(AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
The most surprising thing ever happened on Monday night, and by most surprising I mean least surprising thing in American history, as the Yankees got completely shut down by a Pitcher They’ve Never Seen Before™ for the approximately 800 millionth time over the last two seasons.
I’m sorry, but there’s just no excuse for a game like this. Bases loaded, no out in the first inning, and the team fails to score. Five total hits off , who came into this game with an ERA above 4.50, and who struck seven Yankees out during his seven scoreless innings. Seriously, what is it about the Indians and pitchers the Yankees have never seen before? This was even worse than the game last July, as they at least managed a run off Tomlin! I know the team just won three of four and in doing so obviously won this series, but the double ignominy of the utter predictability of the Yankee bats getting shutdown by a new hurler in addition to losing by a score of 1-0 is altogether incredibly frustrating.
As both a high-scoring and infrequently-shutting-the-other-team-out team, the Yankees simply don’t play too many 1-0 games, and though it’s always difficult to wrap one’s head around the Yankee offense getting blanked, it’s particularly hard to accept this kind of performance at home, where they’ve always — at least prior to this season — enjoyed a distinct advantage. According to ESPN.com, it was the first 1-0 loss for the Yankees at New Yankee Stadium, and the first time it had been done to them at home since August 1, 2008 against the Angels.
The 2011 Yankees have now been shutout five times. Last year they were shutout eight times all season. I know we’re in a depressed offensive environment and everything, but this is inexplicable for a team with the second-best wOBA in the league. Oh, and forget about winning four games in a row, which has only happened once thus far.
I realize this is likely quite a bit of misdirected frustration, but I just can’t get over the getting-shutdown-by-new-pitchers thing anymore. It’s been driving me bonkers since I started blogging, and I just don’t understand it. Don’t the Yankees employ a single advance scout? If so, what on earth are these advance scouts doing?
In any event, perhaps most frustrating of all was that the Yankees wasted another strong start — 7 2/3 innings of eight-strikeout, one-run ball. His game Score of 72 tied his previous two best outings by Game Score — April 25 against Chicago and May 11 against Kansas City.
So yes, the Yankees just won three of four against a first-place team, and I hope no one reads this as though I’m somehow disappointed in the overall manner in which the team has been playing on the whole. They had a superb weekend overall, and still have the second-best record in the American League. This isn’t all “doom-and-gloom, boo-hoo, this team has no heart and will choke its way to last place.” I feel quite confident about the team’s chances going forward.
I’m just writing from a place of frustration that they couldn’t complete the four-game sweep, and that the bats went silent yet again in a game I absolutely knew this would happen (see “Between Carrasco having been the Indians’ second-best starter this season and him being new to the Yankees, this game has disaster written all over it.”).
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Yep. It’s maddening. Hard to watch let alone understand.
Horrible to watch, Burnett was brilliant and the bats decided to not show up – AGAIN. Shades of the Boston series.
This was an extremely frustrating game to lose, starting with Jeter not scoring on ARod’s flyball, to the Swisher ball off the bat up the middle appearing as if it was ticketed to CF for 2 runs, from Cervelli failing to get a sac bunt down, to the Gardner bunting into a strikeout on a 3-2 pitch leading off the 8th, etc… Fortunately for the Yankees the wildcard competition in the AL this year appears to be relatively weak (assuming Bos, Det, Tex) win their divisions. I’m not a believer in CLE or Sea, which leaves the Rays, whom the Yanks are better then. so the Yankees should make the playoffs but they’ll need to get healthier and make a couple deals to win a title this year.
How many games have the 2011 Yankees lost where their starting pitcher gave a quality start (no less than 6 IP and no more than 3 ER)? It has to be at least eight. I count three with Burnett including last night, two with Sabathia, and one with Garcia, so that’s six starts right there. Assuming Burnett two of these three 7 IP or better, one-run games, he should be 8-3.
Last night’s loss as well as the other two losses where Burnett pitched at least seven innings and gave up only one run and their laying down for the Red Sox will come back to haunt the Yankees. They look like a wildcard team which is bad if the NL wins the All-Star Game cuz that means the Yankees will begin every postseason series on the road.
I predict the Red Sox will win the AL East as the Yankees have pissed away too many quality starts to win it, Detroit will win the AL Central as I don’t see Cleveland playing well enough all year to win it or the wildcard, Texas will win the AL West as they’re in the weakest division of the three, and the Yankees will win the wildcard which means the Yankees will draw Detroit or Texas in the first round. This also means the Yankees / Sabathia will definitely face Justin Verlander or Alexi Ogando (assuming he’s their ace all year) in Game 1 of the ALDS and possibly Game 5 if necessary, so I hope Gene Michael or whoever the scout/s are at tonight’s game are taking copious notes like I hope they did when the Yankees last faced Verlander.
Is tonight a preview of Game 1 of the ALDS if the Yankees make the postseason? Who would they draw in the first round if Detroit and Texas won their respective divisions?
I hate to see games like this where the Yanks hand over wins to team with no chance. The Yankees struggles against teams they should crush go beyond inexplicable. I can’t blame Joe for the team’s struggles offensively but as a manager you can’t be as predictable as he is.
Why is Cervelli bunting in his first at bat?
Why can’t a player of the caliber of Robinson Cano get a walk?
Why is Gardner bunting with 2 strikes after swinging at ball 4 in 3-2 count twice; and the pitch he bunted was again ball 4.
Why no-one can pinch hit? Oh wait, the book says LHP vs. RHB and vice versa, right Joe?
Sometimes I ask myself how does Joe manage because every hitter seems to have the green light (do whatever you want kind of thing) at the plate at all times. I coul do that and make millions.
After Yankee pitchers work out a jam, throwing 20+ pitches the next half inning the Yankee batters are done with 5 o 6 pitches, c’mon at least let your own pitcher catch his breath. That’s common sense you might think but it’s the manager’s call. You can’t win like that.
The bad plays or the lack of hitting isn’t your fault Joe but the lack of balls is, after the unsuccessful bunt attempt – SO – K Garner’s got to be benched. No Excuse, if necessary he must use Billy Martin methods (meaning pulling Reggie out for no hustling). That’s the way to go, no more sloppy play. If you can’t play 110% then you’ll have to sit.
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