N.Y. Yankees: Big Papi Foils Bombers Attempt at Sweep

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

David Ortiz hit his 29th and 30th career home runs

at Yankee Stadiums II and III.

New York Yankees: Big Papi Kicks Sand at Yankees' Attempt to Sweep Red Sox.

They put up good fight ... for two games at least.  And hell, the Yankees won the series, and even caused the Sawx to drop into second place of the A.L. East.

But the Bronx Bombers just couldn't pull off a weekend sweep over the Boston Red Sox with a still ineffective Luis Severino on the mound.

The ol' tag team of Dustin Pedroia and Big Papi weren't having it ... not from him, not from this inexperienced 22-year old youngster.  Despite Severino's 9 strikeouts, Pedroia's home run in the 1st, and Papi's home runs in the 4th and 7th innings ensured Severino's season ERA remained over six.

Xander Bogaerts landed the final TKO blow in the 8th inning off the Yankees bullpen.  The damage, however, had already been done.

Although the Yankees will finally realize the arrival of reliever Aroldis Chapman, they're clearly still waiting for the more promising 2015 rookie version of Luis Severiono to reappear - the one whom posted a 5-3 record with a 2.86 ERA, and 8.1 K/9 average over 11 starts.

This season, Severino is now 0-5, with a 6.12 ERA.  To date, he has surrendered 42 hits, and an alarming 7 home runs, with an unsightly 1.485 WHiP in only 32.1 innings pitched.

That still doesn't explain Boston starter Steven Wright's dominant performance over the Bombers.   He went the distance for his third victory (3-3, 1.52) of the season, and held the Bombers scoreless and limited them to just 2 hits through 8.2 innings, until finally surrendering Bret Gardner's 2-out solo home run in the 9th.

Series win or not, any way you season it, the Yankees will begin their series against the Kansas City Royals with a bitter taste in Joe Girardi their mouths, and they have Big Papi largely to thank ... again.

David Ortiz hit his 29th, and 30th career home runs at Yankee Stadiums II and III.

N.Y. Yankees: Blame for Beantown Beat Down Falls on Brian Cashman

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Merely passing each other by in the night while heading in opposite directions.

Red Sox sweep series 3-0

I - BOS 4; NYY 2

II - BOS 8; NYY 0

III - BOS 8; NYY 7

Look what Big Papi did to the Bronx Bombers ... again!

The Red Sox swept the weekend series at Fenway Park by a combined 20-9 score.  As has been his custom since joining the Red Sox, David Ortiz went 4 for 7 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI during the first two games.

Now in his 14th season with the Red Sox, David Ortiz has 778 career at-bats against the Bombers, in which he slashed .339/.424/.679, with 48 home runs, and 152 RBI.

In two classic back-to-back American League Championship Series between the Yankees and Red Sox during 2003-2004, Big Papi slashed a combined .328/.412/.640, with 5 home runs and 17 RBI in 14 games.

Ortiz combined to hit 30+ home runs and drive in 100+ runs nine times throughout his career.  He led the American League with 148 RBI in 2005, then led the circuit with both 54 home runs and 137 RBI in 2006.

David Ortiz
"Big Papi"
*

CAREER

Twins 1997 - 2002

Red Sox 2003 - present

508 HR

1,660 RBI

.285/.378/.548

New York Yankees: "Right now is a time when everyone wants to play the Yankees" - Ken Singleton during Saturday's telecast.

Let the table hit the floor...

Let the table hit the floor...

Let the table hit the floor...

Let the table hit the floor...

Arrrrrrrgh!

Joe Girardi always looks miserable, but he's looking especially grim these days.  As the Yankees enter the second month of the season, little is going his way.

Before Joe makes himself sick, someone please tell him this is all Brian Cashman's fault.

In the meantime, Sunday's result once again did little to remove the scowl from Girardi's jaw clenched face.

• The Red Sox moved into first place after a weekend sweep of the Yankees.  
• The Yankees have now lost five in a row, and six of their last seven games.
• Oh, and they're in last place with an 8-15 record, and must now face the second place Orioles.

Said another way, the Yankees are off to their worst start since 1991, back when the Law of Diminished Returns ill affected the Boss' Yankees of the late 1980s in eerie similar fashion.

Fast forward - upon his hiring, Joe Girardi was initially tasked with retiring a dynasty, then got locked into a rebuilding holding pen after Cashman signed another wave of prohibitive contracts.  Not unexpectedly, now Girardi is receiving distressing performances from the all team's most expensive players.  

Until the Yankees detach themselves from several of these largess contracts, they'll remain incapable of initiating a full blown youth insurgence (which requires its own conversation).  Brian Cashman has actually procured some good young talent, sure, but his greater claims of a youth injection are greatly exaggerated.  Instead, he's to be criticized for years of lacking timeliness and forethought.

In the meantime what's a Yankees manager to do?  Joe Girardi is nothing more than the interpreter of the Book of Cashman - a stooge, if you will, in the same manner many managers were under George Steinbrenner.  Under the old Old Boss, however, this never used to be a problem - he just ate the money and bought more players.  These days, that's just not the way Hal rolls.

There's the rub ... Brian Cashman began empowering himself during George's latter years, but has truly seized, and exerted, full authority under Hal.  This is not a criticism of Mr. Steinbrenner, but I'm not sure Hal is prepared to venture forward without Cashman ... yet.

The Bronx Bombers are presently nothing more than a myth.  Although there's been some tangible improvements made from within, these Yankees arrived at their own law of diminished returns years ago.

2016 American League Rank:

• 6th least home runs
• 5th worst team average
• 4th worst OBP
• 2nd most strikeouts
• Dead last in slugging

I watched Saturday's game, and agreed with David Cone and Ken Singleton when the two accurately described the Yankees overall effort as one worthy of a buffet flip.

After one particularly poor performance, Ken Singleton recalled how his manager Earl Weaver once flipped the food table while telling his team they didn't deserve to eat.  Singleton said Weaver then apologized, and told the team it was his own fault, because he picked them, and thought they could win!

Ouch...

There's no need discussing how George would have handled this, especially after getting swept in Boston.

Although David Cone was first to suggest flipping the buffet table, he got it right by calling that Old School tactics.  

Ah, the good ol' days!

This world is now far too PC for the Billy Martin's and Earl Weaver's of yore, but I digress...

Saturday's 8-0 whitewashing was the second of two pathetically played games against the Red Sox on consecutive nights at Fenway Park.  At least the Yanks showed some fight on Sunday.  But it was the manner in which they lost on Saturday that inspired Cone and Singleton to consider such a reactive measure - a message made all the more poignant because it came from two former players.

Monday is an off day for the Yankees, who will then open a series in Baltimore on Tuesday against the second place Orioles.

Circling back to Girardi, maybe the guys in the booth were right.  Perhaps Joe should have indeed flipped the buffet table and sent them back to the hotel room that night feeling hungry.

Maybe, if their malaise continues during their stopover in Baltimore, the ghost of Earl Weaver will inspire Joe Girardi to ignore protocol, and engage in said old school tactics.

Flip the table Joe!

Nothing else in Cashman's codex seems to be working for you.

N.Y. Yankees: Evolving Rivalry Against Red Sox Resumes Tonight

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

TONIGHT

New York Yankees

vs.

Boston Red Sox

FROM

Fenway Park

American League East

First) Yankees   46-39

Last) Red Sox    41-45 

New York Yankees:  Winds of change blowing from the Bronx through Boston; First place Bombers take on last place Red Sox.

Don't look now, but Boston is the hottest team in the A.L. East.

The Red Sox have put the division in a tourniquet, and have been squeezing with an 8-2 record in their last 10 games.  That has made the invading Yankees' lead over their long time rival a precarious one.  To the Bomber's credit, they've won 5 of their last 7 games.

The three teams that separate them in the standings; Orioles, Rays, Blue Jays; seem in no rush to distinguish themselves.  Otherwise, the Sox should have been dead and buried long ago.  But, this is baseball - it's a long season, and this is what happens when you fail to put teams away.

The Red Sox will host the Yankees in a first half finale prior to the All-Star break.  Fenway Park should rock this weekend, with a retro feel of just a decade ago.  Together, they'll prove this rivalry is far from dormant, and that the A.L. East crown is up for grabs.

Or, the Sox will get swept, and that will be the end of that.

Unfortunately, Dustin Pedroia is likely to miss the series.  On the other side, the most recent traitor, Jacoby Ellsbury returns from his knee injury just in time to face his former team.

Fenway fans are sure to intensify their raucousness each and every time Alex Rodriguez steps to the plate.  Who can ever forget the time they wore those little blonde girl masks?  Alex in Boston has always meant good times!

If nothing else, we'll get to watch Old-Rod and Big GrandPapi share the Fenway stage for one of the last few times in their careers.

This could be a decisive series for the Red Sox, and for GM Ben Cherington in particular.   Continuing to play well in July will place the pressure of all New Englanders squarely on the shoulders of Boston's GM to make a deadline move.

After Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox have no reliable pitching to speak of, and they've gotten very little out of Mike Napoli and especially Fung-Fu Panda at the plate.  In fact, the Sox may have too many needs that can not be addressed in one deadline.

At 46-39, the Yankees are the best of the rest.  On Thursday, Masahiro Tanaka gave the Yanks 7.2 innings of pure optimism over the A's.  This weekend, they intend to subdue the Red Sox with Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, and Nathan Eovaldi.  Lately, all three have been pitching like they're in dire need of an All-Star break.

Accompanying Mark Teixeira to the All-Star Game will be Brett Gardner - well deserved.



Mike

Red Sox Counter Punch In Battle Of The Bronx, 11-1

From the desk of:   BLAME CARLOS MAY

 

Battle For The A.L. East

1) - Boston      34-23

2) - Yankees   31-24

 

Series Tied 1-1

I - NYY 4; BOS 1

II - BOS 11; NYY 1

 

 

GAME THREE

 

Boston Red Sox

vs.

New York Yankees

From

The House That George Built

161 Street & River Avenue

BRONX

NEW YORK YANKEES - Fans Want Their AAAA Players Back.


All seemed well in the universe.  You felt order had been restored since the Red Sox and Yankees began battling it out for first place again.  For the Sox, no Jacoby Ellsbury Saturday night.  For the home team - the Yanks were starting to feel better, weren't they?  CC Sabathia looked back in form  during Game One's victory.  Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis returned, and other than Granderson, Jeter and ARod, the Bombers were starting to resemble their old selves.  So what happened?


With the Bombers one game out of first place, the enigmatic Phil Hughes climbed the hill in Bronx County yesterday opposed by Boston's Felix Doubront.  Both pitchers posted zeroes through the first three innings.


Then things went kablooey for Hughes.  The Red Sox broke the scoreless deadlock in the top of the fourth.  Playing in Ellsbury's place, Jackie Bradley Jr. led off by lining a pea over the head of Gardner in center for a double.  Right fielder Mike Carp drove him home with another double down the left field line.  After walking Big Papi to load the bases, Phil Hughes faced Mike Napoli with one out.  The Bosox first baseman then launched Hughes' sixth pitch into the right field seats, for an opposite field grand slam home run.  Napoli entered his at-bat ranked 6th in the A.L. in runs batted in.  To that point, it was Phil Hughes twelfth home run surrendered in fifty-eighth innings pitched this season.


Then what?  The roof of The House Where Sparky Once Spit caved in during the eighth and ninth innings.  Boston scored six more runs, and cranked out eighteen hits in all.  They Yankees were stymied by Boston starter Felix Doubront for six innings, who allowed six hits, one earned run, walked three, and struck out six.  The Yankees were then shut down by the Red Sox bullpen - three combined innings, no hits, no runs, and four strikeouts.


Boston hit four doubles and three home runs off Yankees pitching.  Joe Girardi left poor Adam Warren on the mound for the last three innings of the game to get pounded for six earned runs on eight hits.  Way to go Joe.


Break up the Red Sox.  With Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz serving-up quality games again, along with a refortified bullpen, and Big Papi wielding a peligroso Louisville - Mike Napoli, Dustin Pedroia, freakin' Daniel Nava, and the rest of the Sox and crushin'.  In the bullpen, Andrew Bailey and Koji Uehara are as responsible for the Sox turn around as anybody.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Yankees ~ Ichiro; The Wizard Comes Home

From the desk of:   BLAME CARLOS MAY

New York YANKEES:  Ichiro Suzuki Finally Debuts in The Bronx.


The first thing that comes to mind is, can the Yankees retain Ichiro long enough, and can he play well enough for a few more years, in order for him to get his 3.000th major league hit in a Yankees uniform?  He is 464 away and seems a cinch to achieve the feat.  The only real question is where will he do it?


For now, he gets to partake in Yankees~Red Sox.  I'm sure once tonight's game is through, Ichiro will be describing the differences between this game, and most other games he's played in.  Too bad he's getting short changed though.  For the moment, the Rivalry isn't what it could be.  The Red Sox haven't exactly played up to snuff this season.  As far as the A.L. East is concerned, Boston is a last place club.  Not good by any stretch, they are just a game under the .500 mark.  That's something that probably no one saw coming.  But once Bobby-V donned his Sox for the first time in Spring, even Sweet Caroline was copping an attitude.  Then incredulously; at least to me; Boston traded Kevin Youkilis away to Kenny Williams and the ChiSox.  That was all Bobby Valentine folks.  Trust me on that one.  Take it from a Mets fan.


Change is upon the Red Sox.  And in most cases, popular players do not exit the Sawx on the greatest terms.  The Lansdowne Street Pilgrims maintain a system of casting players out of the colony when you're on the verge on no longer serving the greater good.  Nomar Garciapara, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, Jonathan Papelbon, Derek Lowe, (etc.) and Kevin Youkilis were all effectively, and unceremoniously, given their walking papers in one form or another.  Big Papi is next.  Everyone knows it.  And earlier in the season, he didn't exactly have good things to say over their treatment of him.  To be quite honest, I'm actually surprised he is still on the team; albeit on a one year deal.  If you're a big fan of his, take a good look this weekend, because after this season, David Ortiz be gone too.  But hopefully not before the notorious Yankees' killer unleashes some destruction against Bombers' pitching this weekend.


Make no mistake though, there's been a new sheriff in Boston for almost four full months now.  Changes to the Beer and Chicken Gang, and for the last playing member of The Idiots have only just begun.


The Yankees are tied with the Washington Nationals for the best record in Baseball.  Otherwise, I could could care less about what they are doing right now.  Maybe during this series, I'll actually deal with the Yankees in a fair manner.  No promises though.

THE RIVALRY

TONIGHT

BOSTON RED SOX

vs.

BRONX BOMBERS

From,

161st Street and River Avenue

Bronx, New York City

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Yankees ~ A Lansdowne Street Letdown

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY



new york YANKEES:  Another Lesson Learned on the Bronx Bombers.


GAME TWO FINAL:
Yankees ~ 5
Red Sox ~ 9
Series tied 1-1


Wednesday night, Jason Varitek did what two Yankee catchers have not gotten the grasp of yet this season. 


He doubled home a run and hit a two run homer giving Boston necessary insurance runs against the Yankees late in the game.  But more importantly, he showed how a player is to comport themselves (unlike others, to include David Ortiz) upon completing a trip around the bases.  Secondly, some time ago, he accepted and embraced his role as a back-up catcher for the betterment of the team.  If he's done so grudgingly, we don't know about it.  And yet, he remains a highly respected team Captain; the Red Sox Captain.  And Wednesday night, he was another lesson learned on the Yankees; or at least two Pinstripers anyway.  You know who they are.  One gets called out for Tuesday night's game.  The other gets called out for pouting over his reduced role and importance to the team.


Josh Beckett wasn't especially good Wednesday night.  But Phil Hughes was a little worse because his skipper suffered over-managing stress disorder again.  But, not to completely take him off the hook, on nights where Beckett struggles, you'd hope for better from the pitcher following C.C. Sabathia in the rotation.  That pitcher was Phil Hughes this time.  He didn't pitch that badly.  But that isn't the kind of adverb; or adjective; you want to be hearing about your rotation; or sum of its parts; heading into September.  Is it?  And especially when Big Papi punctuates the Yankees' problems with a booming home run to dead center; followed by a minor flick of the bat; then a slow trip around the bases; and paying respects to his creator upon touching home; kissing the sky; and finally clapping his fists together to finish the whole demonstration off. 


Yes, he did all that.  But then again, he has a cool nick-name and makes ESPN commercials; something lost on Senor Cervelli.


All the Red Sox did was tie this series at one game apiece.  That's what you want to believe; right Yankee fans?  So why does it feel like you're doing so much more worse?

THURSDAY

GAME THREE
new york YANKEES

SP - A.J. Burnett

vs.

BOSTON RED SOX

SP - Jon Lester

From

Lansdowne Street Grounds

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Yankees ~ Bombers Win Game; If Nothing Else

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

 

TONIGHT

new york YANKEES

SP - Phil Hughes

vs.

BOSTON RED SOX

SP - Josh Beckett

From

YAWKEY WAY

new york YANKEES:  Baseball; Head Games; and Cracker Jacks.

It wouldn't have been a Yankees/Red Sox game without a little drama; now would it?  And some-where in all that drama last night, there were lessons to be learned; messages to be sent; and realizations that need to be faced.


How many of last night's batters (4) were actually hit by pitches on purpose?  Here's the answer.  Who cares!  But let's talk about the one everyone is buzzing about today; Francisco Cervelli getting hit by John Lackey.


For his youthful; if not untamed; enthusiasm last night, Cervelli got a fastball in the back.  After he jacked a John Lackey pitch over the Green Monster; out of Fenway; and on to Lansdowne Street; ...to cap off his home run trot, Francisco emphatically stomped on home plate and then seemingly turned to Salty, and clapped his hands almost as if it were directed at the Boston catcher.  Or, that's the way it looked.  John Lackey viewed all that from the mound and when Cervelli took his next turn at-bat, Lackey drilled him with a shoulder high fastball.  Francisco had some words for Lackey, and by the time Cervelli took a few steps, the benches had emptied and congregated in the area between home plate and the mound.


STOP.


OK; we've been (exactly) here before with these two teams; except for maybe Francisco Cervelli.  He's been warned by his own team mates to tone down his act and to leave the pom-poms home.  Not heeding their advice, Francisco had some player-style justice exacted upon him.


The pitch was a fastball.  That's a message pitch.  You don't send messages with breaking balls.  And so we've now established the pitch was on purpose.  Everyone knows it.  But even as the players say, "That's Baseball".  And it is.  But if you watched it live, and over the numerous replays, John Lackey eased up on the pitch.  He took a couple miles-per-hour off that fastball he dotted Cervelli with.  I don't believe he gassed that pitch at him.  Lackey eased-up on the arm speed and deceptively followed through; disguising both his "compassion and disgust" well.  We know Lackey can bring it harder than that pitch.  Watch it again.  But make no mistake; it was a message pitch, and they are still intended to hurt.  Whether the pitch came in at 85mph or 90 mph, doesn't change the soreness of the memento Cervelli took back to the hotel with him.


Some players just need to learn where their spot in life is.  And some of those need to learn the hard way.  Francisco Cervelli got a lesson in both; he was warned.  He's a nice enough kid, but you need to do something in your career that (in this day and age) "entitles" one to that kind of  showmanship.   Then, ...the odds are you get the benefit of the doubt.  The fact is there were a ton of players on both sides at Fenway last night who own one or two championship rings each; to include John Lackey; and others who have even more.  Cervelli is not too far removed from getting excited about a ring from a Cracker-Jacks box.


Here's more reality about last night.  The Yankees may have won the game on the scoreboard.  But that one pitch was a shot across their bow.  If you think back on all the altercations the Sox and Yanks have engaged in since 2003, the Red Sox have gotten the better of the Yankees just about every time.  Things like that may or may not translate to the scoreboard.  But then again, things like that are meant to be attitude adjusters and mood managers.  And where John Lackey may pound his drum to a different beat, what he did was still well in-line with the Red Sox over-all modus operandi.  And the Red Sox, it seems, wanted to get an early jump on the October head game.


The book has been out for years on the Yankees; They can be thrown at; and the Red Sox always have.  That's the matter at hand here.  C.C. Sabathia is an island to himself in his willingness to protect his players.  For years, the Yankee pitchers have not done that...and still don't.  It took the Yankees damn near a decade to finally hit David Ortiz with a purposeful pitch.


C.C. pitched out of a lot of trouble last night.  That's a testament to his greatness.  But the Sox pounded ten hits off him and stranded a small island of base runners too.  That leaves the opposing line-up (Bos) salivating for another crack; not mesmerized about what Sabathia threw at them.


So if the Red Sox didn't beat the Yankees last night, they did the next best thing.

TONIGHT

new york YANKEES

SP - Phil Hughes

vs.

BOSTON RED SOX

SP - Josh Beckett

 

New York Yankees:  Hughes Clues.

 

Phil Hughes is no stranger to this series.  But he didn't make a start the last time these teams met, and the season is growing short.  Meanwhile, the Yankees rotation still has so many questions they need answered.  And so it's Phil Hughes' turn to audition for a spot in the rotation and help the Bombers fill in some of the blanks before the playoffs start.  With the unreliability of A.J. Burnett, it sucks, but Phil Hughes needs to give Joe Girardi a better clue as to who he will be able to rely on (after C.C.) once September is done.

 

But he's going to have to prove something to his manager tonight while opposing Josh Beckett.  IF, things should get out of hand tonight like they almost did yesterday, we know Josh Beckett wouldn't hesitate plunking a Pinstripe or two.  But will Phil Hughes?

 

Phil Hughes has two games to contend with tonight; the one against the Red Sox; and the head game that almost always ensues between these two teams right around this time of year.

 

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Yankees ~ Big Papi Sparks Big Comeback, Again

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY




new york YANKEES:  Lose Series and Share of First Place to Rival Boston Red Sox.


Freddie seemingly did his part Sunday night.  He labored through five innings but only gave up one run.  I'll reiterate this series meant absolutely nothing to either team by default of the Wild Card.  But Freddie Garcia and Bartolo Colon were both under scrutiny to pitch well against what will potentially be their competition in October.  All things considered, they both did well and passed what ever tests were imagined for them by the masses.  Between them, they held the Red Sox' number one offensive machine to 3 runs over 9.2 combined innings pitched.  In the two games they pitched, the final score was a low 3-2 final with each team winning one game. 


The lone blow-out of the series was suffered by the Yankees' staff Ace; C.C. Sabathia.  Saturday's loss made three times this season the Red Sox turned back Sabathia.  Not only do the Red Sox have C.C. Sabathia's number this season, the Sawx have always had Mariano Rivera's number.  And Sunday night, they dialed him up for another colossal blown save /SLASH/ comeback win at Fenway.


What's new is old.  And what's old really never quite gets old if you're Big Papi and the Sawx.


Boston's latest hero; Jeremy Reddick; is new to this.  He only doubled into the left field corner in the 10th inning to drive in the game-winning run.  What's not new is the Red Sox comeback.  What's old; or getting older; is Big Papi.  But what never gets old, is watching him destroy the Yankees.  He doubled off Mo to set up the game-winning RBI by Reddick.


And so the Showdown on Lansdowne Street goes to the home town team; three games to one.  The Red Sox end the weekend in first place.  But at least the Yankees come away from Boston with a little reassurance Colon and Garcia can contribute once the air gets a little cooler.


Of course losing two of three to the Sox shouldn't end on a positive note for Yankee Fans..., right?  Look what Big Papi did to you...again.  And what to make of C.C. Sabathia and Mariano Rivera's propensity to lose to the Beantown Nine?


Didn't anticipate that one....




Mike.BTB

N.Y. YANKEES ~ Big Papi, Mother Nature, and Sox Sweep Bombers

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

new york YANKEES:  Rain Only Delayed the Inevitable.

As far as Game Two, ...Look What Big Papi Did To You.... AGAIN.

There was no brush back.  There was no dusting off and hitting the dirt.  Papi picked up right where he left off Tuesday wasting no time depositing an A.J. Burnett pitch into the seats in right to make an early 1-0 lead, a 3-0 lead before the Yankees even came up to bat.  So much for backing him off the plate and moving his feet.  They moved his feet so much, he rounded the bases, and with all his ribs in tact.

...And the Stadium went silent.

But instead of David Ortiz being the center of attention again, the real story maker was A.J. Burnett, who's rapidly morphing into the Yankee version of Oliver Perez.  Two first inning home runs; a run in the second; and after three more runs given up in the fourth inning, Burnett was toast.  And at this point it must be acknowledged; the Yankees' pitching staff as a whole is in big trouble.  More on that maybe tomorrow.


(That was all meant for yesterday.  I fell asleep, too tired from softball last night and never published.  And so I resume today with some tweaks.)

Too bad the Yankees chose to wait three hours to get last night's game in.  Because the fact is, the Sox flat out rolled the Yankees like a drunk on 161st Street.  Not only C.C., but they rolled the whole team, all series long.


Last night was the big match-up between CC Sabathia and Josh Beckett.  Things were going fairly copacetically for C.C. the Yanks over the first six innings.  The Yanks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the home half of the first and made it last for the next five innings.


Along the way, Josh Beckett plunked another two Pinstriped milk bottles.  Then finally...Finally!... C.C. defended the Yankees' honor by drilling Big Papi with the pitch so many fans and Media talkies have been asking for.  After the game, when asked about getting hit, Big Papi told a group of reporters, "I hope you're f**king happy now."


But the damage inflicted by Papi and the S'awks had already been done.  The Red Sox sent a message received here in New York loud and clear by everyone. 


The Yankees relinquished their hold on first place and it has all the Yankee-leaning talkies in a full blown panic.  And why shouldn't they be?  Have you seen who's in the Yankees' bullpen lately?




The Joba Rules and Hughes Rules Got A New Spin:

In short work, which is how Cashman operates these days, he basically shook off any responsibility he might have had in the demise of Joba and Hughes.  Cashman said The Rules were always in place in their minor operations and that it was the Media who picked up the Who's Rules ball and ran with it because he implemented it on the Major League level.  And it's true; on both counts.  No one ever heard Cashman say these are "Joba Rules" per say.  But they were, no matter how much Cashman wants to deny it.  But my question was always why?  Why bring up the kid (Joba) after only 88 innings pitched in the minor leagues?  What equates to on-the-job training, is turning out to be a complete fail on many levels.

For all the babying they handled Joba and Phil Hughes with, the two still succumbed to injuries (as did Ian Kennedy when he came up as part of that much heralded trio).  Joba is done for the next year and a half if he has to get Tommy John surgery.  There is speculation now, Hughes will fill the bullpen role when he returns.  If that plays out, then the mismanagement continues in earnest.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. YANKEES ~ Big Papi Flips Out The Bombers

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY


NEW YORK YANKEES:  Who's Your PAPI?

So what are they gonna do, throw at him?  After the way the Red Sox have manhandled the Yankees this season, maybe they should.


Pffft.  In the immortal words of Yankees' announcer Michael Kay, "C'mon....  Really?  ....Really!?" 


From the words "Play Ball" and Jacoby Elsbury's lead-off home run last night, the Red Sox had the Yankees right where they wanted them; on the field with only one game separating the two teams.


For years, Big Papi has pounded the Yankees.  And for years he's flipped his bat (if not as dramatically as last night) after bashing a home run against them, yet again.  And for years, fans and said announcer have been begging for Papi to either get backed off the plate, or get plunked in the ribs; (Ribs; His words.  Not mine).  And finally, for years, the Yankees have failed to follow through with any overt, aggressive-type approach towards Big Papi.


So, if you're looking for A.J. Burnett to carry over a grudge, forget it.  He ain't going after Papi or anyone.  Number one; it's too late.  That should have been thought about last night.  Number two; He has enough trouble keeping his own game in check, much less curbing another player's appetite for show-boating.  If he does wind up plunking Papi or anyone else, I'm sure it will be because he's struggling and will therefore happen by accident. 


And if Joe Girardi didn't like it, I'd suggest he get a pitcher on the mound who can get him out.  Period.  The play of the game was made by Kevin Youkilis in the first inning when with two outs, the Yanks had the bases loaded.  Nick Swisher smashed one to the Hot Corner where Youk went to his left and made a fine play to retire the Yankees.  Failure to capitalize in that moment, when a base hit could have tied the game, is what did-in the Yanks last night; Not Papi.  Papi was just a punctuation mark on a season long statement the Red Sox are making.


The Yankees entered the game with a one game lead.  Today they are tied for first place.  And if my Spidey-sense serves me correctly, by tomorrow morning, the Yankees will be in second place.


So Flip This.  Who's your Papi?!

TONIGHT

(Red Sox Lead Series 1-0)

GAME TWO

BOSTON RED SOX

vs.

new york Yankees

From

the House Across The Street From The Place Where

Sparky Used To Spit

161st Street and River Avenue

Bronx

Mike.BTB