Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Friday, October 07, 2011
The Yankees’ dreams of a 28th World Series championship were packed into winter hibernation on Thursday, as the Tigers defeated New York, 3-2, in Game 5 of the American League Division Series.
...
Manager Joe Girardi’s bullpen usage raised eyebrows after starter Ivan Nova was pulled after two innings with right forearm tightness. But the Yankees managed only two runs against four Detroit pitchers, including Doug Fister, who pitched five good innings for the win.
Nova surrendered two first-inning solo homers to put his club down early. Don Kelly poked the first into the right-field seats and Delmon Young followed on the next pitch with a rocket to left field, marking the first back-to-back homers in Tigers postseason history.
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1. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: October 07, 2011 at 03:58 AM (#3954741)I'll be rooting for you guys in the ALCS.
Seriously, either Jim Leyland or Captain Morgan had better find that dude a designated driver.
Fun series to follow, well done Detroit, good luck in the ALCS.
Really enjoyed this round, with three of the division series going to five games. I was having a lot of heartburn about how many sweeps there've been in late years, so, cool.
Or move the celebration to Boston. The team just eliminated the Yankees, Cabrera could probably swerve over 10-15 BU or BC fratboys and no jury would convict him. Also, 10-15 fewer fratboys. Win-win!
That's probably true regardless of any baseball outcomes.
But I'm shocked Nova lost. He was 16-4 on the season. That's an .800 winning percentage. And we know he turned into Greg Maddux after he worked on his pitches in the middle of the year.
Could be complete ass-covering for Girardi by the Yankees ... could also be something real.
Here's hoping it's the former, not the latter.
"Forearm tightness" is one of those things that doesn't sound so bad, but far too often is a precursor to a TJ procedure ...
#21, why would they need to cover their asses? Pen gave up 1 run over 7 innings. Offense just failed today.
"Forearm tightness" is one of those things that doesn't sound so bad, but far too often is a precursor to a TJ procedure ...
Yup, might as well get on Dr. Andrews calender now.
Hopefully, the Cards are next out, I can't stand LaRussa.
Go Everyone Else!
I wouldn't have wished the season ending K on Rodriguez. For anyone watching the game (I had to catch it on the radio), how much did Jeter's flyball in the 8th miss the fences by? And how many minutes before the narrative settles in at, 'Jeter gave it a good ride and almost got it done, while Alex spit the bit and choked again'?
Mid-warning track, but can-of-corn trajectory. I'm surprised Kelly didn't pat his glove to rub it in as he waited to make the catch.
Texas, obviously. Always Texas.
??
The Yankees didn't lose because they didn't pitch well.
It would be rather funny if after the AL East has been wiped out so early, the NLCS was contested by two NL Central teams.
That, and Alex Rodriguez had a shot at making it to third on Swisher's single to right with one out. Twice, the Yanks had a man on first with one out when the batter singled to rightfield, and in neither case did it look like they ever even thought about trying for third base.
BC grad here. No frats at the school, haven't been for almost 30 years.
I believe he means ass-covering as far as what seemed like a pre-determined strategy to take out pitchers that were doing OK.
It's a lot easier to not have sweeps if the Twins don't make the playoffs.
Jeffrey Maier would have had it. Kids today, meh.
Amazing: one month ago, the Yankees were 2½ ahead of Boston, and the Red Sox were 4½ games ahead of Detroit, 5 ahead of Texas (not to mention 7 ahead of Tampa Bay). FOX was licking its chops over a Sox-Yankees playoff series; I was certainly braced for it, and not even that sanguine that the Rangers could hold their own 2½ game lead over Anaheim. Now I guess we're headed for the lowest TV ratings in the history of the ALCS :) I'll do my part to keep them low by heading out to the Ballpark for Games One and Two ...
Ouch! Too bad that Pythagoras couldn't have pinch hit for Swisher and A-Rod.
Nice! have fun. This ALCS could be a barnburner.
FWIW, he went from 42 IP last year to 165 IP this year (doesn't include postseason). That's a pretty big jump; it wouldn't surprise me at all to find out something went kablooey in his arm.
So if CC opts out & signs elsewhere--I know, I know, but humor me--and Nova has something seriously wrong, the rotation would be (based on who is actually signed for 2012):
Burnett
Hughes?
?
?
?
That would be amusing... Though I'm guessing Brinks has already been alerted by the Yankees that their trucks will be needed for a delivery to Sabbathia's house sometime this off-season... And that they'd try to resign at least one of Garcia/Colon... but, still, could be an interesting off-season.
It was actually 145 minors + 42 majors in '10 to 165.1 majors + 16 minors + 9 postseason.
[48] I think they will go hard after CJ Wilson.
Probably going to see a full season of Montero in 2012, which could help. Nova & Hughes could stabilize the rotation (or not), and coupled with a full year of the "good AJ" & CC at the top of his form -- there could be enough pitching, and assuming Father Time doesn't strike down some of the older position players, the Yanks could do well. That's a fair number of ifs, so it's likely to be an interesting year.
Burnett
Hughes?
?
?
?
That would be amusing... Though I'm guessing Brinks has already been alerted by the Yankees that their trucks will be needed for a delivery to Sabbathia's house sometime this off-season... And that they'd try to resign at least one of Garcia/Colon... but, still, could be an interesting off-season.
The reason that this early exit was probably the least depressing I can remember is that I can also remember what the Yanks' 2011 rotation looked like at the beginning of the season. The 119 ERA+ they managed to get out of that patchwork pitching staff has got to be one of the greater miracles the Yankees have ever had bestowed upon them this side of Shawn Chacon and Aaron Small. I can see a decent first three next year in CC, Nova and Hughes, and hope springs eternal for Burnett, but finding two more pitchers who can duplicate what Colon and Garcia did is going to take an even greater miracle than what Cashman pulled off this year.
I think so too (especially once CC opts out and signs with Boston...)
I have no doubt that if Theo leaves, Luchhino will push long and hard to get Sabbathia, regardless of who the next GM is. I don't think it will ultimately yield results, of course...
A-Rod had a terrible series, but he ahd more RBI than Jeter. You know what the story woul dbe if the stats were reversed.
Mariano, 1.1 IP in the series. You found ways to get CC in lots of games, but not your best P. Not good.
If the Yankees are looking for pitching, we've got a nice innings-snarfing Mike Pelfrey on display in the front window.
First time since 2006 no AL East team is in the ALCS. Darn.
Girardi used him in a blowout game, then didn't use him in a close game (down by 3 in the 9th; back of the pen gave up another run), then allowed Soriano to give up the eventual game-winning run in the 7th of the next game, then didn't use him in a blowout game, then used him last night.
But I don't think Girardi really did anything wrong. I wouldn't have used Rivera in Game 1 (blowout), but I'd have used Rivera in Game 2 (though it didn't end up mattering) and in Game 3 (the Soriano blown lead). I would freely go to Rivera any time starting in the 7th, and even in the 6th if there are bases loaded or whatever, and in an elimination game I'd even go to him earlier. I want to use my best reliever when I think the game is at a turning point. But I'm obsessive about this, and clearly on my own island. Managers today simply aren't going to do that. But I can't fault Girardi for much here.
If I'm remembering correctly, it was 2006 where the Yankees lost to the Tigers and Rivera was a non-factor because Torre kept waiting for a Save Situation that never came.
The way the announcers were blathering about the set-up guys having to "get the ball to Valverde" as if it were like some relay race, you would think that by rule the designated closer could not be brought into a game until the 9th inning.
But the bottom line is that I don't want the other team going through my pen to win a game without getting my best reliever in.
Well, not really, but I think everyone gets your point. It's not like it's never come up around here before.
This has been the narrative for years now, nothing really too surprising about it.
Me. Yankees/Tigers was a great series between two division champs, but there's no discernable reason the Phillies should be playing the Cardinals this week.
What's the point of that series?
I'm not sure Jeter would have been safe, and station-to-station makes a lot of sense with a guy coming off knee surgery.
Profits.
Same conversation as last year at this time, but that's what happens when TV's baseball universe revolves around a tiny handful of teams and fails to introduce other really good teams and really good players to the nation. It's simply absurd that an ALCS between two division champs, one with 95 wins, the other with 96, will be so poorly watched.
You know that the Tigers had a better chance of winning that game than the Red "lock" Sox had of making the playoffs, right?
Outcomes suddenly matter to you, now?
It's really lame. But, whatever.
You're right about all of the above, and you might also remind your Tiger friends about 2006.
Brewers seem to be the clearest force of good. Not sure whether to dock them for whatever ties Selig still has there, or take satisfaction that they're winning now that Selig's gone. Probably about a wash.
DBacks
Tigers
Rangers
Cardinals
Phillies
No room for debate, sorry.
DBacks
Tigers
Rangers
Cardinals
Phillies
No room for debate, sorry
I would flip the Rangers and Cards...or maybe just call it a tie, but this looks right.
Texas - because, #### the state of Texas
big gap
Arizona - because, well, #### the state of Arizona too
gap
Philly / St. Louis - mostly just ambivalent between these two. suppose I should root against Philly fans, but that's more or less balanced by my dislike of TLR.
big gap
Detroit - for Jim Leyland, chain smoking his heaters down the tunnel between innings and for the city, which deserves some awesome
gap
Milwaukee - for my grandmother, who was a big Brewers fan and for the state of Wisconsin, which is just a wonderful place filled with some of the nicest people I've ever met.
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