If he made a move quicker it still would have been Ohlendorf and instead of 4 hits a walk and 3 runs it might have been 8 hits 2 walks and 8 runs anyway.
I agree 100%....one game does not a series make...I remember a couple years ago, my Sox were down 3-0 in a best of 7 series!....'tis true!
Well, if the game was closer to begin with, he could have brought in Hughes early. Even if you have to go one inning per guy, to stay in the game early, you have to do what you have to do. You can't worry about fatigue in October. I really think Ohlendorf was brought in because the game was already looking done. Why waste arms at that point, knowing they could be needed later in the series? Ohlendorf was able to eat up some innings, giving rest to the other guys. As I said, the problem is a repeat of every series since we were reverse-swept by Boston, a lack of offensive onslaught. It's inexcusable too. There's absolutely no reason to not have Jeter bunt the runners over. There's even less reason to 1) give Posada a green light 3-0 when Sabathia is struggling, or 2) see him swing half-heartedly at a fastball right down the middle. I think that was the one moment that pissed me off more than any other. You are given a green light on 3-0. The bases are loaded. You know damn well you're getting a fastball with no movement right down the middle. You know damn well you're not taking the pitch. But you swing at it like you're fooled? I love Posada, but that was absolutely ridiculous. Swinging and missing is one thing, but he didn't even swing hard. Ugh, yesterday was just another in a long and growing line of messes by this team in October. We had Sabathia on the ropes, and we didn't go for the uppercut, we just smacked his gloves a couple times. Maybe Joe should have reminded this team that we're not still playing Baltimore or Tampa Bay. Wait, what am I saying? This is April Joe...
Right on all points. (At least I hope so. He seems to have too much confidence in Ohlendorf for me and if he was going to use Hughes at all why not instead of Ohlendorf and why did he when the game was hopelessly lost? Now if Clemens comes up lame on Sunday after an inning or two what does he do? They baby Chamberlain and treat Hughes like cannon fodder.)
And don't forget to congratulate the Sox on not only a series win but only the best come back in sports history. :rofl:
What annoys me most about last night is the fact that I always thought we would lose to Sabathia in game one but never thought we would have a chance to beat him. We did and we blew it. It goes back to what I have thought all season about the bats going dead after a long layoff. They didn't after the all star break but did just about every other time we had a day off. I don't know what you attribute that too other then bad batting practice or not enough of it in between games.
I attribute it to momentum. The Yankees were firing on all cylinders when playing every day. In-game is batting practice for the Yankees. That's why I am a big proponent of Joe not moving around the lineup. Guys have their place, and know who hits before/after them. It's like a machine. If you move a cog and replace it with a sprocket, the machine stops running. Consequently, if you don't keep that machine well oiled, the parts rub against each other, and everything comes to a screeching halt. But the bats weren't necessarily dead either. They did put together a rally. However, poor decision making from the bench ruined everything. The three main problems that led to this blowout were all coaching decisions: 1) Jeter not being instructed to bunt. 2) Posada getting a green light with the bases loaded, one out, 3-0 count. 3) Wang not being pulled at least to start the third.
They were pretty dead. 5 hits and 11 Ks off 4 pitchers is dead to me. They did rally but that can only be attributed to walks.
But that's how Yankee rallies are constructed. Infinite patience at the plate. Guys pick up walks, and that forces a pitcher into tough situations. Eventually they make mistakes. (Like going 3-0 to a guy who hit .336 with the bases loaded.) Then they go for the jugular. Unfortunately, that's where they sputtered and came to a grinding halt last night. We need a fast start out of the gate tonight. Take the wind out of their sails, and come home tied up 1-1.
Absolutely must win the next two games. In truth, maybe the next 3. A game 5 would be Wang vs. Sabathia again back in Cleveland.
You know, I am not one of these maniacal Yankees fan who want Joe Torre fired every time he sneezes improperly, but I sure would like to know what the fuck his justification was for being down 4 runs, and bringing in a pitcher with six more career innings pitched than KOZ????
well the good news is maybe the indian bats will be tired tonight.......another observation as to why Wang in my opinion is not an ace..the man has no out pitch. He gets two strikes on people no problem, but gives up plentuy of two strike hits. Sabathia, although he struggled at times....battle back a lot...and once he got two strikes on people, he put them away. that was a huge difference in the game...Junc, I saw those stats about winning the first game....kind of incredible when you think about it. Lets hope it continues
We will have 7 LH bats in the lineup tonight against Carmona and we have already beaten him twice this year. We need to get out to a quick lead and then pour it on.
Very good point jonny. You're right, Wang has no out pitch at all. Truthfully, he's got no pitch but the slider. Obviously, when the slider is biting, it's almost impossible to hit in the air, but when it even partially fails, it just hangs out over the middle and it's a meatball. It's not even like his fastball has some great movement. It's a pretty standard one. I mentioned back in August that I see a big problem developing in Wang, and it's a sort of extension of your point. He's trying to become a strikeout pitcher. Without multiple pitches, there's no way at this level he's ever going to be a strikeout king. Quite simply, he needs to throw that slider till his arm falls off, and let the defense do what it gets paid to do. Another thing none of us have mentioned is that his mechanics were way off last night. Did anyone notice how many times Jorge signaled him to come over the top?
Amen to that. This is a perfect example of Torre's poor pen management. Vizcaino's arm has fallen off his shoulder because of overuse during the season. He'd bring him in with an 8 run lead at times because he doesn't trust anyone else. Now he has to go with kids, and we all see the results. With four innings left, you don't go to your seventh or eighth best option and "preserve the pen." So does this mean we'll never see the top guys unless they have a lead to protect? Ridiculous. If nothing else, throw Farnsworth out there, he needs the work and could have at least taken somebody's head off.
In the ALDS, when the Yankees play, the team that LOSES game 1 has won 7 of 9 series. Food for thought.
