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How About A Quickie? Sox-O's Gamer IV

Nearly five hours of baseball spread over 13 innings, including an 11-inning scoreless stretch, can test the endurance of even the most hardened baseball fan. Congratulations to Manny and the Red Sox for hustling out a victory. The boys are back on the clock, with Jon Lester facing Garrett Olson, who is coming off seven innings of shut-out ball in a win over the Yankees.

Maybe a nice two hour twenty minute romp to mix it up after last night's marathon. Lineups follow, comment away.

Double Nickle: Yanks-Twins Gamer II

Game 55 on the season finds the Yankees with an even record and winners of seven of their last ten as they head into their second trimester. Chien-Ming Wang is on the mound for New York against the Twins today. You have to look all the way back to May 2nd, five starts ago, for the last victory he recorded. He is coming off what at a glance look like rough outings against Seattle and the Mets, though he was probably left on the mound a bit too long in each case and the Yankees did stage a thrilling comeback to win the Mariners game. Boof Bonser is on the Bump for the Twins. He lost both his starts against the Yanks last season and has been getting crushed over his last five starts.

Lineups follow, comment away.

The Comedy Stylings of Manny

From the Globe:

When someone offered birthday wishes to Manny Ramírez yesterday afternoon, he had a ready response.

"Thirty-six here," he said. "Thirty-nine in the Dominican Republic."

You laugh, but Theo Epstein and company just entered new data in that big computer of theirs, and Manny is not coming back next season.

All Work And No Double Play... Yanks-Twins Gamer I

... make gerbil something something. The Yankees are in the Twin Cities to play at the miniature golf challenge that is the Metrodome — Cano singles between the legs of Abraham Lincoln but ricochets off the spinning windmill blade for a ground rule stupid — for a four-game set.

The Yankees have had great success against Minnesota in the past few years, taking five of seven in last year's season series, but the Twinks are three games on the sunny side of even and in second place, with a four-game good streak, while the Yanks scrambled to save face in Baltimore and sit on the bottom of the belly of the beast, staring up at the other fishes.

Tonight's game will mark the end of the first third of the Yankees' season. Doesn't it go by in a blink? They could head to the second-third at even-steven. And they could be six-and-a-half out in the loss column. Moose has not won against Minnesota in his last five appearances against the club (3 losses..2 NDs..last win April 20th 2003), so mebbe he's due? Glen Perkins on the mound for the Twin City Twins. Comment away.

Back To Business: Sox-O's Gamer III

The coinciding day off for both teams felt really, really weird. Like a forced 15 minute break at work, or like an intermission in a show that is really rocking. I know the boys need a break now and then; we all do. But I was primed for baseball last night, dagnabbit. Anyway, both clubs are back in action and first on tap is Boston heading to Camden Yards with Josh Beckett back on the mound against Daniel Cabrera and the Orioles, both of whom the Sox have yet to defeat this season.

Lineups follow, comment away.

Mo Town

Is there anything in baseball—in sport, for that matter—at the moment that is more aethetically pleasing than the pitching motion of Mariano Rivera? Bring hands together. Look down. Contract body. Extend into an X [above]. Release. Rest at attention. It's an amazing physical poetry, something worthy of Balanchine or Martha Graham for its grace, discipline, balance, and sheer beauty. And that's before the ball even hits the target. And it almost always hits the target. With crazy precision. The numbers he has posted thus far are the index of this physical perfection: 23 ip, 11 h, 1 r, 1 bb, 21 k, .39 era, .52 whip. This hasn't been a great year for Yankee fans, but watching Rivera has been a privilege.

[Ed Note: We've closed the comments at #42. It just seemed right.]

The West Coast's True Immigration Crisis

Today's Baldo:

In Progress: Sox-M's Gamer III

No score in the top of two. Wake-Bedard. Baseball has been positively (negatively?) exhausting the last few, no? Comment away.

Pinstripes in the Park: Yanks-O's Gamer III

Tonight is the annual Yankee evening in Bryant Park. If you're in midtown, hit the lawn behind the NYPL and watch our Bombers try to salvage something from what's been a calamitous trip to Baltimore. It's a pretty night. Play Ball!

Turning into Pumpkins

Here's a general formula: If you're considered a talented pitcher--regarded highly by scouts, executives, prospect experts, those in the know--and then you put on a Yanks uniform, you suddenly lose your talent. On the other hand--and this formula doesn't work as well as the first one--if you are not regarded highly by the baseball experts, and you put on pinstripes, you suddenly become a very effective and wily pitcher.

Formula 1 examples:

• Javier Vazquez: He comes to the Bronx during his peak age seasons. He experiences his worst year in baseball as a Bomber. It takes him a couple of years to rid himself of the Bronx stink and now he's the ace of the ChiSox.
• Jeff Weaver: He starts out his career as a top prospect in Detroit, where he pitches well until he comes to the Bronx. His career has not been the same since Bomber fans (tried to) cheer for him.
• Jose Contreras: There was no denying his talent and yet he has only shown this talent in a White Sox uniform. Awful with the Yanks. Good, awful, good again with the White Sox.
• Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy: Yes, it is still very early to put these two in this group, but their extremely poor showings are getting me to wondering. You take all those pre-season projections and did any of them predict these crappy performances? Yes, we knew they might struggle, but this? I fear they have too much talent and that doesn't mix well with these uniforms.
• Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson's declines coincide with their time in New York. Coincidence or something else?
• Carl Pavano is mediocre when he pitchers and is injured all the other times.

The second formula yields pitchers such as Aaron Small, Darrell Rasner and Shawn Chacon. And while Chien-Ming Wang was considered a decent prospect at the time of his call-up, no one thought him a front-line starter. It seems the lower the expectations, the better the results.

Why is this happening? Is it the pressure of New York? Is it a failure of coaching? Is it the defense? And a larger question: Are the Yanks behind most teams when it comes to getting the most out of their pitching talent?

This is what I think about when I'm in a bad mood.