Jamie Insalaco
Swept by Texas; lost 2 of 3 in Tampa and took 2 of 3 from the Orioles. That’s a 3-6 road trip for the Yankees, the worst of the year, as far as I recall.
How’d it happen? Injuries played a big part; whether players were unavailable or resting, the Yankees were never at 100% during this road trip. True, few teams are at this point in the season, but missing two of your corner outfielders is pretty tough, and that just scratches the surface.
I’ve already commented on the debacle at the hands of the Texas Rangers and the tough series loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays, so today I’ll be focusing on the series with the Os, which, like the series with the Rays, could have gone either way.
AJ Burnett pitched decently in the first game, but every time he gives up a homer, its hard not to think, "Here we go again." But we all know how this one went; A-Rod saved the day with a 3 run homer with 2 strikes and 2 outs in the top of the ninth, which was largely made possible by Jorge Posada’s 11 pitch at bat to lead off the inning with a single. As soon as A-Rod’s bat touched the ball, it was gone. Mariano Rivera came in and got the save, and all seemed right with the world. The next afternoon, CC Sabathia earned his 20th win as the Yankees offense mowed down the Orioles pitching. No one was able to win 20 games last year, which makes you realize what a special accomplishment it really is – so hats off to CC! But Sunday’s blown save by Mo rained on the parade – perhaps one of the fastest blown saves ever as the lead off batter came on to hit a game tying home run. It was all over after that. But then, the game started out so promising with the return of Andy Pettitte, making his first start on the MLB level in about two months. Andy looked pretty sharp and didn’t seem especially fatigued; if he’s fresh in the playoffs and Burnett is decent, the Yankees could be dangerous this fall.
The Yankees can’t seem to win an extra inning game on the road this year – it’s a tough feet, but I feel like they’ve lost every one of them in 2010. Maybe it’s just the recent loses to Tampa and Texas in extras that are haunting me. Given Friday’s come from behind at the last second win, the Yankees could have easily lost this series. I hope all the resting of players and cortisone shots will pay off this week.
When all is said and done, the Yankees are still in first place. How can that be? They’re 3 for they’re last 9! But there it is. With four huge games against the Rays that may decide the fate of the AL East and possibly home field advantage for the playoffs, there’s a lot going on this week. Get pumped. Oh and the Red Sox are coming at some point… whatever, those guys are done. =)
