Staple here again, with some nicer weather, and a cast of several at Yankee Stadium, for the first of a two-game Subway Series.
Darrell Rasner got his turn skipped, so Andy Pettitte goes today for the Yanks, against Johan Santana, who didn't get skipped by the Mets.
Oh, and don't forget, Mets fans, you've got your own blog across the way there. Let's try to keep the live blog civilized.
Firing it up in a couple...
Top 1: That was rather impressive by AP -- 13 pitches, 11 strikes and three Ks for Pettitte to start off. Who says these games don't mean much anymore? Of course, it helps that the Mets haven't scored much the last few days. Jose Reyes looks completely lost at the plate. 0-0, middle of 1.
Bottom 1: The Captain continues his dominance of the Metsies... That's his 12th HR all time, and this is the 66th game (including the World Series) between the two teams. Again, I ask -- who says these games don't mean much? Santana has barely given up two runs in his career in the Bronx. Jeter crushed that pitch for a 2-run homer. Good start for the home side. 2-0 Yanks, end of 1.
Top 2: Which was more impressive there -- Pettite with two more Ks, his pickoff of Alou, or the fact that Giambi chased down Alou for the out? Pettitte is just dealing today, and the Mets, as I said, are lacking confidence at the plate. Could be a lethal combo. 2-0, middle of 2.
Bottom 2: Better inning for Santana, but he's still working for outs, even against the likes of Gonzalez and Moeller. And a walk in each inning. Yanks can make him work some more and keep the advantage here. 2-0, end of 2.
Top 3: Pettitte still cruising, with the help of the Mets' anemic lineup. Remember when Jose Reyes was really, really good? Remember? 2-0, middle of 3.
Bottom 3: Damon gets blocked out at home by Brian Schneider, or this could be a bigger gap. Yanks are hitting Santana enough, just need to string a couple together and avoid some catcher's shinguards. 2-0, end of 3.
Top 4: Well, so much for a little Saturday cruise... Pettitte can say he was nickel-and-dimed to death, and he was, when the Mets put bat on ball. But Pettitte, even with a ridiculously generous strike zone from plate ump Mike Reilly -- the 3-2 pitch to Damion Easley was nowhere near a strike -- Pettitte tried to be too cute, walking in the tying run. His 8.10 ERA in innings 4-6 crept up again, and now the Yanks have to rally on Santana. 3-2 Mets, middle of 4.
Bottom 4: There's an example of what NOT to do after a long inning in the field... Yanks go down on seven pitches, in about four minutes. Not exactly making Santana work, or giving Pettitte some needed rest. 3-2, end of 4.
Top 5: Pettitte crawls to the finish line, with 101 pitches and seven Ks. Did himself in with that 40-pitch fourth, with four seeing-eye Mets hits in that inning. Nice job escaping any real trouble in this fifth, with help from Delgado -- this guy actually used to hit Pettitte hard. Really. 3-2, middle of 5.
Bottom 5: Guess Pettitte isn't done yet, but who would have had time to get ready? Another six-pitch inning for Santana (wasn't seven last frame, oops), and the Yankees stopped looking like a patient team at the plate at just the wrong time. 3-2, end of 5.
Top 6: Excellent work by Pettitte against the bottom of the Mets order, a perfect sixth to keep it a one-run game and get the bullpen ready. Unless the top of the Yanks order comes up hacking and doesn't leave time for any warmups. 3-2, middle of 6.
Bottom 6: Not even Jeter is playing smart now. Tough decision to try and stretch that single on Beltran, and even though the second-base ump tried to sneak Jeter in, he didn't even get to the bag. Santana's in a groove, and the Yanks pen is on deck. Not a good combo. 3-2, end of 6.
Top 7: Kyle Farnsworth is the perfect remedy for a slump, apparently... Reyes and Wright hadn't been hitting, and both homer off Farnsworth to make it a four-run game. Both cutters, Farnsworth's newest pitch. Santana should get at least one, if not two more innings, so the Yanks will need a complete turnaround. 6-2, middle of 7.
Bottom 7: Giambi homers to cut the deficit, but The Golden Thong can't bring the Yankees all the way back. Yankees need to hold the fort. 6-3, end of 7.
Top 8: Nice strike out-throw out DP to end a threat off Edwar Ramirez, who has now gone 8 2/3 innings without giving up a run. He's no Farnsworth. 6-3, middle of 8.
Bottom 8: Yanks get Santana out, with Abreu's long HR to center and Jeter's double to left getting the tying run to the plate with two outs. But Hideki Matsui, still trying to pull everything, grounds out weakly to second off Bill Wagner. Yanks need two off Wagner in the ninth now. Tall order. 6-4, end of 8.
Top 9: Joba gets through the inning, but allows a crucial run on Delgado's two-out single. Wagner would need a serious meltdown to bring the Yankees back here. 7-4, middle of 9.
Bottom 9: Yanks get the first two on, but Wagner shuts the door on the Yanks' painfully thin bench. Shelly Duncan and Morgan Ensberg can't do much, coming in cold against Wagner's heat. Yanks take another loss, 7th in the last 10 games. A-Rod is missed. 7-4 final.
Comments (1)
in the 1st inning we saw how mentally fragile the mets are - swinging at pitches shoulder high, helping andy out.
but luckily for them they ran into the one team and baseball mentally weaker then they are - the flopping yankees.
2 X 6 pitches innings, foul balls dropping, an unfathomable inability to hit fastballs! if there's a cure for the mets, they just got it via one of the worst teams in baseball right now.
by the way, it's amazing how easily opposing pitchers solved this line up - strike 1 fat fastball, strike 2 fat fastball. no walks. damon, matsui and giambi cannot handle fastballs anymore on a consistant basis, cano is still slumping. sad.