Bring Your Glove! Yanks-Mets Gamer III

Lefty aces at Shea today. Pettitte vs. Santana. Maybe this one won't be a blowout? Write it up here.

Comments

[Atheose]

Holy crap McCarver and Joe Buck are both talking about how bad of a decision it was to move Joba into the rotation.

[rootbeerfloat]

Ath -
What is their reasoning?

[Atheose]

McCarver said "He's been okayin the rotation, but the bullpen really misses him" and then Buck said "Yeah, the Yankees bullpen really doesn't have that imposing set-up man, so opposing lineups feel like they can score runs late."

Idiots, such idiots.

[rootbeerfloat]

Speaking of idiots, where was Reyes headed?

[Atheose]

Oh god it keeps on coming:

McCarver: "I think you could say the Rays are the best team in baseball right now."

Buck: "I don't think there's any doubt about that."

[Atheose]

Were you watching it on TV, or just the gameday, RBF? It was so close to a balk it was crazy. Very good pick-off move. Of course, he shouldn't have been running with Wright at bat anyways, but still...

Wow, and now Santana balks.

[Atheose]

Wow, that looked very similar to Pettitte's move. And yet Buck/McCarver say that this was undoubtedly a balk.

[rootbeerfloat]

I'm listening on mlbRadio and they were shocked that he went. They didn't mention it being balk-ish but I gotta say I'm not that impressed with the Mets announcers.

[Atheose]

Yeah, Pettitte's knee was practically touching his chin going towards homeplate when Reyes took off.

[Atheose]

Wow, you know that look-towards-third-base thing Okajima does when he pitches? According to wikipedia, that's a balk:

With a runner on base and the pitcher on or astride the rubber, it is a balk when the pitcher:

-pitches while facing away from the batter;

[Lar]

I actually didn't know that. Hrmm. Ah well, I guess they'll never call it.

[Lar]

I didn't see it anywhere, so I'll just say that the Mets actually swept the Yanks in the Bronx this year. Though if the Yanks can get the next one, they will sweep at Shea. Go figure.

[Lar]

Rasner vs Perez. Perez will either give up 8 runs or no runs. Rasner might be the same, but less extreme.

[Lar]

Also amusing - Farns faced Castillo, Wright, Beltran, easily the best part of the team, while Mo faced the lower part. I wondered if it would've made more sense to switch them - obviously it wouldn't be a save for Mo, but you can easily make the argument that the 2-3-4 chunk is higher pressured. And, if someone gets on base (against Mo), you would want Mo pitching the 5 hitter anyhow. I don't know.

[Lar]

I just read LoHud, and basically he said the same thing, so I guess at least I'm not alone (or original!)

[A YF]

From Kepner:

"The Yankees are 36-1 this season when leading after six innings. That is the best in the American League, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Baltimore Orioles are 27-1 when leading after six, and only one team in the majors, the Cincinnati Reds, is perfect.

The only time the Yankees lost after leading through six innings was May 6, when Chamberlain allowed a three-run homer in the eighth inning to David Dellucci in a 5-3 loss to Cleveland."

[rootbeerfloat]

Now that's a weird stat. None of those teams are even in second place in their divisions as of today but darn it, if they're ahead after six, they're probably gonna win the game. Woo hoo.

[Atheose]

It's ironic that the only time they blew a lead after 6 was thanks to Joba.

[A YF]

Exactly, Ath. For all the ink spilled about the "loss" of Joba from the 8th, the Yankee bullpen just keeps on clicking. No doubt that meme will live on esp. with the next late collapse.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Speaking of Joba, there's this note from today's Boston Globe:

Not so fast...
The Red Sox passed on Joba Chamberlain with the 40th pick in the 2006 draft to take Wichita State lefthander Kris Johnson. Chamberlain went a pick later to the Yankees. But the Sox were - and are - high on Johnson, who has recovered from Tommy John surgery in February 2006. He is 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA at Double A Portland. Johnson was selected as a supplemental pick as compensation for losing Johnny Damon to the Yankees. The 6-foot-4-inch, lanky starter has an 89-93-m.p.h. fastball, a good curve, and very good changeup. He's on a run of 17 consecutive scoreless innings.

We all know how this looks today. So we'll have to wait and see how it plays out down the road.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Back to Kepner's note ...
I find that stat to be surprising, and quite impressive. It also seemed a bit odd, given some of the high 'pen ERAs.
So I checked to see if my perception was on target with fact.
Among the relievers with more than 20 IP, excluding Joba, Mo and Veras (they get a pass), you've got Ohlendorf (40 IP, 6.53 ERA), Farnsworth (36 IP, 4 ERA), Hawkins (34 IP, 6.03 ERA). After that you've got Albaladejo (13 IP, 3.95 ERA). Not exactly stellar.
What I'd like to know is, what's the 'pen ERA when pitching with the lead.
That blown save stat suggests that the pen holds down the fort when in the lead, and all those runs are given up when they're behind.

And for the record, for two months there been a little voice in the back of my head telling me: Mo > Paps.

[AndrewYF]

Well, to be fair, Rivera is having the best season of his career, while Paps is having his worst.