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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Rays (55-34) @ Yankees (48-42), 1:05pm **Game Chatter**

TBR: Edwin Jackson (24, RHP, 5-6, 4.08) vs. NYY: Snacks Pontoon (31, RHP, 5-1, 4.19)

Lineups…
Tampa Bay Rays
A. Iwamura, 2B(.274/.346/.379)
C. Crawford, LF(.284/.327/.404)
B. Upton, CF(.280/.392/.414)
C. Pena, 1B(.232/.336/.436)
E. Longoria, 3B(.280/.350/.529)
C. Floyd, DH(.263/.351/.456)
D. Navarro, C(.317/.371/.435)
E. Hinske, RF(.264/.349/.524)
R. Brignac, SS(.000/.200/.000)

New York Yankees
B. Gardner, LF(.130/.192/.130)
D. Jeter, SS(.284/.345/.390)
B. Abreu, RF(.274/.344/.440)
A. Rodriguez, 3B(.318/.403/.597)
J. Giambi, 1B(.256/.393/.537)
J. Posada, DH(.288/.367/.452)
R. Cano, 2B(.255/.291/.371)
M. Cabrera, CF(.247/.310/.359)
J. Molina, C(.229/.268/.318)

The sooner that ol’ Snacks is out of the rotation, the better.  Go offense.

*Jonathan in for...(gasp), the liveblog*

Something tells me this game won’t mimic last night’s pitching duel.

Top first: Looks like Giambi has trimmed the stache.  Looks good.  Ponson starts Iwamura with a strike.  That’s something.  The count eventually goes to 2-2.  Now its full.  And Iwamura lines a single to center.  Expect more of this and worse as the game goes on.

OK, so Crawford grounds into the 1-6-3 double play.  I did not see that coming.  Even Miss Cleo couldn’t have seen that one coming.

Wow, a 10 pitch inning as Upton grounds into the 6-3.

Bottom first: I’d like to see Gardner walk some more.  Yuck, he tries to drag a bunt and ends up skying it to first for the pop out.

Jeter lines a single to right center.  He seems to be on track.

Jeter was running on 3-1 and its ball 4 to Abreu.  Two on for A-Rod.

A-Rod swings at the first pitch and flies out fairly deep to center.  Jeter tags and moves to third.

Stache singles to center and Jeter scores! First and second now.

Posada hits a towering fly ball to right for the final out.

Rays.....0
Yanks.....1

Top second: Sydney walks Pena.  Not good.

Longoria pulls a hard grounder that hits off A-Rod’s glove and goes into left.  It was a hit, not A-Rod’s fault.  He actually kept it from being a double.

Floyd hits one up the middle that Ponson deflects.  He grabs it and flips to first for the first out.  Had he not touched it, the Yankees may have had a double play.  Oh well.

Navarro flies out down the line to Gardner.  Pena bluffs because Gardner is not Damon.

Ponson drills Hinske in the right leg.  Bases loaded.  Ponson is flirting with disaster here.

Somebody named Brignac flies out to Gardner in left.  I’m not sure how Sir Sydney got out of it.  Probably best not to question it.

Bottom second: Cano flies out to fairly deep left.

Melky flies out to center.

Molino grounds one down the left field line fair and it hits off the protruding wall and bounces to Crawford.  He can only leg out a single.  Still, better than his usual AB.

Gardner strikes out looking.  Bleh.

Top third: Ponson strikes out Iwamura looking.  Somehow.

Ponson strikes out Crawford looking.  Inexplicably.

Upton grounds one between third and short for a single.

Ponson strikes out Pena swinging! 

Bottom third: If my liveblog for this half inning is off, please excuse me.  I’m still recovering from comprehending Ponson striking out the side.
Jeter flies out to Hinske for the first out.

Abreu lines out to center.

A-rod gets one on the trademark and it moseys its way to second base.  Iwamura tries to fire to first but A-Rod beats it out for the single.

Giambi walks and A-Rod moves to second.  Rays pitching coach out to talk to Jackson.

On the second pitch, Navarro fires to second to try to pick off A-Rod.  He’s called safe but looks like he was out.  Full count now to Posada.  He pulls it to first and Pena makes a nice backhand and flip to Jackson for the last out.

Top fourth: Ponson drills Longoria in the elbow on the first pitch.

Floyd grounds a hot one to first and Giambi dives and makes the stop.  He gets the sure out at first and Longoria moves to second.

Navarro lines out to short and Jeter tries to beat Evan back to the bag but is a step short.  Two down.

Ponson had Hinske 0-2 and then walks him.

On the next pitch, Brignac grounds softly to the right of the mound and Ponsons flips to first to end the inning.

Bottom fourth: Cano flies out to center.

Melky bounces a grounder to second for the 4-3.

Molina strikes out swinging.

Top fifth: Iwamura ground one up the middle.  Cano field and fires to first where Giambi makes the nice stretch and scoop but he beats it out.  Actually, he was out but the ump says Giambi was off the bag.  I say BS.

Crawford chops one to Alex and he gets the lead out at second.

Upton grounds into the FC as Alex fields it and flips to second on the move.

Wow, on a 1-2 pitch (ball) Molina nails out Upton attempting to steal second. 

Bottom fifth: Gardner grounds one up the middle.  Brignac was playing to pull and he dives and makes the stop but no throw.  Infield single.

Jeter flies out to right. 

With Abreu batting, Gardner steals second - his 4th on the year.  Abreu grounds out to second and Gardner moves to third.

Jackson blows A-Rod away on a 3-2 fastball.

Top sixth: Pena hits a fly ball to deep right center and over the wall.  There goes the lead.

Longoria flies out to the warning track in right center.  Man, it looked like he hit it off the end of the bat.

Floyd drills one to center.  Melky came in and then had to go back and leap to make the catch.  Two down.

Ponson comes back to form and strikes out Navarro swinging.

Rays.....1
Yanks.....1

Bottom sixth: Giambi pops out to Jackson behind the mound.

Veras is warming in the Yanks pen.  Posada flies out to short right.

This is stating the obvious but the Yankee offense really needs to step up in games like this.

Cano swings at the first pitch (shocker) and flies out to center.

Top seventh:
Call me a negative Nancy but I get the feeling that whoever comes in from the pen here is going to get lit up by the Rays.  Just have a bad feeling.  And its Veras to replace Ponson.  Veras gets Hinske looking on a nice slider on the outside corner.

Brignac grounds out to Cano.

On a 3-2 pitch, Iwamura tries to check his swing but Doug Eddings at third base rings him up.  So my fears were unfounded.  For now.

Bottom seventh: Melky jams a soft liner over Iwamura for a single.

Molina lays down a sac bunt and Melky to second.  Like it really matters where a Yankee runner happens to be.

Pitching change time.  J.P. Howell in.  Gardner strikes out looking.

Jeter strikes out looking.  What a shocker: WOE fails to score.

Top eighth: Farnsworth in.  Crawford hits it hard on the ground to Cano who makes the out at first.

Farnsworth strikes out Upton swinging on a 3-2 fastball down and away.

Pena hits a hard line drive to right and Abreu makes a leap on the track for the out.  Phew.

Bottom eighth: Abreu made a good play to end the last half inning.  So that means he has to do something good here, right?  Oh no!  The formula fails as he grounds out.

A-Rod lines out to Upton. 

The only way the Yankees win this is on a HR since they are completely incapable of stringing multiple hits together.  Giambi strikes out swinging.  WOE is really embarrassing themselves now.

Top ninth: Mo comes in for the precarious non-save/tie game situation.  He strikes out Longoria swinging on three pitches.  Awesome.

Floyd walks on 4 pitches.  Although half of those pitches looked like strikes, damnit!  Gomes to run for Floyd.

Navarro flies out to Melky in left center.

Rivera strikes out Hinske looking.  I love you, Mo.

Bottom ninth: Much like the previous 8 innings, I expect very little from the WOE here.  Posada provides a glimmer of hope by walking.  He is pinch ran for by Justin Christian.

Cano shows bunt.  Shoot my face.  Two straight balls.  Please take off the bunt now.  Nope, but he pulls back on a strike.  Then he bunts the next one to third and Christian moves to second on the sac.  Does this help the Yankees?  I’m confused.

Balfour in to pitch.  He’s a RH so Melky batting lefty.  Christian steals third!  His first as a major leaguer!  The steal came on an 0-2 pitch.  But Melky strikes out swinging.  Really no surprise there.

Molina up to make the last out of the inning.  Stealing home would probably be the Yankees best chance.  Molina pops out to Iwamura in short right.
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SACRIFICE FOR THE BOTTOM CRAP IN YOUR LINEUP.

My contract only requires me to do 9 innings.  I’m hungry and tired of liveblogging WOE so I’m out of here.  Hopefully it rains and the game gets continued after the Yankees replace the black holes in their lineup with some major league hitters.

*Jonathan out*