Yankees win in 12
The Yankees pulled this one out, 9-6, in 12 innings, after Mariano Rivera gave up a three-run homer in the eighth. Alex Rodriguez hit a solo home run and Xavier Nady a two-run homer in the 12th, both of them off Matt Guerrier.
Derek Jeter left the game in the ninth after earlier fouling a ball off the instep of his left foot. X-rays were negative and he could play as soon as tomorrow (today).
BY KAT O’BRIEN
MINNEAPOLIS — Mariano Rivera’s perfection in save situations went away last night.
Four innings of angst for the Yankees later, it barely mattered as they beat the Twins, 9-6. Rivera gave up a tying, three-run homer in the eighth to Delmon Young, the first batter he faced, after replacing Damaso Marte with one out and runners on first and third. That wound up sending the game to extra innings.
Eventually, though, the Yankees reversed things with a three-run 12th on homers by Alex Rodriguez (a go-ahead solo shot) and a two-run blast by Xavier Nady off Matt Guerrier. Nady has six homers and 17 RBIs in 17 games for the Yankees.
As for the way they won, Rodriguez said: “Who cares how? We just won the game, that’s all that matters.”
The Yankees were in desperate need of a win any way they could get it. In Rodriguez’s words, “We have to stop the bleeding.” They had dropped four straight games and were just 2-6 on the road trip, with playoff hopes fast slipping away. So although it would have been much tidier to win in nine innings and get Mike Mussina win No. 16, the Yankees will take the victory.
Rodriguez had been having a dreadful trip, going 5-for-32 before going deep to straightaway centerfield off Guerrier. Rodriguez has three home runs in six at-bats off Guerrier. The Twins, or Guerrier at least, seemed stunned by the momentum shift. Guerrier gave up a double to left-centerfield to Ivan Rodriguez, followed by Nady’s two-run homer to right.
“Obviously, it didn’t unfold the way you anticipated, but a win’s a win,” Nady said. “It shows the character and what this team is capable of doing, what we might have to do in the long run.”
That’s if they want to make the postseason – they need some late-season rallying.
Edwar Ramirez pitched the 12th for his first save.
“It’s a great game to win that,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Jose Veras (3-1) kept the Yankees in the game with two perfect innings. Veras had 1-2-3 innings in the 10th and 11th, with Alex Rodriguez making a great diving stop of Jason Kubel’s hard-hit grounder in the 10th.
“We just try to give the best that we can,” Veras said. “I didn’t do my job over in Anaheim, but we’re going to be all right.”
Rivera was perfect in his first 28 save opportunities this season, but the righthanded-hitting Young lined an 0-and-2 pitch that got too much of the plate just inside the rightfield foul pole to make it 6-6. Rivera had allowed only one earned run in save situations before that.
Mussina had turned in yet another quality start, allowing three earned runs in seven innings. Marte took over to start the eighth. He gave up a leadoff double to Mike Redmond, then got Justin Morneau to line out to left. But once Kubel singled to put Redmond on third, Joe Girardi made the call for Rivera to try for a five-out save.
Rivera had thrown only one pitch in a game since Thursday, allowing a single that dribbled through the right side of the infield for a walkoff win by the Angels Sunday. Rivera pitched 12/3 or two innings on five other occasions this year.
“When you’re against the wall, you can either fall down or come out fighting,” Rodriguez said. “Tonight we did the latter.”
Since being traded from the Pirates along with Nady on July 25, Marte has allowed runs in four of nine appearances for an 11.05 ERA.
That ugly eighth ended Mussina’s chances at win No. 16, which would have tied him with the Indians’ Cliff Lee for the American League lead.
“It certainly wasn’t pretty,” Mussina said of the win, “and it wasn’t smooth and it wasn’t easy. But it was a win.”
Aside from the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees put together a good all-around game. They even got several hits with runners in scoring position. With two outs and men on first and third in the fourth, Nady doubled to center to score Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi. With one out and Jose Molina on second in the fifth, Derek Jeter singled to center to drive in another run. They got another run in the seventh on Abreu’s fielder’s choice, and one in the eighth as Wilson Betemit’s single to right scored pinch runner Justin Christian from second.
Jeter left for pinch runner Melky Cabrera in the ninth, apparently bothered by the foul ball he took off his foot earlier.
Johnny Damon led off the game with a homer, but the Twins took a 2-1 lead in the second on sacrifice flies by Brian Buscher and Adam Everett. They scored again on Everett’s single up the middle in the fourth.
*Jeter had X-rays on the instep of his left foot, which came back negative. Girardi said he thinks Jeter will play today, but Jeter was not available to talk to reporters.
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Comments (21)
Wild one last night, its a shame that Moose didnt pick up the W, I would love to see him win 20 this year, but Ill take it!
I was watching the Yankee game and listening to the Audio stream of the Scranton game ( free on MiLB.com ) last night ( Hughes was on the mound ). I kept hearing something weird from the Scranton announcer..changeup..changeup...called strike 3 on a changeup..swinging strike 3 on a changeup...changeup for a strike....I thought there was something wrong with my laptop, so I rebooted and logged back on. Still I kept hearing those strange words??????
A couple things about Hughes before I paste the articles about his last two starts.
1. His fastball in each of his starts has been hitting 93-95. The last start he was hitting 95 all night, last night he was sitting at 93-94 and cranking it up to 95 when he needed it. Very good sign of his health.
2. Phil has scrapped his slider ( which he could not control ) for a cutter, he was throwing that for strikes and using it as an outpitch like Mo, also very good news that he's added a 4th pitch.
3. Last night Phil was really working on getting his changeup over for strikes, and did an excellent job at doing that.
Here's the clips from his last two starts ( sorry they're so long, but it looks like its slow around here anyway )
MOOSIC — Could it be Phil Hughes to the rescue for the New York Yankees pitching staff?
If his performance on Thursday night for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is an accurate indication, it’s a realistic possibility. The 22-year-old right-hander looked like his old self – the one who just a year ago was regarded as perhaps the top pitching prospect in baseball.
Hughes was simply overpowering in 4 2/3 innings in the Yankees 6-1 win over Pawtucket at PNC Field. He gave up one run and scattered three hits while consistently hitting 94 mph on the radar gun.
“Everything was flowing well the first three innings,” Hughes said of mixing his four pitches. “The last couple of innings I was able to throw more offspeed pitches. I had good command of my fastball and I threw my cutter at about 88-89 miles per hour.”
Hughes began the season in New York’s starting rotation. However, he’s been on the disabled list since April 30 with a strained oblique muscle. He made a pair of relief appearances at Single-A Charleston prior to Thursday’s start.
“The most important thing (tonight) is I reached my pitch count,” said Hughes, who threw 68 pitches. “My fastball wasn’t as good as my last two outings, but my other pitches were effective.”
Hughes said he didn’t experience any discomfort and feels like his stamina is close to where it needs to be.
“I felt really good out there. I almost felt like I was pitching a complete game.”
Hughes is pleased with his progress, but obviously is anxious to return to New York.
“I’ve been champing at the bit since I began rehabbing in Tampa,” he said. “I’ve been pushing to get back.”
There’s no timetable for his return to Yankee Stadium, but Hughes is aware it’s out of his hands.
“It’s frustrating,” Hughes said. “I just have to continue to throw well and stay healthy, and everything else will take care of itself.”
According to Yankee minor league pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras, Hughes appears on track for a return to the big leagues.
“Phil Hughes pitched very good,” Contreras said. “He had a great cutter. His changeup still needs some work, but his curveball was outstanding. His pitch count will increase to 85 when he pitches again next Tuesday.”
When asked whether Hughes will still be pitching for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre or New York next week, he hedged his bets.
“I don’t know,” Contreras said. “That’s not up to me.”
Outfielder Ben Broussard, who paced Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (74-47) with a two-run home run and an RBI double, put Hughes’ performance in perspective.
“He went out there and nailed it down and didn’t give them a chance.”
Hughes wasn’t the only Yankee pitcher who dazzled. Hard-throwing right-hander Mark Melancon pitched 1 2/3 innings of no-hit ball to seal the deal.
LAST NIGHT
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Despite making a second straight impressive rehab start for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, Phil Hughes has no idea as to when he might get a call to New York.
But Hughes delivered a performance on Tuesday night that indicated he might not be all that far away from another trip to the Bronx.
Hughes, who last pitched in the big leagues on April 29 because of a stress fracture in his right rib cage, tossed 5 1/3 innings as the Yankees outlasted the Pawtucket Red Sox, 8-6, in 11 innings at McCoy Stadium.
Besides hitting 93-94 mph consistently on the stadium radar gun, Hughes threw 50 of his 84 pitches for strikes. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked one and struck out four.
"I felt fine, just like the last few times out," Hughes, who was on an 85-pitch count, said. "I wanted to mix in more changeups. I threw some in counts that I normally wouldn't throw them in. But we decided to go with it because I wanted to get a few more in.
"Overall, I felt pretty good. I haven't felt the rib [his ninth rib] since I was in Tampa, Fla. It's kind of a long process, but it's good to be back and throwing the ball pretty well. Obviously, things didn't go real well up there at the beginning of the year. I'm sure they want to see me prove myself down here again, so however many starts they feel that is, I'll roll with it.
"Basically, I haven't heard anything."
Acting manager Butch Wynegar stated that barring a change in plans, Hughes is scheduled to make another rehab start on Sunday at Lehigh Valley. But, he added, "It could change overnight and he could be called up for his next start at the big league level."
Wynegar, a catcher in his playing days, was impressed with the way that Hughes worked with Chad Moeller, especially when it came to throwing more changeups than usual.
"I thought Chad Moeller did a real nice job with him, using all his pitches," Wynegar said. "There were a few occasions where he threw his breaking ball behind in the count and he threw it for strikes. He mixed his changeup in well.
"For Phil to be successful at the Major League level, he has to be able to do that. When you get a pitcher that can throw something other than a fastball when he's behind in the count, the hitter can't sit back on the fastball. There's a little doubt in his mind. I thought that's what Phil did well."
The only way Hughes' start varied from his previous start with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre plus the two he made for Class A Charleston was the number of changeups he threw.
"The only thing I know of was to make sure he threw enough changeups," Wynegar said. "That's the pitch he needs to be able to command. That was the biggest objective, making sure he reached a quota of changeups mixed in there.
"It's another pitch to keep hitters on their toes. You can't sit back and look fastball against Phil because he had the good breaking ball going. When you change something front to back like that, with the changeup, it puts a third pitch in the hitter's minds and can keep him off-balance."
Hughes allowed two hard-hit balls -- a first-inning liner to right field by Joe Thurston and a ground-rule double by Gil Velazquez in the third -- while cruising through the first 5 1/3 innings.
Velazquez's leadoff double was the lone threat mounted by Pawtucket until Hughes was removed. But after Velazaquez advanced to third on Jeff Natale's groundout to second, Hughes fanned Jeff Bailey on a 94-mph fastball and retired Thurston on a soft liner to first.
Then, with one out in the sixth, Bailey doubled to left-center and Thurston walked, which prompted Wynegar to remove Hughes in favor of Mark Melancon. But Melancon promptly uncorked a wild pitch and Keith Ginter blooped a two-run single to center that tied the game at 2.
"I guess my next outing will be around 90-plus pitches," Hughes said. "From that aspect, I feel ready to go. And physically, I feel fine."
COME BACK PHIL!!!!!!
I think I gave enough info on Phil and Mark, so lets see what the other kids are up to...
Steven Jackson struck out 3 in 2 innings of shutout relief. The last man standing from the Randy Johnson trade has really turned it on of late, allowing just 1 run in his last 10 2/3 innings.
Brett Gardner was 2 for 6.
Juan Miranda was 0 for 6.
Carl Pavano was mediocre in his rehab outing, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits (2 homers) in 4 1/3 innings, and striking out 2.
- I never want to see this guy in a Yankee uniform ever again!
Austin Jackson was 0 for 4 to drop his average to .287
Frankie Cervelli was 2 for 3 with a walk
Zach McAllister got the start, and was strong once again. In 5 shutout innings, McAllister gave up 4 hits and a walk, striking out 5 in the process. I imagine that he was limited to 5 innings either because of pitch count or (more likely) because the Yankee organization is trying to limit his innings this season, and he has thrown 142 already. He lowered his ERA to 2.03 since being promoted to Tampa.
- I love this kid!!! He's a Horse!!!! Cant wait to see him in Tenton, and hopefully Scranton, next year. He could be a workhorse backend starter for the Yanks in 2-3 years. He's a big kid that doesnt walk people, doesnt give up a lot of HR's and pitches deep into games.
Jesus Montero was 3 for 5 with a double to raise his average to .324 on the season. He has a 14-game hitting streak going as well.
- Monster!
Austin Romine was 1 for 4, and had his 17th passed ball of the season.
- I thought his D was tight? Put in the work kid.
Brandon Laird was 1 for 4 with his 18th bomb of the season
- Beast!
Cano shows us more heads up play with his being doubled off second on a line drive directly to the second baseman which was right in front of him to end a promising inning. I tend to believe Melky's benching is having an affect on his play. As crazy as that may sound.
More on Zach McAllister
2008
A Ball SC
62 IP
59 Hits
8 BB
53 K
3 HR
2.45 ERA
1.07 WHIP
A+ Ball Tampa
64 IP
61 Hits
6 BB
41 K
5 HR
2.23 ERA
1.04 WHIP
Looks like he got even better once he was promoted to Tampa. His walk and hit ratios decreased, but his K rate's decreased as well. Also he gave up a couple more bombs. Still he keeps the ball on the ground and his K/BB rate is exceptional.
If he and Betances continue to improve, they'll be knocking on the door in the next 2 years.
I've watched the last couple of games on YES and I think I've had enough of John Flaherty. I mean someone needs to tell him it's alright to say something negative once in a while. During the 4-0 game while players were going up there and hacking at pitches in the dirt, Flaherty must have said about 10 times "that's a great swing, he's locked in" and "that's the best swing I've seen him take as a Yankee". Uh, yeah John but it would be nice if they swung at a ball over the plate and actually made contact!
Last night was more of the same, all positives. It's like he is afraid the players will beat his arse if he says anything bad about them.
Last night was no surprise to me as Mo has been skating on thin ice for a while so I hope he gets his mulligan out of the way and goes back to being Mo now.
Anyone who does not believe that Bobby Meacham needs to go should watch a tape of last nights game and that is all the evidence they need to get rid of this clown. He owes the X-Man a beer for sure....
Not so impressed with the long coveted Marte' right now. I still don't want Farnsworth back on the team, but Marte' is terrible right now and I don't want to hear about the Yankees using him in an unfamiliar role because he is a major league pitcher and he should be capable of pitching one inning- period.
Let's hope the big HR from A-Rod (does that count as clutch, I'm not sure of the criteria) gets him going and boosts the confidence a bit.
Giambi ain't dead yet ladies and Germs....
Dru: The big question about Hughes is.....did he bust out the Oakley's?
DRU -
If I had to nitpick on Phil the only thing I would point out is that he threw 85 pitches in 4 2/3 IP against inferior talent to what he's going to face when he comes back.
That said, I believe his next start will be with the Yankees.
Buster Olney made a semi-interesting point on the radio this morning. Is this the winter where the Yankees move Jeter to the OF? The two most storied positions in Yankee history are SS and CF, the Yankees need a CF, there are good free agent SS options (Furcal) and Jeter's defense has really taken a step back.
One part of Hank's quote from yesterday: "We're going to win it next year. If we need to add a top veteran pitcher, we'll do that."
Gee - I wonder who he has in mind?
Jim - HAHA..I hear you on "flash", isnt it an oxymoron to nickname a backup catcher "flash"?? Im telling you, I like the Mets announcers much better, they give props and bash when the time is right. The best lineup for us has to be Kay/Kenny/Cone team.
Chip, it wasnt 85 in 4 2/3, he went into the 6th. Here's how the pitches broke down per inning
1st - 12
2nd - 19 ( 9 to the 1st batter )
3rd - 14
4th - 12
5th - 9
6th = 1st batter went 7 pitches before flying out, the next guy went 5 before doubling, then he walked the next guy on 6 pitches, so that last inning it looked like he started to get tired, throwing 18 pitches and only getting one out. Before that he was cruising.
I really like the idea of moving Jeter to the OF, the guy is one of the best at running down loopers and soft line drives over his head. I think he would make an excellent OF. However, the only way I would get behind that move is if we signed Furcal. He's the only top notch SS available, here's the entire crop =
Orlando Cabrera CWS
Alex Cintron CWS
Alex Cora BOS
Craig Counsell * MIL
Adam Everett MIN
Rafael Furcal LAD
Cesar Izturis STL
Ramon Martinez LAD
Edgar Renteria * DET
Juan Uribe CWS
even the 2B are weak...
Second Basemen
Jamey Carroll * CLE
Ray Durham MIL
Mark Ellis OAK
Marcus Giles COL
Mark Grudzielanek KC
Orlando Hudson ARZ
Jeff Kent LAD
Felipe Lopez WAS
D’Angelo Jimenez STL
Pablo Ozuna LAD
Nick Punto MIN
Jose Valentin NYM
Jose Vidro * SEA
Frucal is really the only long term option.
As far as Hank..yes, I wonder who he's referring to??
Jim..sorry, I missed the oakley's question. You know, Im not sure, the announcer didnt say anything about it.
Hughes is looking good. Nice stuff DRU!
Another minors note if it hasn't been noted already: The Yankees have released Steven White. The same Steven White that Diane (did the trolls scare her away?) wanted to see getting starts over IPK and Hughes earlier in the year. As I said from when I met him, he just didn't seem like the kind of guy who could cut it. I mean, it was a AA game and he was hiding in his hoodie rather than talking to fans while Chase Wright and Dan McCutchen were signing autographs and taking pictures. Steven White, you got what you deserved. Who do you think you are?
DRU: I know that you like Carson, so I thought I'd share this with you. If the Yanks are out of it, I look at this as he's DEFINITELY getting called up and tried out, but will probably be called up no matter what. The Yanks have to make a decision on him this offseason and they're going to want as much information about him as possible.
http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles/2008/08/10/sports/sc_times_trib.20080810.c.pg12.tt10yfeature_s1.1868456_spo.txt
Enjoy.
If Jeter would go for it, Furcal would be a great pick-up. I think Jeter wants to play SS for his career, but I could be wrong. ARod ran into one yesterday. Nady is a gamer old school style, doesn't celebrate when he does his job, just does it. Very focused and gets mad when he doesn't come through. How did the Pirates let him get away?
Hughes should start next week instead over Giese. Giese is more valuable as the long reliever. Hughes is ready. Cano should bat no higher than 7th for the rest of the year and is it me or does he look like he needs sleep? I have a feeling Cano has discovered the nightlife and likes it. More and more reason to implement the Viper Initiative.
Come on Razz! Gotta win this series.
PS - HYD how are ya? Long time no read. Good to see you back in the house. Just like your namesake.
The new job has been keeping me busy guys, but I'm trying to pop in once and a while. If anyone has facebook and wants to check out a bunch of pictures that I've taken throughout this year, I finally put them up. You can look me up, Bill Goldberg - SUNY Albany. I have pictures from Spring Training, AA vs AAA Game, Thunder Games, Yankee Games, and the Yankee Stadium tour.
Sorry. That was me, not an Anemone.
This isn't meant to bash the Red Sox or Clay, but I enjoyed reading the article, because they talk about how he needs to find his change up. Something that Hughes is working on.
http://www.projo.com/redsox/content/sp_bb_red_sox_journal12_08-12-08_R2B6FPU_v8.411f5b5.html
DRU - sorry about that, misread the line about Hughes's pitch count.
Moving Jeter could be done but it's dicey business. First of all Cashman would have to stick around to make it happen. A new GM can't come in and have "moving Jeter to the OF" as his first order of business. I think if you could sell it to Jeter by saying that Mantle and Murcer did it - Robin Yount did it, Cal even moved, and CF is a glamour position. It would be tough, but I think he might do it.
And the other thing is if you bring in a Furcal or someone else to warm the spot for Ramiro Pena that guy has got to be good - he has to be someone with a low ego and also someone who can handle being "the guy who forced Jeter to the OF." Because if the guy comes in and brags about how great a SS he is - the fans will never accept him.
Do you think that Ramiro Pena is going to be a big leaguer? He's never impressed me in Trenton. Longer term, Angelini has promise, but has not looked too good in Charleston this year.
I don't see Jeter going for a move to the OF, but I think it's something that the Yanks should consider asking him to do, even 1B if he wants to stay in the IF. I just see Jeter as a guy with a tremendous amount of stubborn pride who won't embrace the move at all. This would be a huge test of Jeter as a teammate and a team captain as we would see if he would put the best interests of the team ahead of his own.
Having said all that, I don't think moving Jeter is even in the Yankees top 5 needs for next year so I don't see it happening until possibly 2010. He wants to play behind CC (just don't get behind him at the buffet table or you will be hungry!). CC to NY: PLEASE!
HYD - I'm not 100% sold on him, but his glove will absolutely play. They actually made the Alberto Gonzalez trade because of Pena (and Angelini and Corbin Joseph as well)
Thanks for the Hughes article DRU. I liked the fact that he's throwing all of his pitches for strikes and that he junked the slider. If he can continue to do that and not rely solely on the fastball when he gets behind in the count, then he should be the pitcher that the Yanks envisioned when they refused to deal him for Santana.
Jim,
Marte's problem is that he gets ahead in the count then starts to nibble when he should just rear back and get the guy. He did that just fine when he was a Pirate and pitched against the Yanks in that make up game. All of a sudden, he stopped doing that.
Damon - LF
Abreu - DH
Alex
Giambi
Nady - RF
Cano
Pudge
Betemit
Cabrera