Tagged: Mike Dunn
What Mark Muhlanson Means To Me
I know, I know. It’s spelled Melancon. Every now and then I can’t help myself and go all phonetics with ballplayer’s names. What can I say. The point is that I felt compelled to write about Melly (I bet that’s what Girardi calls him) with pitchers and catchers showing up in Tampa as I type this. There’s been so much talk about whether Hughes or Joba should be in the pen, not to mention what the Yankees will do without lefties Coke and Dunn. It dawned on me tonight that Melly’s season could be just as key. Let’s take a closer look.
OK, so he doesn’t have much of a neck. Big deal. Neither did Walt “No Neck” Williams, who was an All-Star with the White Sox once upon a time.
And he’s very fair, in hair and skin, but so was Shane Spencer.
Oh, wait. That didn’t work out very well. Here’s a much better example.
But appearances aside, if Melly has a breakout season in 2010, it would be huge for the Yanks. And it’s not impossible. He was outstanding in Scranton in 2009, throwing 11 scoreless innings over his first six appearances, striking out 17 and walking only 3. That’s insane. Then he struggled with his control when he got called up to the Bronx – an understatement. Who can forget May 5th in Boston when he walked all three batters he faced and was promptly sent packing?
When he was brought back to the majors late in the season, Girardi was reluctant to use him in pressure situations and with good reason; he was still somewhat of a wild man.
And yet baseball scouts seem to like his stuff (I know, that’s what they said about Jose Veras too). I’m just saying he could play a pivotal role in the pen this year if he figures out how to throw inside without hitting people.
The Yanks Get Blown Out, Then Thrown Out
Well, one Yankee got ejected.
Jorge Posada was a bad, bad boy in the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 10-4 drubbing by the Blue Jays. It was not his finest moment, and he could get a fat suspension by MLB for elbowing Jays reliever Jesse Carlson. You just can’t be in a pennant race and let your emotions get the better of you, putting yourself and your team at risk. I mean, who wants to act like this guy?
The Yanks should have taken advantage of the fact that Halladay wasn’t at his best, but they couldn’t pitch with any consistency and couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position. It was a miserable night to be a Yankee fan.
Mitre was pitiful, allowing seven runs over five-plus innings, four of the hits homers. Edwar, Melancon and Dunn weren’t much better in their collective role as The Mop Up Guy.
But this one was all about the brawl, the scrum, the donnybrook, the fracas, the fist-a-cuffs, the altercation, the imbroglio, the ruckus, the rumpus, the rhubarb.
Mitre and Melancon had plunked Encarnacion and Hill, respectively. Carlson retaliated by throwing behind Posada. The benches were warned and Posada eventually walked. That should have been that. But Gardner’s double sent Jorge home with the Yankees’ third run. As he was crossing home plate, he gave Carlson a little shove, and both teams came spilling out.
Jorge had to be restrained by CC – a fate worse than whatever Bob Watson will hand down, if you ask me.
And Carlson?
He got a nasty bump on the head; a contusion is my guess.
Even after his ejection, he stayed in the dugout, jawing. I would expect him to sit out a few games too.
But this one was all on Jorge. He issued an apology for his conduct and was embarrassed, according to Pete Abe’s blog. I’m hoping the team gets it together on Wednesday night. No more forgetting how many outs there are. (Hello, Tex.) No more stranding runners. (That means you, Damon.) No more pitching like crap. (We need a good outing, Chad.) There’s still plenty to play for, Yankees, so act like it!
P.S. My husband predicted in the previous post that the Yankees would win this one. Apparently, he is not psychic after all.
A Tip Of The Cap
I’ve made no secret of my appreciation for Roy Halladay’s gifts, not even during his recent slump. It was only natural that he’d have a letdown after all the hoopla at the All Star game surrounding a possible trade.
Toronto’s 6-0 win over the Yankees tonight belonged to him. It’s no mean feat to one-hit the best offensive club in the majors, and he made the Yanks look feeble at the plate, especially A-Rod, who came up with bases loaded and took a called third strike.
If Pena, subbing for Jeter at short, hadn’t doubled, Roy might have had a no-no. But that was it for the Yankees’ offense. So congratulations, Doc, for giving your team a lift. As for the Yanks….
Joba gave me a headache. A migraine.
I mean, what happened to him? He was pulled after three innings – the usual these days, given The Joba Rules – but he never seemed comfortable, never dominated like he used to. The defense behind him was nothing to jump up and down about, either.
Hinske’s a really good hitter off the bench, but in right field he gives me the shakes.
But this game was all about pitching. After Joba gave up three runs, two earned, it was time to call up the kids.
Melancon started out OK, then couldn’t find the plate. Mike Dunn, in his major league debut, really couldn’t find the plate. Edwar found too much of the plate resulting in Hill’s two-RBI double. And Albaladejo avoided damage in spite of getting hit in the face by a ball a few days ago and ending up with raccoon eyes.
To sum up, it was a night for Halladay to celebrate and for the Yankees to say, “So be it. We’ll get ’em tomorrow.” Yes, I’m actually OK with losing a game to a guy who deserved to win it. I must be mellowing. Yeah, right.
Confessions of a She-Fan 