For the first four innings, the Yankees couldn't do anything against Padres' starter Josh Banks. They had runners at second and third with one out in the first inning but were unable to score.
They eventually fell behind 1-0 in the fourth, but that was until Melky Cabrera walked with one out in the fifth.
With Jose Molina at the plate, Cabrera stole second and third base before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center. The offense was stagnant up until that point, and they needed a boost. Manufacturing a run is the best way to provide a spark.
The Yankees would score again in the sixth. Derek Jeter led off with a single, stole second, took third on a ground out and scored on an Alex Rodriguez single.
That was all the Yankees would need. The bullpen shut down the Padres, winning 2-1 and finishing off the sweep.
Joba Chamberlain struck out a career-high nine batters in 5 2/3 innings, reaching exactly 100 pitches. With the Yankees scoring in the bottom of the sixth, Chamberlain did not figure in the decision, and is still searching for his first victory as a starter.
I would have let him finish the sixth. He struck out the first two batters in the inning and his velocity was not suffering at all. Four or five pitches wouldn't kill him. If a batter reached, then you could have taken him out.
The Yankees pitchers struck out the Padres 40 times in this series. They also outscored the Padres 18-6 in the three games.
The win streak now stands at seven. The Cincinnati Reds come to town for a three-game series that begins tomorrow night.
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Small ball comes up huge
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3 comments:
This was a big loss for the Padre's. I was on drinkpurple.com earlier tonight, I wonder if maybe that stuff could get the team back on track. Hmm...
The Padre's hitters are killing their pitchers. Banks will soon become a superstar.
Yeah, I have no idea why Toronto would give up on him so quickly. He was very impressive this afternoon.
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