Results tagged ‘ LA Angels of Anaheim ’
ALCS Games 4 & 5: Myocardial Infarction, FTW.
‘Workin’ like a dog for the boss man, workin’ for the company;
I’m bettin’ on the dice I’m tossin’, I’m gonna have a fantasy.’
I don’t know how much more of this I can handle. First we get spoiled beyond the point of recovery in game 4, then Game 5 happens and basically AK-47′s our hopes for the night. Now that is clearly not cool.
This will be relatively short, because yesterday’s game nearly killed me and I think I’d have a traumatic experience if I have to relive it. However, I’m more than happy to talk about Game 4. =)
CC muh-flippin’ Sabathia. DOMINANT. There are not enough positive adjectives in the English language to desribe this beast of a man. He’s spectacular, stupendous, marvelous, et cetera, et cetera. Redundance is completely necessary. Let the broken records play. I’ll be singing this guy’s praises until I kick the bucket. He is epic. He is god-like. He is quite possibly the Second Coming.
Offense: <33333 Could you come into my life [well, all our lives] more often please?! You hardly call or give me [us] nice things anymore… I felt like we were drifting slowly apart, it was almost too painful to bear… Okay, dramatic monologue over. Seriously, though. Scott Kazmir may as well have been hit by a Mac truck. Same goes for Matt Palmer. Poor chumps, they had no idea it was coming. Just see for yourself…
Melky El Lechito Cabrera? Beastin’. Alexander The Great Rodriguez? Beastin’ even more. Johnny J-Dames Damon? ‘Bout time you woke your a$s up! A beautiful, beautiful 10-1 win over LAAAAAAAAAA? Priceless. There really are some things money can’t buy. Gratification, for the win. ;D
Sure, they basically butt-plugged the Angels in this game. That was all well and good. Last night, they’re on the verge of a monumental comeback and FAIL miserably. Oh Phil Hughes. Oh, Nick Swisher. Oh, everybody. Where were you last night? Maybe these off days are too much. At least it’s back to the homeland for Game 6, which will hopefully be the last for LAAAAAAAAAA. I’m sick of them. Having a holy object as a mascot is just cruel. Nepitism, I tell you! [shakes fist at sky] But that’s besides the point. Tomorrow, the Angels will be flying back to SoCal or Heaven, but preferably Hell… [or wherever the hell they habituate] and staying there until next season. MARK MY WORDS.
In other news, the Phillies beat the Dodgers in their series 4-1 and will be the opponent for the World Series. C’mon Yanks, GET WITH IT SO WE CAN SEND THESE GUYS PACKIN’ TOO! =) TPPT™ & GoodKarma™ be with us, y’all!
ALCS Games 1 & 2: Oh, HELL Yeah!
‘So come on, feel the noise; girls rock your boys
We’ll get wild, wild, wild… wild, wild, wild.’
How can a Yankee fan not be happy at this point? I mean really. At home in the freezing cold conditions, against none other than the Hellish Halos, your hopes are high but expectations? They may waver a tad. Our boys have done us good in these two games. They made the Angels look like monkeys [pun possibly intended]. It was grand.
Game 1: CC “Boss Dawg” Sabathia took the hill for his first trip of the series. He tossed eight innings of one-run, four-hit, seven-K ball. If that’s not ballin’, I’m not sure what is. If he pitches twice more in this series, it’s gotta be in the bag. You can never have a doubt when the guy is on the mound. He’s the insurance policy. In short, he is amazing.
Before I continue, I just want to thank Jason over at Heartland Pinstripes for always having awesome recaps of the game. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be able to be as detailed as I want to. You freakin’ rock, Jason!
Okay, so, Alex Rodriguez was to thank for the Yankees’ drawing first blood in game 1. LET THEM HATERS HAAATE. He’s clearly proven everybody wrong who’s doubted him. He was basically the MVP of the DS, along with CC, AJ, and Andy, of course. Anyway, he had a sac-fly to put the Yanks up 1-0 in the first, and Matsui followed with a bloop single to score Johnny Damon. WOOP.
Fast-forward to the fifth, Hideki Matsui knocks a double to score J-Dames and make the score 3-1. A-Rod tries to do the same, but instead was called out in a pretty intense collision at home plate – more intense for Jeff Mathis, I should say. It was a good try nonetheless I suppose, although he did run through Robbie Thomson’s stop sign.
There was one more run to be had in the sixth, thanks to a botched pickoff attempt by John Lackey & a single by Derek Jeter to score Melky Cabrera. This made the score 4-1, which ended up being the final. Angels’ miscues certainly were used to our advantage in this game. Good times.
Game 2: It was AJ Burnett‘s turn on the mound. Through the first four, he was workin’ it. When the fifth inning came around however, he let the Halos come back and tie the game at two. He ended up going six-and-a-third, just allowing three hits and having four Ks. On any other day, this would be considered a really good outing for him, so I’m not gonna knock the guy.
Offense, offense, offense. Robbie Cano with a triple to score Nick Swisher, who of course worked a walk, in the second. Captain Clutch then decided to tack another one on with a solo shot to right field in the third.
Naturally, the game went into extras, and dramatics ensued. Chone Figgins, the president of the Lollipop Guild, hit a single in the 11th to score Gary Matthews Jr. and make the score 3-2 with Alfredo Aceves on the mound. Aceves did not save us. Growl. This was the point where I was near stroking in the club where I was out with friends for a birthday. Yes, I was glued to the TV. Yes, I know how stinky that sounds, LOL. But as I’ve said, I have an addiction. O=) Anywho, as my other friends were on the dance floor, I watched Alex Rodriguez put us at ease, blasting a solo shot to right field in the bottom of the inning. There were many cheers to be had by the patrons other than myself.
Aside from Aceves, the combined efforts of Phil Coke (.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K), Joba Chamberlain (.1 IP, 1 H, 1 K), Phil Hughes (.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K), Mariano Rivera (2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 K), Damaso Marte (.1 IP), and David Robertson (1.1 IP, 2 BB, 1 H, 1 K) yielded good results (though the lines look pretty shaky). Whatever hits these guys gave up didn’t do any damage. They cleaned themselves up rather nicely.
To the thirteenth we go. Robbie Cano with an error in the top of the frame to let Erick Aybar aka Coolio on base. Ugh. Aybar bunted to 2nd by Figgy. Ugh. Bobby Abreu IBBed. Ugh. Torii Hunter with a groundout to DJ, but the runners move up. Ugh. At this point I was just begging to be put out of my misery. Thank God Vladimir Guerrero was having a bit of an off day. As my Dad put it “he left a small country on base last night.” Inning over, crisis averted. Whew.
Bottom half of the thirteenth. I’m in the car on the way home from the club, wishing I was still in front of the TV. Jerry Hairston Jr., pinch-hitting, hits a single. Brett Gardner bunts him to second. Sacrifice successful. Cano gets IBBed. Melky hits a grounder to second, and Maicer Izturis makes a MAJOR faux pas and throws the ball away! JHJ scores! YANKEES WIN, THEEEEEEEEEE YANKEES WIN! Much screaming and celebrating ensued while en route to my house. Myself as well as two of my friends scared the bejesus out of our other friend in the passenger seat. Whoops. All in the name of winning, of course. =)
So, our boys travel to Anaheim and far better weather in the west for games 3 and 4. Up 2-0 has a really, really nice ring to it. The matchup for Monday afternoon consists of Andy Pettitte vs. Jered Weaver. I’m beyond the point of being hyped/stoked/excited/etc. My blood pressure is probably through the roof. Ah, well. Two more wins and we are off to the WORLD SERIES, BABY! =D LET’S DO THIS!
ALDS Game 1: All Systems Are Go
‘Been away so long I hardly knew the place,
gee, it’s good to be back home.’
Aside from being excessively hyper and shaking to the point where I looked like I had a medical issue, I had a knot in the pit of my stomach. I could have attributed it to a number of things, like the fact that I still have some sort of bug, boy troubles, stress in general, but no. This was no ordinary knot. This was a playoff knot, through and through. How could I tell this? It was gone [for the most part] today – after the win settled in my head.
The first two innings were relatively event-less, save for a couple of jams that CC, the Boss Dawg, worked into and out of himself. Speaking of CC, he earned himself a good supply of chipotle cheesesteak sandwiches for last night’s performance. Okay, he did give up 2 runs [in the third inning, more on this soon] and 8 hits overall, but he struck out 9 and did not walk a single Twin. Sure, a good number of us wanted to string him up for letting the Twins draw first blood, but he was redeemed quite a few times over, thanks to the trusty offense.
Trusty. Would that be good enough of a word to describe these guys? Probably not, but since my brain is nearly scrambled from excitement, it’s the best I can do. =) Anyway, back to the third inning. Our boys in pinstripes drew some blood right back, with El Capitán actually pulling a pitch for a homer with the Melkster on base. It was one of those you-know-right-away homers. It was a thing of beauty, a work of art, if you will. Even Jeet knew it right off the bat (pun intended). You know all is going well when Captain Clutch is just as his namesake implies.
So, with that two-run shot by Jeet, the score was tied 2-2 after the third. Bottom four – NickySwish at bat with 2 dead… knocks a double to score Robbie from first to take – and keep – the lead. From that moment on, whatever came was just insurance. In the fifth inning, Mr. Roboto popped a 2-run shot to put our minds at ease. A-Rod had himself 2 RBIs as well. Yep, that’s right. A-ROD had TWO RBIs in a PLAYOFF game. Suck on that, haters.
Our bullpen of course deserves a moderate amount of credit as well, I mean, they kept the Twins scoreless in the entire 2-and-a-third that they were in the game. Hughesy, Cokie, Jobey, and Moey. Need I really go into details? I think the names basically scream for themselves. Our bullpen is ballin’, clearly. No two ways about it.
And now an off day for our boys. It’s not an off day for all, however. At the moment, we have the Rockies beating the Phillies 4-1 in the sixth. Later on, we’ll have the Cards and Dodgers and the [shudders] Red Sox and Angels. I’d like to see the Dodgers pull through that series, but I honestly have no idea how I feel about the Angels or Red Sox. I hate them both relatively equally. Damn them! [shakes fist at sky] But I think I’ll just relax and enjoy the view for now. Tomorrow will probably restart that lovely feeling of nausea, but I can deal with it! =)
Clippin’ the Angels’ Wings
If I walked around saying something along the lines of “The Yankees are gonna win this series against the Angels and take two out of three,” people probably would’ve looked at me like I had tulips growing out of my head. Fortunately, this statement was made true only a little while ago. The Yanks really did take 2 out of 3 from those g-damn Halos of Anaheim, or LA, or California, or wherever the hell they’re claiming as home these days. And I’m pretty sure it came as a huge shock to most of us fans out there, myself included.
Yesterday, Chad Gaudin was on the bump in Anaheim [or whatever]. Considering his rep, he did a pretty darn good job up until the 5th inning. He was hit up for two runs and left it up to Aceves. Unfortunately, he decided to give up another two runs and make the game more interesting, or gut-wrenching, I’m not sure which.
The middle-third of the lineup was the key to last night’s win. A-Rod went 1-4, that 1 being a 2-run blast, and ended the day with 3 RBI. Matsui belted his 28th of the season, and JoPo had a couple of RBI as well. All of this goodness amounted to a 6-5 Yankee win in Anaheim. That’s right, a WIN in ANAHEIM. It’s like the saying “a needle in a haystack.”
* Sidebar 1: Jeet got his 200th hit of the season yesterday. I tell ya, this kid is somethin’. He’s gonna be great one day…
Today was AJ’s turn to toss. As I’m sure many others were, I was pretty apprehensive about this. The past few starts AJ had were not too fantastic. I think it was a good choice he decided to actually show up today. He only went 5-and-two-thirds, but he K’d 11 and only walked 3… which is pretty damn good for him. I’m hoping this is a sign that’s he’s coming around and is getting ready for the home stretch.
Having AJ pitch well was also key because Scott Kazmir was on the opposing side. Lucky for us, he was shaky in the fourth and he coughed up three runs. We have the Czech Brothers RobbieCanoDon’tchaKnow and MelkManLikesDeWemens to thank for that. =) And so, like sands through the hourglass we ended up with another win in Anaheim. Today must be Opposite-of-the-Oxymoron Day.
* Sidebar 2: JoPo and NickySwish were out with minor injuries
today. I really, really hope they’re fine. I don’t think they’re a
cause for worry. JHJ left the game with some issue or other, and
apparently he’ll be having a date with an MRI machine tomorrow. Hope
that’s nothing serious either. I’d hate to lose him on the bench,
especially now.
With these wins, the Magic Number is now down to 5iVE. How apropos that the Yankee Clipper/Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio happens to share that number and, oh, look, the title of this entry is about “clipping” the Angels’ wings… What a freakin’ coinkydink!
Ah, well, I guess I can use tomorrow to relax after a long first half of the week. Now that I’ve typed that, it sounds all the more appealing. I see a nap in my future. ♥ Sweet life!
Until next time, Yankee fans…
Bye bye bye (bye bye!)
The Good, The Bad, and The Just Plain Annoying
It was a late night for me last night, and I sure as hell was not in any capacity to blog. Sure, it was a good night, but I was tired and my sleep cycle is set to “School,” so how I made it until 2am is beyond me. So, I am now pulling double duty.
As my title indicates, we have – over the past two games – experienced The Good:
The Bad:
and The Just Plain Annoying:
The Good. Yesterday, CC Sabathia was indeed himself, and pitched a friggin’ gem. He went seven strong innings – despite being pegged with a liner off the bat of Franklin Gutierrez [I believe] in the fifth – striking out 8, walking 2, and only allowing 4 hits. Can we say “life saver”? If this guy wasn’t on our roster, who knows where the hell we would be right now. Let me just say that I am beyond glad that he’s on our side.
The offense, naturally, didn’t want to be left out of the limelight. Mark Teixeira, better known as The Teixecutioner
™, had himself – as Kim Jones said in the post game interview – a week’s worth of work in one game. He went 4-5 with two homers, a triple, and a single. Funny though… everyone in the dugout was rooting for a double during his at-bat in the ninth, but he went ahead and knocked the crap out of the ball and sent it over the center field wall. “He don’t need no stinking cycle!” [- David Cone]. Aside from Tex, Johnny Damon quietly put together a 3-4 effort and clearly loves having days off. Mr. Roboto knocked a solo shot and is certainly making a case for his re-signing next season. Frankie Cervelli (
♥) got the start (FINALLY!) and had a 2-4 night with an RBI to show for it. All in all, a fantastic offensive performance plus a spectacular pitching performance = a 10-1 Yankee vic-to-ry!
The Bad. Today’s offense was quite obviously hungover after last night’s party. (FYI, I just put that picture of A-Rod up there to represent the offense as a whole. I couldn’t find a better one… though if I did the sentiment would’ve been the same.) The only one’s who were involved in any sort of useful offense were Mark Teixeira – naturally – and Jorge Posada, who had three days off due to suspension and therefore a sh!tload of rest. Tex managed to go 3-4 with two doubles (where were those last night?!), one of which became a run after a double by JoPo in the 6th. ‘Tis where the offense ends, unfortunately.
And now, the pièce de résistance,
The Just Plain Annoying. In this case, “just plain annoying” and “ugly” are synonymous. Joba friggin’ Chamberlain. You had to know that was coming. His performance today was painful at best. The plan was to let him go at least 5, but that was shot to hell when he gave up 7 earned through 3. I’m not gonna mention that not-so-Billboard-worthy band “The Rules” or the epic “Starter or Reliever?” debate, but I would really, REALLY like to know what the hell this kid’s problem is. I know it’s not even worth mentioning those three really good starts he had after his Homeward Bound session, but why can he not pitch like that anymore? Bad mechanics? Poor mentality? Idiocy? What is the answer and where the hell can I find it?!!?
[deep breaths]
Okay, I think I’m good now.
Well, since there’s nothing more to be done about that debacle of a game, we’ll just have to look onward to tomorrow and the [gulp] Los Angeles Angels of The Seventh Circle of Hell Anaheim. But hey, TPPT
™ should be back from its one-day, unpermitted (confound it!) vacation by then, so we’ve just gotta keep our heads up! When our boys played LAAA (wtf, acronym?) on Monday, Joba pitched well (again, wtf?) and actually managed to keep Vladdy & Co. from doing much damage. Yeah, Joba… where’d you pull that start out of? … ANYway, I’m thinking that game gives our boys the incentive and the confidence to knock the Halos tushies down a few pegs. The fact that Home Field Advantage is on the line wouldn’t hurt as inspiration, either.
So, as you can see, I had a good bit to say about a good bit, but I am finished rambling [whew!] and you good people that visit my blog can go about your Sunday evening business as usual.
Thanks for bearing with me!
Deuces!
Off Days Are Not As Fun As They Sound
So, since my excursion to the Ballpark in the Bronx, our Yanks have beaten the always-annoying Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Whew! That’s a mouthful), lost to the Blue Jays and came to blows with them, and beaten the Blue Jays in walk-off fashion. That’s certainly a lot of activity to catch up on.
Monday: Joba Chamberlain, your favorite and mine [rolls eyes], took the hill against Jered Weaver, aka the Better Brother. And wouldn’t ya know it, Joba went 4 and only gave up a run. Weaver went 7-and-a-third and allowed 5. The oddities of baseball are astounding.
Tuesday: Oh, Ser-Ser-Sergio, how you suck so! I think someone took over and used him as a human suit when he pitched so well a couple of starts ago. He, for all intents and purposes, fails. The only thing worth watching during this game was that epic fight. It was pretty intense. If there’s one thing you must learn from watching that fight, it is this: DO NOT MESS WITH THE 13-LB. EDWAR RAMIREZ. HE WILL CUT YOU. K, thanks. JoPo is a beast, Tex is an animal, and Shelley Duncan… well, we all know he’s psycho. =)
Wednesday: For what was mostly a boring, yawn-worthy game, a good result ensued. For starters, Chad Gaudin pitched relatively well, going 5-and-two-thirds, having only given up two runs in the 3rd, but when he was taken out, a man was on, so he was charged with that run as well when it came in. Hit-deki had himself a three RBI game – always a plus. But the real story happened in the bottom of the ninth. BG (Big Gunz, not Brett Gardner) hit a single, and stole second base. Jeter got him to third on a FC. Then, Frankie Cervelli, Jose Molina’s late-inning replacement, placed a single perfectly between third base and shortstop to drive Gardner home. The kid was so elated that he ran halfway into right-center field in celebration. He is friggin’ adorable and I just wanna pinch him. He definitely deserved the pie after everything he’s done for this club in the past. Love you, Frankie! You’re pretty much awesome! =)
Now, tonight is an off night, which is sad. Our boys make their way to the west coast yet again (wtf? again?) to take on the Mariners and those ridiculous Halos. I’m sick of them, to be honest. Thankfully we still have a considerable lead on them for HFA… and still a considerable lead over the Sox in the East. I just hope the rest of September is good to this team, ’cause now is certainly not the time for them to cool off, no sirree Bob. Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait ’til tomorrow to find out, right? *Sigh* I hate waiting. Whatever shall I do? I guess I’ll practice my patience. I just love doing that. [rolls eyes with great emphasis] ‘Til we meet again!
Peace out blog scouts!
Perennial Pinstriper
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