Posts tagged ‘Brett Gardner’

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April 25, 2011

Yankees Take Another Rain Shortened Season

by Jamie Insalaco

I know it’s April and this is when it’s supposed to rain, but I’m starting to lose my cool.  The Yankees are nearing their 2010 rain out total, and we’re not even through with the first month yet!  Here’s The Good, The Bad and The Fug-Ugly from Baltimore.

The Good
CC Sabathia was, in a word, dominant on Saturday.  Sure, he labored toward the end, but he was really dealing – vintage CC, I loved every minute of it!

Freddy Garcia might not deserve a statue or a plaque yet, but he probably deserves an apology.  I know it’s only two starts, but they haven’t been against teams without any hitters and he hasn’t let up run yet, right?  I’ll take 12 IP of 0 run ball every two times out!

Russell Martin is probably worth praying to.  Like I wrote the other day, he does it all.  Take a closer look at your mailman – it’s Russell Martin!

Curtis Granderson is putting on a hitting display, and I love it!  The Grandyman is my favorite kind of player:  an outfielder with speed and power.

The Bad
Nick Swisher needs to worry less about shaving (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re lucky) and more about hitting the ball.  At least he’s still getting his walks.

Derek Jeter managed some hits on Sunday, but they were mostly infield squeakers.  Who knows, maybe a game like this will get him started, and if he’s going to lead off and gave Curtis Granderson protecting him the two hole, that could help him, too.

Mariano Rivera is not a machine, and I guarantee that if he only had to get three outs, he would have been fine.  Mo can’t pitch in more than one inning anymore.  Just forget about that.  It’s over.  Not in April, anyway – in October… you do what you have to do.  But in April?  Let’s not and not even say we did.  Anyway, Mo will be alright, so lets not bother having the “he’s done!” conversation because he blew two saves.

The Fug-Ugly
Brett Gardner had what, one hit in two games?  I know it was a double and I know that’s not the end of the world, but the guy is striking out a lot… I really want Gardner to find a way out of his funk now that he’s been moved to the bottom of the lineup, because I don’t want to see this guy end up being the next Melky Cabrera…  well, it won’t be that bad.  If anything, he could be a fifth outfielder and pinch runner/base stealer on this team.

I was just about to write ‘Kyle Farnsworth‘ or ‘Octavio Dotel,’ because sometimes, I get my free agent setup men confused… (wait, was Dotel a setup man or just in the pen?  I can’t remember and don’t care enough to check)  But yeah, Rafael Soriano‘s back soreness is troubling, and I’m particularly annoyed given that I can’t find any reason for it.  Was it the flight down from Toronto?  Did he wake up in pain on Saturday morning?  I just don’t understand how someone is in so much pain that he has to miss two games, making it necessary to inject Mariano Rivera into the 8th inning (where he should never be, ever!) and have no reason for it at all.  That’s weak sauce, right there.

Russell Martin getting plunked between the numbers after he’d already hit two home runs in a game… that’s not cool, and it looks really bad – I’m all for pushing guys off the plate, but when you hit a guy in the back in between the numbers, it looks like it’s on purpose.  You don’t need to let the hitter get too comfortable in the batter’s box, but you don’t need to hit him, either.

The White Sox are in town, who are 8-14 on the young season – lets not read anything into that until we see them for ourselves…  but yeah, they probably stink.

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April 18, 2011

Freddy Garcia And Bats Combine to take Games 2 and 3 From Rangers

by Jamie Insalaco

Another home stand over, another series victory.

After Friday night’s rough outing from Ivan Nova, the Yankees got 6 shut out innings from Freddy Garcia – maybe the last place you’d look in the Yankees rotation for a pick-me-up performance. I suspect that Garcia is the the kind of pitcher who performs better on extra rest, but I don’t have the data to back it up; just notating that he exceeded expectations against a good hitting team after not having started a game in a few weeks. (Garcia did get that one relief inning in Boston, so this is only his second appearance of the young season.)

CC Sabathia just didn’t have it last night, most notably with his awful fastball control. The ESPN announcers can credit the text bats all they wish, but if CC is going to throw his fastball right down the middle like that, it’s akin to putting the ball on a t-ball stand for big league hitters, never mind a good hitting team like Texas. Sabathia is, however, an elite pitcher, so he has his secondary pitches to keep him in the game through 6.1 innings, most notably his change up to right handers and several good sliders. Last night, it was the Bronx Bombers doing it Bomber Banter style with homer after homer: Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson all contributed with the long ball. Martin and Eric Chavez also contributed via the 2 out RBI, so these guys were all getting it done box score style. Meanwhile, Derek Jeter, the anti-box score hero, contributed with a hit of his own, but I don’t feel like he’s in the zone yet, but I do think he’s close now. Chavez has continued to prove himself to be a valuable piece as he’s hit well in limited duty and has played a solid third in A-Rod’s absence – hopefully, A-Rod’s stiffness is a thing of the past by Tuesday. For next year, the Yankees are probably better off going with a right handed bat who can also play left field for Garnder as a DH so A-Rod can spend more time there. The guy is a beast at the plate, but I just don’t trust him to stay healthy if he has to play 150 games in the field.

We got to see the big three again last night – Joba Chamberlain was not great in relief and surrendered a run, but Rafael Soriano was downright nasty as he took down all three batters he faced with authority. Mariano Rivera came in and was Mo – that’s all there is to that.

I do want to take a second and mention that the new ESPN Sunday night baseball crew is twice as bearable as the old one. I guess they got a new director in there, too, because everyone is a lot more focused on what’s happening on the field rather that showing us the announcers in the booth, talking about nonsense or pimping topics/interviewing other things/people that have something to do with something that’s going to be on ESPN on another day. I think this puts ESPN slightly behind of FOX Sports in my ‘Totally Unbearable To Watch Sports On Your Network’ race – meaning FOX is currently the most unbearable.  On the other hand, ESPN’s constant badgering of the Yankees leading MLB in home runs was annoying – I don’t care what anybody says, LEADING THE LEAGUE IN HOME RUNS IS NOT A BAD THING!

The Yankees are off today and will be back tomorrow at Toronto to face the Blue Jays. The Jays will be pesky again this year, but I don’t see them as a playoff team this year.

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April 15, 2011

Yankees Take Rained Shortened Series Against Orioles

by Jamie Insalaco

I read a Yankees blog that jokingly heralded this series as a battle for first place – it was true, but in April, it’s not to be taken seriously. Nevertheless, the Yankees find themselves at the top of the AL East while the Red Sox are 2-9, so for now, life is good. Sure, the Baltimore orioles look like a better team with an improved roster, but they still have problems and their pitching is still suspect – and that’s coming from a Yankee fan. I think the Os will be pesky this year, but nothing more.

There’s lots to smile about so far this season:

  • AJ Burnett looks like he’s finding his way through his 2010 troubles (which I still maintain weren’t that bad – drop a comment if you disagree and we’ll battle it out!) with some decent starts
  • CC Sabathia looks good even when he’s not happy with the way he’s throwing
  • The offense is showing plenty of signs of life, particularly when it comes to power. Jorge Posada has only 7 hits on the early season, but 5 of them are home runs… figure that out!
  • Joba Chamberlain has regained his vintage form, and suddenly, the bullpen is a force to be reckoned with. If a starter can go 6 innings and limit the opposition to to 3 or 4 runs, the Yankees have a decent chance of winning that game.
  • Batolo Colon has pitched great as the Yankees long reliever – without him, last night’s come from behind win would have not happened.

There’s lots to frown about, too.

  • Pedro Feliciano is done for the year and Damaso Marte might be available by September. Maybe. Perhaps once Manny Banuelos has pitched a significant number of innings as a starter in the minors, he can join the major league pen to finish off his 2011 innings limit. Otherwise, Boone Logan will be the go to guy all year long when it comes to lefties out of the pen – not that its a bad thing, Logan can certainly throw, but he makes me nervous sometimes. He’s certainly better than Phil Coke.
  • Phil Hughes is making Burnett’s 2010 season look like Aaron Small‘s 2005 season. If Hughes is truly healthy, I assume he’ll come around at some point; again, I’d take 6 innings of 4 run ball from him and call it a day, but right now, he can’t get out of the fifth inning.
  • It’s pretty wild that we still haven’t seen Freddy Garcia on the mound this season (except that one relief appearance) – If I were a betting man, I’d go all in on Garcia getting shelled his first time out.
  • Brett Gardner has yet to find his swing yet and I’m not liking his at bats at all. I was surprised Girardi didn’t go to the bench and bring in Andruw Jones in the 9th inning
  • I wish I could say I was shocked when Derek Jeter hit a ground ball to short stop last night in the 9th inning, but that’s his new favorite spot to ground out to dating back to last year. Before 2010, I think the negative broadcaster quote everyone loved to say was ‘Passed a diving Jeter!’ in reference to his limited range at short stop, but this year it’s definetly, “Jeter hits a ground ball to short.” You know, like last year.

The Yankees have the Texas Rangers coming in this weekend, minus Josh Hamilton. The Rangers have a ton of young starters this year, and if they aren’t left handed, I’m hoping the Yankees tee off on them… if they are left handed starting pitchers, be prepared for our beloved bombers to take a beating at the plate.

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April 11, 2011

Yankees pitching and or bats falter against Red Sox

by Jamie Insalaco

Ah the stench from the first series lost of the year. Can you smell it? You can smell it.

SATURDAY
What can you say about pitching like this? Ivan Nova had a bad outing, but Clay Buchholz had a TERRIBLE trip to the mound. That’s all there is to it. Kudos to David Robertson for getting the job done in relief. Nobody puts a fire out like D-Rob!

To anybody who didn’t want Russell Martin – now would be a good time to admit you were wrong. The guy is obviously a fine catcher, and he can actually frame a pitch (take that, Jorge Posada!), but also has a variety of offensive tools, including power and base stealing. Assuming he stays healthy, we’re pretty lucky to have Martin.

Luis Ayala pitched two scoreless innings in relief – who knew he had it in him? Given Ayala’s many-stopped history, I’m sure he was the last person to know, but good for him!

SUNDAY
Sunday night’s top of the 9th strike outs to Brett Gardner and Mark Teixeira… wow. Those last called looking strikes were not strikes. I appreciate that it was getting late and it was raining and it’s only April, but come on – don’t give Jonathan Paplebon any help, Blue.

That being said, Mark Teixeira looked awful at the plate during this series, going 0-15 with 7 Ks and 2 BB. Of course, Derek Jeter looked infinitely worse swinging wildly at those fastballs against Josh Beckett. Beckett looked, for the most part, like he’s returned to prime form after a few off seasons – the velocity was especially impressive, but can he stay healthy? That’s the question.

Dustin Pedroia was a beast the entire series: 9-13 in the series, 4 XBH, 4 R, 5 RBI. Not saying I’d trade Robinson Cano for him, but still, a good performance. Is it just me, or does he play back on the ball or is never in the right position to field a play, because he is always running all over the place out there. Granted, he always makes it, which is a testament to he is speed, but maybe if he was positioned better, he wouldn’t have to wear himself out every game. I feel like he has to sprint 5 yards to every routine ground ball, and it just looks weird.

CC Sabathia has an 0-1 record. What the shiz is that? He battled all night long last night and got zero run support. It’s ridiculous! Why can’t the Yankees score any runs for him?

Going into Friday afternoon’s game, I caught myself pitying the Red Sox fans. Their team was coming home with an 0-6 record, facing a Yankee team that was finding ways to win (mostly via the home run and pitching) on a 40 degree opening day. That sucks for anybody. Of course, the Red Sox fans made me regret any compassion I felt for them over and over throughout the weekend. Do you really need to let Fenway Park ring with chants of “Yankees suck!” when you’re winning a game 1-0? In April? I’m not saying Yankees fans don’t chant ‘Boston sucks!’ because we totally do, but the whole stadium doesn’t vibrate from the hollering of drunk morons – at a Yankee game, it’s just a few hundred people, not every single person in the building. I know this sounds crazy, but the behavior of Red Sox fans is so far outside the norm of what I see during other games (granted, the Yankees almost never head into Philadelphia) that I’m always shocked by it, no matter how many times I see it. Stay classy, Boston fans. (Keep in mind that I love the city of Boston and in my experience, people have always been very kind to me in and around the city. But I have been to a game at Fenway and yeah, it was scary. That building does something to those folks. Yankee fans might be hardcore, but Red Sox fans are in a cult or something.)

Monday is an off day before the Baltimore Orioles come to town with their AL East leading record, which I assure you, will not last. Brian Roberts is apparently not ill anymore and is cleared to play. We’ll have to wait and see what the Os truly have to offer on Tuesday.

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April 4, 2011

Yankees Pitching Takes Down Twins

by Jamie Insalaco

You can’t draw it up much better.

Sure, it’d be nice if your starter went nine innings every time out – seven or even eight would also be great.  But when you’ve got a bullpen like the Yankees, 6 IP of 3 run ball will do.

That’s just what Ivan Nova gave the Yankees tonight, and one of those runs that came around to score was probably a tough one to swallow, but if  that’s how you have to take the win, I’m sure Nova will take it.  The Twins have some good bats, but I thought Nova looked pretty good out there, and if this is the start of something he can maintain, Nova is going to win ten games this year.

Nova hands the ball over to what might end up being one of the best three headed monster bullpens that baseball has seen in the last few seasons.  Joba Chamberlain looks like he’s found his old rhythm, Rafael Soriano is too good, and Mariano Rivera – well, we all know about Mo, and Micheal Kay is so enamored with his greatness that it’s more interesting to him to analyze his uniform than his performance, because the higher socks look that Mo is sporting this year is less consistent throughout his career than his performance, which is always GREAT.

Alex Rodriguez had a nice homer to left and Jorge Posada is starting to look like he’s enjoying the DH position with a homer of his own.  Brett Gardner just missed a hit that probably would have blown the game wide open, but that’s how it goes.  Russell Martin continues to show us his tools and I think he’s going to win a lot of Yankee fans over very quickly if he keeps this up.

Tomorrow, CC Sabathia makes his second start of the year and hopefully, it will be more Sabathia-like.

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March 26, 2011

Yankees Sign Millwood, Trade Mitre, Shape Up Rotation

by Jamie Insalaco

UPDATED:  GARCIA HAS WON THE FIFTH SPOT IN THE YANKEES ROTATION AND COLON WILL GO TO THE BULLPEN.

With Spring Training winding down, the Yankees tweaks to their roster and starting rotation are nearly complete.

After about a zillion weeks of negotiation, the Yankees have finally landed Kevin Millwood to the minor league deal they’ve been dangling since the beginning of time.  Millwood was holding out for a guaranteed major league deal; I think he must have forgotten he finished the year with an ERA over 5 last season, but whatever.  Now that the music is about to stop and Millwood suddenly took his eyes off the floor and noticed there weren’t any chairs, he’s accepted a stool from the Yankees – not that he has any choice in the matter; given that he hasn’t thrown a pitch in a game yet this spring, he’ll have to go down the minors or extended spring training to get ready, so don’t expect him to be available until nearly May, if not later – and if everyone is pitching well, he could be in Scranton for a while.  (I presume he’s the team’s 7th starter, after whoever is the Yankees MLB long man.)

Sergio Mitre, who I have an irrational soft spot for, has been traded to the Brewers for Chris Dickerson, and outfielder who can play multiple positions and I assume is an insurance policy in case the oblique injury to Curtis Granderson causes him to start the season the DL.  If that is the case, I would expect Andruw Jones to start in left field, Nick Swisher in right and Brett Gardner in center, with Dickerson as the fourth outfielder.  (I hope Dickerson gets some playing time as I have a ton of Dickerson jokes waiting in the wings!)  Given that Brewers hurler Zack Grienke is currently injured, it looks like Mitre is going to get a chance to start there – so good luck to him!  Pitching in the inferior league’s weakest division could have an Ian Kennedy effect on Mitre.  Anyway, rumor has it that Mitre was going to be released at the end of spring training, so this was a good move by Brian Cashman.

It looks like Ivan Nova‘s solid spring has earned him a spot in the rotation, so the Yankees just have to decide if they’re going to start Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia.  It’s a tough decision; Colon has had the better spring, but he’s an older guy with a history of injury and didn’t pitch at all last year while  Garcia pitched over 150 innings in 2010.  I’d guess the Yankees are going to start the year with Garcia as there fifth starter, but we’ll find out for sure early next week.

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November 9, 2010

Yankees don’t need Carl Crawford

by Jamie Insalaco

Carl Crawford is a great player. The owner of a career .296 batting average and 409 stolen bases, Crawford is one of the games premier lead-off or two hitters and best defensive left fielders who can also play center field.

We don’t need him on the Yankees.

I love Carl Crawford – love him. I’ve dreamed of him coming to the Yankees for years as I watched his greatness wallow on a bad team in Tampa Bay. That’s not true anymore, but still, I coveted him… until this past season. It wasn’t anything he did; I just looked around the Yankees outfield and decided we’re good to go with what we have. And Crawford just turned 29; not that he’s old, but he’s going to command a lengthy deal, and I don’t want to be stuck with him when he’s 35 and not producing anymore.

Have you ever seen anyone come to the Yankees and look as comfortable as Nick Swisher? He hit 29 home runs in both seasons with the Yankees so far, but his batting average jumped from .249 in ’09 to .288 ’10. Despite the fact that he does the impression of a bobble head doll every time he does an interview (or maybe because of it), Swisher is right at home as a Yankee, no matter where they put him in the line up. And he’s not afraid of the right field wall, a welcome change after Bobby Abreu. I don’t see any reason why Swisher won’t hit 25+ bombs next year and continue to work the count.

I know Curtis Granderson didn’t exactly knock Yankees fans socks off in 2010, but Granderson is a great player. He’s got it all: speed, power, defense – you name it, Granderson can do it. I know his .247 batting average and .324 on base percentage is not great, but through it all, he did hit 24 home runs, and I think there is a lot more where that came from. He’s obviously not a big ego guy; the work he did with Kevin Long on his swing mid season proved that, and his post season batting was exemplary with a .455 BA against the Twins and .294 BA against the Rangers. Face it – the Yankees have a serious player in Granderson.

Finally, I’m really happy with the process of Brett Gardner. In 2009, he hit .270 and stole 26 bags in 100 games and last year, he hit .277 in 150 games while stealing 47 bases, but what really impressed me about Gardner’s 2010 campaign was the 79 walks. Why Gardner doesn’t get challenged more often with a three ball count, I don’t know – the guy obviously doesn’t have much in the way of power, but he just keeps on walking, fouling off the tough pitches and taking his base. The quality of his at bats was really outstanding last year, and as long as he maintains that focus at the plate, I’ll be happy with whatever he provides, even if he doesn’t hit .300 – but if he stays healthy in 2011, I expect he will hit .300 and his walks and strike outs will come down a bit. I don’t think I need to say much about his defense – it’s fantastic, let’s leave it at that. Oh, and he’s not a free agent until 2015.

And if you’re a salary hawk, all three of these guys are bargains compared to Crawford – if you compare Crawford to Gardner, you’ll find the numbers aren’t much different, and Gardner is astronomically cheaper. I’m not too worried about what the Yankees are paying their guys as I don’t think it effects ticket prices, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

The Yankees don’t need Crawford: they’ve got 3 fine outfielders already. GO GET ME CLIFF LEE!

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October 19, 2010

Rangers take series lead

by Jamie Insalaco

Nothing went the Yankees way last night.

Brett Gardner beat Cliff Lee to 1st base and missed the bag during his head first slide by maybe an inch. Derek Jeter’s first inning home run bid fell just short. Cliff Lee was dominant all night long. When Gardner lead off with a single, the Yankees couldn’t get him around. The Yankees bullpen, which was dominant in games 1 and 2, was beat last night – every ground ball found a hole.

There’s not much else to say about game 3 – Cliff Lee had what, 12 Ks last night? That’s dominant. The Yankees just couldn’t hit him, and they worked his pitch count pretty well, too, and he still wouldn’t relent. Besides the first inning, Andy Pettitte pitched well, but it was all for nothing. It’s hard to complain much about the bullpen when the offense gets shut out.

All things considered, the Yankees should be happy they’re down by only one game, considering how the Texas Rangers have outplayed them in all three games. As far as I can tell, the Yankees are still going with AJ Burnett in Game 4, which I think is a mistake of disastrous proportions.

Joe Girardi is open to second guessing for flip-flopping Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes in the rotation – I think he liked the Pettitte vs Lee match up (I did too), but given that Lee pitched exactly how he was expected, and so did Pettitte, it seems like they would have been better off with Pettitte in game 2 and Phil Hughes in game 3. Pettitte isn’t the sort of pitcher who implodes in big games and neither is Lee, so you figure maybe starting Pettitte in game 2 gave you a better chance to win a game you had any chance of winning in the first place.

Also, Game 5 starts Wednesday at 4 PM. Way to go, MLB – I don’t have anything to do on Wednesday, anyway… oh wait, I have to work, like everybody else.

Well, I guess they’re really going to send AJ Burnett to the mound tonight. I still think they’re nuts, or the Yankees think they’re that much better than the Rangers. When they play like it, I’ll believe it.

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October 18, 2010

Yankees vs Rangers ALCS game 2 review & 3 preview

by Jamie Insalaco

I can’t talk about game 3 until I get game 2 out of my system. The idea that Joe Girardi started Phil Hughes in game 2 of the ALCS becaues he has a 15 1-3 scoreless innings in Arlington streak is ridiculous – he started him there because he decided he’d rather have Andy Pettitte go head to head with Cliff Lee instead of Hughes, and that makes sense – relying on a 15 1-3 scoreless innings streak in an away ballpark that dates back to way back in… uhm what year was that? 2007? – is insane. (Joe Torre was managing the team when Hughes was pitching a perfect game in Texas before he heard a pop in his hamstring that pretty much derailed the rest of his season.) So to all you folks who were pushing that angle as the storyline to this game, you’re idiots. Isn’t a playoff game enough of a storyline for you knuckleheads?

The Yankees lost game 2 because Hughes straight up stunk; he just didn’t give his team a chance to win by virtue of his nonexistent fastball command. And if somebody knows the reason why Jorge Posada would throw through to second base with a runner on third, I’d love to hear it.

Tonight, Andy Pettitte and Cliff Lee will square off. I know everybody has written this game in the books already as a Rangers win (including me), but that’s a bit premature. Andy Pettitte is nearly unbeatable after Yankees loses and the game is at home, after all – and the Yankees have hit Cliff Lee before. But, if they do lose this game, I think the whole world expects CC Sabathia to start game 4 on short rest.

In fact, I feel good about this game tonight and I’m going to reverse myself – I say the Yankees take this one!

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October 16, 2010

Yankees comeback against Rangers seals the deal

by Jamie Insalaco
brett gardner alcs

the beginning of the end

If you read my ALCS picks, you’ll see I had the Yankees winning in 6 games, but I’m probably wrong, and Michael Kay is probably right – Yankees in 5 games.  But after last night’s late inning collapse by the Rangers, it’s almost difficult to expect them to win any games at all. 

I mean, what else do the Rangers need to go right for them to win a ball game?  CC Sabathia was terrible (again), CJ Wilson pitched a great game and they had a 4 run lead to start the eight inning.  Then it all came undone, starting with an infield single by Brett Gardner, during which he slide into first base.  I still have no idea why guys do this – again, to invoke Michael Kay, if sliding was faster, then Olympic sprinters would slide over the finish line, right?  I guess it did make him more difficult for C.J. Wilson to tag, and it turned out to be the start to a great rally for the Yankees.

Following Wilson was a parade of relief pitchers who just couldn’t get anybody out.  This isn’t all that shocking to me – although the Rangers have a zillion relievers that throw 95 MPH, none of them seem to be that great.  Darren Oliver, Darren O’Day, Clay Rapada and Derek Holland all combined to stink up the joint - not that they got clobbered, but the Rangers needed these guys to come in and restore order against the Yankees best hitters, and the blew it in spectacular fashion, with walks and singles for anybody who wanted one. Holland was able to stay on after he gave up a run and he did keep Robinson Cano from scoring, but that’s all the praise one can heep on him.

And speaking of Robinson Cano, I think he gets our ‘keep hope alive’ award for the lazer beam home run off Wilson in the 7th, which was the first home run Wilson has allowed to a left handed batter since June of 2008!  That’s some streak, and a fantastic way to end it.  Derek Jeter doubled Gardner in, then Swisher walked, Alex Rodriguez singled in a pair, then it was Cano time again for another RBI and Marcus Thames singled in the winning run.

But without Joba Chamberlain and especially Dustin Moseley giving the Yankees a chance after Sabathia’s bad start, this never would have happened.  The bone head award of the day goes to Ian Kinsler for getting picked off by Kerry Wood after he walked him on 4 pitches.  He didn’t even move as Wood fired the ball to Mark Teixeira, he didn’t even try to dive back to first, he just conceded to a run down.  Was Wood’s move that good?  It sure was fast, but Kinsler can’t allow himself to be put in that situation.  Suddenly, Wood had things going his way after a tough start.  The Rangers might have thought they had a chance against Mariano Rivera since they got to him in August, but honestly, that was Mo being crappy, not the Rangers being great.  Mo got it done, and there it is – an improbable Yankees win.  But that’s what great teams do – beat inferior teams.

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