New York Yankees fall in Game 1 ALCS to the Houston Astros

 

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday night.  The game took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and the final score was 4-2.  Jameson Taillon started for the Yankees and he was ok.  The bullpen wasn’t great and the offense was led by Giancarlo Stanton who had two hits. 

Taillon pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up four hits and a run with three walks.  Clarke Schmidt lost his second game of the postseason pitching an inning and giving up two hits and two runs with two walks, Lou Trivino pitched 2/3 of an inning and had a strikeout and Frankie Montas pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout.  Miguel Castro pitched a perfect inning. 

Justin Verlander won his first game of the postseason pitching six innings and giving up three hits and a run with a walk and 11 strikeouts.  Hector Neris pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Rafael Montero pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run with a  walk and two strikeouts and Ryan Pressly saved his second game of the postseason pitching 1 1/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts. 

Anthony Rizzo had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Stanton had two hits and Josh Donaldson drew a walk.  Harrison Bader had a hit and an RBI, Isiah Kiner-Falefa had a hit and Stanton hit a double.  Bader and Rizzo each hit a homerun and the Yankees were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. 

Jose Altuve drew a walk, Jeremy Pena had three hits and an RBI and Yordan Alvarez drew two walks.  Alex Bregman drew a walk, Yuli Gurriel had a hit and an RBI and Chas McCormick had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk.  Martin Maldonado had a hit and an RBI.  Pena hit two doubles and Maldonado hit a double.  Gurriel, McCormick and Pena each hit a homerun.  The Astros were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Altuve committed an error. 

In the second Bader hit a solo homerun giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the second Maldonado hit an RBI double to tie the score at one.  In the bottom of the sixth Gurriel hit a solo homerun and McCormich hit a solo homerun pushing the Astros lead to 3-1.  In the bottom of the seventh Pena hit a solo homerun making it 4-1 Astros.  In the eighth inning Rizzo hit a solo homerun cutting the lead to 4-2 and that would be the final score.  The two teams will play game two of the series on Thursday night. 

The New York Yankees lose a tough one in Houston

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Houston Astros on Monday night.  The game took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and the final score was 4-3.  Masahiro Tanaka started for the Yankees and pitched well, the bullpen didn’t pitch well.  Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier led the offense with two hits each. 

Tanaka pitched six innings giving up three hits and a run with two walks and three strikeouts.  Zack Britton pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and two runs with a walk and Adam Ottavino lost his first game of the season pitching 1 1/3 innings and giving up two hits and a run with a walk and four strikeouts. 

Justin Verlander pitched six innings giving up seven hits and three runs with two walks and six strikeouts.  Will Harris pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with a strikeout, Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and won his first game of the season and Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect inning and picked up his third save of the season. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, Judge had two hits, an RBI and drew two walks and Luke Voit had a hit and an RBI.  Gary Sanchez had a hit, DJ LeMahieu had a hit and Frazier had two hits and an RBI.  Gio Urshela drew a walk, LeMahieu hit a double and Judge hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 2-5 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.  Gardner had a stolen base. 

George Springer drew a walk, Jose Altuve had a hit and an RBI and Alex Bregman had a hit and drew two walks.  Michael Brantley had a hit, Carlos Correa had two hits and an RBI and Tyler White drew a walk.  Robinson Chirinos had two hits and two RBI including two doubles.  Altuve hit a homerun and the Astros were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

In the third Voit hit an RBI single to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  In the fourth Altuve hit a solo homerun to tie the game at one.  In the fifth Judge hit a solo homerun giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead.  In the sixth Frazier hit an RBI single and it was 3-1 Yankees.  In the seventh Chirinos hit a two-run double to tie the score at three.  In the eighth Correa hit an RBI infield single to give the Astros a 4-3 lead and that would be the final score.  The two teams will play game two of their three-game series on Tuesday night. 

New York Yankees defeat the Houston Astros with some late thunder

The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.  The game took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and the final score was 4-0.  Jordan Montgomery started for the Yankees and he only lasted an inning and came out with an injury.  The bullpen pitched well and Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez each had two hits to lead the offense. 

Montgomery pitched a perfect inning.  Domingo German pitched four innings giving up four hits and a walk and he struck out four.  Chad Green pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Dellin Betances pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out the side and David Robertson pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out two and picked up his second win of the season.  Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect inning striking out the side. 

Justin Verlander pitched eight innings giving up three hits and no runs with no walks and 14 strikeouts.  Ken Giles took the loss pitching 1/3 of an inning and giving up four hits and four runs with a strikeout and Will Harris pitched 2/3 of an inning retiring both batters that he faced. 

Aaron Judge had a hit, Gregorius had two hits and Sanchez had two hits and three RBI.  Aaron Hicks had a hit, Miguel Andujar had a hit and Gregorius hit a double and Sanchez hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.  Hicks had a stolen base. 

George Springer had a hit, Jose Altuve had a hit and Carlos Correa drew a walk.  Yuri Gurriel had two hits, Marwin Gonzalez had a hit and Jake Marisnick had a hit.  Marisnick hit a double and the Astros were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

In the ninth Sanchez broke up a scoreless game with a three-run homerun and a wild pitch scored a fourth run to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead and that would be the final score. 

The two teams have split the first two games and will play game three of four on Wednesday night. 

The New York Yankees come up short in Houston as the Astros force Game 7

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Houston Astros on Friday night.  The game took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and the final score was 7-1.   Luis Severino started for the Yankees and he didn’t pitch that well.  Chase Headley had a couple of hits to lead the offense. 

Severino pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up three hits and three runs with four walks and three strikeouts.  Severino took the loss.  Chad Green pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings giving up a walk and he struck out three, David Robertson didn’t record an out and he gave up four hits and four runs and Dellin Betances pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out one. 

Justin Verlander picked up his second win of the series pitching seven scoreless and giving up five hits.  He walked one and struck out eight.  Brad Peacock pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout and Ken Giles pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with a strikeout. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, Aaron Judge had a hit and an RBI and Didi Gregorius had a hit.  Gary Sanchez had a hit, Greg Bird drew a walk and Starlin Castro had a hit.  Aaron Hicks drew a walk, Headley had two hits and Judge hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 0-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.  Gregorius committed an error. 

George Springer drew a walk, Jose Altuve had two hits and three RBI and Carlos Correa had two hits.  Yuri Gurriel had a hit and drew a walk, Alex Bregman had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk and Marwin Gonzalez drew a walk.  Evan Gattis had an RBI and drew a walk, Brian McCann had two hits and an RBI, McCann, Correa and Bregman each hit a double.  Altuve hit a homerun and the Astros were 4-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

In the fifth McCann hit an RBI double to give the Astros a 1-0 lead.  Altuve hit a two-run single and the lead was pushed to 3-0.  In the eighth Judge hit a solo homerun to cut the lead to 3-1.  In the bottom of the eighth Altuve hit a solo homerun, Bregman hit a two-run double and Gattis hit a sac fly to make it a 7-1 game which would be the final score. 

The Astros avoided elimination and forced a game seven on Saturday night in Houston. 

The Yankees lose on a walk-off and are down 0-2 in series

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Houston Astros on Saturday evening.  The game took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and the final score was 2-1.  Luis Severino started and pitched well but was pulled for safety reasons after the manager thought he might be hurt.  The Yankees bullpen was outstanding.  The Yankees once again only managed five hits on offense. 

Severino pitched four innings giving up two hits and a run with two walks.  Tommy Khanle pitched two innings with a walk and a strikeout, David Robertson pitched two innings giving up a hit and he struck out two and Aroldis Chapman pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout and he took the loss. 

Justin Verlander won the game pitching a complete game with five hits and a run.  He walked one and struck out 13. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, Didi Gregorius had a hit and Greg Bird drew a walk.  Starlin Castro had a hit, Aaron Hicks had a hit and Todd Frazier had a hit and an RBI.  Gardner, Hicks and Frazier each hit a double.  The Yankees were 1-2 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base. 

Jose Altuve had two hits, Carlos Correa had two hits and two RBI with a walk and Yuri Gurriel had a hit and drew a walk.  Alex Bregman drew a walk, Gurriel and Correa each hit a double.  Correa hit a homerun and the Astros were 0-2 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.  Reddick had an outfield assist. 

In the fourth Correa hit a solo homerun that was reviewed but was upheld.  The Astros took a 1-0 lead.  In the fifth Frazier hit an RBI double to tie the game at one.  The game ended in the bottom of the ninth on a Correa RBI double.  If Gary Sanchez caught the relay throw though Altuve who scored the winning run was out by about ten feet. 

The Yankees have suffered back-to-back heart breakers in Houston to trail the ALCS 2 games to none but they will get a day off and then be home for Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday if  necessary.   

New York Yankees winning streak ends in loss to the Detroit Tigers

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 6-1.  Masahiro Tanaka started for the Yankees and pitched ok but he gave up two homeruns that cost him.  The Yankees offense couldn't get much going against Justin Verlander but Rob Refsnyder did have two hits. 

Tanaka pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up six hits and five runs with a walk and four strikeouts.  He lost his second game of the season.  Kirby Yates pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run, Nick Goody pitched an inning giving up a hit and he struck out the side and Richard Bleier pitched an inning giving up a hit. 

Verlander won his sixth game of the season pitching 6 2/3 innings and giving up five hits and a run with a walk and five strikeouts.  Shane Greene pitched 2/3 of an inning with two strikeouts, Justin Wilson pitched 2/3 of an inning and Alex Wilson pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and two walks.  Francisco Rodriguez pitched 1/3 of an inning and earned his 18th save of the season. 

Jacoby Ellsbury drew a walk, Brett Gardner had a hit and Brian McCann drew a walk.  Starlin Castro had a hit, Didi Gregorius had a hit and drew a walk and Chase Headley had a hit.  Refsnyder had two hits and an RBI, Gregorius hit a double and Headley hit a triple.  The Yankees were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. 

Ian Kinsler had two hits and five RBI, Victor Martinez drew a walk and J.D. Martinez had two hits.  Nick Castellanos had a hit and an RBI, Justin Upton had a hit and James McCann had two hits.  Jose Iglesias had two hits, Kinsler hit a double and Castellanos and Kinsler each hit a homerun.  The Tigers were 3-8 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.  Upton had a stolen base and Iglesias committed an error. 

In the second Castellanos hit a solo homerun to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.  The Yankees would tie the game at one in the third on a Refsnyder RBI single.  In the fifth Kinsler hit a three run homerun to give the Tigers back the lead at 4-1.  Kinsler hit a two run double in the sixth to extend the Tigers lead to 6-1 and that would be the final score. 

The two teams have split the first two games and the rubber game will be played on Sunday.  The Yankees will try to finish the home stand on a high note going 6-1 before they head to Colorado and Minnesota next week.   

The New York Yankees defeat Detroit Tigers for third straight win

The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New  York and the final score was 7-2.  Adam Warren started and pitched very well.  Alex Rodriguez picked up his 3000th hit with a homerun. 

Warren pitched eight innings giving up two runs on seven hits.  He walked none and struck out seven and picked up his fifth win of the season.  Brandon Pinder pitched an inning giving up a hit. 

Justin Verlander lost his first game of the season after coming back from injury.  He pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up ten hits and six runs with a walk and two strikeouts.  Tom Gorzelanny pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up three hits and a run with a walk. 

Brett Gardner had four hits and three RBI, Chase Headley had a hit and Rodriguez had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk.  Mark Teixeira had a hit and an RBI, Carlos Beltran drew a walk and Didi Gregorius had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk.  Stephen Drew had two hits, John Ryan Murphy had a hit and Mason Williams had a hit.  Chris Young had a hit which was a double, Rodriguez, Gardner and Gregorius each hit a homerun and the Yankees were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Gardner was picked off.  Headley committed an error and Warren had a pickoff. 

Anthony Gose had a hit, Ian Kinsler had a hit and Miguel Cabrera had two hits.  Victor Martinez had a hit, Yoenis Cespedes had a hit and J.D. Martinez had a hit.  Bryan Holaday had a hit and two RBI, Cespedes hit a double and the Tigers were 1-6 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.  Gose was picked off and Verlander had a pick off. 

In the first Rodriguez hit a solo homerun to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead and it was his 3000th hit.  In the second Holaday hit a two run single to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.  Gregorius hit a solo homerun in the second to tie the game at two.  In the fifth Gardner hit a two run homerun giving the Yankees a 4-2 lead.  A wild pitch in the seventh made it a 5-2 game.  Teixeira hit an RBI single and in the eighth Gardner hit an RBI single to make it 7-2 which would be the final score.  The two teams will play game two of three on Saturday night.  It is also Old Timers Day for the Yankees and they will honor Willie Randolph before the game. 

The New York Yankees walkoff with a series victory over the Detroit Tigers

The New York Yankees walkoff with a series victory over the Detroit Tigers


The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon. The final score was 5-4 and the game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Andy Pettitte started and gutted it out into the fifth inning. The bullpen was pretty good but Mariano Rivera blew his third straight save. Alex Rodriguez had a couple of hits and RBI.

Pettitte pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and a run. He walked three and struck out three. Shawn Kelley pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a walk with two strikeouts, Boone Logan pitched 1 1/3 innings striking out one and David Robertson pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run. Rivera blew his fifth save of the season pitching an inning and giving up two hits and two runs, he did win his third game of the season.

Brett Gardner had a hit and an RBI, Robinson Cano had a hit and Rodriguez had two hits and two RBI. Lyle Overbay had a hit, Alfonso Soriano had a hit and an RBI and Curtis Granderson had a hit and drew a walk. It was Soriano 200th career hit, Eduardo Nunez had a hit and an RBI, and Cano hit a double. Rodriguez, Soriano and Gardner each hit a homerun. The Yankees were 1-2 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Rodriguez committed an error; Gardner and Soriano each had an outfield assist.

Justin Verlander pitched seven innings giving up seven hits and four runs. He walked one and struck out nine, Phil Coke pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Jose Veras lost his fifth game of the season. Veras pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout.

Austin Jackson had a hit and drew a walk, Torii Hunter had a hit and Miguel Cabrera had two hits, an RBI and drew two walks. Prince Fielder had a hit and an RBI, Victor Martinez had three hits and an RBI and Tuiasosopo drew a walk. Brayan Pena had three hits and an RBI, Jose Iglesias had two hits and Pena and Cabrera each hit a double. Cabrera, Pena and Martinez each hit a homerun and the Tigers were 3-11 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. Hunter had a stolen base and Perez committed an error.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Fielder RBI single. Rodriguez hit a solo homerun in the second inning to tie the game at one. Nunez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1 Yankees. In the third Rodriguez hit an RBI single to extend the Yankees lead to 3-1. In the fourth Soriano hit a solo homerun to push the lead to 4-1. In the eighth Pena hit a solo homerun to cut the lead to 4-2. In the ninth Cabera hit a solo homerun and Martinez hit a solo homerun to tie the game at four. In the bottom of the ninth Gardner had a walkoff homerun to give the Yankees a 5-4 victory.

The Yankees won two out of three in the series and their record improved to 59-57. The Tigers record fell to 69-47. The Yankees will host the Angels for four games beginning on Monday night.

The New York Yankees salvage the final game of the series in Detroit

The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers by the score of 7-0 on Sunday afternoon. The game took place at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. CC Sabathia started for the Yankees and pitched great and David Robertson and Mariano Rivera closed the game out. Jayson Nix, Kevin Youkilis and Francisco Cervelli led the offense. 
Sabathia pitched seven innings giving up four hits and no runs. He walked three and struck out four and earned his first win of the season. Robertson pitched an inning giving up two hits and striking out two and Rivera pitched an inning giving up two hits and striking out one.

Brett Gardner had a hit, Robinson Cano had a hit and Youkilis had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk. Travis Hafner had two hits, Vernon Wells had a hit and drew two walks and Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and an RBI. Cervelli had two hits and two RBI and Nix had three hits and two RBI. Youkilis, Cervelli and Wells each hit a double. Nix hit a homerun and the Yankees were 3-10 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.

Justin Verlander took the loss pitching 7 1/3 innings giving up seven hits and three runs with two walks and four strikeouts. Phil Coke pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up three hits and two runs and Octavio Dotel pitched an inning giving up three hits and two runs with a walk.

Austin Jackson drew two walks, Torii Hunter had two hits and Prince Fielder had a hit. Matt Tuiasosopo had two hits and drew a walk, Brayon Pena had a hit and Omar Infante had a hit. Santiago had a hit and the Tigers were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.

In the second inning Cervelli hit an RBI double and Nix hit a two run homerun. The Yankees had a 3-0 lead until the eighth inning. Suzuki hit a sacrifice fly and Cervelli an RBI single to make it 5-0 Yankees. In the ninth inning Youkilis hit a two run single to make it 7-0 and that was the final score.

The Yankees ended their two game losing streak and improved their record to 2-4. The Tigers are now 3-3. The Yankees will head to Cleveland and take on the Indians in a four game series beginning on Monday afternoon. The Yankees will face the Indians at 4:05PM on Monday. The Tigers will have the day off on Monday.

The New York Mets defeated the Detroit Tigers 11-0

The New York Mets defeated the Detroit Tigers by the score of 11-0. The game was played at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida. Jon Niese started for the Mets and pitched well and Brian Bixler had a good game for the Mets offense. 
Niese pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up a hit and walking four and picking up the win. Greg Burke pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit, Jenrry Mejia pitched an inning giving up a hit and Jeurys Familia pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Aaron Laffey pitched two innings giving up two hits and walking one.

Jordany Valdespin had a hit and an RBI, Bixler had three hits and two RBI and Ruben Tejada drew a walk. Ike Davis had a hit and two RBI, Josh Satin drew two walks and and Lucas Duda drew a walk. Zach Lutz had a hit and drew a walk, Mike Baxter had a hit and Jamie Hoffman had a hit and an RBI. John Buck had two hits, Anthony Recker had two hits and Matthew den Dekker had a hit and two RBI. Colin Cowgill had a hit, Brandon Hicks had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk. Buck hit two doubles, Valdespin, Hicks and Bixler all hit a homerun. The Mets were 6-16 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Baxter was caught stealing and Valdespin committed an error.

Justin Verlander took the loss pitching 4 1/3 innings giving up four hits and five runs with two walks and three strikeouts. Kenny Faulk pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and drew a walk, Kyle Lobstein pitched an inning giving up two hits and two unearned runs and Phil Coke pitched an inning giving up four hits and three runs with a walk. Trevor Bell pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with two walks and Bruce Rondon pitched an inning giving up two hits and struck out one.

Torii Hunter had a hit, Brennan Boesch had a hit and Prince Fielder drew a walk. Matt Tuiasosopo had two hits and drew a walk, Jeff Kobernus drew a walk and Ramon Santiago drew a walk. Hernan Perez had a hit, Danny Worth drew a walk. Tuiasosopo hit a double and the Tigers were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Fielder was caught stealing, Boesch committed an error and Boesch had an outfield assist.

The Mets scored a run in the first and two in the second to take a 3-0 lead. Valdespin hit a solo homerun, Buck scored on a balk and Hicks hit a solo homerun. Davis hit a two run single in the fifth and in the sixth Hicks reached on a fielding error to score a run and Bixler hit an RBI single to make it 7-0 Mets. Hoffman hit an RBI single, den Dekker hit a two run single to give the Mets a 10-0 lead. The Mets tacked on another run in the eighth to make it 11-0 and that was the final score.

The Mets record improved to 6-6 on the spring and the Tigers are now 9-8. The Mets will have the day off on Tuesday and the Tigers will play at the Philadelphia Phillies.

The New York Yankees bats remain silent as the Detroit Tigers move one win away from the World Series

The New York Yankees were defeated by the score of 2-1 on Tuesday night by the Detroit Tigers. The game took place at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Phil Hughes started and was pitching ok but had to leave the game early due to back stiffness. The Yankees bullpen pieced the game together and did a good job. The Yankees offense was very silent again until the ninth inning. Justin Verlander started for the Tigers and was good without his best stuff. The Tigers pen made it interesting and Delmon Young and Miguel Cabrera led the Tigers offense. 
Hughes pitched 3+ innings giving up three hits and a run with three walks and a strikeout. David Phelps pitched an inning giving up two hits and an unearned run, Clay Rapada walked one in 2/3 of an inning and Cody Eppley gave up a hit and a walk with a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning. Boone Logan pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up a hit and striking out one and Joba Chamberlain got out the only batter that he faced. Verlander pitched 8 1/3 innings giving up three hits and a run with no walks and three strikeouts. Phil Coke pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and striking out one.

Ichiro Suzuki had two hits, Mark Teixeira had a hit and Robinson Cano had a hit. Eduardo Nunez had a hit and an RBI. Nunez hit a homerun and the Yankees were 0-1 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base. Chavez committed an error and Martin had a passed ball.

Austin Jackson had a hit and drew a walk, Quintin Berry had a hit and Avisail Garcia had a hit. Cabrera had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Prince Fielder drew a walk and Young had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk. Andy Dirks drew a walk, Alex Avila had a hit and Omar Infante had a hit. Cabrera hit a double and Young hit a homerun. The Tigers were 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Berry and Infante had a stolen base.

Young hit a solo homerun in the fourth to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. In the fifth Cabrera hit an RBI double to make it 2-0 Tigers. The Yankees scored their only run on a solo homerun by Nunez in the ninth. They put a couple of guys on with two out but Coke got Ibanez to strike out to end the game.

The Tigers now have a 3-0 advantage in this best of seven series. The Tigers need to win one more game and they will be going to the World Series. The Yankees will be trying to stave off elimination with a win on Wednesday night. The Yankees will send their ace CC Sabathia to the mound but pitching hasn’t been their issue. They haven’t hit at all and that is why they are in this position. The Yankees season will end on Wednesday night or they will push it for at least another day.

Yankees Monday night postgame notes

Here are the Yankees postgame notes after a loss in Detroit.  The Yankees really don't play well in Detroit and Ivan Nova has now had two really bad starts in a row.  The thinking was that it is possible he and David Phelps could swap spots but Girardi shot that down quickly.  Here are the notes via the Lohud Yankees Blog and my thoughts mixed in. 

Joe Girardi left no wiggle room. In fact, he seemed surprised by the question. In the face of overwhelmingly bad starts, is Girardi fully committed to Ivan Nova’s spot in the rotation?
“I mean, yeah,” Girardi said. “This guy has won a lot of ballgames for us so, yeah.”  I understand what he is saying and everyone goes through slumps but right now this has to be a concern. 
Nova allowed seven runs on 11 hits tonight. In his previous start, he allowed nine runs on 10 hits. Before that, he walked six guys. Nova’s ERA is above 8.00 since the All-Star break, and he’s won once since June 17. He has allowed at least six earned runs four times this year, three of those coming in his past five starts.
“They’re hitting everything,” Nova said. “It’s not one pitch in particular. They’re hitting everything.”
As he paced around the mound tonight, Nova’s confidence looked shaken, and Girardi pulled him after just 68 pitches. Nova, though, said his confidence is the same as ever. He’s just not making pitches.
“His slider didn’t have much bite to it,” Russell Martin said. “Made a couple of mistakes with that pitch. Tried to get the curveball going too, but then it was a little bit inconsistent. You just really have to rely on your fastball. Against a good offensive team, it’s going to be a tough day, and that’s what happened. … I don’t know if confidence, it’s just executing pitches when you need to. When you get ahead of a hitter 0-2, you try and put him away and you leave a breaking ball over the plate where it gets hit. It’s frustrating. I don’t know if it’s a confidence thing more than just a feel thing on the mound.”  I really don't know what the problem could be but Nova looks like a different pitcher.  He doesn't seem to have that same confidence although he says it isn't true. 
Whatever it is, Nova’s going to have to get it figured out on a big league mound, because the Yankees plan to hand him the ball in five days. Martin and Girardi both specifically mentioned Nova’s slider needing improvement — “When he’s been pitching good he’s had that slider, and lately we haven’t had that,” Martin said — but Nova seemed to think the problem was bigger than a single breaking ball.
“I’m not the only pitcher in baseball who is going through a bad time right now,” Nova said. “I know I’m going to get out of this one. … I’m not worried about (losing a spot in the rotation). I’m not worried about ERA or anything like that. I just want to help the team to win games. That’s the most important thing, help the team to win games. I’m not worrying about ERA. The ERA is more like a personal thing. I want to win games, no matter how, just win games for this team.”
 Justin Verlander is really, really good. Of course, we already knew that, but tonight was a reminder. Verlander matched his career-high with 14 strikeouts, and the only Yankees runs were unearned after Verlander’s own error in the fifth. “We’ve faced him before and we scored, (other times) he’s shut us down,” Derek Jeter said. “Lots of times, great pitchers get a little nastier when they have guys on base. They seem to bear down a little bit. He did that today. We scored those two runs, but the other opportunities, he pitched well. There’s a reason why he’s one of the best in the game. He showed that tonight.”
The Yankees weren’t too happy with the strike zone early in the game, but afterward, they didn’t seem particularly worked up about it. “It looked like was a bit generous,” Martin said. “But he was pretty consistent on both sides. Verlander just seemed like he was hitting those spots more than we were.”  I could agree with that but the strike zone was generous, there is nothing you can do though as he was consistant with calling it. 
 Girardi got into a shouting match with home plate umpire Tony Randazzo in the middle of the second inning, and it got a little heated when — according to Girardi — Randazzo stared into the Yankees dugout as if asking for a fight. “I didn’t care for some of the strikes early in the game,” Girardi said. “And we were talking back and forth and he looked at me and stared at me. I don’t get it. When the inning’s over, walk the other way. It’s pretty simple.”
Tony Pena seemed to be keeping Girardi from being tossed from the game, but Girardi said that wasn’t a huge factor in keeping him calm. “I threw Tony off me pretty easy,” Girardi said. “If I want to go, Tony’s not going to hold me back.”
 The Tigers first two runs came on solo homers by Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera. The fourth-inning shot by Cabrera was a monster, estimated at more than 450 feet to center field.
The Yankees got their two runs after Verlander dropped the ball while covering first base on what should have been the final out of the fifth inning. Jeter and Robinson Cano followed with RBI hits, but that was the extent of the scoring.
Jeter had his 43rd multi-hit game. … Cano also had two hits. … Eric Chavez had a terrific game with three hits and a great night in the field. … Martin had the only other Yankees hit. He also reached on an error.
Joba Chamberlain’s second appearance off the disabled list was much better than his first. Chamberlain allowed two hits and struck out one through 1.2 innings. His fastball reached 97 mph on the stadium gun. “Everything just felt a little rushed in the first one,” Chamberlain said. “Today just felt more compact, more fluid and I was able to throw everything for a strike. Obviously there’s still stuff we have to continue to work on but as far as being able to go out and throw any pitch in any count, I felt really good with it.”  Joba looked a lot better, he will build up, he hasn't pitched in 14 months until now so it will take some time.  His velocity was a lot better, I think his breaking stuff just has to get more sharper and that will come with more appearances. 
Last word goes to Nova: “I’m giving up so many runs the last two times, but I still have my confidence up, and I know I can do better than this. I’ve got to work harder than what I’m working, try to make the next one better. … I’m trying to get the pitch, my slider, to what I need it. I’m trying to make pitches, going into the bullpen and thinking like it’s the game, and doing what I’m supposed to do during the game, and then bringing it into the game.”

Nova has another rough start as the Yankees lose to Verlander and the Tigers

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers on Monday night by the score of 7-2. The game took place at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Ivan Nova started for the Yankees and was not good, the Yankees bullpen did a good job. Justin Verlander started for the Tigers and was very good, he matched a career high with 132 pitches and had 14 strikeouts.  Nova pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up 11 hits and seven runs. He walked none and struck out five and lost his sixth game of the season. Joba Chamberlain pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up two hits and no runs. He struck out a batter and David Phelps pitched an inning giving up a walk and striking out one. Verlander won his 12^th game of the season pitching eight innings giving up eight hits and two unearned runs. He walked one and struck out 14. Jose Valverde pitched a perfect inning.
Derek Jeter had two hits and an RBI, Robinson Cano had two hits and an RBI and Raul Ibanez drew a walk. Eric Chavez had three hits and Russell Martin had a hit. Chavez hit a double and the Yankees were 3-14 with runners in scoring position and they left nine men on base. Cano had a stolen base.
Austin Jackson had a hit and an RBI, Andy Dirks had a hit and an RBI and Miguel Cabrera had a hit and an RBI. Prince Fielder had two hits and an RBI, Brandon Boesch had a hit and Delmon Young had two hits and drew a walk. Alex Avila had two hits and an RBI, Jhonny Peralta had two hits and an RBI and Omar Infante had a hit and an RBI. Fielder and Cabrera each hit a homerun. The Tigers were 4-7 with runners in scoring position and they left four men on base. Young was caught stealing, Verlander and Cabrera each committed an error.
In the second Fielder hit a solo homerun to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. In the fourth Cabrera hit a solo homerun to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. In the fifth Jeter hit an RBI single and Cano hit an RBI single to tie the game at two. The Tigers would jump back in front in the bottom of the fifth. Infante hit an RBI single, Jackson hit an RBI single and Dirks hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-2 Tigers. In the sixth Avila hit an RBI single and Peralta hit an RBI single to make it 7-2 Tigers and that would be the final score.
The Yankees record dropped to 63-45 and the Tigers record improved to 59-50. The two teams will play the second game of four on Tuesday night. The Yankees will then go to Toronto to play a three game series over the weekend.

The NL wins the 84th MLB All Star Game in a blowout

The National League defeated the American League by the score of 8-0 on Tuesday night in the All Star Game. The game took place at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Justin Verlander started for the American League and pitched poorly in his one inning of work. Matt Cain started for the National League and pitched well in his two innings of work. Melky Cabrera won the MVP award for the game. Pablo Sandoval his teammate with the San Francisco Giants also had a good game for the NL. Derek Jeter had a hit in two plate appearances. Jeter has the most hits of any Yankee ever in the All Star game and is also batting 440 career in the All Star Game. The National league has now won three straight All Star games and they will have home field advantage in the World Series. 
Verlander pitched an inning giving up five runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He took the loss in the game. Joe Nathan and David Price each pitched a perfect inning. Matt Harrison of the Texas Rangers didn’t pitch so well either. He gave up four hits and three runs in an inning of work. Jered Weaver walked a batter in his scoreless inning, Chris Sale gave up two hits but no runs in an inning of work including a strikeout and Ryan Cook pitched a perfect inning including two strikeouts. Jim Johnson and Fernando Rodney each pitched a perfect inning.

Cain won the game for the National league. He gave up a hit and struck out one in two scoreless innings. Gio Gonzalez pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Stephen Strasburg gave up a hit and a walk in one scoreless inning and Clayton Kershaw pitched one inning giving up two hits and a walk. Dickey pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one, Cole Hamels pitched a perfect inning and Craig Kimbrel struck out the only two batters that he faced. Aroldis Chapman had a walk and a strikeout in 1/3 of an inning, Wade Miley gave up a hit in 1/3 of an inning and Jack Hanrahan struck out the only batter that he faced. Jonathan Papelbon got the final out of the game, it was the only batter that he faced.

Jeter had a hit in two at bats. Robinson Cano had a hit in two at bats, Mike Trout had a hit and drew a walk and Joe Mauer had a hit in his only at bat. David Ortiz and Mike Napoli each had a hit in two at bats. The hits were all singles for the AL. They were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Trout did have a stolen base.

Matt Holliday did have a hit and an RBI in his only plate appearance. Chipper Jones in his final All Star Game had a it in his only appearance, Cabrera had two hits and two RBI and McCutchen had a hit in two at bats. Ryan Braun had two hits and an RBI, Sandoval had a hit and three RBI and Dan Uggla had a hit and an RBI. Rafael Furcal had a hit, Braun had a double and Sandoval, Furcal and Braun each had a triple. Cabrera hit a homerun and the National League was 3-8 with runners in scoring position. They left five men on base.

Yankees walk-off with win on a wild pitch

The New York Yankees walked off with a win on Friday night. They rallied to tie the Detroit Tigers and then went on to beat them 7-6. Ivan Nova started for the Yankees and wasn’t great, he wasn’t terrible but it was the worst game he has had this season. Justin Verlander started for the Tigers and he wasn’t great either. The Yankees offense was led by Alex Rodriguez who had three hits and was up when the winning run scored. 
Nova pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up 11 hits and six runs with three walks and five strikeouts. Boone Logan pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a walk, Cory Wade pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and he struck out a batter and Dave Robertson pitched an inning giving up a walk and striking out two batters. Mariano Rivera picked up his first win of the season pitching a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. Verlander pitched six innings giving up seven hits and five runs with four of them being earned. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. Dotel and Coke combined to pitch a perfect inning with two strikeouts, Joaquin Benoit pitched an inning getting a blown save. He gave up two hits and a run with a walk and two strikeouts and Brayan Villarreal pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two walks and a run which was the game winner.

Derek Jeter failed to keep his 15 game hitting streak alive but did draw a walk and score the winning run. Curtis Granderson had a hit and drew a walk, Rodriguez had three hits and two RBI and Robinson Cano had a hit. Mark Teixeira had an RBI, Nick Swisher had two hits and Raul Ibanez drew a walk. Eric Chavez had a hit and Russell Martin had a hit and two RBI. Granderson had a double and Swisher had two doubles. Rodriguez and Martin hit a homerun. The Yankees were 1-6 with runners in scoring position and they left six men on base. Wade committed an error and Ibanez had an outfield assist.

Austin Jackson had four hits and two RBI for the Tigers. Brandon Boesch had a hit, Miguel Cabrera had a hit and an RBI and drew two walks and Prince Fielder had two hits and two RBI and drew a walk. Don Kelly drew two walks, Eldred had two hits and an RBI and Jhonny Peralta had a hit. Ryan Raburn had two hits. Peralta and Jackson each had a double and Eldred had a triple. The Tigers were 5-19 with runners in scoring position and they left 12 men on base. Jackson had a stolen base, Kelly had an error and Avila had a passed ball.

The Yankees scored in the first inning on a Rodriguez RBI single to take a 1-0 lead. The Tigers tied the game in the second inning. They took a 3-1 lead in the third inning. Eldred had an RBI triple, it was a misplay by Ibanez in the outfield and Cabrera and Fielder had RBI singles. In the fourth Rodriguez hit a solo homerun to make it a 3-2 game. In the fifth Martin hit a two run homerun to make it a 4-3 game in favor of the Yankees. The Tigers came right back in the sixth inning. Jackson hit a two run double and Fielder hit an RBI single to make it 6-4 Tigers. In the bottom of the sixth Ibanez reached on an error by Kelly and a run scored to make it a 6-5 game. The Yankees tied the game at six in the eighth inning on a Teixeira sacrifice fly. The Yankees won the game in the bottom of the ninth when Jeter walked, was stealing second and went to third on a wild pitch and then scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Rodriguez directed the traffic as Jeter didn’t see the ball get past the catcher.

The Yankees ended their two game losing streak and the Tigers have now lost five games in a row. The Yankees are 11-8 and the Tigers are 10-10. The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Saturday afternoon. Freddy Garcia will make the start for the Yankees.

Detroit avoids elimination and the series heads back to Texas

The Detroit Tigers defeated the Texas Rangers by the score of 7-5 on Thursday evening. The Tigers with the win staved off elimination and forced a game Six back in Texas on Saturday night. The game wasn’t really in doubt but it got interesting in the end as Justin Verlander threw 133 pitches and Phil Coke finished off the game because the Detroit bullpen was so worn out. Verlander threw well even though it wasn’t great once again and C.J. Wilson was cruising along for Texas until a lucky bounce for Detroit and then it all fell apart in the sixth inning.
C.J. Wilson pitched six innings giving up eight hits and six runs with two walks and five strikeouts. He took the loss in the game. Koji Uehara came into the game and wasn’t very good, he pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with a walk and a strikeout. The last 1 1/3 innings were good for the Texas bullpen as they gave up one hit and struck out one. Verlander for the Tigers pitched 7 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and four runs. He walked three and struck out eight. He has been heroic in the postseason but clearly isn’t the same dominating pitcher. He has a 5.56 ERA in the postseason. Verlander picked up the win and Coke pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up two hits and a run with a walk and a strikeout.

The Texas offense was spread out as they had ten hits. Ian Kinsler had a hit and a walk, Elvis Andrus had a hit and Josh Hamilton had two hits and two RBI. Michael Young had two hits and an RBI, Adrian Beltre had a walk and Mike Napoli had two hits and a walk. Nelson Cruz had a hit and two RBI, David Murphy had a hit and Mitch Moreland had a walk. Kinsler, Young, Murphy and Hamilton all had a double. Cruz had another homerun his fifth of the series. The Rangers were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and they left ten on base. Andrus made a throwing error.

Delmon Young led the Detroit offense with two hits and three RBI. He had two homeruns. Ryan Raburn had two hits and an RBI, Miguel Cabrera had a hit, RBI and two walks and Victor Martinez had a hit and an RBI. Brandon Inge had a hit and a walk, Alex Avila had a hit and an RBI and Ramon Santiago had two hits. Cabrera had a double and Martinez had a triple. Avila and Raburn also had homeruns to go along with the two by Young. The Tigers were 2-5 with runners in scoring position and they left four men on base. Cabrera had a stolen base and Santiago made an error.

In the first inning Hamilton hit a sacrifice fly to give Texas a 1-0 lead. In the third Avila hit a solo homerun to tie the game at one. In the fourth Young hit a solo homerun to give Detroit a 2-1 lead. Hamilton hit an RBI single in the fifth to tie the game at two. In the sixth Cabrera hit an RBI double, Martinez hit an RBI triple and Young hit a two run homerun to give Detroit a 6-2 lead. The hit by Cabrera would of probably been a routine out but instead hit the third base bag and rolled into the outfield for a double and that started the big inning. In the seventh Raburn hit a solo homerun to give Detroit a 7-2 lead. The Rangers started their comeback in the eighth with a two run homerun by Cruz to make it 7-4. In the ninth Young hit an RBI single to make it 7-5 and that was how the game would end.

The Tigers now trail the series three games to two and they will head to Texas to try and force a Game Seven. The series will take a day off on Friday and return on Saturday night. These games have been great and the Tigers have shown resilience. The Rangers I am sure are disappointed they didn’t win it in Game Five but probably feel good about going home to try and win the American League pennant and head to the World Series.

Cruz set an LCS record with five homeruns in the series. The pitching matchup in Game Six is Derek Holland against Max Scherzer. The Rangers twice in this game failed to get runners home from third with less then two outs. They made Verlander work hard but they didn’t get the big blow when they needed it. The Tigers hit for the natural cycle in a 2-2 game. It was the first natural cycle in postseason history which is a single, double, triple and homerun in the same inning. Wilson who is a free agent and looking for a big payday is 0-2 with an 8.04 ERA in three postseason starts this year. This has been a very good series and the drama will continue to unfold on Saturday night, will the Rangers finish the Tigers off or will the Tigers force a winner take all Game Seven? Stay tuned to find out on Saturday.

The Rangers take Game One despite the Rain

The Texas Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers by the score of 3-2 in Game One of the 2011 American League Championship Series. The game was played in Arlington, Texas as the Texas Rangers had a better record then the Detroit Tigers and therefore have home field advantage. The game was delayed twice by rain and went deep into the night. I find the ironic thing being that in New York it was absolutely gorgeous and if the Yankees would of won that is where the games would have been played. New York had such bad weather this year and then Texas which hasn’t had rain in so long got a lot of rain for the first game of the ALCS and it is expected to be bad on Sunday for Game Two.
Justin Verlander and C.J. Wilson was the matchup. Wilson is the biggest name pitcher who will be on the free agent market this season and he did his job in Game One. He was shaky in the first game of the postseason against the Tampa Bay Rays but not in this game. The numbers look worse for the starting pitchers because of the rain, that is why they had short outings. Wilson pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up six hits and two runs. He walked five and struck out six. Wilson was cruising along until the rain came. Verlander pitched four innings giving up five hits and three runs with two walks and five strikeouts. Verlander is 0-1 in the postseason with a 6.75 ERA. He is going to win the CY young and may even win the MVP but he has had to deal with weather issues so far in the postseason. The bullpen for Detroit pitched four innings giving up one hit and no runs. They didn’t walk a batter and struck out two. The bullpen for Texas pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up one hit and no runs. They walked one and struck out eight. The bullpens for both teams did an excellent job but I am sure the managers will be looking for length out of their starters in Game Two.

Ramon Santiago had a big game for Detroit with three hits. Austin Jackson had the only RBI of the game for Detroit. Ryan Raburn, Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta each had a hit. The Tigers also drew six walks. Santiago and Jackson each had a double and the Tigers were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and they left nine men on base. Jackson made an error. Texas scattered six hits with Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli, Nelson Cruz, David Murphy and Mitch Moreland each getting a hit. Kinsler, Cruz and Murphy had the RBI. The Rangers drew two walks, Murphy had a triple and Cruz had a homerun. The Rangers were 1-4 with runners in scoring position and they left five men on base. Kinsler was caught stealing.

In the bottom of the second inning Murphy hit an RBI triple and Kinsler had an RBI single. Texas had a 2-0 lead which they would expand to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Cruz solo homerun. In the fifth inning Jackson hit an RBI double for the Tigers to make it 3-1 and a wild pitch scored Jackson to make it 3-2. Wilson got Magglio Ordonez to ground out and then the bullpen took over and shut down the Tigers the rest of the way. The final score was 3-2 in favor of the Rangers.

The best of seven series started with a bang as these two teams battled it out and the pitching especially out of the bullpen was outstanding. The two teams will play game two on Sunday night in Texas weather permitting. The series will resume in Detroit on Tuesday after an off day with Games 3, 4 and 5 if necessary in Detoit before the final two games are played back in Texas if necessary. The Rangers are trying to make the World Series for the second straight year while the Tigers are trying to reach the World Series for the first time since 2006 when they also knocked out the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.

Yankees notes on an off day before Game Five

Here are some off day notes prior to Game Five which is tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium.  The game is at 8:00PM.  Ivan Nova will go up against Doug Fister, these are two young guys getting their first cracks at the postseason.  They pitched in game one, the suspended version.  Nova was terrific and Fister was pretty good in the beginning but the final results don't look so good.  It is an intriguing matchup.  The Yankees have a rested bullpen where they will surely use their main two guys for nine outs tomorrow and maybe even more.  The Yankees would love to get six strong out of Nova and then use their strong bullpen to finish it off and send them to the ALCS.  The Yankees of course will also hope that their bats have come alive feeding off their late inning magic last night. 

While Joe Girardi left no doubt that he expect CC Sabathia to be available out of the bullpen tomorrow, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said the exact opposite about his ace Justin Verlander. Leyland said Verlander will not be an available reliever for Game 5.  It is two completely different managers each at a different point in their careers.  Girardi is still towards the beginning and more cautious and Leyland has been around for a long time and just tells you whatever he has to say and doesn't worry about it. 


“That’s just the way it played out,” Leyland said. “I don’t think it’s disappointing. I’m thankful everybody got to see him. To be honest with you, our fans got to see that game that Verlander pitched. So it worked out pretty good. No problem.”

Of course, that’s easy for Leyland to say now. Hard not to wonder whether his opinion might change if he gets in a big spot tomorrow night. Regardless, it’s clear that Verlander’s impact on this series has been minimized.  It would be hard for me to not use Verlander if I was him but he is still young and you don't want to abuse the guy. 

“The one thing that you can’t predict is what would have happened in Game 1 if it was Verlander against CC,” Girardi said. “Who knows where we would have stood. So it is what it is. Is it a break? I don’t know, I really don’t, because we can’t go back in time and say what would have happened. ”

“When I say he’s laid back, I don’t mean there’s not fire inside of him,” Girardi said. “His personality is just not loud. It’s not boisterous. It’s not real emotional. He’ll show a little emotion on the mound, but not a whole lot. I love this kid’s determination. His determination to get better. His determination to be a part of this staff. To never go down again. To win. That’s what I see. He’s a very hard worker, and it’s paid off.”

 Nova on whether he feels pressure for tomorrow’s game: “I don’t see the reason to feel pressure. It’s another game. Of course, it’s the most important game of the season now, but that’s the game that right now a lot of people are waiting for. Everybody, like my family, everybody wants to see that game. Everybody want to see me do a really good job. Like I always say, if you get nervous, you’re going to be in trouble, because you can’t control yourself. You can’t control what you got to do. I don’t see the reason why.”

 Girardi said everyone is available out of the bullpen tomorrow, even A.J. Burnett if things get really crazy. “A.J. would probably be the one guy you would have to be careful,” Girardi said. “But I would say in case of emergency he’s available, too.”  I think you could see CC but the Yankees are hoping for six out of Nova, a lead and then to use Robertson and Mo to finish the game off.  The Yankees could even use Soriano and Logan earlier like in the sixth and CC if they have too. 

Jorge Posada leads the Yankees in batting average, on-base percentage and walks through these first four games. “Jorge has been through this so many times in his career,” Girardi said. “And (he) understands the magnitude of each at-bat and how to approach each at-bat. That’s why we went with him.”  It is amazing to see how he finished and turned what could of been a sad and unhappy ending into a nice finish to his career if this is indeed the end. 

Also making a big impact at the bottom of the Yankees order is Brett Gardner, who’s hitting .385 with some big hits in big spots. “I talked about that with my pitching coach this morning before we left,” Leyland said. “He’s done a great job. He’s been real pesky. I think sometimes you get through that big part of the order and all those big guys, and maybe you lose your concentration a little bit. He’s a bear-down guy. He’s a real hard-nosed player and everything. A real determined guy. We’re going to have to do a better job.”  I would agree with that, you kind of forget about him since you are so worried about Arod, Tex, Cano. 

 The middle of the Yankees order finally showed some signs of life last night when Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher all got hits during that big eighth inning. “When it’s the postseason, you’re supposed to get a hit every time,” Girardi said. “The superstars are supposed to do no wrong, and you’re supposed to be able to ride on their backs. But that’s not the way the game works… What happens is if you continue to have good at-bats, you’re going to get your hits.”  This was the biggest development for the Yankees in my opinion.  I think they will now relax in Game Five and if they are hitting watch out, it is a very hard lineup to get through and they could roll along in the playoffs. 
Leyland said he has Max Scherzer available tomorrow night, but ultimately his bullpen will be a little thin. “I would like to get through this game tomorrow with Fister, Coke, if necessary, Benoit and Valverde,” Leyland said. “There’s no secret to that. That’s what we would like to get through the game with.”
 Leyland announced that Don Kelly will be the Tigers starter at third base tomorrow night. Kelly will be the Tigers third different starting third baseman this series. Leyland said he would like to to shift Kelly to right field for late-inning defense, with Brandon Inge taking over at third.

Here is Girardi on tomorrows must win game: “This is what we fought so hard for during the course of the season. You have two very good teams playing tomorrow night. Unfortunately, one of us is going to go home. And that’s the hard part about this game, because your season is going to end so abruptly, in a sense. But we’ve worked hard to get to this point. We feel good about our starter. They probably feel good about their starter. And time is going to tell.”

Yankees lose game two and the series is even

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon by the score of 5-3. Freddy Garcia started the game and pitched pretty well. The Yankees offense couldn’t do anything with Max Scherzer though. They rallied late but left a couple of scoring chances out on the bases including to end the game.
Garcia pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up six hits and four runs with three of them being earned. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out six. Boone Logan faced two batters and struck them both out, Cory Wade pitched two innings giving up two hits and a walk with two strikeouts and Luis Ayala pitched one inning giving up a hit and a run. Scherzer pitched six innings giving up two hits and no runs with four walks and five strikeouts for the Tigers.

Curtis Granderson had a hit, RBI and a walk, Robinson Cano had a hit and a walk and Alex Rodriguez had a walk. Nick Swisher had a hit, RBI and a walk, Jorge Posada had two hits and a walk and Russell Martin had a walk. Andruw Jones had an RBI, Posada had a triple, Granderson and Swisher each had a homerun. The Yankees were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and they left nine men on base. Jeter made a throwing error.

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Miguel Cabrera hit a two run homerun. Garcia settled down after that. In the sixth inning Cabrera hit an RBI single and Victor Martinez had an RBI single. The Tigers had a 4-0 lead. The Yankees would get on the board in the eighth inning on a Granderson solo homerun. In the ninth Don Kelly hit an RBI single to make it 5-1 Tigers. Nick Swisher hit a solo homerun to make it 5-2 in the ninth and Andruw Jones hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3. The Yankees had a couple men on in the ninth but Cano grounded out to end the game.

The series is tied at one and now the series will shift to Detroit. The two teams will play game three on Monday night at 8:37PM. Justin Verlander will go up against CC Sabathia which started out as the game one matchup on Friday. The two aces didn’t throw a lot of pitches but coming back on three days rest will be interesting. I wonder if they won’t have the same stuff or if one might be affected more then the other one. CC Sabathia has pitched on three days rest before, I am not so sure that Verlander has. This could be one of those games where everyone is focused on the pitching and they don’t live up to the hype. Game three is pivotal as one team will head into game four facing elimination from the postseason. If there is a game five it will be on Thursday.

Yankees Notes prior to the start of the Postseason on Friday

Here are some notes from today's workout at Yankee Stadium with the postseason beginning tomorrow night.  ALDS Game One at Yankee Stadium will begin at 8:37PM with a marquee matchup of two aces in Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia, Game Two will be the same time on Saturday night.  The teams will have off Sunday and then shift to Game Three on Monday and Game Four if necessary on Tuesday.  The start times for the games in Detroit haven't been announced yet but I am sure they will also be at 8:37PM.  The games in the first round will be broadcast on TBS. 

The Yankees were in Tampa last night to finish their season.  It was a crazy night in baseball with a lot of emotion.  The Yankees didn't get home until the wee hours of this morning and that’s why Joe Girardi opened this afternoon’s press conference by saying up front that he wouldn’t be answering one of the most basic questions.

“Let me just start out by saying, and I’m sure this question is going to be asked, we do have the roster put together, but I have not had a chance to talk to everyone,” Girardi said. “So as soon as I get a chance, I will share it with all of you. Most of us got to our homes about 5 in the morning. You can understand why a few players aren’t here yet.”

Before you get too upset at Girardi, it’s worth noting that Jim Leyland also refused to announce his roster. So, for now we’re stuck waiting for an official group of 25 Yankees will be active for tomorrow’s division series.  I understand when Girardi protects his team but the fans and media can't stand it. 

“Just because people weren’t picking us to win the World Series (in spring training), doesn’t mean we didn’t believe it,” Mark Teixeira said. “At the same time, it’s nice to say, ‘Hey guys, told you so. Told you we had a good team.’ We don’t go out there trying to disprove people’s theories or hypothesis of what’s going to happen in the season. What we do is try to win every single game, and at the end of the year, it worked out for us.”  I don't think the Yankees can every really be a true underdog but it is crazy that basically no one picked them and there were some that said they wouldn't even reach the postseason. 

 Girardi confirmed what was suspected: That Jorge Posada will be his everyday designated hitter this series. All of the Tigers starters are right-handed. “I don’t live in the past,” Posada said. “I live in the future. I live day-by-day, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”  This is good to see with Posada as it should be his swan song, if he has a good postseason and the Yankees go deep what a way to finish his career. 

 Girardi on Alex Rodriguez: “If last night was a postseason game, I’m playing him. That’s the bottom line. As I said, the time of year, we had to be somewhat cautious with some of our players, because I would hate to lose a player on the last day of the season… I have no doubt that he’s healthy enough to play every day.”

 Jesus Montero is also healthy enough to play. “I saw him today,” Girardi said. “He’s fine. He got hit on the outside of the last two fingers. He’ll have a bruise, but I saw it. There wasn’t really any swelling. He’s okay.

 Because Girardi wouldn’t announce a roster, he wouldn’t announce whether Austin Romine is going to make the team as a backup catcher. With Montero healthy enough to play, and not expected to get any DH starts, he could serve as the backup catcher this series.

 Obviously A.J. Burnett hasn’t officially made the roster, but it’s clear he’ll be an active part of the division series bullpen. “You want to see how quickly he can warm up,” Girardi said. “That’s something we got an idea about (last night), and I feel that he can do it if he has to do it.”

 If the Yankees carry Burnett and Phil Hughes with Mariano Rivera, Dave Robertson, Rafael Soriano, Cory Wade and Boone Logan, that’s already a seven-man bullpen. Hard to imagine they’d carry more than eight, which would leave room for only one of Luis Ayala, Hector Noesi and Bartolo Colon.  I would be on Luis Ayala with Noesi and Colon being left off the roster.  I don't think Colon has anything left to offer them at this point.  Colon was a huge plus on this team for the whole first half, he was a suprise and gave the team everything that he had. 

 Girardi on his conversation with Burnett about moving to the bullpen for at least this round: “He was good about it. We talked about it, and I gave him the option, because he had just thrown about 100 pitches on Sunday, and it would have been his throw day, his bullpen day anyway. He said, ‘Yeah, I want to give it a shot.’ I said, ‘I’m going to have you face one hitter, that’s it. I can’t tell you exactly when it’s going to be, but I’ll try to give you sufficient time to warm up.’ He was great about it.”

 Leyland announced only his first three starters: Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer. He didn’t say whether Verlander will pitch Game 4 on short rest. Girardi has committed to Sabathia pitching that game.


Remember Josh Hamilton in last year’s ALCS? Given that context, Girardi was asked how he’ll approach pitching to Miguel Cabrera. “We understand the type of hitter Miguel Cabrera is and how you have to be careful with him,” Girardi said. “I think the biggest difference between this lineup with Detroit this year and maybe last year was the addition of Victor Martinez and how Avila has arrived. But in saying that, we will be careful with Miguel Cabrera.”  There is no way they can let Cabrera beat them, they had to learn from last year. 

It should be a good series, I would give the slight edge to the Yankees and say they are going to win the series in four games.  I know it is going out on a limb a little, I think most will probably say five games.  If the Yankees beat Verlander though, that makes it awfully tough on the Tigers.  The thing about the Yankees this year is they have the speed to go with the power which is a great combination, they can hit homers but also manufacture runs which you need to do in the postseason.