Results tagged ‘ Seattle ’

Extending the Lead…

The Boston Red Sox lost…

Michael Dwyer/AP

Life is good.

Justin Verlander was throwing smoke today. Not just in the 1^st inning, but he was still hitting 100 mph with a couple of pitches to “future Yankee” Jason Bay in the 8^th inning. The Detroit Tigers were victorious in the game against the Red Sox that saw Verlander go 8 innings while giving up only 4 hits and no runs. It was a very impressive performance and it couldn’t happen against a better team! Right, Julia?

Michael Dwyer/AP

To the Red Sox’ defense, Clay Buchholz pitched a great game in a losing effort, and is a notable improvement over the departed John Smoltz (much to my chagrin). Theo, can you bring Smoltzie back?

Michael Dwyer/AP

The Yankees closed out a very successful home stand against the Red Sox and the Blue Jays. They could have (should have) won the first game against the Jays, but I think they were still coming down from the high of sweeping the Red Sox. Nevertheless, they came back to win the next two games to take the series so all is good.

On the downside, the last victory against the Jays was a costly win. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posada all suffered severe bruises. DJ and A-Rod were hit by pitches, while Posada took a foul ball on his right hand. Like Posada said, “I got hit everywhere. It was like a boxing match.”

And, oh yeah, Mariano Rivera had a “cranky” shoulder and was unavailable.

It wasn’t a great way to start the road trip in Seattle. Both A-Rod and Posada were out of the starting lineup for the opening game against the Mariners, however, Jeter was back in the lineup at the top of the order.

Elaine Thompson/AP

I didn’t think that the acquisition of Jerry Hairston, Jr. at the trading deadline was significant, but I’d have to say that I was wrong. In a short amount of time, he has proven to be an invaluable commodity and he’s playing third base tonight. He’s a quality player, and has performed better than I had expected. Even though he isn’t used as much, I’d also have to say that I am impressed with Eric Hinske. The Yankees’ bench is definitely much stronger today than it was on June 1^st.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

As I finish this post, the Yankees have just beaten the Mariners 11-1 so they didn’t seem to be missing A-Rod and Posada too much. Jeter and Matsui have home runs (Godzilla had 2), and Hairston had 2 RBI’s. Hey, Julia, I wasn’t a math major in college, but I’d call it a 6 ½ game lead! J

CC Sabathia picked up his 13th win while surrendering only three hits and one run in 8 innings, while striking out 10. CC is definitely locked and loaded, and this is why Hal Steinbrenner signed off on the huge deal in the offseason despite budget constraints. The pitcher the Yanks blew out was former Pirate Ian Snell. Before the trading deadline, the Yanks had been scouting Snell, who was then with the Pirates’ AAA affiliate. As the saying goes, sometimes the best trade is the one never made.

The Yankees still need to do something about the #5 slot in the starting rotation. There are plans to insert Chad Gaudin for a start this week in order to skip Joba Chamberlain and limit his season innings. But I am not expecting great things from Gaudin, who was 4-10 for the Padres this season. In other words, note to Brian Cashman, try again…

The Tampa Tribune has settled on a name for the new Jeter mansion in Davis Islands, FL. By way of an online poll, the winning name was St. Jetersburg. I don’t even have to hear the other choices to know that they made the right selection. The name is perfect.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on this subject even though it’s off topic. I can’t believe the Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick. I was listening to the guys on San Francisco’s sports talk radio station, KNBR, and they felt that Vick couldn’t have landed in a “softer” spot. Personally, I think it was a bad decision for Eagles management. I know that Donovan McNabb has had his share of critics, but he remains in the upper tier of NFL QB’s. I know, it’s not like Vick is going to beat out McNabb, but his mere presence on the field shows that the Eagles will accept victories over moral responsibility. Granted, I wasn’t an Eagles fan to begin with, but suffice to say that I am glad (and proud) that my team didn’t sign the morally corrupt Vick. The only reason that Vick is asking for a second chance is because he got caught. Good luck with that, Philly…