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Red Sox dominance has Yanks and fans in denial
BOSTON – With each passing Red Sox win, I began to hear some very odd comments from several Yankee players.
At the same time, there started to be a segment of Yankee fans that also began to seem as if they had either overdosed on intelligence pills or exceeded their serving of “Idiot Juice”.
We’re not sure what exactly was in the mixture, but the potion has certainly begun to play tricks with the minds.
The new excuse…err…reason for the losing was summed up with a very strange word never before introduced to The Rivalry:
“Fluke.”
This became the newest justification for why the Red Sox were pitching a shutout against the Yankees.
A fluke? Really? Have we come to this?
Seriously? Can we come up with a better excuse?
It wasn’t anything about Boston possibly being better in any way (because they had nearly identical records). The fact New York mysteriously forgets how to field efficiently or run the bases intelligently only seems to appear when the Red Sox are the opponent. This is all before we address their get a the big hit (I bet the Yankees numbers with runners in scoring position – 11 for 82 for a tidy .134 – is probably all a fluke too) or get the big outs when the game is in the balance.
Nah. All a fluke. What you are seeing is all just imaginary.
When Boston made it eight straight wins over the Bombers in their unbelievable comeback from 3-1 down to eventual 4-3 winners, I began to wonder if the juice had officially began to make fans delusional.
Through conversations well fellow fans after last night’s defeat, it was as if several of them already had their ready-made talking points rebuttal reminiscent of a political party after one side makes a statement.
Upon saying that the Red Sox are a better team, one fan told me, “I would rather quit watching baseball than EVER say the Red Sox are a better team.”
This one was even better:
“Just because we are 0-8 against the Sox this year does not mean they are a better team.”
Huh?
I would suggest turning off the TV and finding another hobby. When you see the results are 0-8 considering these two teams are (supposedly) evenly matched. Also, unless you are a blind homer, suggesting the Yankees are better than the Red Sox is ignore all evidence of head-to-head play.
There was so much spinning, turning and eluding with their excuses and claims of “fluke,” that I almost led to believe some Yankees and their fans were auditioning for roles on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
There will not be another team on the schedule approaching the elite level of Boston. When eight straight times that same team is kicking your ass every which way and inventing new, creative ways to do it, perhaps that is a little alarming.
Sure, the team will go forward now for most of this summer, able to bully their way past these other junior varsity squads currently occupying the American and National League (Are you ready for the big tilt against the Nationals?). They will be able to rack up wins, using their offense and pitching (when not playing the Red Sox) makes it seem as if nothing is wrong.
Problem is it will be hollow
Is this team special? No.
Before the series, I suggested that this was their “exam”. Pass and it would provide a good barometer for where the rest of the year could go.
Unfortunately, they failed and did so drastically that they may as well play for the Long Island Ducks for the next two months if not through October.
Perhaps the Yankees are going to attempt to lose all 18 games in the regular season, meet them in the ALCS and lose the first three games, running the losing streak to 21 before rallying from behind to win the pennant.
The old saying in The Rivalry has been “everything evens out”. 
Why does it have to “even out”? Maybe, just maybe, the Red Sox are a better team. Only one time have the Yankees had a lead after six inning once in the eight games and have not a dependable reliever that Joe Girardi can trust the moment he pulls his starter no matter when it is.
The Yankees inability to get the “big hit” against them has been epic failure. When you face very good pitching, those numbers are almost to the expected.
You are not facing bums here.
Boston comes up with the big hit because the Yankees starters are unable to dominate these games. The bullpen is not good enough to hold them off for any long or short stretch when they need critical outs.
It’s not a mysteriously as to what is going on here.
As long as this continues, the chances of the Yankees beating the Red Sox are almost nil. The players and the fans may want to dance around it and deny it all they want.
If they feel like doing it, feel free. The Red Sox will continue to dance their way to more victories.
That is no fluke.
Sabathia, bullpen blow eighth inning lead, now 0-8 vs. Red Sox
BOSTON – In many ways, it was only fitting that the Yankees would leave Fenway Park this way.
Seven different ways the Red Sox had scripted out their method of beating them so far this season.
Make it eight.
Last night, Boston decided to go into the deep part of their “How to beat the Yankees” cookbook and pulled out another winning recipe that made the Bombers sick to their stomach.
Leading 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Yankees appeared to be on their way to removing the “donut” from the season scoreboard. They had their ace CC Sabathia, the man they paid $161 million to deliver his best game of the season. He needed three more outs to get the game to Mariano Rivera, or even complete the game himself.
It didn’t happen.
The Red Sox (36-24) rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning to win 4-3 and delivered the Yankees (34-26) their most disappointing loss of the season, dropping them to 0-8 against Boston. It was a night that saw all of their good play through the last month and in this game washed straight down the toilet.
It was a game that the Yankees looked at and believed they had a distinct advantage in the pitching matchup. They were giving the ball to their best pitcher (Sabathia) taking on Brad Penny, Boston’s number five starter.
Penny to his credit pitched the game of his season, aided partially by the Yankees idiocy on the base paths, and their continued inability to get the big hit with runners in scoring position. He was also able to take away Sabathia’s ability to pitch inside from the first inning.
With Derek Jeter on second base with one out and Alex Rodriguez at the plate, Penny drilled him with a pitch in his back.
It appeared Penny was intentionally trying to hit on the first pitch of the at bat, but missed. After throwing a strike at 1-0, he connected with Rodriguez’s back and the umpires issued warnings to both teams. Cano would fly out to end the threat.
The Yankees squandered another great opportunity in the next inning. After Nick Swisher doubled and Hideki Matsui walked, Melky Cabrera struck out. Francisco Cervelli then flew out in front of the Green Monster in left to Jason Bay. Problem though was Swisher was fooled by the trajectory of the ball and was unable to return to second before being doubled up. They would strand two more runners in the third when Cervelli grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.
Using his power fastball and painting the corners, Penny delivered his best performance of the season, dealing six shutout innings, allowing only six hits and striking out five in 117 pitches.
The Red Sox got on the board in the second inning when the suddenly hot (only when he sees the Yankees) David Ortiz drilled his second home run (fourth of the season) over the Green Monster to make it 1-0. 
Boston’s lead would hold up until the seventh inning. Penny had departed and Manny Delcarmen entered to protect the lead. After Cabrera singled to lead the inning off, Cervelli executed a perfect hit-and-run double into the left field corner that scored Cabrera to tie the game.
Johnny Damon would walk to continue the inning and with heavy rains set to pour, Rodriguez was at the plate with two out and chance to come through to give the Yankees the lead
Before the at-bat, the Yankees were an abominable 11 for 81 (.135) in the eight games (counting tonight) with men in scoring position against Boston. This time though, Rodriguez would drill a fastball off the wall in left center, driving home both runs and giving the team a 3-1 lead.
With the way Sabathia was pitching, it looked to be enough. He was pitching spectacular through the night through seven innings and at 105 pitches, he came out again to start the eighth.
From there, it would all unravel.
Sabathia gave up a leadoff single to Nick Green. Dustin Pedroia then worked a great at –bat, working a tremendous 10-pitch walk to put runners on first and second.
Girardi came to the mound to talk to his starter and left him in the game to pitch to J.D Drew. Drew singled sharply to center, scoring Green to make it 3-2.
It was the end of Sabathia’s night.
The rain continued to come down inside Fenway Park. But all Sabathia could do was watch from the dugout.
He was a spectator who had fought gallantly for seven innings, but with a rising pitch count, two hits given up with a walk in between, his stamina clock had reached midnight.
All of the great work he had done for the night was being washed away as Red Sox hits rained down on reliever Alfredo Aceves, who had been the best the Yankees had to offer from a bullpen hanging by chewing gum.
Aceves gave up a single to right by Kevin Youkilis to load the bases with no outs. Yankee killer Jason Bay singled on the first pitch to left to tie the game and move up the runners.
A win they thought they had was now wiped away.
The Red Sox would take the lead on Mike Lowell’s sacrifice fly. Drew tagged from third, but Brett Gardner’s throw was off, two hopped to the infield, not in enough time to throw him out and Boston now led 4-3.
Phil Coke came in to put out the fire from turning into an inferno. Though he held the team scoreless, it did not eliminate the fact that the team’s lack of quality bullpen people that shows the succinct difference between these two teams.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched a clean ninth inning, getting the final out when Mark Teixeira lined out to Youkilis.
Through eight games, the Red Sox have made it a clean sweep of the Yankees.
Dubious decisions by manager scratches heads
BOSTON – You try to, over the course of a baseball season, gain an insight to what a manager is thinking. Most times, you can figure out a pattern and know exactly what he is doing and why is doing it.
We are still trying to figure out what goes on inside Joe Girardi mind. Most times, he seems to be programmed like a computer, spitting out numbers, bar graph and pie charts as justifications for some of him managerial moves.
That computer inside Girardi’s head lately appears to have caught a serious virus that needs cleaning as soon as possible.
As the Yankees once again continue to run into the wall that is the Boston Red Sox (seven straight losses for those keeping score), slipping to the ground much like Charlie Brown would do upon attempting to kick a field goal, it is Girardi himself has to be looked at.
Whether some want to deny it or it, some of his decisions have directly played a role in the team’s latest installment of “Bloodied in Boston Part II”.
From the time he announced that Chien-Ming Wang was going to return to the rotation to start in last Thursday’s game against the Texas Rangers, warning signs arose.
All one had to do was look at the calendar, add up the days, and realize that this was going to line him up to pitch in Fenway Park against the Red Sox and then the finally of the Subway Series against the Mets.
The Yankees had called him up prematurely when Joba Chamberlain injured his knee in his start against the Baltimore Orioles. Instead of stretching out to increase stamina, he was back in the big leagues and used as insurance in the bullpen with the team having to find spots in a game where they can allow to “rehab” while getting Major League hitters out.
After three relatively solid outings, the team was convinced he was ready. At the same time, they already had a starter (Phil Hughes) who was improving as a starter and in no way was pitching himself out of the rotation. Wang was not 100% ready. Surely, the Yankees had to know this, but paid no mind and allowed him to be eventually slotted into the rotation that was going to pitch against the Red Sox.
Girardi caught a break with a rainout and allowed him to flip his rotation to take Wang out of opening the series in his personal Horror House. By doing that, he also swapped another one of his starters, Andy Pettitte, for A.J Burnett, who career wise was undefeated against Boston in his career only in numbers. The win-loss numbers did not reflect Burnett’s eight-run gag-fest in Fenway back in April.
So we had a situation where he was now starting a pitcher on seven days rest and had another pitcher who attempting to continue his “rehab”. Girardi’s computer must have told him this was a good thing.
Perhaps his computer was hacked.
With apparently “too much” rest, Burnett was awful. He was only able to last 2 2/3 innings with zero control and pull from the game by Girardi before embarrassing himself further.
After the game, Girardi took the blame for his putrid performance by saying that he put his pitcher in a disadvantageous situation by having rested beyond his normal routine.
Then why create a bad situation for him in the first place?
It made no sense. He obviously did not have any confidence in Pettitte pitching up there; otherwise, he would not have removed him and placed Burnett instead. Sure, the unfulfilled talented right-hander was likely a better matchup with his stuff for the Boston lineup, having him go on seven days rest invited this possibility for awfulness.
Before Wednesday’s game, he would admit that he did not know what to expect from Wang. They again put him on a pitch limit, which they would likely not have needed to do if he was rehabilitating properly.
True to form and to the surprise of no one except for Girardi himself, Wang was expectedly dreadful. Sure, his velocity increased up to his norms of 93, 94 and 95 MPH on his sinker, but it becomes irrelevant if he cannot put that pitch anywhere near the strike zone.
He did not have it. The Red Sox took their walks (four of them) and hammered the pitches that actually were in the strike zone. The result, Wang with a disastrous 2 2/3 innings (just like Burnett) and Girardi making that walk to the mound to removed his dispirited pitcher before he would continue proceeding to shatter his confidence further. 
You mean to tell me that they could not start him on Tuesday night next week against the Nationals at home when interleague would have seen him start three games against Washington, Florida, Atlanta and the Mets at Citi Field. These lineups possessing considerably less thump than facing Texas and Boston have. Why make that move?
It was a disaster made even worse when he would not commit to using him for what would be his next start on Tuesday at home.
Some of his minor moves during the game usually boggle the mind, but none more egregious that Girardi’s decision in the eighth on Wednesday of electing to bunt with no out trailing 6-5 and Brett Gardner on first.
Nick Swisher had led off the inning with a walk and Gardner came in to pinch run. Being the fastest runner on the team, you would rather have him attempt to steal rather than give up an out against a Red Sox bullpen that is statistically the best in baseball in a park (Fenway) that plays like a pinball machine and a team who will have the last at bat.
Instead, bunts with Melky Cabrera at the plate to move Gardner over, which was pointless because he was a fast runner to begin with. Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon proceeded to strike out to end the threat.
The Girardi computer must have had a full-blown malfunction.
He is a very intelligent man we are led to believe. There is never a moment where you do not hear about his engineering degree from Northwestern. This is not a guy with a head full of marbles.
This is all rational thought it appears. If it is, that is a troubling sign going forward.
Fix the computer Joe.
Blown chances, Wang’s blow up lead to another loss to Sawx
BOSTON – Try as they may, the results are ending up the same.
Perhaps this is all scripted like a movie or Vince McMahon is choreographing this as he does his wrestling matches, whatever it is, the Red Sox are continuing to come out victorious.
For the Yankees, the donut is still on the board and the script continues to have the same ending. They are now 0-7 against Boston, dropping a 6-5 decision at Fenway Park that can only have them wondering what exactly they have to do to finally get a win on the board.
Or, has it come to a point where the Red Sox are officially in the Yankees heads despite their own bull-headed denials?
Beating a team seven times in a row without dropping a defeat will do that to you, but it also makes it difficult when your starting pitcher again puts you at a significant disadvantage early in a game and is unable to escape the third inning.
The Yankees did not know what they were going to get from Chien-Ming Wang going into Wednesday night’s start.
They probably did not expect him to last as long as A.J Burnett did.
Looking to make strides coming off his performance against the Texas Rangers at home and pitching in a place that has been his personal place of horrors, Wang’s struggles continued in Boston, lasting the same 2 2/3 innings that Burnett threw on Tuesday.
While Wang had increased velocity on his pitches, throwing as hard as 95 MPH, he rarely had control of where the ball was going. This led to an elongated 69-pitch effort that saw him give up four runs, six hits and three walks before Joe Girardi had seen enough and took the ball.
Wang may be a two-time 19 game winner and former staff ace, but it is clear that being given “on the job” rehabilitation at the Major League level is not something that should have ever been attempted.
His problems began right at the start when with one out; he walked J.D Drew and Kevin Youkilis. Needing to get a double play, he induced a groundball off the bat of Jason Bay that unfortunately found a hole through the left side of the infield that scored Drew to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.
A walk to David Ortiz later in the inning followed to load the bases, but on his 29th pitch, Wang was able to get Mark Kotsay to groundout to second to end the frame.
In the second inning, Jorge Posada led off the inning with his ninth homerun of the season to tie the score 1-1. Boston would get the run back in the bottom half when Nick Green reached on an infield single and then score when catcher George Kottaras doubled to the right centerfield gap to make it 2-1. It would become 3-1 Boston when Dustin Pedroia's fly ball to right field near Pesky’s Pole mysteriously eluded the glove of right fielder Nick Swisher and bounced into the seats for a ground rule double. Mike Lowell would then homer on the first pitch of the third inning.
Phil Hughes would replace Wang with two outs in the inning and struck out Kottaras to end a potential threat after balking Green to second.
Melky Cabrera got the Yankees within 4-2 in the fourth inning when he singled home Hideki Matsui for their second run. However, this was quickly answered in the bottom half when Kevin Youkilis homered to the Red Sox bullpen in right center off Hughes to give Boston a 6-2 lead.
Hughes remained in the game through the bottom of the seventh, going 3 2/3 innings, yielding two runs (Youkilis’ homer) and two hits, while striking out five. His performance, as long as Wang continues to pitch poorly, will continue to leave the question open as to whether Hughes should be back in the starting rotation.
Robinson Cano made the score 6-3 in the fifth on a run scoring groundout. In the seventh, with starter Tim Wakefield gone and Ramon Ramirez in, the Yankees would rally to cut the deficit to one as Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back home runs to make it 6-5.
Teixeira was on fire, going 4-5 on the night with that home run, two doubles and a single.
Wakefield pitched six innings, only giving up three runs and eight hits, striking out two.
After Posada singled with two outs in the seventh, Ramirez was lifted for Hideki Okajima, who finished off the inning by striking out his fellow countryman Hideki Matsui.
He would remain in the game in the eighth inning and walked Nick Swisher to lead off. Swisher was replaced by Brett Gardner. After Cabrera sacrificed him over to second, Okajima proceed to strike out both Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon to end the threat. 
Jonathan Papelbon came on to close the game in the ninth. He was able to get Teixeira to ground out to Dustin Pedroia for the first out. Alex Rodriguez worked a walk and Ramiro Pena came into the game to pinch run. Pena stole second with Robinson Cano at the plate needing just a single to tie the game.
Cano would work the count to 2-2 before striking out on a high fastball out of the zone for the second out. Posada got the count to 3-2 before lifting a fly ball to left fielder Jason Bay, who made the catch in front of the Green Monster to seal another Red Sox victory.
Boston (35-24) is now in first place by a game over the Yankees (34-25) despite their 7-0 season series lead. They will attempt to go for the sweep tomorrow night when CC Sabathia starts for the Yanks, and Brad Penny gets the ball for the Red Sox.
By all accounts, if the Yankees cannot win tomorrow night, it is anyone's guess when they will beat their rivals.
Burnett’s yo-yo act in NY microcosm of career
BOSTON – Ok, so what exactly are the Yankees paying A.J Burnett for again?
Are they paying him to be the team’s official master of pie ceremonies or are they paying this man to win big ballgames?
If it were the former, than he would be a prime candidate for the CY Young and maybe possible MVP consideration.
If it is the latter, then we have a problem.
At last check, the five year, $82.5 million dollar contract that the team gave (more like overpaid) to him when he was a free agent was given with the belief that he would a solid rock in the rotation and a pitcher that has been a “Red Sox killer” of sorts over the last three years.
When you come to the Yankees, you throw the numbers out. Pitching in this environment and then pitching in The Rivalry is much different from whatever took place in Toronto the last three years.
Given the ball last night in Fenway Park to begin what to be the genesis of the team regaining their footing in this one sided season rivalry with Boston, Burnett was making one of those “big starts” the Yankees were paying him the big money for.
Instead, for the second time this season, Burnett laid another egg against the Red Sox in the team’s 7-0 loss that now continues the “donut” put up this season in the first six game of The Rivalry, continued his inconsistent pattern of starts this season that has marked his entire career.
For anyone to be truly stunned by what they are seeing from Burnett would be to ignoring the 32-year-old pitcher’s body of work through his stay in the big leagues.
He has always has incredible talent in that right arm of his, but has never been able to put it together. At his age, the percentages are very likely that he will never reach his full potential.
He had problems from the outset with his control. While he fell behind in counts, he escaped the first inning without giving up a run.
In the second inning, the same control problems resurfaced. His fastball was all over the plate. Deep counts continued and with the bullpen in peril going into the tonight, this was the last thing the Yankees wanted to see.
He had David Ortiz up in the count 0-2 before throwing two out of the zone. On the 2-2 pitch, he laid a fat cookie down the middle and it allowed even Ortiz, who had only two homeruns on the season, to crush the ball deep to the centerfield bleachers to make it 2-0.
Burnett, if not unraveling before, was now in full-blown meltdown mode.
This too is not a surprise. Such has been his reputation through his career. When things get rough, Burnett folds up. It happened in his last Fenway Park start when he was given a 6-0 lead before gagging it up and now it was happening again.
You were hoping that he would grind his way through the problems and compromise by using his other weapons in hopes that he could perhaps reclaim his fastball later on.
This did not happen.
He kept throwing fastballs, kept on missing and Red Sox hitters were more than willing to take their base. Five times Burnett walked a hitter. The final dagger of the night struck when little shortstop Nick Green doubled to left to make it 5-0.
84 pitches, 40 for strikes and all of it were unwatchable. 2 2/3 innings was all Girardi could take before making that slow walk to the mound to take the ball and send Burnett to the shower.
The Yankees were mesmerized by his performance against them last year along with the Red Sox that they incorrectly assumed that they were purchasing “that pitcher”. For $82.5 million, that would have been a good investment, but unfortunately, they are not getting “that pitcher”.
Instead, they have a pitcher saddled with an ERA just short of five (4.89 to be exact) and a question mark every time he takes mound. 
The question now becomes whether “Good A.J” or “Bad A.J” is going to show up.
This is not what the Yankees signed up for.
Burnett in essence is a victim of his own success against the Yankees and the team paid him based on that, apparently unaware of his performance against everyone else.
Breaking news alert: The rest of the league hit this pitcher last year. If you took away his starts against the Yankees and Red Sox, his ERA was exactly what it is now.
Perhaps no one should be surprised. For the next five years, they should get used to this.
Welcome to maddening, hair-pulling world that is and will be “The A.J Burnett Experience”.
It should be its own entertainment show.
Problem is, the Yankees are hoping for a happy ending, but they too would only be guessing.
For all that money, that’s a problem.
Yanks dominated again, fall to 0-6 against Sawx
BOSTON – One of these days, the Yankees are going to find a way to beat the Red Sox.
The date is to be determined.
It may have to be in Little League or in a Playstation or Xbox game for this to happen.
On the Major League level, it is the Red Sox wielding the hammer and no matter what the Yankees do, they are still finding themselves playing the role of nail, and a cut below their friends from Boston despite what the standings say.
They came into the series saying that wanted to send a message to their blood rivals. If last night was any indication, the only message that they sent was they are still chasing Boston.
For the sixth time this season, the Yankees fell to Red Sox. They entered Fenway Park just the way they left it back in April. This time falling decisively 7-0 to the Red Sox in another uninspiring, humiliating performance in this suddenly one sided version of The Rivalry.
It was a game that showed that despite all the strides made in the last month and the games made up on Boston, there is still a sizable gap between the two teams.
For AJ Burnett, the man brought in by the Yankees and paid a handsome $82.5 million to do so, once again proved to be a Fenway Flop.
Matched up with Red Sox ace Josh Beckett again, Burnett outdid his awful performance he had back on April 25 when he coughed up a 6-0 lead by following it up with last night’s 2 2/3 inning egg, allowing five runs, five hits and five walks in 84 painful to watch pitches.
For the man that loves to serenade his teammates with pies, it was Burnett himself who appeared to have whip cream in his eyes and had problems seeing where the strike zone was.
Trouble for Burnett began right at the start when he fell behind both the leadoff hitter Dustin Pedroia and J.D Drew with 3-0 and 2-0 counts. Though he recorded outs and pitched a scoreless first inning, it was obvious that he was having command problems, particularly with his fastball.
The second inning saw even more command problems. After walking Mike Lowell to lead off the inning, Burnett grooved a 2-2 fastball over the plate that David Ortiz crushed to centerfield for a two-run homer.
Later in the inning after a four pitch walk to Mark Kotsay (playing in place of Jacoby Ellsbury), Alex Rodriguez could not control a chopper hit by shortstop Nick Green who reached base. On an 0-2 pitch, J.D Drew cranked a double of the Green Monster in left field to drive in both runs to make it 4-0 as Burnett’s pitch count continued to rise.
It would mercifully end in the third as he hopelessly continued to aim his fastball that betrayed him on this night. He walked Lowell to lead off the inning, and after Kotsay singled to right, manager Joe Girardi (like the rest of us) had seen enough. Of his 84 pitches, only 40 were strikes.
The numbers for the Yankees “other” prized right-hander in The Rivalry are downright ugly. In two starts covering 7 2/3 innings, he’s allowed 13 runs, 13 hits and 8 walks, equating to an ERA of 11.43.
Meanwhile, Beckett did not have any such problems and cruised through the night. He was utterly dominant and in complete control, throwing six innings of one hit ball.
The Yankees did not get their first hit until the fourth inning when Robinson Cano reached on an infield single. Only one base runner (Mark Teixeira) reached second base in Beckett’s outing.
93 pitches was all it took for the Boston ace who is now 5-0 in his last seven starts with a 1.70 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. He had pinpoint control of all of his pitches, utilizing both his two and four seam fastballs along with his off speed pitches to stifle Yankee bats all night long.
Red Sox Manager Terry Francona felt very confident in the game that he chose not to bring him out for the seventh inning. Instead, he gave the final nine outs to statistically, the best bullpen in baseball.
The combination of Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez and Daniel Bard got the final nine outs; each pitcher throwing harder than the other. Bard came into the game in the ninth inning, blew Yankee hitters away with a fastball touching 98, and in the final at bat against Robinson Cano, reached 100 MPH.
Brett Tomko entered the game after Burnett departed in the third and held the game at 5-0. In the fourth, Lowell made it 6-0, driving home Kevin Youkilis who had singled to lead off the inning and then stole second base while Jason Bay was at the plate (Bay would later walk).
In a game where Mariano Rivera was not available due to pitching the last three days, he did not have to worry about moving from his seat in the bullpen. Tomko pitched 2 1/3 innings, followed up Jose Veras (two innings,) who allowed a solo home run to Nick Green in the seventh and David Robertson (one inning)
On the night, the Yankees managed only two hits. Despite sitting Hideki Matsui, the team fielded its full lineup for the first time against Boston and was unable to generate any type of offense.
Credit Beckett and the Red Sox for that.
Chien-Ming Wang takes the ball for the Yankees tomorrow night, while knuckleballer Tim Wakefield gets the start for the Red Sox.
After being punched by Sawx this season, Yanks looking to swing back
NEW YORK – The Yankees have played the Red Sox this season.
Five times, they have lost.
Five different ways, the Red Sox showed to the Yankees that they were the better team.
After awhile, it begins to gets into your head and you wonder if the team from The Bronx can beat the team from The Hub.
So here we are, “The Rivalry” back on again at Fenway Park starting Tuesday night, meeting for the last time before they take two months away from each to further shape their season.
This much is clear right now:
The Yankees and Red Sox are the two best teams in the American League.
If you want to take Texas and Detroit and count them in as legitimate contenders, do so at your own risk. Tampa Bay has played better than their record, but with a conga line of players on the disabled list and a bullpen that does not resemble their 2008 version.
After that, everyone else is no better than average at best.
This leaves the Yankees with only one true opponent for the season. While anything may happen in a short series with one of those other teams, the long range view is that this season is shaping to have a “real” October for the first time since 2004.
New York and Boston appear to be on a clear path to facing each other for a chance to go to the World Series.
However, there is still this lingering doubt as to whether the Yankees are better than the Red Sox. The first five games and subsequent losses have a left not only a stigma, but a bad taste. Losing four of five games would have not been tolerable, but going laying a “donut?”
Unacceptable.
Granted, Alex Rodriguez was not in the lineup, CC Sabathia did not pitch and both Josh Beckett and Jon Lester started four of the five games, but two, if not three of the games were there for the Yankees to win had they gotten either a big hit, big pitch or final out.
Since May 5, the Yankees have been a different team. Their starting rotation has slowly taken shape and it is clear that their lineup is the best in the league when fully healthy (which it is now). Cody Ransom, and Jose Molina are not in the lineup to take up space and add (lack of) mass. Replacing the two with Rodriguez and Posada and adding a now healthy and hot Mark Teixeira changes the entire equation.
It is in these three games the message has to be sent to Boston that the Yankees are going to be in their ass all season. The Red Sox may respect their long time rivals, but they know they can beat them at any time, in any place, anywhere.
For the last month, New York has been playing what would amount to “tune up” games in order to prepare themselves for this. They were struggling back then, had no direction as to where the season was going, and the “Girardi Watch” looked as if it was ready to make its return.
Of course, there was that part about me referring to the team as “bums” as well, but we will not get into that.
They have righted themselves and have shown themselves to be a tough, resilient group that has come from behind to win 20 times this season. All the pieces appear to be in place for a championship run except for the situation that exists in the bullpen where every night it appears Joe Girardi is playing a dangerous game of “Bullpen Roulette” whenever the pitcher’s name is calling for is not named “Aceves” or “Rivera”.
The bullpen is the only thing that separates these two teams and it appears that will be what decides these games between the Yankees and the Red Sox.
Starting tomorrow night, the pitchers have to make the Boston hitters uncomfortable. No more of watching the like of Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay digging in at the plate and taking their hacks.
So far, the Yanks haven’t found a way to get these guys out, with Bay becoming the new Manny Ramirez. While David Ortiz battles what is either a slump or him just being finished, the confidence that he used to come to the plate with has been passed on the other players.
At some point, this has to end. If that means backing them up and putting them on the ground, so be it.
If the Red Sox hitters and their teammates get upset? So be it.
If crowd gets rowdy and desperately begins to break out “Yankees Suck,” feel free.
The tenor of this rivalry has to change. Boston has in essence, “punked us,” and the response by the Yankees has been that of Boy Scouts, unwilling to fight back and get dirty if needed.
Here is where the genesis of this season starts.
This is where we see AJ Burnett atone for his bad game in Fenway in April when he was given a 6-0 lead and gagged it up.
This is where we see if CC Sabathia can let the Red Sox know that he is an official part of “The Rivalry”.
This is where we see this maligned bullpen finally step up to the challenge of getting big outs against the Red Sox big hitters late in these games.
Phil Coke, Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson and Phil Hughes, that message is for you.
This is where we also see the full composition of this lineup, finally intact, grind, wear down the Boston pitching, and force their starters out of the game and into the bullpen early.
Make no mistake; it is a big series for the Yankees.
This is their exam for the first half of the season. Pass it, and they can move on.
Fail it, and the Bombers will be looked at as paper tigers, able to beat up on those beneath them, but unable to handle the biggest boys on the block.
Let’s see which one they are.
