Joe Girardi must be buggin' out when it comes to figuring out his starting rotation. After last night's 9-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees manager blamed the game's turning point on a moth which flew into starting pitcher Phil Hughes' eye.
Hughes (4-5) delivered a 3-2 pitch to Josh Reddick-- a ball-- setting up Jason Varitek's double where Reddick scored the tying run.
The Yankees had finally showed some measure of success against Red Sox starter Josh Beckett and were leading 5-4 when the moth ball incident occurred. Hughes was even up 0-2 against Reddick before walking him.
If you look closely at the video, you can see a lone moth buzzing around Hughes' head before the fatal toss and the pitcher wiping something from his eye as Reddick jogs towards first base.
Yankees fans might recall Joba Chamberlain and the "midge" attack in Cleveland in 2007. Those little buggers swarmed the sweaty pitcher and were blamed for the Yankees loss to the Indians and early playoff exit. At least you could see the bugs covering Chamberlain that night.
"From what I heard a moth flew into his [Hughes] eye when he made the 3-2 pitch," said Girardi. "You can't stop it and can't get a redo."
Call it The Mothman Prophecies because it may be a prediction of things to come.
Hughes showed signs of improvement last night but his fastball, which started out at a crisp 95 mph, wilted to 91 mph before he was pulled in the sixth. It still looks like he runs out of steam.
The struggling Hughes may have just pitched his way out of the starting rotation-- and not because of the moth.
"I really didn't want to tell you guys that, but, yeah, a moth flew in," said Hughes. "That's when I yanked it."
The Yankees might want to invest in some bug spray tonight when A.J. Burnett pitches because there's sure to be a lot of flies-- some of them over the Green Monster, as well as, that other little pest called Dustin Pedroia.
Showing posts with label Josh Beckett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josh Beckett. Show all posts
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Yankees To Go Old School On Red Sox With Colon and Garcia
Everything is just like it was scripted. The New York Yankees roll into Fenway Park to battle the Boston Red Sox for first place. Sporting the same records (68-42), both teams are on sizzling hot streaks headed for a collision course to claim supremacy in the AL East. In the Sox corner: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey. For the Yankees: CC Sabathia, Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon...huh?
Many people rolled their eyes when the two aging hurlers were picked up in the offseason for a song and slow dance and now, the two veterans figure mightily into the Yankees playoff hopes.
The 38 year-old Colon, who hadn't even pitched in the majors since 2009 while he was rehabbing his repaired his shoulder and elbow in the Dominican Republic, has been the Yankees real No. 2 starter this season after undergoing some kind of mysterious treatment for the injuries.
Garcia, 34, almost didn't make the team after spring training.
Now, the two elder statesmen are being called the adhesive which kept the shaky Yankees rotation from collapsing this season. Funny, at the beginning of the season, skeptics talked like Colon and Garcia were ready for the glue factory. They were right.
Colon and Garcia wouldn't have been the first names mentioned, as the pitchers picking up the slack when Phil Hughes went down with dead arm for most of the season and the inconsistent A.J. Burnett went into his annual June/July funk-- but they were.
For a couple of guys picked up as consolation prizes after the Yankees inability to land Mr. America, Cliff Lee, the old guys are the keys to the Yankees season.
Most experts wondered if the rotund Colon (8-6, 3.30 ERA) and the undervalued Garcia (10-7, 3.22) could make it through a whole season and-- two-thirds through-- they are actually getting better.
Colon opens the three-games series tonight against a 27 year-old toddler, Jon Lester (11-4, 3.17 ERA) and sandwiched around Sabathia is Garcia, who will square off against that "tweener," Josh Beckett.
Lester is a Yankee-killer. He boasts a 8-1 lifetime record against his division rival but Colon comes into tonight's game with a 2-1 record with a 2.45 ERA over his last three starts.
Garcia has won three in a row but has two losses this season against the Sox. He faces Beckett on Sunday night. The last time the Yankees saw Beckett, he was spectacular. He struck out 10 and allowed two runs in eight innings in an ESPN Sunday night game in April.
Both Yankees hurlers will have their hands full.
Don't let Boston's 8-1 series lead over New York this season fool you. In 2009, the Sox won the first eight games between the two bitter rivals, then dropped eight of the final nine meetings.
The Red Sox have their problems right now. Lackey has been inconsistent. He lost Monday after giving up five runs and eight hits against the Cleveland Indians. Now, Boston's last minute trade-deadline deal to snag a reputable starter, Erik Bedard, doesn't look as good as advertised last week.
Last night, Bedard posted a no-decision after allowing three runs and seven hits in five innings during his Red Sox debut. It threw cold water on a Boston eight-game win streak.
The Yankees come into Fenway sporting a seven game win streak themselves-- with lots of offense to boot. The Bombers scored 63 runs during that run.
It looks like the Red Sox and Yankees will be seeing a lot more of each other this season. They play three more series this year and it looks like both are headed to the playoffs. So count this series as a preliminary round.
As for Colon and Garcia's success so far. Yankees GM Brian Cashman deserves a lot of credit for taking chances on them. He heard the snickers and AARP jokes, then watched as Boston loaded up their line-up with the acquisitions of young talent like Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. Cashman stayed patient while fans screamed for the big names.
Cashman has been through this before. He knows when it comes to the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry, it's pitching that matters most.
Maybe that's why the Yankees GM also stayed pat at the trade deadline. He went against public opinion and refused to give up prospects for the suspect Ubaldo Jimenez and stuck with Ivan Nova. Looks like a brilliant move right now.
Cashman knows it's all about the arms-- sometimes they just happen to be a little older.
Many people rolled their eyes when the two aging hurlers were picked up in the offseason for a song and slow dance and now, the two veterans figure mightily into the Yankees playoff hopes.
The 38 year-old Colon, who hadn't even pitched in the majors since 2009 while he was rehabbing his repaired his shoulder and elbow in the Dominican Republic, has been the Yankees real No. 2 starter this season after undergoing some kind of mysterious treatment for the injuries.
Garcia, 34, almost didn't make the team after spring training.
Now, the two elder statesmen are being called the adhesive which kept the shaky Yankees rotation from collapsing this season. Funny, at the beginning of the season, skeptics talked like Colon and Garcia were ready for the glue factory. They were right.
Colon and Garcia wouldn't have been the first names mentioned, as the pitchers picking up the slack when Phil Hughes went down with dead arm for most of the season and the inconsistent A.J. Burnett went into his annual June/July funk-- but they were.
For a couple of guys picked up as consolation prizes after the Yankees inability to land Mr. America, Cliff Lee, the old guys are the keys to the Yankees season.
Most experts wondered if the rotund Colon (8-6, 3.30 ERA) and the undervalued Garcia (10-7, 3.22) could make it through a whole season and-- two-thirds through-- they are actually getting better.
Colon opens the three-games series tonight against a 27 year-old toddler, Jon Lester (11-4, 3.17 ERA) and sandwiched around Sabathia is Garcia, who will square off against that "tweener," Josh Beckett.
Lester is a Yankee-killer. He boasts a 8-1 lifetime record against his division rival but Colon comes into tonight's game with a 2-1 record with a 2.45 ERA over his last three starts.
Garcia has won three in a row but has two losses this season against the Sox. He faces Beckett on Sunday night. The last time the Yankees saw Beckett, he was spectacular. He struck out 10 and allowed two runs in eight innings in an ESPN Sunday night game in April.
Both Yankees hurlers will have their hands full.
The Red Sox have their problems right now. Lackey has been inconsistent. He lost Monday after giving up five runs and eight hits against the Cleveland Indians. Now, Boston's last minute trade-deadline deal to snag a reputable starter, Erik Bedard, doesn't look as good as advertised last week.
Last night, Bedard posted a no-decision after allowing three runs and seven hits in five innings during his Red Sox debut. It threw cold water on a Boston eight-game win streak.
The Yankees come into Fenway sporting a seven game win streak themselves-- with lots of offense to boot. The Bombers scored 63 runs during that run.
It looks like the Red Sox and Yankees will be seeing a lot more of each other this season. They play three more series this year and it looks like both are headed to the playoffs. So count this series as a preliminary round.
As for Colon and Garcia's success so far. Yankees GM Brian Cashman deserves a lot of credit for taking chances on them. He heard the snickers and AARP jokes, then watched as Boston loaded up their line-up with the acquisitions of young talent like Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. Cashman stayed patient while fans screamed for the big names.
Cashman has been through this before. He knows when it comes to the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry, it's pitching that matters most.
Maybe that's why the Yankees GM also stayed pat at the trade deadline. He went against public opinion and refused to give up prospects for the suspect Ubaldo Jimenez and stuck with Ivan Nova. Looks like a brilliant move right now.
Cashman knows it's all about the arms-- sometimes they just happen to be a little older.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
N.Y. Yankees Digging the Long Ball and Not Much Else
The New York Yankees are tied for the league lead in home runs with 18 but still look anemic at the plate. A .236 team average is something the team is not used to--even if it is only nine games into the season--and seems worse when you realize four regular starters are well below the Mendoza Line with two others barely above it.
The Yankees No. 4 and No. 5 hitters, Robinson Cano (.324) and Alex Rodriguez (.321), are batting at least 115 points over the leadoff and No. 2 spots--Brett Gardner (.167) and Derek Jeter (.206).
Out of the Yankees 70 total hits this season, 18 have gone over the fence. They are on pace for a record 324 jacks and only 1260 hits.
Hot starts by Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are faded memories. The sliding threesome went 0-for-9 with 8 strikeouts against Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. They have combined for nine home-runs but, with an average of .182, Teixeira is the stud of that bunch. Take away the homers and those three are a combined 6-of-81.
Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long hasn't heard the Steinbrenner alarm yet--thanks to the awful start by the Red Sox and he puts on a happy face when asked about the slumping players.
"I've felt good about our offense thus far and I still do," Long said after the Sox ace struck out ten Yankees on Sunday. "This isn't any time to hit the panic button just because Josh Beckett came out and threw the ball really well."
True. But how does he justify the lack of hits against pitchers who didn't throw the ball as well as Beckett so far this year?
It seems unlikely that Jeter or Gardner won't pick it up at the top of the order or that Mark Teixeira won't be rattled from his annual April swoon. And there's no way that the DH Posada or outfielder Granderson will still be batting .138 and .172, respectively, at the end of the season, but there has to be concern--even with a 5-4 record.
If anything the Yankee hits have been timely. They were sixth in runs scored (50).
Manager Joe Girardi knows nine games do not make a season. "You can't make too much of a few at-bats," he said. "You can't just do it because early in the season you're going to see guys have ups and downs. You're going to see it, and then as they start getting more at-bats under their belts, they start to get more consistent."
The Yankees may be hiding their lack of hits behind their home-run onslaught. Everyone knows chicks really dig the long-ball, but I don't think hitting coaches do.
The Yankees No. 4 and No. 5 hitters, Robinson Cano (.324) and Alex Rodriguez (.321), are batting at least 115 points over the leadoff and No. 2 spots--Brett Gardner (.167) and Derek Jeter (.206).
Out of the Yankees 70 total hits this season, 18 have gone over the fence. They are on pace for a record 324 jacks and only 1260 hits.
Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long hasn't heard the Steinbrenner alarm yet--thanks to the awful start by the Red Sox and he puts on a happy face when asked about the slumping players.
"I've felt good about our offense thus far and I still do," Long said after the Sox ace struck out ten Yankees on Sunday. "This isn't any time to hit the panic button just because Josh Beckett came out and threw the ball really well."
True. But how does he justify the lack of hits against pitchers who didn't throw the ball as well as Beckett so far this year?
It seems unlikely that Jeter or Gardner won't pick it up at the top of the order or that Mark Teixeira won't be rattled from his annual April swoon. And there's no way that the DH Posada or outfielder Granderson will still be batting .138 and .172, respectively, at the end of the season, but there has to be concern--even with a 5-4 record.
If anything the Yankee hits have been timely. They were sixth in runs scored (50).
Manager Joe Girardi knows nine games do not make a season. "You can't make too much of a few at-bats," he said. "You can't just do it because early in the season you're going to see guys have ups and downs. You're going to see it, and then as they start getting more at-bats under their belts, they start to get more consistent."
The Yankees may be hiding their lack of hits behind their home-run onslaught. Everyone knows chicks really dig the long-ball, but I don't think hitting coaches do.
