Post game recap is up as well as thoughts on another bad call by Joe Girardi.
It can be read at the new blog by clicking here.
Anyone new to the site or any returning visitors should start going to the new site, so if interested, please update your bookmarks. Thanks.
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
I have a recap of last night's game posted at the new blog. The official "grand opening" is mere days away.
Click here to read. Thanks!
For those of you coming here for the 1st time, make sure to check out the new blog as this one is in the process of moving homes. It can be found here: http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
There are also a few updates since my last post here. Thanks and enjoy.
J-Boogie
Post game recap and thoughts is now posted at the soon-to-be offical new blog.
Click here to check it out.
Want to see some amazing stats of how Chien-Ming Wang has utterly dominated the Red Sox hitters recently. You'll have to jump over to the new blog and check it out. Click here. The #s will amaze you. Here's a tease: .032
J-Boogie
I have a new post at this blog's soon-to-be new home about a great website that has an extensive look at the history of Yankee Stadium.
Click here for more info.
It's truly pathetic that he had to do this, but LaTroy Hawkins has changed his number. Click here to read my thoughts on the matter.
Post game recap up at the new place. Click here to read.
As always, thanks.
They should have blown out the rays but won a squeaker. Read my post game thoughts by going to this blog's soon-to-be official new home, which you can do by clicking here.
I've got an update and thoughts on the recent Yankees roster moved and tonight's lineups over at the new blog.
Click here to check it out.
I'll be live-blogging the rest of the game over at the new blog. Come check it out.
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
My post game thoughts and recap post is up on the new blog. Click here to read.
As always, thanks.
Lineups, notes and thoughts on todays' pitching match-ups are now posted at this blog's soon-to-be new home.
Click here to check it out,
Feel free to update your bookmarks. And if anyone subscribed previosuly to the feeds, you can do that. It's way at the bottom.
The post game recap of Wang's dominant performance is up at this blog's soon-to-be new home. You can check it out by clicking here.
Yankees win. Thuhhhhh Yankees win!
I posted some pre-game notes and thoughts on the Yankees inclusing Wang's career #s vs. Sox hitters. Click on the link below to check it out. It will take you to this blog's soon-to-be new home. Thanks.
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
Read my thoughts about Jeter sitting out the Sox series by clicking the link below to this blog's new page.
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
I've posted an overview of the first Yankees/Sox series of the year over at this blog's soon-to-be official new home. I breakdown my thoughts on the pitching matchups and even throw out a prediction on how the series will go.
It can be viewed here: http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
Enjoy the series.
Read my thoughts on last night's Yankee vicotry by going to the new blog. You're just one click away.
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
I have a new post up at this blog's likely new home that includes some stats about tonight's Royals starter. They've been able to hit him before. Let's hope they can hit him again because they need to break out of their offensive funk..
It can be read here:
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
J-boogie
i have a new post up this blog's future home. it can be read by clicking here.
The post makes mention of last night's game and the again pathetic offensive display by the Yankees, as well as thoughts onthe pitching staff, the MLB schedule, and Joe Girardi's strategy to use his starer in relief.
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
Thanks for checking it out.
J
I have a new post up at this blog's likely new home. Click here to give it a read. It's about the Yankees options for shortstop with Jeter on the shelf.
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
Thanks!
J-Boogie
This entry can also be read at this blog's likely new home by clicking here.
This entry can also be read at this blog's likely future home by clicking here.
This entry can also be viewed at this blog's likely new home by clicking here.
I made up a trip to the mall this morning in a quest to find one of the new Yankees hooded sweatshirts. It's the one you see the players wearing during warm-ups. Yeah, I'm that guy. I have to rock what the players rock. One of the stores that I checked in was a local sports collectibles store that sells some team apparel. As I walk through the store's opening, the first thing I see is John Q. Red Sox Fan wearing a green Sox t-shirt and a matching Sox hat, staring back at me wearing my Yankees hooded sweatshirt. Incidentally, it was the hoodie that the guys wore last year. We lock eyes for about a second, exchange a quick head nod, and I divert my eyes to a scan of the store looking for the Yankees gear.
So as I'm perusing the racks, I can overhear John Q. Sox Fan talking to one of the guys that runs the place. He's talking about how he was at the game yesterday in Toronto and he can't wait to watch today's Sox/Jays game on TBS. The store clerk didn't know that they showed baseball on TBS and the Sox fan said it was a new thing and they would show about 30 games this year. Anyway, John Q. Sox Fan than says that he's excited to watch Halladay vs. Burkett. Yes, that's right, Burkett. What what what? Burkett? Really? I was very tempted to interject myself into their conversation and ask if meant Beckett, but I decided just to shake my head, chuckle, and chalk it up to him being part of the new breed of Red Sox fan. You know the type. The bandwagon fan that's recently jump aboard, has been a fan for all of about 2 years, and can't name more than 5 guys on the team. Every team has them. The Yankees have more than their share. And it's always annoying when you run into them. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't try to play themselves as more than the average fan. But seriously. I would think even the most casual Red Sox fan would know that their team's best pitcher is named Josh Beckett. Inexcusable, but what can you do but shake your head and laugh?
And just to make sure, when I got home I checked the web and no, John Burkett is not making a comeback. And if you were curious, I didn't find the sweatshirt.
Enjoy today's game. Peace, love and Pisntripes.
J-Boogie
This entry can also be read at this blog's likely new home by clicking here.
I keep expecting the Yankees to have an offensive breakout and so far my wishes have gone unfulfilled. Just when you think they're standing on the verge of getting it on, they digress. They've had their chances and have shown some signs of life, but by and large they have collectively stunk up the joint. A-Rod and Abreu have been the only real consistent performers and even they have come up short in big spots. Is it me or do they sometimes make mediocre pitchers look like Cy Young? I can understand not racking up a lot of runs against a trio like Halladay, Burnett, and McGowan, but come on, they can't knock around Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson? I know it's early. I know the season is only 5 games old. It's just puzzling to watch. It doesn't seem like they're playing their game. They're not seeing pitches and working counts. It seems like they're being aggressive at the plate and it's not paying off. I've seen a lot of long swings. I have to disagree with a comment John Flaherty made about Shelley Duncan's plate appearance with the bases loaded. He mentioned he was seeing good swings from Shelley. I'm not sure what game he was watching because I couldn't disagree more. Duncan tries way to hard to crush the ball. He seems totally off balance and he never seems to have his feet where they should be when his swing is over. We need base hits in those big spots. Keep the line moving and the runs will come. We don't need 6-run homers.
I thought Pettitte pitched alright all things considered. His only real mistake was the pitch that Gomes hit out. Shelley Duncan didn't do anybody any favors by throwing the ball into left field. The Yankees are going to suffer dearly if they can't get a first baseman that can make the throw to second base. Yesterday, Giambi almost did the same thing but lucky for him Jeter was able to hold the bag while making the catch. It wasn't a great outing by Pettitte but he looked pretty good out there. He kind of burned out there around the end of the 4th. Understandable considering his shortened spring training. The real question is how will Andy feel tomorrow? Fingers are crossed that he feels good.
How about that Brian Bruney? He looked real good, striking out 4 over 2 hitless innings. Brian Bruney's success as major league pitcher will entirely depend on his ability to keep the ball over the plate. If Bruney has good control, he'll dominate. His struggles have always revolved around poor control. He's got great stuff and I think he'll do very well this year. Shedding 20 pounds didn't hurt.
Ohlendorf looked good also. He's got some nasty stuff. I was surprised Aybar took him yard. I'm not even close to lumping Ohlie in the same boat as Farnsworth and Hawkins. If I'm Joe Girardi I'd look to use guys like Bruney and Ohlendorf in close games. The bridge to Mariano should start with Bruney, Traber and Ohlendorf and not with Hawkins and Farnsworth. Maybe Hawkins can work his way up that pecking order, but Farnsworth? Never.
The Yankees are lucky to be 2-3. Their record could very well be 0-5. Tomorrow isn't going to be a walk in the park as James Shields gets the call for the Rays. The Yankees should be able to hit him, but if they don't, Wang better be on his A-game. He's the ace. He's the stopper. He's the guy that's supposed to stop losing streaks.
Oh yeah: Fire Rob Thomson! Get well soon skip.
J-Boogie
Thsi can also be read at the likely new home of this blog by clicking here.
The Yankees just got finished getting their tails kicked by the Dev, err, Rays. Ken Singleton summed it up so nicely. It was a rotten game. I watched most of the game in fast forward, zipping ahead to each pitch. The wife is sick so I had to give our 7 month old son his bath, his bottle and then put him to bed. That process starts at about the same time as the first pitch is thrown. I joined the game about 48 minutes late and once I caught up, the wife and I watched this week's "Two And A Half Men." Hey, I've got to give her some TV time on Fridays. After I got done laughing pretty hard (it's a great show), I again zipped ahead through the game and once I was again caught up, it was time to watch "High School Reunion." Yawn. That took about 45 minutes and I got up to the live action just in time to watch them implode in the 8th. It wasn't fun to watch. The negatives definitely outweighed the positives. But there were a few bright spots which I want to make note of.
I mentioned in my recap post from yesterday that "we as Yankees fans should feel pretty comfortable with our bullpen." Tonight, that was half true. Jonathan Abaladejo was awesome. He came in and basically shut the rays down after he gave up a run-scoring double to his 1st batter. He gave the Yankees exactly what they needed. He ate up 2.2 IPs without giving up a run, striking out 4 Rays along the way. He looked pretty sharp throwing 23 of his 36 pitches for strikes. Most importantly he kept the game close. Too bad the bats didn't pick up the slack. It's also too bad he's likely on his way to Scranton. Pettitte comes back tomorrow and I'm pretty sure he's taking Abaladejo's roster spot. That's too bad. He has a lot of promise.
The performances of Ross Ohlendorf and Billy Traber should also be taken as signs of encouragement. Traber had an awesome spring and is showing that his spot on the roster is well-deserved. And I like Ohlie. He has a lot of upside and I hope that Girardi uses him in some tough spots because I think the kid will do a pretty good job when called upon.
Unfortunately, LaTroy Hawkins and everybody's favorite, Kyle Farnsworth, followed a great outing by the aforementioned three and promptly put the game well out of reach by giving up 7 runs between the two of them. It shouldn't have been as bad though because if Matsui caught that fly ball, who knows what would have happened. That ball should have been caught. No excuse for missing that. Thank God Damon is our regular everyday left-fielder because he catches that no problem. But he missed it and that's baseball. Hawkins still should have been able to shut the door and stop the bleeding. But he couldn't, and neither could Farnsworth. He's just as bad as he was last year. Right now, I can only hope that Girardi changes the depth chart of the bullpen and uses Traber and Ohlie more in trying to get the ball to Joba/Mo. Let Farnsworth and Hawkins do the mopping up.
The only other bright spot I noted was the double of the bat of Giambi. He took it the other way and that's not something we've seen much from Giambi in recent years. Hopefully he can keep that up.
The game couldn't have started any worse. You could tell right from the get go that Ian Kennedy didn't have it. Not a great start to the season. It seemed like everything he threw was landing in front of Molina. It kind of reminded me of my friend Don. He pitched on our high school baseball team and most of what he threw ended up going about 58 feet. It just seemed like Ike could never get it going. Just when you thought maybe he'd pull through, he digressed. I don't think it's anything to worry about. He'll bounce back. He's a control pitcher and i don't think the wildness will be an issue.
The offense was again for the most part non-existent. They had a nice little run there in the 4th. They were tagging Sonnanstine. 3 balls to the wall and one over. That's just a glimmer of what these guys are capable of doing. As the pen kept throwing goose eggs I thought for sure they would chip away at that lead. But like they've done all season, they just didn't get it going. It's early. Slow starts are common. No worries.
Pettitte makes his debut tomorrow. Should be interesting to see the crowd's reaction when he takes the hill. I imagine there will be a light smattering of boos amongst a lot of applause. If he can deliver a solid performance, all will be good in Andy's world. At least until he throws on the road.
Tomorrow is another day. Enjoy your night.
J-Boogie
This entry can also be viewed at what will likley be the new home for this blog. Click here.
Raise your hand if you're sick of hearing Michael Kay refer to the trio of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy as "Generation Trey?" That has to be the dumbest nickname I've ever heard. And he says it over and over and over, obviously trying to get it to catch on. Memo to Mike: It ain't going to happen. Give it up and quit while you're ahead. A very weak effort on his part.
Almost as bad, but not quite, is "The Three Amigos." It's overplayed and has been done. Very unoriginal. There should only be one "Three Amigos" and that's Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms, and Ned Nederlander.
If I may I'd like to suggest "The Triumvirate." For those not familiar with the word, it means:
1.Roman History. the office or magistracy of a triumvir.
2.a government of three officers or magistrates functioning jointly.
3.a coalition of three magistrates or rulers for joint administration.
4.any association of three in office or authority.
5.any group or set of three.
Any association of three in authority. A coalition of three rulers for joint administration. Yeah, I like that.
Kennedy gets the ball tonight against the Rays so I'm sure Kay will name drop "Generation Trey" at least 5 or so times. Whoever is in the booth needs to just smack him across the face every time he says it. Am I the only one that can't stand the name?
Peace, love and Pinstripes,
J-Boogie
Is it me or was this game a near carbon copy of the opener? Another well pitched ball game by both teams and the Yanks getting the winning run after a defensive miscue by the Jays. The only difference is that the tying run was 90 feet from home. Mo was Mo and got Hill looking. Yanks win 3-2.
For those of you that don't know me or are new to this blog, likely don't know I'm a big Phil Hughes guy. I frequent his blog. I drove 5 hours just to watch him pitch in Scranton (only to have it rained out). I have a Phil Hughes BP Jersey. I have a Hughes 65 t-shirt. I drove to Erie, PA two years ago just to try and get his autograph, which I did. I also bought one of those "I Want To Thank The Good Lord" Joe DiMaggio signs that they sell on Steiner Sports that's signed by Phil. I got it from MLB auctions for $100. I was biting my nails all off season while rumors were flying about him going to Minnesota for Johan. Thank God the Yankees were smart enough to hold onto Phil.
Personally, I thought Hughes was awesome tonight. He had great control with 57 of his 86 pitches were strikes. He consistently pitched ahead in counts. He made Frank Thomas look absolutely foolish. He scattered only 4 hits. That bloop double by Eckstein was ridiculous. You knew Rios was going to drive him home. As I said yesterday, Rios owns the Yankees. And then Eckstein drives in a run with an infield single. Hughes very well could have escaped tonight without giving up a run, but that's baseball. I wasn't pleased that he was on the hook for the loss after such a great performance. Thankfully, the boys picked him up scoring twice in the 6th. If only they could have plated one more run, my boy would've been in line for the W. That would been nice. Hughes is a great talent and I'm really looking forward to seeing him pitch many years in Pinstripes. They'd be stupid to let him go. Sign him long term. You won't hear me complain.
The Yankee bats have been pretty silent so far this year. I credit most of that to the Jays pitching staff. Halladay, Burnett and McGowan aren't slouches. They pitched extremely well and I think the Yanks are lucky to have escaped with 2 wins. They very well could have lost all 3. Honestly, they probably should have lost all 3. The Jays made some bad plays late in game 1. And they followed that up today with another game-costing error late in the game. When Damon reached on Downs' fielding error that set it up for that run to score. This could have been an entirely different post had Downs made that play. I'm glad to see the Yanks went with back-to-back bunts there in the 8th. That's the style of play that's going to win these games. I like Girardi because he's bringing that to the table. We don't really need these guys swinging for the fences every at-bat. That was their downfall in last night's game. It's early April and these guys should know the ball doesn't fly out of the park like it does in June. 3 months from now and Giambi ties that game up. Considering the situation and the elements they should have just tried to keep the line moving. I'd like to think Girardi won't let that happen often.
We as Yankees fans should feel pretty comfortable with our bullpen. It's been a long time since we've seen such a formidable duo at the back of the pen. I think the tandem of Joba and Mo is much better than the pairings of Gordon and Mo, or even Wettelnad and Mo. Odds are good that if the Yanks have the lead heading into the 8th that the game's over. I was impressed with Traber and Bruney. They looked good. I'm not sure how many of you have ever played Strat-O-Matic or Diamond Mind Baseball. I'm an avid replayer of past seasons and when I play as some of the past Yankees teams from recent years, I always worry about having to give the game to the pen if it's close. I have a feeling that when I replay 2008 I won't be worried too much.
So they won 2 out of 3. Not a bad start. The series was chock full of great pitching. Like I mentioned earlier, taking 2 out of 3 when you're facing Halladay, Burnett and McGowan is no easy task. They held the Yankee hitter in check. 2 of the 3 runs in game 1 came on a HR that barely cleared the wall and on a fielder's choice that only happened because Eckstein couldn't turn a double play. The only runs in game 2 came on a homer by A-Rod. And tonight they scored on a wild pitch, a sac fly and a single that followed a sac bunt and an error. They're not exactly tearing the cover off the ball. Thankfully, the pitching kept the games close and allowed them to win the series.
Random Notes:
Mo notched his 2nd save. That didn't take long. Much faster than last year.
I love having Jose Molina as Jorge's back-up. When he steps up to the plate I don't think to myself that it's an automatic out like I did with Nieves, Stinnett, and Flaherty.
We're winning with pitching and defense. What wins championships again?
Peace, love and Pinstripes,
J-Boogie
don't forget to check out the potential new blog. Feedback is appreciated.
Was it me or was tonight's game pretty boring until the bottom of the 9th? I had high hopes when the Jeter and Abreu reached base with no outs and Alex at the dish. I was getting giddy with excitement anticipating another 9th inning clutch A-Bomb from A-Rod. He was so clutch last year in the 9th. He looked like he was swinging for the fences and that was his downfall. Just keep the line moving. I'll give him a pass on this one as it's only the 2nd game of the year. He spoiled me with his April performance from last year. You can't win 'em all.
I thought Moose pitched pretty well. Not great but not bad. It could have been a lot worse if not for a couple of "pitcher's best friends." Giambi's 1st inning error set his outing off on the wrong foot. I think Moose should have had the bag though. I thought for sure that was going to end up being out. Moose must not have been paying much attention during PFP. I was pleased though with Moose's overall performance. He got out of some tough spots and was just missing the corners. I think as the days pass and the weather improves, we'll see more of the old Moose that we all know and love.
The offense didn't do much to help Moose out. Credit that to AJ Burnett. He pitched a damn good ballgame. His only real mistake was giving up the A-Bomb. Alex's HR was pretty much the only offensive highlight. Throw out A-Rod's dinger and I don't think anyone reached second until the 9th inning when Jeter reached second on Abreu's bloop single.
Farnsworth didn't look too bad in his first appearance. The MelkMan should have pulled in that shot off the bat of Overbay. I thought for sure it was gone though. It wouldn't have surprised me in the least to see Kyle give up a dinger in his first regular season outing. That was a tough play but I thought Melky should have made the grab. It didn't look like he had his eye on the ball. Hawkins debut in Pinstripes was less than impressive. There's promise there and he's better than a lot of the other options. I think he'll do alright. It was good to get a look at the bullpen. Somebody needs to tell Ross Ohlendorf you don't hit the 8-hitter. Especially when said hitter is Marco Scutaro. It's not like it was Alex Rios, who by the way totally owns the Yankees. It's unreal how well he's done against them. Ross did well. Another pitcher hooked up by the double play. This game could have been a blow out if not for 5 double plays. Yankees pitchers allowed 17 baserunners. Considering only 5 scored I'd say they did pretty well. Props to Molina for gunning down Scutaro and Rios. I'm not used to seeing Yankee catchers throw out would be base stealers.
Michael Kay announced the attendance as being over 48000. Yeah right.
I'm excited for Phil Hughes tomorrow. I'm a big Hughes guy. I'm expecting big things.
Peace, love and Pinstripes,
J-Boogie
ps- don't forget to check out my potential new home for the Boogie Down and let me know what you think.
