi gonna do? High Five them a bit more? Promise them bikini models to wash their lockers after a win? Give them a fucking Scooby Snack?

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions

Really? Joe set the tone earlier this week.

He sent a message and the message read: “who cares”.

You don’t think that this rubs off on the team? Really?

I’ve seen teams turn it off (more in football than in b’ball) during the course of a single game because there seemed to be nothing more to be gained, only to find out that it was not so and that they were unable to turn it back on when needed.

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 2:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Hahahaha, so Girardi can just magically tell his players to start hitting?

It’s that simple? If that’s the case, they should never lose as long as he keeps them motivated enough with sunshine, lollipops and scooby snacks. It’s a goddamn slump. It happens at some point, every year, to every. fucking. team. It’s NOTHING new. Relax, take a deep breath, and get the fuck over it. It’s part of baseball. It’s why the playoffs are essentially a crapshoot. If the team goes into a slump in the playoffs, then that’s pretty much it.

If Girardi, or any manager, really could wave a magic wand and get a team out of a slump that easily, then they truly would be the greatest manager ever.

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 2:50 AM EDT up reply actions

A good manager would be shooting them up with steroids so they never go into slumps

The Savior has come, and he is glorious. #63

by Wraithpk on Sep 11, 2011 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Even then there are ups and downs

Usqueadbaugham! Anam muck an dhoul ! Did ye drink me doornail?

by Q-TDSK on Sep 11, 2011 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I like how you replied to that like it was a serious comment, lol

The Savior has come, and he is glorious. #63

by Wraithpk on Sep 12, 2011 2:23 AM EDT up reply actions

I think it's not at all a coincidence

That the only hitters that did anything were the ones that weren’t playing regularly. The team is sleep walking right now.

by lololol on Sep 11, 2011 12:58 AM EDT up reply actions

Joe has put this team to sleep. Now he's got about a week to wake it up.

It’s not just nice to go into the playoffs playing good baseball, it’s a necessity if you want to hang around long.

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 12:51 AM EDT reply actions

Not really

we played like shit in 2000 going in. Lost the last 7 games

by lololol on Sep 11, 2011 12:56 AM EDT up reply actions

That team had more than enough confidence to cruise into the play-offs. But in 2010 and 2009 we

saw 2 different Yankees finishes: the 2009 team finished strong in Sept., the 2010 team sucked late in the season.

There’s nothing empirical about any of this of course, but I think we could agree (?) that a part of winning/good pitching/good hitting has to do with being in the right mind-frame. Not seeing that right now, and that’s not something you can just turn on from one day to the next.

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually, we completely dominated the Twins in the ALDS. We lost the ALCS because the Rangers starting pitching owned us.

The Savior has come, and he is glorious. #63

by Wraithpk on Sep 11, 2011 1:28 AM EDT up reply actions

i was going to say this

Well no Teh Cliff Lee and Colby lewis is now back to earth.

by lololol on Sep 11, 2011 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Jerk had to come back down to Earth when I needed him not too!

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah remember those rangers fans in yankee stadium they were so annoying

by 2xtheBully on Sep 11, 2011 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions

We did. It was the Twins. Then came Texas and we continued to hit like we did in Sept

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions

This team needs to

eat some Wheaties, drink some folgers, and pray to Jesus to help right the ship. Good thing the sox are losing! Hopefully the Yanks will get em tomorrow. Oh and everyone needs to get healthy ASAP!

"Kick ass. pop champagne. And get some ho's"-Hideki Matsui

by Livestrong77nyy on Sep 11, 2011 12:53 AM EDT reply actions

This has been the week from fucking hell.

Midori yourself, douchebag.

by noonoo on Sep 11, 2011 1:15 AM EDT reply actions

Except for the Yankees, my week has actually been pretty decent

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions

It's been a longgggg week for me.

Midori yourself, douchebag.

by noonoo on Sep 11, 2011 1:34 AM EDT up reply actions

Oh, my week has been long

LoL, considering I’m still at work and will be here till 4AM, yeah it’s been long.

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Sep 11, 2011 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions

I see Romaine is on his way.

I hope he does not lettuce down.

by Briceratops on Sep 11, 2011 1:36 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

We are hurting right now

Bunch of players in varying degrees of pain.

Then there’s others (Gardner, Granderson, Tex), who are all under .200 in their last 40, 50 AB.

by PortlandYankee on Sep 11, 2011 1:56 AM EDT reply actions

Right now Jesus is probab wondering why he didn't stick with the team as the #4 hitter in April!

..oh, and Cano is probab not hitting much better than those guys in his last 40 is he?

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions

Robby's been fine (286 the last 14 days)

Gardner 162, A-Rod 174, Swish 200, Granderson 174, Jones 200.

by PortlandYankee on Sep 11, 2011 2:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Wow

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 2:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Looking at it, I guess Tex (300) was actually pretty good

Just not getting hits when he needed to

by PortlandYankee on Sep 11, 2011 2:13 AM EDT up reply actions

so Russell Martin AND Francisco Cervelli are hurt

and they go with Jorge Posada? Right.

by jetanumba2 on Sep 11, 2011 2:04 AM EDT reply actions

Montero was the DH

Was CC supposed to hit?

by PortlandYankee on Sep 11, 2011 2:06 AM EDT up reply actions

oh Martin came out in game?

what happened?

by jetanumba2 on Sep 11, 2011 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Hit in the thumb by a foul tip

Went for x-rays. Not sure what his status is, but can’t be good.

by PortlandYankee on Sep 11, 2011 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions

Probably not a smart move by Girardi

Given that he knew Cervelli was out

by PortlandYankee on Sep 11, 2011 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions

If we can’t hit the Angels pitching staff, how can we ever beat the Phillies? I know we’re not healthy, but we got owned these last 2 games.

Dwill/?/Josh Smith/Humphries/Superman

2012 NBA Champions

The biggest 14 year old Nets fan on the planet.

by i says on Sep 11, 2011 2:07 AM EDT reply actions

Weaver and Haren will do that

by jetanumba2 on Sep 11, 2011 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions

Don't forget the Orioles' bullpen

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions

And I'm outta here before they force me to change my ID to Cranky Yankee or sumptin' like that

Ted Williams' famous Red Sox farewell speech: "I consider myself the unluckiest man on the face of the Earth."

by The Yankees on Sep 11, 2011 2:13 AM EDT up reply actions

I wonder how if the schedule played a part

A day game with a night and day off for travel turns into two extra-inning day games in two different cities followed by a cross-country plane ride. Pretty brutal if you think about it. I don’t think a team-wide offensive slump should be a surprise given that.

Only one day off the rest of the season but it comes next week. We can use one, methinks…

by NYCNative on Sep 11, 2011 2:29 AM EDT reply actions