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Thursday, June 21, 2007

6/21/07: New York Yankees (35-34) at Colorado Rockies (37-34) - 3:05 PM ET **Liveblog**

R. Clemens (1-1, 3.65) vs R. Lopez (3-0, 2.90)

NY Yankees
J. Damon cf (wuh!?!)
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
J. Posada c
H. Matsui lf
R. Cano 2b
M. Cairo 1b
R. Clemens p

Colorado
W. Taveras cf
K. Matsui 2b
M. Holliday lf
T. Helton 1b
G. Atkins 3b
B. Hawpe rf
T. Tulowitzki ss
Y. Torrealba c
R. Lopez p

“Are you ready to step up?”

The Yankee offense has been piss-poor in the first two games of this series, scoring a combined two runs in both.  IT’S COORS FIELD!  A week ago, Roger Clemens took the mound in hopes of continuing the Yankees’ win streak which had reached a season high of nine games.  He pitched well enough to win, but the Yankee offense let him down.  Today he takes the mound with the mission of preventing a three game losing streak as well as keeping this team above .500.  Unfortunately, the Yankee offense is hitting about as well as they did against Oliver Perez last Friday.  But fear not!  Rodrigo Lopez will take the mound for the Rockies today.  His 2.90 ERA is about to get a reality check.

I’ve been hearing people now say that the division is done and the Yankees only shot is the wild card.  Really?  Did I miss the All-Star game?  Is it August already?  Sure, the Yanks are now 9 games back in the loss column and don’t exactly look their best.  But that means the division is done on June 21st?  They road a winning streak to cut the division lead in half in a matter of a few weeks.  Now, because they lost two straight, and somehow Julian Tavarez is a Cy Young candidate, the Yankees have no shot at the AL East?  Please.  Speaking of which, how does the fugliest pitcher in baseball throw 7 innings of shutout, 3-hit baseball???  I know its the National League, but for the love of crumb cake!  Tavarez?!  Ugh.
But no matter.  Its time for Clemens to do what he came here to do.  It’s time for the offense to get fired up.  Its time for the entire Yankee team to “step up.”

Pre-game chatter: Check out the baseball-reference.com preview for this game(thanks to Larry for tipping us all off to this nugget).  It has so much data on the matchup it will make your head explode.
Apparently Phillips isn’t getting as much of a chance at 1st as Torre alluded to.  And MLB has turned down Johnny Damon’s request to use a wheelchair to get around center field.

I’m gunna liveblog the hell out of this game unless one of the higher-ups overrules me.

Top of the 1st:  Damon looks like crap and subsequently weakly grounds one to Lopez for the first out.  Please go on the DL already, Johnny.

Its a hot one in Colorado today as Jeter works a 3-2 count to Lopez.  Jeter owns this guy, I think.  Everyone should own this guy.  Even Nieves could go 4-4 against him.  Jeter at least walks.

Jeter gets caught in a rundown and I think it was a botched hit and run which Bobby missed because he didn’t swing.  Ugh, the Yankee crap streak stinks on.

Abreu grounds out to second in typical recent Yankees fashion.

Bottom of the 1st: Clemens deals to Taveras.  He’s going to have to come up big today if the offense continues to pull a Woemack.  Nice start for Roger as he gets Willy looking.

Roger battles back from 3-0 against Matsui to make it 3-2.  And Matsui lines out hard to Cano.

I’m not sure what it is about him, but Holliday looks like a bad guy from some action movie.  Clemens strikes out the bad guy swinging on a high fastball.

Top of the 2nd: Time to score some runs.  A-Rod starts off the inning by grounding in the hole at short. Troy T. fields it but the throw is not in time.  Infield single.

Posada flies out to left.  The Yankees have only flown out about 143 times in this series.

Matsui thinks its time to score by drilling a homer run over the center field wall.  That matches the amount of runs the Yankees have scored this series.  2-0 Yankees

Cano grounds out to second on one pitch.  What a complete shock.

Cairo lines out to second off the end of the bat.  Cairo didn’t clear the pitching spot but at least he cleared himself.

Bottom of the 2nd: Helton slices a deep fly ball to left but Matsui runs it down.

Atkins clobbers one to deep left and Matsui can’t get this one as it goes into the stands.  2-1 Yankees

A rather large Yankee fan catches a foul ball down the left field line off the bat of Hawpe.  I only mention this because the girl sitting next to him was pretty cute.  Not Rachel Specter, but still cute.  Hawpe strikes out.

Larry just told me that the cute blonde girl has no business sitting next to the fat guy.  He’s right, of course.  Its home run derby time as Clemens serves one up to Troy Tulowitzki who deposits it in the stands in center.    2-2 game

Torrealba grounds out to Jeter.

Top of the third:  The Yankees better f’ing win this game because Igawa is pitching tomorrow.  Reconfigured delivery or not, I don’t feel comfortable with him pitching.  Clemens grounds out to third.

Damon strikes out on 3 pitches looking.  With Cano, Cairo, Clemens and Damon all in a row, its like having 4 pitchers in the lineup.  GO ON THE DL JOHNNY!

Jeter rips one right at Atkins for an out.  And the masterful Rodrigo Lopez has a 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom of the third:  Lopez strikes out swinging.

Taveras bunts a single right in between the mound and home.  Roger is too fat and slow so no chance.  Posada actually fielded it but it was Clemens ball.

Clemens has now thrown over to first about 72 times.  And it accomplishes nothing as he steals second anyway.  And Matsui walks.  And with Holliday coming up, the Yankees could be in trouble.

Clemens strikes out Holliday, thankfully.

Helton grounds softly to Cano for the last out of the inning.  Phew.

Top of the 4th:  Abreu grounds out to first.  Which is shocking, because Lopez sucks.

A-Rod strikes out looking.  Which is shocking, because Lopez sucks.

Posada dunks a single into right center.  Which isn’t shocking, because Lopez sucks.

Matsui grounds out to short.  Which is shocking, because Lopez sucks.

Bottom of the 4th:  Atkins flies out to Damon(sans wheelchair).

On 0-2, Hawpe singles up the middle.  If they score in this inning, I have almost no faith in the Yankees mounting any comeback.  Which is shocking, because Lopez sucks.

Troy Tulowitzki singles to right and Hawpe holds at 2nd.

3-0 on Torrealba.  Now 3-1.  Grounder to Cairo who bobbles but recovers and steps on first.  Runners move up with the pitcher coming up.

Clemens gets Lopez swinging.  That was close.

Top of the fifth:  Oh good, Cano is up.  Can’t wait to see what he does.  He exceeds my expectations by singling in the hole at second.  Hooray.

Cairo flies out to deep center.  One pitcher cleared.

Clemens showed bunt on 1-2 but pulls back and grounds a single up the middle! 

Maybe Damon can actually get a hit here.  Of course not.  Damon lines one to third for out one and then Cano is doubled off second for out two.  Awesomeness.  Damon has contributed 4 outs in 3 AB this game.  Maybe he should have bunted them over, seeing as he is one of the pitchers in the lineup.

Bottom of the fifth: Taveras pops out to Jeter in shallow center on the first pitch.  Very Cano-like. 

Matsui lines a single up the middle.  He’ll be on second soon.  And he is as he steals second.  Oh boy.

Holliday singles up the middle and the run scores.  Man, it looks so easy to beat the Yankees.  3-2 Rockies.

Clemens is taken out of the game now.  Sorry the Yankees can’t hit to save the queen, big guy. Myers in.

Helton singles to center and Holliday goes to third on Damon’s noodle-arm.  Way to get the lefty out, Mike.  Now he comes out for Proctor.

Atkins hits a sac fly to right which Abreu almost doesn’t get.  I guess no double-play, huh Scotty?  4-2 Rockies

Helton gets caught stealing.

Top of the sixth:  So, if the Yankees offense follows the script they’ve been following lately, they will do one of a few things for the rest of the game: either ground out, fly out or strike out with maybe a walk or single scattered meaninglessly in between.

Jeter proves me wrong by doubling down the left field line.

Abreu tries to bunt single down the left field line for some STUPID reason.  I agree with Kay right here that he should definitely not be doing this.  You’re the #3 hitter, ya idiot.  Act like it.  Or not.  Abreu down swinging.  This will probably only inspire Bobby Meathead to bunt again next time up.

A-Rod grounds to short, in front of Jeter, and Troy T. goes to third which gets Jeter hung up in a rundown.  This team is sucking on so many levels right now.  I hate them.  A-Rod can’t get to second either.

If Posada hits one out, then the mistake does no harm.  Posada singles to right.  So Jeter may have scored on that which angers me.  Lopez coming out of the game.

This smells like the Yankees of May who would do just enough to lose.  Down by 2 runs with 2 runner on, I can’t imagine Matsui NOT making an out right here.

Jorge Julio down by the school yard is in to pitch to Matsui.  Count goes full.  Matsui goes down swinging on a breaking ball.  I am not surprised in the least bit.  This team is a wounded animal begging to be shot.

Bottom of the sixth: Line drive to Cano for an out. 

Tulowitzki lines a double to left.  Wish the Yankees new how to do that.

Proctor strikes out Torrealba looking on a close pitch.

Julio is going to stay in and hit.  This seems like a double gift to the Yankees.  I think they can hammer him eventually.  They probably won’t, however.  But Proctor seems determined to walk the pitcher and I am looking for a sharp object to shove through my eye as he does.

Taveras pops out to center.

Top of the 7th:  When was the last time Cano hit one out?  Oh, he almost did right there as he hits a double than bounces over the wall in right center.  Too bad there are 3 pitchers coming up.

Cairo sac bunts and Cano moves to third.  I’m not sure this makes much sense when down by two runs.  Melky comes in to hit and if he doesn’t pop out I’d be really surprised.  Actually, he flies out deep to left and the run scores on the sac.  4-3 Rockies

Damon steps into the box preparing to make the third out.  And he grounds out weakly to second.  At least that pitcher spot is cleared.

Bottom of the 7th:  Bruney in and Matsui flies out to Cabrera who is now in center.

Bruney walks Holliday which sucks because it didn’t seem like Matt was catching up to Bruney’s fastball in that AB.

Helton lines one over Jeter into center and there are men on first and second.  Melky almost got Holliday after he rounded second too far.

Atkins flies out to Melky in deep center and Holliday tags up and goes to third.

Hawpe flies out to Melky in shallow center.  Disaster averted.

Top of the 8th: Comeback time.  Well it would be if the team was in an offensive coma.  Jeter strikes out swinging on a slider low and away.

Abreu taps one to Helton and nearly beats him to the bag.

A-Rod, with a cotton ball up his nose, beats out a tapper to short.  He keeps trying to pull everything.  I wish he would just power the ball the other way sometimes.

Posada grounds out to second.  Just the type of inning I predicted in the top of the 6th.

Bottom of the 8th: Oh Joy, Farnsworth in.  Tulowitzki pops out to Cano.

On a 3-2 pitch, Kyle hits Torrealba.  And it begins…....

Jeff Baker in the PH.  You can almost sense the pending HR right here.  Forgot to mention that Damon is at first base.  And Kyle throws to first and its a crap throw and gets by Damon.  Torrealba moves into scoring position.  I hate both of them.  Baker strikes out swinging on a 98 mph fastball.  But if that run scores on a hit, I really hope Farnsworth gets traded within the hour.

Taveras grounds out to Farnsworth.  Inning luckily over.

Top of the 9th: OK, I want all of you to think of Rachel Specter.  Got it?  OK, now channel that energy you have to the Yankee hitters in Colorado. 

Matsui pops out to Atkins in foul territory.

Cano chops a grounder to Helton for the second hit.

Phillips in to hit for Farnsworth.  The Yankees are the opposite of a decent team.  Andy should have walked on 3-1 but the ump called a low strike.  And then he strikes out swinging.

The Yankees lose 4-3.  Which is shocking, because Lopez sucks.