My Pinstripes Alpha

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Yankees Rally to Sweep Mariners

Just as they have been for most of this season, the Yankees were struggling against a left-handed starter. In this case it was the Mariners Jarrod Washburn. Thankfully, Mariners manager John McLaren pulled him after the 6th inning. The Yankees rallied for 4 runs in the 8th inning to beat the Mariners 6-5 and completed a 3-game sweep in the process. The victory also extended the Yankees winning streak to 5 games, and it was also the first game that the Yankees came back, in 23 attempts, this season to win when being down after the 7th inning.

Derek Jeter lead off the 8th with a walk against Sean Green and he came around to score on Bobby Abreu's double off of lefty Arthur Rhodes, cutting the lead to 5-3. McLaren quickly went to his closer J.J. Putz for a 6-out save, but the big right-hander walked Alex Rodriguez. Putz got a break when Jason Giambi was called out on strikes a 2-2 pitch that was well out of the strike zone, for the 1st out. But Hideki Matsui, pinch-hitting for Shelley Duncan, hit a little dribbler to the right out of the mound. Putz (1-2, BS 3) lunged for, going to his knees as he fielded it. His throw was wild to 1st Base, allowing Abreu to score and A-Rod to move to 3rd. Robinson Cano's sac fly to deep center not only tied the game at 5-5, but allowed Matsui to reach 2nd Base. Jose Molina then delivered a 2-out double to deep center to give the Yankees their first lead of the day, 6-5. Then it was all up to the Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and the king of the bullpen came through again with a 1-2-3 9th inning for his 12th save in as many chances.

The Yankees got the opportunity to win because reliever Edwar Ramirez gave them 1.2 innings of shutout relief after starter Chien-Ming Wang faltered. Ramirez (1-0) has now thrown 12.2 scoreless innings over 11 appearances this season. He's also struck out 15.

With the game tied 1-1 in the 3rd, Wang issued walks to Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, sandwiched around a single by Kenji Johjima, to load the bases. Yuniesky Betancourt singled through the left side for a 2-1 Mariners lead and Duncan mishandled Ichiro Suzuki's grounder to 1st to allow another runner to score. If not for an odd double play, the inning could have been bigger for the Mariners. Duncan dropped Jose Lopez's line drive, but threw home to force Johjima at the plate. Molina then fired to Cano at 2nd to complete an odd 3-2-6 double play.

The Mariners finally drove Wang to the showers in the 7th after Joe Girardi probably left him in too long. Wang allowed 1-out hits to Betancourt and Lopez to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Vidro then singled to right-center to plate both runners and pushed the Mariners lead to 5-2.

News and Notes

Derek Jeter's RBI double in the 2nd and Johnny Damon's RBI ground out in the 5th were the Yankees runs prior to the 8th.

The victory was the 2nd of Edwar Ramirez's brief major league career.

Ichiro Suzuki homered in the 2nd inning, his 3rd of the season.

May 25, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle	0	0	1	2	0	0	2	0	0	5	9	1
NY Yankees	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	4	X	6	8	1

Seattle	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Suzuki, CF	5	2	2	2	0	0	2	.289
Lopez, 2B	5	1	1	0	0	0	3	.299
Vidro, DH	5	0	2	2	0	1	0	.239
Ibanez, LF	4	0	0	0	1	1	1	.273
Beltre, 3B	3	0	0	0	1	0	3	.253
Johjima, C	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	.219
Sexson, 1B	3	1	0	0	1	3	1	.197
Balentien, RF	3	0	0	0	1	1	4	.215
Betancourt, SS	4	0	2	1	0	0	1	.278
Totals	36	5	9	5	4	6	15
BATTING 2B: Lopez (13, Wang). HR: Suzuki (3, 3rd inning off Wang, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Suzuki 5; Lopez 2; Vidro 2; Johjima 2; Betancourt 2. RBI: Suzuki 2 (13), Betancourt (18), Vidro 2 (24). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Beltre; Suzuki. GIDP: Lopez. Team LOB: 8. FIELDING E: Putz (1, throw). DP: 2 (Lopez-Betancourt-Sexson, Betancourt-Sexson).

Seattle	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Washburn	6.0	4	2	2	3	2	0	6.54
Green (H, 4)	1.0	1	1	1	1	0	0	4.10
Rhodes	0.0	1	1	1	0	0	0	5.59
Putz (BS, 3)(L, 1-2)	1.0	2	2	2	1	1	0	4.50

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	4	1	1	1	0	0	2	.266
Jeter, SS	3	1	1	1	1	0	1	.287
Abreu, RF	4	1	1	1	0	0	1	.294
Rodriguez, 3B	2	1	1	0	2	0	0	.295
Giambi, DH	2	0	0	0	1	2	3	.230
Duncan, S, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	4	.176
a-Matsui, PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.321
Ensberg, 1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.203
Cano, 2B	2	1	0	1	1	0	2	.229
Molina, C	4	0	2	1	0	1	0	.216
Cabrera, CF	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	.255
Totals	28	6	8	5	5	3	14
a-Singled for Duncan, S in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Damon (14, Washburn), Jeter (7, Washburn), Abreu (11, Rhodes), Molina (10, Putz). TB: Damon 2; Jeter 2; Abreu 2; Rodriguez; Matsui; Molina 3; Cabrera. RBI: Jeter (23), Damon (20), Abreu (32), Cano (19), Molina (5). 2-out RBI: Jeter; Molina. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Abreu; Jeter; Duncan, S; Cabrera. S: Cabrera. SF: Cano. GIDP: Cano; Duncan, S. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Rodriguez (2, 2nd base off Washburn/Johjima), Damon (6, 3rd base off Washburn/Johjima). FIELDING E: Duncan, S (2, fielding). DP: (Duncan, S-Molina-Jeter).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Wang	6.1	7	5	5	4	2	1	3.82
Ramirez (W, 1-0)	1.2	2	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
Rivera (S, 12)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.45

Green pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.
Rhodes pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.

HBP: Giambi (by Washburn).
Pitches-strikes: Washburn 95-53, Green 16-9, Rhodes 9-6, Putz 18-11,
Wang 112-70, Ramirez 24-17, Rivera 16-12.
Ground outs-fly outs: Washburn 12-4, Green 3-0, Rhodes 0-0, Putz 1-1,
Wang 12-5, Ramirez 1-2, Rivera 0-1.
Batters faced: Washburn 24, Green 5, Rhodes 1, Putz 6, Wang 30,
Ramirez 7, Rivera 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Rhodes 1-1, Putz 1-1, Ramirez 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Mike Everitt. 1B: Tim McClelland. 2B: Mike DiMuro.
3B: Larry Vanover.
Weather: 73 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 6 mph, Out to LF.
T: 3:10.
Att: 54,269.

Labels: Bobby Abreu, Chien-MIng Wang, Edwar Ramirez, Ichiro, Jose Molina, Robinson Cano, Yankees Rally to Sweep Mariners, Yankees vs. Mariners - May 25

Mike Mussina looked like a 38-yr old pitcher who was having trouble throwing strikes. Joba Chamberlain looked like a rookie struggling to increase his pitch count. But the Yankees hitters looked like a lineup ready to destroy anything in its path. The Yankees may not have gotten the pitching they wanted, but for the second straight night the team scored in double figures in a 12-6 win over the Seattle Mariners. The victory was the Yankees 4th in a row, and sealed their second straight series win.

Mussina, pitching on 3 days rest due to Chien-Ming Wang's calf strain, blew a 4-0 lead in the 3rd, but escaped other trouble to earn his 7th win of the season and the 257th of this career. He gave a 3-run home run to Jose Vidro and a solo shot to Adrian Beltre in the 3rd, but wouldn't allow any other runs.

The Yankees had taken an early lead against M's starter Carlos Silva in the 2nd inning on Jason Giambi's 3-run blast to left-center field and an RBI single by Melky Cabrera. After the Mariners tied the game on, the Yankees hitters went back to work. Cabrera's second RBI single in the 3rd put the Yankees back on top and Bobby Abreu drilled a 2-run shot to left in the 6th for a 7-4 lead.

Chamberlain replaced Mussina to start the 6th and breezed through his first inning with a pair of strikes. But he struggled with his command in the 7th as his pitch count (which Michael Kay irritatingly annoyed us with on every single Joba delivery) rose. He ended the day with 40 pitches, 10 shy of what the Yankees were hoping to get out of him in his second "transition" appearance.

Arthur Rhodes replaced Silva to start the 7th and the Yankees greeted him in their usual manner. Hideki Matsui walked, Giambi singled (to left field) and Robinson Cano slashed an RBI double to left for an 8-4 lead. M's manager John McLaren gave Rhodes a quick yank and went to Brendan Morrow who didn't have much more success.

Jose Molina greeted Morrow with an RBI single, and two batters later Adrian Beltre's error would help the Yankees extend the inning. Abreu added a ground-rule 2-run double and reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith came on with the bases loaded and promptly walked Matsui for the second time in the inning to force in the 12th Yankees run.

News and Notes

Kyle Farnsworth had a Kyle Farnsworth 8th inning. 4 hits, a balk and a 2-run home run by Richie Sexson.

Robinson Cano was 4-4 with 3 doubles and is hitting .357 in May. Jason Giambi is 10 for his last 19 (.526) with a home run, 2 doubles, and 7, count 'em, 7 singles. Hideki Matsui is 7-12 (.583) with 2 walks, 3 RBI, and 8 runs scored in his last 3 games.

The Mariners picked by My Pinstripes to win the AL West are now 18-32 and manager John McLaren could be toast.

May 24, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	6	12	2
NY Yankees	0	4	1	0	0	2	5	0	X	12	16	0

Seattle	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Suzuki, CF	5	0	1	0	0	1	2	.286
Lopez, 2B	5	1	3	0	0	0	3	.301
Vidro, DH	4	1	2	3	1	0	1	.233
Ibanez, LF	5	0	0	0	0	1	5	.279
Beltre, 3B	5	1	1	1	0	0	3	.257
Reed, RF	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	.300
Sexson, 1B	4	1	1	2	0	3	1	.201
Johjima, C	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.211
Betancourt, SS	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	.273
Totals	39	6	12	6	2	6	15
BATTING 2B: Betancourt (13, Mussina), Lopez (12, Mussina). HR: Vidro (3, 3rd inning off Mussina, 2 on, 1 out), Beltre (10, 3rd inning off Mussina, 0 on, 2 out), Sexson (9, 8th inning off Farnsworth, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Suzuki; Lopez 4; Vidro 5; Beltre 4; Reed; Sexson 4; Betancourt 4. RBI: Vidro 3 (22), Beltre (24), Sexson 2 (21). 2-out RBI: Beltre. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Beltre 2; Ibanez; Lopez. Team LOB: 8. FIELDING E: Lopez (6, fielding), Beltre (8, fielding). DP: (Beltre-Lopez-Sexson).

Seattle	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Silva (L, 3-4)	6.0	11	7	5	1	2	2	5.14
Rhodes	0.0	2	3	2	1	0	0	4.66
Morrow	0.2	2	2	0	1	0	0	1.64
Rowland-Smith	1.1	1	0	0	1	1	0	2.63

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	5	1	1	0	0	0	3	.266
Jeter, SS	5	1	0	0	0	0	5	.287
Duncan, S, 1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.188
Abreu, RF	5	1	2	4	0	0	2	.295
Rodriguez, 3B	4	1	1	0	1	2	0	.291
1-Gonzalez, PR-SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.214
Matsui, DH	3	3	2	1	2	0	0	.317
Giambi, 1B	4	2	3	3	0	0	0	.234
a-Ensberg, PH-3B	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	.203
Cano, 2B	4	1	4	1	1	0	0	.232
Molina, C	5	1	1	1	0	0	6	.204
Cabrera, CF	5	1	2	2	0	0	2	.253
Totals	41	12	16	12	4	3	21
a-Struck out for Giambi in the 7th. 1-Ran for Rodriguez in the 7th.
BATTING 2B: Matsui (8, Silva), Cano 3 (10, Silva, Silva, Rhodes), Giambi (8, Silva), Abreu (10, Morrow). HR: Giambi (9, 2nd inning off Silva, 2 on, 0 out), Abreu (6, 6th inning off Silva, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Damon; Abreu 6; Rodriguez; Matsui 3; Giambi 7; Cano 7; Molina; Cabrera 2. RBI: Giambi 3 (24), Cabrera 2 (21), Abreu 4 (31), Cano (18), Molina (4), Matsui (23). 2-out RBI: Cabrera; Abreu 4; Matsui. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Abreu; Damon 2; Molina; Ensberg 2. GIDP: Molina. Team LOB: 9.

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Mussina (W, 7-4)	5.0	7	4	4	1	4	2	4.39
Chamberlain (H, 11)	2.0	1	0	0	1	2	0	2.42
Farnsworth	1.0	4	2	2	0	0	1	4.50
Veras	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.12

Rhodes pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

Balk: Farnsworth.
IBB: Cano (by Silva).
Pitches-strikes: Silva 106-68, Rhodes 11-6, Morrow 30-20,
Rowland-Smith 18-11, Mussina 74-54, Chamberlain 40-22,
Farnsworth 25-20, Veras 15-10.
Ground outs-fly outs: Silva 9-7, Rhodes 0-0, Morrow 1-1,
Rowland-Smith 2-1, Mussina 6-5, Chamberlain 3-1, Farnsworth 1-2, Veras 2-1.
Batters faced: Silva 31, Rhodes 3, Morrow 6, Rowland-Smith 5,
Mussina 23, Chamberlain 8, Farnsworth 7, Veras 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Morrow 2-2, Rowland-Smith 3-1.
Umpires: HP: Larry Vanover. 1B: Mike Everitt. 2B: Tim McClelland.
3B: Mike DiMuro.
Weather: 69 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 16 mph, L to R.
T: 3:10.
Att: 53,512.

Labels: Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Joba Chamberlain, Mike Mussina, Yankees Lefties Ponder Mariners 12-6, Yankees vs. Mariners - May 25