So the headline should be “sat” not “sits”?  He’s playing today or what? I’m confused.

And I agree with ya, if it takes a few days for Teix to be close to 100%, then do it. The offense hasn’t been running on all cylinders but it’s following traffic well enough.

At this point, I’d rather he sit the rest of the Rays series if the wrist is still sore.

Well 2 things.  1) If I understand correctly it doesn’t really bother him when he bats lefty and 2) I’m sure if there was any worry about injuring it further, or even if by playing he would slow down his recovery, the doctors would advise to sit him.

After all, pitching has been the main problem and Teixeira is no Nick Swisher.

I certainly agree with that.  However, you could make a good argument that the Yankees would have swept the Royals if Tex was playing 1st instead of Swisher that last game!

So the headline should be “sat” not “sits”?  He’s playing today or what? I’m confused.

The article was written last night for today’s paper.  As of now he’s playing tonight.

So the headline should be “sat” not “sits”?  He’s playing today or what? I’m confused.

Yeah, that got me too at first.  The article was posted overnight.  I think he’s referring to yesterday’s game.  He may play tonight.

Well 2 things.  1) If I understand correctly it doesn’t really bother him when he bats lefty and 2) I’m sure if there was any worry about injuring it further, or even if by playing he would slow down his recovery, the doctors would advise to sit him.

More than likely, this is probably the case.  However, he believes he injured it on the field.  So, to me anyway, if it doesn’t bother him batting lefty, that’s only half the issue.  I’m more afraid he’ll aggravate it on the field.
And what happens if he has to face a lefty later in the game?  You pull him in the 6th inning?

Wang hasn’t been the same pitcher he used to be since the second half of 1987 but of course there was nothing to indicate he could possibly be THAT bad.  He was even worse then Moose during that stretch he was seemingly throwing batting practice Sept 87.  Could he be afraid to push off hard on his foot?  Any word on the Yankees dipping into Scranton to exchange a reliever or two perhaps Alba..and Coke Zero who could go the way of New Coke for Tomko and Robertson.  I assume they want Melancon to pitch a few more AAA games.

However, you could make a good argument that the Yankees would have swept the Royals if Tex was playing 1st instead of Swisher that last game!

sure, but you could make an equally compelling argument that the yankees would have swept the Royals if Swisher had PITCHED TEH 8TH!!!1!!!

(sorry, that was a BP fastball)

i have to assume there will be bullpen moves.

I’m more afraid he’ll aggravate it on the field.
And what happens if he has to face a lefty later in the game?  You pull him in the 6th inning?

That’s where we have to trust the medical team, right?  Hopefully they are telling Girardi and Cashman (and Tex) what the risks are.  If the risks of aggravating injury are minimal, then it’s kind of like keeping your kid off a slide because SOME kid on SOME slide got hurt at some point.

For the second part…I’m not sure why this is a concern.  Unless the person you are sitting is Matsui (and DH Nady), you pinch hit with the other and move Swisher to 1B.  So as long as you don’t DH Swisher, you’ll be in the same situation after the 6th as you would have been anyway.  Unless you are arguing Girardi won’t want to deal with the questions?

i have to assume there will be bullpen moves.

Go to Chad Jenning’s blog and there is a discussion there.  Robertson is probably out because he just threw 3 innings, and the common-thought is it will be someone on the 40-man.  Jackson and Clagget seem to be the popular choices, with Aceves as another possibility.

(sorry, that was a BP fastball)

I’ll keep throwing them, you keep hitting them.

2) I’m sure if there was any worry about injuring it further, or even if by playing he would slow down his recovery, the doctors would advise to sit him.

I don’t trust players to properly assess their own injuries, even if or especially if it’s a desire to help the team. Teix said he played through the pain for a couple of days already. The docs would advise if Teix is totally forthcoming, sometimes players are not.

Of course, if it’s a fluke injury or is something that Teix can still play through, then whatever. As well, especially as it is early in the season, I don’t mind being a bit cautious now.

However, 4-3 will definitely look better than 3-4. Let’s beat the devils out of these Rays.

The docs would advise if Teix is totally forthcoming, sometimes players are not.

All true, but they also examined him and gave him an MRI.  Now perhaps the final part is, “he looks good, so if it doesn’t hurt…”.  Caution is all well and good, but you take caution one step too far and it’s paranoia.  If doctors and Tex both say it is good, let him go out; if you’re concerned about too much too fast DH him so you take playing defense out of it, too.

Dang, I hope my conservatism with Teix isn’t a concession to prior seasons that early season Yankees are doomed to suck.

If SG or Jonathan were managing on Sunday the Yankees would have swept KC.  Going 3 and 3 against KC and the Os is weak and our performance against second division teams last year cost us dearly.

What’s up with 1987?

If I remember the television advertisment correctly, tonight’s game is suppose to be on network TV. Woohoo! No more radio!

Yahoo has the game listed as being broadcasted on: TV: YES, SUN
I assume SUN is a Tampa channel.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2009/01/_tuesday_41409_ny_yankees.html. Yes!

i don’t think we can throw the O’s into the same boat as losing 2 of 3 to the Pirates last year.

the O’s have some legitimate players.

If SG or Jonathan were managing on Sunday the Yankees would have swept KC.  Going 3 and 3 against KC and the Os is weak and our performance against second division teams last year cost us dearly.

Wow.  Just wow.  Tampa is one game up and Boston is in last place.  Are you ready to admit they are out of it too?  Three of the losses are directly attributeable to horrid starting pitching, and one of those pitchers has righted himself.  Yeah, maybe Girardi’s moves cost the Yankees the game on Sunday.  Maybe he’ll have some moves that will clearly win the game this year too.  If the Yankees miss the playoffs by 1 game you can feel free to point back to Sunday.  But I doubt that will be the reason the Yankees miss the PS.

But the folks on ESPN have us missing the PS.

Mike K., I expect better from you.  What you quoted doesn’t imply that the Yankees are “out of it”.  What the poster is saying, and which I agree, is that Wins are wins regardless of whether they come now or in August.  When it comes down to crunch time at the end of the season, we won’t remember the 3 game series in KC, but we should.  That was a game that could have been won.  SHOULD have been won.  And it was loss.

If the playoffs are decided by a game or two, it will be easy to think about the last series with Boston, or a three game losing streak in early September.  But those games don’t count any more than anyother game (negating the fact that the opposition might be in the playoff hunt as well).

We like to talk about how many more wins Swisher is worth over Nady, etc etc. but last week is a concrete example of an ACTUAL win.  SG managing the game would have been a one win upgrade.  That’s nothing to sneeze at.

Ok, it’s equally unfair of me to cherry pick the “out of it” line w/o taking the context of the rest of the post.  I’m just getting a little frustrated that there’s a lot of “don’t worry, it’s only April” talk when all the projections tend to have the division/playoffs being decided by just a couple of games.

Mike K., I expect better from you.

Perhaps I am being too harsh.  But one of the great things about this site is how analytical people usually are, and *not* into knee-jerk reactions about everything, basing opinions on SSS sizes, etc.  And it is getting frustrating.  Yeah, I’m not happy they lost the game on Sunday, and disgusted by the way they played (mostly, how Wang pitched) yesterday.  But I’m not going to expect them to win every game, and not even every game they SHOULD win.  Doesn’t happen in 162 game schedule.  Ever.  Yes, the April losses count just as much as the September ones.  But it still is only ONE loss.  Great teams have 60 of them in a year.

SG managing the game would have been a one win upgrade.

As much respect as I have for SG…that’s a stretch.  #1 it is still possible that Mo would have blown the game.  Heck, he could have pitched fine but a couple of errors could have blown the game!  #2 with all of the other moves necessary before and after the game, there are a lot of other places to make a mistake.  And again, there are facts we don’t know.  Perhaps if SG WERE in the dugout, he would have made the same choice? 

Or, you know, if Coke had made a good pitch this wouldn’t be a topic of conversation.

I will apologize to bebop though because I’m taking frustrations out on him and lumping *all* of the people complaining about the first 7 games onto him.  Sorry.

The season certainly isn’t over after 7 games, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be pissed off when they lose a game they should win.

  That was a game that could have been won.  SHOULD have been won.  And it was loss.

Indeed.

I’m sure there will be games that they should have lost that will end up as wins.  It’s a give and take.  Hopefully more of the latter than the former.

I don’t know what happened in 1987, but Wang had better K rates, lower oppBA and oppOBP, oppSLG in 2008 than in 1987. But then again, he was much younger then?

What you quoted doesn’t imply that the Yankees are “out of it”.

Perhaps not, then again…

What the poster is saying, and which I agree, is that Wins are wins regardless of whether they come now or in August.

That is not what bebop said.  He sort of implied it, I guess, and you certainly inferred it, but it isn’t at all what Mike was responding to.  The first sentence that Mike quoted isn’t the only thing that matters, there’s also this:

Going 3 and 3 against KC and the Os is weak and our performance against second division teams last year cost us dearly.

Since some people apparently haven’t noticed, the O’s took two out of three against Tampa Bay too.  They’re 5-2.  The Royals also have a winning record in the early going.  Both of these clubs are clearly improved over last year’s versions, and may not be “second division teams” when all is said and done.  I suppose that we were pretty pissed about losing that April series to the Rays last year, and Red Sox fans probably thought it was ridiculous when their team got swept by that doormat of a franchise later that month.  But things turned out a little differently in the end, didn’t they.

Now, I’m certainly not suggesting that the O’s or Royals are this year’s Rays, but I wouldn’t be completely shocked if either one of those teams lucked into a .500 season.

I’m just getting a little frustrated that there’s a lot of “don’t worry, it’s only April” talk…

Their best hitter hasn’t played yet.  Their second best hitter has missed three out of seven games.  It’s not particularly realistic to think that those guys wouldn’t be missed.  And another hit or two could have changed Sunday’s result just as easily as a better pitch from Coke or a different decision from Girardi.

That was a game that could have been won.  SHOULD have been won.  And it was loss.

Could have, sure.  Should have, well, that’s easy to say.  But it was a one run lead with four outs to go.  Much as we fans would like to think that those are in the bank, that game situation has never been an automatic win in baseball, and it never will be.  Even if your manager doesn’t make any questionable moves or non-moves.