what are the odds now? :/

AJ looms. Now that is scary.

The bullpen imploding is a bigger concern for now than WOE.

-100%.

A big thanks for nothing to everyone in the lineup not named Jeter, and Phil Hughes. (You expect Bruney to suck.)

This has to raise Boston’s chances to get back in this, no ?

Hughes and Bruney sucked, but they aren’t why the Yankees lost. Cliff Lee was too good today. It happens. If they treat Martinez and Hamels rudely in the next two games, as they are certainly capable of doing, it’ll be fine.

what are the odds now? :/

Go with Jonathan’s -100% for now, I don’t feel like running them at this moment.  I’ll try and post them in the morning.

I take the 1 run they scored off Lee as a positive.  Thats how bad it was.  We may have another Hershiser/Beckett situation here with Lee which is very scary.

[6] It was only 2-0 before the bullpen messed things up. It was a winnable game IOW.

I’m going to use Alex’s atrociousness to convince myself that nobody (save Captain Jeter) could have hit Lee tonight. This explains why Tex hasn’t turned it around yet.

Kate Hudson, don’t fail us now.

And in a 2-1 game maybe Manuel goes to Lidge?

phil hughes.

[11] The whole dynamic changes if the pen holds them to two runs. The manager certainly gets antsy after Jeter’s hit.

We win Thursday!

The bullpen imploding is a bigger concern for now than WOE.

Seriously ? You’re more worried that we lost 6-1 than if we lost 2-1 ?

I would agree with you if this was a 6-5 loss.

[15] See [13]

Lee vs. the Yankees was like Ivan Drago vs. Apollo Creed.

I don’t think Lee was coming out of that game, barring a sniper’s bullet, whether it was 2-0 or 6-0. Anybody could see he had it.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like Cortez vs. Montezuma.

If Lee is going to pitch in game 4, why was he still in the 9th with a 6-0 lead?

Lee vs. the Yankees was like this lighter vs. this joint.

Lee’s been like that all postseason. At some point, he’ll give up some runs, hopefully before Lent.

If Lee is going to pitch in game 4, why was he still in the 9th with a 6-0 lead?

Because he hadn’t thrown very many pitches.

I hope the Yanks show Pedro the same respect and deference they mustered for Shmoltz.

The Yankees came back from a 5 1/2 game deficit in the division. They trailed the Red Sox in the season series 8-0, only to see the series end at 9-9. They made 50+ comeback wins in the regular season, 5 more in the playoffs. This team has had 16? walkoff victories this year. I WANT them to have to come from behind in this series. I relish this. This was how it was supposed to happen. Embrace tonight’s result, ladies and gents. It’s part of the great final chapter to this season.

Oh, this is the complaint thread? Whoops, sorry fellas.

I hope the Yankees can manage to squeak out an earned run against Pedro. I’m setting low expectations this time.

Here’s the deal. Tomorrow, I’ll only be able to sign on the blog around 10ish. If the Yankees are leading in the game, I will not venture anywhere near RLYW. If they are losing however what the heck. Also, if they are leading tomorrow before I have a chance to sign on and eventually win, then I will not only stop myself from commenting on Game 2’s thread, but the rest of the threads following. We’ve got to change the luck somehow.

No complaints, just win, and I’m confident they will.

Osborne Cox with the room clearing fart on the complaint thread!  Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about muthafarnsers!  This team, this team has to get angry.  You know CC’s angry.  It’s ripe for AJ to find his TYM.

That’s tex’s problem? Not angry enough? Someone should tell him.

That was miserable. I wonder what that does to my optimistic odds. I’ll have to run them tomorrow morning as well.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like this knife vs. this pie.

If the Yankees had entered the 9th down by two runs, I think they would have at least tied the game.

[30] No, Teix’s problem is that he isn’t clutch.  There isn’t much that can be done about that.  There is no amount of anger that can erase Teix’s postseason suckitude.

Is it too late to put Guzman back on the roster?  He could have pinch-run for Matsui and stolen second like all those times in the ALCS. 

What?  He . . . ?  Oh.

Never mind.

I still can’t believe the Yankees lost the way they did last night. I feel like somebody punched me in the stomach. It’s going to be a long day before Game 2 starts, and I just hope they come out on top tonight and on Saturday and on Sunday and on Monday. Please Yanks make my wish happen!!!

[17, 19, 21, 32]

Lee vs. the Yankees was like coming home to this woman vs. this one.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like this book vs. this sign.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like seeing this shirt on this inconceivably dorky gazillionaire.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like this apology vs. this one.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like this chemical treatment vs. these hands.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like this monster mauling this other monster.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like this other other monster mauling this other other other monster.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like this Swisher vs. this Swisher.

Lee vs. the Yankees was like these Cabreras vs. this Melk.

Because he hadn’t thrown very many pitches

I think he ended up with 122 for the night.  While not a high total, it isn’t low either.  If I was planning on *my* starting pitcher to come back on 3 days rest, and I had a 6-0 lead, I’d probably use somebody in the bullpen.  If nothing else, Manuel has opened himself up to a lot of criticism if Lee pitches poorly in Game 4.  If situations were reversed and Girardi had done that w/ CC, we’d be anywhere from critical to screaming for Girardi to be instantly fired.

Obviously, we need good - or at least not too bad - AJ to show up tonight.  I think if he can give a QS, Yanks will get to the 7th with a 2-3 run lead.  Then they just need to get through the 7th b/c with the off-day Friday Mo will go two if the game is close.

I just assume that Pedro will dominate the Yankees for 6 innings, we will be crying and then Charlie Manuel will inexplicably let him go over 100 pitches, at which point he will met down and Manuel will never be heard from again.

I’d guess the Yankees still have something like a 44% chance to win this thing.  With a win tonight they’re back to being favorites. 

On the other hand, if they don’t win, this is, for me, the second best possible outcome for the season.  They won 103 games and were the undisputed “best team in baseball.”  Their big free agent acquisitions were all successful (CC and Teixeira hugely so).  All of the off-field insanity surrounding A-Rod went away, leaving only the virtuoso ballplayer in its wake.  Dynasty veterans Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, and Mo all stayed healthy and played as well as they did ten years ago.  They christened a beautiful new stadium.  They saw the Red Sox and their doofus closer fall flat on their faces in the postseason.  They finally got past the first round of the playoffs.  They handily dispatched the nettlesome Angels to win their 40th pennant.  And, if they lose in the WS, it will be to a terrific, deserving team that happens to be the defending champion.  Not a bad haul for one season.

Perhaps I am overly pessimistic- a definite possibility- but I just don’t have any confidence in this lineup right now.

I have but one complaint: Brian Bruney.

Why the hell is he on the WS roster?

I can live with Lee shutting down the Yanks lineup.  With the way he pitched last night, I don’t even think the Red Sox could have done any damage.

Hughes pissed me off, but by then, the damage was done. 

I can cut some slack to Hughes because he’s young and because he has a pretty good body of work over the season in the bullpen.  Bruney?  Not so much.

[41] Yes, you are overly pessimistic.  Lee’s been that good this post-season.  The offense will break out tonight.

1. Let Robertson’s 1H, 1BB, 1Out performance put to rest the lingering belief that had Girardi brought him in we would have won game 5 previous series.  he ain’t Mo.

2. Bruney’s on the roster because in NL parks we stand a better chance of needing more pitchers.  The way Lee was pitching, there’s no reason not to give him some live action, imo; there were no rational expectations of comeback, hope though we all did.

3. It’s one game.  Tonight Pedro’s up and he hasn’t exactly established a solid record this year. 

4. I don’t know if I’m more concerned about CC’s lack of early control or impressed by his ability to battle.

I know he gave up hits but that was the most perfect pitching performance I’ve ever seen.

Also, I felt bad for D-Rob that the 2 run hit he gave up was a 35 hop single. Also also, what’s the damn deal with Phil Hughes? After going all pit bull on the American League out of the pen this season, he’s all of a sudden Mr. Tentative. Not good.

And finally, it’s time to bench Swisher and give Brett Gardner a start or two. Having Gardy in your back pocket for late inning pinch running is pointless when he gets thrown out all the time trying to steal.

I’d rather give him some PAs and hope you catch lightning in a bottle or something.

[43] Lee has been that good. And the Yanks offense has been that bad. You can’t put it solely on Lee, as the offense has been a black hole outside of Jeter, A-Rod, and Melky.

Nothing to complain about.  We just stunk.  Girardi didn’t fuck anything up.  CC made one pitch that pissed me off but he easily pitched well enough to win.  Hughes and Bruney were terrible but Girardi had to go with Hughes there.  In the whole postseason our starting pitching other then one game has been good to great, but our hitters other then Jeter, Arod and Melky have been medicocre to sub putrid and Marte and Robertson have been the only pen guys other then the always great Mo to do their job.  We were very lucky against the Twinkies and Halos receiving so many gifts in the form of baserunning blunders and fielding errors but that does not figure to continue.  Unless our bats and some of our relievers play up to their ability Jimmy Rollins will look prescient.