Burnett, Bullpen Shut Down Yanks
A. J. Burnett had his "A" game tonight, clamping down the Yankees' potent offense with help from Tallet and Accardo, topping the Yankees 5-2. Vernon Wells again hurt the Yankees with a homer and three hits in all, Alex Rios drove in two and went 2-3, while the Yankees mustered little off Jays' pitching. Mussina wasn't bad in all, but a couple mistakes on his part, plus defensive miscues, hurt his cause.
The Jays scored right away in the first when Giambi knocked down a grounder, bobbled it and was caught between tossing it to an unusually lazy Mussina covering first or taking it himself. Eckstein was safe and would have been regardless of Giambi's decision. [Giambi had a tough day in the field. Though he made a couple nice scoops to ensure DPs, he misplayed the Eckstein grounder, dropped a pop-up in the first row of the stands, and perhaps could have had the Barajas grounder that was a double to start the seventh.] Stewart got a single behind Cano into right, Rios blooped a single that scored Eckstein when Abreu's off-line throw was mishandled by Molina, but Wells's grounding into the first of four 5-4-3 DPs tonight ended the threat. Abreu got caught stealing second in the bottom of the first, but looked safe. Another 5-4-3 DP got Mussina off the hook in the second, but the Yankees mustered nothing. Cano got hit on the left foot with a breaking ball but didn't act like it, and wasn't awarded first. He subsequently fanned to end the inning.
In the third, Mussina lost Rios after having him down 0-2, just missing on a 2-2 pitch. I wondered right away whether or not the two-out walk would haunt Mussina, and it sure did as Wells pasted Mussina's first pitch for a homer to left, 3-0 Jays. Several at-bats tonight, starting in the third, reflected the Yankees batters' poor approaches, with Melky flying out on the first pitch for the second out, and Damon squandering a good at-bat and being ahead 3-1 by popping out, terrible. Equally bad, the Yankees lost the chance to get the lead-off runner aboard in the fourth when Jeter reached on a throwing error that bounced off the tarp in shallow right, but he foolishly tried for second and was easily thrown out,dumb poor [Edit: "dumb" is too strong, but Jeter misread the carom, and I strongly suspect Jeter did not notice a hard-charging Rios from right who really made the play] decision by Jeter, who doesn't make those often. In the fifth, Cano swung at the first pitch to ground out to second after they had started to work up Burnett's pitch count a bit--he was at 27 through 2, 44 through 3 and 58 through 4, but be sure to swing at the first pitch.
The Jays got to Mussina for another run in the sixth. Rios nearly hit a homer but Damon caught it at the top of the wall, but Wells singled, Thomas was HBP and with two outs, Hill drove in a run with a single, 4-0 Jays. After the Jays added another run in the top of the seventh, the Yankees finally woke up in the bottom of the seventh when Abreu worked a walk, and A-Rod belted a 3-2 fastball belt-high and over the inner half to deep center, 5-2 Jays. Yet lefty Brian Tallet came into the seventh and, facing four of six lefties, retired six straight, fanning Giambi, Cano, and then Damon in the 8th. No chance for big momentum after A-Rod's blast. The Yankees threatened in the ninth against Accardo, with Jeter getting an infield single, Abreu blooping a single to center, but A-Rod K'd on a fastball right down the pipe, Giambi hit one to deep left-center that Wells grabbed, and yet again, Cano swung at the first pitch to pop out to very shallow left. 5-2 Jays.
At least we're not saddled with the pressures of an undefeated season.
Jeter was 2-4 but made the base-running gaffe, A-Rod had the big homer in the seventh but fanned twice, and Abreu, Matsui, Molina, and Melky all had a single apiece. But the offense was way too little, way too late against a sharp Burnett and bullpen. Mussina really wasn't bad. He was hurt in the first by Giambi's error but also his own failure to quickly cover first, his homer allowed to Wells was knee-high and over the plate, and the RBI single to Hill. But he threw a lot of strikes (62 of 91 pitches), walked two and struck out two, and allowed three earned runs through 5 2/3 IP. Not great, but not bad and certainly good enough to keep the Yankees in it with any kind of offense. Hawkins left a fastball right over the plate for Rios to drive in the fifth run, giving up two hits with the run in 1 1/3 IP; Nuke allowed two hits but had a K in a scoreless eighth, and Ohlendorf hit Scutaro with his first pitch but settled down and got a DP ball with a K. In all, the bullpen was decent.
But the offense was lethargic, largely put there by good pitching and several poor at-bats. Hughes goes against Dustin McGowan tomorrow night at 7:05. Tip the cap to Burnett, who was very good, but also look askance at a few impatient at-bats by the Yankees as well, seemingly at the worst times. Get 'em tomorrow, guys.
The Jays scored right away in the first when Giambi knocked down a grounder, bobbled it and was caught between tossing it to an unusually lazy Mussina covering first or taking it himself. Eckstein was safe and would have been regardless of Giambi's decision. [Giambi had a tough day in the field. Though he made a couple nice scoops to ensure DPs, he misplayed the Eckstein grounder, dropped a pop-up in the first row of the stands, and perhaps could have had the Barajas grounder that was a double to start the seventh.] Stewart got a single behind Cano into right, Rios blooped a single that scored Eckstein when Abreu's off-line throw was mishandled by Molina, but Wells's grounding into the first of four 5-4-3 DPs tonight ended the threat. Abreu got caught stealing second in the bottom of the first, but looked safe. Another 5-4-3 DP got Mussina off the hook in the second, but the Yankees mustered nothing. Cano got hit on the left foot with a breaking ball but didn't act like it, and wasn't awarded first. He subsequently fanned to end the inning.
In the third, Mussina lost Rios after having him down 0-2, just missing on a 2-2 pitch. I wondered right away whether or not the two-out walk would haunt Mussina, and it sure did as Wells pasted Mussina's first pitch for a homer to left, 3-0 Jays. Several at-bats tonight, starting in the third, reflected the Yankees batters' poor approaches, with Melky flying out on the first pitch for the second out, and Damon squandering a good at-bat and being ahead 3-1 by popping out, terrible. Equally bad, the Yankees lost the chance to get the lead-off runner aboard in the fourth when Jeter reached on a throwing error that bounced off the tarp in shallow right, but he foolishly tried for second and was easily thrown out,
The Jays got to Mussina for another run in the sixth. Rios nearly hit a homer but Damon caught it at the top of the wall, but Wells singled, Thomas was HBP and with two outs, Hill drove in a run with a single, 4-0 Jays. After the Jays added another run in the top of the seventh, the Yankees finally woke up in the bottom of the seventh when Abreu worked a walk, and A-Rod belted a 3-2 fastball belt-high and over the inner half to deep center, 5-2 Jays. Yet lefty Brian Tallet came into the seventh and, facing four of six lefties, retired six straight, fanning Giambi, Cano, and then Damon in the 8th. No chance for big momentum after A-Rod's blast. The Yankees threatened in the ninth against Accardo, with Jeter getting an infield single, Abreu blooping a single to center, but A-Rod K'd on a fastball right down the pipe, Giambi hit one to deep left-center that Wells grabbed, and yet again, Cano swung at the first pitch to pop out to very shallow left. 5-2 Jays.
At least we're not saddled with the pressures of an undefeated season.
Jeter was 2-4 but made the base-running gaffe, A-Rod had the big homer in the seventh but fanned twice, and Abreu, Matsui, Molina, and Melky all had a single apiece. But the offense was way too little, way too late against a sharp Burnett and bullpen. Mussina really wasn't bad. He was hurt in the first by Giambi's error but also his own failure to quickly cover first, his homer allowed to Wells was knee-high and over the plate, and the RBI single to Hill. But he threw a lot of strikes (62 of 91 pitches), walked two and struck out two, and allowed three earned runs through 5 2/3 IP. Not great, but not bad and certainly good enough to keep the Yankees in it with any kind of offense. Hawkins left a fastball right over the plate for Rios to drive in the fifth run, giving up two hits with the run in 1 1/3 IP; Nuke allowed two hits but had a K in a scoreless eighth, and Ohlendorf hit Scutaro with his first pitch but settled down and got a DP ball with a K. In all, the bullpen was decent.
But the offense was lethargic, largely put there by good pitching and several poor at-bats. Hughes goes against Dustin McGowan tomorrow night at 7:05. Tip the cap to Burnett, who was very good, but also look askance at a few impatient at-bats by the Yankees as well, seemingly at the worst times. Get 'em tomorrow, guys.
ugh.
i had no desire to go there tonight, and i'm glad that i didn't sit there freezing my butt off for this. i went out for dinner with friends and watched the TiVo'd game. at least i didn't have to suffer through commercials.
moose didn't look too bad, if only he could have gotten out with 3 runs, but he just couldn't close the sale. of course that was his problem last year. i mean he had the guy 0-2 and still gave up that run. farnsy was typical.
we're going tomorrow and will try to get us a win.
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I don't blame you one bit about tonight, Mike. It's a good point about Mussina, in this game and last year. When he used to throw in the low 90s, it was much easier to put guys away. He lacks that and he and hitters know it.
In fairness to Nuke, I think Melky probably should have caught that ball. The winds were swirling--or as the immortal Bugs Bunny would say, "Swoiling and Swoiling"--but Melky seemed to be thinking more about the wall than the ball as he neared both. But yeah, Nuke is and will always be Nuke. Ohlendorf wasn't too shabby.
Bring back that "W" Mike, and enjoy yourself.
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oh yeah, you're so right. canó: patience, please.
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I knew, after the two run shot by Vernon Wells, the Yanks had lost this one . The offence was not there. Burnett is a good pitcher, but we made him look better (sound familiar). Well, the boys will have their hands full with McGowan. This guy is tough on them. Hope he shaved off his pork chop sideburns. Mr. Hughes will have to pitch a good game, against a very good lineup. Hopefully we can get the boy a few runs.
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I too think it was a bit of both, Dianna--Yankees' impatience and Burnett rolling. The homer to Wells gave me a sinking feeling as well, since the Yankees usually struggle with Burnett. McGowan's start is somewhat in question since, according to Pete Abraham, he is suffering from "flu-like symptoms." If he doesn't start, Shaun Marcum will. Either way, the Yankees need to be patient (Ahem Cano, Melky, and Jeter), string together good at-bats, and get a good performance out of Hughes, who cannot afford to badly locate his fastball as he was prone to do this Spring.
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