Ho-hum, the Yankees win another series. But what made last night's 3-2 win against the Oakland A's interesting was that Chad Gaudin started, allowing no runs and one hit, but only pitched 4 1/3 innings. He was removed by Joe Girardi, later citing his pitch count (91), largely due to his five walks, as the reason he was taken out and not because he loaded the bases.
Alfredo Aceves relieved him and quickly induced a 1-2-3 double play to end Oakland's threat.
The Yankees were up 3-0 thanks to an RBI groundout and two-run home run from Mark Teixeira who is now at 89 RBI on the season.
After Aceves got out of the fifth inning, he allowed a solo home run to Jack Cust in the sixth and gave up three hits (including an RBI single from Mark Ellis) before being removed. Phil Coke, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera combined to record the final seven outs of the game, with the latter earning his 36th save.
The Yankees are off today before beginning a three-game series in Boston tomorrow.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Teixeira drives in all 3 in Yanks' victory
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Game 121: Yankees at Athletics
| New York Yankees (75-45) | Oakland Athletics (53-66) |
| Derek Jeter SS | Adam Kennedy 3B |
| Johnny Damon LF | Rajai Davis CF |
| Mark Teixeira 1B | Mark Ellis 2B |
| Alex Rodriguez 3B | Kurt Suzuki DH |
| Hideki Matsui DH | Ryan Sweeney LF |
| Nick Swisher RF | Landon Powell C |
| Robinson Cano 2B | Jack Cust RF |
| Melky Cabrera CF | Tommy Everidge 1B |
| Jose Molina C | Cliff Pennington SS |
Chad Gaudin RHP (1-0, 5.40 ERA as a Yankee) vs. Brett Anderson LHP (7-8, 4.55 ERA)
Time: 10:05 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176
Yankees vs. Anderson
- Jeter: 3-7, HR, 2 RBI
- Damon: 1-7, 2 RBI
- Teixeira: 2-6
- Rodriguez: 1-3, 2B
- Matsui: 1-6, HR, 2 RBI
- Swisher: 1-5, RBI
- Cano: 3-6, RBI
- Cabrera: 4-5, 2B, HR, RBI
Athletics vs. Gaudin
- Kennedy: 0-1
- Ellis: 0-1
My appearance on the Aug. 18 'The Michael Kay Show'
Below, you will be able to hear my appearance on the Aug. 18 The Michael Kay Show on 1050 ESPN Radio where I discussed the 2009 Michael Kay/YES Network Drinking Game.
I'd like thank the good folks over at the station for sending me the audio. I'd also like to thank Michael for being a good sport about it.
The Michael Kay Show airs weekdays from 2-7 p.m.
You can also download it here.
CC cruises to victory
Despite allowing solo home runs to Kurt Suzuki and someone named Tommy Everidge in the first two innings, CC Sabathia was able to recover and dominate the Oakland Athletics over his next six innings to record his 14th victory of the season. The Yankees defeated the A's by a score of 7-2, as Oakland committed four errors.
Derek Jeter recorded his third straight three-hit game in the process, raising his team-leading batting average to .330. Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera also added two hits apiece.
The game was tied at 2 until the sixth inning, when the Yankees broke the game open with five runs on four hits against Jay Marshall and Santiago Casilla.
The Yankees stay seven games ahead of Boston after they defeated Toronto last night 10-9. Chad Gaudin takes the hill for the Yankees in tonight's rubber game. First pitch is slated for 10:05 p.m.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Game 120: Yankees at Athletics
| New York Yankees (74-45) | Oakland Athletics (53-65) |
| Derek Jeter SS | Adam Kennedy 3B |
| Johnny Damon LF | Rajai Davis CF |
| Mark Teixeira 1B | Kurt Suzuki C |
| Alex Rodriguez 3B | Scott Hairston LF |
| Hideki Matsui DH | Nomar Garciaparra 1B |
| Jorge Posada C | Mark Ellis 2B |
| Robinson Cano 2B | Tommy Everidge DH |
| Nick Swisher RF | Ryan Sweeney RF |
| Melky Cabrera CF | Cliff Pennington SS |
CC Sabathia LHP (13-7, 3.64 ERA) vs. Vin Mazzaro RHP (4-8, 5.54 ERA)
Time: 10:05 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176
Yankees vs. Mazzaro
- Jeter: 0-2
- Damon: 2-3
- Teixeira: 2-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
- Rodriguez: 0-2
- Matsui: 0-2
- Posada: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI
- Cano: 1-2
Athletics vs. Sabathia
- Kennedy: 2-10
- Davis: 1-8
- Suzuki: 3-12, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
- Hairston: 2-7
- Garciaparra: 2-7
- Ellis: 8-29, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI
- Sweeney: 0-3
My call into The Michael Kay Show
Michael Kay was informed of the drinking game based on him and talked about it during his radio show ESPN 1050. Having heard about this, I called into to the show and had a nice conversation with him on-air.
I am posting from my BlackBerry. I will work on getting the audio when I get home. Thank you for your continued support of Scott Proctor's Arm, and welcome to the new visitors!
To those who are new and want to get in touch with me, Andrew Fletcher, there are plenty of ways in which to do so.
First, you can e-mail me at ScottProctorsArm@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Twitter (@fletch788). I frequently post on a Yankees message board called The Yankee Zone as well. We're always looking for new people to post with!
Scott Proctor's Arm has a page on Facebook where all of the posts are delivered and you can follow the blog using the NetworkedBlogs application.
And finally, if you use an RSS reader such as Google Reader, my RSS feed can be found: here.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The series ahead
The New York Yankees (74-44) begin a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics (52-65) at Oakland Coliseum tonight. The pitching matchups are:
Tonight – 10:05 p.m., YES
A.J. Burnett RHP (10-5, 3.71 ERA) vs. Brett Tomko RHP (1-2, 5.23 ERA)
Tomorrow – 10:05 p.m., YES
CC Sabathia LHP (13-7, 3.64 ERA) vs. Vin Mazzaro RHP (4-8, 5.54 ERA)
Wednesday – 10:05 p.m., YES
Chad Gaudin RHP (1-0, 5.40 ERA as a Yankee) vs. Brett Anderson LHP (7-8, 4.55 ERA)
Yankees sign first round pick Heathcott
Lane Meyer at NoMaas is reporting that the Yankees have signed first round draft pick Slade Heathcott. Meyer spoke to Heathcott directly and was told that the bonus he received exceeds $2 million.
After the Yankees failed to sign last year's first round pick Gerrit Cole, this is certainly good news.
For more on Mr. Heathcott, here is his scouting report.
Update - 11:45 a.m.: Jim Callis (via River Ave. Blues) is reporting Heathcott's bonus was almost double the slot money MLB recommends.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Joba, Aceves falter in Sunday defeat
(Originally written for Baseball Digest)
Joba Chamberlain allowed four earned runs over five innings, and was relieved by an equally shaky Alfredo Aceves, who was charged with four runs of his own in 1 2/3 innings. Doug Fister, on the other hand, pitched well in seven innings, as the Mariners defeated the Yankees 10-3 to avoid a four-game sweep Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field.
The game started out well for the Yankees, as Derek Jeter recorded two hits in his first two at-bats to pass Luis Aparicio with the most hits as a shortstop, including an RBI double in the third inning.
Chamberlain retired the first seven batters he faced, but ran into trouble after walking Ryan Langerhans with one out in the third. After a single and another walk, Jose Lopez hit a two-run double to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead.
Nick Swisher and the Yankees responded in the next half-inning, when he hit a two-run home run to center to put the Yankees ahead 3-2.
But Chamberlain was undone in the fifth, with successive two-out RBI singles.
The Mariners wouldn’t look back from there, but they added insurance in the seventh. Aceves struggled in his second inning of work, but he wasn’t helped by Jerry Hairston Jr. to a step back before having to charge on Ken Griffey Jr.’s leadoff fly ball. Instead of making the catch, he had to field it on a hop. Eventually, the Mariners had the bases loaded with one out. After Langerhans struck out, Aceves hit Josh Wilson with a pitch. Chad Gaudin was then brought in, and he gave up three straight RBI base hits, extending the Mariners’ lead to 9-3. Kenji Johjima’s solo home run in the eighth put the M’s ahead 10-3.
The Yankees don’t lose any ground in the American League East, as the Red Sox were defeated in Texas. The Yankees take their 7.5-game division lead to Oakland for three games starting tomorrow night. A.J. Burnett will start against Brett Tomko, whom the Yankees designated for assignment earlier this summer.
Game 118: Yankees at Mariners
| New York Yankees (74-43) | Seattle Mariners (60-57) |
| Derek Jeter SS | Ichiro Suzuki RF |
| Johnny Damon LF | Russell Branyan 1B |
| Mark Teixeira DH | Jose Lopez 2B |
| Alex Rodriguez 3B | Ken Griffey Jr. DH |
| Jorge Posada C | Franklin Gutierrez CF |
| Nick Swisher 1B | Jack Hannahan 3B |
| Eric Hinske RF | Kenji Johjima C |
| Jerry Hairston Jr. CF | Ryan Langerhans LF |
| Ramiro Pena 2B | Josh Wilson SS |
Joba Chamberlain RHP (8-2, 3.85 ERA) vs. Doug Fister RHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Time: 4:10 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 181
Yankees vs. Fister
- No Yankees have any experience against Fister
Mariners vs. Chamberlain
- Suzuki: 3-6
- Branyan: 1-2, RBI
- Lopez: 0-5
- Griffey Jr.: 0-2
- Gutierrez: 2-3, RBI
- Hannahan: 0-2
- Johjima: 2-5, 2B
Hideki Matsui has fluid on his knee and is day-to-day. Joe Girardi said he’s a “little bit” concerned about it.
Saturday YanksBlog.com game recap
Behind eight strikeouts from the bullpen, the Yankees were able to close out a 5-2 win even though Sergio Mitre started. Read all about it on YanksBlog.com.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Game 117: Yankees at Mariners
| New York Yankees (73-43) | Seattle Mariners (60-56) |
| Derek Jeter SS | Ichiro Suzuki RF |
| Nick Swisher RF | Franklin Gutierrez CF |
| Mark Teixeira 1B | Jose Lopez 2B |
| Alex Rodriguez 3B | Ken Griffey Jr. DH |
| Jorge Posada DH | Russell Branyan 1B |
| Robinson Cano 2B | Jack Hannahan 3B |
| Jerry Hairston Jr. LF | Rob Johnson C |
| Melky Cabrera CF | Josh Wilson SS |
| Jose Molina C | Ryan Langerhans LF |
Sergio Mitre RHP (1-1, 7.04 ERA) vs. Luke French LHP (2-2, 4.31 ERA)
Time: 10:10 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176
Yankees vs. French
- Jeter: 0-2
- Swisher: 0-2
- Teixeira: 2-3
- Rodriguez: 0-3
- Posada: 0-1
- Cano: 1-2
- Cabrera: 0-2
Mariners vs. Mitre
- Griffey Jr.: 3-7, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
- Branyan: 0-2
- Wilson: 0-3
- Langerhans: 1-6
As Pettitte settles down, Yanks come back
After retiring four of his next five batters via the strikeout, he had trouble with the Mariners’ top of the order in the third inning. Suzuki led off with a single and Gutierrez walked. But after that, Pettitte closed the door.
The Yankees began their comeback in the second when Jorge Posada doubled off the top of the right center field wall. The play was reviewed, but the call stood. Jerry Hairston Jr. eventually drove Posada home on a fielder’s choice to halve the Mariners’ lead.
For the next few innings, Seattle’s starter, Ryan Rowland-Smith, held the Yankees in check. However, in the fifth, he was hit with some bad luck. Melky Cabrera singled with two outs and took second on a wild pitch. Derek Jeter followed with a single through the left side of the infield, somehow getting under both Josh Wilson’s and Jack Hannahan’s gloves to score Cabrera and tie the game.
The game remained tied at 2 until Mark Teixeira led off the ninth with a solo home run against Mark Lowe. The Yankees would add another on Nick Swisher’s RBI single following Robinson Cano’s bloop double.
New York is now 30 games over .500 and remain 6.5 games ahead of Boston following a dramatic comeback of its own in Texas (they scored six runs in the ninth to win by four). Sergio Mitre gets the ball tomorrow night.
Teixeira: Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Pettitte: AP Photo
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sabathia, Matsui power Yanks to victory over Seattle
(Originally written for Baseball Digest)
CC Sabathia struck out a season-high 10 Mariners and Hideki Matsui hit two home runs and drove in five runs in the Yankees’ 11-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners Thursday night at Safeco Field.
Sabathia went eight innings, allowing one earned run and three hits while walking two and throwing 104 pitches to earn his 13th win of the season.
The Yankees recorded 15 hits, including four from Matsui and two from Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Jerry Hairston Jr. The only Yankee starter without a hit was Nick Swisher, who went 0-for-3 with two walks.
In addition to Matsui’s two home runs (hit 18th and 19th of the season), Jeter hit his 14th home run to lead off the third inning.
New York got to Ian Snell, Seattle’s starter, early and often. He settled down around the middle of the game, but the Yankees piled on as he continued to get tired. He gave up eight earned runs in six innings, walking three and striking out four. He has give up 13 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings in three starts since being traded to Seattle.
The Yankees are now 29 game over .500 and have a 6.5-game lead over Boston. Andy Pettitte and Ryan Rowland-Smith get the ball tonight in a battle of southpaws. First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Game 115: Yankees at Mariners
| New York Yankees (71-43) | Seattle Mariners (60-54) |
| Derek Jeter SS | Ichiro Suzuki RF |
| Johnny Damon LF | Franklin Gutierrez CF |
| Mark Teixeira 1B | Jose Lopez 2B |
| Hideki Matsui DH | Mike Sweeney DH |
| Nick Swisher RF | Russell Branyan 1B |
| Robinson Cano 2B | Kenji Johjima C |
| Melky Cabrera CF | Jack Hannahan 3B |
| Jerry Hairston Jr. 3B | Jack Wilson SS |
| Jose Molina C | Michael Saunders LF |
CC Sabathia LHP (12-7, 3.76 ERA) vs. Ian Snell RHP (2-8, 5.42 ERA)
Time: 10:10 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176
Yankees vs. Snell
- Teixeira: 0-5
- Swisher: 1-1, 2B
- Hairston Jr.: 1-2, 2 BB
Mariners vs. Sabathia
- Suzuki: 17-41, 4 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBI
- Gutierrez: 3-3, HR, RBI
- Lopez: 2-10, 2 RBI
- Sweeney: 20-72, 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI
- Branyan: 0-3
- Johjima: 5-8, 2B
- Hannahan: 0-3
- Wilson: 2-15
The series ahead
The New York Yankees (71-43) begin a four-game series against the Seattle Mariners (60-54) at Safeco Field. The pitching matchups are:
Tonight – 10:10 p.m., YES
CC Sabathia – LHP (12-7, 3.76 ERA) vs. Ian Snell – RHP (2-8, 5.42 ERA)
Tomorrow – 10:10 p.m., YES
Andy Pettitte – LHP (9-6, 4.14 ERA) vs. Ryan Rowland-Smith – LHP (2-1, 3.86 ERA)
Saturday – 10:10 p.m., YES
Sergio Mitre – RHP (1-1, 7.04 ERA) vs. Luke French – LHP (2-2, 4.31 ERA)
Sunday – 4:10 p.m., YES
Chad Gaudin - (5-10, 5.03 ERA overall) vs. Doug Fister – RHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
The 2009 Michael Kay/YES Network Drinking Game
Love or hate Michael Kay, he is here to stay. After years of listening to him, both on television and the radio, I have noticed some of Kay’s favorite sayings and actions from the booth. I call these “Michael Kay clichés,” or “Kaychés.”
The 2008 Michael Kay/YES Network Drinking Game is still one of Scott Proctor’s Arm’s most popular posts. In response, I have made an updated version for this season. I hope you enjoy it and please drink responsibly should you decide to play along. I take no responsibility for you or your actions as a result of playing this game. And no, I don’t really expect you to take 22 drinks if Kay says, “Deuces wild.”
- Kay shamelessly plugs his ESPN radio show – 1 drink / Take additional drink if he says the time of day it’s on
- Kay screams, “See ya!,” “there it goes,” and/or “looking up” – 1 drink / If he says all three in the same call, finish drink.
- Kay says, “Fallacy of the predetermined outcome” – 1 drink
- Kay laughs like a maniacal moron, and then is joined by the others in the booth – 1 drink
- Kay says, “Put a bow on it” – 1 drink
- Kay says, “We’ll make sense of it all” – 1 drink
- Kay gets on his soapbox – 1 drink
- Kay says, “We thank you for joining us” – 1 drink
- Kay says, “If you’re just joining us” – 1 drink
- Kay says, “The crowd is still buzzing” a few minutes after something big happens in the game – 1 drink
- Kay asks if the batter should get the green light on a 3-0 count – 1 drink
- Viewer notices that the YES cameras cut off the top of Kay's head during a booth shot – 1 drink
- Kay talks about baseball strategy, and is probably incorrect – 1 drink
- Kay uses a word you have to look up in the dictionary – 1 drink
- Kay says, “Hey!” (i.e. “Hey, Yankee fans!” or “Hey, check out…”) – 1 drink
- Kay says, “Who but?” – 1 drink
- Kay says, “Tough league” when a pitcher throws a changeup or breaking ball when down in the count – 1 drink
- Kay says, “If it’s fair, it’s gone/trouble/a base hit/etc.” – 1 drink
- Kay talks about how Nick Swisher always has a full count on him – 1 drink
- Kay says, “Lineups, first pitch, BASEBALL!” – 1 drink
- “Jeterian” or “Jeteresque” is said by anyone in the booth – 1 drink
- Food is mentioned by any of the announcers – 1 drink / If Kay gets made fun of because of his weight, take an additional drink and eat a slice of pizza
- Kay refers to a ball as “driven,” “laced” or “served” – 1 drink / Take 2 drinks if it’s a different verb
- There is awkward silence in the booth – 1 drink
- Kay says, “Big healthy cut” – 1 drink / Take an additional drink if the “big” is emphasized
- Kay says, “Works into, and out of, trouble” – 1 drink
- Kay says that Melky Cabrera was the last Yankee to hit for the cycle – 1 drink / Take an additional 2 drinks if Kay says anything about Tony Fernandez
- Kay talks about a starting pitcher’s pitch count before the third inning – 2 drinks
- Kay says, “Pretty play” or “Oh, what a play!” – 2 drinks
- Kay refers to a player by his full name (i.e. “Andrew Eugene Pettitte,” “Derek Sanderson Jeter,” “Carsten Charles Sabathia,” etc.) – 2 drinks
- Kay says, “People forget,” assuming that Yankees fans don’t have good memories relating to something that could be perceived as common knowledge (i.e. "People forget Cody Ransom was actually the starting third baseman at the beginning of the year") – 2 drinks
- Paul O'Neill makes fun of Kay for having too many shows on YES – 2 drinks
- Kay says, “Aforementioned New York Yankees” – 2 drinks
- Kay says, “If you’re scoring at home” – 2 drinks
- Kay says, “On what would be the infield grass” when a pop up is caught in the short outfield in a domed stadium – 2 drinks
- Kay explains the benefits of the staggered lineup – 2 drinks
- Kay says a player is “like the little girl with the curl” – 2 drinks
- Kay says, “Let’s take this baby _th inning” – 2 drinks
- Kay asks, “Do the Yankees have a rally in their bones?” – 2 drinks
- Kay holds out the “he” in “he struck him out” (i.e. “Heeeeeeeeee struck him out”), the “goes” in “there it goes” (i.e. “There it goessssssss”) or the “see” in “see ya” (i.e. “Sssssseeeee ya”) – 2 drinks
- Kay uses his “Philthies” nickname for Phil Hughes and/or Phil Coke – 2 drinks / If he calls both of them “Philthy” in the same game, take an additional two drinks
- Kay screams, “Bonus cantos!” and/or “Free baseball!” when a game goes to extra innings – 2 drinks
- Kay refers to a past conversation he had and says, “He said” at least three times (Seriously, pay attention to this. He really does this all the time.) – 3 drinks
- Kay says, “He ties a record held by many” when a fielder records all three outs in an inning – 3 drinks
- Kay mentions Fordham University – 3 drinks / If John Flaherty mentions George Washington University in response, take an additional drink
- O’Neill’s “Seinfeld” cameo is brought up – 3 drinks
- Kay says, “That’s a fan for life” when a kid receives a foul ball – 3 drinks
- Kay says, “How many times do you see a player make a great play and then lead off the next inning?” or some variation of that – 3 drinks
- Kay apologizes in advance for messing up any strike calls when Tim McClelland is the home plate umpire – 3 drinks
- Kay says, “Looking up” after the ball has already reached the stands – Finish drink
- Kay asks his analysts a ridiculous question and is promptly debunked – Finish drink / Take an additional drink for each time he responds with a “don’t you think...” question
- Kay says, “Hit DEEP to left/right/center” and the ball is then caught well in front of the track – Chug a beer
- Kay says, “Deuces wild” – 22 drinks
- Kay isn't calling the game – Spray champagne
Again, please drink responsibly.
Thanks to my Twitter followers for their various suggestions.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
More back-to-back magic leads Yanks to victory
Joba Chamberlain was bad last night, but he and the rest of the team were bailed out by back-to-back home runs by Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada last night, as the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 7-5.
Chamberlain blew a 3-0 lead in the third inning when he allowed a three-run double to Lyle Overbay. He then served up a solo shot to Randy Ruiz, a 31-year-old who played in his 23rd career game.
After three great starts following the All-Star break, Chamberlain has been average, at best. You can't expect him to be perfect all the time, but he has reverted back to what the majority of his starts this season have been like.
But for the third time in as many games, the Yankees hit back-to-back home runs. They are now 70-43 and have a 5.5-game lead over the Red Sox in the East.
They're playing a day game today, with A.J. Burnett getting the start. First pitch is a little after 1.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Game 113: Blue Jays at Yankees
| Toronto Blue Jays (54-57) | New York Yankees (69-43) |
| Marco Scutaro SS | Derek Jeter SS |
| Aaron Hill 2B | Johnny Damon LF |
| Adam Lind LF | Mark Teixeira 1B |
| Lyle Overbay 1B | Alex Rodriguez 3B |
| Vernon Wells CF | Hideki Matsui DH |
| Randy Ruiz DH | Jorge Posada C |
| Edwin Encarnacion 3B | Robinson Cano 2B |
| Rod Barajas C | Eric Hinske RF |
| Joe Inglett RF | Melky Cabrera CF |
Scott Richmond RHP (6-6, 3.97 ERA) vs. Joba Chamberlain RHP (8-2, 3.73 ERA)
Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: my9
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176
Blue Jays vs. Chamberlain
- Scutaro: 1-8, 2 RBI
- Hill: 2-6, HR, 3 RBI
- Lind: 4-8, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
- Overbay: 3-7, RBI
- Wells: 2-6
- Barajas: 1-4, HR, RBI
- Inglett: 1-4
Yankees vs. Richmond
- Damon: 1-2, 3B
- Teixeira: 2-2, 2B, RBI
- Rodriguez: 2 BB
- Cano: 1-2, RBI
- Hinske: 1-2, 2B
- Cabrera: 1-1, 2B
Mitre to make his next turn
Joe Girardi said after last night's game that Sergio Mitre will make his next turn in the rotation.
Right."He threw the ball well," Girardi said. "His miscue cost him a really good outing, in a sense. You're looking at just a couple of solo home runs and that's basically it."
It's nitpicking complaining about the fifth starter on a first-place team, but Mitre is a below average fifth starter at this point. While the Yankees are 3-2 in his starts, he hasn't pitched more than 5 2/3 innings. Last night, Alfredo Aceves, one of Girardi's most trusted relievers, had to pitch four innings. Whatever the reasoning, Aceves is out until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.
In his latest column on FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal notes that recently-signed pitcher Russ Ortiz could be the next option for the Yankees should they decide to remove Mitre. Apparently, Ortiz can ask for his release after three starts. Last Thursday, in his first and only start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he threw six shutout innings. While Ortiz instills as much confidence in me as Mitre does, he's another arm to throw against the wall.
It's really just about eating innings at this point and praying the important starters don't get hurt. Watching Mitre throw games away - literally - is frustrating as hell. But if you continue to get good starts from the other four starters, you'll be in good shape.
