Crushed
I know. It was one game. It’s a long season. Nothing lasts forever. Blah blah blah.
So much for platitudes. I’m crushed that the Yankees’ streak was broken, that they lost to the Phillies in the series opener 7-3, that I was forced to watch Brett Myers throw behind Jeter’s back. Myers pitched a great game, not counting homers to A-Rod, Jeter and Tex, and he was only retaliating for AJ’s plunking of Utley. But he earned my undying enmity nonetheless.
Speaking of AJ, he seemed out of sorts all night.
He hung a few and they sailed straight into the seats. And he couldn’t have been happy to watch Damon trying to score on A-Rod’s shot to left in the first inning. I have no problem with being aggressive, but Ibanez and Rollins made perfect throws and Ruiz made an equally perfect tag. The result? Damon was out. The ball game went downhill from there.
That completes the portion of this post regarding the Phillies.
Now a few moments about the Yankees. They looked flat as a pancake.
Maybe it was a natural reaction to coming off back-to-back sweeps. Maybe it was a letdown after learning that Bruney was hurt again and Albaladejo was shipped to Scranton. Or maybe it was that they were playing an interleague series instead of a contest against a bona fide division rival. Personally, I have little interest in interleague games. Sure, they count, but they’re manufactured rivalries. “Oh, but you get to see players you wouldn’t ordinarily see,” say the advocates. Right. But I’d rather see them in the postseason when the best teams in each league go at it for real.
As for Wang, he was pulled from his Scranton rehab start because of the Yankees’ now-extremely-thin bullpen.
It was a weird experiment. He came in for seventh and promptly left one up to Ibanez and got touched up for a couple of runs before settling down in the ninth. Will the outing give him confidence for his next start, whenever that will be? Or will he regress further? All I know is that the YES camera kept showing close-ups of him dripping with sweat, and it was mildly unnerving.
Oh, well. The Yanks will have another crack at a new streak tomorrow. I hope they get a good night’s sleep. Or go partying. Whatever works for them is fine with me even if it’s this.
Confessions of a She-Fan 
i’m sick about it as werll. also sick of talking on the phone tonight with my friends who are mets fans–those poor misguided souls. anyway–thank you mets, thank you braves. marlins? um not so much.
I’m starting to have my doubts about AJ- I know he pitched very well last time, but cmon. tonight was awful. it seems like he loses focus at critical moments and tries to get away with a fastball that has tooooo much of the plate. kind of pre-2007 beckett ish. know what i mean? he has talked quite a bit about his maturation process, and i have no doubt that he has come a long way, but i’d like to see more consistent results. soon.
watching wang wasn’t exactly delightful either.
http://www.michaelfierman.net/_/Blog/Blog.html
if the Yankees were going to lose then today couldn’t have been a better day.. the Red Sox AND the Blue Jays lost also..
so, the Yankees didn’t lose any ground on either team, and the AL East is still tight
at least the Yankees know Wang needs more work; and at least the Yankees know that they have a solid starter/long reliever in Aceves
Yeah, I agree with Mike. I’m getting concerned about A.J. especially in this new homer-friendly Yankee Stadium. Some of those balls were crushed! Although every ball in this Stadium seems to be crushed. Ten runs were scored tonight and seven of them were home runs. I really hope Wang can eventually get it together. How can a two-time 19 game winner lose it in a matter of a few months?
It’s too bad that the Phillies have replaced Chan Ho Park in the starting rotation with J.A. Happ. I could have stood at least one more Park start! LOL! Hopefully, Andy will get the Yanks back on track today. We need to show the Phils that we can hit homers with men on base too!
Scott
http://fotr.mlblogs.com
Hey Jane, sorry about that. But you guys may eat the rookie alive today…he’s got to be ready to pee his pants, having his first big start in such a HUGE venue. I am going to the game tomorrow…can’t wait!!
Jenn
http://philliesphollowers.mlblogs.com/
Mike, for some reason I’m not freaking about AJ. Our main concern was that he stay healthy and so far so good on that. I just think he needs a few mechanical tweaks, nothing big. He’s still got great stuff. What concerns me more is that he’s stuck with throwing to a different catcher every outing. He’s been through Posada, Molina, Cervelli and Cash. Pitchers like to find a comfort zone with one catcher, and AJ hasn’t had that luxury. I’m not trying to let him off the hook, but….
Good point, Levelboss. At least we didn’t lose ground. But we can’t press our luck today. Wang? He needs more work down on the farm, not in the pen.
Len, I don’t know what’s up with Wang. Clearly, the injury last year set off a chain reaction of bad mechanics and/or lack of confidence. His sinker wasn’t sinking until the ninth last night.
Exactly, Scott. We need a few nice little 3-run jobs today, not just the solo shots. And I’d be really grateful if Andy would keep their homers to a minimum!
Congrats, Jenn. I thought of you and Sue after the game and pictured you guys celebrating. So I’m happy for you, but could you please let us win one today? Have a great time at the Stadium.
ok i needed that litle pep talk about aj jane..thanks for helping me off the ledge. 🙂
i know he’s generally been a second half pitcher anyway— so..i propose a toast– Here’s To The Second Half!
http://www.michaelfierman.net/_/Blog/Blog.html
That’s what fellow fans are for, Mike. We talk each other off the ledge! But I’m not waiting for the second half. AJ will turn it around much sooner. You’ll see. Well, I hope so. 🙂
You know, I felt the same thing when I saw that Cash was starting last night. I’m sorry, but for me, he brings nothing to the table. Why not just rely on Cervelli for a bit until Posada comes back? I know they need Cash as a backup, but I wish decisions about who starts were based more on merit.
hey reality check–i couldn’t agree more. i know cervelli cant catch every game, but at his age he can catch more than he has been. cash is worthless.
What? A rookie pitching for the Phillies today? That’s usually bad news for the Yankees.
http://thisfanslife.mlblogs.com
YRC and Mike, I agree about Cash. If they need him for backup, fine. But the pitchers need a primary guy to throw to. Pitchers are all about routine, and they like working to someone they’re comfortable with.
So far history is repeating itself, Bern. I’m sitting here watching the game and thinking how the Yankees should be torpedoing Happ instead of going down quietly. Come on, boys!
Jane, sigh, I know how you feel. The Dodgers lost at home. I need a big hug from Matty Kemp. Hope I get it tonight. I think I will try to forget about ieverything at the Dugout buffet.
http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com
I hope you get it too, Cat. But don’t give up the buffet. I’m counting on you for those great food descriptions!
But you won today so all is well!
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
All is definitely well, Julia. The Yanks had a great win.