Hey everyone! Forecast wasn't lookin' good for tonight's game, but we'll see if the weather holds. Just a heads-up: we're tinkering with our new live blog format. You can still comment on the cover it live forum, but I'll be posting the nuts and bolts here. As per MLB rules, I can only post every 1/2 inning and can only include so much play-by-play, but we'll work through it! So feel free to get this thing started, just keep those comments clean (no doubt the urge to comment on the many torrid affairs of Roger Clemens will be tempting, but we gotta keep it family-newspaper appropriate) :)
Tonight's starting lineups:
Detroit-
Curtis Granderson CF
Placido Polanco 2B
Gary Sheffield DH
Magglio Ordonez RF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Carlos Guillen 3B
Jacque Jones LF
Brandon Inge C
Ramon Santiago SS
New York-
Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Shelley Duncan 1B
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera CF
Morgan Ensberg 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Chad Moeller C
Top 1st
A 1-2-3 inning for Kennedy and Sheffield received a very NY welcome (boos)....
0-0
Bottom 1st
Damon leads off with a walk, and Jeter advances him to second on a ground ball to left for a base hit. Abreu then nails a fastball for a three-run homer to right
3-0 Yankees
Top 2nd
Kennedy looks good through two. Much more aggressive. He's attacking the zone and it's paying off.
3-0 Yankees
Bottom 2nd
And a 1-2-3 inning for Detroit.
3-0 Yankees
Top 3rd
Santiago drops in a double to left that Damon couldn't come up with that sets up Granderson's RBI for the Tigers' first run. Two on and two out and Mags ties it up with a two-run double to deep right. Next batter and Cabrera gives the Tigers a lead with an RBI triple. And the rain is coming down.
4-3
Bottom 3rd
Three up, three down.
4-3 Tigers
Top 4
Kennedy strikes out Inge, en route to a 1-2-3 inning. Kennedy rebounded nicely there, but we'll see if he can maintain his focus.
4-3
Bottom 4
Matsui and Ensberg both with base hits, but with two on and two outs, Moeller strikes out swinging. Stranding runners in scoring position....
4-3
Top 5
After walking Sheffield, Girardi makes a trip to the mound. Gotta wonder how much longer he'll last. Maggs singles to left and Albaladejo is in to relieve Kennedy. Line on Kennedy: 4 2/3 innings, 4 runs, 5 hits, 1 strikeout, 3 walks. Albie (that his new nickname since his last name is too hard to spell) ends the inning with a strikeout to escape further damage.
4-3
Bottom 5
With Jeter and Abreu at first and second, Shelley Duncan drives in an RBI to tie the game. Santiago makes a great play on what would've been a Cabrera RBI to keep it tied.
4-4
Top 6
After Guillen lines one to right and Jacque Jones smacks a double to deep left, Santiago smacks a two-run triple. Although Damon had a good shot at the double, Santiago now has a double and a triple. Albie musters two strikeouts however, to send it to the bottom of the 6th. Weather becoming a bigger factor now.
6-4 Tigers
Bottom 6th
Moeller gets a base hit with a grounder to left. Bobby Seay in now for Robertson. Farnsworth warming up in the 'pen for the Yankees. Inge can't field Damon's dribbler down the right line. Jeter shows some great hustle, beating the throw to first on a ground ball to third. Bases loaded, two outs and Abreu flies out to center.
6-4
Top 7
Albie back in for the 7th and he gets hit hard. Cabrera, who had a RBI triple earlier, blasts a two-run homer to put the Tigers up four. Guillen rips a double to right and that'll be it for Albaladejo.
8-4
Bottom 7
Yankees can't jump-start any offense there. Really missing A-Rod and Posada at this point.
8-4
Top 8
Damon shakes off a little speculation of whether his injury is a little worse than he's let on with a great catch on Granderson's shot to left and Britton gets a 1-2-3.
8-4
Bottom 8th
Cano to second base on an error by Granderson, but Jeter leaves him stranded on third with a ground out to second.
8-4
Top 9
Well at least Britton's playing well...
8-4
Bottom 9
That's it. Ballgame.
8-4
Comments (31)
Well that was a pitiful performance. How about the Yanks just start the game with the bullpen. Edwar can pitch the first two innings, Ohlendorf the next three, Britton the sixth, Farns the seventh and then Joba and Mariano to finish it off.
Well, it's a transition year right? Better times ahead for the Yanks. The good news is a lot of other teams are not exactly tearing the cover off the ball so the Yanks aren't dead yet.
Not yet dead, AND no worse a record than last year at this time.
not to make excuses but when the Yankees finish this series with Mariners they will have played 33 games in 34 days - 18 on the road - most days playing in cold and rain, with late night flights and early arrivals. they don't just bounce back because they're home now. do you think the pitchers are tired for some reason?
Hello all,
Just spoke with Brian Cashman and I must admit I told him that I was nervous of the current youth movement he then said but I need you and others to be strong, I said I have faith in your movement from this point I also told him that I will support this due to his sincerity, He gave a fist pump and said we have to work through thisI replied I got you, But please tell Bobby A that walls do have some cushion on it, I also told him something that i will share with you all I said you know the 1st win for the kids may be the Ice breaker in terms of energy , confidence.
Hughes Dadddy
Dave Robertson just left for AAA.......Looks like i'll be seeing him play in Pawtucket soon.
Dave Robertson
AA - 2008
18.2 Innings - 8 Hits - 2ER - 26 K's - 0.96 ERA
This kid could be in the bullpen before the end of the season if he continues to pitch this well.
I would not be so quick to blame the weather or how many days this team has played. What you see is what you get from this team. That is what happens when you start gearing up for the future. You cannot win and expect to develop your farm in the majors at the same time. These are growing pains. Did you expect Hughes and Kennedy to come in this year and blow hitters away? Even Joba will lose his fair share of games. These are simply kids. They are learning the majors and sometimes they show great potential and other times they get rocked. What should be a red flag is that outfield. Outside of Melky,that outfield is terrible. I never will write off the Yanks but with all this deadweight they carry it is hard to think they are fielding a championship team every night. I am all for the youth movement and I hope it continues. Sad to know we have owners who never will.
Bomber,
I'm happy to get your first-hand impressions! As you are a long-term regular here I feel I know enough of your thought process that it is like hearing it all from a friend.
I haven't read anything about your impressions of Girardi in his native habitat -- if you've given them I must have missed that post. Everyone reports he's energetic and smart. But when he's on camera he seems tense, angry, withholding and over-controlling (except when Kay is treating him like the Pope on his own show).
I'm wondering if you've had enough contact with him to form your own impressions, or will that take more time?
I don't have faith in the "youth movement." These pitchers are young and hyped, but 99% of young hyped prospects turn out to be garbage. After years of overspending for veterans and hearing fans criticize the lack of quality prospects, the front office has erred on the opposite side of the spectrum. This team should not be "gearing up for the future" this year - how many more all-star caliber years will we get out of Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera, and Abreu? A-Rod is at the apex of his prime and Wang seems to be there too. We should be capitalizing on these things, not rebuilding. Rebuild once Jeter and co. are over the hill, not while they can still kick @ss.
Adam is right - Damon and Abreu look terrible in the field
Isn't it absolutely sickening that Bobby A. won't go near a wall? What happened to him as a child? He needs therapy and QUICK!!! Like someone mentioned, the walls DO have padding you know!
I've seen worse RFers like for instance Sheffield and Reggie
Reggie was just lazy at times (kind of like Manny) ... at least he wasn't afraid the wall was going to bite him. And personally, I'd take Sheff over Abreau too.
Well, At least the Rangers didn't get eliminated.
Diane...
My take on Griardi is quite unique.
He is def not your average manager but more like Your average manager ,or average person , he is great he would come over and speak with us or he will come back outside and share some laughs never the superstar attitude. To me he is one of those guys that is opposed to the "corporate " machine. I beleive that his hands is tied on some situations.
PS BOBBY Witnessed that disaster with Rowland in Phi. Probally scared the Bleep outta him
Excuse me Diane
He is not like your super star pro team manager but more like a college manager or Semi pro team manager but he is more like your average PERSON humble
D-
How should we go about capitalizing? Go out and throw millions at sub .500 pitchers?Bring in more relief pitchers who cannot get anybody out? Sign another aging slugger? There is nothing we can do. This is our team. All we can do is let these contracts play themselves out. We need to live with the fact that years back we signed alot of aging players that turned into dead weight now. Do you see the way the outfield looked last night? That is no championship cailber team by any way you slice it. You think Johan would have changed this team? Not a chance.Johan cannot teach Giambi to hit the ball to the third base side. Or teach Abreu how to catch a ball. What you see is what you get here,until we relieve ourselves of the dead weight. Isn't it a red flag when you see this team plays better over the years when Matsui went down with Sheff, or Giambi going down last year. That should tell you everything you need to know right there.
All I Need to Say Hey is.........
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Young Turds! Stinking up the joint. Quick.....hype some other guys that no one has seen yet. Thats our plan B. Confuse these lemming fans we have. Its not to hard. Just get some bogus scouting report and send it to Chip and he'll spread it all over the blog.
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Let the laughter begin!
So tell me again, where am I wrong?
This is the first real test for Girardi as a manager.
How does he deal with this adversity.
Frankly I feel that the Yankee teams in 2005 and 2007 were worse than this team at this point.
Nothing is worse than being bad and old like the '05 team started, not to mention fresh off the 2004 playoff collapse.
But Torre's strength was NOT his x's and o's but his ability to not panic, keep the team focused and keep the Tampa office cr@p away from the team.
He weathered those storms and if you went back in time in 2005 and 2007 early in the season and said "The Yankees are going to be playing in October" you would have been admitted into Bellevue. But they did.
Torre did it in his steady even keel way.
Now Girardi has to show how HE'LL handle it.
This is the first time he is dealing with high expectations and adversity as a manager
Yeah he managed the Marlins... but how low were the expectations there?
The 2006 Marlins actually finished the season with a LOSING record and he still won Manager of the Year.
Folks, thems is some low expectations.
So this reminds me of the story of Barry Goldwater coming into the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He talked with JFK about the situation and at one point Kennedy sat back and said "You sure you still want this f***ing job?"
Granted managing the Yankees is slightly less stressful than nukes in Cuba, but only slightly.
Girardi wanted this job... he could be managing a youth movement in Baltimore, Seattle or Cincinnati with little to no expectations.
He wanted the hot seat and now we'll see what he is made out of.
He could turn out to be great.
For all the strife in April with the Yankees they are only 3 games back with five months to go.
The season is young... but now is the time for Girardi to take command.
Santana would be giving NY on average 7+ innings most starts NY would be winning games 4-2 instead of losing 8-4 .The bullpen would not be overworked.I'm just saying.
Adam -
It is called creative assembly , Gene Michael and Bob Watson dealt with high payroll players as well an dealt with it. Nobody said to keep Bobby but they felt that was logical they could have signed a cheap one year option but they choose not to.
Let explain something about sheff to you know it all's I heard from peoples mouths that he was a BIG INFLUENCE to this club and gave his 100% these players respected him when I was talking with him the first game of the series you should have seen how many Yankees made it their business to greet him. My point is that even with the current roster some moves should have been made but the toughest move would probally have been to bench jason . 1 he is so likable 2. his agent probally warned them .
3, he gave a good ST to warrant a chance .
as for signing Jason with the numbers he put up and the 1st hand sight of his play in the playoffs there was no way you could decline especially with Tino in decline
Say Hey makes my life on this blog a lot easier.
Even though I am a Red Sox fan, I guess people here think "Hey, at least Sully isn't Say Hey."
Bomber,
Definitely a unique take on Girardi, I was sure you'd be seeing 'with your own eyes' and that's why I asked.
I have wondered whether he was under pressure from FO to give out nothing -- they used to get pissed at Torre for being too candid, and Girardi may not be at a point in his career where he can go with what he thinks is best for the team rather than having to follow every order to the letter.
Sully,
His first real test is a big one. I'm hoping he comes through it with flying colors.
It's one thing to manage when the weather is balmy, the team is well-stocked and whole and healthy, and basically all there is to be done is just to run them out there. Girardi didn't get to start off like that.
I am proactively looking for a new position before my current employer decides to terminate me.
Seeking Management position with small market team and/or grocery store.
References (contact info upon request):
City of Boston
Theo Epstein
John Henry
Sully,
Your right on Girardi and Torre. I always thought Torre was a terrible manager but that this NY job was custom made for him. He was givenn all the talent in the world so it didn't matter what moves he made. In the long run the talent won. What he excelled at was keeping the Bozo's in the clowns mini-car and not letting them interfer with the High Wire acts and the Trapeze artists. The Ring Master so to speak.
I dont see that in Girardi. He is too volatile and impetuous. He already is rankled by the press. If he doesn't learn how to smooth things over in minor tough times like now, then it doesn't bode well for tough times in September when the Bozo's are storming the center ring!
in watching all of this unfold i still think Don Mattingly would have been a deer in the headlights with these issues at least we know Joe is a no nonsense guy
No nonsense except that the players leaving his boot camp, be in better shape spring training are dropping like flies... and he is losing credibility with the media with how he is handling this Hughes situation.
It's a hard job managing the Yankees.
It's harder than Florida where nobody shows up, there is no expectations and people are wondering when the Dolphins game is going to start
Adam, Santana would have made a big difference. Pitching is what this team needs. Our offense will be fine. Yeah, the outfield is old, but no team ever lost the world series because of their outfield. It's all about pitching.
Not getting Santana was a travesty - Cashman should be shot. Leaving the best pitcher in baseball on the table in order to hold onto two 21 year old prospects....just terrible. Ugh, that one will sting for a long time.
Sully,
They still go to Dolphins games in Miami?
True... and the Heat stink... and the Panthers missed the playoffs.
Man it must SUCK being a Miami fan now
Yes, but who cares when you have those women they have down there in South Beach.