Sweep Falls Short

Man...that Verlander can pitch, can't he? Combine a strong outing from the Tigers' ace with a cobbled-together Boston lineup and the result is a 2-0 loss. But don't view this as Boston sliding back into their old ways.

For one thing, Clay Buchholz pitched his second straight solid game. Yes, he got tagged with the loss and dropped to 1-3. But this was the proverbial "strong loss". Clay went seven innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits. If there was one down note, it was that his walks equaled his strikeouts (three each). He only threw 60% of his pitches for strikes and only 52% of his first pitches to batters went for strikes. But by and large Clay was able to work around those control issues. And that is hopefully a sign that he is gaining that mental toughness he has been lacking thus far. If Clay can get his head straight - and keep it straight - then he has a future in the majors.

And the bullpen pitching was top notch. Delcarmen and Cabrera each took an inning and were solid. Especially Cabrera; he struck out all three batters in the ninth and made it look pretty easy. Cabrera could be one of Theo's best pickups this year if he keeps throwing like this.

But all this occurred against one of the best young arms in the majors. When you think "fireballer" Justin Verlander has to be at the top of your list. He put together a masterful performance yesterday. Eight innings of four hit ball with no runs and eight strikeouts. The kid hit 100 MPH in the eighth inning on his last pitch, a swinging third strike on Jason Bay. Verlander just held Boston down.

Now, some wags in the media and elsewhere are blaming Tito for this. They are saying that by taking out Pedroia and Drew, with Youk being suspended, was malfeasance and "how dare he!" and other such bluster.

To this I say, "Shut your trap, because you sound ridiculous."

You could have had Pedroia, Drew AND Youk in that lineup and I don't think Boston would have won. Sometimes you just run up against a pitcher who has a fantastic game. Verlander is a pitcher that has many games like that. There's no shame in losing when the other pitcher is channeling Cy Young and Christy Mathewson simultaneously.

Second...the season is 162 games long. Sometimes you run into these night/day games before a road trip and you want to rest some of your players. It makes sense over the long haul of the season. Pedroia needed the rest. Drew...well, I guess he needed a day off that wasn't related to him getting hurt. So yes, the result is Josh Reddick in right and Chris Woodward at second. I will point out that Reddick did get a hit, one of only four Boston had in the game. And Woodward got hit twice, so his OBP was pretty good for the game.

Third, and most importantly...Boston had their chances. In the first innings they had runners at second and third with one out. The result was Bay and Ortiz both striking out to end the inning. In the third inning Boston had runners on the corners with two outs and Bay struck out again. In the eighth inning Ellsbury led off with a double, which was followed by three straight outs. So it wasn't like this lineup was unable to generate chances to score. They just couldn't get it done when it counted. And I don't think Woodward or Reddick had anything to do with Jason Bay striking out three times and going 0-3 with runners in scoring position.

It's almost like people want to blame Tito for Boston being in second, or just want to take a successful manager down a peg because that is what the sports media (and too many fans) in Boston love to do. And it's crap. Tito has done a masterful job with this team. He didn't pick J.D. Drew, or Julio Lugo, or any other player. His job is to work with what he is given. And that has resulted in two titles and three visits to the ALCS in five years. Who in their right mind wants to complain about success like that? Do you know how many other managers have done that since 2001? None. Terry Francona is also the only manager in the past eight years to win more than one World Series title. So maybe everyone needs to sit down and just chill out. So he rested Pedroia yesterday. Big deal. Get over yourselves already.

Now we move to what is the most important series the Sox have faced thus far. They travel to Texas, again, for a three game tilt. Last time the Rangers swept them and made Boston look pathetic in the process. Hopefully we'll have a different result this time. The Rangers are just half a game back in the wild-card race, so all these games matter. Tonight it's Lester facing Milwood. Lester thrives in big games like this and I have no doubt he'll do so again. Milwood is hittable, but he was good in his last game against the Sox on July 20 (six innings, six hits and two runs). Hopefully Boston brings their bats with them this time.

How To Alienate Players And Look Bad Doing It

Yes, a bonus post today. ...

You know under Joe Torre, this would never have happened.

After declaring Brian Bruney his eighth-inning guy Tuesday, Joe Girardi apparently had a change of heart just three days later, removing Bruney from the role.

For the second consecutive game in which the Yankees have had a tight lead in the eighth, Girardi bypassed Bruney, electing to use Phil Coke and Phil Hughes in the Yankees' 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays Friday.

Wednesday Girardi used Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke to bridge the game to Mariano Rivera, but it was assumed that was because Bruney had thrown a lot of pitches in blowing a two-run lead the night before.

Turns out there was more to it than that.

"We need to get [Bruney] going and we need to get him right and we'll get him right,'' Girardi said, "but Hughes is throwing the ball real well right now.''

Too bad Girardi didn't say that Tuesday.

Look, this is not about whether Bruney should be the eighth-inning guy, or Hughes, or whomever.

Burney has not pitched well since coming off the DL and is no position to complain about the move (and publicly he isn't). Hughes has been brilliant (so far) since moving to the bullpen, though 13-2/3 innings is still a small sample, so it's worth trying him as the bridge to Mo for the short-term.

This is about the way Girardi handles players and gives information to the media.

For 14 years Torre was the master of handling the New York media, while managing the egos of the 25 players on the roster. Rarely did we ever hear Torre making definitive statements about players' roles, especially right after games.

You know what Torre would have said Tuesday. You just know it would have sounded something like this:

Brian Bruney is an important part of this team and we need him to pitch well in the eighth. He hasn't pitched well since coming of the DL and we need to get him going, and we will. Fortunately we have Hughes and Coke and Aceves all throwing the ball well, which will help us get by until Bruney gets straighted out.

Nothing definitive. No public assigning of roles and then taking it away. No embarrassing players. No looking indecisive or looking like you don't know what you're doing.

Under Torre, this situation would have been a small note in all the beat writers' notebook. Under Girardi, it's getting headlines.

Girardi is fortunate the Bruney is a veteran and a pro.

Otherwise this could have become a real clubhouse mess.

And One More Thing...
Was it really necessary to use Coke and Hughes Friday?

Coke is more than just a left-handed specialist. He's shown he can get righthanders out, too.

With left-handed hitter Adam Lind leading off the eighth, Girardi brought in Coke. Coke got Lind to fly to left and Girardi then brought in Hughes, who finished the inning, allowing a single Scott Rolen.

But with another left-handed hitter, Lyle Overbay, due up third in the inning, why not just let Coke stay in? Like Hughes, Coke has been on a roll lately, allowing one run on five hits, while striking out 15 over his last 13-2/3 innings.

Here's the point: relievers can't pitch every day. They need days off. They need to rest. When you don't have to use multiple guys to get through an inning, then don't. Use one and keep the other guy fresh for the next day's game.

Friday Girardi should have used Coke or Hughes in the eighth, not both.

Time Growing Short On Girardi Era

It's not fair and it's not totally Joe Girardi's fault, but if you listen carefully, you just might hear the chant ever so faintly.

joe must go!

In his first season as manager, the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. The whispers began.

joe must go!

During the offseason, we heard the Yankees needed to get off to a fast start, or ...

joe must go!

And so far the season has not gone as anyone associated with or rooting for the Yankees could have imagined. An Opening Day loss, followed by Chien-Ming Wang's ineffectiveness. The disappointment of the new Stadium's Opener and the 22-run embarrassment against the Indians.

Then it got worse. Losing the first five against the Red Sox for the first time since 1985 and enduring a painful, ugly five-game losing streak.

joe must go!

And then there was Saturday.

Phil Hughes allowed eight runs in the second inning and all the good feelings created by Alex Rodriguez's homer and CC Sabathia's shutout the night before were gone. The Yankees were on their way to a 12-5 pounding at the hands of the Orioles in Baltimore. The Yankees have lost six of seven, are 14-16 and have already allowed 10 runs in a game six times this season.

As I said, it's really not entirely Joe Girardi's fault. The players have not performed. Injuries have played a significant role. There is plenty of blame to go around, and most of it should be reserved for Brian Cashman.

Given a payroll of $201 million, Cashman has assembled a team that as no bullpen, no bench and a lineup that has no speed, has not been clutch and has shown no heart. If the Yankees don't turn it around, I will be stunned if Cashman survives this season. But that is a story months down the line. Firing the GM midseason does nothing to fire up a team.

And that leaves Girardi vulnerable to be the scapegoat as the chants grow louder.

joe must go!

Firing the manager is a tactic that has been tried often, especially by George Steinbrenner. Occasionally it works. Last season, the Mets fired Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel got the team into playoff contention, even grabbing first in the NL East for a while. The Brewers fired their manager with a week to go in the season and wound up grabbing the wild card from the Mets.

Even worse for Girardi is that right there on his bench is sitting another candidate who interviewed for the job Girardi ended up getting. Hal and Hank Steinbrenner have a ready-made answer for who would replace Girardi if they were to make an in-season move: bench coach Tony Pena, the former Manager of the Year with the Royals.

joe must go!

Girardi came in with a reputation of being fiery, with a good handle on statistical analysis and a good grasp of the tactical aspects of the game. The concern with was his people skills and whether he'd be able to command a room filled with veterans, some of whom were his peers.

His in-game management wouldn't be the reason he would be fired. Yes, he's made his share of questionable decisions. But so did Joe Torre, who often seemed to have the golden touch and would get away with those moves.

No, Girardi's failure will result from his struggles in the locker room and his inability to get this team going.

Torre should never have been fired (I know he technically wasn't, but we all know better). Making the playoffs every year clearly was an accomplishment that was vastly underappreciated. His ability to deal with his players, the media, ownership and the whirlwind that is New York was his greatest strength and underrated.

He knew how to push the buttons and was smart enough to recognize when something wasn't working and change. Sometimes it took a while for him find the right combination, but he always did and the team always took off.

Girardi does not appear to have that ability, causing the chants to grow louder.

joe must go!

Last season, Girardi struggled to communicate effectively with his players and ran into trouble with the media. He vowed to learn from his makes, and in many ways he has.

But the team is still not responding. The team is playing uninspired ball and not showing enough signs that it will snap out this funk and go on the big run that eluded it last season. And that has Yankees fans starting to grumble loudly.

joe must go!

Don't expect anything to have in the next week or two, but if the team continues to play poorly, eventually management is going to have to ask itself what it can do to shake things up, especially if it feels this team is capable of making the playoffs.

There aren't many options to shake up the roster right now. There just isn't any major league ready talent on the farm (another Cashman failure). Joba Chamberlain isn't going to be moved to the pen, especially with Ian Kennedy out with an aneurysm and Hughes certainly ticketed back to Triple A Scranton upon Wang's return. There is only so much Girardi can do with the lineup.

And even though Girardi deserves to finish out the season, that leaves one move.

joe must go!

Girardi does have time to turn things around. But not much. He needs more starting performances such as Sabathia's Friday. He needs the offense to start producing like it did during that four-game winning streak last week. He needs a few people in the bullpen to step up and actually produce. Mostly, he needs to get this team to start playing with pride and passion.

And if he doesn't ...

joe must go!

There is one thing ownership fears right now. The Steinbrenners, Cashman, et al desperately want to avoid having to admit failure and their mistake in firing Torre. The didn't appreciate what they had in Torre and set out to find the next Terry Francona.

But the absolute last thing they want to see in the opening year of their new $1.6 billion palace is it turned into the Meadowland of the mid-1980s. To see Yankees fans morph into Jets fans begging Leon Hess to fire Joe Walton. To hear thundering off the stadium walls:

JOE MUST GO! JOE MUST GO! JOE MUST GO!

The chorus is warming up. Can you imagine a more embarrassing scene?

Runners In Scoring Position
Saturday
1-for-5 (.200)
Season
69-for-282 (.245)

Up Next
Sunday at Orioles, 1:35 p.m., YES
Joba Chamberlain (1-1, 3.77 ERA) OR Alfredo Aceves (0-0, 4.15) vs. Koji Uehara (2-3, 4.42)

Joba burst a blood vessel in his right thumb during batting practice Saturday and is questionable for the start. Giradi thinks Joba will be able to go, but Aceves was held back just in case.