Tagged: Jeremy Guthrie
Big Win For The Yanks = Great Birthday For Me
Life was sweet on Sunday afternoon. My husband took me for a sail on the Pacific Ocean on a gorgeous California afternoon. He even let me steer the boat, which was a little crazy on his part; I have almost no sailing sense and there were seals, pelicans and other boats on either side of us.
It was really fun. The best part? While he was tacking or coming about or whatever sailors call it when they change direction, I whipped out my iPhone just in time to hear John Sterling say the Yankees were up 12-0. I stood up in the boat and yelled, “Woohoo!” No, it didn’t tip over and nobody got hurt. And yes, Melancon gave up the three-run homer about two seconds later, but who cared; I got the birthday present I asked for.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one celebrating. What a day for Gardner and Swisher. Cano too. And Tex – wow. Even Nick Johnson woke up, and Thames made a web gem-worthy catch. I watched a replay of the game after I got home and saw it all – including, of course, the spectacular performance by Hughes. Number five pitcher? No way. So confident. Such command. And he kept the pressure on the White Sox, even though his offense gave him one of these.
(The cushion, not the kid.)
I’m concerned that Granderson will be out for awhile, that A-Rod may or may not have a sore knee and that the bullpen needs some tweaking, never mind Vazquez. But the good news is that the 2010 version of the Yankees is reminding me of the 2009 version — i.e. when somebody goes down, somebody else steps up. The only thing we’re missing so far is this.
No walk-off hero yet. But it’s still early. And speaking of food, my birthday involved a really good dinner at one of Santa Barbara’s most scenic restaurants, the Boathouse.
This place isn’t just near the beach. It’s on it. Take a look at the view from our table, about a half hour before sunset.
Thanks to all for the lovely birthday wishes — here and on Twitter and Facebook. They were much appreciated. Back to business on Monday. The O’s have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after their sweep of the Red Sox. It’ll be up to CC to squash their hopes and dreams — and to the hitters to stay out of Jeremy Guthrie’s way. If I were facing Guthrie, I’d step up to the plate wearing this.
Melissa Asked – And The Yanks Delivered
“What’s more important now is how they recover from the past few games. That shows the character of a team.”
That was Friend of the Blog Melissa’s comment from yesterday’s post, following the Yankees’ drubbing at the hands of the O’s. She was right — the 2010 Yanks needed to show they’re capable of bouncing back after tough losses. And did they ever.
(The men in the picture are supposed to be Yankees bouncing back; the women must be she-fans.
)
* CC was a workhorse yet again, carrying the team into the eighth inning.
* The offense pounded Jeremy Guthrie.
* Could Cano be any hotter?
* How locked in is Nick Swisher right now?
* Granderson no longer has blinders on.
* And Joba and Mitre nailed down the win.
There was just one thing….Jorge got contused.
I could hear the sound of the ball hitting his leg all the way in California. But Cervelli was more than up to the task of replacing him. Will we have to call up a third catcher from Scranton? I expect we will. And I guess it’ll mean a return engagement for Chad.
What I really hope is that Guthrie stops following in the footsteps of former Orioles wildman Daniel Cabrera. I’ve had about enough of him hitting our guys.
Eight Is NOT Enough!
Who cares what that old TV show said. The Yankees clobbered the Orioles 11-4 for their eighth straight victory tonight and I’m not ready to say, “Enough.” Why should I? This streak is a blast and I hope it keeps going. Call me greedy, even piggish, but that’s how I am when it comes to the Yanks (and cake). More. More. More.
What’s great about streaks is that they’re never just about one player. They feature a different hero every night. A different villain, too.
Tonight’s hero? Phil Hughes. Hat tip right back at you, buddy.
He wasn’t exactly Nolan Ryan out there, but he did strike out nine over five innings with a wicked fast ball. He earned another start for sure. If Wang rediscovers his sinker and takes back his slot in the rotation, I wouldn’t mind seeing Hughes in the pen, especially if it means sending Veras down to Triple A.
Other heroes?
* The sizzling hot Tex, who got the offense cooking with an RBI double in the first.
* The Nickster, whose first Yankee Stadium homer just made it over Markakis’s head.
* Cano, whose dinger sailed four rows over Markakis’s head.
* Melky, who went back-to-back-to-back even deeper over Markakis’s head.
Speaking of Markakis’s head, it had to feel like Linda Blair’s in “The Exorcist.”
Oddly enough, Guthrie, who served up the above bombs, not only settled down but hung around through the seventh, allowing him the opportunity to plunk both A-Rod…
…and Tex.
I know. The ball “just slipped.” Whatever. Suffice it to say that if Guthrie drove over to my house and rang the doorbell, he’d be greeted by this.
Speaking of getting hit, poor Melky. In the third, he took one for the team after he fouled off a pitch. The ball came right up and bit him in an extremely sensitive place, causing Posada to break out laughing in the dugout and Michael Kay to lament in the booth: “It’s not funny when it happens to you.”
On a brighter note, the Yankees weren’t done scoring. They tacked on a bunch of runs off Baez and Walker in the eighth – another late-inning burst. Does anyone have a good pen? Even Mo got taken deep again.
No, I’m not complaining. Eight may not be enough, but it’ll do….until tomorrow when we finish up with the O’s and then host the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend.
Playing the champs will makes us the underdogs, with all the pressure on them.
Will they dominate us? Or will yet another pinstriped hero emerge and feel the love from his teammates?
I’m hoping for more pie.
(Final call for the Favorite Fan Moment photo contest. Deadline is Friday at midnight. I wish the people at Flip Video would give a camcorder to all 19 candidates, but only one will win!)
Confessions of a She-Fan 