I don’t get this.  Matsui has been clobbering LHP.  I understand Teixeira needs some rest, but why not give him the full day off then?  Or wait until tomorrow.

On second thought, it’s not really an issue.

What no lefty bashing Ransom at 2b or RF?

Jays want out of town.  Fast.

Yankee “Radio Days” at work with Serling and Suzie.  Wasn’t that a Woody Allen movie?

Serling explained that it will be tough to win this game since the Yankees have won three close games in a row against the same team and its very hard to win 4 in a row.  Probability theory is not Serling’s forte, nor is baseball.

What no lefty bashing Ransom at 2b or RF?

Actually, I would have been totally fine with Ransom starting at 2B today.  Cano could use a day off, and a lefty is pitching.  Of course, with both Damon and Matsui getting the day off I can also understand not wanting to take Cano’s bat out.

Jeter was safe, still a dumb play in my opinion.

Aren’t you supposed to not make the 1st or 3rd out at 3b?

What the hell? 2-0 count with Teixeira on deck?

That was the stupidest thing Derek Jeter has EVEr done.

Not a great play by Derek. Why don’t we establish the pitcher can record an out before giving him a chance at one?

Yeah, not sure I would have tried a SB at 3rd with no out on a 2-1 count when the pitcher has thrown only 3 strikes in the game.

Oh, good Girardi got ejected.  No-doubt offensive explosion upcoming.

Good thing Jeter tried to steal.  If not it’d be 1-0 with a man on second and no outs.

Man, they’re feeling feisty for a Monday afternoon

I know it was an idiotic move regardless, but how clearly was Jeter safe?

Jeter was channeling Swisher there

1) Teixeira on deck
2) No outs
3) Romero not throwing strikes
4) Rod Barajas
5) A-Rod follows Teixeira
6) Pettitte pitching
7) Cabrera
8) Hinske
9) Gardner

I know it was an idiotic move regardless, but how clearly was Jeter safe?

From the ump’s point of view it looked like he would’ve tagged Jeter’s hand.  But Jeter pulled his hands back and avoided the tag.

Nice way to piss away an inning Captain.

Even if Jeter was safe it doesn’t matter.  You need to be safe by a lot for that to have been a smart play.

It might have been Jeter of his own volition, but the move smells of Girardi to me.

I wonder if Andy will blame this on the Stadium.

I don’t think Girardi put the steal on.

I don’t anyone here is suggesting Jeter attempting to steal third with no outs in the bottom of the first is remotely intelligent, even if he makes it.  I was just curious about how bad the call was - if the ump really blew it, or if it was close enough not to fault him.

Serling says he was safe FWIW

[25]: I’d say it’s worth very little.  Sterling and Waldman spent the entire road trip grousing about how every stadium in the major leagues has tiny monitors and terrible sightlines.  “[Chortling] We can’t see a thing up here, John!!!” 

And, yeah, I mostly listen to the clowns because I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere upstate this summer without a television or home internet.

Andy has found a way to battle, it appears.

Anyway, he isn’t doing so poorly. Hopefully the bats can score a few runs. The pitching match-up favors Toronto anyway.

Thank you umps.  This is great.

Wow, that call SUCKED.

Wow, that call SUCKED.

Details please?

I keep wanting to say, “Battle-cat, ho!!” but then I know I’m mixing He-Man and Thundercats.  Actually, maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.

Oh god.

Andy is so fucking inconsistent, every other game is a clunker.  And thanks again Captain for that brainlock.

feh

I don’t resent that Andy is hypermorphing into Jaret Wright.  I totally expected it.  I just wish he hadn’t played the prima donna underpaid card so pathetically during the offseason.

That wasn’t really Andy’s fault. Walk on a close 3-2 pitch, Hill beats outa double play grounder, umps make horrible call on grounder to second, strikeout, cheapy homer in the first row of seats.

What call sucked?  Was the force out really a DP, and they missed it?

Hill was out by a mile on the fielders choice.

Someone oughta lay off Derek Jeter.  What’s he OPSing? 852? 36 BB and 40 K? 85% steal success? On pace for 20 HR?

You’d think he had run the bases in the wrong direction, or tried to steal 3rd on his knees.  Yeah, it was dumb, but 4 ER in 3 IP deserves more of a scolding, I’d think.

Hasn’t the deal been that Joba and Battle Cat have been most affected by pitching in CoorsEast, but have really good road numbers?

Not something that can be controlled too much right now, but totally something that can be used beneficially if they play October baseball.

Wow, the Jays’ defense came to play.

What the fuck was that.

this game has had like 5 bang bang calls in three innings.

Swisher.

[39] Lag? or are you responding the the radio or something?

Let’s go defense and then let’s go rally.

[44): No, someone just kept giving it to my 3rd favorite middle infielder.

“Barajas is an awfully strong hitter.”
-John Sterling

Barajas career OPS .702

Now the rally part.

I wouldn’t complain about Jeter hitting into a DP or not having the range to get to a grounder but that was monumentally stupid and it might have cost us a lot.

John Sterling says that because all his gefitle-fish addled brain can remember is that home run in the 2001 World Series.

Barajas career OPS .702

Is that bad for a catcher? Or just eyeballing it, past 5 years his OPS+ is in the high 80’s range.

Anyone been to Citifield yet? I’m anxious to go.

Blue Smoke and Shake Shack vs. Brother Jimmy’s and Johnny Rockets? pffft…how did the Yanks get schooled like that?

Robbie Cano + Runner on First = Uh Oh

If Sterling wanted to qualify that statement with “strong hitter for a catcher”, than ok. But he didn’t, obviously. (I am trying to direct my anger about the score at Sterling and Suzyn rather than the players)

Andy’s line: 4 ip 4 H 4 R 4 ER.  His ERA is 4.44. 

Trippy.

Also, battle-y.

Wow, Jay’s defense + Yankees baserunning = loss

how did the Yanks get schooled like that?

We had a discussion of this here when the Yankees announced their deal with the Hard Rock.  It just goes to show that basically, the team is run, at the highest levels, by people radically out of touch with what makes New York New York.

[51] Citifield is pretty nice. I’d never line up to eat Blue Smoke, Shake Shack, etc though. But yeah, vendors by reputation of quality seem to beat out the Yankee vendors.

New York Yankee DP’ers.

I’m off to Fenway again.  Nomar’s first game back since ‘04 so there should be a minor media frenzy.  Hopefully when I get online there they will be up by 2 like yesterday.

Calling a Hinske 2-run blast off some Jay shmo in the pen.

Throw strikes to this guy Andy

The radio broadcast just entered into twisted parody. Expressing complete surprise for the blown call with the force out.

Serling was surprised when told Hill was out at 2b

[61] Sterling doesn’t actually watch most of the game as he is too busy waxing poetic with Suzyn about how unpredictable the games are.

My wife got the nigiri sampler and the spicy tuna roll and a small beer for $35.

A foul home run, then a real home run! No Sterling Hinske homer call yet. I’m thankful.

I say Cutter was close enough in [58] to get a Coke.

Calling a Hinske 2-run blast off some Jay shmo in the pen.

Close…

If Jeter bunts here, I bet bebop will suffer a coronary

Tex Luger!

I would have a coronary too if Jeter bunted.

Let’s go defense, then let’s go keep rallying.

Well, they got one at least.

Man, Teix needs some spinach or something.

And just like that, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira’s OPS has crossed each other in the opposite direction.

Just how good is Alex Rodriguez?

Outside of the sucky calls by umpires that have made his line look terrible, Andy has battled the right way today. Say he battle for a couple more innings?

Well, walking the lead-off hitter is probably signs of more battling to come.

If Jeter bunts here, I bet bebop will suffer a coronary

Count me as the third to have a coronary. Ok, maybe just an elevated blood pressure for a couple of minutes.

Who screwed up on allowing the runner to advance?

[74] Doesn’t matter, Battle Cat walked the next guy to get to “strong hitter” Barajas.

Serling implies that if Cano had fielded properly runner would have been out at 2b.  True??

Now continue the rally part.

4 walks.  Pettite just trying to avoid giving up a cheap HR in NYS.  He’ll walk everyone if that’s what it takes.

That was some battley goodness. Isn’t 6 ip 4 er almost the definition of battle-ey, bend-but-don’t breakyness?

And: Runs!

Well, the Rios HR was cheap, but 6 ip 4 er is almost the definition of Jaret Wright, too.  Though that would be more like 5.1 ip 3 er (2 on when he departs).  Fine, but not for a prima donna.

Just how good is Alex Rodriguez?

I was told by respected media members (Olney) that A-Rod is washed up without steroids.

Cano. Blah.

It’s Veras, er, Tomko time.

MacDonald is just a tremendous hitter.

Looks like were not getting to 5th set tiebreaker

After Bruney allows a couple of runs and has to be pulled, just go to Tomko to finish the game and save everyone else a lot of time and effort.

What happened to Bruney?  Good thing we weren’t about to win this game anyway.

Yech.  Next!

And I do approve the usage of Bruney in the 7th in a very low leverage situation. It appears Girardi is like a velociraptor, he remembers.

Looks like the very good Bruney might have been somewhat of an aberration.

Robertson to finish out the inning, then Tomko the rest of the way, I hope.

Another blown call.

Some accountability…

No tease.

Swish with the bases loaded single. Come on, Teix.

See, this was all strategic.  Lull the Jays into a false sense of security, bring the hammer down.  Brilliant!

Seriously, what does Ransom have on Cashman and/or Girardi to be so entrenched on this team?  I don’t get it.  And why was he playing 3B yesterday when they just traded for Eric Hinske?  Also, did anyone address the 3-0 bunt by Cano on Saturday?  That better not have come from the dugout and if Cano did it himself he should have been benched on Sunday.  Overall, my order of preference for Yankee manager would go (4)Jerry Manuel, (3)Bubbles The Chimp, (2)Girardi, (1)almost any of the posters on RLYW

I hear Bubbles has been doing some in depth SABR work.

Wow, Tex/ARod go down on 2 K’s in 6 pitches.  Not the best of shows.