Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda.  CWS.  Sums up the Yanks performance lately.

I blame SG for jinxing the Yanks, bring back the WOE!

how did we get 1 runned by Steve Trachsal’s lost brother is beyond me, this dude was horribfic

I had a dream that Girardi let Moose throw 145 pitches in a game in which he gave up 8 runs in 8 innings.

that performance deserves the WOE distinction. Games like yesterday really make me question my perpetual optimism for this team. Whoever said the BP party was a sausage fest needs to check out pete abes blog. He found some chubby chasers.

I had a dream that Girardi let Moose throw 145 pitches in a game in which he gave up 8 runs in 8 innings.

I had a dream that Melky couldn’t get a hit swinging a corked piano leg.

check out pete abes blog

That picture is hilarious.

Tabata went 7-12 this weekend. And...Moose still looks really good...and that ball A-rod hit went really far (They spent more time on that HR on Sportscenter this morning than the rest of the game combined).

check out pete abes blog

Oh noes, I could’ve met the official groupie mascot of all sports Jenn Sterger, had I gone to this thing!!!!11!1!one!

Good grief.

YM - looks like you missed out on quite the sausage-fest.  Abe listed about 10 guys in attendance, then Sterger, who has a nose for appearing at sword fights.  The least you could have done is shown up and given some competition.  You would have ended up in Abe’s blog.

I know, I know...I’m utterly heartbroken.

I demand the return of WOE as a description of the 2008 New York Yankees.

Can we combine the WOE and the Whatever?  Woetever?

What a fat disgusting mess.

What a fat disgusting mess.

I couldn’t have described this season better myself.

...What?

that was probably the longest HR i’ve ever seen in person.

just crushed.  i just stood there with my mouth open.  then i poured beer in it.

That game pissed me off.  Really, really, really pissed me off.  Waste a 6IP, 2R start from Moose, against a legit offense?  That’s grounds for a flogging.

By the way, does anyone besides myself see the irony of so many sports writers being overweight and completely out of shape?

Eh, lots of time spent on the road, too much fast food.  They are mandated to watch while the athletes exercise.  It all makes sense to me.

I couldn’t have described this season better myself.

I’m still laughing about this.

Those guys surely have time for a jog now and then.  After all, Ty Kepner isn’t a fat slob - though he’s hardly the sportswriting poet Abraham makes him out to be.

I won’t even comment about last night’s game.  I’m not even sure I can tune in this evening.  What happens?  Joba goes 8, gives up a run and strikes out 12 yet loses 1-0?

What happens?  Joba goes 8, gives up a run and strikes out 12 yet loses 1-0?

No no no, he’ll throw a no-hitter and lose 1-0.  Seriously, man.  Get with the program.

the official scoring on that no-hitter was just absurd.

that ball that was scored an error would be scored a hit 100 out of 100 times if it wasn’t during a no-hitter.

complete lack of integrity.

not that i really care, just saying.  that’s a hit. not an error.  period.

Well, the no-hitter that Joba throws (and loses) will be legit.  Just to make it even more painful.

the official scoring on that no-hitter was just absurd

I didn’t see that particular play, but it amazes me how many times you’ll see the first hit of a game scored an error only to be changed to a hit later, once the “no-hitter” is broken up on a “clean” hit.  Don’t scorers realize that they’re setting themselves for tons of well-deserved crap up when they do this?

Last night’s game was one of the most frustrating and depressing of the year.  OK the Cincy pitchers all have good stuff, and Perez always gives us trouble but Corey Feldman and the Rangers bullpen holding us to 4 hits.

Posada, Cano, and Melky were a combined 1-10 with 8 LOB.

Posada, Cano, and Melky were a combined 1-10 with 8 LOB.

And only 1 out of those 9 outs was productive!

I’m not shocked about this recent return of the inept offense. The teams 3rd and 4th best hitters are out, replaced by Brett Gardner and (yesterday) Jose Molina. The lineup yesterday featured 4 above average hitters (A-rod, Posada, Abreu and Giambi). Now that I’m thinking about it, losing Matsui and Damon playing hurt because he’s an idiot may actually be enough to sink this team unless they get the offense they expected from the middle infield immediately.

I can’t knock Posada though that one strikeout was really ugly.  Cano and Melky have been a problem all year however and that lineup with Melky, Molina and Gardner back to back seemed ill advised and either Damon should have played over Melky or Posada should have caught with Damon or Betemit DHing

It is July 1st. What should Ca$hman do with Melky? You can’t keep him in the lineup, he isn’t much better than a pitcher.

Cano, Melky & Molina. Never, ever again. Clueless Joe.

Cano, Melky & Molina. Never, ever again. Clueless Joe.

this is silly.

who should have played?

Damon is hurt, that means Melky has to play.

Posada is hurt, that means Molina has to play X days per week.

who should be playing over Cano?

who gives a crap where they hit in the lineup?  outs are outs.

Would anyone go back in time and trade Melky for Mike Gonzalez?

OTOH, shouldn’t the three weakest hitters bat 7th, 8th, and 9th?  Bad as last night’s lineup was, it would have been worse with Melky batting first and Gardner ninth, and Cano hitting ahead of Posada, just to break up the terrible trio.

Hopefully, Cabrera sits tonight and Gardner plays CF.  That, plus Posada catching, Giambi DHing, and Betemit at 1B makes for a very different lineup.

Who said Cano should not be playing? Where did that come from? Cano certainly has not profited however having Melky batting behind him. Cano needs protection, bat him third or fifth. Without getting his bat going, 88 wins will not happen.

And when you have a trio like that batting consecutively, you have no lineup, just four guys and a rookie.

Would anyone go back in time and trade Melky for Mike Gonzalez?

If I had a time machine, I would hope that I could find much better uses for it than that without even having to think particularly long or hard.

Cano needs protection, bat him third or fifth.

Since protection is largely a myth, I don’t see how you justify sticking a .280 OBP in the five hole.  Even if protection were not largely a myth, there is no possible way to justify sticking a .280 OBP in the three hole.

Or to put it another way, Cano should bat ninth unless and until he remembers how to hit.

Since protection is largely a myth

I’m sure there are stats to show this, but pitchers will pitch around or pitch differently to hitters depending on who is on deck.  Do you really think Bonds would have so many intentional and non-intentional walks if he had been in the Yanks lineup, with a guy like Giambi behind him or in the Boston lineup, with a guy like Ortiz behind him?

That said, Cano doesn’t need protection.  He needs patience and show the ability to control the strike zone.  If he can show that, then Girardi can put him in a position to thrive even more, like hitting behind a high-OBP base-stealer.

"Since protection is largely a myth”

But lineup construction is largely a myth too.

What’s Cano’s OPS the last two weeks, incidentally?

Cano needs protection, bat him third or fifth.

can you prove this?

here are the Yankees most common batting orders last year:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/2007_bo.shtml

Cano USUALLY batted in front of Melky, Phillips, Mientkiewicz, or Betemit.

in other words, Cano hit like crazy last year batting in front of a collection of stiffs.

you are insisting he needs protection, but i don’t see any evidence for that.

i think it’s funny that you are calling Girardi “clueless” for not putting the guy with the .280 OBP third.

Mike Gonzalez would not have helped the Yanks all that much since he was out all last season with TJ surgery and hasn’t really pitched very often this season.

"What a fat disgusting mess.”

Come on now, Ponson just got here.

Also, Betemit has been swinging the bat well.  He should be in the lineup.

By the way, Pete Abraham just posted an anti-Melky rant on his blog.

"SI.com: Since we’re doing this for SI.com, I have to ask if you’re an Internet guy. Do you surf the Web a lot?

Jeter: Not really, man.

SI.com: That’s too bad. You have a legendary reputation in the sports blogosphere thanks to your off-the-field , um, prowess, for lack of a better term.

Jeter: [Laughing] Prowess. That’s a good one, Jim. Prowess.”

Does Jimmy Traina read RLYW?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/extramustard/06/30/derek-jeter-interview/index.html

So if Pete Abraham is posting anti-Melky rants, doesn’t that mean the front office has gotten fed up with him too?

Melky looked pissed when Gardner almost ran into him as he caught that pop up in shallow left center right before his (second?) AB and brought that anger with him to the batters box in the next inning. He needs to be straightened out in so many ways right now, I don’t even know what they can do with him.

Last year was last year. I’m glad you’re so happy with this [years] mildewing offense. Sure, sure, sure, lineups don’t matter. Why bat A-Freud fourth? Why not leadoff?

The reference to clueless Joe is for repeatedly batting Cano, Melky & Molina back-to-back-to-back. That is a black hole right now. Glad so many think that this mildewing offense doesn’t need a shakeup. IMO, the lineup does.

And Melky needs to be somewhere other than in the lineup.

Can you please explain why it’s better to have 3 low-OBP guys spread through the lineup as opposed to bunched together?  Bunched together they don’t harm the chances of A-Rod, Giambi, Abreu, Jeter(maybe), Damon at getting on base and driving in runs.  Spread throughout the lineup, they’ll come up more often with men on base and make outs.  I don’t really get the logic.

Ugh sadly we need Bonds to exorcise WOE. Its the disgusting truth.

I wouldn’t mind moving Cano up in the lineup because he can actually hit, although I have no problem with him hitting 7th either.  Melky and Molina definitely belong at the bottom though.  Right now, Melk couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat.

Supposedly, Matsui is set to take BP in the coming days - which would eliminate the need for Barry Balco.

Glad so many think that this mildewing offense doesn’t need a shakeup. IMO, the lineup does.

i never said it doesn’t need changes.

you have my vote for putting Melky on the bench once Damon is healthy and letting Gardner play CF.  they can do that for the rest of the season and i would be fine with it.

but i could care less if the shakeup involves taking struggling hitters and giving them MORE AB’s, b/c that is what you are arguing for.

“Clueless Joe” grasps the simple idea that the hitters at the end of the lineup get the fewest ABs.  that’s a good thing.

By the way, Pete Abraham just posted an anti-Melky rant on his blog.

Is that positive or negative on Melky?  IE, that’s sort of like a double negative right?

There’s not much Cashman and Girardi can do about injuries, which is the primary cause for the offensive woes.  Cashman is doing what he can to get the team younger, and hopefully less prone to wear-and-tear, but it will take a few years.  In the meantime, it’s nobody’s fault.

If the Yanks had young studs like LaPorta or Saltamacchia waiting in the wings, I could see jettisoning guys like Cabrera or not resigning guys like Posada.  But that’s not the case.

For now, see what you have in Gardner and let Melky ride pine as the 4th OF.

Getting Ponson out of the rotation ASAP should be Priority #1.

Or to put it another way, Cano should bat ninth unless and until he remembers how to hit.

No higher than seventh any way.  You could argue he should be batting higher than Moeller (in his increasingly rare start), Molina, or Melky right now.  Either way the difference between seventh and ninth is probably a few PA’s per month, if that.

I think the studies (I know I’ve read about them, can’t remember if it was hardballtimes, or Neyer before he wasn’t free any more) that “optimal” lineup construction did make a difference over the poorest lineup construction.  Something like 5 runs a year.  I’m pretty sure if you put Damon, Jeter, ARod, and Giambi somewhere in the top 5 spots, you’ll be closer to optimal than not, so put the rest wherever.

As for Joe G being clueless...I have a feeling he is more familiar with studies like these than you are, so who does that make clueless?

Is that positive or negative on Melky?  IE, that’s sort of like a double negative right?

By way of analogy: when the most clueless aunt at Thanksgiving realizes that cousin Gary is high, that doesn’t make it somehow bad information. It just means that Gary is ALL KINDS OF REALLY HIGH.

You guys have Thanksgivings like this too, right?

@52 — Isn’t that lineup construction you’re talking? For shame, it is all myth.

Getting Ponson out of the rotation ASAP should be Priority #1.

If you mean by one of the current minor-leaguers (Horne, McCutchen, Kennedy, Aceves) proving they belong in the bigs, by all means.

If you mean putting Giese in the rotation instead, or trading for a pitcher just so Ponson isn’t starting, then no.

Really, if Ponson can be effective for a month - five more starts - the Yankees will have a real chance to position themselves for the stretch-run w/o making a bad trade.

Pete Abraham probably got the lowdown from all those stat-heads at Foley’s and is trying to show that he’s no chopped liver either.

Of course Cano has a solid track record from seasons past. Unlike Melky or Molina. That is why Cano, IMHO, deserves a chance to get going and that means hitting in front of a quality ML hitter for now.

But I guess the NL lineup appeals to some, so be it. Clueless Joe only needs to start making those double switches to complete the picture.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Double switches!! So tasty.

As for pitchers, Dan McCutchen is the only guy at AAA who is even close to being ready for a big league start - and he probably needs another two or three outings at least.  Horne has pitched sporadically and without much command when he’s been healthy.  Aceves had never pitched above AA and Kennedy, well, it just seems like Girardi and Cashman are a bit peeved with him and want to teach him a lesson.  Of course, if he could actually pitch, they wouldn’t care that he’s a wonder in his own mind.

As for Ponson, the Yanks are lucky they got even one good start from him.  At this point, he’s no better than Giese and may very well be worse.  He was just luckier his last time out.

"There’s not much Cashman and Girardi can do about injuries, which is the primary cause for the offensive woes.  “

I would say not getting a hit with RISP is the biggest contributor to woes.

IE,

Right, that’s why I wrote, “proving they belong in the bigs”.  Looking back I suppose that could be interpretted as, “call them up and see who sticks”, but that’s not what I meant.  I meant that over the next several weeks, if one or more of them shows they can dominate AAA, then sure call them up instead of Ponson.

Of course, if he could actually pitch, they wouldn’t care that he’s a wonder in his own mind.

I’m curious where this perception came from, as I’m starting to read it more?  I always that from what I’ve read and heard that he was confident in himself, but I never felt he was arrogant or thought he was better than others.

There’s not much Cashman and Girardi can do about injuries, which is the primary cause for the offensive woes. 

Cash and Girardi did a pretty good job with the injury situation.  Except the bench players had been sucking or played way worst than expected. 

You know what’s kind of interesting, Betemit has one BB all season.

I would say not getting a hit with RISP is the biggest contributor to woes.

Another curious thing.  When a team hits exceedingly well with RISP, it’s considered a fluke because of small-samples, and the fact that over time stats w/ RISP tend to approach a player’s true-talent.  When the same team hits poorly w/ RISP - a team composed of basically the same players! - it’s tread like a defect of the roster.

Kennedy cruised through his second rehab start, Ponson will be gone soon enough.

There’s not much you can do about the RISP - it is what it is.  I’m sure it will inch towards the mean as the season goes on.  Unless it is an indicator that the whole team has lost its clutchabilityness.  In that case, the Yanks are screwed.

By the way, rilkefan and others, regarding Cano:

May .295/.333/.432
June .287/.302/.416

Last 7 .400/.385/.720
Last 14 .341/.340/.568

I like that Cano’s OBP is lower than his AVG.  The two months line ain’t the best.

How far are the Yanks below average w/RISP anyways?

Kennedy cruised through his second rehab start, Ponson will be gone soon enough.

Yeah, but I think they want to see more than just another start or two from him.  They want him to regain his dominance over a period of time in AAA.  I wonder if they’ll just stick him in AAA, or if he’ll have to go through all the levels again (a start or two in each)? Honestly, while that means more Ponson (aka fat disgusting mess), it’ll be good for the kid (and, by extension, the team) in the long run.

Would anyone go back in time and trade Melky for Mike Gonzalez?

I would go back in time but much further than your proposed trade. I think I would go back to the winter of 95-96 and convice Don Mattingly to hang around at least one more year.  That would allow me to enjoy most of the next five years all over again.  I think we Yankee fans were very spoiled after that period.  Though the team hasn’t won a Series recently, the past seven years have been pretty entertaining.  I am a bit afraid of the near term future.  Though it is necessary to get younger look how much more productive the older vets are this year by comparison.  Cano, Melky, Kennedy, and Hughes have regressed for one reason or another.  Giambi, Moose, Pettitte, Matsui, Damon and A-rod have been the core. Posada has been good when he can get out there. Only Jeter among the veteran guys has underplayed his norms.  The only young guy who has consistently excelled is Joba IMO though Wang was starting to get it together before his injury.

As we flush salaries this winter, we better not hang our entire hopes on youth in house or we may not see the postseason for a good long time.

Honestly, while that means more Ponson (aka fat disgusting mess), it’ll be good for the kid (and, by extension, the team) in the long run.

Are we going to have this discussion again?

I meant to say Cano’s May and June aren’t the best, but it’s better than April.  It seems like Cano can improve for the rest of the season, but if this establishes a plateau, scale of 1 - 10, how bad is it?

we better not hang our entire hopes on youth in house

I got one word for you: patience.

"for a good long time”
I would be shocked if the Yankees didn’t make the playoffs at least once in the next three years, let alone multiple times.

Are we going to have this discussion again?

What discussion?

ym,

Actually, i didn’t contribute to that thread, but something about Hughes, innings pitched in the minors, and HoF, something like that.

"I always that from what I’ve read and heard that he was confident in himself, but I never felt he was arrogant or thought he was better than others.”

Based on what was reported, the anger at IPK sounds to me like more “do things the expected old baseball way or you’ll have to be taught a lesson” nonsense.  If Girardi/Cashman buy into that - people who ought to be able to parse a sentence in context - I’m really disappointed in them.

Jeter sits, Melky plays, Gardner in the 2 hole tonight

It seems to me that Jeter is getting a pass this year and I’m a big fan.  If he resembled the same player say of 06-07 I believe the team would be up at least five games over their current record.  He’s traditionally been an igniter and for what ever reason he hasn’t been himself.  I have been taping Sportscenter highlights for years. I have a number of Jeter’s performances from prior years all the way back to 96 and have studied his approach to the ball.  I think in years past such as 04 after the slow start he just started getting more aggressive and uppercutting at some of the inside fastballs. As a result he was able to drive the ball to left which resulted in his second best power year.  (23 homers) He didn’t hit his first that year until April 30 a bomb off of Zito to left center.  Right now he continues to hook over and top every pitch below his waist on the inside half. I trust he and Long are aware of this but I would have expected some adjustment by now.  He is at a point in terms of age where he may have to make some adjustments.  Cal Ripken changed his stance a dozen times or more over his career.  I feel that if Jeter could regain some of his productivity it would go a very long way in getting others to relax and join in.

"Based on what was reported, the anger at IPK sounds to me like more “do things the expected old baseball way or you’ll have to be taught a lesson” nonsense.  If Girardi/Cashman buy into that - people who ought to be able to parse a sentence in context - I’m really disappointed in them.”

I don’t know what you guys are talking about, but it seems to me Kennedy has to (and rightfully so) pitch his way back to the majors because he sucked for a month and a half.

From what I’ve read, Kennedy apparently felt the Yanks were being impatient with him, that his starts were improving, and that he didn’t need to spend more time in AAA.  Obviously, he’s entitled to believe whatever he wants and I like the fact that he’s confident, but when a pitcher has a 9.00 ERA or thereabouts, just about any team is going to send him down and whether he agrees or not with the decision, he just needed to shut up and get some outs at AAA.  I don’t think the Yanks feel Kennedy has any sort of huge attitude issues, but they certainly want him to earn the right to start for the team.  After all, if Buchholz, who has a much higher ceiling than IPK, can toil for a while in AAA, so can he.

Betemit in short?  What’s the over-under on plays he should have made but doesn’t (errors or otherwise) 3?

"I got one word for you: patience”

I assume you are a younger lady with a shorter perspective than mine. I appreciate your optimism but I’m getting on past 50.  I have lived patience.. from 1964 until 1976 and again from 1981 until 1996.  I have truly enjoyed the past 13 years given those long dark periods. I don’t want to see the team retreat in that direction and I’m sure you don’t either.

I hope all of this rest Girardi is giving guys will pay off at some point, but it seems putting out our second or third best lineup is costing games in the meantime.

If Kennedy’s first rehab start in AAA is anything like his last start in AAA, I would call him up the next day. But I know I’m in the minority on that.

I hope all of this rest Girardi is giving guys will pay off at some point, but it seems putting out our second or third best lineup is costing games in the meantime.

Not to mention telling Jeter to quit his second job as a car salesperson.

I’d like to see him put together 2 or 3 of those first, but I wouldn’t be upset if they brought him up sooner - if the only other options are Ponson and Giese.

Check out the play by plays from his 3 starts last year.  Only the last one can really be considered strong.  He got out of many jams in the first 2, which could have easily gone the other way and changed everyone’s perception of him.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270901110&page=plays

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270907107&page=plays

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270913114&page=plays

I do think there’s something to his having learned all he can in AAA and now he has to learn how to do it in ML.  But it’s tough to have a guy like that in your rotation during a playoff race.

none of us have a clue why Jeter is sitting.

maybe he tweaked something. 

it’s not like he would ever admit it publicly.

Girardi isn’t sitting him b/c he went 0-4 last night.

Re 9.00, either one believes his MiL stats and ML trend or not, but in the latter case there’s no point citing any numbers.  And what is one going to learn by making him pitch more in the MiL if one doesn’t care about that data?

none of us have a clue why Jeter is sitting

Check the tabloids.  Any hotties in town last night?

I’m on the CP bandwagon.  Or maybe the CP train, for the acronym.

Particle physics non-humor.  I got home from shift at 5 AM and the toddler alarm went off at 7:30, it’s nap time.

Check the tabloids.  Any hotties in town last night?

Jenn Sterger, but she was otherwise engaged.

If Kennedy’s first rehab start in AAA is anything like his last start in AAA, I would call him up the next day. But I know I’m in the minority on that.

I kind of agree with you, but I wouldn’t mind keeping him there until he strings a few starts like that together.  There’s something to be said for being reminded that you can, in fact, dominate for extended periods of time.

Jenn Sterger, but she was otherwise engaged.

I’m sure she could free up half an hour or so for the Captain.  Even 15 minutes might be enough.

Is anyone else just a little puzzled as to why Jenn Sterger is famous? I mean, is barely getting dressed for FSU football games really enough to become a somewhat famous human being? I find that strange.

And don’t get me wrong, I would most definitely (if I were single) tear that ass up, but still, I’m baffled at her success.

Is anyone else just a little puzzled as to why Jenn Sterger is famous?

I had to google her because I had never heard of her before.  I don’t spend too much time on the internets, this site and a few others not included, so I hadn’t run across her.  I just don’t surf the web much anymore, especially at home.

My point is, maybe she’s not as famous as you think.  Maybe she’s famous in a certain segment of the population, but if you showed 10 random people her picture (or clevage), I’d bet 7/8 wouldn’t have a clue.

Oh, I know she’s not really famous, but I don’t even know why I know who she is. I mean, I know why, I’m a sports fan and I’m perpetually horny, but that’s not a good reason for her making a career out of showing cleavage.

but that’s not a good reason for her making a career out of showing cleavage

Sex sells. 

She’s quite a hottie, but chicks like that are a dime a dozen.  She can come talk to me in a few years or when she’s pushed out a couple of pups.  That’s when you separate the wheat from the chaff.

A better question is why do *I* know who she is.  I mean, I’m not a part of the population that typically takes interest in people like her...I think I saw a pic of her on like SI.com a few years back or something. 

that’s not a good reason for her making a career out of showing cleavage.

Tell that to Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Kim Kardashian *shiver*

that’s not a good reason for her making a career out of showing cleavage.

Tell that to Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Kim Kardashian *shiver*

Paris Hilton got cleavage?  When did that happen?

It just doesn’t show up that well in night vision.

It seems to me that Jeter is getting a pass this year...

I’m as pissed as the next guy about his sustained mediocrity this year, but you know what?  He’s earned a pass.  And then some.

if you showed 10 random people her picture (or clevage), I’d bet 7/8 wouldn’t have a clue

I’m pretty sure that at least 8 out of 10 would know it was cleavage.

Paris Hilton got cleavage?

that’s her nose.

A better question is why do *I* know who she is.

Can’t speak for you, but I know who she is because I googled her 9 hours ago.

I’m pretty sure that at least 8 out of 10 would know it was cleavage.

Depending on how the photo was framed, a few folks might mistake it for asscrack.

if you showed 10 random people her picture (or clevage), I’d bet 7/8 wouldn’t have a clue

Depending on how the photo was framed, a few folks might mistake it for asscrack.

I love this blog.

I love this blog.

Indeed.  Next thing you know, we’ll be discussing movies based on comic books and theoretical physics.

Oh, wait…

Damon DH
Gardner LF
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Betemit SS
Cabrera CF
Chamberlain RHP

I really hope this doesn’t mean that Damon isn’t going to be able to play the OF for a while.  I would like to see Gardner in CF and Cabrera get a few days off (at least).  OTOH, it’s tough to platoon when your entire OF hits from the left side (except for one switch hitter who can’t hit .200 righty).  It also probably wouldn’t hurt to give Cano a day off and A-Rod and Giambi each a day at DH so Betemit can play three or four days in a row.

Cano just had a day off on Sunday.

So?  He looks like he could use more than one.

I would have traded Melky years ago, FWIW.

Indeed.  Next thing you know, we’ll be discussing movies based on comic books and theoretical physics.

I’m not sure about the physics parts, but you know that our comic book discussions will likely be revived for Hellboy and a gain for Dark Knight.

What are the Rangers’ left-handed options?  A-Rod and Posada are the only people who can do anything from the right side in the lineup tonight.

Guardado and Wilson are the only LHPs on the Texas roster.  There’s nothing wrong with stacking lefties against the Rangers.

Better lineup.

Melky batting ninth. Hit now or the bench beckons. I, and few others I imagine, did not appreciate Melky’s hissy-fit last night.

I missed the hissy-fit.  What exactly did he do?

MC — See post 46.

BTW, getting back to this:

...but pitchers will pitch around or pitch differently to hitters depending on who is on deck...

Pitchers will also bear down when the big bopper is on deck.  They’re not stupid.  They realize that while you don’t want to walk Abreu with A-Rod waiting, you also don’t want to throw him meatballs and thus increase his batting average.

If Cano’s problem is that pitchers aren’t throwing him strikes because of the quality of the batters hitting behind him, then maybe he should try taking a few more pitches.

Bonds is a special case.  His experience is not informative about any living baseball player that you might care to discuss.

I saw 46 Don.  It’s a little light on the details.  I was hoping someone might flesh that out a bit.  “Looked pissed” and “brought that anger ... to the batter’s box” aren’t giving me a very clear picture.