Results tagged ‘ LA Angels ’
Nice Road Trip
After starting off with two tough, avoidable losses in Seattle, the Yankees bounce back to sweep Oakland and take two of three in Anaheim. That was no easy feat. During this west coast swing, the Yankees faced some of the best pitchers in the league and to come away 6-3 is an excellent result. Now, there were lots of reasons for their success, but I think it would be unfair to start singling them out. Overall, the starting pitching was good, the relief corps was good and the offense produced when it needed to. Even the defense got into the act with some stellar plays in Anaheim. There are some other good things to take away from this road trip. It looks like Nick Swisher may be coming around. Mark Texeira is absolutely on fire and A-Rod looks to be bouncing back after a bit of a slump. The fact that this team is in first place and is tied for the best record in the AL is a testament to their work ethic and perseverance. I could not be more impressed. Now it’s three tough games against the Sox and I’m hoping this team can finally find a way to beat Boston this year. They have looked lost against them thus far and that just won’t do if this team is to be playing in October.
One more game on a tough road trip
I have been watching with amusement all the doom and gloom coverage of the Yanks by the NY area press. If they win tonight they will have gone 5-4 on a very tough cross country trek and I don’t believe anyone can complain about that. Could they have done better? Of course, but it is a long season and going 5-4 on a trip that included stops in Oakland, LA and then B’more ain’t too bad. There were a couple of games that got away from them, but over a 162 game season, that happens sometimes. Sometimes you lose games that you should have won. Overall, even if they lose tonight, it is clear to me that this will be a very good team this year. They better be, because Tampa Bay looks really good as well.
Game 3 in Anaheim
Today should be a good Monday. I live in Newfoundland, so the game starts at 5:30 PM here. That is almost perfect for me. I have a conference call from work that I usually take at home so that I can eat supper while I’m on the phone. This time, I will be watching the Yankees game and not paying much attention to what is being said on the phone. And as if that weren’t enough, when I get off the phone, I will have ballpark food for supper and enjoy the game at a reasonable hour. Can’t wait and I like the fact that the Yankees have alleviated the pressure by winning the first two games. All of the pressure to win is on Anaheim and I don’t believe there is any way that they can beat this Yankee team 4 out of 5 to win this series. Go Yanks!
Great Way to Close Out a Tough Road Trip
This was a character win for the Yankees. After losing two of three in Seattle, one a tough walk off loss, they came back and beat a very good Angels team two out of three. That was no small feat as the Yankees hadn’t won a series in Anaheim since 2004. And best of all, they did it yesterday while resting A-Rod, Damon, Posada and Swisher, as well as Hughes and Aceves. These two wins speak volumes about the character of this team and their desire to win. I can’t wait until the postseason as this team has no quit in them and it has been a pleasure to watch them all season. This is the most entertaining team to watch that I can remember in recent years. They are very consistent, which is something that was missing during the last of the Torre years. Can’t say enough about finishing this road trip at 3-3 on a very difficult West Coast swing. It could very easily have been 4-2, but after starting 1-3, to finish at 3-3 is yeoman’s work.
Another Loss on the Road
Well so much for my predictions. The blown save on Friday night looms larger than ever. Then there was Joba’s stinker and now this. Although Pettite looked good and says his shoulder didn’t hurt, the Angels scored two off him early and the Yankees never recovered. They are now 1-3 on the roadtrip with Chad Gaudin taking the mound tonight. At this point 2-4 on the trip is looking pretty good. No real cause for concern, the Yankees had been playing so well, they were due for a little slump. These things happen over the course of the season, but the timing for this one couldn’t be worse. Let’s get the playoffs clinched, then try and get back on some kind of a roll. The Angels love beating the Yankees and for some reason, they seem to play better against NY than against other teams. Not sure why that is, but they look like world beaters against us. They are a good team, no doubt about that, but they are not this much better than the Yankees. They absolutely own us, particularly in LA.
Lost weekend in Seattle
Well Joba stunk up the joint again when they needed a win. After blowing the lead on Friday night, they needed to win the next two before heading to Anaheim. They took care of business on Saturday, but Joba was horrible again. Now the lead is down to five and it’s off to Anaheim for three and then four against Boston. This will be a pivotal week for the Yankees. They really need to buckle down in Anaheim, because as good as this season has been, they haven’t won anything yet and if Boston is within striking distance next weekend, look for a bloodbath. Anaheim has had the Yankees number for years, particularly at home, so this series will be a tough one. Can’t say enough about what a dissappointment Joba’s effort was. They really needed him to step up and he was off the charts bad. The only thing worse is that he doesn’t seem to realize how badly he’s been pitching. All he could talk about afterward was how good his delivery was and how good his changeup was. News flash Joba, you gave up seven runs in the first two innings. We need much better than that from him. If I were the Yankees, I would leave him off the post season roster for the first round.
Nice win
Last year and in the last couple years of the Torre era, if they Yankees lost a game like they did on Friday night, they usually went into a tailspin for about a week. That is the difference between those teams and this year’s team. They picked themselves up after a tough loss and won in convincing fashion. Of course it helps to have CC Sabathia on your side. And Mark Texeira doesn’t hurt your chances of winning either. And how about Hideki Matsui. He has 26 home runs even with the bum knees and is second on the team in RBI. They may have to re-think letting him walk.
This team has been a pleasure to watch all year. They have heart, they have character and they are entertaining. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, this team has been a breath of fresh air compared to those stuffy Yankees teams of the past few years. Look for another win today and then it’s off to Anaheim.
Back on Track
Well, at least Joba looked a bit like his old self last night. That is what they will need from him in the post season, whether it be from the pen or as a starter. It was good to beat the Angels as well. This team needs to believe that they can beat LA because they have had a hard time doing it the past few years. This time they beat them at their own game, with Brett Gardner stealing third and scoring on the errant throw to third. It also allowed A-Rod to move to third and score on the next play. And seeing Freddy Guzman with the big club was a surprise, but an intriguing one. He could potentially provide some spark off the bench in the playoffs as he looks to be just as fast as Gardner. Speed puts pressure on the defense and it’s interesting to see the Yanks with a couple of burners for a change. Next up are the Jays and they can be tough at times, but I expect the Yanks will sweep the two games.
They were due
Well, it wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty much what I expected. I did not expect the Yankees to get swept by Baltimore. They played a sloppy game, but exploded in the eighth for eight runs to put this one away. I believe they would have won even without the big inning as they were well in control at 5-3 with Mo warming up. What a day for Matsui. Another 5 RBI. If you look at his numbers, they are pretty amazing considering he has missed so many games with the bum knees. I would consider bringing back both he and Damon next year, but I don’t imagine the Yankees will. Maybe Damon, but Matsui’s days are numbered. Too bad as he is still productive despite the bad knees and there is almost noone on this team that is better in the clutch than Godzilla. He will go somewhere else and continue to be a productive DH for a few years to come. So today it’s the makeup game with the Angels and then Toronto. Should be an interesting week.
Walk Off
The Yankees almost managed to waste another good outing by a starter for the second day in a row. CC Sabathia was dominant through seven, but the Yankees could only manage two off of Mark Buehrle. Robinson Cano saved the day with a three run shot in the bottom of the 10th. It was crushed. I see that Pete Abraham is still insisting that he can’t hit with runners in scoring position. The numbers aren’t good overall, but Cano has had at least two walkoff hits and that to me indicates that it is in him to perform in the clutch. When Pete gets on a rant, he never lets up and he values his own opinion very highly. Anyway, nice win for the Yanks as this would have been a tough one to lose. On another note, Tampa Bay dealt Scott Kazmir to the Angels for a couple of minor leaguers. Something doesn’t smell right about that one. Kazmir is either hurt or Tampa is very foolish. He was their all time leader in wins and although he hasn’t pitched that great this year, dealing him to a conternder for what looks like very little, doesn’t seem right to me. Stay tuned.
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