61 posts tagged “game notes”

Final Score: Yankees 6, Red Sox 2

Yankees: 89-72

Red Sox: 94-67

W- Mussina (20-9)

L- Matsuzaka (18-3)

SV- Rivera (39)

Offense: The Yankees got off to a nice lead, when Xavier Nady hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning. With the Yankees up 3-0, it allowed Mike Mussina to settle into a groove and stay relaxed. The Yankees added three more insurance runs in the ninth inning off Jonathan Papelbon; it was the first time Papelbon ever allowed more than two runs in an outing. Alex Rodriguez, who went 2-for-4, is guaranteed to hit .300, while Bobby Abreu, who went 0-for-2, is down to .296.

Pitching: Mike Mussina finished off his season with a stellar outing against the Red Sox: 6 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts. He recorded his 20th win of the year at the age of 39, which is just remarkable considering it was the first time he ever won 20 in a season. While it was a disappointing season for the Yankees, it was great, as a student of the game, to watch Mussina dominate over the course of an entire season. What makes it all the more sweeter is that he didn't do it with overpowering stuff- just with wit, location, and movement.

- Mussina finishes the season with a 20-9 record in 34 starts. He never walked more than two batters in a game.

- Mussina becomes the oldest pitcher ever to win 20 games for the first time. The previous record was held by Jamie Moyer, who won 20 games for the first time in 2001 at the age of 38.

- Bobby Abreu has now reached safely in 27 straight games at Fenway Park.

Final Score: Yankees 3, Orioles 2

Yankees: 83-71

Orioles: 67-85

W- Pavano (4-1)

L- Liz (6-6)

SV- Rivera (37)

Offense: The Yankee offense scored three runs on nine hits, which was enough to win the game. Robinson Cano hit his 14th home run of the year in the third inning, while Brett Gardner followed with a clutch RBI double. It will be interesting to see how the top four batters (Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Rodriguez) finish off the year; they all have a chance to hit over .300. For all the slack I've given the offense on this blog, it would truly be remarkable if all four finished with such a high average.

Pitching: Carl Pavano had a decent start: 5 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts; however, it was really the bullpen that won this game. Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, and Damaso Marte combined to throw two scoreless innings of relief, while Joba Chamberlain K'ed the side in the eighth. Mariano Rivera closed out the ninth for his 37th save of the year. Coke has yet to allow a run in his 10+ innings of major-league experience, and Rivera (1.49) and Bruney (1.99) are each sporting sub-2.00 ERA's.

- There are now only two games remaining at Yankee Stadium.

- The Yankees have won six of their last seven, but their tragic number has dwindled to three.

- The Orioles, with 85 losses, are practically assured of finishing in last place for the first time since 1988. They are 7-23 in their last 30 games.

Final Score: Yankees 6, Rays 5

Yankees: 78-70

Rays: 88-58

W- Marte (1-3)

L- Howell (6-1)

SV- Rivera (34)

Offense: After scoring just one run in the first game of today's doubleheader, the Yankees improved on their hitting and scored six runs in the nightcap. Derek Jeter, who had finished the day with six hits in the two combined games, went 3-for-3, increasing his average to .303. Robinson Cano and Cody Ransom also had multi-hit games. Wilson Betemit contributed his sixth home run of the year off Matt Garza, while Xavier Nady and Bobby Abreu each had big RBI singles in the seventh and eighth innings.

Pitching: Sidney Ponson delivered a terrible start, barely lasting into the fourth inning. He gave up four runs, all of which came on a grand slam off the bat of Ben Zobrist. In relief, Phil Coke pitched 2.2 innings of flawless baseball. He has really emerged as a solid pitcher in the past few weeks, and hopefully he'll get his shot with the club next year. Meanwhile, Damaso Marte, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera combined to shut the Rays down in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.

- Derek Jeter is now three hits away from tying Lou Gehrig for the most hits all-time at Yankee Stadium.

- Mariano Rivera now has 34 saves on the season and 477 in his career. He is one save away from tying Lee Smith for second all-time.

- In his last five starts, Sidney Ponson has allowed 25 runs, 35 hits, and 11 walks. I don't think we'll be seeing much of him down the stretch.

Final Score: Mariners 5, Yankees 2

Seattle: 56-86

New York: 76-67

W- Feierabend (1-2)

L- Mussina (17-8)

SV- Putz (12)

Offense: The offense got off to a quick start when Derek Jeter hit his tenth home run of the year in the first. Xavier Nady added another solo shot in the second to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. But after that, the offense did virtually nothing. From innings three through nine, the team was in a complete stupor; they would get a man on here or there, but in the end, they couldn't drive them in. The Yankees mustered only six total hits off the combination of Ryan Feierabend, Miguel Batista, and J.J. Putz.

Pitching: Mike Mussina didn't have a horrible start, but he left a few pitches in bad spots, and they were subsequently hit hard. He gave up a home run to Adrian Beltre in the third and then gave up another homer to Jose Lopez in the fourth. Even though he did give up four runs, he should have earned his 18th win of the year if he had gotten some run support. In relief, Coke and Veras pitched two innings. Veras allowed a home run to Jose Lopez in the eighth inning.

- The Yankees finished the series by taking only one of three games from the Mariners, who are the worst team in the American League.

- The Yankees trail the Red Sox by 8.5 games with 19 remaining. They also trail the Blue Jays by a half game for fourth place.

- Derek Jeter's single in the third gave him 2,518 hits as a Yankee, which tied him with Babe Ruth for second all time.

- The last time the Yankees were in fourth place this late in the season was in 1992, sixteen years ago.

Final Score: Yankees 9, Orioles 4

Yankees: 68-60

Orioles: 61-66

W- Veras (4-2)

L- Walker (1-1)

SV- Rivera (29)

Offense: The Yankee offense did a great job tonight, scoring nine runs in total and hitting four home runs. The four home runs came off a pair of back-to-back jacks, first from Robinson Cano and Jose Molina, and then from Cody Ransom and Xavier Nady. Bobby Abreu also had a career night, as he went 5-for-5 with five singles. In addition, Derek Jeter picked up his 2,500th career hit in the first inning, becoming the third-youngest player to reach that milestone. Clearly, it was a big night for the offense.

Pitching: Mike Mussina didn't pitch great through six innings, but he got through it. He gave up four runs and nine hits, and he was denied his 17th win of the year. Jose Veras, Damaso Marte, and Mariano Rivera combined for three shutout innings in the seventh, eighth, and ninth; Rivera, who came into the game in the eighth, recorded his 29th save of the year.

- The Yankees are now 3-50 when trailing after seven innings. It was 4-3 Orioles after seven innings tonight.

- Mussina is 0-2 with an 8.49 ERA in three starts against the Orioles this season. In his last 11 starts, he has allowed three home runs, all of them to Orioles hitters.

- Abreu's five hits match a career high. He also got five hits in August of 1999.

- Robinson Cano's home run landed on Eutaw Street, the third time the Yankees have done that this season. The other two came from Jason Giambi.

Final Score: Yankees 5, Blue Jays 1

Yankees: 67-59

Blue Jays: 65-61

W- Pettitte (13-9)

L- Purcey (2-4)

Offense: The Yankees scored five runs in tonight's victory over the Jays, but it only would have taken two or three with the way Andy Pettitte was pitching. Derek Jeter continued his hot hitting by going 3-for-5 with a home run that gave the Yankees a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady also had multiple hits. In his second game off the D.L., Hideki Matsui recorded his first hit with an eighth-inning double. A-Rod and Giambi, meanwhile, both went hitless and are a combined 1-for-15 in the first two games of the series.

Pitching: Andy Pettitte delivered a superb outing and earned his thirteenth win of the year. He was solid through seven innings, allowing just five hits and one run while striking out four. He left throwing just 84 pitches and could have probably went all nine if given the opportunity. Brian Bruney pitched two innings in relief and closed the door on the Blue Jays.

- Derek Jeter's home run was the 203rd of his career, tying him with Roger Maris for 11th all time on the Yankee list.

- Jeter is batting .571 (16-for-27) over his past six games, including five multi-hit efforts. He is also two hits shy of 2,500 for his career.

- This was Pettitte's first victory since July 26th against the Red Sox. He now has the second-best winning percentage of all time in the month of August (Lefty Gomez is first).

- The Yankees are 45-15 in games where they score first.

Final Score: Yankees 15, Royals 6

Yankees: 66-58

Royals: 55-69

W- Mussina (16-7)

L- Bannister (7-12)

Offense: It took the Yankees thirteen innings to score three runs yesterday, but today, they came out of their shell. They scored six in the first on home runs from Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady, and then added four more in the second on a grand slam from Jason Giambi. The Yankees added a fourth home run from Cody Ransom, who was making his Yankee debut at the plate. It seemed like the offense was clicking on all cylinders today, and only Johnny Damon failed to get a hit (though he did walk twice). Even though they did this against a bad team, it should hopefully give the slumbering offense some confidence as they head to Toronto.

Pitching: Mike Mussina struggled early, giving up a three-spot in the first, but he bounced back and retired the final thirteen batters he faced. With the win, he improves to 16-7 on the year with a solid 3.35 ERA. At the age of 39, he is having one of his best seasons yet, and we're running out of superlatives to describe it. In relief, Billy Traber and Chris 'Don't Send Me Down' Britton combined for three innings. Traber allowed a run and Britton allowed two, but at that point, the runs were meaningless.

- This was the most runs the Yankees scored since they scored eighteen against the Rangers in July.

- Mike Mussina recorded his 266th career victory, tying him with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 34th all time.

- Of the 38 games remaining, the Yankees play 22 on the road. All but ten of the 38 games are against teams with a record over .500.

- Giambi's 14th career slam tied him with Gil Hodges, Mark McGwire, and Mike Piazza for 14th on the career list. A-Rod is tied for eighth with 16.

Final Score: Angels 4, Yankees 3

Yankees: 63-55

Angels: 74-43

W- Rodriguez (2-2)

L- Marte (4-2)

Offense: The Yankees got off to a quick start in the first. The first five batters all reached base via hit, walk, or fielders choice. Right off the bat, it seemed the Yankees were due for a laugher. But even though they managed to score two runs in the first, they scored just one more the entire game, and in the end, it wasn't enough to beat the Angels. Alex Rodriguez was the only player to have a multiple hit game, and the bottom four hitters (Cano, Sexson, Christian, and Molina) combined to go 1-for-12. Even though the Yankees lost on a walk-off hit to Chone Figgins in the ninth, the real blame has to be put on the offense. They had their opportunities; in both the fifth and seventh innings, they had a runner on third base with one out, but they failed to score each time. Then, in the eighth, Alex Rodriguez was caught stealing third base with just one out. The Yankees had their opportunities, but once again, they could not take advantage of them.

Pitching: Andy Pettitte ran into trouble in the third inning, allowing three runs, but other than that, he pitched great. His final line: 7+ innings, 10 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts. He gave the Yankees exactly what they needed; a quality, lengthy start. Damaso Marte pitched well in the eighth to keep the game tied at three, but in the ninth, he allowed a hit and a walk to bring up Chone Figgins with two runners on. Joe Girardi brought in Mariano Rivera to face Figgins, but on the first pitch, he hit a dribbler through first and second, scoring Howie Kendrick to win the game.

- The Yankees are now four back of the Red Sox and nine back of the Rays.

- In 19 non-save situations, Rivera has allowed seven earned runs and nineteen hits in 21.1 innings. In 28 save situations, he has allowed one earned run and thirteen hits in 30.1 innings.

Final Score: Yankees 3, Rangers 0

Yankees: 63-52

Rangers: 60-56

W- Mussina (15-7)

L- Feldman (4-5)

SV- Rivera (28)

Offense: Derek Jeter's first-inning home run gave the Yankees a quick jump start, and they never looked back. The Yankees would later add two more runs, but they only needed one run tonight as they shut out the Rangers, 3-0. The other runs came in the fifth on an RBI single from Johnny Damon, and then in the ninth on an RBI single from Derek Jeter. Jeter, who was the DH tonight, had three hits overall. The starting shortstop, Wilson Betemit, scored twice and had a single in the seventh.

Pitching: Once again, Mike Mussina was brilliant. The crafty right-hander threw seven shutout innings, en route to his fifteenth win of the year. In the process, he lowered his ERA to a season-best 3.27. Without Mussina, who knows where the Yankees would be. With the injury to Chien-Ming Wang, Mussina has stepped up all season and has emerged as their 39-year-old ace. Mussina gave way to a combination of Bruney, Marte, and Mo, all of whom shut the door on the Rangers in the final two innings.

- This was the fifth time this season that the Yankees lost the first two games of a four-game series and proceeded to win the next two games.

- With an 0-for-4 night, Alex Rodriguez finished the series hitless.

Final Score: Rangers 8, Yankees 6

Yankees: 61-52

Rangers: 60-54

W- Harrison (3-2)

L- Pettitte (12-9)

SV- Guardado (3)

Offense: The Yankee offense looked absolutely silly tonight against one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. After falling behind early, the Yankees could not manufacture runs or get a big hit with runners in scoring position. Their biggest missed opportunity came in the seventh, with the bases loaded and one out. Melky Cabrera pinch-hit for Justin Christian and popped out to the shortstop. After Johnny Damon walked in a run, Derek Jeter could have tied the game with a hit, but he lined out to second. If Melky or Jeter had gotten a hit or worked a walk, the Yankees would have probably won the game. They also had other opportunities; after a Richie Sexson grand slam, the Yankees were within two runs, but in the end, they were unsuccessful in beating the Rangers.

Pitching: Andy Pettitte delivered his second consecutive poor start. He lasted just five innings and allowed five runs. Pettitte, who is now 12-9 with a 4.34 ERA, has been slumping of late, and given his age and the amount of innings he has logged, it certainly is a bad sign. The bullpen was unsuccessful in keeping the game close; David Robertson gave up three walks and two runs, and Brian Bruney allowed a huge three-run double to Chris Davis that gave the Rangers an 8-2 lead at the time. In the first two games of the series, the Yankees have allowed seventeen runs, so it's no surprise that they haven't won a game.

- The Yankees are 3-7 over their last 10 games. They are now 6.5 games behind the Rays.

- Home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez warned both dugouts after Jose Veras hit Josh Hamilton with a pitch in the eighth. In the top of the inning, C.J. Wilson plunked Alex Rodriguez and Jamey Wright hit Melky Cabrera with a pitch. Texas starter Matt Harrisson also hit A-Rod in the second inning.