Results tagged ‘ Damaso Marte ’
World Series Games 3 & 4: Haya Doin’?!
‘I can feel it comin’ in the air tonight, oh Lord;
& I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord… oh Lord’
Anyway, prior to game three, the series was tied at 1 apiece. After Games 3 and 4, however, our boys in blue have taken a commanding (but still not quite cemented) 3-1 lead. Game 5 is tonight, AJ Burnett on the mound against Cliff Lee. We do face a bit of a conundrum, however. Winning the game against Cliff Lee would be ever so sweet, but losing it would allow for the return to the motherland to win #27 in front of the home crowd. I’m not saying they should lose on purpose – that would be blasphemous – but I’m saying it won’t be too much of a big deal if they did lose tonight… especially since Cliff Lee is on the mound and he basically put us in our place his last time out.
Enough about tonight though, this entry is to go back over the dealings of the past two games. Halloween night, I’m at my friend’s house with a bunch of other friends. Luckily, he has a massive TV in his basement and we got to watch the glory.
Andy Pettitte went 6 innings, gave up 5 hits and 4 runs, but struck out 7. That may look like a bit of a crappy line, but we were fortunate enough to have the offense show up and contend in this game – including some from ol’ Southern Comfort himself! YOU GO ANDY! Cole Hamels was on the receiving end of most of that offense and was knocked out after only pitching 4-and-a-third. Johnny Damon is keeping himself awake in this World Series. He had himself 2 RBIs. Alex Rodriguez had 2 RBI as well, courtesy of a homer that had to be reviewed. That was definitely a huge, HUGE turning point in that game. That cut the Phillies’ lead to 3-2. The fifth inning was the biggie inning – 3 runs scored, putting us up 5-3. We never gave the lead back after that. Nick Swisher, who had a great night offense wise – had a solo shot in the 6th. Looks like that stance change was a pretty good idea. Pinch hitter Hideki Matsui got a shot as well despite playing at CBP, and hit a solo shot in the 8th. The Phillies managed another run in the 6th off Pettitte, but Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte stopped that from continuing. However, the Phillies did get another run in the bottom of the 9th [wtf, Phil Hughes?], but Mariano Rivera came in and shut ish down. 8-5 win, 2-1 lead.
CC Sabathia pitched last night, and was considerably better than he was in Game 1. He faced Joe Blanton, who apparently isn’t as terrible as we all thought he’d be. He pitched rather well considering his reputation. CC went 6-and-two-thirds and gave up three runs. Blanton went 6 and gave up four.
Again, the offense was in attendance and was the big contributing factor, as per the usual. We have the first five guys in the lineup to thank for that. Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon [making a complete and utter mockery of the Phillies' infield by stealing two bases in one artfully beautiful play], Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez [yeah, hit him again and see what happens, I #@$%IN' DARE YA!] each had an RBI apiece, and Jorge Posada came through with 3. Big doin’s at Citizens Bank Park last night. What a way to pump people up, let me tell you. I was shaking [partly because of how big it was, and partly because the friggin' umps were thisclose to giving me an ulcer or two, or twenty]. But no matter, all that matters is that we are ONE WIN AWAY FROM WINNING IT ALL. ONE. WIN. AWAY. FROM. #27. LET’S DO THISSSSS!!!!!
AJ is gonna be big tonight. He needs to pitch like he did the other day. NEEDS to. I will be honest though, I won’t be completely heartbroken if things don’t work out. I really like – no, love – the idea of winning a World Series [after 9 years of waiting] in New York… especially in the new Stadium. It would make the accomplishment that much sweeter. But, of course, I will take this however it wants to come. It will be completely euphoric no matter where it happens, and I cannot wait until then!
ALDS Game 2: Bite My Lip & Close My Eyes
‘Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard,
’cause hell’s broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the cards.’
No, really, like DAYUM.
I don’t know how much more my little 18-[but 19 in four days, wooooop!] year-old heart can take of this stress! I mean, it’s a good stress, but still. Last night’s game was thisclose to giving me a stroke. After going scoreless through 5, and then tied at one after the 6th, it seemed like the game was never gonna end. But little did I know that would be where the real stress began.
The 7th was eventless, no scoring done. Girardi enlisted Joba Chamberlain and Phil Coke to get it done, and they did. The 8th came around, and all of Yankees Universe felt even safer – Phil Hughes took the mound. But what we did not expect to see was what actually happened… he choked. He choked and we choked. Phil Hughes, after making minimal miscues during his superbly stellar season [I'm in an alliterative mood today], he gives up a run. Quickly, though Hughes did get two outs, Girardi called for the Sandman, Marino flippin’ Rivera, to stop the bleeding. But stop it he did not, at least not at first. He allowed another one of Hughes’ stranded runners to score. End frame – the score was now 3-1. Hope was nearly lost, for two of our knights in shining armor were all but thrown off their mighty steeds.
Of course, leave the dramatics to occur until the last possible second. Bottom 9, Joe Nathan, the Twins’ epic closer on the mound, Mark Teixeira on base with a single, Alex Rodriguez at the plate. After having a very good Game 1, many of us in Yankees Universe had to be thinking his playoff woes were over. He had gotten the 2-out RBI in the 6th inning to tie the game initially. Could he do it again? You’re damn right he could.
A two-run homer into the Yankees’ bullpen did the trick. Joe Nathan, not having much success against the Yankees in the first place, just hung his head in disgust. Many of us fans were undoubtedly shouting profanities – in a positive light, if that’s at all possible – and probably other things like “YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, SUCK IT HATERS! A-ROD’S F@$#IN’ BACK!” But hey, the guy deserves the praise. Two games, 5 RBI, all of a clutch nature. How can you hate on that? By saying he’ll choke the rest of the way? Well, we still need to get past these pesky Twins, so hate all you want. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Into extras we went. the 10th inning went by without any offensive action – mostly because of a quickly turned double play to end the inning. With Brett Gardner on 3rd after a Jorge Posada single and a couple of throwing errors by the Twins, Johnny Damon hit a soft liner over the glove of Jose Mijares – but into the glove of Orlando Cabrera. With Gardner off at the crack of the bat, he was easily doubled up at third. End frame.
Top 11, the Yankees, as well as the fans, catch a lucky break. Phil Cuzzi clearly missed a call on a Joe Mauer hit ball down the left field line off of Damaso Marte. What would have been a double was rendered a foul ball. Turning point? Maybe, but I consider it more of a sign from God that the Yankees were going to win this game.
Bottom 11, Jose Mijares back on the mound, Mark Teixeira leading off. After seeing three pitches, leaving him at a count of 2-1, Tex belts a shot down the left field line. Would it be fair? Would it have the height? YES, YES, YES. WALK-OFF SOLO SHOT FROM MARKY MARK. FEEL THE VIBRATIONS! [jams] Chills up and down the collective spine of fans everywhere. What a moment. And he finally got the pie.
Lost in the moment: AJ Burnett & David Robertson. AJ pitched really well in his first-ever playoff spot. He went 6 while only giving up 1 run, 3 hits, and striking out 6. The 5 walks were really the only loose screw. But hey, from a guy who’d been struggling a few starts previous to a pressure spot like this, kudos all the way. David Robertson got the win in last nights game of epic proportions, coming in and saving Damaso Marte’s a$s. Amazing stuff from the kid.
What is there not to love about Yankees baseball? Honestly, I don’t understand how people can hate this. Drama-filled games, adrenaline rushes, even the ridiculous amount of stress?! This is what baseball is all about! Even if you’re not a Yankees fan, you have to appreciate the fight these guys have. To have good feelings about a win even while you’re losing? It’s what so many fans hope for from their team. Lucky for us Yankee fans, this 2009 team has given us that and so much more. Absolutely incredible.
Game three, possibly a deciding game on our side, Andy Pettitte takes the hill against [gulp] Carl freakin’ Pavano. Sure, that name may live in infamy in the hearts of Yankee fans everywhere, but I have a good feeling that we’re gonna come out on top. After that guy’s “stint” in pinstripes, we sure as hell deserve it. I can’t wait to see the look in his face… [maniacal laugh] … but, we will just have to wait – ’til tomorrow – to see that.
Leaving Something to Be Desired
‘This is not the Matrix, but I am the oracle
“Do you wanna get with me?” – the question is rhetorical.’
In a weird twist of events, our boys dropped the last two games – one to Kansas City and one to Tampa Bay. With these two teams not even within spitting distance of the playoffs, you’d like to think the Yankees could relax a little more. As a fan, though? You want them to be relentless, naturally. You want them to end the season with more than a bang. You want them to rip teams to shreds and show absolutely no mercy. Unfortunately, our guys were the ones ripped to shreds (well, last night at least…).
Since I haven’t posted in a couple of days, I did miss a win as well. That was a welcome sight, at least, because AJ pitched, and pitched pretty well. He got the ND, but he did get a chance to pie a newbie in the fach at the end of it. That newbie? None other than… Juan Miranda? [insert painfully obvious Miranda Rights joke here] Yup, that’s right, the Cruisin’ Cuban himself. He knocked in the game-winning run on a single, and the scene looked pretty similar to that of the Frankie Cervelli walk-off. Miranda was halfway into right field before anybody got to him. Gotta love the rookies and their coming through in the clutch this season!
After that game, that spark wasn’t to be had. The following game, Joba took the hill. After his previous start, I think most of us out in Yankees Universe expected him to be a little more snapped out of the funk, but I guess that start against the Sox was just a fluke. This time around, Joba went three-and-two-thirds while coughing up seven hits and three runs. The Yankees used seven pitchers, including Joba. Damaso Marte was the [un]lucky loser.
Last night’s game was even more nauseating – moreso because our go-to guy, the Boss Dawg himself, CC Sabathia was on the mound. Now, I’m more than sure Yankees Universe breathed a collective sigh of relief, feeling and knowing that we would no longer have to worry about the Joba loss the previous night. However, CC turned in probably his worst performance of this season. He hadn’t lost since July, so I guess it was time for this kind of game, but still… it was more than painful – even nauseating – to watch. He only managed two-and-two-thirds before being taken out. In that short [but apparently long enough for Tampa] time, CC was rocked for 9 runs, though 5 of them were earned – courtesy of some shotty defense. And to top that off, Tex almost got impaled by a David Price pitch. On purpose, you say? [cough Carlos Peña cough] You be the judge. All in all, the game was completely forgettable. In fact, I have no idea what I just typed a whole paragraph about. What day is it again? …
I understand that nearly every position worth having for the postseason has already been obtained [save for that g-damn 27th Championship], but still. These past two games may be meaningless and the next two may be just as meaningless, but I know I’m not the only one who hates sitting by their TV or listening to MLB Audio and seeing/hearing that these guys are playing like crap. It’s frustrating, clearly. I’m hoping Andy snaps out of his mini-funk and gives us a kick-a$s outing tonight. I want these two games to be friggin’ amazing. I will expect nothing less, dammit! Arrrrrggggghhhhh!
[Exhale] Okay, the anger was unnecessary, I know. It’s kind of hard to avoid sometimes when you’re a fan of the NYY. Anyway, in waiting for this game to start tonight, I need to catch up on some of my primetime shows [that I miss when the Yankees are on, how ironic]. Hopefully tonight’s game yields much, much better results. Until then… Go New York, go New York, GO! =D
How Sweep It Is…
The Yankees win, a breeze is blowing, the smell of freshly cut grass wafts through the air (thanks Poppadukes), and there’s not a care in the world for us Yankee fans, except the Blue Jays can’t beat the Red Sox to save their lives. Oh well.
All was well today in the Bronx. The offense was there, the defense was there, even the pitching was there… well, for the most part. But I’ll get to that a bit later.
Offense, offense, offense. You are so good to your fans. Jeet’s with 2 more hits. J-Dames with a 2-run pop (then a calf cramp… wompwomp). MelkMan delivering an RBI double. JHJ with a pinch-hit sac-fly to pad the lead. And, last but certainly not least, The Teixecutioner, with a 4 RBI afternoon including a 3-run shot in the 7th. All of this glorious offense added up to a very sweep – I mean, sweet, hehe – 8-3 win.
Now, back to the pitching. Joba & The Rules [who will never have a #1 hit on the Billboard Charts] performed at the ballpark in the Bronx today. He’s
on an innings limit, so he only went three. He threw 35 pitches. I
don’t even know what to say about this. Just let the kid friggin’ pitch! I wish they’d stop babying him, but maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. Who knows. I’m 18 years old. I hardly know everything about the game. But from what I do know, it was never this bad back in the day. Pitchers pitched and didn’t piss and moan – neither did managers or coaches or what was ever considered “the front office”. I mean, I don’t think Joba is the one pissing and moaning but you get what I mean. I just hope that once he gets over this whole “having-an-instruction-manual” phase that everyone will just shut the hell up. There, I said it. I’m sick of hearing about the “Rules”. They’re pretty whack. (Okay, forget the “I don’t even know what to say about this” line… )
Rant over. As for the rest of the pitching staff, we found Waldo Phil Hughes again! What a treat! I feel spoiled, like I’m at a fancy restaurant without having to pay my share. Like Veruca Salt, even… LET THE GUY GET SOME INNINGS, CHEESE AND RICE! (Okay, maybe the rant wasn’t quite over. Mybad.)
Whew. That was no knock at Phil Hughes. He’s the man – The Dude, even. He was perfect, as was Damaso Marte for the one out he got. David Robertson? Not so much, but no runs allowed. A- and a gold star for him. Phil C[h]oke? Allowed yet another homerun, but who’s counting? *cough 9 cough*
Whatevs. They came, they saw, they swept. I shouldn’t complain. The day is nice, only 14 more days ’til I’m cheering my guys on in person, and this beats the last Chicago series by a longshot. That’s essentially all that matters at this point. 6 games up, still the best record in baseball. Definitely not a bad place to be. =)
Later bloggeroos!
All Revved Up and Ready to… Fail
Ugh.
I come home from work to see a 10-5 deficit. I’d already given up on the game. I admit it, the whole Power of Positive Thinking™ thing failed me tonight. I wasn’t in the mood for it even prior to knowing the score.
I hit up Twitter to find out what had been going on while I was at work. Much to my astonishment (sarcasm at its finest), I found out that Joba sucked and blew a lead. Surprise, surprise. Ever since his first three games after the All-Star break, he has not been good. I don’t even know where to go on that topic. If he didn’t pitch with his head up his a** half the time he’d be worth a good thought. I bet I know was he was thinking a good percentage of tonight…
Yeah, I know, used goods, but I think it suits the situation just fine. Sue me.
I don’t get what his damage is. Give him 9 days off, he stinks. Pitch him at home, he stinks. I think it’s time for someone to go visit a shrink and get his ish together. As a psych major, I’d be more than happy to volunteer my services, though inexperienced. It’d be excellent practice. o_O
Okay, sure, this loss is certainly not earth-shattering in the big picture. It keeps Texas a game-and-a-half back in the WC behind Boston. I just wish Boston would choke against the ChiSox [like we did... wtf?] (sorry to my blogging Sox fans out there) but apparently that’s too much to ask for.
As un-earth-shattering as this loss was, it’s still a pain in the tuckus. Joba needs to not suck. We need to keep leads. We need to not let teams score 30,000 runs with two outs every inning. It’s things like that that need to be taken care of – priority status.
The ninth inning is what gets me. I said before I had lost faith in the game as it was. The ninth inning was such a tease. It built me right back up again and then fell to pieces. I felt like a Jenga tower – definitely not as fun as it sounds. Swisher bunting? Whadafxup? I’d love to know whose call that was, ’cause it was dumber than dumb. We were so close. SO CLOSE. THESE THINGS MAKE PEOPLE (SUCH AS MYSELF) GO CRAZY. Maybe I should invest in a shrink. Oy vey.
Agh. Eff it. The game’s over. Nothing to be done about it now. I guess it’s time for The Power of Positive Thinking™ top positive moments list.
1. Jeet had two hits. That means 20 more ’til he passes Gehrig. Phe-nom-en-al.
2. Mr. Roboto continues hit hot hitting. Two hits and 3 RBI.
3. JoPo jacked his 16th homer of the season.
4. Swish made a pretty damn good catch in the 3rd. If that was me, Young would’ve been on third, easy. He kills me with these plays, though. KILLS.
5. Damaso Marte went an inning-and-a-third with one walk and 2 K’s. It’s nice to not have the need to curse him to the high heavens.
6. The team was 5-10 with RISP. Robbie’s included in that 5! =O
You can’t deny this list, people. The Power of Positive Thinking™ is not a force to be reckoned with [wags index finger]. As angry as we want to be, as Yankee fans, the list does not lie. We’ll just have to look forward to tomorrow night with Andy on the mound. TPPT™ will get us through this, no matter the outcome. Stick with it, folks, and we will no longer be the [as] psycho, crazy, fit-for-a-straitjacket Yankee fans we usually are! HOO-RAH.
Peace out blog scouts!
Sox Get Smashed (and Not in the Fun Way)
**Advanced note: I apologize profusely for the length of this entry. Tar and feather/draw and quarter me later.
“Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy [ride].”
Isn’t there a law requiring you’re safely strapped in for these kind of things? This game was more than bumpy; it was like riding through a street full of potholes on a bike without a seat. Thankfully the Yankees were on the winning end of this… uh… er, event for lack of a better word.
Let’s take the box score, shall we?
20 runs, 23 hits, and an error for the Yankees. 11 runs, 12 hits, and an error for the Sox. Clearly the offense was suffering from insomnia and just would not rest. Hey, I’m not complaining, but the Sox came too close a few times to making it interesting. I do not enjoy a bases-loaded-no-outs situation for the opposing side. *cough BRUNEY cough* I guess it’s safe to say that pitching was not quite the pillar of strength in this game.
Oh, pitching. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1. Oh, wait… you were STINKY!
Andy is Andy. I can’t say anything overly bad about him, but when you get 12 runs of support, I think people [including myself] expect you to hold onto it. It’s not a wet bar of soap. We’ll let you slide this time. You never cop out and say you did well when you obviously didn’t. I’ve still got your back, yo. As for the rest of the Yankees’ illustrious bullpen, the only real bright spot was… Damaso Marte? Did I really just type that? Fresh off the DL he comes in to bail Bruney’s tuckus out, and does so fairly nicely. Thank you for showing up with your head screwed on straight. Sergio Mitre… (again, did I just type this?) came in to finish up the 8th and 9th… and gave up 4 runs, of course. What would a Mitre game be without a little nailbiting? I’ll tell you: THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE.
Well, there’s no use in getting heated about that now. It’s over and done with. Remember folks: THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING
™! See where it’s gotten us so far? I must be smarter than I thought. Anyway, Mr. Roboto had a fantabulous night that could’ve been fantabulous-er if not for JD Drew and his fielding skills… 2 3-run homers, plus another RBI. A-Rod stepped up with a 4-4 night after a 3-15 west coast trip. It’s nice to have him do something useful. Legging out that triple was pretty impressive too.
án had another three-hit night. [shocked face] Everybody in the lineup (sans J-Dames & J-Hairs ['cause he walked]) joined both the hit and RBI parades. J-Dames fouled a ball off his knee in his first at-bat of the game. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you use the bat to hit, Johnny? No body parts necessary, goofball! I kid, I kid. I hope he’s okay and it’s not serious. I’d like to see him in this series.
Overall, it was sloppy, but it’s a win, and our boys are back to 7.5 up in the East. Texas and Tampa are duking it out this weekend hoping to gain ground on the Sox in the WC standings. As of now, Texas is back 1 game, Tampa, 3. I hope the Sox are feeling those teams breathing down the back of their jerseys. [maniacal laugh]
Tomorrow = AJ Burnett against Junichi Tazawa. Advantage: Yankees, in a landslide [please]. That’ll be all. =)
Bye, bye, bye (bye-bye)!
Perennial Pinstriper
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