10/3 – Yankees at Rays
YANKEES (102-58)
Gardner CF
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Hinske 3B
Hairston SS
| Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (14-7, 4.11) |
RAYS (83-77)
Bartlett SS
Crawford LF
Longoria 3B
Zobrist 1B
Upton CF
Kapler RF
Burrell DH
Navarro C
Iwamura 2B
| Pitching: RHP Jeff Niemann (12-6, 3.94) |
Some assorted pre-game notes for you: The Yankees hosted several of their Minor League prospects on the field, with Andrew Brackman, Slade
Heathcott and Gary Sanchez among them. The players had a workout Saturday in Tampa and many posed for photos with the big leaguers, especially Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez … Expect to see Alfredo Aceves and Chad Gaudin pitch tonight … The Yankees aren’t set on carrying two lefties for the postseason but are happy with Damaso Marte thus far … Joe Girardi wants to see Dave Robertson pitch Sunday on shorter rest, but he seems to be OK. … Jerry
Hairston, Jr. (wrist) came through Friday’s game well.
Bryan Hoch
A bad start again. I’m concerned down the stretch about the poor starts of our starting pitchers. We can say the games don’t count but there is a pattern that can develop here that will carry into the playoffs. The first round is the best of 5 and it can be over in a hurry no matter how many games the yankees have won this year. They need to get their pitching straightened out as well as their offence. The offence was absent in the last game and so far today hasn’t done anything. Momentum into the playoffs is important. The two teams fighting to get into the playoffs, the Tigers and the Twins, might be a lot sharper and have the momentum going into the playoffs and knock the Yankees out in a hurry.
Petitte kept it close and then a stupid play and error by Aceves and they’re down 5-2. It’s bad plays like this that are usually done by inexperienced teams that is a concern going into the playoffs.
MLB.com: “Girardi said he was assured Chamberlain could physically handle a relief appearance.” (!!!!) He will pitch one inning as a reliever on Sunday, for the first time this season…So that is what the “Joba Rules” turned into… To find out whether Joba Chamberlain can become -again- a reliever…
It is obvious that Girardi did a good job taking the team again into the postseason. But, it is also obvious that the “Joba Rules” simply became a big mistake. Why? for some reasons, but the most obvious one is the following: if you want to keep under close control the development of a young arm like Chamberlain´s, without taking too many risks, then they should have sent him to Scranton-Wilkes Barre this year. To keep him in Major League Baseball simply turned a perfect Dr. Jekyll into the Mr. Hyde we all have painfully watched these days…