they cited a stat that this was the first time since May 6 that the Yankees did not hit a homer in a game at Yankee Stadium.
Good defense today. CC with another solid outing and an expected win against Washington. ARod needs to start hitting the fuckin ball.... Very interested to see how CM Wang does tomorrow.
I dunno how fair that is...Martis was wild but he was mainly missing down in the zone, so the Yankees couldn't really golf too many pitches. A-Rod and Matsui both had awful games, but I wouldn't read too much into a game where they managed to scratch 5 runs across. I'm going to the game tomorrow, hopefully Wang doesn't make me leap from the upper deck.
I have NO idea when Larry fuckin Brooks started writing baseball articles but U think hes 1005 correct on this one. Ive been sayin it for a little while now........... http://www.nypost.com/seven/06172009/sports/yankees/now_or_never_plan_is_all_wang_174689.htm AND SO the Yankees escaped last night, escaped the indignity of losing a ballgame to the world's worst team, something that we all know must never be allowed to happen. Truth be told, the 5-3 victory in The Bronx over the woebegone Nationals was a pretty snappy affair. The Yankees looked downright athletic in making a half-dozen noteworthy plays in the field, none more eye-catching than Melky Cabrera's lunging, snow-cone grab of a pop to short center in the sixth. Robinson Cano got four hits, including the seventh-inning RBI double that gave his team a 4-3 lead. Brian Bruney played the part of a one-batter, one-out, eighth inning bridge to Mariano Rivera, who recorded a no muss, no fuss save. And though Derek Jeter was forced from the game with ankle soreness after the seventh, the victory established order for this three-game series. It removed the specter of tonight somehow becoming a must game. It removed that specter for everybody but Chien-Ming Wang, who gets the ball tonight with the organization on DEFCON 1 for the start. Maybe someone can clarify why the Yankees have turned this appearance into an all-or-nothing for a 29-year-old pitcher who has done nothing but win when healthy. Maybe someone can explain where exactly the Yankees go from here with Wang if he struggles again, and why there is such a rush to judgment. Isn't the idea to maximize Wang as an asset? Isn't the idea to give Wang all the time he needs to recover from the right foot injury he suffered in Houston one year and two days ago, which has to be the reason he'll be standing on virtually one leg when he takes the mound tonight? Or are the Yankees so anxious to get Phil Hughes into the rotation that they have painted themselves into a corner here? Two weeks ago when announcing the plan to reinsert Wang into the rotation, Joe Girardi said: "I believe in Chien-Ming Wang." That enduring belief lasted for starts against Texas and Boston in which Wang allowed nine runs on 13 hits in 7 1/3 innings to reduce -- yes, reduce -- his ERA from 16.07 to 14.34. Apparently baby steps were not what anyone had in mind. If Girardi never quite said the words following Wang's start at Fenway last Thursday, he sure implied that the pitcher would get only one more chance only to get it right. The manager finessed the now-or-never ultimatum last night, but likely only to avoid headlines. Which is good because Wang -- whose wife, Chia-Lang, gave birth to the couple's first child yesterday morning, a boy named Justin Jesse -- will be waking up to screaming for many months to come. Girardi simply said, "It's a big day for him." He said it a number of times. We're not suggesting that Wang has earned an unlimited line of credit. That concept doesn't exist in sports. But he isn't Chrysler either. Is he? Wang won 46 games from 2006-08, a total exceeded by just Roy Halladay (52) and Josh Beckett (48) in the AL, this despite missing the second half of last season. He is the only Yankees starter to win a game in his team's last two trips to the playoffs. And it was that 2006, Game 1 victory over the Tigers that Girardi cited in responding to a question about the inordinate amount of pressure Wang faces tonight. "There's probably more pressure in Game 1 of a Division Series," Girardi said. "He's used to pressure." They're all used to pressure in The Bronx. But generally not of this nature. Did anyone ever spell it out like this for Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano or Kevin Brown? Or how about Joba Chamberlain, without the resume but with nearly as many issues? The questions on Wang kept coming last night. Finally, Girardi tried a different approach. "It's a team game," he said. "I don't want to make too much out of Chien-Ming Wang." Too late
See, the issue with Wang is a multithreaded problem. 1) He's been utterly terrible. No excuses, he's sucked balls. 2) There is a great "plan B" waiting for his shot, who has pitched a lot better than him this year, and while not being "great" was pretty damned good. You know, the kid we didn't trade for that guy we lit up on Saturday? 3) A ground ball pitcher who doesn't get ground balls anymore isn't the same pitcher he once was, is he? 4) He's a weak link in the rotation right now, and Boston isn't slowing down. We need wins. Girardi needs wins. Cashman needs wins. These guys have a new stadium to fill, and losing won't do that. How Hank has kept his mouth shut so long is beyond me. Wang still has potential. How much, I have no clue. He could pitch awesome from here on out and I'd be ecstatic. I'm not rooting for him to fail. I'd rather have to worry about finding a way to shoehorn in Hughes (probably when Andy is gone) than have another scrap heap guy to get rid of. The one guy I was looking to dump was DFA'd yesterday, so I'm happy. I hope Wang goes out there and throws 8 innings of shutout ball tonight. I hope he gets 20 ground ball outs. I hope he takes that same level of performance into his next outing. And the one after that. And the one after that. But if he doesn't, he should be in the pen for the foreseeable future. Give Hughes the rotation spot, and let Wang earn his way back into the rotation. What people need to keep in mind too is how many guys there are in line for the current rotation spots. Hughes is obviously first in line. Aceves would have to be #2. Coke could make an argument for #3. I don't know what Kennedy has been doing, but I would guess he's still on the radar. It's been a while since the Yankees have had so much pitching talent. That's why Wang's job is in jeopardy. That, and the "win now" mentality that comes from spending billions on a new park and salaries for the highest profile free agents. Speaking of which, when the hell is ARod going to start hitting consistently?
Patience, Grasshopper. Wang's had two starts since coming off the DL (with his "old" velocity). And considering where A-Rod is coming from, surgery-wise, I'd bet he'll be in regular/mid-season form in another 2-3 weeks or so.
IPK had an aneurysm in his throwing arm that was removed May 12, so he's still out a while longer until he can throw again. He was having a very good year in AAA though (4 games, 1.59 ERA, 25 SO in 22.1 IP, 18 hits, 7 walks)
can we use the term sample size anymore in this thread.....his successful sample size far, far exceeds his unsuccessful side. And my biggest point in the whole "give Wang some time" campaign is he has no value to us or anyone else at this point. Why not be patient and try to get him back to what he once was to either give us another great starter or for us to use him as trade bait etc. And with our lineup, impretty sure we can afford to send Wang out there a few more times every 6 days or so.
See, this is the Cappy I like reading. You don't need any evidence to just say "chill." Anyway, like I said, I'm hoping Wang is successful. Too much good pitching is never a problem. As for ARod, I think he could actually do with a couple days off. Unfortunately, Jeter needs a day or two to rest, so Pena will be busy at short. I wouldn't mind trying the suggestion of switching Teixeira and Alex for a while though. It might work. Overall, I'm not that worried about ARod though. It's only a matter of time before he breaks out. Ahh, I vaguely remember seeing the thing about the anuerysm. Thanks for the update. I knew he had been pitching good. I was wondering why I hadn't heard his name lately. I half-figured he'd not been pitching well. And I half agree with you. The difference between us is that I'd rather he work out his problems in the pen. I'd rather Hughes get the starts than Wang if Wang isn't performing. Again, I'd like to see him pitch well tonight. If he earns himself another start, then that's great. If he earns one more, he's earned at least a few, because Hughes will be sent back to Scranton. I'm okay with that if Wang is good and not just "acceptable." He should be able to dominate the Nationals. If he can pitch really well, he'll get a shot against Atlanta, then either the Mets or Seattle, depending on who they decide to rest. (Great chance to skip Joba in the rotation over the next couple weeks.) He's got a great opportunity ahead of himself to earn his stay. The ball is in his court. Let's see what he can do with it.
When I'm in rational-mode, I'm 100% on board with giving Wang every chance to get his shit together. When I'm actually watching him pitch and I start seeing--early in the game--an inning with disaster written all over it, I get pissed and frustrated and want the guy in the bullpen. I hope he gets it together starting with tonight, because it's hard to root for him pitching in another series when he's looked terrible the previous game.
16th in team AVG 17th in total hits 19th in RBI 10th in OBP 14th in SLG 14th in OPS At best, their offense is league average. I'm not saying Wang has to throw a no-no, but he's got to shut them down if he wants to keep his job.
Jeter got an MRI on his ankle, came back negative Yankees Damon LF Swisher RF Teixeira 1B Rodriguez 3B Cano 2B Posada C Matsui DH Cabrera CF Pena SS
vintage CMW getting the GIDP there... hopefully he can keep it up (down?) for more than an inning or two tonight
