Gettin' Jakey With It: Yanks-Tribe Gamer IV

As so many have been fond of saying, the Yankees are done with their cupcake, now comes the real test. It's three games at The Jake to kick off a stretch of very tough opponents for all the marbles, or for at least all the aggies. New York is 3-0 against the Tribe so far this season; Cleveland has hit a rough stretch as of late and is 13-14 since the break. The Bombers send Phil Hughes to face Fausto Carmona, also known as He-Who-Causes-Conniptions by height-challenged second baseman, or so I have read. Robi is 6' even, so maybe he is immune to Camona's diabolical spells. Of course I kid, because I love. I bet Robi's only 5'11" when he's not wearing his cleats.

Roger Clemens chose not to challenge his five-game suspension and will miss his next start, which was to be Monday. Does that mean it cost Rocket $800,000 for his role as an enforcer? Posada is out of the lineup tonight, but ARod is playing. Betemit is back for another test at first base. Lineups follow, comment away.

NY Yankees
J. Damon dh .257
D. Jeter ss .326
B. Abreu rf .284
A. Rodriguez 3b .298
H. Matsui lf .293
R. Cano 2b .309
W. Betemit 1b .357
J. Molina c .221
M. Cabrera cf .302

Cleveland
G. Sizemore cf .277
K. Lofton lf .296
V. Martinez c .302
R. Garko 1b .310
J. Peralta ss .280
C. Blake 3b .265
T. Nixon dh .255
J. Michaels rf .272
J. Barfield 2b .246

Comments

[YF]

The Rocket suspension is bullshit. Whatever, he'll start a day later, right?

[YF]

Donnie as manager. Interesting.

Damon leads off, k's looking on a 3-2 slider/sinker on the inside half. Nice pitch cuts in across the plate at the last moment.

[YF]

Jeets follows that with an 0-1 grounder to short. 2 down.

[YF]

Abreu down 3 unassisted. Feh.

[YF]

Hughes up for the Yanks. Fun to see him go....

[YF]

Falls behind Sizemore 2-0 throwing nothing but heat, then get's him to fly to center on the 2-1. Only fastballs thus far.

[YF]

Gets up 1-2 on Lofton and unleashes that awesome hook, which Lofton just gets a piece of.

Then a fastball for an easy fly to right.

[attackgerbil]

Dang.. wish I was watching this game. I will be in 45 minutes. Do pitchers lose salary when suspended for non-drug offenses?

[YF]

Falls behind Martinez with a couple of offspeed pitches, and then gives up a double to right on a low insider--not terrible.

[YF]

no idea, gerb. doubt it.

[YF]

Hughes squeezed on a 3-2 running fastball. looked good to me! Garko walks.

[Lar]

The Yanks went down easily in the first.

Carmona is having an awesome year. Let's just hope not an awesome game!

Go Yanks!

[Lar]

VMart doubles and Garko walks. Here's Peralta fouling off bunch of pitches.

[Lar]

And finally strikes him out. End of 1, no score.

[YF]

WHOA! What was that? Hughes has the gyroball!!!!!!!!!!!!! Peralta ks looking on some kind of screwball, about half the break of his big hook, but still wicked.

[YF]

ALEX!!!!!

Moon shot over the cf fence!!!! 1-0.

[Lar]

I was going to call ARod out for the recent slump (even with the 500th), but before I can do that, he hits a HR. 1-0 Yanks!

[YF]

Matsui follows with a single through the left side.

[YF]

Cano single right up the middle 1st and 2nd, no outs for Betemit.

[YF]

NOOOOO! Donnie's first big move stinks. Bunting the superhot Betemit to set things up for Jose Molina? Not crazy about that move one bit.

[YF]

Molina grounder scores Matsui, Cano to second, 2 outs. Gambit works in that they get the run, but hate giving up the out/big inning possibility.

[YF]

Melky grounder to 1st ends it. Carmona gets out of that with minimal damage, all things considered.

[YF]

Liner to betemit for blake, 1 down.

[YF]

Nixon an easy fly to left. 2 quick outs. would be nice to save the pitch count here with another.

[yankeemonkey]

Sweet 1-2-3 for Phil.

[YF]

There it is, piece of cake for Hughes in the 2nd, 1-2-3. felt like about 6 pitches.

[YF]

Flare off Peralta's glove for Damon to leadoff the 3rd.

[YF]

Jeter drills a grounder up the middle past Peralta, Damon legs it to 3rd. Set up well for the meat.

[YF]

Another grounder up the middle, Damon scores, Jeter forced out but the connection is botched at 2nd and Abreu is at first for Alex.

3-0.

[YF]

4 pitch walk to alex. not risking another dinger there.

matsui has a shot here with 2 on.

[YF]

matsui hits into an easy 4-6-3.

[nyara]

matsui loves that grounder to 2nd, doesn't he? i'd like the stats on that, see how often it happens.

Too often, nyara.

Ahh, the dulcet tones of Michael Kay and Paul O'Neill. It's almost enough to make you yearn for Joe Buck. Almost.

[YF]

Barfield ks. Like father like son!

[YF]

O'Neill, another one who liked that grounder to 2nd. Good contact hitters from the left side all hit into dps.

[YF]

Sizemore out.

[YF]

Lofton caught looking at a heater at the knees. Hughes mixing it up. Not exactly "dominant" but certainly in control to this point. Very impressive.

[nyara]

i'm diggin' this pitch trajectory thing on gameday. a little bit of animation goes a long way when you can't watch the actual game.

[nyara]

hughes is dealing, though he's almost to 50 pitches after 3. i'd like to see him go 7 strong, i think it would do a lot for his confidence.

[Lar]

Both Hughes and Farmona with 47 pitches through 3. Only differences is one team scored 3 runs.

[Lar]

And Cano continues to hit after I traded him away in my fantasy league. Literally right before the hot streak.

[YF]

Cano single;

gotta make dinner....watching, but hope someone out there can pick up the play by play.

[YF]

that means you lar!

[Lar]

Detroit is down 8-1, and Seattle's just starting.

[Lar]

I was wondering who else are you talking to, haha. Ya, it's a sad day for me because I'm still at work on a Friday night. Grumbles.

[nyara]

i got it.

betemit with the 4-6-3 DP to erase cano. that's two DPs in the last 3 batters.

[Lar]

Betemit GIDP, erasing Cano. That's 2 DP in 4 IP for those of you keeping track at home.

Molina grounds out on 2 pitches, so Carmona got through the inning easily with only 11 pitches.

End of 3 and a half, it's 3-0 Yanks.

[nyara]

molina ends it with a grounder to short. hughes back out to face 3-4-5.

[nyara]

i'm at the mercy of gameday, so i might not be best suited for the PBP :D

[Lar]

VMart, probably their most dangerous hitter, strikes out. Hughes is having a good control day, 54 pitches as of right now, 37 strikes and 17 balls.

[nyara]

hughes throwing about 70% strikes, which is nice.

[nyara]

cleveland making him earn his outs... every hitter is racking up his pitch count.

is is just gameday, or is hughes getting squeezed? i've never seen so many pitches inside the box be called balls...

[Lar]

Garko flies out, but Jhonny (I hate that spelling) doubles with two outs. Here's Blake.

I'm here...kind of. When my wireless isn't spazzing.

Who made out the lineup today? If it's Donnie, it should be an immediate DQ for him as a future manager. Seriously, Molina hitting ahead of Melky? Why?! Meanwhile, Hughes is dealing. 5 Ks on the day. Looks like he's pacing himself a bit better tonight than last time out. Or maybe just better arm strength?

[nyara]

peralta doubles, but hughes sits blake down with 3 pitches. top of 5 coming up, melky-damon-jeter.

[Lar]

Blake strikes out, but ya, Hughes with 68 pitches through 4. Not a terrible number, but it's getting up there.

[Lar]

Anon - my guess (and I sort of agree, at least in philosophy) is that you stack the speedy guys.

Melky singles, and is quietly batting 303.

[nyara]

carmona's really worried about melky at first. three throws back already.

[Lar]

Damon moves the runner over with a slow groundball, now Capt can score another with a base hit.

[Lar]

And he does, 4-0 Yanks.

[nyara]

jeter with the RBI single to left-center, melky scores. 4-0 NYY.

[nyara]

white sox take the lead, 1-0 over the Ms in the 2nd. meanwhile, the tigers are making it interesting in detroit, as the As show why they suck.

[Lar]

Bobby grounds into FC.

And then gets caught stealing second. Three outs. 4-0 Yanks, Carmona got helped out by that, with only 71 pitches.

Actually, he's at ~2/3 strikes too.

[nyara]

caught stealing with arod up?
bah!

[nyara]

wow, serves up a bomb to josh barfield? wow.

[Lar]

Hughes set down Nixon and Michaels easily, but Barfield (he of 2 previous HR's) decides to ruin that and hits a HR. No shutout for Hughes!

[yankeemonkey]

Dinger to Barfield. Lame.

[Lar]

A much more dangerous Sizemore flies out. Three outs, Hughes at a comfortable 81 pitches - might go another 2 if he's lucky.

[nyara]

seattle ties it up, 1-1 in the 3rd.

[Lar]

Wow, Detroit was down 8-1. Now it's 8-6, and they're still batting with RISP. Yowsers!

[attackgerbil]

Carmona hits ARod, but right on the left elbow pad.

[Lar]

ARod with a 5 pitch HBP.

[attackgerbil]

Godzilla grounds into the 463..ick.

[nyara]

matsui GIDP... deja vu? nope, just happened again.

[nyara]

carmona with the 10-pitch inning. he's got another 2 in him.

[Lar]

On a side note, is anyone else surprised that Lofton is still playing? Wow.

[nyara]

another K, but 95 pitches through 6. might be curtains for hughes.

[yankeemonkey]

Detroit now leading...Teh A's are teh suck.

[nyara]

haha, yeah, lofton's gameday picture looks like it's from a dave chappelle skit.

[nyara]

alright, i'm off to dinner. happy weekend to everyone, hope this game doesn't turn.

[Lar]

Nice, Chamberlain is now in for Hughes. Wow, this game is a game of the future! But hopefully it won't take too long into the future before the Yanks win this one! ;)

[Lar]

1 pitch, 1 out, can't ask for any more.

[Lar]

8 pitch, 1-2-3 with a K. On to the 8th, Joba declares!

[Lar]

Carmona out after 7. An okay game, but Hughe is better today.

Fultz comes in and gets JD to fly out.

[Lar]

On another note, the offensively challenged Oakland A's somehow refuses to be doormats and responded with 4 runs of their own, making it a 12-9 game.

Okay, I'm outs. Go Yankees!

[YF]

JOBA! That hook is lethal. And he dials the heat to 98!

The future is bright.

[attackgerbil]

Can't comment much 'cause the little one is really on the move tonight, but Joba... wow. Just wow.

[YF]

Nice play up the middle from Peralta to nab AP.

[YF]

Yanks down 1-2-3. But here comes a well rested Mo to try and end this thing.

Gotta love watching Hughes and Joba dominate in total command over 8.

[YF]

Yep it's Mo. Broken bat grounder to 2nd. 1 down.

[YF]

K. 2 down.

[Triskaidekaphobia]

Looks like I missed a dandy, darn! Got to see Joba in the 7th and 8th.

[YF]

K. 2 down.

[mp]

Sox come back against the O's.

[attackgerbil]

That was an entertaining game to watch in every sense.

[Triskaidekaphobia]

AG how old is the little one?

[Triskaidekaphobia]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2007/08/padres-awarded-.html

Kei Igawa was claimed off waivers by the Padres. 48 Hours to work a deal.

[attackgerbil]

Trisk - Ten months old tomorrow.

[yankeemonkey]

Kei claimed? Cash, git 'er done!

[Lar]

YF - I was going to go with "The future is now!"

But ya, this sounds great!