Opening Night/Day 2010

So the Yankees, as the 2009 world champions, have the honor of being one of the teams featured for Opening Night. Of course they're facing the Red Sox. How could they not? Luckily I have had other sports teams to turn my attention to (football, college basketball, & hockey) during the offseason, but now baseball is back in 4 days!!! I am so excited for the season to start and for the Yankees to defend their title. Expect more updates in May (I get out of school May 7, go to Pittsburgh the 13th or somewhere around there and will be back the 17th or so).

Let's go yankees!!

Playoffs? Check. AL East? Check

I guess the Yankees decided to take my letter seriously :) Everything I asked of them, they did! Including Joba having a great start against the Red Sox. We just won't remember the fact that he sucked last night against the Royals of all teams. In one game the Yankees a) got 100 wins b) clinched the AL East c) tied up the season series against the Red Sox. BTW, the Red Sox are the only team to win the first eight games of a season series and lose the series. HAHHH. I was happy they swept the Red Sox because then I got to see them celebrate on tv :) On ESPN, nevertheless. And the Red Sox are now reeling going into the postseason - they have lost six straight matching their season high. And sucks for them that they clinched a playoff spot because the Rangers lost. (Ok the Yanks clinched because the Rangers lost but they at least won their game that night).

So the final series of the season is against the Rays. The only thing the Yanks are concerned with is a) having CC win 20 games (ok it's not necessary but it would be really nice) b) making sure Robertson is ok to pitch in the postseason and at least for me c) making their record even more gaudy :) OH and d) figuring out who the heck they're gonna play in the ALDS. The Twins, sadly, only split the series against Detroit :( So now they have to sweep the Royals and hope the Tigers get swept by the Chisox. The Twins ARE playing the Royals, but they're also facing Greinke who they lost to just a week ago. GOOO TWINS!

The Postseason begins on Oct 7th for the Yanks (assuming they choose the first series, which they prob will so they can skip Joba's start). CC is taking the mound for the important first game of the series which will be in the Bronx. LET'S GO YANKEES!!!!

A Letter to the Team

Dear New York Yankees,

Please clinch your playoff spot. It's no fun losing two of three to the Orioles and two of three to the Mariners. Oh, and it really sucks to keep losing in Anaheim. Please find a way to win because there's a pretty good possibility that you will have to play the Angels in the playoffs. Or maybe us Yankee fans will have to root for the team we never want to root for. Ever. Getting homefield advantage throughout the playoffs would really just be the whipped cream on top of the sundae. Not the cherry, no. The whipped cream is more important. Don't you guys want to celebrate?! There will be no champagne if you keep sucking. Losing the series to the Angels will suck. Losing to Boston will suck as well. So please remember that it's pretty crucial to get hits with runners in scoring position. Oh and Joba? Yeah sorry you freaking SUCK. What the hell happened to the pitcher after the all-star break? Or shall I say the few games after the break? Sergio Mitre, you suck, too. Gaudin, you're ok. Burnett, please please please pitch well in the playoffs. Bruney, you suck, too. And so do you Albaladejo. So now that that's all out, let's get to the end of the season. Let's clinch a playoff spot, win the division, get homefield advantage and celebrate. Pitch well, hit well, and it'll all be ok.

Love,
a disgruntled Yankee fan

P.S. I really really really dislike the Angels. So please beat them.

Red Sox - Yankees: Round 3

0-8

8 games where the Red Sox have stripped the Yankees of their pride. It's not acceptable for any team to be 0-8 against a division rival. The Yanks weren't great when they played them in April. They still weren't great in May. But they were better in June and still lost. But now they are one of the hottest teams in baseball (probably besides the Angels & Dodgers) with the 2nd-best record in baseball. There is no excuse now to lose to the Red Sox in the Bronx.

Clearly I jinxed the Yankees in my last post (yes, I'm one of those superstitious sports fans) by gushing over how good they were. Ok, so they took 2 of 3 from the Rays. That's very good. But then they lost 3 in a row to the CHISOX! C'mon! I know they're a good team (and have been beating up on the Angels who the Yanks can't beat to save their lives), but man they played HORRIBLY! Sloppy defense, no offense, bad pitching. Luckily I was out of town without TV or internet (except on my phone to check the final scores) so I didn't have to suffer through that series. Funny thing is, when I was driving back to Minnesota from Pennsylvania, our GPS system took us a different way through Chicago. We went through the city (and AWFUL traffic on a Sunday) and I got to see U.S. Cellular Field where the Yanks were playing. Since then, however, they have won 3 in a row (saving themselves from embarassment by winning 1 game in the 4-game series against the chisox). They've got the momentum and they know how to pitch and hit at Yankee Stadium.

Peter Abraham, the Yankees beatwriter, has a good breakdown of the two teams and who is stronger at what positions (including the managers): Read it Here

I'm predicting (& I usually never predict) that the Yankees will split the series.

Joba vs. Smoltz - Joba. He's been great lately and Smoltz has not, sporting a 7 ERA. And they're in the Bronx.

Sabathia vs. Buchholz - Sabathia. He hasn't been brilliant lately, but he's gotten the job done.

Burnett vs. Beckett -Beckett. Burnett has been good, but he's sucked against the Red Sox. In fact, it was after he turned in a total sucky outing against the Sux that he turned it around. But Beckett's too damn good. Damn him, I really dislike him.

Pettite vs. Lester - Lester. Pettite's pitched well as of late, but once again Lester is too damn good. And he is usually great against the Yankees. This is the one matchup I'm not sure of - the Yanks could potentially win this game if they can get some hits off of Lester and if Pettite pitches like he did last game (outdueling the Doc). It would be wonderful if the Yanks could take 3 of 4.

Let's do this Yanks!

Winning is fun.

After being embarrassed on Saturday afternoon, the Yankees have won 3 straight. I watched Saturday's game because I was able to, and after that, I was wishing they hadn't shown it on national tv! But the game was on Sunday, too. So I was happy to see them win. They won 7-3 thanks to a Hip Hip Jorge 2-run hr. It was a controversial one and was reviewed by the umpires. They ruled it a homerun and said there was no fan interference. The TBS announcers couldn't get over it. They kept bringing up how the fans interfered by sticking their glove and hands out, making it impossible for Crowe to catch it. Even if the fans hadn't been there, Crowe might not have been able to catch it and it was obvious it was getting out of the park.

Monday's game against the A's was postponed, meaning CMW's next start against Boston will be skipped. Yesterday the Yankees backed up Andy's solid start by winning 5-3. Today the Yankees played in cold, wet weather - it didn't look pleasant out there. According to the headline on SI.com, CC Sabathia was getting "rocked" by the A's. From what I could tell on Gameday, he got into a few tight spots throughout, but it was when Giraridi kept him in the 7th inning that things fell apart. He was over 100 pitches (which is normal for him, but it was a tight game) and he gave up the lead. However, the Yankees' bullpen was up to the task, throwing 7.1 scoreless innings (that's what we want to see more of this season - especially from Jose Veras - he was outstanding. After a shaky first inning, he was a strike machine afterwards). The Yankees' offense FINALLY came through, after stranding runners on base the previous inning. The Melkman delivered, showing why he should still be on this team. I've always been a Melky fan, but after last season, I was happy to see Brett get the centerfield job. We'll see.

Tomorrow is the Yankees' day off, followed by a three-game series against the division rival Red Sox. Joba, Burnett, and Andy are scheduled to pitch. Lester and Beckett for the Red Sox. The third pitcher is unknown. The last two games will be televised nationally on Fox and ESPN.

Yankees Sweep Twins Out of Town for Final Time

Well, the Yankees did exactly what they needed to do against the Twins, with a few lucky bounces going their way. The Twins made costly errors and when the pitcher made a mistake with a pitch, the Yankees made them pay for it.

-Robbie Cano has been awesome since the start of the second half. If he keeps up this hitting, he can really help the team out down the stretch. The rest of the offense is finally clicking, too, but the bottom of the lineup still worries me. Jose Molina? Melky Cabrera?
-The bullpen has been solid, combining for a 1.60 ERA over the last few weeks. Hey, even Farnsworth has thrown nine consecutive hitless and scoreless innings! Way to go. He gets a gold star.
-The starting pitching has been solid as well, thanks to Moose leading the way. He threw 8 shutout innings today with 7 k's. There's been talk about a possible trade for Jarrod Washburn which doesn't seem like too bad of an idea, but what would we have to give up to get him?

The Yankees have won 10 straight at the Stadium and are 6-0 since the start of the second half. They outscored the Twins 25-7 in the series (13-5 against the A's). Up next is a 3-game series against Boston at Fenway Park. I'm of course nervous for this series. The Yankees offense is finally clicking, but I hope they don't get shut down by the likes of Beckett, Wakefield, and Lester. After traveling to Fenway they'll be back at home to face the Orioles and then the Angels, which will be a very tough series.

7/25-7/27 @ Boston:

RHP Joba Chamberlain (2-3, 2.52) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (9-6, 3.98) 7:05 ET - This will be a very interesting matchup. Joba will be in Boston, with their rowdy fans, pitching as a starter for the first time there. So far he has had trouble keeping his pitch count down and I don't think the Red Sox lineup will be any help. David Ortiz is predicted to return on Friday, which is not good news for the Yankees. Manny, however, might sit out with an injured knee. If the Yankees can get to Josh Beckett and give Joba a lead to work with, there's potential for a win here. The Yankees have not given Joba much run support at all which needs to change and hopefully with two sweeps behind them, they'll have much more confidence offensively.

LHP Andy Pettite (11-7, 3.86) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (6-7, 3.69) 3:55 ET - If Andy pitched as well as he did last start, the Yankees should be all set. But once again it comes down to the offense. Often Wakefield makes batters look foolish with his knuckleball, Yankees included. If they can work the count against him and make him make the mistake of leaving one up, the Yankees can get something going against him and give Andy some support. Andy's a grinder, let's hope he gets through the intimidating Red Sox lineup.

RHP Sidney Ponson (6-1, 4.37) vs. LHP Jon Lester (8-3, 3.20) 8:05 ET - If my memory serves me correctly (and damn that memory) Jon Lester pitched a complete game shutout against the Yankees in the last series. Sidney Ponson has been notorious for giving up a ton of hits, but escaping with limited damage. I'm most nervous for this game. If he keeps giving up hits, the Red Sox will make him pay. Generally, however, the Yankees have given Ponson a ton of run support. We'll have to see how this game turns out.

Keys to the Series:
-Offense, offense, offense yankees!
-Get to the Red Sox bullpen early - they've lately blown the lead (aka: the angels series). And will be more likely to give up runs rather than the strong starting pitchers the Red Sox have.
-Strong starting pitching will hopefully get the offense going, rather than playing catch-up the entire game.

7/28 - 7/30 vs. Orioles ; Home
7/31 - 8/3 vs. Angels ; Home