Results tagged ‘ Cleveland ’
Help Wanted: Pitcher to Beat Yankees; No Experience Necessary…
Do you want to beat the New York Yankees?…
Just call up a pitcher to make his major league
debut and he is assured of getting his first major league victory against the
Yanks. Put Roy Halladay, Josh Beckett,
Cliff Lee, Zach Greinke and others on the mound, and the Yankees have a great
chance at winning. Put Cleveland’s Josh
Tomlin on the mound, and it’s lights out Yankees. I don’t get why the team has always struggled
so much against the unknown pitchers.
Surely, the Scouting Department has a portfolio on minor league
pitchers. For whatever reason, no info
is getting conveyed to the Yankee hitters.
The 25-year-old Tomlin simply pitched much better
than 13-game winner CC Sabathia, as the
Indians rolled over the Yankees, 4-1. He
went 7 innings and only gave up 3 hits and 1 earned run; he struck out 2. CC, on the other hand, gave up 9 hits in 7
innings, and allowed 4 runs abeit 2 earned.
He also walked 3 while striking out 5.
Alex Rodriguez put another goose egg on the scoreboard
(0-for-4) in his attempt to reach 600 home runs. He could have been a hero in the 9th
inning. A home run with two outs would
have tied the game, but unfortunately, he hit into a fielder’s choice to end
the game. Today was A-Rod’s 35th
birthday, but I am sure that the post-game celebration will be subdued.
It was a disappointing loss, which was definitely a
team effort. I guess the flight from New
York City to Cleveland was too much.
Hopefully, the players will come out on Tuesday ready to play.
A sore left knee scratched Jorge Posada from the
lineup tonight. I’d really like to see
Jorge take the necessary time to fully recover before he attempts to play
again. The Yankees don’t need to go into
September with a questionable Posada.
The Yankees lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL
East has dropped to just two games as the Rays defeated the Detroit Tigers
again tonight (following yesterday’s no-hitter by Matt Garza, the first in Rays
history).
Jason Behnken/The Tampa Tribune
It doesn’t seem like the Yankees are getting
anywhere on trade rumors. Their latest
speculated target, Royals closer Joakim Soria, apparently has the Yankees on
his no-trade list. I am not expecting a
blockbuster deal, because there just aren’t any players of that magnitude
available. But the Yankees do need to
try and address the shortcomings of the team.
Right now, the bullpen is very leaky so that certainly deserves attention
as does a bat who can come off the bench to spell A-Rod.
This is off-topic, but I am sorry to hear the news
that former Oakland Raider Jack Tatum has passed away at age 61. Growing up, the “Assassin” was a force for
the Raiders. It is unfortunate that he
will always be remembered as the guy whose hit paralyzed the New England
Patriots’ Darryl Stingley. Sadly, both
Stingley (who died in 2007) and Tatum left us way too soon…
–Scott
The Perfect Formula…
8th inning relief…
I was so relieved (no pun intended) when the
Yankees went with David Robertson and Boone Logan in the 8th inning
as a bridge between Javier Vazquez and Mariano Rivera in New York’s 3-2 win
over the Cleveland Indians. Both Robertson
and Logan did their respective jobs with no drama (unlike recent escapades with
Joba Chamberlain).
This game was about redemption. Javier Vazquez continued to show that he has
moved well past his early season struggles and has perhaps shaken, for the now,
the tag that he is purely a NL pitcher.
Of course, he hasn’t pitched a big game yet, but he continues to pitch
very solidly while the other starters have taken their turns with issues. Hopefully, this is the Javy that we’ll see
now through October.
Theodorakis/NY Daily News
As recent as this weekend, Curtis Granderson was
viewed as a failure in New York.
Everyone has waited for Curtis the Tiger to show up, and finally, in the
last couple of games, he has. On Sunday,
in the Yankees’ 12-6 romp over the Kansas City Royals, Grandy had two home
runs. Tonight against the Indians, and
unlike Alex Rodriguez, he hit another one.
With the homer, Grandy finally broke into double digits with his 10th
of the season. It is a far cry from the
guy who was predicted to hit 40 home runs in New York but still, it is great to
finally see Granderson as an offensive force in the lineup. As with Vazquez, Grandy is a key to the
second half.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Nick Swisher hit another home run. I regret ever having preferred Xavier Nady
over Swish in right. Swisher has been
terrific this season and with his 18th home run of the season
tonight, he is just a mere two homers beyond team leader Mark Teixeira. Hey Swish, maybe you could give hitting
lessons to A-Rod! 
I will also put both Robertson and Logan into the
redemption category. Logan has seen his
share of the Bronx-Scranton/Wilkes Barre Shuttle, while Robertson has struggled
at times to match the success of last season.
Tonight, they were perfect in the 8th when anything less
could have been disastrous given the one run margin.
It was nice that on a night when the big guys
(Jeter, Teixeira, A-Rod, and Cano) went a combined 0-for-14 with 3 strikeouts,
the Yankees could still emerge with the victory. Some
great pitching, a few key hits, and Mariano Rivera are the perfect formula for
success!
Apparently, the Yankees made a big, but
unsuccessful, push for Royals closer Joakim Soria. Soria would have made a great bridge to
Mariano Rivera, but it doesn’t appear that the two teams match up
trade-wise. The Yankees were rumored to
be the frontrunners for Cliff Lee and Dan Haren, yet they lost out on both
pitchers. I was more disappointed about
Lee, who I am still hopeful the Yankees will pursue in the off-season.
The Canadian Press
I had mixed feelings about Haren, and I felt that
his salary would have been problematic in the Yanks’ chances to pursue Lee
during free agency. So, all things
considered, I am glad to see him go to the Los Angeles Angels. I don’t think the Angels will catch the Texas
Rangers so it will be an uphill battle for the Angels to make the
play-offs. Of the remaining pitchers on
the market, I’d probably rather go after someone like Ted Lilly than Roy
Oswalt. Lilly is a good pitcher and
knows how to pitch in New York.
This week should be interesting with all the trade
speculation and actual trade results as we move toward the end of the
week. Of course, this is probably another
case of ‘all bark, no bite’ as the speculation will exceed the actual
results. With so many teams unwilling to
add to payroll, there should still be decent trading activity in August as
players clear waivers. Still, I am
anxious to see what player will get the tag of being the first post-George Steinbrenner
Era Yankee.
In a note of good news, manager Joe Girardi has
announced that Dustin Moseley will start Thursday’s game in place of Sergio
Mitre. I am anxious to see what Moseley
can do in his first start for the Bronx Bombers. Anything has to be an upgrade over Meat Tray…
Mike Stobe/Getty Images
I know that everyone is entitled to their opinion,
but I’d like to say that Bill “The Spaceman” Lee is a jerk. According to the USA Today Sports Weekly, Lee
told WMUR-TV (New Hampshire) “As far as Steinbrenner’s passing…good”. He went on to say, “If hell freezes over, he’ll
be skating”. Hey Lee, how did you enjoy
that World Series Championship? Oh yeah,
you never won one!
–Scott
A Yankees Win Cures All…
Okay, I am better now…
It’s amazing what a Yankees win will do for one’s morale! Especially, when it means some added ground on the Boston Red Sox, who had the night off.
Behind the best start of Joba Chamberlain’s brief career, the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians, 5-2. With the victory, they took three of four games from the Tribe, and completed the latest road trip with a 5-2 record.
I don’t think anyone told the Yankees about “the birds and the bees” in Cleveland, but they seemed to be everywhere. Nevertheless, Joba was able to focus on the game and didn’t let them get into his psyche like the play-off game a few years back. Regarding the bugs, he finally decided that if you can’t beat them, eat them. “Man, I started to see them come, I’ll be honest with you”, Joba said about the 8th inning. “I actually swallowed one when I was walking around the mound to start that inning”. So long as you can keep those fastballs coming in at 98 mph, Joba, you can eat whatever you’d like!
The play of the game clearly occurred in the 5th inning. The teams were deadlocked at 1, but Ryan Garko started the bottom of the 5th with a walk. Jamey Carroll was up next, and he singled to right to advance Garko to second. After the homer by Victor Martinez the previous inning, I was starting to worry that the Tribe was getting ready to get untracked for a potential big inning. Kelly Shoppach was the next batter, and popped the ball up toward third base. The ball looked like it was going to drop quickly, so Garko was running toward third. Joba ran toward third and dove for the ball in a full airborne sprawl, and caught it while he was falling to the ground. He was a little disoriented regarding Garko’s location, but the other players yelled out and Joba had time to spin around and throw Garko out at second.
Mark Duncan/AP
Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer
Just like that, the fear of the big inning was over, and the Tribe had two outs with a runner at first. Bases loaded or if he hadn’t thrown Garko out, Cleveland would have had at least two runners in scoring position and the inning would have looked much different. The cameras caught Andy Pettitte in the dugout. He was standing next to CC Sabathia, and laughing hysterically. After the game, Pettitte said that it looked like Joba was diving into a swimming pool. Regardless of what it looked like, it was two outs and Joba never looked back.
LM Otero/AP
The next inning, Cleveland walked the first three batters so the Yankees had the bases loaded with no outs…and of course, no hits. Greg Aquino relieved Jeremy Sowers, and struck out A-Rod. The next two batters were easily retired, and the threat was eliminated.
By now, Joba was on top of his game and breezed through the Tribe in the 6th. The Yanks broke through for 4 runs in the 7th. A double off the left field wall by Nick Swisher, started the scoring by bringing home Ramiro Pena and Brett Gardner. After an intentional walk to Mark Teixeira, former Yankee Luis Vizcaino came in and gave up a two-run single to Alex Rodriguez.
Cleveland scored a run in the bottom of the 7th to pull within 3 runs, but that was it. Joba pitched effectively through 8 innings, and Mariano Rivera was his usual stellar self in the 9th.
Per Mark Feinsand’s Blogging the Bombers column in the New York Daily News, the quote of the night was by Nick Swisher: “There were like, what, 8,000 seagulls out there? Come on, this ain’t even the beach, it’s Cleveland!”
It was a fun game to watch. You could easily see the team chemistry at play. One shot of the bench showed CC Sabathia getting up and walking toward Johnny Damon’s direction. With his right hand, he flipped a handful of sunflower sands on Damon as he walked past. Damon had a feigned look of disgust, and you could tell that these guys genuinely like each other. That is something that could not always been said of Yankee teams in recent years. For me, it reminds me of the camaraderie of the late 90′s. The results may not match the achievements of those teams, particularly the great season of 1998. However, this is a team destined for the play-offs if GM Brian Cashman can make the right moves to solidify the bullpen. No pressure, Brian!
Other news…
Not only did Jose Molina suffer a setback in his injury rehab, so did Xavier Nady. He felt discomfort as he threw on Monday. Hopefully, this is just a temporary setback and X will be able to resume his journey back to the active roster.
Derek Jeter now has 1,499 runs scored, and Alex Rodriguez is three homers away from Reggie Jackson who is 11th on the all-time list with 563 home runs. Jeter has also hit safely in 15 consecutive games, while Mark Teixeira is at 14 games.
The Yankees successfully completed their 18th consecutive game without an error to set the new major league record previously held by the 2006 Red Sox.
Hey Julia, it’s probably a good thing that you are so focused on re-signing Jason Bay and thinking about 2010. This year is just going to be a disappointment for you. Sorry, my friend! On the bright side, the New England Patriots will be breaking camp next month so maybe you’ll have a chance for some play-off success this year…considering that you are 0-2, and soon-to-be 0-3…
–Scott
An Ace, A Legend, and a Few Mosquitoes…
The view from the top is excellent!
The Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 10-5, on Saturday to extend their AL East to 1 ½ games over the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays (the Red Sox lost to the Jays, 5-3).
As of 5/30/09…
|
AL East |
W |
L |
Pct |
GB |
Home |
Road |
Last 10 |
Streak |
|
Yankees |
29 |
20 |
.592 |
— |
14-9 |
15-11 |
7-3 |
Won 3 |
|
Red Sox |
28 |
22 |
.560 |
1.5 |
17-6 |
11-16 |
4-6 |
Lost 2 |
|
Blue Jays |
29 |
23 |
.558 |
1.5 |
18-6 |
11-17 |
2-8 |
Won 2 |
|
Rays |
25 |
27 |
.481 |
5.5 |
13-10 |
12-17 |
5-5 |
Won 2 |
|
Orioles |
23 |
27 |
.460 |
6.5 |
16-12 |
7-15 |
7-3 |
Lost 1 |
The Yankees have played much better since I saw them personally in Baltimore, so maybe I am responsible for the turnaround! Okay, that’s probably not it. The Yankees have been a different team since Alex Rodriguez returned to the team. Mark Teixeira started to hit like fans in Texas, Atlanta, and Anaheim had become accustomed to, and the pitching has been great. The defense, which has been a liability in recent years, has been excellent. Saturday’s game was the Yankees’ 16th consecutive game without an error. If they avoid any errors on Sunday, they’ll match the major league mark set by the Boston Red Sox in 2006.
Against the Indians, CC Sabathia breezed through the first few innings, not allowing a hit until the 5th inning. The Indians scored two runs in the 5th, thanks to a few hits and RBI singles, but the Yankees had built up a 7-2 lead by that time.
Dejak/AP
Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher hit solo home runs in the second inning. The Yanks added five runs in the 4th inning, primarily on two-run singles by Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. Johnny Damon also had a run scoring single in the inning. In the 6th, Damon picked up another RBI on a groundout to first which brought home Brett Gardner.
AP
Sabathia gave up a home run to Grady Sizemore in the 6th, but you knew that Grady would be heard from sooner or later in this series (even with his sore elbow). The guy is definitely a warrior…
Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer
The Yankees scored a couple of runs in the 9th on a run-scoring single by Cano, and a double by Hideki Matsui that scored Cano.
David Robertson pitched a perfect 8th inning, facing just three batters. However, Jose Veras came out for the 9th and showed that he is, well, Jose Veras. Despite the 10-3 lead, Veras gave up a homer to the first batter he faced (Shin-Soo Choo). He hit the next batter, Mark DeRosa, to put a man on base. DeRosa moved to second on a groundout, and then scored on Ben Francisco’s double. All of sudden, I started to get flashbacks of the Indians’ 7-run 9th inning to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 11-10 on May 25th. Fortunately, Veras retired the next two batters to end the game. Joe Girardi showed much more faith in Veras than I ever would have, but the end result was a Yankees win and adding a game to the AL East lead so all is good…
After the game, Indian manager Eric Wedge, when asked about Sabathia, responded, “He was very good tonight. Better than he was when we saw him in New York [April 16th]“. Hey Julia, that applies to the entire Yankees team! See you on June 9th! The Red Sox may be a team built for Fenway Park, but the Yankees now boast the best road record in the American League.
Derek Jeter now has 1,497 runs scored for his career. There are only three active major players with 1,500 runs (Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Ken Griffey, Jr.). With three more runs, he’ll join a very exclusive club of players who scored 1,500 runs as Yankees (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle).
MPI/Getty Images
I was surprised to see Jorge Posada catch on Saturday, given he had played on Friday night. I expected to see Francisco Cervelli play, with Posada perhaps at DH. Nevertheless, it sounds like Posada will take a seat in Sunday’s game when Phil Hughes faces the American Idle…
Nope, not that guy! This one…
The Plain Dealer
Pavano has pitched fairly well for the Indians, and has already appeared in 10 games for them (as opposed to 26 in four years with the Yankees). He has won five of his six starts this month, and has defeated AL East heavyweights Boston and Tampa. Let’s hope his May ends on a down note…
It was a tough night for Cleveland as the Cavaliers were easily eliminated in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in Orlando by the Magic. King LeBron will have to wait at least another year for a trip to the finals.
Tracy Boulian/The Plain Dealer
And what’s up with those mosquitoes and midges in Cleveland?…
Posted by pvictory on cleveland.com
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