The Bronx View

Random thoughts while watching a game that feels very long…

◊  I really wonder about Girardi’s ability to adapt on the fly. Sabathia was decent in game four but certainly not great.  Girardi stated that CC could go 110 or 120 pitches on three days rest.  The plan is to have CC pitch game seven if it’s needed.  CC has struggled with control problems his two starts and would be pitching his second start in a row on three days rest.

If you’re going to use CC on short rest so much and he’s showing control issues, should he really be throwing possibly 110 to 120 pitches?  Maybe a little restraint is in order.

◊  Jerry Hairston, Jr. was the replacement outfielder when Nick Swisher was given a day off.  He is also the backup infielder.

Robinson Cano has been terrible in the World Series.  Have you heard any calls for his day off?

◊  Speaking of second basemen, I am scared of Chase Utley right now. I know Red Sox fans are in love with Pedroia and Yankees fans like to think Cano is great, but Utley is light years beyond either of them.  And not just in the postseason, either.  Utley has put up consistently great numbers at second base that make Cano and Pedroia look average.

Watching him take CC deep three times this series has been humbling, to say the least.

◊  The warning issued to both teams after ARod was hit for the third tme in two games was ridiculous.  Baseball has created all of these inane rules to try and combat the unwritten rules about hitting batters, retribution, etc.

The problem is, when an umpire issues a warning, the implication is that there was some form of intent when the batter was hit.  By the rules, if an umpire feels there is intent, he is allowed to kick that pitcher out of the game.

ARod has been hit three times.  THREE. There must be some intent because that is a heck of a coincidence.  Does the ump kick Blanton out for intent?  No.  Instead, he gives a worthless warning that not only prevents the Yankees from retaliating but also makes the inside part of the plate a dangerous place to tread.

These rules are silly and accomplish absolutely nothing.  Let the players solve it on the field and spend the time trying to keep the headhunting to a minimum.

◊  It appeared to Buck, McCarver, and everyone else that Ryan Howard didn’t touch the plate when he scored in the fourth inning.  It was only obvious after watching it in high def slow motion but could have been noticeable to an umpire five feet away.

This led to a discussion in the chat with an umpire with AA credentials.  His contention was that, even if Howard had not touched the plate, the umpire was supposed to call him safe if the tag was not made.  It is then up to the defense to appeal the play.

This doesn’t make any sense to me.  If the play isn’t completed, I see no reason why the umpire should signal safe or out.  Technically, the play should still be alive.

Sure enough, half an inning later, Melky Cabrera blows a stop sign and scores on Johnny Damon’s single  The throw is wide and Melky misses the plate.  The ump doesn’t call safe until Melky gets up and touches the plate with his foot.

Well, which is it?  What’s the rule?  I don’t think the umpire knew that Howard missed the plate in the fourth, but how can there be such conflicting opinions about how that play is handled?

For a game as old as baseball, there sure seems to be a lot of kinks to work out.

◊  ARod’s hit drove in the run, but Damon’s at-bat and subsequent baserunning changed the whole focus of the inning.  Damon got a tremendous jump off of Lidge to steal second, then stood up and almost immediately took advantage of the over-shift in place for Teixeira and stole third.  It was an incredibly smart and bold play on Damon’s part that changed the tenor of the inning.  Instead of two outs a runner at first, Lidge was a bounced ball away from giving the Yankees a lead.

Instead, he plunks to Teixeira and gives up a hard hit double to ARod into left field to score Damon.  Posada follows with a two run single.

The Yankee late inning magic continues.

◊  So the Yanks are up 3-1. There is an interesting question to be asked:

With “Lights Out” Cliff Lee pitching Monday, should AJ Burnett pitch on three days rest or should Girardi throw Chad Gaudin?

The reasoning is simple.  Lee has been almost unhittable this postseason and likely will win game five.  Is it worth wasting Burnett on basically a lost game when you can hold him back for game six?

Two schools of thought: you can’t assume Lee will be lights out again.  It’s a short series and you can’t afford to give up games.

Or: pitching all of your pitchers on three days rest is too risky.  Let Gaudin pitch and let AJ go on full rest for game six.  Then, if needed, pick between CC on short rest or Andy Pettitte on full rest for game seven.

I’m leaning towards starting Burnett.  I don’t think you can take much for granted in a short series.  At the same time, I am a bit concerned about all the short rest.  Burnett has dne okay with it in the past but it’s only three starts and really doesn’t mean much.

I’m interested to see what Girardi comes up with.

◊  Finally, Alex Rodriguez played the hero again in game four. Critics, you have been silenced.

◊  We play today, we chat today. Dat’s it.  Join us at game time right here.

Some thoughts on Game 3, compiled while watching the Giants clash with the Eagles in the first half of an epic Philadelphia/New York Sunday doubleheader:

- I’m thrilled for Nick Swisher, who, despite struggling horrendously throughout this postseason and taking some abuse in the media, continued to say all the right things and was finally able to contribute in Game 3.  On the face of it, his benching in Game 2 seemed bizarre and maybe even a little panicky.  Sure, Swish had looked awful for some time, but Jerry Hairston should never be mistaken for a corner outfielder, and Girardi was sacrificing not only offense but defense as well in making that switch.  Swisher was back in the lineup last night, and his leadoff double in the 5th inning sparked a 3-run rally that gave the Yankees their first lead of the evening.  Then, his long homer off J.A. Happ the following inning padded the lead even further to 6-3 and was ultimately the game-winning RBI.  After the game, Swish filmed his own postgame press conference and seemed genuinely overjoyed.  Hopefully this game is the start of something for Swish, as the Yankees look to lengthen their lineup without a DH in a National League park.

- The key hit of the game – was it Swisher’s double?  Alex Rodriguez’s camera-smashing 2-run homer in the 4th?  Damon’s 2-run double in the 5th?  In my mind, it’s Andy Pettitte’s bloop single in that same inning that scored Swisher from 2nd base and tied the game.  The situation: the Yankees trailed 3-2 heading to the 5th.  Swisher doubled to lead things off, bringing Melky Cabrera to the plate.  In the right situation in an NL park, a leadoff double is fairly easy to work around, and this was one of those situations, especially after Cabrera struck out.  Up came Pettitte, and it appeared nothing short of a 2-out hit from Jeter would score the tying run.  Instead, Pettitte looped a Hamels curveball into center field, chasing Swisher home and making the possibility of a multi-run inning very real.  Jeter would single, Damon would double home 2 runs, and the Yankees never really looked back.  Who can say how the inning would have shaken out had Pettitte not come through in the most unlikely of ways?

- Speaking of Pettitte, he was far from great, but he was good enough – 6IP, 4ER, 7Ks, 104 pitches.  In a postgame interview, he blamed a good bit of his inconsistency on the 1hr 20min rain delay that preceded the first pitch, saying he was ready and feeling great before being shut down and never seemed to find it again.  Because of Girardi’s (understandable) reluctance to turn to Chad Gaudin to start a World Series game, it seems probable that Pettitte’s next start would be on 3 days rest at home in Game 6 – unless the Yankees run the table in Philly.  I thought before the Series started that the only way Gaudin got a start was if the Yankees won the first 3 games – well, Cliff Lee’s Game 1 masterpiece immediately scrapped that plan, and now we’re looking at every remaining Yankee start occurring on short rest.  If you’re one of those fans looking for something to worry about, well, there it is.

- Damaso Marte pitched a perfect 8th inning, throwing 13 of his 15 pitches for strikes and fanning Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth, who had already homered twice.  It was a really impressive performance from Marte, and it appears to me that he’s leapfrogged Phil Coke as Girardi’s left-handed specialist of choice.  MicroJoe was even wise enough to let Marte face Werth with a 4-run lead.  Based on this performance, I have to say that in a big spot with Utley and Howard due up, I’d rather see Marte than Coke.  He’s always had electric stuff and he has a ton more experience in games like these than the rookie Coke.

Meanwhile, Phil Hughes again struggled in the 9th, retiring Pedro Feliz before allowing the light-hitting Carlos Ruiz to homer, cutting the Yankee lead to 8-5.  This prompted Girardi to call for Mariano Rivera and the game was essentially over at this point.  Mo dispatched the next two hitters with just 5 pitches, ending the game.  There are a lot of people that will disagree with Girardi involving Rivera in a non-save situation in a game that seemed all but over.  I’m not one of those people.  Game 3 was absolutely pivotal – a victory ensured the Yanks the luxury of needing to win just 1 of these 2 remaining games in Philly in order to return to the Bronx with a 3-2 series lead.  Of course the Phillies are more than capable of winning 2 games at Yankee Stadium, but it certainly isn’t likely, particularly with Charlie Manuel’s reluctance to start Cliff Lee on short rest.  At this point, Cole Hamels is penciled in for a Game 7 start (or Blanton on short rest), and given the way he was beaten around last night, I don’t think that’s inspiring much confidence in the Phillies or their fans.  And given Hughes’ prolonged struggles, this move was necessary to put the foot on the collective throats of the NL champs.

- Finally, Hideki Matsui proved that he has very real value to the Yankees in these NL games, even if he isn’t starting.  Girardi was apparently kicking around the idea of starting Matsui in left field – it’s a good thing he didn’t.  Damon had a pivotal hit and Matsui came through with a pinch hit home run off Brett Myers that all but put the game away.  It’s not entirely clear how much worse Matsui could be in left field than Damon is, but what’s perfectly clear is that there’s no need to find that out in a World Series game.  In games Matsui did not start this season, he hit .381/.536/.619 with a home run.  There’s enormous value in having that kind of bat available to hit for a pitcher late in the game.

Random observations about a somewhat unexpected pitchers duel:

◊  I like AJ Burnett a little bit more today. That’s easy to say after the man gave up one run over seven innings in a must win World Series game.  Burnett threw a first pitch strike to 18 of 26 batters last night.  The three batters that made contact on the first pitch all made outs.  All of that combined for 4 hits, 2 walks, and 9 strikeouts in 7 innings.

Or more simply, AJ was filthy in the strike zone. That’s pretty tough to hit.

He had a few uh-oh moments but got through them with relative ease.  The double in the second inning was a nicely placed pop fly that Johnny Damon simply couldn’t reach.

AJ’s boldest move came in challenging left-handed Ryan Howard in the third after pitching around Chase Utley.  Burnett got Howard to flail at a 2-2 pitch and gave up only two hits over the next four innings.

I’ll be the first to tell you that I wasn’t thrilled with the Burnett signing.  I like him as a pitcher.  I just didn’t like him as a pitcher getting a five year deal at $16 million a pop.

We’ve all seen why throughout this season.  Burnett can go Jekyll and Hyde not only within a ballgame but within an inning.  There seems to be little rhyme or reason as to why.

We saw flashes of Hyde during game two, but in short spurts.  I haven’t been a big fan of Molina being behind the plate in this series, but Jose made some stops with runners on base that I seriously doubt Posada would have made, plus a pickoff at first in the fourth inning.

◊  Pedro Martinez was almost as good, mixing a tremendous amount of off-speed pitches to keep the Yankees off-balance.  Pedro threw 34 fastballs and 5 cutters, both in the 88 to 90 MPH range.  It was his change-up that received the most work, a staggering 44 pitches, complimented by 11 sliders and 13 curves.

Pedro is really interesting to watch right now.  While he used to be known as a power pitcher in his hey day, it was his change-up that made him devastating because of his deception and change in speed.  The fastball is gone now, but the deception and ability to change speeds are still there.  He threw 72 of his 107 pitches for strikes and ranged his pitches from an 89 MPH fastball to an 81 MPH change-up and a 71 MPH curveball that buckled a few knees.

Yankee fans will remember the re-imagining of Mike Mussina last year, his fastball depleted and forcing Moose to slow down his curve to keep hitters off balance.  David Cone faced a similar issue and started varying looks on his slider to confuse hitters.

Pedro has found himself in the same boat, only now he’s just adjusting what he was already great at: deception, location, and change of speed.  He may still have a few years left in him.

◊  Mark Teixeira woke up last night and the timing couldn’t have been better.  Tex only went 1 for 3, but the one was a big home run in the fourth to tie the game and give the Yankees a much needed jolt.  Tex hasn’t looked great at the plate, but he certainly isn’t alone.

◊  Hideki Matsui was the only Yankee with two hits and reached base three times. One of those hits, a bomb to right field off Pedro in the sixth, got the “Who’s Your Daddy?” chants flying once again.

It was good to see Matsui pull a pitch after topping three outside pitches to the right side in game one.  Usually those toppers are a sign of a Godzilla out of sorts but Matsui rebounded nicely.  Too bad he’s going to be relegated to pinch hitter status in Philly.

There’s a better than good chance that Matsui could be taking his last turns in pinstripes.  Even with his inability to play the outfield this season, it’s hard to complain about what he’s contributed to this team.  Before the Yankees decide that DH by committee is a good idea for 2010, they might want to consider the production Matsui gave them in that spot.  Losing his bat means that an average to below average hitter will likely be either DHing or in the field almost daily so that Posada, Tex, or ARod can get a rest.  That’s a significant downgrade from what Matsui has contributed at the plate and weakens the Yankees lineup.  Posada has been durable this season coming off shoulder surgery and his arm has looked much stronger than the beginning of the season.  There’s no reason to coddle him until it’s absolutely necessary.

◊  Mariano Rivera came in for two full innings last night, further reaffirming that Joe Girardi has completely lost faith in his bullpen.  Rivera gave up a walk and a single in the eighth before inducing a rare double play to get out of the inning.  Strangely, the runner at first was safe, the second blown call in as many innings.

I understand Girardi’s trepidation in using his bullpen but he’s painting himself into a corner here.  Rivera is getting over-worked and this series plays three games in a row in Philly.  How many innings does Girardi think Mo can throw in a three day span?  Five?  Six?

The bigger issue is that the rest of the bullpen is simply not throwing because Girardi is afraid to use them.  I can’t tell you what is best to get a pitcher out of a funk.  In Hughes case, if he’s tired, a little extra rest may be the best help.  But for guys like Robertson and Marte who missed time down the stretch, I would imagine extra rest may not be the best thing.

If Girardi is able to get seven plus innings out of Pettitte on Saturday, you can be sure he’ll bring Rivera out again as soon as possible.  I hope he’ll show some restraint and let the rest of the pen get a chance in a close game.  He has enough arms to mix and match and at least keep Rivera available for the next day.

◊  The umpiring, as usual, was as arrogant as it was clumsy. First base umpire Brian Gorman screwed up a call against Chase Utley on a double play that ended the top of the eighth.  Only half an inning before, Gorman ruled that Ryan Howard had caught a ball on the fly that was actually a short hop.  Howard threw wide to second base, thinking he needed a force because he didn’t actually catch the ball and Posada was tagged out.  Replays showed clearly that the ball was short hopped and the Yankees lost two outs to a bad call in a key situation in the seventh inning.

Gorman refused to consult with the rest of the umpires on the field, despite the fact that he was behind Howard and couldn’t see the ball go into the glove. Gorman didn’t have the proper view of the play, yet refused to get help and ended the inning on a double play that didn’t happen.

Gorman’s decision was strange given that a similar play happened in game one where Rollins made a similar play and actually caught the ball and doubled Matsui off of first.  The umps convened to make sure Rollins had indeed caught the ball and not trapped it.  Why last night’s play didn’t receive similar treatment can only be chalked up to arrogance and stupidity.

For a union that doesn’t want accountability, the umps are doing themselves a terrible disservice in their performance this postseason.  They’re better off conferring with each other on questionable calls than letting bad calls stand.  All that will do is hasten the outcry for more instant replay.

◊  The chats continue and fun has been had by all. If you haven’t yet, stop by and join us on Saturday.  We’ve even had some Philly and Red Sox fans come in.

Random thoughts on a game that doesn’t need much explanation:

◊  Last night’s game pretty much begins and ends with Cliff Lee. Sure, Chase Utley deserves props for hitting not one but two home runs against fellow lefty CC Sabathia.  Lee was downright filthy.  Lee threw 122 pitches across his complete game, 80 of which were strikes.  He gave up six hits, one run and zero walks.

The walk count is the most telling.  Not only was Lee in or around the strike zone all night, freezing the Yankees with change-ups he seemed to spot at will.

Take a look at Lee’s pitches versus strikes breakdown:

Thirteen of Lee’s twenty-one change-ups were non-swinging strikes.  Twelve of sixteen curveballs were strikes.  Lee had every pitch working for him last night, evidenced by the fact that only two batters made it to a full count.

Thankfully, Lee threw 122 pitches and has never pitched on three days rest before.  Charlie Manual probably won’t consider using him on short rest.

◊  It wasn’t a great night for CC Sabathia but, considering how it started, it was still pretty good. CC’s only mistakes were the solo home runs to Chase Utley who inexplicably got the same fastball over the middle of the plate on both swings.  The second one was preceded by Posada trying to get CC to go outside with Sabathia refusing.  The result was a souvenir for an unhappy fan.

Sabathia gave up 3 home runs to lefties this season across 216 plate appearances.  Utley did it twice in one game.

◊  Jimmy Rollins started off the game with a bunt down the first baseline for an out. It was a silly play by the outspoken Rollins, who probably thought the element of surprise was more important than seeing what CC was throwing that evening.  Rollins wasted an out in what was eventually a bases loaded situation that CC narrowly escaped from.

So what does Johnny Damon do in the bottom of the first with one out after Jeter struck out on three pitches?  Bunt, of course.

Did the Yankee bench sit and marvel at Rollins’ bunt attempt in the first, their heads filling with grandiose thoughts of wasted outs?

◊  Phil Hughes couldn’t find the plate last night, starting the eighth inning by walking two batters that eventually scored.  As Hughes left the mound, he barked at Gerry Davis, the home plate umpire.  Phil’s location chart doesn’t support Phil’s frustration.

Hughes pitched in plenty of high leverage situations this season, making it difficult to understand why he’s struggled lately.  It could be a tired arm or the just a bad patch of games at an inopportune time.

Hughes fastball has been right inline with his regular season performance in regards to speed and break.  His slider has actually gotten a little bit faster which may eliminate the tired arm explanation.

The most curious thing about Hughes last night was he didn’t feature his cutter, which has been very effective for him.  Why he would drop his cutter at this stage is a bit puzzling but considering he couldn’t get his fastball over the plate, he probably wouldn’t have gotten the cutter either.

◊ I had high hopes that the addition of Brian Bruney meant better use of David Robertson. We saw the start of that last night, with Robertson coming in during the eighth inning while Joba sat in the pen wearing a sweatshirt.  Robertson walked Werth on four pitches, then gave up a seeing-eye grounder to Ibanez that plated two runs.  He ended the inning by getting Francisco to ground out.  Not a bad performance by Robertson as the ground ball was mostly bad luck.

I didn’t expect to see Brian Bruney come out and pitch the ninth.  At that point, even the most confident of fan must have been doubtful that the Yankees could come back from four runs down, which may have been in the back of Girardi’s mind.  Four runs is easier than six, though, and Bruney’s ineffectiveness left him with two earned runs in a third of an inning.

Bruney hasn’t pitched in a game since the end of the regular season.  If Girardi wants to put him in to get him going, he needs to keep the leash a little bit shorter.

◊  Pedro Martinez starts for the Phillies tonight. It’s amazing how a few good starts can make people believe in Pedro again.  His fastball has been averaging about 89 miles per hour, which isn’t very good.  It’s his change-up, which sits around 79-80 that can be Pedro’s damage pitch just like his old days.  He needs to throw it for strikes which is something he did only half the time against the Dodgers.

In Pedro’s 130 pitch marathon against the Mets in September, Martinez featured three kinds of fastballs, a change-up, curveball, slider and a cutter.  Everything but the kitchen sink.  The hapless Mets bailed Pedro out a bit as none of his pitches were overly effective.

Pedro is certainly capable of pitching a good game, especially if the Yankees are impatient with him.  But realistically, Pedro hasn’t performed against an offense of the Yankees caliber yet, making me doubtful that the Phillies can expect more than a mediocre performance.

◊  Burnett gets the ball tonight and Jose Molina likely will be behind the plate. It’s a waste of a bat, but whatever.  Girardi has to stick to his guns at this point.  Putting Posada behind the plate now would be an admission that Molina didn’t have to be there in Burnett’s other three starts.  I can’t see Girardi doing that, not even if AJ pitches game five in Philly.

◊  We’re chatting again tonight for game 2.  Come on by and join us.