The Yanks just can't get it going and they are a very frustrating team to watch day in and day out. OK, Melky was safe at first base in the eighth inning which hurt a possible rally, but he's got to show a little patience when he comes up in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and two out. Soria was losing it again and he had just plunked the weak hitting Moeller of all people to load the bases just ahead of him. He then gets ahead in the count 1-0, but swings at the next pitch and grounds softly to first base to end the game. Hey Girardi, isn't there a sign for him to take a pitch? WTF?
Why was Mariano brought in anyway? It's a tie game and he's pitched twice in a row which means he's going to be unavailable to pitch against the A's Tuesday. Even though it was another scorcher at the stadium, Mussina only threw 89 pitches. Girardi could have let him go back out to start the ninth or give the ball to Edwar. Is he going to develop into a trusted arm or not?
That being said, on an 0-2 pitch, why wasn't the usual high fast ball not thrown there? Posada does it religiously. I remember a few years ago when Mo gave up a ninth inning HR in Cleveland, (might have been a grand slam) to beat Rivera on an 0-2 count and there was a lot of chatter about him not wasting pitches. Soon after, Posada started the old, 'stand up behind the plate routine' to make sure the pitch was out of the zone and Rivera got back in the groove. With no Posada, is Moeller incapably of calling that pitch? Throwing the ball inside opens him up to exactly what happened. The ball tails over the plate to the one player who has destroyed the team all series. It just boggles my mind.
The Yankees are in no position to keep wasting excellent performances by their starters.
- What a Difference a Strike Makes
Joba was a strike machine Sunday, throwing 78 pitches, 53 for strikes. Compare that with Tuesday's performance against Toronto. 62 pitches, 32 for strikes. Granted it was KC,and they aren't as patient at the plate, but in Joba's quest to be able to go deep into a game, he succeeded, And his fastball had much more life to it. He hit 98 mph on the gun in the fifth inning which answered the question of the day. Can Joba keep his velocity up as he throws more pitches and goes deeper into games? I think he answered that question and what was really impressive was that it was 95 degrees.
OK, I'll say it. Giese was nice. His change up really has very nice late movement.
The lineup is finally complete, but their cohesion as a unit rests on Posada's shoulder. If he goes down then the team is in serious trouble. He looks damn good right now so who do they call up to replace Chad's spot on the roster? They definitely need some speed to come off the bench.
When Veras throws a heavy dose of fastballs, he's much more effective. He was lights out on back to back days of work. Kind of like the anti-Farnsworth.