S. Duncan, RF (.188/.297/.250)
M. Ensberg, 1B (.224/.268/.269)
R. Cano, 2B (.205/.256/.322)
A. Gonzalez, 3B (.290/.353/.355)
J. Molina, C (.200/.218/.307)

If you guessed that four of these five batters would make up the bottom of the Yankees 2008 lineup prior to the season, you win a cookie.

A disgusting, moldy, stale cookie.

top 3 play of the year by willie harris in the mets game just now.

wait, no Hideki?? really.

Little more detail on the play of the year plz, eelz?

The lineup is anemic against LHP right now.  ARod and Posada are essential to hitting lefties.  IPK on the mound, 4 nearly automatic outs in the lineup (Cano’s all betta now, it will just take some time for his season line to look better)… eek.  Sitting Matsui only makes sense if he’s plain awful against Kazmir or if he’s hurting.

ARod back Tuesday, hopefully.  Whew.

AG is actually doing OK for himself, other than power. Not that I’d count on him to do anything, but he doesn’t quite seem an automatic out like Duncan Ensberg or Molina does. Molina btw has lost the ‘o.’

Sitting Matsui only makes sense if he’s plain awful against Kazmir or if he’s hurting.

.200/.304/.350 in 23 PA.

i would have still played him, but this is probably what Girardi is looking at.

i guess he is hoping that Shelley is going to run into a HR or 2 one of these days.

Yankee over/under 2 runs

I take the under.

I’ll be optimistic and take the over.

Little more detail on the play of the year plz, eelz?

Yeah, it was a pretty incredible catch.  Church sliced a looping fly down the left field line and Harris was at absolute full extension and made the catch with his glove an inch off the ground.  He was flying. 

I’m sure it will be on mlb.com shortly.

Go Yanks.

With 6 great hitting right handed bats in the lineup we could crush Kazmit, on the other hand with these right handed bats I’ll take the under

over.

Push.

hmm this line up is interesting with the suckitude more equally distributed rather than all bunched up at the end.

The law of averages says we should score 14 today

Who is the hot chick?  I remember her from last year, but who is she?

has Kazmir really not thrown anything but his fastball thus far?

At least Jeter ran up the pitch count a bit.  Melky looks awful at the plate right now.

Gee, do ya think Kazmir likes high fastballs? He only threw 15 of them in that inning. The only other pitch was a low fastball.

Congrats to the Yankees on their renewed journey back to .500.

Welcome back to the Big Leagues, Ian.

IPK is not Kazmir.

Who is the hot chick?  I remember her from last year, but who is she?

Rachel Specter.  RGX spokesgirl and certified hottie.

Kennedy falls behind, he comes in with the 87 mph fastball, it leaves the park and well, that sort of thing doesn’t happen in Scranton.

RGX spokesgirl and certified hottie.

How do I win a membership in the certification board?

I probably will have to lead Derek Jeter’s life. That has as much chance of happening as a Jesus Montero HR in the major leagues this year.

that went much better, of course after the obligatory run.

Now, can the Yankees come from behind to win? doubtful.

Kennedy falls behind, he comes in with the 87 mph fastball, it leaves the park and well, that sort of thing doesn’t happen in Scranton.

Honestly, that sort of thing doesn’t bother me nearly as much as Young Master Ian walking the ballpark in his previous incarnation.  A solo shot is much easier overcome than when there are multiple ducks on the pond.

Yeah, the walks were the key.

Homers you can live with - like Rasner.

The key is, as with Rasner, not walking people so that the homers aren’t 2, 3, 4-run homers.

No, seriously, Scott, there are indeed other pitches than that “speedball” that you throw.

when will Kazmir throw a not-fastball? Maybe never if he keeps getting the Yankees out this easily. It’s a good way to save some wear and tear on the UCL he’s supposed to blow anytime now.

Wow, Kazmir sure does love throwing pitches.

there goes the perfect game-no no still intact

bunt?

2 innings, 34 fastballs, 0 other pitches.

Is PitchFx broken? Becuase it says that Kazmir has throw 34 fastballs in 34 pitches .

at least his pitch count is high for not giving up anything significant

It does make you wonder - what was Cano looking for on the pitch he K’ed on?

sorry for not giving any details on that sweet Harris play. it was awesome. he’s gotta have some serious warning track burn on his belly though.

Scotty K. is trying to out-Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera with that fastball..."Let’s see if I can throw a no-hitter while using just one pitch!”

Isn’t the story lately that everybody goes straight at the Yankees with mostly fastballs?  Cliff Lee, Matt Garza, eg.

Wow, the ump’s got a pretty damn generous strike zone, at least according to gameday.

Yeah, bebop, that has been a sad state of affairs recently. Watching Garza dominate Abreu with FASTBALLS was almost sickening.

Isn’t the story lately that everybody goes straight at the Yankees with mostly fastballs?  Cliff Lee, Matt Garza, eg.

Isn’t the story lately that everybody just makes sure the ball gets over the plate because of WOE?

strikz: i throwz dem

Already, Kennedy has exceeded expectations.

IPK for Cy Young?

IPK for Cy Young?

I dunno. He’s got to take it from REIGNING CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER JOSH BECKETT!

It’s amazing that Moeller’s defense is apparently THAT bad that they’re just gonna ride Molina.

Well, it’s not like Moello’s bat is much better than Molina’s, either.

Moello even has a HOMER this year!!

Hohum. Twelve more fastballs, three more outs.

46 straight fastballs? for reals?

Make it 46 fastballs for Kazmir.  I wonder if gameday pitch f/x is broken?

Is anyone watching this? Can you verify if Kazmir has thrown 46 straight fastballs to start the game or not?

maybe but that would mean the radar is broken too since hes been between 88 and 92 the whole time.

I think if the Yankees hit the ball hard it should count as a hit and two consecutive hard hit balls a run.  A handicap like in golf

sean henn’s been getting into some games over in san diego. he’s got a 10.38 ERA in 4.1 innings

I’m watching and no noticeable off speed pitch thrown by the Rays career leader in games started, Kazmir.

gameday is busted, i give up.

Uh Oh here we go

This is a fine mess he’s gotten himself into.

i can has gidp plz?

Gaaaaaaaaah.

Throw strikes, Ian.

i dunno how many different kinds of pitches kennedy throws but they are almost completely indistinguishable.

It’s amazing how prevalent this is - the inability to throw strikes when you know you HAVE to throw strikes.

haha. Johnny damon really throws like a chicken

If he holds it to one, I’d be thrilled.

That said, Ian, that run specifically scored because you WALKED a runner to third base!! THROW STRIKES!

Maybe IPK needs to spend a little more time in AAA.

Honestly, he looks Major League ready. His problems don’t seem like stuff you’re gonna fix in the minors.

Then either Kennedy or the Yanks are screwed.

Honestly, the sucky Yankees sucking it up in a sucky way kind of sucks.

By that, I mean people thought sending him to the minors would fix a vast deterioration of how he has pitched through his whole career. Well, they sent him to the minors and instantly he was right back to the way he’s pitched all through his career.

That seems like it is something that won’t be solved by the minors - it is something he’s going to have to fix here or, well, suck, I guess.

that was big-time

Yes! Way to battle back, Ian!

If he holds it to one, I’d be thrilled.

How did Pena miss that?

I’ll take one run here from the Yanks for now. Go get it, Yanks!!

Key difference between Kennedy then and Kennedy now: he’s still on pace to throw six innings despite a really rocky inning just now.

Changeup? It only took 47 pitches!

Kennedy doesn’t seem to be able to throw anything but his FB for strikes right now.

No-Hit THIS!

Melk starts off the inning right.

nah it was a fastball just a slow one, Kazmir’s velocity is dipping a bit.

I feel like “Press Your Luck,” only I’m shouting “No DP, No DP, No DP.”

the break and PFX both say fastball.

Television voice mentioned something about power slider from Kaz.

That’s Dewayne Staats. Show some respect!

Wow. Bad, bad call. Really awful.

Jeter suck.

Think of it as a bunt.  At least Melk’s in scoring position.

I’d walk Giambi - what’s Duncan gonna do?

I meant “what’s Duncan and Ensburg gonna do?”

Dwayne Stats is a bitter bitter man. I wonder if he left it on bad terms with Stein.

According to ESPN, Giambi has ten walks when he’s ahead of the count 3-0.  No hits.  No outs.  Just walks.

Seriously, Giambi?!?! SERIOUSLY?!?!

meh

So...perfectly...predictable.

they say no man is an island, but i think it must be pretty lonely to be a yankee runnner in scoring position

The suckiest bunch of sucks who ever sucked.  Suckily.

Hit the ball hard twice that should definitely count for a RBI

Uh oh, Ty Floyd is now under .400!

friggin riggans.

Well, fuck.

oh fuck me

Riggans should bat against the Yanks all the time, he’d have a 1.000+ slugging.

That inning was going so promisingly…

Game isn’t over yet-oh wait-I forgot we suck and Kazmir’s real good

EAt a dick Stats.

Seriously, what a tool. I don’t give a fuck if he called Jim Abbot’s no hitter.

WJ - What’s going on?

I hate players whose names rhye with -iggins.

Okay, this blows, I’m off to do some work and hopefully the offense wakes up while I’m gone.

Later.

Dwayne Staats’s enthusiasm is way over the top for a May game.

Who the fuck is Dwayne Staats and why are you aggravated by him, WJ?

Walks are good. Now we needs hits. Hits are needed for winning.

You see, productive outs really aren’t all that productive, Buster.

So after we lose this we have to hope the Mets don’t sweep us.

Fuck me sideways.

He should just call them “not-quite-as-unproductive outs” and then I’d have no problem with it… =P

Of course, their productive outs are productive.

Man, the Yankees really blow.

IPK: the new Wade Taylor?

Kennedy’s ERA actually went up this game.

our batboy kinda looks like jesse litsch. that’s a good sign going forward.

Another positive: Kennedy has as many strikeouts as Kazmir!

also, Kazmir at 100 pitches.

And his pitch count is way lower… this indicates he is getting the best of the matchup.

This game is a void.

strangely enough, everything except runs says Kennedy pitched better today. stupid runs.

Runs… and home runs.  I think one of those things causes the other.

Pull Kennedy? Really? At 78 pitches? What the hell for? You’re already down five. Why not continue letting Kennedy work?

this team blllllllows!

I was just about to rant the same thing.

And they are BORRRRING

lincecum is by far the coolest pitcher to watch in baseball.

Normally, one walk, five hits through five innings is workable. However, when you factor in that four of the hits were of the extra base variety and add a hit by pitch, it’s not as good.

Also, it would have been hard to arrange the order of offensive events for TB much better. They have two team LOBs.

Seriously, why pull Kennedy? It’s not like they’re going to come back.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=snibbe/080515

Hawkins strikes out the side?  Really?

I suppose LaTroy needed some work, but I still think Kennedy should have pitched at least one more inning to keep the bullpen fresh.

Don’t look now, but Cano is up to .208.

Wow.  A run.

OK, please make me look like an idiot!

Well, I leave my PC to go home and when I get back: runs. Nice.

Game-tying bomb.

You heard it here first.

xbh plz

Not so much. Was that at all well hit?

So that over/under is looking like a push.

So that over/under is looking like a push.

With Shelley Duncan coming up? I don’t think so!

Man, Veras’ stuff looks good…

Matsui to play 1st?

Giambi could play first and we’d lose the D (not that it would matter).

*DH

Not that what I mistakenly said isn’t also true in some perverse way.

Does anyone else love Edwar’s Gameday picture?  He looks like he’s 14.

Damon at first… whatever…

A 14 year-old who just got his lunch money stolen, maybe.

This Edwar Gonzalez is playing well in the minors- first A, now AA.  Anyone know his story?  Duncan also seems to be doing OK.  On the other hand Tabata and Jackson are not doing great.

Haha… Damon: not really used to those.

This Edwar Gonzalez is playing well in the minors- first A, now AA.  Anyone know his story?  Duncan also seems to be doing OK.  On the other hand Tabata and Jackson are not doing great.

Is this comment a joke? I mean, Edwar’s story was pretty well publicized last year: he was cut by the Angels, developed his killer change up in independent ball, and the Yanks scouted and signed him after noticing how ridiculous his strikeout rate was.

Shelley Duncan is doing decidedly not OK, unless you mean purely in minor league ball which: I don’t care.

Furthermore:
Shelley Duncan made it to AA when he was 25, AAA when he was 26.
Austin Jackson made it to AA as a 21 year old, this year. He’s played one game in AAA.
Jose Tabata is 19 in AAA.

The idea that Jackson and Tabata should even be compared to Shelley Duncan is phenomenally ludicrous.

I think he meant Eric in AAA.

I think there are two Edwars.  One is an outfielder at AA.  The other one has a plus changeup that he uses to try to get his lunch money back.

I meant Edwar Gonzalez and Eric Duncan.  Question now intended for anyone other than John Lynch, the idiot.

He’s talking about Eric Duncan who has been playing well and was once the Yanks #1 prospect, and is only 23 in AAA and Edwar Gonzales is not Edwar Ramirez, he also was in his 3rd year at A before he was promoted, he could be something but its unlikely.

Hey, we all have bad days.

170->168.

Tabata has also been playing much better since his suspension, as for Jackson, idk its possible the end of last year was a fluke or that he’s just having a so-so start.

Ah, geez, my bad. It was such a bizarre comment, the way I read it. I do know about Edwar G, though keep in mind that Edwar R. was pitching when the comment was posted, so I assumed it was topical. My rage against Shelley Duncan knows no bounds, I’m afraid. Must have blinded me to the rest of the comment. My apologies, and no hard feelings, I hope.

I’m not sold on Eric Duncan. It’s good that he’s only 23, but he’s really got to play well for a full season before I can get excited. Vice versa for the other two: they’ll have to struggle for a whole year before I start getting distressed.

No prob. Duncan has talent but I also wrote him off.  But if he can play a whole year in AAA at 23 with an OPS over 800 then I start to get excited again.

But if he can play a whole year in AAA at 23 with an OPS over 800 then I start to get excited again.

Yeah, though he is repeating the level. I’d take it though, no question.

Nice to see this anger and frustration. While taking the trash out this evening I started talking to my neighbor the Mets fan.
He’s now fetal in his driveway bleeding. Something about his cat Gary Carter being the equal of my lad Thurm.

10. Posted at 3:47:47 pm on Thursday, May 15, 2008 by bebop
Yankee over/under 2 runs