Results tagged ‘ Jorge Posada ’
Nothing Like Opening Day at the Stadium
Yesterday was a Yankees classic. From the pre-game player introductions and fly over to Jorge Posada throwing out the first pitch to his Dad, this one was special before it even began. Then once the game started, it was a great game to watch. Swisher started it off with a clutch bases clearing double in the first. A-Rod added to the lead with a HR to dead center, then Granderson capped it off with a solo shot. Hiroki Kuroda was effortlessly brilliant. I may have been wrong about him, he will bear watching. All in all, a great day for Yankees fans. Looking forward to this afternoon.
Too bad Boston casts such a long shadow
I know that I have been harping on this for weeks, but I just can’t enjoy the Yankees success until they prove that they can beat Boston. It is no doubt that the team is playing well and beating the snot out of NL teams in interleague play. All well and good. But as a fan, all I can do is enjoy the show and know that it all means nothing until the next showdown with the Red Sox. Being in first by 2.5 games beats the alternative, but again, this team is still second best in its own division for now. It really is a shame, because this is a nice run the team is on and different guys are stepping up and contributing. Posada and Swisher have started hitting and have been major contributors during this streak of good wins. There are many others who have stepped up including David Robertson. He was absolutely overpowering last night and that is becoming a habit for him. I will just have to enjoy this as much as I can, knowing that this is still the team that can’t beat Boston.
Over Analysis anyone?
Over the past few weeks, I have read numerous articles on the struggles of Derek Jeter, Ivan Nova, Brett Gardner, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Rafael Soriano. I have a news flash for all of the “experts”. The season lasts 162 games. It is May the 10th. All of the above players will have hot and cold streaks over the course of a 162 game season. It is perfectly normal. Analyze them later in the season. It is still way too early. Each and every player in ML baseball will have hot and cold streaks. Analyze the team as a whole. How are they doing so far? They are tied for first place. Everything else is irrelevant. Every player that has been scrutinized that is mentioned above has had games where they contributed to a win. In combination, they have put their team in first place thus far. Case closed. Talk to me in August or September about what kind of season a player is having. Right now, the only thing that matters is what the team is doing.
One Down, Two to Go
Well, it took a comeback and CC wasn’t as sharp as usual, but a win is a win, especially in a five game series. Now the Yankees just have to split four and I think they can do that. I am still not convinced that this team has what it takes to go all the way again, but last night was a step in the right direction. That first game was huge. Lots of heroes in this one, from the two RBI singles to bring them within one by Cano and Posada, then the triple by Granderson to give them the lead. Finally Texeira put things away with the two run bomb. I haven’t been his biggest supporter this year, but you can’t argue with that one. As usual, Mo finished things off. I look for them to win this one in four, and I’m hoping Texas knocks off the Rays, just because I don’t like Joe Madden. He seems to always blame the umpires when his team loses.
Whew!
Well, what can you say about that one? How do you let two guys steal both second and third in the same inning? In a one run game in the ninth inning? I know for sure that I have never seen that before, but it definitley will be something teams will be trying on Mo and Posada in the post season. The good news is that they managed to hold on and win the game. Six more games to go and hopefully the worst is behind them. Let’s hope so, because the month of September has been brutal to watch.
An Ugly Win vs. KC
This one falls under the category of “a win is a win is a win”. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but they managed to pull it together in the end. Early on, it looked like they might let KC steal one from them, but later in the game, the Yankees talent just took over. Too many good players in this lineup to lose to KC. And just as a side note, what was Posada thinking on that throw to third? They had a two run lead and throwing to first would have been the second out. Bonehead play if I ever saw one and it almost cost them the lead.
Time to wake up
I guess the good news is that the Yankees are still tied for first after losing 3 straight. The bad news is that they have allowed the Red Sox to creep to within 1 game. It’s time for the Yankees to wake up and start winning games against competitive teams. I won’t even say good teams, because I am not convinced that the Phillies team that beat them two out of three can even be considered one of the better teams in the NL East at this point. The problem is easy to see. The middle of the order other than Cano is killing them. Texeira has been pathetic and A-Rod very inconsistent. Posada has been putrid since coming back except fot the two Grand Slams last weekend. This team needs some consistency in the middle of the order if they are to go anywhere this year. They are very talented, but it is performance that counts, not talent and this team’s best players are underperfoming this year. The saviors have been Cano, Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher who all have been solid for the most part.
Beat down in Boston
For a Yankees fan, there is nothing better than having the team silence the loudmouthed Red Sux fans. Last night was perfect. A thorough drubbing. The only unfortunate thing was Cano getting plunked by Becket as he probably will miss at least today’s game. Also injured was Nick Johnson. This poor guy just can’t seem to stay on the field. Too bad, as I like this lineup with him in the 2 hole even though he hasn’t hit much yet. He still is geting on base and scoring runs. He was never meant to be here beyond this year anyway as I believe next year Jesus Montero and Jorge Posada will take turns DH’ing and catching with Cervelli backing both up. So if it is a serious injury, they will have to figure out who to DH. Looks like for now it will be Marcus Thames, with Randy Winn taking over in left. When Curtis Granderson returns, he will take over in center and I believe it will be a DH platoon of Winn and Thames, which ain’t all that bad. I am hoping Johnson’s injury isn’t serious, but with his history, who knows. Looking forward to another Yankees win in Beantown today.
Injuries
Well, the Yankees won another one last night. Right now, as I see it, the only thing that will keep them from being very successful this year is injuries. Most of the key players on this team are in their mid to late thirties and that is the time when baseball players begin to break down. Last night we learned that Posada has a calf strain and Mariano has “stiffness” in his left side. Girardi will need to keep in mind the age of his players this year and get them regular rest or he is risking some major problems. I still don’t think that A-Rod is 100% despite what he is saying. This bears watching as the season progresses. Other than that, it was a good night in the Bronx. Very well pitched game, good defense and timely hitting. Can’t ask for any better than that.
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