The Germans Are Bombing Pearl Harbor: Yanks-Rangers Gamer VI

I'm setting the over/under for tonight's game at 19.5.  The Yankees send Sidney Ponson to the hill vs. the team that released him for "disrespecting" them.  The last time Ponson made back-to-back strong appearances it was in an Aruba courtroom.  The Rangers counter with 22-year old Tommy Hunter, making only his second major league start.  He is sporting a Texas-sized 10.80 ERA, though he is apparently very respectful of others.  The Yankees have the worst ERA in the majors since July 27 (7.29) and the Rangers have the worst ERA in the AL on the season (5.26).

In other news, Jeff Karstens has pitched two games for the Pirates since leaving the Yankees including today's 2-hit shutout of the D-backs.  His stats are 2-0, 17.0 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0.00 ERA.

Yankee line-up follows - let's gooooooooooo!

Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A. Rodriguez DH
Giambi 1B
Nady LF
Cano 2B
I. Rodriguez C
Betemit 3B

Ponson RHP

Comments

[nettles]

Speaking of respect, did you catch C.J. Wilson flipping the ball to Ron Washington when he was taken out after Richie's bomb last night? (Maybe he learned that trick from Sid?) C.J. went on the DL today with "elbow problems." Riiiiiight.

Time for the Yankees to fish or cut bait. I'd be happy with a 12-11 victory. Just win, baby!

[IronHorse (yf)]

I did see that nettles and loved how Washingon addressed it immediately - didn't even let Wilson take a step past him before grabbing his arm and making him hand the ball back to him.

Even stranger, please tell me you saw Guardado's ritual steps and crotch-grabs when he enters the game. Perhaps everyone already knew about his ritual but I had never seen it and it is beyond strange and bordering on vulgar. I laughed hard when YES repeated it last night.

[SF]

Watch, this will be a 2-1 duel.

(Through the bottom of the first!)

[SF]

Tommy Hunter looks like the type of guy who can drink a ton of beer and then not feel anything when he headbutts the edge of a pool table.

[IronHorse (yf)]

what does that make Ponson? The table?

[IronHorse (yf)]

Sterling and Waldman trying to make it sound like Ponson is better than he is. Never mind that 4.81 ERA and the .308 opponents' batting average since he joined the Yankees you two.

Both pitchers work a quick 1st. Just like I predicted.

[IronHorse (yf)]

A-Rod pop-out. Giambi K. Nady K. Yawn.

The Yankees sure can make crap pitching look like a reincarnation of Sandy Koufax and Cy Young.

[nettles]

Whoa! Pitcher's duel forming here. Both guys are dealing.

[nettles]

Yeah IH, I've seen Eddie quite a bit when he was with the Mariners. Weird, but whatever works for him, I guess.

[nettles]

And Hamilton breaks up Sid's no-no.

"This is your captain speaking. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We're about to hit some turbulence."

[IronHorse (yf)]

Here we go - first pitch single for Hamilton followed by a HBP. Two on no out.

[IronHorse (yf)]

"Please remember to place the oxygen mask on your fat pitcher before putting it on yourself"

[IronHorse (yf)]

Check-swing infield single. Bases loaded no outs. I think we just experienced a major drop in cabin pressure nettles.

[IronHorse (yf)]

Sterling: "He can't be faulted for the single on teh check-swing". Great. How about the single and HBP that preceded it you clownish f*&k!?

[nettles]

Nice of the Yankees to increase the tension by loading up the bases with no out. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff, and we're only in the second inning. Very high entertainment value. Getting our money's worth tonight.

[nettles]

"In case of a water landing, your seat cushion will act as a flotation device."

[IronHorse (yf)]

Line-drive to Cano. Umpire says he didn't catch it before flipping to 2nd. Would have been a DP and maybe even a triple play, but I can't tell as I'm listening to the moron twins while at work. Umps are discussing.

[nettles]

I'm Gamedaying it, hanging in limbo here.

[IronHorse (yf)]

Holy bovine. The umps are subtracting the run and giving the Yankees the one out only. Semi-sucks for both teams as they get one instead of 2 outs but the run is subtracted. I feel like the umping lately has been terrible all the way around and I don't mean just anti-Yanks. Don't know what the hell is going on.

Sterling and Waldman saying the replay isn't even close - he very clearly caught the ball.

[IronHorse (yf)]

2 runs score on Davis' hit.

[nettles]

It was a matter of time. Bases loaded, no outs rarely ends well.

[nettles]

Gameday is all screwed up, probably because they removed the runs. Two outs now, correct?

[IronHorse (yf)]

Abreu guns Murphy out at home. Pudge and Murphy collide and both are on the ground. Ponson escapes with 2 runs (only).

[IronHorse (yf)]

Yeah nettles, Ponson got a K before the Abreu assist at home.

[nettles]

Oh man, hope Pudge is OK!

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Ah, that crash was absorbed by Big Jim and the Twins. Nice job, IRod.

[IronHorse (yf)]

Seems Pudge is OK though he got the worst of it.

I love Jorge, but Pudge blocks the plate in ways that Jorge rarely ever has. He's up second in this inning so we'll see if he is still in there.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Seeing the replay and realizing what really happened, ooooohh. That's a man right there.

[IronHorse (yf)]

Pudge out - bad knee.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

It was his knee?

[nettles]

Whoo hoo, way to go Robbie!

[IronHorse (yf)]

If you play for the 2008 Yankees you are ineligible for most health insurance plans. Pudge not even placing weight on the leg as he is led down the tunnel.

[nettles]

Crap. Hope it's a day-to-day thing.

Man, the injuries this team has suffered this season.

[IronHorse (yf)]

It looks like we are down to one catcher again. Chad Moeller, who just cleared waivers, hasn't cleared baggage claim in the Scranton airport needs to turn right back around.

Meanwhile, Molina singles.

[nettles]

Way to go, Jose!

(Who needs Pudge, anyway? :)

[IronHorse (yf)]

Betemit doubles - Cano scores, but the slowest man on earth has to stop at third. No outs, 2nd and 3rd.

[nettles]

With all that sitting around Chad's done this year in NY, he should be fresh as a daisy!

[nettles]

Nice of the Yankees to score runs for Sid. They must know he needs them!

[IronHorse (yf)]

Damon grounds out, Betemit to 3rd and Molina scores. Tie game, captain up. He can't GIDP here...

[SF]

Infield in in the third inning in a tie game against Sidney Ponson with this offense?

I find this questionable.

[nettles]

And the Captain delivers!

[SF]

And there you go: a single for Jeter, basically a gift. They should have conceded the run and taken the out. Now Jeter is on and there's still one down. The odds of that working with Jeter up were very low.

[SF]

Cone calls Young "nonchalant" on that error. How, exactly? He just dropped the ball trying to apply a quick tag.

[IronHorse (yf)]

Jeter picked off but Young drops the ball and Jeter is safe. I wish I had recorded all of Jeter's brainfarts on-base this year - there are many more than before.

And A-Rod Ks to end the inning.

[IronHorse (yf)]

Well - gotta get out of the office. 3-2 in the middle of the third projects to...9-9 after 9 full innings, which would lead to extra innings and likely end around 19.5 total runs. I'm a genius.

[Lar]

Karstens with a 2-hit shutout. Granted, it's AL and it's the slumping Diamondbacks.. but ya.

[Lar]

Big G's new stash working it out. Still, against this team it's a big "we'll see".

[SF]

This guy Hunter is an awful pitcher.

[Lar]

Meant to say *NL in the Karstens post, if that wasn't obvious..

[Lar]

Yanks still not taking advantage of some hits, though perhaps some of it is luck. Ah well.

[Lar]

Jeter, what are you doing?

[Lar]

Again, everyone won today, so the Yanks will need to win to keep it close..

[Lar]

Mo saves the game. Yay.

[SoxFan]

Sir Sidney Ponson, Yankee Stopper. (tee hee)

[attackgerbil]

I was on DD and couldn't blog during the game, but I did get to watch a good chunk of the action, including Mo's save. My favorite pitch was the second called strike to Boggs. Molina called for the pitch and set his glove on the outside corner at the point where he wanted the pitch to end up which was down around the low shin, then reset his glove to normal height. Mo threw the pitch, which dove across the corner and dropped down to the _exact_ spot where Molina originally set his glove for a called strike; Molina just flicked his glove down to snatch the pitch from the pre-agreed spot. The location was remarkable. I replayed that pitch three times just to make sure I saw it right.

[IronHorse (yf)]

AG - I totally get what you are talking about. Molina was particularly clear - as he always is - on location well before the pitches were thrown and Mo was throwing absolute pinpoint darts. The YES announcers were going off on it - I think it was Cone who gushed about how much of a difference Molina's setting up and clear target-setting makes for a pitcher. The two of them just appeared so in synch and Mariano was hitting spots better than if he walked to the plate and handed the ball to Molina. It was cool.

[attackgerbil]

IH - yeah, I wasn't paying attention to the commentary, but I thought I heard him say "I could catch Rivera" or something like that. On almost every pitch, Molina's glove didn't have to move at all. That one really caught my eye for the fact that after they preset the location Molina moved his glove back to middle-outside edge height, and merely had to dart his glove down after the pitch was released to exactly where he knew it was going to be. It was very cool indeed.