Results tagged ‘ Nick Swisher ’
Yankees season comes down to one game…at a time(2)
If the Yankees hope to win their 41st American League pennant and advance to the World Series where the winner of the Phillies/Giants series will await, then yesterday’s game was but just one step to that goal. In a must win situation, the Yankees turned again to their ace, and this time, Sabathia earned a solid victory for himself and his team facing elimination at home. Although not dominant by any stretch of the imagination, Sabathia pitched like an ace, getting into trouble and then making a pitch or two that got him out of trouble. Ron Washington said it best about CC: “he bent, but didn’t break.” And in a series in which Yankees starters have not only bent, but broke, CC’s valiant effort is the boost the Yankees need to propel them forward.
It wasn’t as if the Rangers weren’t getting to CC. As Washington said, he bent. In 6 innings of work, CC gave up 11 hits, most of which were line drive ropes that either found the ground instead of a fielder’s glove. Yet most of Texas’s hits came with no runners on base. When there were runners on base, the Rangers couldn’t get consecutive hits. In the 6th however, the Rangers did manage to load the bases, but Sabathia had enough to retire the side. In that inning, Mitch Moreland put on a great at-bat against CC and somehow someway, Sabathia was able to strike him out with a slow curveball in the inside corner. That bases loaded jam was the closest the Rangers came from putting pressure on the Yankees.
But decent a performance CC had on the mound, he couldn’t do it alone and he needed the support from his offense, support he has gotten throughout his Yankee career. Yesterday was no different, as the Yankees busted out of the gate and put 3 runs on the board in the bottom of the 3rd, 2 in the fourth, and 2 more in the latter innings. The hitting star of the day was Robinson Cano who continues his hot hitting in the LCS. Cano’s homerun was the fourth of this series and now he joins Josh Hamilton as one of many who have hit four homeruns in LCS history. But preceding Cano’s homerun’s was Nick Swisher’s solo job to left. Swisher who is having yet another dreadful post-season, needed that homerun to get off the schnied and extend the Yankees lead to four. His homerun set the tables for what was the Yankees first good offensive game of the series.
Looking Ahead…
Phil Hughes, with normal rest, should be able to pitch better in Texas than he did last Saturday afternoon, and hopefully he will give the Yankees what they need to extend this series to a final seventh game. Hughes, who has had a decent year, with rough starts here and there, could give the Yankees another post season quality start, with the hopes that he would receive the same kind of run support he has been accustomed to this season. The Yankees also need to bust out of the gate early again, and chase a suspect Colby Lewis, who is a pitcher that can pitch well, but can also pitch poorly. Putting pressure on early and scoring often and getting into a very suspect Texas bullpen is what the Bombers need. Of course, that is easier said that done. Lewis did outpitch Hughes in game 2.
Dominant-Lee
What is it about Cliff Lee in the post season? For a pitcher who struggles in the regular season there seems to be something about the October air that makes Lee into a dominant beast that controls not only the tempo of the game, but both sides of the plate. As I have written before, Lee is not a dominant pitcher as he doesn’t throw in the high 90′s, but he is a finess pitcher and his control makes it difficult for any lineup to work the count. The Yankees have such a lineup, which depends on hitters like Teixeira, Swisher, Jeter and A-Rod to work the count. So it wasn’t surprising that last night, Lee just moawed down Yankee after Yankee, even as he fell behind in the count.
So after another incredible performance by Lee, his post season record now stands at 7-0 with a ridiculous 1.26 ERA. In less than a year, Cliff Lee, has made a name for himself in post-season play by joining the greats of yesteryears who were also great pitchers in the post season. You know Lee is doing a great job when his name is mentioned with Sandy Koufax and Christy Mathewson. As I said before…I heart Cliff Lee!
What does Lee’s victory mean for the rest of the series however? It makes things simple for the Rangers, who do not have to win the next two games in New York. A win tonight, or tomorrow night would give the Rangers control of this series. If they lose game 6 in Texas, Cliff Lee will be ready to take the mound in the decisive game seven.
For the Yankees, last night’s defeat means that they will have to wake up now and take advantage of the next two Ranger pitchers in the Bronx and try to take a series lead. If the Yankees head back to Texas with a 3-2 lead in this series, they could very well wrap things up Friday night with Phil Hughes on regular rest. So lets go Yankees, wake up and take control, starting tonight!
Yankees win an emotional game.
On a very emotional night, a night in which baseball really seemed to be the second most important event, the Yankees honored their late owner and legendary public address announcer with a thrilling walk off victory. But the big story of the night isn’t the fact that the Yankees won a close game, but how the Yankee family came together to mourn and remember two Yankees’ icons.
The ceremony was short, but poignant, as fans in the stadium and viewers at home got to see the good nature and public side of the Boss. As the presentation made clear, George Steinbrenner bought the franchise at the lowest point of its history and turned it again until a premier and winning organization. The Yankees turnaround in the mid-1970′s can be credited to the fact that Steinbrenner brought to the franchise the winning attitude it had lost after CBS bought the team.
As for Bob Sheppard, I don’t think there are enough words to describe his contribution to the Yankees and what he meant not only to the fans but to the entire baseball world. Even the Boston Red Sox honored the life of Mr. Sheppard, as his impact on the game was felt beyond the Bronx, as his voice was often imitated but never duplicated. Since Sheppard’s voice has been forever silence, the Yankees kept the public address booth empty for the entire game.
As for the game itself..
When the rememberances were over and the game began, it seemed that baseball was furthest thing in the minds of the Yankees, as James Shields, who historically has struggled against the Yankees, was pitching a gem. But with a 3-1 lead, and two outs in the six, Shields gave up back to back homeruns to Cano and Posada. After surrendering the lead again, the Nick Swisher ties up the game for the Yankees again, with a lead off homerun in the bottom of the 8th. In the bottom of the 9th, Nick Swisher completes the night with a walk off single, driving in Granderson from second base. Overall, it was a good win for the Yankees, as they are now three games in front of the Rays in the AL East.
Swisher final campaign act?
As the Yankees swept the series in Oakland, Nick Swisher gave fans a reason as to why he belongs in the All Star game next Tuesday. Last night, Swisher was a triple away from hitting for the cycle, as he belted a solo homer, a double and a single and was responsible for two of the six Yankee runs. Since the ”Send Swish” campaign got under way last Sunday, Swisher is now 8-for-17, batting .471 during the last four games. If Swisher isn’t making a strong case as to why he belongs in the All Star game, then I don’t know who is making one in the AL.
Even if Swisher doesn’t get the necessary votes for the All-Star game, no one can deny his contribution to the Yankees all season long. As A-Rod and Teixeira got off to slow starts, it was Swisher’s bat (along with Cano) that kept the Yankees offense kicking. Now that it seems Teixeira and A-Rod are coming out of their slump, if Swisher keeps hitting the way he did during the first half, the Yankees offense will be difficult to handle.
Yankees bust out
It took the Yankees until the third inning, but they finally bust out against the Blue Jays and scored 11 runs during the frame. With the offense that has been struggling this week, it was nice to finally see them put a pitcher on the ropes and knock him out of the game. This time, suprisingly, Ricky Romero was the victim of a rare Yankee offensive onslaught.
Romero has been pitching well all season long, giving the Blue Jays quality start after quality start; and against the Yankees this year, Romero only allowed two earned runs in 7 innings of work. So I guess something had to give today right? Well, it did. Brett Gardner (more on him in a moment) started the inning innocently enough with a single to right, and from there the roof caved in on Romero as the Yankees batted around and scored eleven runs. Jeter walked; Swisher hits a bloop single; Teixeira drives a double down the left field line; A-Rod hits into a ground out RBI; Cano hits a screaming line drive single, and then later with the bases loaded, Gardner hits a grand slam. For the yankees this inning couldn’t have gone any better than it did as they knocked Romero out of the game and gave Andy Pettitte a nice 8 run cushing to work with.
So where has the offense been lately? I guess it was hiding after being rattled by the great arms of Lee and Hernandez. But today the offense came out and decided to put the game away early and give Pettitte a chance to earn his 10th victory of the season.
As for Brett Gardner…
During the off-season I had my doubts that Gardner could be an everyday player, let alone be a factor in the Yankees lineup. But after 70+ games, Gardner has not only proven he can be an everyday player, but has effectively proved me wrong. Gardner not only finds ways to get on base, but once he is on base, the Yankees have a strong chance of manufacturing a run. Success in baseball depends on how a lineup manufacture runs. Over the past five years, the Yankee way of manufacturing runs came via the long ball. However this season, the club is now rellying on stealing bases, timely hits, hit and run to manufacture runs, instead of just waiting for a big blast. The reason for this has been Gardner’s play all year.
Gardner’s at bats are complete and discipline because he makes the pitcher worker harder than necessary. One of the things Gardner does very well is that he fouls off very tough pitches. By doing that, the pitcher strike zone gets smaller, which allows Gardner to take close pitches and draw a lot of bases on balls. And when he is on base, he is a threat to take off and get into scoring position. A player like Gardner, that consistently gets on base becomes a consistent run manufacturer. And today against the Blue Jays, Gardner began, or should I say, manufactured the foundations of an 11 run inning. Not bad for a guy I said wasn’t even a good hitter.
Girardi and Vazquez spark Yankees.
When Girardi shoved Nick Swisher away from home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman, a shove that seem to suggest a great annoyance at both Swisher and Dreckman, I had a feeling that this was what the Yankees needed to get off the schneid. When Girardi started arguing balls and strikes, he was immediately thrown out of the game, as you would expect, but the Yankees scoring three runs afterwards, to take a 4-2 lead, wasn’t as expected since runs were hard to come by in Toronto. But the runs came, the Yankees took the lead, and hanged on to win a 4-3 game, a much needed win. Yankee pitching was solid in Toronto for the most part. Aside from Burnett, who had a terrible outing on Friday night, Yankee Pitching during the weekend kept the Yankees in the game for the most part by matching Toronto’s young pitching. Yesterday was no exception as Javier Vazquez took a no-hitter into the 6th inning, before losing it. Before his mistake to Vernon Wells, Vazquez was throwing with command, establishing his fastball and finishing batters with his changeup. To mistake to Wells, came on a slider that was up in the plate.
More encouraging for the Yankees is the fact that Vazquez kept his head in the game. After the homerun, he finished the 6th inning, and pitched a one-two-three seventh. In the early part of the season, Vazquez would’ve completely fallen apart after giving up some runs. But now it seems that Vazquez is pitching with more confidence, as he finds ways to work out of mistakes.
When there is a winner, unfortunately, there has to be a loser..
And the loser of yesterday’s game was Brandon Morrow. Morrow frankly deserved a better fate, as he did a great job in 7 plus innings keeping the Yankees off the scoreboard, while the Jays were hitless. Morrow fell behind a lot in yesterday’s game, yet he found a way to retire Yankee batters, never giving in to the pressure New York’s lineup puts on an opposing pitcher. Even worse, his bullpen, a bullpen that did an incredible job in Saturday’s extra inning game, came up short once again as they couldn’t get the job done with a two run lead. Although Morrow got a no decision, his performance yesterday, and the performance of Romero and Cecil during the weekend sends a very strong message to the league that the Jays will compete in the American League east. Will they contend? I have no way of knowing, but I truly hope that they do.
Pettitte strong but Yankees still fall…
Tough game yesterday for the Yankees to lose, after an outstanding outing by Andy Pettitte. Yankees had their chances, unfortunately, the inexperience of some of their baserunners showed, as they were unable to get the job done in key situations. More importantly, the Yankees couldn’t take advantage of the fact that the Rays lost down in Texas 6-1 to the Rangers. As of now, the Yankees are 2 games behind Tampa, and just 1 and half behind the Red Sox and Blue Jays.
But, it isn’t all bad news for the Yankees. As I wrote above, Andy Pettitte once again gave the Yankees a quality start by striking out 10 Jays in just 7.2 innings of work. At times during the game it seemed that Pettitte was about to lose control, only to have him throw a pitch that got him out of trouble. The defense behind him was also solid, as Nick Swisher, not known for his defense, made to good catches in right field. For Pettitte everything went right, except his run support.
The same unfortunately can’t be said about the Yankees lineup. In two games, Jays pitching, which has been very good all year (as I said, this team can pitch just as well as they hit homeruns), and yesterday, although Romero wasn’t as sharp as he has been in earlier starts this year, he still found a way to hold the Yankees down to two runs. The Yankee that had the most difficulty with Romero was Mark Teixeira, as he was literally owned by Romero’s nasty changeup. Teixeira’s struggles continue as he struck out 5 times in a row, earning him the olympic rings. The rest of the lineup wasn’t good either, so I’m not going to lose sleep over the fact that Teixeira is still struggling.
But, I did lose sleep over one thing, and that is Francisco Cervelli’s boneheaded baserunning mistake. With less than two outs, every player is taught from little league on up to freeze on a linedrive. So I was surprised that in the 7th or 8th inning of the game, when the Yankees had two runners in scoring position with one out, that Cervelli took off for home plate after a Derek Jeter lined out to a drawn in infielder. Seriously, I like Cervelli, but as a Major Leaguer he should know better. It’s mistakes like those that drives me nuts (what drives my really insane is when major leaguers can’t bunt the ball in play) and after that inning, I knew the Yankees would lose the game.
Give Credit to the Jays…
Ricky Romero (not to be confused with JC Romero) did a heck of a job, even if he was struggling. He got out of a bases loaded jam in the second inning, and held down the Yankees offense during his 8 innings of work. His only mistake came on a fastball that had “hit me” all over it to Derek Jeter, who certainly hit it to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Other than that, Cito Gaston should be happy with his pitching, as Romero and the bullpen got the job done. More over, the Jays, unlike the Yankees, cashed in with their situational hitting. With the way the Jays are playing, I wonder if Gaston is having flashbacks to the early 90′s…I know I am :-\
A few thoughts about A-Rod…
After today’s press conference with A-Rod, it is good to see that Rodriguez’s approach to playing in New York has changed for the better. But A-Rod’s change was in large part thanks to the change within the Yankee clubhouse itself. A clubhouse that was full of egos and a certain arrogance that impacted the team’s performance in the field. A-Rod alluded to that today when he said that:
“The one thing that no one can take away is what happened in 2009 with our team, with the way we came together like a family, everyone checking their egos at the door and winning a world championship. The feeling of satisfaction that I got from that will forever be mine.”
There is no doubt about that. When the Yankees were negotiating with CC Sabathia, one of the problems Sabathia had with the idea of signing with the Yankees was that no one got along in the clubhouse. To his credit, Brian Cashman convinced him to sign with the Yankees so that he could come into that clubhouse and change it. Other players also took a role in changing the attitudes within the Yankees. Nick Swisher and A.J Burnett contributed to on the field and off the field change that this team sorely needed. It was the new attitude that these players brought to the the Yankees that allowed them to come together and ushered in a new attitude that was very reminiscent of the 1996 club. This time around, the Yankees were indeed more united and more like a family than they were in year’s past. Watching A-Rod and the rest of the Yankees play last year, you could see it in their faces that they were having fun and that translated into big wins and a championship. If the Yankees continue with this new attitude, I don’t see why this can’t be the beginning of a new Yankee Dynasty.
Randy Winn signed by Yankees.
The Yankees will head into spring training with an outfield tandem that will include Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner and now Randy Winn. I really like this signing by the Yankees because Winn can play every position in the outfield and offensively–although he doesn’t have the power, or numbers of Johnny Damon–Winn can make the Yankees offense a more balanced attack than just a lineup filled with sluggers. Winn gives Girardi more flexibility with the outfield now. By no means will the outfield for the Yankees just consist of these 4 players. Coming into spring training, it would be wise for the Yankees to sign an extra outfield/utility player now that Hinske and Hairston are gone.
David Veloz
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