The Hot Stove Starts To Simmer

The November installment of the GM meetings started yesterday and as expected not much went down. The real fun is at the December GM meetings. So if you're expecting some juicy stuff this week, you're going to be let down.

The "big news" yesterday was that both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui filed for free agency. Nobody should be surprised by this. The Yankees have a small window to negotiate with them exclusively before other teams can enter the mix. I believe that window closes on the 19th and I'd be surprised if the Yankees do anything with them before the deadline. There's a lot of question/debate going on as to whether the Yankees should bring back these guys back. A lot of people seem to think that they will sign one of them, but not both. Most people seem to think Damon will be the one returning. I see positives to bringing both back, but I don't see it happening. I think it's possible that neither return.

If you put me on the spot and asked me to pick which one I wanted back, I'd pick Damon over Matsui. I think Johnny can bring more to the table because he can still play the field. I also like him at the top of the order batting behind Jeter. He still has some decent speed and again he can play the field. Right now the Yankees OF is pretty weak with Swisher, Melky and Gardner. Even if you put Austin Jackson in that mix (I don't think they will) it's still weak. Johnny is a viable option. I also think if Matsui isn't on the squad that Damon can get some DH time and that should help him with his leg issues.

I think Matsui has a lot to offer as the guy hitting behind A-Rod but I think his bat can be easily replaced. The Yankees should be able to find a LH power bat for the same kind of money. I'm also not a fan of the full-time DH. But that's just me.

I wouldn't mind seeing both guys return but neither should get more than a 1-2 year deal if they do return. I also wouldn't pay them as much as they were paid in their last contract. I also wouldn't sign either until I explore bringing in other free agents, namely Matt Holiday and Jason Bay, to take their place. Cashman would need to move quickly though because you don't want to wait too long and end up with nothing. I'm sure Cash-Money is looking ahead at who will be available in a few years. It may make more sense to bring Damon back for a year and go after a 2011 free agent than to go after Holliday or Bay. Cash is a smart guy. I'm sure he'll make the right moves. I think we'll see Damon back in Pinstripes before it's all said and done.

You guys have any thoughts? Who do you prefer they sign if given the choice between Matsui and Damon? Do you even want those guys back? The Hot Stove is starting to simmer. Can't wait for it to be roaring. There's no better offseason in sports than baseball's hot stove.

The other Yankees who have filed for free agency include Andy Pettitte, Eric Hinske, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Jose Molina and Xavier Nady. In the next day or two I'll be posting my thoughts on the open roster spots and who I think should fill them. Assuming I can find the time of course.

Peace, love and Pintripes,

J-Boogie

To A.J. Or Not to A.J.

Here's the million dollar question: Do you want A.J. Burnett starting game 5 over Chad Gaudin? I'm not sure myself. There are pros and cons to both and I'm not sure which side has better arguments. This decision could end up proving to be a colossal mistake. It could definitely end up biting the Yankees right in the rear.

The lineup is likely going to be very weak tonight. The 5-9 spots are likely going to consist of Swisher, Cano, Molina, Gardner, and Burnett. Cliff Lee is the Phillies best pitcher and should do very well against a weakened Yankee lineup. A.J. may have to be near-perfect tonight just to keep the team in the game. If Chad Gaudin starts, Jorge Posada would get the start behind the plate and that would make the lineup somewhat formidable. But is a Posada/Gaudin pairing better than a Molina/Burnett pairing when you consider what happens on both sides of the plate? Hard to say. I'm not sure which way I go.

Burnett is also pitching on short rest. He's done that before and he's done it well. If the Yankees fail to close it out tonight, then Andy Pettitte will start game 6 on short rest. Andy hasn't done that in a while and who knows how he'll fare. Are the Yankees better off with Burnett/Pettitte, each on short rest, in games 5 or 6 as opposed to Gaudin/Burnett, both on full rest, in games 5 and 6? Is it better to have Burnett with a weakened lineup start against Cliff Lee as opposed to have Burnett start with a powerful lineup against Pedro Martinez in game 6? Again, hard to say. Again, not sure which way I go. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I usually have an opinion one way or another on pretty much everything. I'm torn when it comes to this. I am just getting the feeling that using Burnett tonight could be a wasted start. A great pitcher is facing a weak lineup. As I wrote above, A.J. may need to be near perfect just to keep the team in the game. A.J. has to know this. Talk about pressure.

Before the series started though, I was all about the Yankees using a 3-man rotation. But, i didn't really expect them to be up 3-1 when game 5 rolled around. The only way I would ever consider giving Gaudin the ball would be with a 3-1 lead. And here we are. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

There is one solution that would make me feel much better. Start Posada over Molina. That would make the lineup much better and might just give A.J. the ability to recover from a mistake or two. I really think he needs to be near perfect tonight and I'm not sure he will be. I'd hate to see this be a wasted start because the Yankee offense doesn't score. I think that's what I'm more worried about.

What say you? If you're Joe Girardi, who do you start and why? Not sure how much of a response I'll get as 1st pitch is bout 3 hours away, but if you feel so inclined to leave a comment, please do.

This decision could prove to be a colossal mistake. It could blow up in the Yankees face. It could work out. Who knows? If the games were played on paper, it's a no-brainer. Philly is winning game 5. A.J. gives the team it's best chance to win so I'm OK with him getting the start. You never know what'll happen. As John Sterling likes to say, you just can't predict baseball.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Win A Wet And Wild One With Another Walkoff

Oh my God! What a way for me to pop my cherry at the New Yankee Stadium. Last night's game against the Angels was absolutely incredible. I could not have asked for anything more. As the game went to extra innings I said to my wife, "This will either be the best game I've ever been to or the worst." I think you all know how it turned out.

Man, where to start? I don't even know. I guess I'll start with the trip. If you want to jump ahead to my thoughts on the game, keep scrolling. I thought the new Stadium was awe-inspiring. It definitely reminded me a lot of the old ballpark. It looked and felt the same except much more up-to-date. We got there right after the gates opened and we just spent some time strolling around the place, checking things out. I like the fact that they open the park 3 hours before game time. There weren't crowds to fight like there were at the old place. We went and visited Monument Park and we pretty much had the run of the place. There were others down there but it wasn't close to crowded. Every time I went to MP at the old place, the lines were huge and it was really hard to take it all in because of how crowded it was. It was nice to be there without that many people. As expected, it gave me the chills. I love remembering the old greats.

I really wanted to check out the museum and while we had more than enough time to check it out, I couldn't find it. It's my own fault. I didn't look that hard and I didn't ask anyone where it was. Oh well, I'll have to save that for my next visit, which hopefully we'll be in a few weeks if you know what I mean. I'm not sure why I didn't ask anyone. The Stadium staff was extremely nice and courteous. We were a little surprised by that. I didn't run in to too many nice staff members at the old place. Everyone we encountered was extremely nice. Kudos to the Yanks for making the staff more friendly. It definitely made the visit more enjoyable.

We spent a lot of time before the game sitting in our seats. We had seats in the 2nd row of section 323. The view was awesome. The only drawback was that with people in front of me I occasionally had to invade my wife's space to see the full pitch. The seats were on the 3B side and my seat was pretty much aligned with home plate. The guy that sat in front of me had a pretty big melon and his dome blocked the grass from the mound to the batter's box. I could see the pitcher. I could see the hitter. I couldn't see the ball though, unless as I said, I leaned over on my wife. She didn't mind and it wasn't too bad. The section, much like all upper level sections, had a piece of glass at the front that acted like a mini-wall to prevent people from falling over the edge. My only beef with that was the metal "bar" that fused them all together. Would it be so much to ask to make that clear? It's not that big of a deal, but it would be nicer. Anyway, the seats were nice. Next time though I'm going for the front row.

The atmosphere at the game was awesome. The crowd was very into the game and it got loud. The weather was not bad either considering the forecast was calling for showers all night. There was a light drizzle when we first got there. It was more of a mist and wasn't too bad. It stopped before first pitch and it didn't start again until the 8th inning. So much for that forecast, eh? Stupid meteorologists. My wife would disagree but I thought even when it started raining in the 8th it wasn't that bad. They weren't really rain drops but more of a heavy mist. Not sure how it looked on TV but I didn't think it was bad at all. I did though wear a poncho. I'm so glad the weather wasn't as bad as predicted. The last thing we wanted was for the game to get delayed or postponed. Based on the forecast I thought there was no way the game was getting played. I really thought the game was going to get pushed to Monday. Thankfully, as I said, meteorologists are stupid.

Now onto the game itself. On the ride down there, I was doing my best to educate the wife on the Yankees. She's a fan, but not a die-hard. She watches most games and knows who's who, but doesn't really follow it super-closely. She asked me what to expect from A.J. Burnett. I told her he can be very dominant but he's very wild. I said he'd probably pitch 6-7 innings, would allows 3-5 hits, would walk 3-6 guys, throw a few wild pitches, hit a batter or two and would give up only 1-2 runs. I pretty much nailed it. I thought A.J. pitched pretty well. I thought for the most part he had dominant stuff. He only allowed 3 hits in his 6.1 IPs, with 2 of the hits coming in the 5th inning. From my vantage point it looked like A.J. was having trouble with Jose Molina. It was hard to tell thought what the issues were. It looked like Molina was having trouble catching the ball but I couldn't really tell without watching it on TV. We couldn't tell what was really going on up in my section. I would love to see some of the replays. There was one point where, I'm assuming, the ball bounced off Molina's glove and went right into the stands. How'd that happen? It was odd, and again, it was hard to figure out what was really happening up in my section.

What was up with the Yankees defense? Robbie Cano had a rough night. He made 2 brutal errors. Jeter also botched what looked like a routine DP. Lucky for the Yanks it didn't cost them. Jeter I'm not worried about. But Cano looked lazy on his 2 miscues. I hope he's not regressing back into a lazy fielder. I think Cano is one of the slickest fielders in the game and has a shot at winning the Gold Glove award. But he's been lazy in the past. This isn't the time to get lazy again. I'm hoping it's a one-off.

The Yankees had many opportunities to win last night. They came up empty with RISP, going 0-8. Lucky for them the Angels weren't much better at 3-15. The Yanks had chances to win the game in every inning from the 9th on. It would have made for a very tough loss.

A-Rod. 'Nuff said. I could leave it at that but why? I couldn't believe it when he went yard in the 11th. Talk about clutch. A-Rod, like I said he would, is having a monster postseason. He may have only gone 1-6 but the one hit was huge.

The bullpen was again stellar. Sure, Alfredo Aceves got knocked a little bit but on the whole, the pen was great. They did make for some tense moments though. Joba's K of Vladimir Guerrero with the bases loaded in the 7th was huge. Phil Hughes' K of Gary Matthews, Jr. with 2 on and 1 out in the 8th was big. That K got Jeter off the hook. Ace getting Torii Hunter to GIDP with 2 on in the 11th was another big spot. D-Rob got himself into and out of trouble when he whiffed Gary Matthews with 2 on and 2 out to end the 12th. Robertson came up big again in the 13th when he got Hunter and Guerrero to both ground out in the 13th. Those outs got Cano off the hook. The bullpen has to get a lot of credit for getting the big outs whenever they were needed. Job well done.

The Yankees half of the 13th inning has been replaying non-stop since the game ended last night. I can see it playing out so clearly in my head. Jerry Hariston, Jr. starts it off with a single to center. Brett Gardner lays down a successful sacrifice. The Angels intentionally walk Melky to set up the DP. Robbie Cano grounds it to 2nd, Izturis spins and throws to Aybar and the throw gets away. Here comes Hariston.....Figgins fields the ball.....here comes the throw.....Jerry June beats it and slides in with the winning run and the place goes absolutely bonkers!! Cue Frank Sinatra. Awesome. Totally awesome. And then BOOM! Ladies and gents, we have pie! I was loving it. I thought for sure Burnett was going for Melky but much to my surprise he planted it right upside Jerry June's face. Hariston was definitely the deserving recipient. Can you think of a better way to end one's first trip to the new stadium then with a walkoff win and some pie? I couldn't have asked for anything better. What a way to end the day!

Last night's win was huge! The Yanks are firmly seated in the driver's seat with a 2-0 lead on the Angels. I think if they can win 1 in LA they've got it locked up. It's going to be tough for the Angels to take 3 straight from Pettitte, Sabathia and Burnett. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself but I'm liking their chances. Pettitte has been great on the road this year. He pitched a great game in the ALDS and I'm looking for him to duplicate that tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 4:13pm. I don't know about you, but I'm really excited. 4:13 can't get here soon enough.

5 down, 6 to go.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Win Another 2-1 Squeaker On Matsui's Walkoff

3 straight games. 3 straight 2-1 victories. These games are getting too close for comfort. I like the fact that the team is pitching well. But donde esta la offense? For those of you without a handy-dandy Spanish to English translator, that means where is the offense? I think it means that. The only Spanish I've ever heard translated was on an episode of "Who's The Boss" when they went to Mexico and taught Tony how to say "Where is the bathroom?" I'm kidding of course.

But seriously, where is the offense? The Yankees have scored a whopping 11 runs in their 4 games since the ASB. They've managed 16 hits in their last 3 games. Their last 4 runs all came on solo HRs. 5 of their last 6 runs came on solo HRs. 8 of their last 9 runs came via the longball. I don't like this trend. It's very hard to win consistently when you live off the home run, especially when it's of the solo variety. I'm a little surprised that they've won their last 4. It's a good thing that the pitching is taking care of business. They deserve all the credit for these wins in my opinion. I'm excited about how well they're doing, but would be a lot more thrilled if these games were against better opponents. Baltimore and Detroit don't exactly have stellar offenses. If the Yanks were facing better teams, they very easily could have lost all 4 of these games. I hope the offense gets going soon. Enough of these solo HRs.

I don't think any team had a chance against Andy Pettitte last night. In a word, awesome. Andy has struggled at home this year. He got the 2nd half off on the right foot by going 7.1 innings, allowing just the 1 run on 6 hits and a walk. The stat of the night though was the 8 Ks. His control was there too as he threw 69% of his pitches for strikes. Very impressive. He made the mistake to Markakis in the first inning and was pretty much on cruise control the rest of the night. Like CC and Joba in their outings, if Andy needed the big out, he got the big out. Baltimore had a runner on 2nd with no outs in the 3rd and Andy whiffed two in a row. the O's had two on and 1 out in the 5th and Andy struck out another to keep them put. He also met 2 of his best friends in the 6th and 7th when he induced two double plays. All in all, a stellar outing.

The game was saved though by the defense. Those two plays at the plate in the 8th were tremendous. The first was great on so many levels. First Teixeira made an incredible pick. He then made a tremendous off-balance throw to the plate. Molina made a sweet grab on the throw and made a nice tag at the plate. I'm not sure how the ball stayed in his glove. That was remarkable. And then lightning struck again. Coke makes a wild pitch, Molina pounced on it and hit Coke at the plate for the tag. I originally thought Roberts got in there but there was no question that the ump made the right call. Those plays were game savers. If Mark Teixeira doesn't win the Gold Glove at first I am going to be shocked. The Yankees haven't had a slick fielding first baseman in I don't know how long. Teix has saved the Yankees' bacon several times this year. I am so glad that the stars aligned and Cashman was able to bring Teixeira into the fold. He's the bomb yo.

Boston's 3 game lead is gone. Yanks are back in first. Sergio Mitre is getting the call-up to make tonight's start in place of Chien-Ming Wang. It's the right call. The Yanks are better off if the leave Hughes and Aceves in the bullpen. Wang had another setback in his rehab yesterday. The Yanks are likely going to need to fill that spot for quite a while. The trade deadline is about 10 days from now. I can't see them going with Mitre if Wang is out long term. It'll be interesting to see what develops over the next week and a half. Mitre should be nothing more than a stop-gap. He's not the answer. I'm interested to see how he does. Good luck Serge. Hopefully you get some run support.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Jorge Posada: Is It Time To Pass The Torch?

As I was watching yesterday's 15-0 beatdown of the Mets, I started wondering if A.J. Burnett would have pitched as well as he did if Jorge Posada were his battery mate instead of Francisco Cervelli. I've heard and read a lot of things over the years about Posada as a catcher. My impression of Jorge is that not everyone is a fan of his ability to call a game. Chalk me up as one of those people. I don't think it's a coincidence that Mike Mussina won 20 games when he primarily pitched to Jose Molina. Randy Johnson pretty much preferred anyone to Posada, using John Flaherty or Kelly Stinnett as his personal catcher. So as I sat and watched Burnett put up 7 scoreless, I decided to pull some stats from this year to see if I was off base. The stats I put together were a little surprising. I'm pretty sure that the numbers are accurate. I did my best to check and double check it for accuracy.Take a look:

Yankees record by starting catcher:

• Jorge Posada: 15-11 (.577)
• Jose Molina: 5-8 (.385)
• Kevin Cash: 5-2 (.714)
• Francisco Cervelli: 11-6 (.647)

The team is definitely winning more with Cervelli behind the dish. Over 162 games, that would work out to about 12 more wins. I also looked at who was the "catcher of record," meaning who was behind the plate when the team won or lost to see if that changed anything:

• Jorge Posada: 16-13 (.552)
• Jose Molina: 4-7 (.364)
• Kevin Cash: 6-3 (.667)
• Francisco Cervelli: 10-4 (.714)

Cervelli's winning percentage is the only one that increased, meaning more game where he starts are lost when the back-up catcher comes in. I also broke down each catcher's record by who got the win, a starter or reliever:

• Jorge Posada: 9-10 rotation/6-1 bullpen
• Jose Molina: 3-3 rotation/2-5 bullpen
• Kevin Cash: 3-2 rotation/2-0 bullpen
• Francisco Cervelli: 7-1 rotation/4-5 bullpen

I find it very interesting that the starters have a losing record with Jorge Posada. Cervelli's record is outstanding with the rotation. Considering how bad the Yankee bullpen has been, I'm surprised that Posada's record when it comes to the pen is so good. I'm taking the guy that kicks ass with the rotation. Cervelli's record with the SPs is pretty impressive. The next set of stats I looked at go a little hand-in-hand with each other. I looked at how many runs per game the Yankees scored based on who was the starting catcher, and what the catcher's ERA was. The catcher's ERA is based on the team's ERA only for when that catcher is catching:

• Jorge Posada: 5.58 runs per game/cERA of 6.44 (career = 4.44)
• Jose Molina: 5.38 runs per game/cERA of 3.66
• Kevin Cash: 6.14 runs per game/cERA of 3.49
• Francisco Cervelli: 6 runs per game/cERA of 4.18

I was shocked to see that the team scores fewer runs per game with Posada catching than with Cervelli or Cash. I made sure to triple-check that to make sure it was correct. Posada's cERA is absolutely horrendous. It's 2+ runs higher than the next closest. I know that some of that has to do with Jorge catching Wang's 1st 3 starts. If you toss those 3 starts out, Posada's cERA is till ridiculously high at 5.70. Posada is the only one whose cERA is higher than the runs scored per game. His cERa has also climbed every year since 2006. The cERA alone is enough for me to consider other options. Posada is just not getting it done this year. I'm not sure how much of that has to do with catching new pitchers, but if it is, those guys aren't going anywhere.

The last stat I looked at was the percentage of runners they throw out stealing:

• Jorge Posada: 31.91% of runner caught (career = 28.6%)
• Jose Molina: 23.53% of runners caught (career = 40.5%)
• Kevin Cash: 18.18% of runners caught (career = 32.1%)
• Francisco Cervelli: 37.5% of runners caught (career = 35.3%)

Posada has never been thought of has having a great arm. Maybe in his younger days, but not anymore, especially after going thru his recent injury issues. Speed is becoming a very big part of the game. The Rays lead all of baseball with 105 stolen bases. The Red Sox have the 4th highest number of stolen bases in the AL with 47. Teams are going to be better suited by having a catcher with a good arm behind the plate, especially in the AL East. Cervelli has a leg up on the competition.

I also took a really quick glance at Posada and Cervelli's zone rating, range factor, and fielding percentage. Cervelli's fielding percentage is higher (.993 to .986). Cervelli's zone rating is higher (3.179 to 3.121). Cervelli's range factor is higher (7.93 to 7.90). Cervelli has Posada pretty much beat up and down when it comes to catching. The only thing Jorge has on Cervelli is his bat. No question about that. But is having Jorge's bat in the lineup providing a huge impact? According to their runs/game, it's not. It's also evident that the added offense is only making up for the inferior catching.

And that was pretty much how I spent my Sunday night. I asked in the title of this post, is it time for Jorge to pass the torch? It's evident to me that the team is better off with Cervelli catching. The numbers to me bear that out. Now I know it's not a large sample size and Cervelli doesn't have a lot of time in the majors under his belt, but Cervelli has Jorge beat pretty much up and down the line. Unfortunately, Cervelli playing full-time is probably not in the cards. I have to think once Jose Molina comes back that Cervelli is on his way to Trenton or Scranton. That's a shame. He's playing better than anyone the Yankees have. I understand their hands are tied because it's not like they can just throw Posada at DH. It's something the Yankees need to consider, if not now, for the future. Maybe they can find somebody to unload Matsui on? It would allow Posada to DH more.

The Yankee bullpen is atrocious right now. The team is better off when the SPs go deep into games. Right now the guy getting it done with the SPs is Cervelli. His winning percentage is high. His cERA is pretty good. He cuts down more runners. He's flat out the best option the Yankees have right now. They say pitching and defense wins championships. Right now, I'd take Cervelli over Posada. He's getting the job done. If not in a full-time role, maybe in some kind of a platoon with Posada. What say you? Am I off my rocker?

I wonder who the Yankee pitchers prefer?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Joba Unimpressive In Spring Debut

Well, we finally got to see one of the Yankees starting 5 today. Too bad the outing was far from impressive. Joba, in my opinion, looked terrible. I wrote the other day that I don't really look at a pitcher's line when judging a spring outing. I look more at their control and their velocity. Joba threw 21 pitches, 11 for strikes, 10 for balls. Not a good strike-to-ball ratio. The Twins were on his pitches and that had a lot to do with Joba's velocity, or should I say lack thereof. His fastest pitch topped out at 90, which I think he hit only once. The majority of the pitches he threw were fastballs and most were in the mid-high 80s, ranging from 85-89, with most being at the lower end of that range. Joba, when in mid-season form, usually has his fastball hitting in the mid-to-upper 90s. He was about 10 mph below what he usually does. That velocity should increase throughout the spring as his arm strength builds up. By the time Opening Day rolls around, he'll have that pop back, and that should lead to better outings.

Jose Veras on the other hand did impress me. His fastball was consistently in the low 90s, hovering around 93. He struck out 2 and should have whiffed the side except the home plate ump called a ball on what was obviously strike 3 to Denard Span. Veras had a nasty hook working today.

Put Dan Giese in the unimpressive category. He didn't do too hot. It's early, he'll bounce back. I still like him for the swingman role.

Kei Igawa had a surprisingly nice outing. He still has no shot at heading north with the club, even he runs the table and pitches a scoreless spring.

The offense had a pretty solid day. Through the 1st two times through the lineup, everyone had reached base via a hit or walk except for Jose Molina, Nick Swisher and Johnny Damon. Swisher did reach on an error and Damon did have a successful sac bunt that eventually led to a run, so I won't hold that against him. They're getting on base. That's a good sign. You can't score runs if you're not on base.

Jorge Posada was scratched from today's game because of "soreness in his right shoulder." According to Bryan Hoch's article, Posada says, "I played yesterday with it, and I could play today. It doesn't hurt me to throw, and it doesn't hurt me to hit. It's just sore. "I knew there was going to be soreness. I was expecting it to be a little bit earlier than now. Since everything was going so well, we kept going. It's just a little bump in the road. I think it's going to be fine." I don't think it's anything to be overly concerned with but it's something to keep an eye on.

And I'm still lovin' Jose Molina's arm!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Going Camping

For the moment, the A-Rod steroids scandal has dies down. I'm sure it will pick up again on Tuesday when he shows up at camp and throngs of reporters descend upon him looking for answers. Quite frankly, he has it coming to him.

This week's Sports Illustrated came out today and the feature article is of course about A-Rod. I have no interest whatsoever in giving SI my money so I doubt I'll read the article unless I happen upon it at the doctor's office or at my mechanics. And since I have no plans to visit either of those places, knock on wood, I doubt I'll check it out. If anyone has read it and wants to share their thoughts, please fire away. No real updates on the allegations Alex made about Selena Roberts. Lots o' sites, including yours truly, looked into it and everyone seems to come to the same conclusion: nobody out there can back up A-Rod's claims. Here's an article from the NY Daily News if you're interested. I'm pretty sure Alex wouldn't have made these things up on a lark. There has to be some basis to his claims, even if he's just blowing them all out of proportion. And I'd probably guess that Roberts was up to some shady dealings, despite what she's said in her gazillion interviews. The more I hear her talk, the more I don't like her. I'm sure she's not squeaky clean in all this. I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Oh well, let's move on, if only for a few days.

Lots of guys are showing up early to camp. Pete Abraham, Yankee beat blogger extraordinaire, has been providing lots of updates. Quick editorial on Pete: He has the best blog on the Yankees there is. Constantly updating with news as it happens. He loses me though when he starts dropping his thoughts on guys. He obviously dislikes certain people and it comes through quite regularly. I can live without that. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming! Here are some nuggets he dropped on us today:

• The Yanks invited 3 more guys to camp today: George Kontos, Kanekoa Texeira, and J.B. Cox. All 3 are RHPs and all 3 won't make the big league club when camp breaks. At one point, I really like Cox. (Mind out of the gutters pervs). But he's digressed in his development and I don't really think he'll ever materialize into much. I wouldn't mind being wrong.
• Jorge Posada is looking good. Pete reports he's "showing good pop in the cage" and is "throwing well." That's great news. Jorge is going to be a huge part of the offense this year. We saw what happened last year with his bat out of the lineup. I like Jose Molina and all, but he's nothing compared to JoPo. Jorgie needs to stay healthy. hopefully, they keep a watchful eye on his wing and don't let him do anything before he's ready.

According to the countdown clock on the Yankees website we're 1 day, 13 hours and 34 minutes away from pitchers and catchers reporting. Man I'm excited. I always equate P&Cs reporting to the first day of school. You're so excited to see the friends you've missed and get back to hanging with them every day. It'll be good to get back together with the 'ol gang and welcome some newbies into the club. One of these days, I'll get down to Tampa to check it out for myself. The wife and I talk about going every year but it's tough when you've got an 18-month old and another on the way. She's a teacher and her mid-winter break always falls at the opening of camp so it'd perfect. But like I do every year, I'll be keeping up on things here in sunny old Buffalo. Ugh.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

A Look Back At 2008: Jose Molina

It's October and for the first time in 13 years the Yankees won't be playing baseball this month. It was a disappointing season to say the least. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be taking a look back at the individuals that took part in the 2008 Yankees campaign, offering up some opinions and assigning each person a grade. I hope to do at least one person a day so make sure to check back. And please feel free to add your own thoughts and comments.

Today's look back at 2008 is Jose Molina.

Jose Mo will forever be known as the last person to hit a home run in Yankee Stadium. Wow. I don't think anyone would have predicted that considering he isn't exactly Babe Ruth at the plate. But Jose is not on the Yankees because of what he brings to the table offensively. It's what he does behind the plate that makes him so valuable.

For a while at the beginning of the season it looked like Jose was going to be an offensive machine. Through his first 10 games he was hitting .364 with 7 double and an OPS of .939. If my memory serves me correctly, at that time he was tied for the league lead in doubles. But then he quickly realized that he was Jose Molina and his numbers quickly dropped off. Jose finished the season with a .216 average, hitting 17 doubles and 3 HRs, knocking in 18 RBI. His numbers were a little below his career average but were in the ballpark. Jose is a career .237 hitter. For all intents and purposes, he performed as expected at the plate. Again, he's not Babe Ruth. He's Jose Molina. You don't expect the world from him at the plate.

Defensively, you have to love what Jose brings to the Yankees. Jose's ERA as a catcher was 3.69. There were 4 catchers in MLB that caught more innings than Jose who had better ERAs, 3 of which were by .06 percentage points or less. The Yankees team ERA was 4.28, more than half a percentage point higher than Molina's. I know a lot of it has to do with the guy on the mound executing his pitch, but it's the catcher that calls the what and where. You've got to give Jose some credit. Mike Mussina has said many times he loves the way Molina calls a game. I believe he's gone as far as saying he was one of the best catchers he's ever thrown to. Considering Moose is on his way to the HOF, that's saying a lot. Is it a coincidence that Moose won 20 games for the first time in his career with Molina as his catcher? I think not. Molina definitely had something to do with Moose's success.

Molina's greatest asset though is his arm. Molina gunned down 44% of the runners who attempted to steal. He allowed 42 steals in 75 attempts. That was the highest in all of MLB for catchers who had more than 25 stolen bases attempted on them. The Yankees don't exactly have the best pitchers on the mound when it comes to holding on runners. Having a guy like Molina behind the plate neutralizes that threat. And when you've got teams with speed in your division like the Rays and Red Sox, you need all the help you can get keeping those runners from taking extra bases and getting into scoring position. Stealing on Posada has pretty much become a given, or as close to is as can be. Posada allowed 34 swipes in 41 attempts, catching 17.1% of runners. Yankee catchers not named Jose Molina caught 24.46% of runners. As a team the Yankees caught 32.7% of runners. I hate to think what that statistic would be if Jose wasn't the backup catcher . I wish I could easily calculate how many runs he saved and how many extra wins his arm got us. He came up big defensively for the Yanks in '08.

As I mentioned above, Jose isn't on the team for what he does at the plate. He pretty much performed as expected. Defensively, that's a different story. He definitely exceeded my expectations and filled in for Jorge Posada better than I could have ever expected. J-Boogie's 2008 final grade for Jose Molina is a B+. Feel free to post your own grades or comments.

If you want to check out any of the previous 2008 look backs, click on this link "2008 Look Back." It'll take you to my previous look back posts. Next up: The Giambino, Jason Giambi

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Hit Parade Carries Yanks To 4th Straight W

We're now about 100 games into the season and I still have no idea what to expect when I watch a Yankee games. The biggest question is always will they hit the ball? After some less then stellar offensive outings, the offense exploded tonight, scoring 12 runs on 16 hits and 4 walks. They had a little bit of everything tonight. I'm a big fan of keeping the line moving, like they did in the 2nd inning. They'll do much better hitting single after single than they will trying to hit a 6-run homer. The "I've got to hit a homer" mentality has always been something that has hampered the Yankees in my opinion. I've blogged several times in the past that they need to concentrate more on getting successive base hits than they do hitting 3-run HRs. Tonight was a good example of what happens when you rack up hit after hit after hit. It was nice though to see a few longballs sprinkled in for fun.

I can't figure out how Sidney Ponson does it. He again allowed a plethora of baserunners but didn't really allow any to score. It's insane. One of these days it has to catch up with him. The law of averages says so, right? Hopefully that day comes next year when he pitches for someone else. But for now, I hope he keeps doing what he's doing. And I'm not sure what it is about the guy that inspires the offense. He's now the beneficiary of 41 Yankee runs in his 4 Yankee starts. Why can't the offense do this every time Moose starts? That's what I want to see. what's really odd is Ponson got the same kind of run support in Texas. The Yankees and Rangers have combined for 103 runs in Sidney's 11 starts. Unreal. for those of you without a calculator or forgot how to do long division, that's 9.36 runs per game, which is the highest in the league for any starter with more than 10 games started. Again, unreal.

Getting back to the offense, it was good to see them set the tone so early with A-Rod's 2-run A-bomb in the 1st inning. And it was nice to see that when Minnesota countered with 2 runs in the second, the Yanks answered right back, effectively winning the game right there in the 2nd inning. 6 guys had multi-hit games tonight. Jeter (2-5), Abreu (2-4), A-Rod (2-3), Cano (2-5), Melky (2-5), and our new full-time catcher Jose Molina (3-4). The mustachioed one was the only Yankee starter without a hit. The Giambino had a rough night at the dish with 3 Ks. I think Jason needs to apply a little bit of Just For Men to that 'stache to reactivate its awesomeness. Robbie Cano on the other hand remained real hot. Robbie in his last 11 games is hitting .364 with 11 extra-base hits. He's tearing it up. Post All-Star break, Robbie is hitting .526 (10-19) with 4 multi-hit games. He's locked in. As I've said the last few days, Robbie has better #s after the ASB. If I remember the stat they flashed on the broadcast, he's a .338 hitter after the AS break. Considering his a career .304 hitter, you can see that the 2nd half #s are better than the 1st. This year looks to be no different. The best thing tonight though was Jose Molina racking up 3 hits. With Posada back on the DL, and possibly done for the year, Jose needs to step it up at the plate. I think with some regular ABs, Jose will do well at the plate. He's shown us already this year he can hit the ball, having batted .364 through the 1st 10 games of the season, roping double after double. But we don't need Jose to hit to that level. Even .250 would be acceptable. Molina's value is best earned behind the plate. He's gunning down almost 50% of base-stealers. That's going to help big time against the teams that like to run, namely the Rays and the Red Sox.

The bullpen? In a word: fantastic. Hawkins may have allowed a run, big deal. As a unit, they threw 3.1 innings of 1 hit ball. Edwar and David Robertson are making a serious push at working their way up the pecking order. Girardi has a lot of weapons down there in the bullpen. The bridge to Mariano now has a lot of solid options. K-Farns, Edwar, Robertson, Giese, Veras. Pick one. They'll all get you out. Besides being able to hold a lead, the bullpen is going to keep the Yankees in the game when the starting pitching has the occasional bad outing. It'll give the offense the chance to work its way back into the game and thus provide the team with a better chance of winning. What's particularly impressive is that the Yankees' bullpen has thrown the 2nd most # of innings in the AL, yet no reliever is in the top 15 in appearances. Now granted that might be different if the bullpen was the same from day 1. I think only Hawkins, Farnsworth, and Mo were on the Opening Day roster. They've mentioned that "stat" several times on YES and they always neglect the fact that 2/3 of the pen has only been around for 2/3 of the season. Regardless, Girardi has a good thing going. The arms in the pen aren't burned out there like they have been in the last few years, getting run out there game after game.

D-Raz needs to keep it going tomorrow. He hasn't exactly been throwing well lately. He's 2-7 in his last 9 starts. The last thing he wants to do is be the 1 starter not to win his game. The 4 before him all pitched well enough to win; Joba of course getting boned by the pen. Rasner needs to take the ball, throw a decent game, and give the ball to Moose to do it all over again. I'm telling you, leaving Fenway in 2nd place isn't that much of a stretch. Make it happen boys. Make it happen.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Pettitte Cruises, Yanks Burn Rays 5-0

Andrew Eugene Pettitte. He was the man tonight baby. 8 stellar shutout innings. He threw strikes, kept runners of base, and pitched his way to his 10th win. Andy has been absolutely outstanding lately. 7-1 in his last 10 starts. He rebounded quite nicely from his last start against the Red Sox. The key today for me was that Andy didn't walk anyone. The Rays are a speedy team and the last thing the Yanks need is to let these guys have at the basepaths. Andy has always been a stronger pitcher in the 2nd half. I've said it before. I'll say it again. Looks like the 2nd half started early.

The Yankees need this from Pettitte. Joba, Moose, and Pettitte are a strong 1-2-3. If the Yanks can get solid outings from these 3, which they have been, we could be looking at a serious run if the offense gets going, and if the bottom 2 in the rotation can squeeze out a win here and there. Rasner and Ponson don't excite me too much. I think we're going to see some other guys get those starts real soon. I hate to say this but Kei Igawa is having a pretty solid year in Scranton. Igawa is currently 8-4 with an ERA of 3.82. Maybe he gets another shot? Igawa right now is too good for AAA but not good enough for MLB. He's been a colossal bust so far. But at the rate Sidney Ponson is going, he probably won't do any worse.

Still feeling a little underwhelmed with the offense, but not as much as I was yesterday. But not too many teams have great offensive explosions against Scott Kazmir, so I guess it's all good. Robbie Cano continues to impress. His 11 pitch at-bat against Jason Hammel was the at-bat of the game. That AB was a great indication that Cano has finally turned the corner. Robbie had another multi-hit game tonight. The 8th in his last 13 games. Robbie hitting is going to be clutch. He's a natural hitter and at the end of the year he'll be hitting about .300. Mark my words. 5 Yanks had 2 hits tonight. Abreu being one and boy did he need those. Bobby has been slumping, 0-15 in his last 4 games, and 4-30 in his last 8. Any night your 2, 3 and 5 hitters rack up 2 hits is a good night I suppose.

When Melky was down 0-2 in the 8th and was 1 strike away from a golden sombrero, I was sitting there thinking, man they got to trade for someone that can hit. I like his range and arm, but he's been horrible at the plate. And sure enough, he goes yard. Build on that Melk. Build on it.

I blogged a few days ago that the Yanks would be in trouble against the Sox and the Rays with Posada behind the plate. Girardi must have heeded my advice because Molina has been behind the dish the last 4 games. He's had an amazing arm all year. I had no idea coming into tonight's game he has gunned down 12 straight runners and how high his caught stealing percentage was. I don't remember the exact % of caught runners but it's a few percentage points under 50%, like 47 point something, one of the tops, if not the top in MLB. Jose Mo has been a blessing for the Yanks this year. His bat has certainly cooled but you can't put a price on valuable his arm has been. Definitely one of Cashman's better signings in my opinion.

Is it me or has Jeter's range improved in the last few days? Granted Dioner Navarro isn't the fastest dude out there but he had to cover some serous ground to nab him at 2nd with his patented jump throw. That was awesome. He's also gotten to a few balls that I thought were surely destined for center field. Regardless, I'm liking what I'm seeing from the Captain. People think he's overrated and I'm inclined to disagree. And I'm not being biased when I say that. Here's what I find funny: Jeter won last year's Gold Glove, which is voted on by managers and coaches. Yet when players are surveyed about who they feel is overrated, Jeter tops the list. Seems odd to me that coaches/managers respect his defense but everybody bags on his defense and thinks he's overrated. I'm sorry, but I respect the opinion of coaches/managers more than pretty much anyone else. People need to stop hating.

Tomorrow is a day game which is good and bad. I can't watch it on TV because of work but I can listen to it on my radio, though I can never devote 100% attention to it. I'd miss it anyway if it were a night game due to softball. So I'll take what I can get. Sidney Ponson gets the ball tomorrow. Ugh. In his 2 starts as a Yankee he's allowed 14 hits and 7 walks in 11 innings. Surprisingly, he's 1-0 in those 2 starts, the beneficiary of some run support as the Yanks scored 27 runs in his 2 starts. I think they'll need all the runs they can tomorrow. It'll be tough because they always struggle with Edwin Jackson. In his 2 starts against them this year, Jackson is 1-0, giving up only 1 run in 13 innings. I'm not excited about their chances but they're definitely capable of running this winning streak to 4 and picking up another game on the first place Rays. Sorry, that's still weird to say.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Mo Is Human, Chien-Ming Has No Luck, Yanks Lose To The 1st Place Rays

So Mariano Rivera is human after all. The perfect season comes to an end. Oh well. He couldn't be perfect forever. The freakin' Rays are on fire. Their pitching has been excellent. With Boston losing the Rays are now in sole possession of 1st place. What's the world coming to?

You can't pitch much better than Chien-Ming Wang did tonight. For the 2nd straight outing, Wang pitched well enough to win, but ended up getting the no decision. If not for a late Hideki Matsui HR he would have suffered his 2nd straight loss. The Yankees offense failed him terribly. They again had their chances but again, as we've seen quite a bit this year, they came up empty. Back-to-back singles to leadoff the 2nd inning.....ground out followed by a 5-4-3 DP. Jeter hits a 1-out triple in the 6th.....ground out followed by a pop out. Terrible baseball. Just terrible.


Hideki Matsui has been the team MVP so far. He bailed out the team with his 1-out game-tying HR in the 9th. It's hard to believe that the Yankees allegedly tried to deal Godzilla in the off-season. He's sweet with the stick. He has been on all year. I wish I could say the same for everyone else. To be fair, Jeter, Damon, Abreu and Melky have had a decent year so far but they never all seem to be on at the same time. It's hard to believe Robinson Cano has the worst average on the team. That feels weird to say. He's been doing better as of late but his terrible start is inexcusable. It was nice to see Giambi rap a few hits. He had a great night at the dish going 2-2 with 2 walks. I hope this is a sign of things to come. Jose Molina has been a huge disappointment offensively since playing every day. If I didn't look closely I'd think they brought back Wil Nieves. Get well soon Jorgie. We need ya.


Despite Mariano's 1st loss, the Yankees bullpen has been outstanding lately, really all year. Joba looked a little shaky tonight as he struggled with his control but eh got the pitcher's best friend to bail him out of trouble. Coming into tonight the bullpen ERA was 3.38, 6th best in the AL, only .06 points behind the 3rd best Twins. Opponents are only hitting .230 off the Yankee relievers, 3rd best in the AL. They also rank 2nd in bullpen innings pitched, 3 innings behind Texas and 17 innings ahead of the 3rd ranked Tigers. Not bad, not bad. Definitely a high point.


I'd like to give some credit to Edwin Jackson for keeping the Yankee bats at bay, but I don't really think he's all that good a pitcher. I exchanged a few e-mails today with my Uncle and the Yankees came up in the "conversation." He wrote, "The way the Yanks are hitting, you might want to select an alternate team to track. How can you have that much fire power in your line-up and your run production be so poor?" That's a great question and I wish I had an answer. I'd like to think it'd get a little better with the return of A-Rod, and then Posada, but I'm not so sure. We're a-quarter of the way through the season and it's been the same story all year. Coming into today the Yankees ranked 6th in the AL in batting average (.263). They ranked 8th in the AL in runs scored (168). They ranked 6th in OBP (.330) and 3rd in slugging percentage (.417). They're better than that! But there's lots of baseball left to be played. They have by no means dug themselves a hole they can't climb out of. I think it will be a little tougher this year with the improved quality of baseball being played by their fellow AL East counterparts, but they'll heat up. I've just got that feeling. Alex will be back soon. Jorge will hopefully be right behind him. That will be a huge shot in the arm.

Back to 2 games under .500. Ah familiarity. I hate it. Start winning some games!!

J-Boogie

Weather The Storm

There are potentially rough seas ahead for the Yankees. There's a lot of things going on in the Yankees universe that's stretching the team to its limits.

• Jorge Posada has a "dead" arm and is unable to throw the ball effectively
• Derek Jeter has a strained quad and has missed a week
• Joba Chamberlain has understandably left the team for personal matters
• Jose Molina has an injured hammy
• A-Rod's wife is due to give birth any day now and he will understandably miss a few days

Jeter looks to be on the mend and should be back today or tomorrow. Posada can at least still bat but how effective will Chad Moeller be behind the dish. Will Moeller's bat rival that of Molina's or will he be more along the lines of Wil Nieves? Molina has been awesome this year filling in for Jorge and losing him could have a big impact. I haven't heard how serious Jose's injury is. I hope it's not too bad and is more day-to-day and no DL stint will be needed. A-Rod's time away probably won't be too bad. They can probably live with Ensberg for a day or two. Watch, it'll happen during the upcoming Boston series.

The biggest question mark is with Joba Chamberlain. Family should come over baseball. He should take all the time he needs to attend to his Dad. I hope his condition improves and Joba returns sooner than later, but God forbid the worst case scenario happens, then what? Joba has been lights out as Mo's setup man. The bullpen takes a significant hit with Joba gone. Personally, I'd give the ball to Brian Bruney and/or Billy Traber and play the matchups. No way I give the ball to Farnsworth or Hawkins. But I'm not Joe Girardi. Who knows what he'd do? He did after ll let Mussina pitch to Manny.

These issues aren't anything that the Yankees can't get through. A little adversity never hurt anybody.

Say It Ain't So Jose Mo

According to Pete Abraham's blog, Jose Molina has a strained left hammy. He suffered the injury in the 4th inning last night but "sucked it up for the team" according to comments from Joe Girardi. It also mentions Posada was instructed not to throw last night. I guess that explains the switches Girardi made there in the 8th. If you read my last post, you'd know I wasn't a fan of those moves.

This isn't good news for the Yankees. Molina has been awesome behind the plate and has been swinging one of the team's hottest bats. Posada also doesn't feel ready to throw so he's not going to be an option against a team with so much speed like Tampa Bay.

Pete Abe thinks that the Yankees will likely call up Chad Moeller. If so, Chad has big shoes to fill because Jose Molina has done one heckuva job as Jorge's stand-in.

J-Boogie

Thoughts & A Live Blog

Since it's 11:00 and we're only in the bottom of the 6th inning, I'm going to post my thoughts on the game thus far and live blog the rest of it. It wouldn't be Yankees/Red Sox on ESPN if the game didn't last 4 plus hours. I'm going to mix in the commentary along with the live blog so this post will be all over the place. If you're checking it out during the game, refresh regularly.

Cano just made a great diving tag on Pedroia. I t doesn't quite make up for the failures at the plate though. My friend Dave left a comment that Cano couldn't hit him right now. I don't think Cano could hit my 7 and a half month old son. Cano is struggling. We need that bat, especially if he's batting at the top of the lineup.

Hawkins just K'd Manny looking. I was scared when he came in and promptly gave up a shot off the Monster. He better thank Cano for saving him there. 2 scoreless innings and his ERA drops to 9.00.

Phil Hughes was down right awful tonight. That makes two really bad outings in a row. It's way too early for anyone to think that this is the Hughes we're going to see all year long. I can hear same fans now: they should have traded the kid for Johan! Phil is the youngest pitcher in the majors. As great as it would be for him to dominate each and every start, it's not going to happen. He's only 21 years old. He's still growing and he's still learning. He's going to do just fine. Have patience.

A-Rod almost snuck one around Pesky's Pole and then he popped out. That's the story of the season. I've got a huge beef with A-Rod this game. What was he doing swinging at the 1st pitch in the 1st inning? Dice-K was wild and A-Rod swings at the first pitch? A nd of course, he grounds into an inning ending DP. Come on now. Patience. I've been saying quite frequently that they need to be more patient at the plate. It's probably one of the reasons why they're not hitting.

A-Rod just gunned down Youklis and Casey just grounded out to Giambi. Go Hawkins go. A popout to Abreu. Hawkins actually did his job. I'm somewhat impressed. But he still shouldn't pitch in close games.

There have been 14 walks in this game through 7 innings. Talk about control issues. I was really hoping that Francona would be forced to yank Dice-K before he made it through 5 innings. Terry Frank'n'beans really must have wanted Matsuzaka to get the win. 116 pitches. When did Dusty Baker start managing the Sox? I'd love for the Yankees to at least tie this up so Dice-K doesn't pick up the W. All those extra pitches would be all for not.

No Papelbon or Okajima tonight. Mike Timlin is on and Giambi just took him deep! It's too bad Giambi can't face Timlin every at-bat. 2-2 with 2 HRs. Not a bad stat line. I t's too bad the Big G stinks against everybody else. The Sox bullpen, with the exception of Okajima and Papelbon, isn't really that good.

Jose Molina just roped his 2nd hit of the game. It's time for my obligatory "I love Jose Molina" post. I've been saying that a lot lately. And with good reason. It's about time we have a backup catcher that can hit. He's now hitting .364. I love Jose Molina.

Molina just got pulled for Betemit. Interesting move. I'm curious who's going to step behind the plate for the final 2 innings. Melky just hit a pinch hit single. 2 on and no out. It's a good thing A-Rod isn't up. If there is ever a time for a timely hit it's now.

With Alberto Gonzalez out, I imagine Betemit is going to short. Yikes. Alberto has done a phenomenal job as Jeter's stand in. I really hope he stays and Betemit goes. The Yankees need to bring back Shelley Duncan, keep Gonzalez, and DFA Betemit. Ensberg backs up Alex. Duncan backs up (or starts for ) Giambi. Gonzalez backs up Jeter and is your emergency 2B. Betemit has to go.

Nice job Johnny. Typical. That's how things have been. He grounded into a DP. If there was ever a time for a timely hit it was then. Robbie's up. He needs to bring in Betemit. And he grounds out weakly to Pedroia. I didn't see that coming. Cano is 0-5 and the only Yankee hitter who hasn't reached base. I'm thinking Girardi needs to give him a day off.

The Yankees missed their big shot there in the 8th. 2 on and no out and Damon grounds into a DP and Cano grounds weakly to second. I don't know the exact Yankees average with RISP but I wouldn't be surprised if it were the worst in the league. And the moves by Giradi now weaken the Yankees. Betemit is a defensive liability. Jorge can't throw and the Sox have their speed coming up. Since the Yankees didn't score, the moves backfired.

Hey look at that. Crisp steals 2nd uncontested and moves to 3rd on a sac fly and then scores on a sac fly. With Molina we at least had a chance to cut down Crisp at 2nd. I'm not a fan of lifting guys for pinch runners. It never seems to work out. Torre used to try this a lot with Giambi and the pinch-runner would never come around to score. And then of course Giambi's spot in the lineup comes around in the 9th inning and the Yankees have a weak bat at the plate.

Pedroia steals second. Imagine that. Molina should have never been lifted.

Headed to the bottom of the 9th down by 3. Abreu-Rodriguez-Matsui. Those are the guys you want up there in this situation. There's an obvious statement if there ever was one.

Abreu grounds out to short. He got down the line quickly but the throw just beat him. Time for a pitching change. Yay. Drag the game out a little longer.

I'm predicting a K from Alex. He'll step up and try to hit an 8-run HR and whiff in the process.

LOL. A-Rod strikes out on the high heat. I hate watching guys swing for the fences when they should be trying to get on base. When you're down by 3 runs you need baserunners, not solo homers.

A Yankees Suck chant. How original.

Matsui is battling.

And Delcarmen wins the battle. Yankees lose 8-5.

The Yankees had 16 baserunners and only managed 5 runs. That's pathetic. This team needs to start hitting with runners in scoring position. This team needs to start hitting period. And they will eventually. It's the same story year after year. It's just written a little differently. Last year it was lots of offense and no pitching. This year it's decent pitching and no offense. Either way, it's a slow start, and that's what we as Yankees fans should be used to. Last year through 13 games they were 7-6. In 2006, they were 6-7 and 3.5 back. In 2005, they were 5-8 and 3 back. In 2004, they were 6-7 and 2 back. With tonight's loss, they're 6-7 and 1.5 back. Their record is actually a lot better than it should be. They're struggling but it's early and they'll come around.

It's 12:15 and 6:30 is going to come real early. It would have been so much nicer to have stayed up this late for a win but what can you do? There will be more nights like this where the bounces will go our way. All in all it wasn't a bad series. The pitching was pretty decent with the exception of Hughes. The offense is showing signs of life. They'll be fine. It's just frustrating to watch them start so slow year after year after year.

But they always seem to find a way.

J-Boogie

Sox V. Yankees Game 2 Preview

First off, I want to send a special greeting to all my visitors from Taiwan. I hope you keep coming back so we can all celebrate our love of Wang together.

Today's lineups w/ career #s against opposing pitchers:

Yankees
Johnny Damon LF .238 5-21 w/ 3 2B, 2B B, 5 K
Melky Cabrera CF .318 7-22 w/ 1 2B, 1 BB, 5 K
Bobby Abreu RF .180 9-50 w/ 2 2B, 2 HR, 18 BB, 17 K
Alex Rodriguez 3B .223 6-22 w/2 2B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 6 K
Jason Giambi 1B .333 5-15 w/ 2 HR, 5 BB, 5 K
Jorge Posada DH .400 6-15 w/1 2B, 1 BB, 3 K
Robinson Cano 2B .389 7-18 w/ 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 K
Jose Molina C .000 0-3 w/ 2 K
Alberto Gonzalez SS .000 0-0

SP:Mike Mussina

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury CF 0-0
Dustin Pedroia 2B .375 3-8 w/ 1 K
David Ortiz DH .259 14-54 w/ 3 HR, 6 BB, 19 K
Manny Ramirez LF .253 24-95 w/ 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 8 BB, 20 K
Kevin Youklis 3B .267 4-15 w/ 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
J.D. Drew RF .000 0-7 w/ 1 K
Jason Varitek C .133 8-60 w/ 1 HR, 4 BB, 25K
Sean Casey 1B .375 3-8 w/ 1 HR
Julio Lugo SS .267 8-30 w/ 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 K

SP:Josh Beckett

This from a post yesterday regarding the pitching matchup:

Mike Mussina (1-1, 3.09 ERA) vs Josh Beckett (0-1, 9.64 ERA)This game is a total question mark. Which version of each pitcher will show up? Moose has done well so far but we saw this from him last year. He'd have a string of good outings followed by a string of poor ones. Moose has done pretty well in his career vs. Boston. He's 19-15 with an ERA of 3.66 in 52 career starts. Different times, different teams, different Moose. So who knows? Beckett's spring was cut short by back problems and that might cause problems for the Sox ace. The weather forecast for Saturday is a high of 49 and showers. It's not ideal weather for either but I think it would have more of an impact on Beckett than it would Mussina. Beckett's first start was in a temperature controlled climate (Rogers Centre in Toronto). He hasn't been subjected to the elements yet. It could bring up more back problems if he's not fully recovered. The Yankees have also been able to hit Beckett. The old Yankee killer ain't what he used to be. Beckett has a career ERA of 6.56 against the Yankees. His career WHIP against them is 1.74 with an OBA of .303. Not too shabby. But again, the games aren't played on paper.

Random notes:

• Jose Molina has hit safely in his 7 starts this year and in 19 of his 23 career starts with the Yankees I've said it before, I'll say it again. I love Jose Molina. Best. Backup. Ever.
• The Yanks have 5 wins this season when scoring 4 runs or fewer. They were 12-49 last year when scoring 4 or less. It really is hard to believe they're 6-5. It's all about the pitching.
• The Yankees still don't have a stolen base and have been out stolen-based 14-0. That stat would be so much worse if Molina hadn't thrown out 50% of basestealers. In 12 attempts, he's gunned down 6. Just another reason why I love Jose.

Prediction: Moose pitches well and Yankees win. Thuhh Yankees win.

Enjoy the game.