Like Death And Taxes, This Yankees Loss Was Inevitable
I wish I were one of those people who wears hats.
If I’d had one on, I would have tipped it. What else can do you when Harry Halladay pitches a complete game against your team, limiting them to five hits and one puny run?
Harry was masterful in the Jays’ 5-1 victory over the Yanks. Our guy matched him in the early going, but after AJ’s fourth-inning problems it was clear that this was Harry’s night. He located his fast ball with precision, combined it with a devastating slider and/or cutter, and made the Yankees look as if they’d been tasered.
Scott Rolen, who wasn’t even in my scouting report yesterday, provided the offensive muscle for the Jays.
Damon continued to put the ball in play. He’s practically the only healthy player the Yankees have left, and I’m beginning to wonder if we have an adequate supply of these.
It’s not bad enough that Wang, Posada, Molina and Bruney are on the DL? Now Jeter has a strained oblique and Matsui has a tight hammy and Coke has a stiff back. And that’s not counting A-Rod, who would have handled Rolen’s grounder in the second inning if he’d been even 75%. Despite his RBI single in the seventh, Al looked “washed out,” as my mother describes people who look slightly sick.
AJ had a tough evening. Apparently, the Jays fans are mad at him not only for signing with the Yanks but for doing this last year in response to their booing of him.
Oh, well. At least they didn’t throw things onto the turf at the Rogers Centre and disrupt the game. However, I was forced to watch the Jays’ feed, instead of the YES broadcast, and the camera kept showing us a man whose sign read: “AJ, you look fat in stripes.” Speaking of the Toronto announcers, every single time Halladay retired the side, they said: “Just what the Doc ordered.” They were so corny that by the ninth inning I was afraid I would do this.
But all credit to Roy/Doc/Harry. He was nasty. In a good way. If you’re a fan of these.
Confessions of a She-Fan 
It was disappointing because once you saw that Harry had brought his A game (as usual), there was no way that the Yanks would climb back in it. We so desperately need a strong bat coming off the bench…although a timely hit or two by Tex wouldn’t hurt…
Scott
http://fotr.mlblogs.com
I have to admit – I’m a little nervous about my Red Sox playing the Jays next week. If the Yankees aren’t more successful over the Jays, they might find themselves with a new skipper by the weekend. And can we borrow some of those hospital beds? Youk is now on the DL and Big Papi got hit by a ball in his bad wrist. Ugh.
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
Ouch. Now, I know I expressed mixed feelings about this series yesterday, but it’s also a no-win situation for me too — and I forgot about Rolen too, like you (I still think of him as an NL guy)…thanx for the photo of Aretha; nice to know that somebody else has gained a pound or two over the decades…! Harry was as cold-blooded as his “nicknamesake ” last nite, which made the Gunfight at the Blue Jay Corral a tad anticlimactic…and yes, I fear for Girardi’s well-being too…with all that $$ and focus, this bad start may demand a victim…and to think how Jersey Bob and I were saying not long ago, yeah, Girardi’s a great pick to be skipper — Torre’s burned out, Mattingly doesn’t have what it takes…can I eat those words here, or are they for “carry out”?
“Harry Halladay” – ha! – sounds like a Vegas magician or something [reminds me of how Chipper Jones is always greeted by cheers/jeers of “Larry”, his real name, which sounds like a used car salesman]. Scott Rolen always looks constipated (even when he was a Phillie) – does the man ever look like he’s enjoying himself? And OMG, Madonna looks just awful in that photo! That’s enough to scare the crap out of me this early in the morning!
Sue
Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts
You simply hafta tip your hat to the old-school greatness of Roy Halladay. He’s a free agent after next year; you’d better tell Hank to save some caish.
http://www.paullebowitz.com/
Jane, hope everything is ok on the homefront. I know how hard it is to accept the fact that the Dodgers are on a losing skid. It isn’t all because of Manny. I always knew the less than stellar pitching would catch up to them and it has. Sporadic good pitching is not going to even win the division.
http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com
You’re right about the bench, Scott. And about Tex. I keep hearing that Nady will be back soon(er), so maybe he’ll help.
I watched part of that game, Julia, and saw Ortiz get hit. Ouch. What I didn’t understand was why both teams were warned after Masterson hit Hunter. Had there been previous beanballs?
Not that I’m saying Girardi is the greatest manager ever, Dave, but he can’t be held accountable for all the injuries. And who would replace him? Not an easy decision.
Didn’t mean to scare you with that Madonna photo, Sue. Not very glamorous without her makeup.
My imaginary hat was tipped, Paul. He’s a great pitcher. I wouldn’t mind having him and AJ in the rotation.
Pitching is crucial, Cat, but the Dodgers have it. And if they need another arm when the trading deadline comes along, they’ll go out and get somebody. They seem determined to win this year.
Sounds like it was a great game for the Jays! But obviously not so good for the Yanks. Halladay is an incredible pitcher.
http://kaybee.mlblogs.com
They say that Blue Jays are some of the meanest birds in the animal kingdom…. they’re known to eat their young, rob/devour other eggs in nests not their own, and cause she-fans to puke on the regular.
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
Jane,
Love the pictures, especially the Madonna picture and the girl driving the porcelain bus (in spite of the fact that the picture is staged).
Just goes to show you how valuable an ace is to every team.
You should check out Scott and Julia’s blogs for the pictures of Scott wearing the pink Red Sox hat.
Also, I have accepted your suggestion and have awarded my first Macher of the Month award in today’s blog entry.
Ken
He is, and he proved it last night, Kaybee.
We have a lot of blue jays outside, Jeff, and they ARE mean. They squawk at all the other birds and steal all the bird seed we leave out!
Thanks, Ken. It took some doing finding a “tasteful” pic of a girl driving the porcelain bus.
Yeah, Jane, you’re right that Girardi shouldn’t be dumped, or dumped upon, at least not yet. I’m just fearful that the torches and pitchforks may come out if the Bombers don’t turn it around soon — Da Bronx accepts no excuses, as we know too well — and the manager is always a convenient attention-diverting way for management to “solve all problems.” It may go way deeper, to coaches and Cashman and beyond, but have faith (like you did with those wildfires) and let’s say thank goodness it’s still only mid-May…
I would at least give him until the All-Star break to see if they turn things around and people are healthy again, Dave. An effective Wang would certainly help, and he’s due back soon. So I’m keeping the faith.
Jane, I just finished my lunch then saw that picture of Madonna. Oh my. For the Yankees sake, I hope they don’t fire Girardi now. I think it would still be a knee-jerk reaction that would ruin the season. I am not saying he is the long term answer, but getting rid of him now would be a mistake.Russhttp://wight4256.mlblogs.com
That is a really pretty picture of a blue jay (bird). Last time I saw one, it was stalking a baby sparrow and trying to kill it. I spent an hour protecting the baby before the jay flew away.
I hate when announcers get stupid or annoying. The only broadcast teams I like are my own–FSN Rocky Mountain or FSHouston. Anyone else drives me nuts.
Kylie — http://kylie.mlblogs.com
I agree totally, Russ. No good would be served by giving him the quick hook. I would let the injured players come back and the new players settle in, and then see how things are going.
I guess most people feel that way about their own announcers, Kylie. And I’m so glad you rescued that baby sparrow from the big bad blue jay!
I agree with Julia on this. Anytime Halliday is on the mound, there’s no stopping him and you can practically expect your team to lose if you aren’t a Jays fan. I agree with Russ as well. Getting rid of Girardi would be a mistake.
http://irishsoxkid19.mlblogs.com
Dont’ worry, Jane. You guys will pick up some wins this weekend when the Twins come to town. Our pitching staff likes to give up home runs, and the new stadium seems to be pretty homer-friendly, so I predict many, many trips to the liquor store for me.-Erinhttp://plunking-gomez.mlblogs.com
Jane,
I just sent my photo in today. But as I glanced over the box score (aka analyzed every last word), I noticed that it was a nice pitcher’s duel until the fourth. I can relate to how Jays fans feel about Burnett. I was attached to him when he was on the Marlins. Halladay is absolutely incredible, year after year. And Youkilis has a strained (left) oblique too! Maybe he and Jeter can become friends…
Elizabeth
http://redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com
Hi Jane
I hope everything is good with you. At least your Yankees won a huge game today against Toronto. My guys (the Dodgers) also beat the Phillies 9-2 with 2 homeruns, a sacrifice bunt RBI, very interesting game today after that heart wrenching embarrassing loss yesterday
http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com
LOL, Erin! I think you’re selling your Twinkies short. The Yankees pitchers have been serving up bombs too, so it could be a long series.
Love your photo, Elizabeth. It’s officially entered in the contest. What’s with all these injuries? The media keeps saying it’s because the Yankees are old, but Youkilis is out too and he’s hardly a senior citizen!
Hey, Cat. Congrats on the Dodgers’ victory. There’s nothing like winning after a bad loss to lift the spirits. I’m about to do my nightly recap of our game and it’ll be more fun than last night’s.