On the Yankees beat

This game has been very frustrating from a Yankee POV. Perez has been wild and the Yankees (in a very un-Yankee manner) have been chasing balls. Case in point - Cano swinging at ball 4 to lead off the 7th inning down 2-0.

Now I understand, we're not gonna win 95 games in a row, but they are not playing smart baseball. They've wasted a good outing by Clemens. Well, at least we have the top of the order coming up in the 8th. We need our bullpen to shut them down the rest of the way and get some timely hitting. Why is Vizcaino in for a second inning in a 2-0 game?

When Jeter was asked before the game who was the best baseball player in town not on the Yankees, he said Jose Reyes.

If I had been asked about what Met I thought best of I would have said David Wright (having seen very little of any of them), but at this point I can see why Jeter answered as he did.

True Diane.

I hadn't seen much of Jose Reyes (I live in Seattle), but he has been downright dominating in this game.

Diane, you should try watching a little more of them. Just because you are a Yankees fan, you might learn a little something more about baseball watching games you are not emotionally invested in.

Most of the National media has tapped Reyes as a top-5 MVP candidate. No fan should need Derek Jeter to point this out.

Gitmo,

I caught a game or two last year and Reyes seemed to make hasty mistakes while Wright seemed to always know what was going on in the game. This year Reyes seems to play smart as well as fast.

I can't remember the last time a RH Yankee hitter outside of AROD hit a HR in a clutch situation.Anyone?

Melky ,let's face it he is just downright awful in the clutch.

Any of you out there who really think this team can make it to the playoffs as it is currently constructed need to think twice!
Cairo ? No power! Phelps is a joke !We need RH power in the worst way !

Tip my cap to Oliver Perez maybe he's finally coming into his own.

The Yanks gave Damon a multi-year deal for millions of dollars why is he always injured ? To me he's just the team mascot.

Diane - Reyes can still make a bonhead mistake now and then...he gets picked off a fair bit for one, but he can do everything on a baseball field. Wright isn't far behind, but he is not as electric.

Wright is more of a Jeter-type in that he can do everything but carry a team - he needs help. Reyes can carry a team.

Hey "THE WORLD EXTENDS WAY PAST MY CHOSEN BLOG MONIKER"

You're F*ckin with "La Ninja"

You may escape her wrath this time but I must encourAGE you to tread lightly.

She's likely mentally disemboweling other idiots such as you.

PS.

A Ninja never sleeps...

PS.

Any golf aficianados out there...

I've limited my posts lately because I've been fortunate enough to have enrolled in a golf school at TPC SAWGRASS with my father (fathers day gift) and have been enjoying the STADIUM COURSE's Vicious beatings for the past 4 days.

I'm very upset about the end of this streak. I'll be back in my sH*itty midtown apt. shortly and will likely resume my regular "bitching"

ruse is right, Melky has been disappointing and Phelps is still useless. Cairo makes a good utility infielder (an asset to any team) but is not an everyday player.

Another serious problem is Farnsworth. I find it very hard to care how great his slider supposedly is.

So, yeah, we could use some improvements.

BUT we never expected that streak to last forever, and there is good news mixed with the bad news that we have not solved Oliver Perez.

Two examples:

RC pitched well enough to win, in fact he pitched well enough that we would probably settle for that performance every five days -- but he will still probably get a bit stronger with more games behind him.

The team did not revert to that pathetic, lifeless look they had when everybody and his dog was slumping.

Both those things tell me there are more wins coming.

Michael,

Every eye that's closed ain't sleepin. A Ninja does not waste energy on parachutists, but scrolls on by...

and meantime, rejoices to note that your absence is for a happy reason.

Part of the emotional problem with the game last night is the streak. The Yankees have to win a ton of games to get back in it but not all of them. I as a Yankee fan look at every loss as dvastating, wrong. We won't win them all.

On another note, Melky, Cano and Phelps had lousy plate discipline against Perez who was fortunate to get out with the win. There was a very nice catch by Gomez and numerous swings at bad pitches. I find it hard to accept lousy plate discipline at this time in their careers even on a per game basis. These guys watch patience at the plate by everyone in the lineup plus Mattingly and Long are keen observers. This should not go past the first bad swing. Someone should be yelling from the dugout. We need a full-time first baseman. Cairo has been great but he's not the answer, we all know this. Damon is getting old, legs, now abdominal pain. The team is flawed but can still win because starting pitching is there. Clements great job. he knows still how to do it! We have the soldiers to get it done but can't expect to win every game against the better competition.

Okay, we lost a game after winning 12 of 14 and 9 in a row, but I'm not quite ready to get rid of any player who didn't produce last night. Last year, we had the perfect lineup top to bottom, Murder's Row II, and we won only one game in the post-season. I say we still need to give this lineup a chance because they just might have the right chemistry.

I don't think we did as badly as the final score reflects, nor did the Mets look like a team to write home about. There were three or four balls caught at the wall where the game could easily have been 6 or 7 to 2 in our favor in another ballpark (with Cairo missing a 3-run homer by about an inch). We had the bases loaded at least twice with 0 to show for it, and as Larry mentioned, some appearances at the plate were downright ugly (what was Cano thinking swinging at ball 4 in a 3-0 count?)

I think the Yankees were too over-anxious last night trying to offset the Mets' small ball with some big bangs. Maybe starting off with small ball today will help, instead of reaching for the stands with every at-bat.

We have no use for Phelps on this team. He can't pitch, he can't hit other than a high fastball.

I see Andy Phillips is hitting .310 in AAA. We already know he is also an above-average defensive 1B. Why not bring him up?

Actually, I want to modify my comment. As Jeff stated, I do agree that Phelps is one player that probably could be traded right now since he can't field and he probably needs to play consistently in order to hit consistently. I cringe when he plays 1st and sigh when he comes to the plate. I don't think he adds positive chemistry to the team's makeup under these circumstances.

I know some of you believe fans should cheer the laundry, not the play, but I am ready for boos to rain down on the Hacker brothers every time they flail away at the plate.

(That's Cab-Hacker and Can-Hacker to you.)

Naturally I also think they should receive resounding cheers every time they let a 'ball' pass them by -- and a standing O for a walk.

Something has to change, and we fans have no other way to influence their play.

Wally Matthews is the biggest horses ass to ever write a column for Newsday. Just look at his last few articles and you will agree. Being crowned "King Jackass" of Newsday is no small feat either, there have been a few winners over the years.
Damn...bring back Heyman!

Never read anything in Newsday except this blog and, lately, Kat's articles.

My blood pressure is good.

If you don't like what's on change the channel.

YANKEES RH hitters have hit 35 HR this season
AROD-25
JETER-4
POSADA-3
PHELPS-2
MELKY-1

and are currently 7-10 vs.LH starters.

lucy, diane, ruse et al...

i think that when analyzing players and performance it is important to stay consistent and not sway according to this or that game, and i think most of us have done that.

many here, myself included, wrote during the off season that melky should be traded since his value will never be higher.
well, he definitely proved that by showing the holes in his swing and discipline and his complete lack of power.
this has nothing to do with losing yesterday or hopefully winning today, it's a fact.

but more troubling to me is cano. he just doesn't learn. i wrote here more than a month ago that getting him out is very easy - just throw a high fastballand he'll chase it, and nothing has changed. he is chasing, he is impatient, he can't hit lefties and can't hit for power.

i know i'll get a lot of flack, but for me he is the most tradeable yankee and we can let him go for the right deal. and i mean a really sweet deal. he is not that special. look at the kid pedroia, started terribly now hitting well over .300 (had 5 hits yesterday...) and playing much better defense than cano. i don't see the future batting champ in cano, but his value is very high - now at least. if the twins run into trouble re-signing santana or the astros want to dump salary (oswalt) - i say get cano involve.

i disagree about phelps, not to the fact that he is mediocre at best, but rather to the point that to me the 1b issue is marginal coming to trade season. fix the bullpen is agenda no. 1, then get an OF who can jet and defend, then 1b.

Cano is hitting .270 against lefties as well as righties.His glaring weakness is hitting in the clutch.2 outs RISP he's 3-26 a .115 ave.
Melky is 3-27 w/ 2 outs RISP .111 ave.

Jim A.,

Heyman won't come back. Newspapers are going under. He told me Newsday wouldn't even let him write a goodbye column to the fans. He is at SI.com now.

Will the Yankees make the playoffs? Perhaps. Will they be thrown out in the first round? Yes. This team is a shell of the 1998 team. At least half the roster must go. But there is hope in the minor leagues, and the draft, trades, free agent money ...

For all you "Sweeney Haters" out there, he had 3 RBI last night. Also, Bartlett went 2-4. We could use both these players, and they are available.

Get us a real 1B, Cashman!

We can only get by with Cairo there for so long.

can someone please tell the yes network to can leiter and singelton asap?

leiter is a known yankee hater and the yanks always seem to lose when he's "announcing". singleton is actually a good announcer- problem is, he hates the yanks also from his orioles days.

go yanks go.

Cano and Melky have value in trades but they have value to the Yankees. Both are very impressionable young players. This is my complaint with the Yankee coaching/mgr. You hit your pitch anyone who played past the age of 15 knows this principle. Little League coaches hammer it into kids all day. "Don't help him Johnny". Long the hitting coach should brush up on his Spanish because Melky and Robby are not hearing the plea, "Don't help him out, Robby".

One blunder that pissed me off was Matsui'e running error. Hello, its a homer or an out why stray so far. Perez pitched a good game but we gave him the oppts. to bail himself out. It was a bad loss because the Yankees did not play well.

We must be patient with Robby and Melky. They will get it together with the discipline at the plate. Playing in NY where every game is important, tends to make us impatient but I would have to believe if the coaching staff was getting on these two young guys then some improvement would be showing.

Larry,

Maybe you're right that we have to be patient with Melky, who has not been up as long and has had irregular playing time --but Cano is a year ahead of him in his ML career and seems to have made no progress since last year in plate discipline, while playing regularly.

BOOOOO!!! BOOOO!!!

Diane: My point is patience but coaches could show some annoyance especially the captain. I just hate to give up on the kid when a little patience could mean another Carew is playing and its for the Yankees.

Larry,

Someone definitely has to show some annoyance. These are two kids who obviously seek approval. I think fans and coaches alike should be putting some pressure on them. They are a little too please with themselves all things considered. Let's not see those dimples for a while.