Two pieces of news before the game:
Rafael Soriano’s MRI turned up negative. He’ll be day-to-day for now, and could return for the Boston series.
Longtime Yankee trainer Gene Monahan will retire after this season. I knew he had been around for a long time, but I had no idea that Monahan had been with the Yankees for 49 years. His career:
Monahan is the longest-tenured Head Athletic Trainer in the Major Leagues, having worked in that capacity for the last 39 years. In December, he was honored along with longtime Assistant Athletic Trainer Steve Donohue as the “Best Athletic Trainers” in Major League Baseball in 2010 by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainer Society (PBATS). Other recent commendations include the 2009 “Distinguished Athletic Trainer” Award from the National Athletic Trainers Association and induction into the New York State Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2007. Monahan and Donohue were also honored with Major League Baseball’s “Athletic Training Staff of the Year” Award in 1990.
“Gene Monahan embodies all the very best virtues that this organization strives to uphold,” said New York Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner. “His devotion to his craft, passion for the game of baseball and tireless work ethic are only a few of the qualities that have made him a bedrock within this franchise for nearly 50 years. Gene has made a lifetime’s worth of sacrifices and contributions in order to best serve the Yankees, and our entire organization will always be grateful.”
Mr. Monahan first worked for the Yankees organization in 1962, serving as a bat boy and clubhouse attendant during spring training while in his senior year at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale. He began his athletic training career with the Yankees’ Class-D Ft. Lauderdale affiliate in 1963, and was promoted just two years later in 1965 to Double-A, where he served as head trainer for Columbus (Ga.) and Binghamton (N.Y.). In 1969, he made the jump to Triple-A Syracuse, where he worked through 1972 before heading the Yankees’ Major League training staff in 1973.
Thank you Chad Jennings for sharing that press release. Also from Jennings, the lineup for tonight:
1. Jeter SS
2. Granderson CF
3. Teixeira 1B
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Cano 2B
6. Swisher RF
7. Posada DH
8. Martin C
9. Gardner LF
Burnett P
Enjoy the game.
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I love to see Granderson so much more willing, or more able to take walks and not run himself out of at bats. It’s one of the big things that makes me think he can stay at a top level all year.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
A walk and a home run. He’s a sabermetric delight tonight.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Making it more impressive to me was the fact that he hit that HR in a 2-2 count. He has shown a lot more confidence since the change last year, and even more so this season when dealing with 2 strike counts. There was a while in Detroit and when we acquired him where he would look like he almost gave up once he got two strikes. Like he expected to strikeout, maybe even some subconscious, but he is so locked in and confident now he doesn’t care the count.
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If Gardner doesn’t get serious consideration for Gold Glove, they need to get rid of the award.
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“RBI single for Posada.” How long’s it been since we heard that?
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Well looks like Yost doesn’t think he can do it again….
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
It’s really hard to be consistent at the plate when you can’t hit breaking balls, and your reflexes have slowed down, making you late on the fastball.
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Can’t be too mad at the kid, he’s helping my fantasy team.
With Granderson and Gardner we have to have one of the top 2 or 3 Left-center half of the outfield in baseball.
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Burnett vs Melky. May be the key at bat of the game.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
You have to love when Melky isn’t having the key at bat ON the Yankees.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Given how rotten he is, he did get more than his share of key hits when he was on the Yankees.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Yeah I have nothing against Melky but he was cursed with a centerfielders bat and a leftfielders glove.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Pitching to Betemit in a key at bat is also helpful.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:28 pm
I’m glad they are walking Melky, we don’t want Larry breaking his TV with the remote!
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I imagine that will be the first Yankee on the 7 day concussion DL.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Yeah, you don’t want to take any chances. Of course, the Yankees are not really good at getting out in front of injuries.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
It’s not their choice, baseball added the 7 day concussion DL to be automatic so teams can’t mess around with concussions. If the results say he is concussed he will go on the 7 dayer.
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Two hits for my man Jorge!
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AJ has been really impressive this year! He has shown a whole new mental confidence, I think it’s two fold. One he has a new pitching coach, and two he has a catcher that he can 100% trust to block his curve.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Maybe, but he was very good last year at this point in the season. It collapsed in June, as I recall.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
He’s two starts into May and he has pitched 14 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 4 hits, May was when he fell off last year. Let’s just hope he keeps this AJ alive.
Overall though going past numbers he simply looks like he handles tough situations in game better.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
I looked it up. He had two rotten starts last May and 4 very good ones.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
You’re right, and in June he didn’t record a single “quality start”.
6.0 IP, 6 ER
6.2 IP, 4 ER
3.1 IP, 6 ER
4.0 IP, 7 ER
3.0 IP, 6 ER
This actually is more encouraging news because Eiland took his 25 day leave of absence in June, coinciding directly with Burnett’s lapses on the mound. AJ has always been a creature of habit, and many point to this as one of the major reasons he fell off and wasn’t able to right the ship.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
We’ve all seen pitchers totally lose it and never get it back, but what happened to Burnett last year may really be an odd extended slump. At least let’s hope so.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
Anyone who dismisses Eiland being gone for an entire month as a part of Burnett’s problem I think is underselling the mental part of the game.
It was broken down many times, many places, by different people last year how out of whack AJ’s mechanics were, a pitching coach works with you day in day out to correct those flaws. To suddenly ask the bullpen coach to take over that role, and lose the stability in your immediate coaching staff can cause major havoc. Burnett more than most is susceptible to something like that in my opinion.
No bunt! No bunt! No bunt!!
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This is a damn frustrating game to watch.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Reminds me of the 2003-2006/7 Yankees, when they bashed everyone’s brains in with home runs but couldn’t get a 2 out single with a runner on to save their lives.
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[...] from: Game Thread: Yankees vs. Ro | New York Yankees blog, Yankees blog … AKPC_IDS += "16622,"; AKPC_IDS += [...]
Soria walked Russell Martin on 4 pitches to open the bottom of the 10th. I guess his strategy is to let them get a runner in scoring position so he knows they won’t get any hits.
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Another stupid bunt! Soria couldn’t get the ball over. Let him show he can throw a strike!
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:13 pm
Soria’s one of the best closers in baseball… If you can cut it down to a single hit you do it in this situation.
EDIT:The other bunts I didn’t care for but I agreed with that one.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
In general, yes. When the pitcher is showing that he can’t get the ball over the plate, no. Give him the chance to walk the hitter, especially Gardner, who has a good eye and isn’t sacrificing power by looking for a walk.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
Gardner also has a tendency to put the bat on his shoulder on look at strikes, especially strike three. I know he has 2 hits today but I still agree with the decision when you consider the situation, and the fact that Martin isn’t fast. He’s got speed for a catcher but he wouldn’t score on a single from first, and with Francouer in RF he might not score on a double depending on where it’s hit.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
I don’t buy it. I think it’s more important to watch what the pitcher is doing and let him hang himself.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Gardner is a mostly singles hitter, there is next to no chance he drives in Martin. With the team not exactly lacing hits together you want one hit to tie the game, not two.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Don’t need two. A single and a sac fly. But if Gardner gets the walk, you can bunt with Jeter.
Your man Granderson came through!
A tie. And another no name pitcher in the 11th, unless Tex can win it here.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
If I may quote Smoky from Friday… “That’s my dog, That’s my dog!”.
Who’s left in the pen?
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Carlyle back out. Where’s Joba?
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
He’s not been an option or he would have already been used. He must have a strain/injury or something.
So Ayala is the lone man in the pen… I wonder what starter would be used if it came to that?
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
It won’t They’ll lose it here.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
With an attitude like that…
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
Ok, OK. They’ll bring in Colon.
Going back to Granderson, this is what I envisioned when we traded for him. A gold glove centerfielder who can hit for power with almost anyone, and has the speed to grab 15-20 bags a year. In the 2 hole he just adds a whole new dimension to this lineup, kind of like Damon on steroids and a glove.
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I almost thought that was Cano playing that ball at 2nd… looked decent going deep into that hole.
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“Don’t need two. A single and a sac fly. But if Gardner gets the walk, you can bunt with Jeter.”
You can’t criticize bunting so you can glorify bunting with the next batter. It’s just as likely Gardner strikes out and then you have Jeter batting for the game, with a slow runner on first. Maybe if they have more faith in Jeter he doesn’t bunt their.
“Ok, OK. They’ll bring in Colon.”
That’s better haha… Even if the run did score.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:31 pm
I’m not criticizing “bunting.” I’m criticizing bunting with a 3-1 count when a pitcher has thrown 8 pitches, 7 of them balls.
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
And if Gardner wasn’t up with an 0-6 (now) Jeter behind him you don’t, but all these scenarios together you stick with the bunt.
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Professor Longnose Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
I don’t understand. You want to bunt to bring up a guy who’s having a bad night?
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T.O. Chris Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:37 pm
I’d rather have the tying run in scoring position.
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One of my favorite commercials “wicked cold guys, wicked cold”.
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Weird game, good conversation, rough loss.
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bornwithpinstripes Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
girardi spells david robertson..this way scott proctor or steve karsey
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bornwithpinstripes Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
joe had one inning to manage his pen ..the eighth..three guys well rested and robertson if they run into trouble..joe just could not bring himself once again to trust the other arms in the pen.. at this rate everyone will have a dead arm by july. we all seen this movie before
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Moshe Mandel Reply:
May 12th, 2011 at 12:20 am
Robertson has thrown 13 innings in 15 games coming into tonight. Not even close to being “Proctor”ized. Who would you have gone to in the 8th of a one run game?
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bornwithpinstripes Reply:
May 12th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
he could have matched up with logan and the two guys he had to bring in later anyway..dave would have rested also. thats why we have all those arms..
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bornwithpinstripes Reply:
May 13th, 2011 at 12:06 am
HI MOSHE..early in the year the work load should be spread out..now is the time to find out who you can trust..then at crunch time ,you rely more on your bull dogs in crucial games down the road..look we lost anyway..
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Joe Girardi is an idiot for ordering Gardner to bunt after Soria walked the leadoff man on four pitches and was 3-1 on Gardner. If Gardner takes a pitch and it’s ball four, it’s men on 1B and 2B and no outs. If Gardner takes a pitch and it’s a strike, he has a 3-2 pitch coming to him and it’s hit and run time.
But of course, Girardi is a robotic moron who decided to hand the Royals an out after a leadoff walk.
If the Yankees don’t make the postseason this year, I want Girardi and Cashman fired within 24 hours of the last out of that elimination game. Whoever wants to leave with Girardi and Cashman, goodbye and good riddance!!!
The 2011 Yankees have blown at least SEVEN good or better starts this year: three by Burnett, two by Sabathia, one by Garcia, and one by Nova. They should be at least 24-10 not 20-14.
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