Sunday, August 24, 2008
Five Days To Save A Season
While most of us buried the Yankees a week or two ago, they now have one, probably final, chance to save everything. This afternoon they send Darrell Rasner out against Daniel Cabrera. Rasner has had two great outings against Baltimore this season and one poor (though not horrible) one. Cabrera has fairly owned the Yankees this season, although before this season the Yankees hit him fairly well most of the time. Hopefully the Yankees’ bats are truly coming alive with Matsui back in the mix, and they can put a beating on Cabrera and win.
Meanwhile in Toronto, Daisuke Matsuzaka faces A.J. Burnett—Burnett has started five games against Boston in his career and is 4-0, with the Jays winning the ND. He’s had a 1.98 ERA in those starts, and held Boston to a .596 OPS. Toronto can win that game. If they do and the Yankees win, the Yankees will be 4 games behind Boston, and at worst 4½ out of the Wild Card (a year ago the Yankees were 3 out of the Wild Card).
If that’s the case, they come home to face Tim Wakefield with Andy Pettitte. They can definitely win that game. Sidney Ponson starts Wednesday, but so does Paul Byrd. They can win that game. The final opponent, Jon Lester, is by far the toughest, but fortunately they have Mike Mussina stating. They can win that game.
Will the Yankees sweep Boston? Probably not. There’s a good chance they could get swept or at least lose the series, but the chance of a sweep is there, and it presents the team with their last, best opportunity to get back into the race. If they win the next four and Boston loses today as well, they’ll be 1 game behind the Red Sox, and while Chicago will likely be the Wild Card leader at that point, the deficit would be smaller and seem far more reasonable. It’s not likely, but it’s eminently feasible.
Comments
I believe! I believe!
Damn you for getting my hopes up.
Looks good on paper! But even better! Yanks sweep Mets to take their 27th Series!
I’m still sticking with my “less than five games out at Labor Day” bit for the season, so even if they don’t sweep Boston, I think they’ll have a chance so long as it is under 5 games come Labor Day.
dude, i’m fucked up, but, awesome post. we can only hope. i apologize for the shitty grammar(ithink>).
This ain’t happening. Best case realistic scenario is probably 3-1. They screw up either against Daniel Cabrera or Lester (hopefully not against both). Pettitte against Wakefield is definitely winnable, unless Pettitte throws the same kind of stinker that he did against Red Sox a while back. Pontoon vs. Byrd, who the hell knows.
This is all contingent on the Yankee offense doing what it was supposed to do at the beginning of the season, not what it is supposed to do based on their year-to-date performance.
This ain’t happening. Best case realistic scenario is probably 3-1.
If they go 3-1 and Boston goes 1-3, the Yankees will be 3 back of Boston with 3 more against them. Catching Boston is definitely feasible then. Even if Chicago goes 2-2 the Yanks will also be 3.5 back of them.
If they can pull this off the next few days, then no longer will j, Jonathan and I (and others) be the stubborn ones for holding on to hope, but any who still say they have no chance will be the stubborn ones!
So if everything breaks perfectly right in the next four days, they’ll still behind two teams who have easier schedules, more home games, and well, more talent. Joba’s return keeps getting pushed back, Hughes looks mediocre, and nobody even mentions Wang anymore. It’s more likely that Andy or Moose will throw a clunker than it is for Rasner or Ponson to pitch well.
Someone please explain to me how they see the August/September swing going, where they are in three different cities (NY, Detroit, Tampa) in three consecutive days. Then, they get to go from Tampa all the way to Seattle w/o a day off. And IF they survive that traveling, they get to play the Angels again.
Buzzkill.
I like it better when you’re negative, Larry.
Yes, the Twins have a Twinkie schedule ahead of them, but the White Sox do not.
1 more against Tampa, 3 against Boston, 4 against the Yankees, 4 against the Blue Jays, 3 against the Angels and 3 against the Twins.
And the Red Sox have 6 against the Yankees, 6 against Toronto, 6 against Tampa Bay and 3 against Chicago.
Yes, I’d say, due to the scheduling, that the Yankees have the toughest schedule of the four, but not by a large stretch over Chicago and Boston.
Tug said you gotta believe. I don’t guess I’m just a cockeyed pessimist but I’d love to have pie on my face in a month(or even an eclair)
Mmmmm…eclair.
A.J. Burnett dealing in the Jays-Sox game. 2Ks and a weak ground ball in the first.
Stranger things have happened in baseball. I’d bet the 2008 Yankees making the postseason wouldn’t rank in the top 10. Even without Hughes/Wang/Joba, their offense (when firing on all cylinders) and bullpen gives them a punchers chance.
Vernon Wells! 2 Run HR
Wells just took Mice-K out. 2 zip Jays.
That Wells home run was a BOMB too.
Aye. It was.
Burnett, you squinty-eyed bastard, you had better carve up the Sox like you did the Yankees five days ago.
Luv,
-Yankee fans everywhere
Wells just took Mice-K out. 2 zip Jays.
Hi Joker.
Speaking of clowns….
The Red Sox look like the bottom is about to drop out of their season. I am more concerned about Toronto’s resurgence right now. They aren’t a wild card threat themselves, but they could help Chicago.
My main concern is about us. If we don’t play very very good and our rotation doesn’t overachieve it doesn’t matter what the other teams do.
That’s some bullshit right there.
I hoped Millar pulled something in his back on that catch.
Well, a playoff-less October is much easier to stomach if the Red Sox are sitting on that same couch, ya know? Misery loves company and all that…
Fucking Millar and Scutaro are death to us
Pavano should’ve hit him harder.
Death to Smoochy, Millar and Scutaro or at least relocation to NL
Fucking Burnett, walks Cora and Coco, then gives up a bomb to Pedroia. Ugh.
Rasner loves giving up those early runs.
ugh
Why do so many pitchers pitch so much better against us? Could it be because we’re WOEful. Burnett has an era in the 4s, against us its like 1.5. Cabrera can’t beat anyone but us, even fucking Feldman. We needed Burnet to pretend it was the Yankees today.
All the same time the Sox are putting up a 4-spot.
Ugh.
seriously?
To be fair, Burnett has been very good against Boston in his career.
Burnett walks Cora and Crisp and he hardly walks any Yankees. Are even Cora and Crisp more FEARSOME then our guys? Meanwhile anyone with any delusions of post season our rotation as presently constituted is horrible. Pavano may be our #3 starter and our offense…nuff said.
To be fair to Burnett, he’s been tremendously unlucky this year (ERA-wise). His ERA should be more like 3.5 or lower.
I always love when the pitching coach comes out like that. “Stop sucking, k?”
Why should any sports fan be “fair.” Any time any pitcher who dominated us doesn’t dominate Boston, I’m pissed.
“Lou Montanez” sounds like a character from Princess Bride.
I give Cano take 2 and 0
Yay, Cano!!
Pudge is a former MVP in case anyone didn’t know that
here we go
Now 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Let’s see how they screw this up.
We might score, Arod’s not up
Well, that’s the first step in fucking this up.
Johnny made up for it with the three-run bomb. Thank you, Johnny. 
Fair ball its gone-fair ball-Cabrera we own you forever more
Gameday just completely skipped over the Damon A and went straight to Jeter’s out. Heh.
*AB
Oh, and thanks, Johnny.
Need big cushion
It’s nice to see Baldelli hit a homer.
“Injury delay” in Toronto?
Seems like the game is continuing without subs.
Apparently Ellsbury hurt his face and wrist making a catch. Ouch.
Seems like a long man is going to be needed in short order. Edwar?
Bummer. Glad he could stay in. But wondering who I wanted to get injured was rather ghoulish anyway.
Speaking of ghoulish…
Seriously, what the fuck, Rasner?
I think we can all agree to bring in Robertson to start next inning or should Rasner get another inning?
I’d say let Rasner start the inning and pull him at the first sign of trouble. It IS only the 3rd inning after all, can’t completely burn out the ‘pen that early in the game.
2nd and 3rd with a former MVP up-I’m stoked
even former MVPs don’t always do the job
I wouldn’t normally, YM, but with an off day tomorrow and the games being so important…
But fair enough..
Sob.
Gotta leave Rasner in and hope for the best
Nice catch, Damon.
boy how much longer does he stay in this game…
We need Joba back pronto and it would be nice also if Hughes remembered how to pitch. Zambrano and Wright had strong outings yesterday. Don’t know what to make of that. As I remember Zambrano if he threw stikes was tough, at least on us.
Hopefully Hughes’ recent streak of craptitude is just due to a dead arm and he’ll be back to normal soon enough.
We could bring up Zambrano and hire Rick Peterson as a personal pitching coach
Jays tie it up.
Dice-K’s chickens are finally coming home to roost.
Shades of Michael Vick Dice Clay’s into cock fighting
hire Rick Peterson as a personal pitching coach
...for 10 minutes.
no ground ball DP to 3rd please Arod
Is Cabrera that wild or is he completely psycho?
Both?
Make him pay Jay
Almost a Giambino moment
Kay’s right like a stopped clock
Yeah, so close…But the X-man picks him up!!!!
Bebop, I keep wanting to ask whether your handle is an homage to Cowboy Bebop?
No a cat, as in feline, I used to have who had markings like a 1940’s bebopper with a beret and goatee
Ahhh, cool.
Bye-bye, wild n’ crazy Danny Cabrera.
I get the feeling that this isn’t going to be one of those 2:15 games
trying not to get hopeful, but….if this lineup is healthy they could score 7 runs a game for a month, no?
Jays take the lead!
Stairs thrown out at the plate to end the inning, but not before the go-ahead run is scored on a two-out double by Barajas.
I guessed that Wakefield answer only because the dude has pitched for the Red Sox Jeter’s entire career.
And a short-lived lead, at that.
Burnett hates the Yankees.
Xavier Nady hates Rasner.
I guess Burnett was right to fear Crisp in the third.
Rasner with a WHIP of 3 today, I’m no sabremetrician, but that’s not good is it?
Come the fuck on!!
I remember when I thought Robertson was going to be real good this year.
Oi.
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