Giants Talk: Season of Redemption

After bad ’09, Giants seek to rebound

EAST RUTHERFORD – To say last season ended terrible was an understatement.

Going from where the Giants started last season to where they finished was the equivalent of dating Miss America and then ending up with Roseanne.

Such were the highs and lows of their season last year. One that began with plenty of promise when they were 5-0 dissolved in the middle of the year and eventually swept away at the end.

When it was all over last season in Minnesota, with the Vikings rubbing the Giants noses in it in much the same way other teams had done so during the season, the one hope that you had was that the team as a whole would take notice.

One person that took notice was the team’s principal co-owner, John Mara.

“I’m unhappy at everybody, Mara said after the Giants finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. “ It’s just not acceptable to perform like that. There are 8-8 seasons and there are 8-8 seasons, but this one felt a lot more like 2-14 to me.”

“I saw a lack of mental and physical toughness and quite frankly, a lack of effort over the last weeks (Carolina and Minnesota outscored the Giants a combined 83-16), Mara continued. That’s just something I never expected to see from this group of players.”

With that, Mara issued a challenge.

Losing, especially in the manner that team did last year was not going to stand. You get to do this for one year. Let it happen again, and serious changes will come.

The Giants built up too much equity over the past few years with their play that perhaps they spoiled themselves. When things got rough during their four game losing streak that effectively ended their season, they were defiant in saying that everything would be fine and they would correct problems.

Problem is, the problems continued.

They continued to the tune of statistically, the second worst Giants defense in the history of the franchise, allowing 427 points, and giving up 40 points or more five times.

Before the year, they built themselves up as a team free of holes. However, most of them did not find themselves on the practice field. The ones that did quickly found themselves in the trainer’s room shortly thereafter.

A team known for its power running game could never get on track from the outset. It would have its occasional moments, but fought inconsistency from Week 1. The inability to establish their strength compromised them in other areas. This forced Eli Manning into many more passing situations, and though he had his best statistical season, the Giants are never a better team when the team has to resort to “throwing first”.

Bad decisions, turnovers, poor special teams and the collapse of the defense all played a role in the team having a bad season. It is the reason most of them were not purged after the year, but instead, brought back to show that last season was an anomaly and this nucleus of team still had the same fire that made them champions just three seasons ago.

Most of the offense remains intact despite some of their imperfections last year.

The question that looms is whether the offensive line still possesses the same ability and strength to be a reestablished force.

Defensively, a franchise that prides itself on that side of the ball still has the talent to be dominant assuming they all can get on the field and perform.

Last year, Bill Sheridan took the fall for the player’s performance or lack thereof, replace by Perry Fewell, a man who worked with Coughlin back when he was in Jacksonville and was the defensive coordinator with Buffalo.

His task is to make this defense breathe fire again and restore what Coughlin calls “Giants Pride”, something that went away in an avalanche of points, poor execution, mindless decisions and uninspired play that led many to believe the team quit as the playoffs slipped away.

For the Giants, it starts with running the ball and playing defense, an old football axiom for success, but something they could not accomplish with the same proficiency in 2009.

Many of the faces from successful season’s past are still here.

The talent is here on this team to regain their status among the NFC’s elite.

Now, it is about putting back together what was broken a year ago.

It is time for this team to get to work.

Yankee Talk – The Jeter Question

Struggles by The Captain present future issues

NEW YORK – With each weak at-bat. With each softly hit ground ball or fly ball, you begin to wonder if you are watching the end.

You always expect Derek Jeter to come through in situations when the Yankees need a big hit, because, well, he has always done so throughout his career.

But as we have seen throughout the last two months going on three, more and more evidence continues to mount that perhaps we have seen the best of the man who has known as “The Captain”, the man who has been an anchor at the top of the Yankees lineup for the last 14 years.

He does not appear to be able to catch up to a plus-fastball, particularly from hard throwing, right-handed pitchers. His inability to get his hands through the zone quick enough leads to his vulnerability, and eventual groundouts to short and third.

We would like to think that he simply has an injury and he is compensating for it by changing different mechanics in his swing, causing his problem. However, when you add in his lack of production at the plate and his decline in range on defense, add it all up and it leads to a man on the downside of his great career.

This all begs the question of what the Yankees will do with him when this season is over.

Jeter is in the final year of his 10-year, $189 million contract that he signed during the 2001 season that came off the heels of Alex Rodriguez cashing in on a $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers.

There is no doubt that Jeter has been worth every penny to the franchise that drafted him back in 1992. From day one, he has nothing but a great Yankee, part of five world championships and the most popular player the franchise has had in the last 40 years.

The marriage between Jeter and the Yankees has been great, but in 2008, questions arose about his decline. Two years remained on his contract and many wondered if we had seen the best of him. Instead, Jeter struck back last year with arguably his finest season both offensively (.334, 212 hits, .871 OPS) and winning a Gold Glove on defense as he helped the Yankees to a World Series title.

As customary, the Yankees allow contracts to expire before negotiating new ones because they have the ability to pay more than any competitor. The idea in some circles was that everything would go smooth and not become an issue because Jeter is a Yankees icon and eventual future ambassador of the team well after his playing days are over.

Of course, the cost of how much to pay him would be dependent on his production this season. What many people did not think would be to how much of a degree his decline would be.

As of Labor Day, Jeter came in hitting .264, which was 50 points below his career average and 80 points below last season’s average. His OPS of .703 is over 130 points below his career norm and 170 points behind last year in addition to grounding in more double plays this year than at any point in his career.

Those numbers are difficult to ignore. Add to it that on a Yankees offense that is number one in the league in scoring runs, Jeter has unquestionably been the least productive member of the lineup leading New York Post columnist Joel Sherman to suggest he should be dropped down to eighth or ninth in the order.

He has taken the most plate appearances on the team (630). Thus, he has made the most outs, and done so at a precipitously high rate. To put it nicely, he has been a black hole in the lineup while occupying for most of the season the leadoff spot. Only recently, Manager Joe Girardi very quietly was able to sneak Brett Gardner (.392 OBP) into the leadoff spot without anyone noticing and dropped Jeter into the number two spot.

In a past baseball era, many players that reached past the age of 35 would experience decline in their performance.

It was only natural. You have a specified amount of prime years to produce at a high level before you could no longer do so.

Then came the infamous “Steroid Era”, where not only were players able to keep up their performance of youth, but in some cases, continue to exceed well past their original expiration date.

Those days slowly are becoming outdated as aging players quickly find themselves weeded out of the sport, or forced to take lesser pay.

Certainly the Yankees are not going to “low ball” Jeter with an insulting offer knowing how much he means to the franchise. However, paying him $80 million for the next four years would appear to be nothing more than a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for years of good service rather than a sound baseball decision.

As it is, the left side of the Yankees infield is only going to continue to decline defensively as both Jeter and Rodriguez get old together. They will also play less games due to health, so it is incumbent that they find suitable replacements for them in the interim that can play and not be what amounts to filler (see: Ramiro Pena) once every seven days.

Jeter has no other position to switch from. Mark Teixeira currently occupies first base for the next six years and he does not produce good enough numbers to clog up the DH spot. The only other position that would remain is left field, and that would be insulting to a player the caliber of Jeter.

There is no doubt the two will reach a new contract and he will be the Yankees shortstop for the future as he approaches 3,000 hits and an eventual trip Hall of Fame.

Time remains for Jeter to turn his season around. Once October begins, perhaps he can erase the bad memories of his regular season with a spectacular postseason.

Until then, one can only wonder if we have already seen the best of Derek Jeter.

Time for some Yankee Random Thoughts

If Javier Vazquez pitched all of his games out of the bullpen, he probably would win 20 games.

Problem is he doesn’t pitch most of his games out of the bullpen.

After two impressive long relief outings against Toronto and Oakland, Girardi decided to put him back in the rotation this past Saturday against Toronto and it was clear he had no confidence in him.

Needing one more out to qualify for his 11th win of the season, Girardi pulled him from the game with the Yankees leading 5-3 much to Vazquez’s dismay after the game.

I’m not sure what he would be complaining about considering that at no point this season he has inspired any confidence to give him the benefit of the doubt when runners were on second and third.

Dustin Moseley came in and on the first pitch gave up the tying runs, though the Yankees came back to win 7-5. However, the larger issue was the complete lack of trust he has in him despite the double talk he may give to the (drive by) media.

The sequence right there was all you needed to know that he would rather jump in the lake than give Vazquez the ball to start a postseason game.

No one knows what to make of the Marcus Thames homerun-hitting spree over the last week.

Prior to his three-strikeout game Tuesday in the Yankees 9-3 win over Oakland, Thames had hit six homeruns in the last six games he started.

This type of run you would expect to see from the likes of Alex Rodriguez, not Thames.

Back in 2005, Tino Martinez went on a very similar run and now we see the same thing here.

Brought in to be a part-time player to face left handed pitching, Thames continues to crush southpaws (.349), but is also hanging in there against righties (.277), providing numerous big hits.

As long as he is not wearing an outfielder’s glove, he can stay in the everyday lineup. There certainly is not any doubt that in October if there is a lefty starting, he will be part of the starting nine that night.

If you listened to the Yankees radio broadcast, then surely you have become familiar with a lot of
John Sterling’s homerun calls.

As I have tracked it, here’s been the list to date this year:

“Gardy goes yardy!”

“Gardner plants one!”

“El Capitan!”

“Mark sends a Tex message!”

“You’re on the Mark…Teixeira!”

“It’s an A-Bomb…for A-Rod!”

“Robbie Cano…don’t ya know!”

“Jorge juiced one!”

“Nick…is Swishalicious!”

“The Grandy Man Can!”

“Happy Thames are here again”

“Austin Powers”

My sister still says that it is time for Sterling to get some new lines, but the cheesy stuff that keeps me coming back for more every night.

Alex Rodriguez came back to the lineup on Sunday and the Yankees eight-game winning streak ended.

Certainly, it was not his fault as he drove in a run, but it was incredibly hard not to notice the Yankees won 21 of the 24 games without him in the lineup.

Robinson Cano has been in a slump as of late and his average has dipped under .320 for the first time since early in the season.

Perhaps he is tiring a little bit, as he has played in nearly every game this season and has had to remain in the lineup with the different players that have been out.

A day off here and there is not a bad thing for Robbie. Having him at full strength for the postseason is the most important thing.

Kerry Wood has been a great addition to the bullpen for the Yankees, but I have to wonder if his numbers are unsustainable in the long term.

While his ERA is 0.56 over his first 16 innings, he has allowed 10 hits and walked 10 men. All it takes is one mistake after a walk to wreck everything.

Let’s hope he can curb the amount of base runners.

Phil Hughes continues to struggle and his ERA is now at 4.29 despite his 16 wins.

Michael Kay still says that wins is the most important thing and if he really feels Hughes has been as good as his win total, clearly him and I need to fight in a steel cage.

Yankee Talk: Road Trip Edition – A Successful Weekend in Chicago

Yanks take two of three in series against White Sox

CHICAGO – When we did this same trip last year, the results were much different.

In four games, the Yankees only managed to salvage the final game to avoid a sweep.

This year, with much of its team depleted the defending world champions used all of its available resources to reach deep down and come away with a series win.

In watching Sunday’s starter Ivan Nova, who was making only his second ever Major League start, he showed everything that Friday’s starter AJ Burnett was not on Friday evening.

The spunky rookie showed of an array of dazzling pitches and control not in the strike zone, but also in his own ability to trust his stuff.

From fastballs on the corners to dancing off-speed pitches, Nova became a revelation right in front our eyes.

For the second straight start though, Manager Joe Girardi pulled the pull on him entirely too early as he was doing well, only to nearly have it backfire.

The moved ended up working out. But more than the Yankees eventual 2-1 win was that they feel as if they may have something in Nova and that he could be a valuable asset down the stretch. He had a great season at Triple-A Scranton and that has been able to translate with the big club.

In the fifth inning when he gave up his first run, the White Sox had mounted a two-out rally and had a chance to tie the game. Other pitchers may have folded in this situation, but not Nova, who was unflappable, striking out Omar Vizquel to end the inning.

Nova showed an ability to minimize damage and keep the Yankees in control.

The same could not be said for Burnett.

Burnett, who this earned his undisputed title of “Mental Case” for his horrific pitching for most of the season, simply showed up on the mound on Friday for the bottom of the first inning and quickly checked out.

How is this for an opening frame: Double, single, stolen base, strikeout, single, single, double.

Yeah, that’s a good way to start. It was as if the Yankees had lost the game before he ever threw a pitch. Watching Burnett in person is even more painful than watching on television.

You clearly can see him rattled on the mound and trying to find composure and confidence in himself that he clearly cannot find and does not have.

With each ball out of the strike zone or bouncing in the dirt, you know the clock is just ticking before the eventual explosion. You just don’t know if it is going to be a bottle rocket or nuclear bomb.

In this case, Burnett went nuclear.

Nine hitters came to the plate. Five of them reached on hits. Four of them scored. All of this took 37

pitches and nearly ended with me breaking my hand as I sat in the upper deck wanting to punch anything hard in effort to “pull an AJ”.

The best words came from Michael Kay after AJ Pierzynski’s two-run double had made it 4-0 when he said, “AJ Burnett has nothing.”

At the precise moment, you could have turned off the TV and found other things to do.

For me, I was at the park. Nothing I could do but sit through it and attempt to come up with something positive.

That would be hard.

Even less frustrating than Burnett was the offense clearly taking the night off against Freddy Garcia,

a man who had the third worst ERA in the American League since the All Star Break.

After scoring two runs in the first three innings, I thought the bats would eventually heat up.

Unfortunately, that did not happen.

Garcia would hold the bats down for seven innings as many players partied hard in Chicago the night before. Either that, or Girardi decided to punt the game by having Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena occupying the eighth and ninth spots in the lineup.

Nonetheless, the rest the team resembled zombies along with Burnett and the offense.

Defensively, the team was awful. From poor throws from Nick Swisher sailing 30 feet over the catchers head, to bad throws by Cervelli and who knows what else, it was just not in the cards for them that night.

Amazingly I stuck it out until the end, which was an upset considering that after the fifth inning, the only thing that was on my mind was the postgame drink fest.

Saturday evening I thought were going to see a pitcher’s duel between two elite starters, John Danks of the White Sox and CC Sabathia of the Yankees.

However, as John Sterling always says, “You just cannot predict baseball.”

It was a relatively warm evening and the wind was not blowing out. But the Yankees rarely need wind to hit home runs.

Three two-run homeruns from Nick Swisher, Marcus Thames and Eduardo Nunez off Danks allowed the Yankees to jump ahead 6-1 after three innings.

Sabathia though did not have his best stuff. He appeared to be battling himself and the White Sox got back into the game with two two-run homeruns of their own to cut the margin to 6-5 after four.

The offense, clearly working with a full night of sleep and a halfway competent lineup struck back for four more runs to give Sabathia a 10-5 lead that he would carry through seven innings, striking out nine along the way.

It was the coming out party for Eduardo Nunez, who went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and two run scoring singles to earn him the nickname “El Tigre”.

All of this proved my belief that “wins” for a pitcher, despite what Kay may want to tell you, is
meaningless.

Kay’s contention is that pitchers get their pay based on the amount of wins that they have and thus that is most important.

This idea of course is ridiculous because a pitcher that is mediocre during an outing can pick up a win as long as his offense can give him a high amount of run support. The numbers between Sabathia and

Mets lefty Johan Santana are similar in nearly every category expect run support, thus the reason Sabathia has 18 wins and Santana 10.

Sabathia finished the game giving up five runs, but got the win because the Yankees scored 10. The only reason he got the win was because he didn’t give up 11.

The bullpen struggled in the final two innings as Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson were unable to hold a five run lead on their own, thus needing Mariano Rivera to come in to get the final two outs of a 12-9 victory.

It was good to see a win at the park, and with my group of 20 friends, we celebrated the victory in style.

As the saying goes, “You don’t pay to see losses.”

Certainly not on this night as the Yankees stopped a two game losing streak and stay tied atop the AL East.

Sunday was Frank Thomas Day at the ballpark as the White Sox honored perhaps the greatest player in their history. The team was giving up bobblehead dolls, but I had no plans on showing up at eleven in the morning. I did not have much interest and wanted my sleep.

Trying to take the third game of the series, I looked up and saw the lineup Girardi put out there and cringed again. Already missing was Alex Rodriguez to begin with. But the previous night, Mark Teixeira had to leave after injuring his thumb that came on a play from Friday night.

The new configuration had Swisher batting third, Thames hitting fifth and Cervelli back in the lineup did not inspire much confidence in me for whatever reason.

In the second inning, Thames continued his home run tear with a solo blast to left, his fifth in the last five games he has started. He sure may not field worth a damn, but he can turn around a fastball.

Brett Gardner’s single to center in the third upped the lead to 2-0, and with the way Nova was pitching, perhaps it was going to hold up.

The White Sox score a run to cut the lead in half by going on a two out rally, and in the sixth Girardi decided to remove the youngster from the game.

Perhaps he felt that was all he needed to see on this day as he has definitely earned another start if just so I don’t not have to see Burnett’s mug on my screen every five days.

Girardi brought in Boone Logan and eventually Kerry Wood, who loaded the bases but was able to get out the jam. He would stay in for the seventh and got two outs before Joba Chamberlain came on to get out of the seventh and a scoreless eighth to hand the ball to Mariano Rivera to nail down another victory.

A majority of the crowd left before the bottom of the ninth and I couldn’t blame them. If my team had to face Rivera, why would I stay to watch that? 97 times out of a 100, it is a definite loss.

What started as a weekend with the Yankees on the ropes, ended happily with a series win and a 3-3 road trip. The team can exhale as they head back home and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief as I was able to take in a few wins.

Just the way we drew it up.

Yankee Talk: No Bull from Pen

Bullpen emerging as strength

NEW YORK – You realize very quickly how long a regular season is.

We make our snap judgments because we see what is in front of us and never really look too far ahead.

Earlier in the season, the bullpen of the Yankees outside of Mariano Rivera (known as “the bridge”) consisted of rough terrain and Russian roulette.

Manager Joe Girardi had no one he could trust. Every time he would make that slow walk to the mound, he would tap his right or left hand and hope against hope that was making the right decision.

As of late, the bullpen, once an extreme weakness has emerged as an incredible strength.

The starting rotation, a rock in the first half of the season with pitchers taking the ball into and through the seventh inning, has hit a rough patch. During this time, the bullpen has stepped up incredibly to continue to keep the Yankees as leaders in the AL East.

Before the beginning of the season, I championed that this Yankee bullpen would be among the best in the league.

Everything was in place in terms of quality arms and each man in a specific role that there never a thought it could be a problem.

Of course, things did not work out that way.

As we find out every season, there is never a thing as an absolute. The Yankees found this out the hard way over the first three months of the season as the relief core showed holes and their ineffectiveness made things worrisome.

The original plan was to have Joba Chamberlain team up with Mariano Rivera as a lethal tag-team to lock down games after the seventh inning.

David Robertson and, who put up impressive numbers last season, was to man the seventh inning.

Alfredo Aceves was to be the “jack of all trades” for the bullpen. He had the ability to get out one batter, or throw as many as four innings if a starter was roughed up early.

Damaso Marte and Chan Ho Park were to be power, situational arms as well.

Safe to say, none of this worked out.

Chamberlain battled control, velocity and mental confidence in his role.

Robertson could not find the strike zone, and when he did, balls were hit hard and some were leaving the park.

Aceves injured his back in late April has not been back with the team since.

Marte was also injured and Park had a mysterious loss in velocity upon signing with the Yankees and was nowhere to close to the pitcher he was last year for Philadelphia.

With a bullpen in shambles, questions rose as to what they would be able to do about it. General Manager Brian Cashman held firm that bullpens grow over the course of a baseball season and did not feel a major need to seek outside help.

For the most right, he was proven right.

Girardi continued to stick with Chamberlain in the eighth inning as the Yankees continued to remain in first place, but in the middle of July, he saw enough and without actually saying it, he removed the enigmatic right-hander from the role and replaced him with Robertson as he began to regain the form that he had the previous year.

Boone Logan took Marte’s spot as the primary lefty. Logan’s career has always been high on talent, but low on results. He had a stint with the big club early on, but to the minors after continuous career control problems.

Before the trade deadline, the Yankees release Park to the delight of many, replacing him with Kerry Wood, who was pitching for the Cleveland Indians. Wood had battled injuries over his career and despite good stuff, could never stay healthy. However, the Yankees decided to take a chance.

The results from Wood and everyone else has been amazing.

Since arriving, Wood has pitched in nine games, allowing only one earned run in 10 2/3 innings. He has shown his old velocity and his classic breaking stuff that made him one of the league’s most prized pitchers before injury.

Robertson, after starting out slow, has become one of, if not the best relief pitchers in the league. While his current 3.63 ERA is good, considering how far he came is even more impressive. Since June 5,
Robertson has pitched 28 2/3 innings, amassing a 1.59 ERA with 33 strikeouts and has not allowed a run since July 4.

After losing his eighth inning role, Chamberlain sought to rededicate himself and with the other stepping up around him, he wanted to remain in an important role. Over his last 12 appearances, covering 12 innings, he has given up only one earned run.

Logan also has a streak going of his own. Since June 29, he has thrown 13 innings, allowing only one run covering 16 appearances. Even Chad Gaudin has become a successful long man, giving up only two runs over his last 11 innings. His three scoreless innings on Saturday was a key part of the

Yankees 9-5 victory over Seattle when Javier Vazquez again continued his second half struggles.

At the end, the indomitable Rivera is always there, having another one of his traditionally great seasons.

Rosters expand on September 1, so that would allow for the returns of both Aceves and Marte to what has now become a deep bullpen.

With the innings restriction on Phil Hughes and the inconsistencies of Vazquez and AJ Burnett, the pressure is going to be on for the bullpen to continue their stellar performance.

As currently constructed, they are built to withstand an eventual struggle from one of their relievers with others picking up the slack.

However, with everyone on a hot streak, the Yankees hope this will continue for the rest of the season.

Time for Yankees Random Thoughts

After losing the first game of each series to Detroit and Seattle, the Yankees won the remaining five games to finish with 5-2 mark.

You can attribute this to the performance of CC Sabathia, who has proven to be an irreplaceable piece to this team and a true consummate ace pitcher.

At 17-5 with a 3.02 ERA, he is having arguably his best season. With at least seven more starts left, he only needs to win three of them to achieve 20 wins.

He has been absolutely worth the $161 million the Yankees paid him a year and a half ago.

Sunday against the Mariners, he was at his absolute best.

He did not allow a hit for the first three innings and after Austin Kearns’ homerun gave the Yankees the lead, the way he was pitching, there was no reason to think he would give the lead away.

The rain began to come down, so there was some fear that he start could be a waste. Instead, he worked quickly, throwing only 74 pitches and 54 for strikes. When Robinson Cano drilled a grand slam to make the score 5-0, Sabathia had nothing to worry about.

As it stands, it feels as if the Yankees need to win every game that he starts with all of the other pitching issues.

Sabathia brings a feeling of assurance.

I’m really starting to like this Austin Kearns kid.

Since coming to the pinstripes, he is hitting .341 and has an 11 game hitting streak through Sunday.

He always put on a tough, quality at-bat, and that is all you can ask for.

Right now, the results have been positive. Keep it up.

Of course, the same cannot be said of Francisco Cervelli.

Ever since his freakish start to the season that saw him hitting an unsustainable .781 in 14 at bats with runners in scoring position, is proving more and more that he will not consistently be able to hit major league pitching.

One of the most quirky statistics of the season is that the Yankees are 12-0 without Alex Rodriguez in the lineup.

Rodriguez, who had to leave the game on Friday night after his first at-bat, suffering a setback when he injured his calf on his way to first base, is now the disabled list and will miss the next two weeks.

In his absence, the offense has stepped up, averaging 8.2 runs per game. The main reason for the explosion has been MVP-candidate Robinson Cano.

Cano, in Rodriguez’s absence is hitting a blistering .375, with 6 home runs and 19 RBI in the games he has been in the cleanup spot.

Surely, the Yankees will eventually lose one without Rodriguez in the lineup.

Of course, there are some thought the Yankees should sit in the playoffs.

Um, no. At last check, he is still pretty good.

In Rodriguez (97), Mark Teixeira (89) and Cano (86), the Yankees possess three of the top 10 run producers in all of baseball.

Then why I do I complain about the offense?

One person I will continue to complain about is AJ Burnett, who turned in another clunker on Friday night in the Yankees loss to the Mariners.

You knew he didn’t have it in the very first inning, the most deflating feeling for any fan watching.

He had nothing and the Mariners hit him over the park for the first four innings. Girardi then came to the mound we thought to put us all out of our misery by taking him out. Instead, he made a smart move. He told him that because the bullpen had been taxed in the previous games, he was going to have to take one for the team and stay in there, which he did through seven innings.

Who knows what to expect when he pitches in front of my eyes on Friday night in Chicago. If last year on my birthday was any indication, the expletives will be flowing from my mouth at an unbearable rate by the third inning.

Oh, the pain.

Yankee Talk: Another comeback of champions

Yankees show heart in comeback against Lee, Rangers

ARLINGTON – There are times in a baseball season where there is a point in the game when you know it is just not your day.

Sometimes, it can come early. Other times it can come late.

They say the game is 27 outs long, but other times, the game can be over long before that.

Not with the Yankees.

Yes, they have the most talent. That is not in debate. However, with most talented teams, it usually takes something extra. A tangible trait has no measure.

Call it belief or just plain old confidence. Several times this season, the Yankees have shown an innate ability to stage incredible rallies to win games.

Last Wednesday in Texas was just another example and it proved to be their best win of the season, gutting out 7-6 comeback win over the Rangers.

Consider the fact that the Yankees have plenty going against them after losing the previous night with Mariano Rivera and now having Cliff Lee on the mound dominating them through the first five innings, as he always seems to do.

Javier Vazquez, who has not shown an ability to pitch well against a quality lineup, was out of the game after another non-productive 4 1/3 inning, six run, eight hit outing.

Down five runs to Lee with the way he was going would be a definite loss on most nights. However, on this evening in Arlington, where the temperature consistently stayed in the low 100’s, the heat began to take its toll on the ace left-hander.

After scoring a run in the sixth to make it 6-2, the offense began to make Lee work in the seventh. Robinson Cano lead off with a double and with one out, Austin Kearns singled. Up came Lance Berkman, who despite terrible numbers against left-handed pitching was able to hammer a 1-1 pitch into the gap in right center that one-hopped over the wall for a ground rule double to cut the lead in half.

Brett Gardner would work a lengthy at-bat before drilling a single past Lee into center field to bring the Yankees to within 6-4.

Lee’s night was over. His invincibility over the Yankees taking a hit on this night as they finally showed an ability to score off him. No one knows for sure whether the main reason was the heat.

The Yankees would not score another run that inning, but Marcus Thames began the eighth inning with a blast off Frank Francisco to cut it to one.

At that moment, you had a sense that this complete could be complete, but you did not know how it would happen. It was not for Sergio Mitre and Kerry Wood teaming up to pitch 3 2/3 scoreless innings after Vazquez left, none of this would have been possible. But they had at least given the Yankees a chance going into the ninth inning.

With Neftali Feliz in to close the game, Berkman worked a leadoff walk. Gardner on a 2-2 pitch lifted a bloop single into shallow left to put things in motion. Feliz then uncorked a pitch to the backstop that ricocheted back to catcher Bengie Molina as both runners took off.

Pinch runner Curtis Granderson barely beat the throw as both runners moved to second and third with no one out.

Derek Jeter, enduring one of his worst seasons in this situation came up and hit a hard chop that hit off the glove of Feliz and past second baseman Christian Guzman into center for a run-scoring single to tie the game.

Swisher would strike out, but Thames would deliver again with a single through the hole of third and short to give the Yankees an improbable 7-6 lead with Rivera ready to hold it down in the ninth.

But of course, this game had more plot twists left. Elvis Andrus would triple to right center and was there with no one out for the Rangers three best hitters.

Under normal circumstances, a regular closer would not be able to get out of this situation.

Mariano Rivera is not one of those closers.

With veteran Michael Young up, Rivera induced a fly ball to shallow right that Kearns made the shoestring catch on, holding the runner at third.

Josh Hamilton was next, and after he was ahead 2-0, a cutter got in his hands and he grounded the ball back to Rivera, holding the runner again for the second out.

The game was now in the hands of Vladimir Guerrero. Would Rivera really escape this? Back in late June, he worked out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the tenth inning of a Yankees win in Arizona, but these were better hitters at the plate.

With the count 1-0, Guerrero chopped the ball to third. Alex Rodriguez fielded the hop and threw him out at first to end the game and finish off one of the best Yankees wins of the year.

This one goes alongside the ninth inning comeback against the Red Sox in May and the rally against the Dodgers in Los Angeles in June.

With everything not in their favor, they somehow found a way to get it done, coming back when they could have said, “Tomorrow”.

Champions show heart and fight until the end.

This is what they do better than anyone else in the sport.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Left with a problem

Yanks problems with southpaws problem

NEW YORK – While you are always looking to win today, when you are the Yankees, you are always looking ahead to the future.

In this case, October.

Judging by the results from this season, it is very easy to foresee potential danger ahead for the defending world champions the moment they attempt to pursue those final 11 wins.

Listen, Red Sox starter Jon Lester is good enough to shut down any offense when he has his good stuff as he did yesterday, throwing 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing only four hits his team’s 2-1 victory to split the wraparound four-game series.

However, the long-term problems exist of how the good (or even not so good) left-handed pitching has been able to handcuff the Yankees offense to where they seem to be on the defensive before the game ever begins.

In past years, seeing a left-hander would not faze the Yankees at all. They would have a multitude of hitters in their lineup that not only good, but also prolific to where they would not have to take a seat on the bench. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, two members of last year’s squad, were known for their ability to hang in against a southpaw and have success.

Such numbers have yet to translate to this season’s team as numerous players have put up incredibly feeble numbers to the put where Joe Girardi has to juggle his lineup considerably to give his team a good chance to win.

While Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher are doing their fair share against southpaws, the performances of Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Lance Berkman border on the obscene, with numbers suggesting they are nothing more than automatic outs.

To illustrate, Brett Gardner’s OPS against left-handed pitching (.739) is higher than that of Rodriguez (.677), Granderson (.518) and Berkman (.551) by a sizeable amount given similar sample sizes. This problems negates the ability of Girardi to use his “A” lineup, especially come October.

One look at yesterday’s lineup showed a bottom of the lineup consisting of Marcus Thames (a beast against southpaws, hitting .332), Austin Kearns and Curtis Granderson.

Granderson had a career reputation for his inability to hit southpaws before joining the Yankees and there was a belief the coaching staff could correct those flaws.

None of that has happened. His incredibly bad .183 average last year has marginally improved to .a still awful 206 in 2010, not good enough by any measure to justify his place in the lineup.

The big at-bat in yesterday’s game came with him at the plate against Lester with the bases loaded and no outs. Needing a fly ball to the outfield or a groundball to drive home a run, Granderson did neither. Instead, he produced an unproductive out, striking out swinging in an inning as the Red Sox held the Yankees scoreless.

We don’t want to beat up on Granderson, but the smart money is that either Damon or Matsui would have had a more proficient at-bat in that situation.

This becomes an issue in eight weeks, with the American League playoff field has a tough left-hander the Yankees would have to contend with in a series. Texas has Cliff Lee and C.J Wilson. Tampa Bay has David Price. Chicago has John Danks and to a lesser extent Mark Buehrle (though against the Yankees, he is 1-7 with 6.68 ERA). And as long as they remain in the race, Boston has Lester.

By coincidence, this week begins stretch of four consecutive games in which the Yankees will face a left-hander. CJ Wilson and Cliff Lee start for Texas in the upcoming two-game series that begins Tuesday, followed by Bruce Chen of the Royals on Thursday night.

The pitchers force the Yankees to change the configuration of their lineup. While Thames is great against lefties, he is a liability in the outfield defensively. His only suitable position is DH. Taking Granderson out of the lineup shifts Gardner from left field to centerfield and moves Austin Kearns into the lineup, who despite ability to put up a professional at-bat and play the outfield to quality, is not as good defensively compared to the ground Gardner and Granderson combined can cover when they are both out there.

If Granderson could just be an average hitter against lefties, none of this would be issue. The fact he along with Berkman (despite being a switch hitter) simply are utterly inept causes a trickledown effect the Yankees now have to deal with.

Not having the DH available to Posada brings worse defense behind the plate and also does not allow the older Jeter, Rodriguez or even Teixeira to get even a half day off.

The Yankees hope they are not “left” holding the bag at the end of the season.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Can’t Win Them All

Yanks miss chances, split four game series with Sawx

NEW YORK – Maybe the Yankees will regret not having their chance to put their foot on the throat of the Red Sox.

Then again, maybe they will not.

For now, they will look back to the seventh inning when they had an opportunity to put Boston away as they did in a similar situation one year ago when they swept them and took control of the AL East.

This time, the Red Sox made a stand, stopping the Yankees cold by holding them scoreless after loading the bases with no one out, allowing them to eventually come away with nai-biting 2-1 victory to split the four-game series in front of 49,476 at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees had a chance to tie the game earlier in the bottom of the seventh inning before blowing their chance.

Boston starter Jon Lester handcuffed the offense through the first six innings, but Jorge Posada singled to begin the frame. Marcus Thames would step in a drove a pitch to deep right center that just hit off the padding atop the fence next to the Yankees bullpen.

Had it gone just several inches further, it would have meant a tie game. Instead, Thames had to settle for a double and runners were on second and third. Austin Kearns was then hit slightly with a 1-2 pitch to load the bases for Curtis Granderson.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona stuck with his ace lefty in an advantageous matchup against Granderson, who has amassed an abysmal .518 OPS this season versus left handed pitching. Lester struck him out on a slider on his 99th and final pitch of the game. For the day, he went 6 1/3 innings, giving up only four hits, walking three and striking out six.

Daniel Bard came into the game, and in an impressive display, struck out both Derek Jeter (high fastball) and Nick Swisher (outside fastball) on three pitches each to end the threat, leaving the Yankees scoreless and the Red Sox still on top.

“You don’t want to be the guy that gives it up,” Bard said. “Also you want to see where your stuff takes you.”

Papelbon added, “I think he showed us a lot of guts and determination.”

Boston got their initial runs in the second inning on balls that did not leave the infield against starter Phil Hughes.

With one out in the top half, Ryan Kalish singled, stole second and advanced to third when Posada’s throw went into center field and would later score on an infield single by Bill Hall.

Hughes got into more trouble when Jacoby Ellsbury would single to center and stole second. With Hall on third, Marco Scutaro would walk to load the bases.

A ground out by JD Drew would extend the lead to 2-0 nothing as Hughes would end the inning throwing 36 pitches, and 56 through two innings.

The lead was more than enough for Lester, who after blasting away off Josh Beckett the previous night found their bats ice cold. They did not get their first hit until Kearns lined a single to center in the fifth inning to start a mini-rally that continued with two out when Jeter singled to right. However,
Lester would strikeout Swisher to end the threat.

While Lester was dealing, Hughes would settle down, retiring 12 of the next 13 batters to make a good showing of himself on the afternoon, throwing six innings and yielding only those two runs and six hits over 114 pitches, walking one and striking out three.

With Bard still in the game to begin the eighth, Mark Teixeira connected on his 24th homerun of the year to trim the margin to a run and Alex Rodriguez would single to center. Brett Gardner would pinch run and stayed out of a double play when Robinson Cano would ground out to second base.

Posada drew a walk, and Lance Berkman pinch-hit for Thames. With a 2-0 count, Berkman was unable to get around on Bard’s fastball thrown at 98 and flied out routinely to left. With two out, Francona brought in closer Jonathan Papelbon, who got Kearns to groundout softly to second to end the inning.

The Yankees got the tying on in the ninth when Jeter drew a one out walk. But Papelbon would strike out Swisher and Teixeira to end the game and the series.

Tomorrow night begins a six game road trip starting in Texas and concluding with a four game weekend series against Kansas City.