Under The Glare Of The Spotlight Jeter Still Has Ice Water In His Veins

Last night's game 2014 Yankee Stadium finale between the Baltimore Orioles and the Yankees will be like Woodstock. Everyone will claim they were there due to the incredible start, middle, and especially the ending of Derek Jeter's career in pinstripes.

With the fans on pins and needles waiting to see if Jeter would exit the 9th inning early to a standing ovation, closer David Robertson gave up a pair of home runs to blow a 3-run lead. Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 9th, Robertson was quickly forgiven by the fans. The tie meant that Jeter would get at least one more at-bat in his home away from home, and what an at-bat it was.

John Sterling's call of Jeter's game winner: 

Jose Pirela, who has played 2,741 less games than Jeter, started off the bottom of the 9th with a single through the left side of the infield. Brett Gardner bunted to move the winning run into scoring position and set a showdown between Evan Meek, who was making his 23rd big league appearance, and Jeter. Would Buck Showalter walk Jeter to set up the double play? Just as Jeter plays until the final out or winning run, Showalter manages in the same manner.

When Orioles' catcher Caleb Joseph got into his normal squat behind home plate, you knew the 46,000-plus in attendance and anyone watching or listening on the TV or radio were relieved. And Jeter didn't wait long to let Showalter change his mind. In a very "Jeterian" moment, the Yankees' shortstop jumped on Meek's first pitch, and drilled it through the right side, just like he has done thousands of times before. Right fielder Nick Markakis has a cannon for an arm, but his throw was late as speedy pinch-runner Antoan Richardson slid across home plate with the winning run. Jeter raised his arms in exaltation and jumped in the air as he saw Richardson. (Incredibly, it was the Captain's first walk off winner in seven years).

Jeter's teammates quickly flooded the field and lifted him off the ground. And the smiles and tears flowed, Jeter included. He greeted all of his current teammates, manager, and coaches, his former teammates Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, and Gerald Williams, and his former manager Joe Torre. His parents, sister, nephew, and girlfriend all got hugs and kisses. And as the YesNetwork's Meredith Marakovits interviewed him on the field, he even allowed CC Sabathia and Gardner to give him a Gatorade shower.

The way the game ended left everyone mumbling, "did I just see that". Yes you did. Sadly, for the last time.

Roberts Handed Second Base

I wouldn't be surprised if Brian Cashman held a lucky rabbit's foot, wore a four leaf clover around his neck, and said a novena or Hail Mary or two when Brian Roberts put ink to paper and signed his contract with the New York Yankees.

With Kelly Johnson also in camp, manager Joe Girardi announced that Roberts would be his starting second baseman when the team heads north (actually west to play the Houston Astros) to start the regular season. Roberts isn't expected to replace the production that the Yankees will miss from Robinson Cano, but they hope Roberts and others can collectively make up some of that ground.

A once quick-as-a-rabbit youngster, Roberts joins a team of older, injured players. Well, most of them were injured last year anyway. For Roberts it's been a myriad of injuries over the last several years.

Roberts suffered an abdominal strain in 2010 that kept him out  of the lineup from April to July and limited him to 59 games. (He also suffered from a herniated disc in his back during Spring Training in 2010.)

In May of 2011, Roberts hit the back of his head sliding into first base and suffered a serious concussion. He missed the rest of the 2011 season and didn't return to the Majors until June, 2012.  But he wasn't active for long.

Roberts hurt his groin in early July and was placed back on the DL. At the end of the month he opted for season ending hip surgery. During the off-season he also had surgery to repair a sports hernia. He played in 17 games, the lowest number of his career and the same number his new double play partner, Derek Jeter, played in his own injury plagued 2013 season.

In April, 2013 Roberts made another trip to the DL after he ruptured a tendon in a portion of hamstring behind his right knee and underwent surgery. It kept him out of an Orioles uniform until June 30. His 77 games played was the most action he saw over a four year stretch of injuries and surgeries, but his production was far below his norm. (.249/.312/.392 slash line)

The Yankees hope to see a glimpse of the former first round pick (50th overall out of U. of South Carolina in 1999). Roberts was a two-time All-Star who combined some pop with speed (90 stolen bases 2007-2008) and was often a Yankees killer. A typical season for Roberts saw 13 home runs, 64 RBI, 36 steals, 45 doubles, and 99 runs scored. 

In attempt to keep him healthy, Girardi may very well put the reins on Roberts when it comes to stolen base attempts and it will be interesting to see where he bats in the lineup with a pair of lead off men - Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner - already in the lineup.

The Yankees and Roberts don't care where he bats as long as he can stay healthy and productive.

Paul Blair, 69

Sad news out of the baseball world tonight; former Baltimore Oriole and New York Yankee Paul Blair has passed away at the age of 69. Orioles beat writer Roch Kubatko reported the news a short time ago.

Blair had suffered a heart attack at age 66, which led to the discovery that his main artery was 98% blocked. He had a stent installed and went through months of physical therapy. He apparently collapsed at a bowling alley prior to his passing.

Until Ken Griffey Jr. came along, I never saw anyone play center field with the defensive prowess that Paul Blair displayed. He would turn his back to the infield, race back towards the center field wall, turn around and be at the exact spot the ball came down and landed softly in his glove.

He was a seven time Gold Glove winner with the Orioles, a two-time World Series champion, and a member of four AL pennant winning teams. Blair was dealt to the Yankees in January of 1977 for Elliott Maddox and Rick Bladt and earned two more World Series rings.

The California native could hit too, but after being beaned in the head he was never the same player at the plate. He spent the 1979 season with the Cincinnati Reds before a return to the Yankees in 1980 for his 17th and final season in the Major Leagues. The two time All-Star's career came to an end when the Yankees released him in July, 1980.

After his professional playing career concluded, Blair held head coaching positions at Fordham University and Coppin St. College, worked as an outfielder instructor and a minor league coach in the Orioles organization

My condolences go out to his family and friends.


Paul Blair with the game winning hit in Game 1 of the 1977 World Series

The Constant Gardner

The Yankees pulled out an important win in the 9th inning against the Baltimore Orioles last night, but Brett Gardner had to leave the game after one at-bat due to a oblique injury. It's possible that Gardner could be lost for the season after undergoing an MRI today, which in case you have forgotten, is Friday the 13th.

Gardner has played in 145 of the Yankees' 147 games, a far cry from last year when an injured right elbow limited him to just 16 games in the regular season. With Derek Jeter limited to 17 games this season, Gardner's role at the top of the order has been crucial to the Yankees keeping their toes in the water of the playoff race.

He's' not as aggressive as he once was, for reasons unknown to just about everyone, but Gardner has swiped 24 bases in 32 attempts this season. His .273 batting average and .416 slugging percentage are both above his career norms, and his hits (147), HR (8) , RBI (52),doubles (33), and triples (10) totals are career bests. His OPS (.759) is just three points lower than the career high he set in 2010.

Gardner also manned centerfield after being moved to left the past two seasons to accomodate Curtis Granderson. The move back to center would have occurred even Granderson hadn't suffered a broken forearm in Spring Training. With Garnder possibly out for at least the remainder of the regular season, Granderson will move back to centerfield and rookie Zoilo Almonte could see some more playing time.

As for Thursday night's game itself, the Yankees entered the 8th inning with a 5-2 lead, but David Robertaon had a rare terrible night that culminated in a game tying 3-run home run by Danny Valencia. Orioles reliever Jim Johnson got him off the hook though with a sloppy 9th inning.

After Brendan Ryan reached on a single, Johnson committed an error on Chris Stewart's sacrifice bunt attempt and everyone was safe. Granderson followed with a successful sac bunt and Ryan scored when Johnson unleashed a wild pitch.

Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 9th and was credited with his sixth. The official scorer could have given the win to Robertson, but didn't feel he deserved it after his performance. With no save for Rivera, the Yankees' closer remains tied for the AL lead with....you got it...Jim Johnson.  Coincidence much?

Granderson hit his 16th career home run aganist the Orioles, second only to Edwin Encarnacion's 19.

Phil Hughes started and was followed by David Huff. Both pitchers allowed one run in thee innings of work.

Cano, Mo, and 1 to Go

The Yankees and Baltimore Orioles have been waging baseball battles since last October's pitching dominant American League Division Series. With a chance to make the playoffs this season on the line, the current four games series between the two teams comes emotionally close to the last Fall's nail biters. Wednesday night the Yankees rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the O's 5-4 in a game that had fans of both teams on edge at the end of the game.

Coupled with Tampa Bay's 10 inning loss to Boston (On a Mike Carp pinch-hit grand slam), the Yankees sit one game in back of the Rays for the second wild card spot. Cleveland lost earlier in the day to Kansas City, so once again the Yankees only have the Rays in front of them. Thursday is the finale of the Orioles series with Phil Hughes pitted against Wei-Yin Chen.

Andy Pettitte gutted out six innings plus one batter in the 7th to keep the game tied 3-3 after Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez hit solo home runs in consecutive innings (5th, 6th) to even things up. The game remained tied until the 9th when Robinson Cano blasted a Tommy Hunter pitch on to Eutaw St. for a 4-3 Yankees lead.

The Yankees added a huge insurance run when Adam Jones couldn't run down a catchable ball driven deep to center by Granderson. The Chicago native raced to third with a stand up triple and scored on Lyle Overbay's infield single off of Troy Patton. Yes, you read that correctly; Overbay beat the throw from shortstop J.J. Hardy after he hit one in the hole on the left side of the infield.

The extra run proved vital after Mariano Rivera ran into trouble after he easily retired the first two batters in the 9th inning. Rivera, who had gotten a four out save on Wednesday, gave up a two-out double to Nate McLouth and Brian Roberts delivered him with an RBI single. The Yankees got a break in that Roberts is not the major base stealing threat he once was. Rivera then struck out Manny Machado to pick up his 43rd save of the season.

Notes

Chris Stewart made a big play in the 7th when he gunned down McLouth trying to steal second base after he drew a lead off walk from Pettitte.

Scott Feldman got a tough no decision after he allowed three runs on just three hits in 7.1 innings pitched.

Yankees Win and Lose Nightly

The Yankees had a huge 7-5 win Tuesday night over the Baltimore Orioles after stumbling over themselves in a loss on Monday. This is 2013 though and anything good or bad that the Yankees do seems to come at a price.

Three different Yankees had to leave the game with varying degrees of injury. The one that will have the biggest impact on the pennant race is the sore right triceps of Ivan Nova. The August pitcher of the month was as hot as any pitcher in baseball until he lasted just four innings against Boston nearly a week ago and left after six innings and a low pitch count last night due to the discomfort that visits his right arm now and then.

With a pitching staff already reeling due to a combination of ineffectiveness, injury, and fatigue, the Yankees cannot afford to lose Nova. His next scheduled start is against the Red Sox in Fenway Park Sunday night. He told reporters he wants to pitch, but his status will be unknown for the next two or three days.

The Yankees will most certainly need to add another catcher to the roster after Austin Romine left the game with an apparent concussion. The rookie took a foul ball off his mask and stayed in the game momentarily despite being dazed. Fellow rookie J.R. Murphy took his place in the game since Chris Stewart was removed earlier in the evening.

A logical choice for addition to the roster would be veteran Bobby Wilson, formerly of the Angeles organization, who played in 66 games for the Scranton RailRiders this season. (Scranton also has Jose Gil on their roster, but he has no Major League experience.) The Yankees would have to make room on their 40-man roster for any catcher, which could mean Romine gets put on the 60-day DL. They could also designate one of their lesser relievers for assignment.

Alex Rodriguez, whose been swinging a hot bat, ripped a double in the 8th and scored on Robinson Cano's single, but felt his left hamstring grab as he chugged home. Joe Girardi took him out as a precaution and the third baseman didn't think it was anything major.

With Boone Logan out indefinitely due to an achy elbow, the Yankees added journeyman Mike Zagurski before the game. The 30-year old left-hander had signed with the Yankees back in August, was granted free agency and signed with Oakland, and was granted free agency again on September 2nd. He threw six games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in May and June.

Zagurski threw 45 of his 88 big league games as a member of the Diamondbacks last season and has averaged a strikeout per inning. However, his career WHIP is in excess of 1.7.

After the game, the Yankees bolstered the shortstop position by picking up Brendan Ryan from Seattle for a player to be named later. Outfielder Zoilo Almonte was activated from the DL on Monday.

The current roster shows the Yankees carrying 18 pitchers, though the status of Nova, Logan, and David Robertson are currently up in the air. There are three catchers with Romine's status on hold, and eight infielders with Derek Jeter and A-Rod banged up.

Somehow the Yankees enter Wednesday's play two games behind Tampa Bay in the AL wild card race.

Suckered By the Yankees Again

"They brought in Joba?!!!"

There's a famous scene in the Godfather Part III - a horrible movie by any standard - that has stood the test of time. It's been repeated, re-phrased, re-imagined, and spoofed a 1,000 times over.

Al Pacino's Michael Corleone says with much exasperation, "Every time I try get out, they pull me back in!" When it comes to the Yankees, it's more like "Every time I try to get in, they pull me back out." Sunday was one of those days. Having already won the first two games of a three game series against the Baltimore Orioles, Andy Pettitte continued his August turnaround with six solid innings.

The Yankees led 3-0 when the first two Orioles reached to start the 7th inning. Joe Girardi sent for Shawn Kelley to face Matt Wieters. The Orioles' catcher singled to drive in Baltimore's first run of the day and then J.J. Hardy hit an opposite field 3-run home run to put the Orioles ahead for good.

Kelley gets a pass; though every game is a must win, he's been pretty solid all season. The next two relievers don't get a pass from though, especially one of them. Boone Logan replaced Kelley and gave up a hit and a walk. When Logan is on, he's fantastic and when he stinks, he smells worse than East River. There's no-in between for the left-hander.

Things got worse moments later when Girardi signaled for number 62 to enter the game. Joba Chamberlain should never be in another game in a Yankees uniform unless it's an Old-Timer's Day and he's buzzing  the head of a 70-year old Kevin Youkilis.  Rumors have it that Adam Jones could be seen drooling as he watched Chamberlain warm up from the on-deck circle.

Chamberlain retired Manny Machado on a failed bunt attempt, but Jones blasted one to deep center for a 7-3 Orioles lead that was three more runs than the O's would need. The Yankees had momentarily moved into third place, but slinked back to fourth place in the AL East after Sunday's sudden score change. They also dropped  back to 3.5 out in the wild card after Oakland won.

The Yankees now play a more inept Chicago White Sox team that swept a three game series with the Yankees in Chi-town in August. With this Yankees team, you just don't know what you'll get...except for aggravation.

Mussina Makes One Hall of Fame

It took Mike Mussina until his final season to reach 20 wins in a single year, but the right-hander piled up 270 wins in an 18 year borderline Hall of Fame career spent with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. It's not borderline for the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame though.

The man called Moose was inducted Saturday evening for the team that was his minor league home in 1991. (Plus a couple of games in 1990.) The then-24-year old went 10-4, 2.87 in 19 starts and earned an August call up to the Baltimore Orioles.

This past Wednesday marked the 22nd anniversary of Mussina's first Major League win, an eight inning, 10 strikeout affair against the Texas Rangers. (Mussina's debut was a loss to Chicago despite 7.2 innings of one run, four-hit ball.) He finished the year 4-5, with the same 2.87 ERA.

Mussina's career was one of perseverance. He was drafted in the 11th round by the O's out of Montoursville High School in PA. Three years later the O's took him again, this time as the 20th overall pick out of Stanford University. He threw nine games between Double-A Hagerstown and Triple-A Rochester in his introduction to professional baseball. A year later he excelled for the Red Wings and never looked back.

Congratulations Moose!

Pettitte Far From Perfect, but Yankees Rally Past O's Again

Andy Pettitte is not the pitcher we're using to seeing out there on the mound. More baseballs are in the air than on the ground, Pettitte's trademark for getting outs. On Saturday afternoon he hung tough and the Yankees offense bailed him out in a 5-4 Yankees win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Things didn't look good early for Pettitte, as has been the custom of late. Chris Davis, who used to not be able to hit a left-hander if  he were swinging an oak tree, deposited a first inning pitch over the center field wall for his 33rd home run and 2-0 O's lead. Alexi Casilla added an RBI double an inning later and the Yankees were in a quick 3-0 hole.

The Yankees bats, which had shown life in Minnesota, cut the lead to 3-2 in the home half of the 2nd inning against O's starter Chris Tillman. Recently acquired Luis Cruiz slapped a bases loaded single to get the Yankees on the board and fresh-off-the-DL Eduardo Nunez lifted a sac fly to left for the second run of the inning. The Yankees might have gotten more had Lyle Overbay not run them out of a bigger inning.

Overbay tagged up at second base on Nunez's fly and was easily thrown out trying to advance to third. Never mind the old cliche "You don't make the first or last out at third base.", you don't try to advance to third on a ball hit in front of you, especially when you have no speed.

Pettitte was tagged for another run in the 4th on a Taylor Teagarden RBI single, but finally retired the side in order for the first time in the 5th.  The Yankees took the opportunity to tie up the game in the bottom of the inning. Nunez and Chris Stewart stroked back to back singles and Brett Gardner followed with a sac bunt.

Ichiro Suzuki lashed a ball back up the middle that Casilla made a gorgeous stop on ranging to his right, but had no play on the speedy Ichiro as Nunez scored. Robinson Cano then sliced a pitch to left-center for a game tying single.

Pettitte stranded a runner in the 6th and left with two in the 7th after he struck out Nick Markakis looking with Casilla on second base. Shawn Kelley came on and stranded Casilla with a strikeout of Manny Machado. The Yankees meanwhile had taken the lead in the bottom of the 6th when Overbay singled, moved to second on Cruz's sac bunt, and scored on Nunez's single to center. Adam Jones made a strong throw home, but Overbay knocked over Teagarden as the the catcher couldn't corral the baseball.

David Robertson and Mariano Rivera finished things off for Pettitte's 251st career win, a total that tied him with Bob Gibson on the all time list. It was the lefty's first win since June 8 and his first start since he passed Whitey Ford as the Yankees all time strikeout leader.

Kuroda Gem Gives Yankees First Home Series Win

Hiroki Kuroda punches the air after punching out Chris Davis.
(photo courtesy of AP) 

When the Yankees signed Hiroki Kuroda prior to the 2012 season they were hoping to get a pitcher to give them innings, keep them in the ball game, and win more times than not. They not only got all they expected, but much more when Kuroda was their best and most consistent starter for the 2012 season.

Kuroda came into Sunday night's game on the heels of two dubious starts. He took a liner off his finger tip in the second game of the season against Boston, and though he beat Cleveland this past Monday, he still wasn't sharp.

That all changed in front of a national television audience Sunday night against division rival Baltimore. Kuroda dominated the Orioles in a 3-0 shutout that raised the Yankees record to 6-5. The win gave the Yankees two straight series victories and their first one at home.  Kuroda was in control throughout and was pushed to 113 pitches (79 strikes) only because Jayson Nix committed a 9th inning error. With Mariano Rivera loosening in the bullpen, Kuroda struck out Chris Davis for the third time to end the game.

The game itself was reminiscent of last year's wild card series when neither team could hit their way out of a paper bag. Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen was setting down the Yankees with ease until the 5th inning when Brennan Boesch led off with one of his two singles on the night. He moved to second base on Francisco Cervelli's single and then over to third base on a fly out by Lyle Overbay.

Nix made small ball pay off when he lifted a deep fly to right for a ribbie sac fly and a 1-0 lead. Brett Gardner then powered up as much as he can and hit his second home run of the year near the top of the right field foul pole.

That was plenty for Kuroda, whose detractors said would be unable to compete in the AL East. They could not have been more wrong. He limited the O's to five hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out five. He gave the Yankees innings, kept them in the game, and won. Mission accomplished.

Petttitte's Back Gets Scratched

"Oh, my back just locked"

The oldest starting pitcher in Major League Baseball is apparently feeling it. The Yankees announced that Andy Pettitte will be scratched from Sunday's start due to back spasms.

Phil Hughes is likely to get the start after his start was skipped due to a rainout and Cleveland and the desire to keep CC Sabathia on his regular rest. (With the rainy, cold weather in New York City on Friday, the Yankees should have pushed Sabathia back and day and let Hughes pitch tonight. Then Hiroki Kuroda could have gone on Sunday.)

Pettitte's been outstanding thus far with wins over Boston and Cleveland. He's thrown 15 innings with just three earned runs allowed and less hits than innings pitched.

Tejada Returns to AL With Royals

After sitting out the 2012 season, 38-year old Miguel Tejada has decided to try another comeback and has reportedly signed a deal with the Kansas City Royals.

Tejada says he will earn $1.1MM with the change to win another $400K with incentives. The native of the Dominican Republic played in 91 games in the 2011 season for the San Francisco Giants, but was released in September aftering compiling a .596 OPS. Tejada signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles this past May and hoped to play with the them at the big league level for the third time in his career. But after 36 games in the minors, Tejada had no home runs, 18 RBI, and hit just .259. The Orioles released him in late June.

Tejada won the American League MVP Award while a member of the Oakland A's in 2002. He hit 34 HR, drove in 131 runs, scored 108, and batted .308 while playing in all 162 regular season games. Tejada drove in 100 runs or better in five straight seasons between Oakland and Baltimore. He finished two RBI shy of 100 in 2005 or the streak would have been seven straight seasons.

The reputation of the shortstop/third baseman took a hit in 2009 when he admitted to lying to Congress about HGH and steroid use. Tejada had been mentioned in the Mitchell Report and was named as a suspect steroid user  by Jose Canseco in his 2005 book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big".

ALCS, Hmmm

Opponents are in trouble when the Big Man roars.

Due to extenuating circumstances I missed almost the entire game yesterday.  Caught a couple of innings on ESPN radio (so nice listening to Dave O'Brien and Orel Hershiser instead of Cornball and Screechy) and a 1/2 inning on TBS, but missed the last six innings. Just followed it up on my phone.

Some quick thoughts:

.Love how the same people who shred CC Sabathia, rip him about his weight, etc., when he has a bad outing, shower him with praise when he does well. CC's one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, a tic below the level of a pitcher like Verlander, but there aren't too many at either level.

He pitched a spectacular game and when the big man roars, as he did after getting out of an 8th inning jam, you know you are in good shape. It was a smart move by Joe Girardi to let him pitch the 9th.

.Curtis Granderson hit the baseball; that was no small feat the way he has been chasing pitches out of the strike zone and making no or weak contact. Hopefully he can go on a tear.

.It was one of the best series for Yankees pitching that I can remember. Perhaps it was a matter of two cold lineups running into each other, but the pitching was tremendous in the series and even more so for the Yankees since they blew no leads late.

.I wrote about it earlier today and I will say it again tonight. Nick Swisher needs to be benched, he brings nothing to the table, which in this case is the batter's box.

.Andy Pettitte pitching game one of a big series; seems like old times. Hopefully, Pettitte pitches like he did in the '09 post-season.

.Alex Rodriguez is hitting sixth in Game 1 against Tigers right-hander Doug Fister. Let's hope he finds some way to make contact, and decent contact. The Yankees need him.

That's it..let's go Yankees!

A-Rod Highest Paid Scrub in History

I'm not playing?

Joe Girardi has taken things one step further for today's ALDS Game 5 by benching Alex Rodriguez. If he were able to, Girardi might bench all but a couple of players for the decisive contest.

Rodriguez was fine with Girardi's choice to pinch Raul Ibanez for him in Game 3, but didn't feel the same way when Girardi again called on Ibanez to hit for his third baseman in extra innings. You can imagine how A-Rod must be feeling  now as he prepares to watch Eric Chavez start at third base and Ibanez at DH.

The Yankees, as a whole, are in a bad slump, but it's Rodriguez that has had a pair of goat ears firmly planted on him. Robinson Cano, who hit over .600 for the last week of the season is just 2-18 in the division series.  Curtis Granderson is 1-16 with 9 K's (apparently he has been inhabited by the ghost of the 2002-2003 Alfonso Soriano). Nick Swisher is 2-15 and has looked like a clown on a couple of plays in the outfield.  Ichiro Suzuki, in his first playoff series in 11 years, is 4-20.  Russell Martin has just three hits in 14 at-bats, but he did hit the go ahead home run in Game 1.

The only regulars worth their salt have been Derek Jeter (8-19) and Mark Teixeira (5-15), the latter of which came into this post-season with a poor track record as a Yankee.

The Yankees .216 team batting average is actually nearly 20 points higher than Baltimore's .197 mark. So while the Yankees pitchers have done their job, the Yankees offense has fallen well short of helping the effort.

The question that remains, besides who will win Game 5, is will Yankees blame A-Rod if the team loses, even he's riding the pines?

1 Inning Martin-izing Lifts Yankees

Photo courtesy of USA Today

There was the usual moaning, groaning, and grousing last night by Yankees' fans on Facebook, Twitter, and the more traditional bars and living rooms.

Why can't the Yankees get a hit with men on? Why are they bunting? Why are they..whatever?

When it came right down to it, the difference in the Yankees 7-2 ALDS Game 1 win over the Baltimore Orioles was the 2012 standby, the home run. It came off the bat of catcher Russell Martin, who hit a career high 21 home runs in the regular season, and ignited a five-run 9th inning that game the Yankees a 1-0 advantage in the best of five series.

It also made a winner of CC Sabathia, who pitched a stellar 8.2 innings to pick up his first post-season victory since Game 5 of the 2010 ALCS against Texas. Ironically, that game finished with a 7-2 score as well.

Sabathia had given up a pair of runs in the 3rd inning, but scattered eight hits and pitched out of any additional trouble he had on the night. He came within one out of a complete game, but his 120th pitch was a two-out double by Lew Ford in the 9th. That prompted Joe Girardi to call on David Robertson to close things out and the right-hander did just that when he blew a fastball past Ryan Flaherty for a third strike.

Both teams had shots to take the lead throughout the game, but the Yankees added to their woes with a couple of base running gaffes. Ichiro Suzuki followed Derek Jeter's game starting single with a gapper to left-center that scoring the Yankees captain for a quick 1-0 lead. With Alex Rodriguez at the plate, Ichiro felt he could steal off O's starter Jason Hammel, but didn't get a good jump and was easily gunned out by catcher Matt Wieters.

With two aboard in the 4th, Mark Teixeira ripped a line drive off the scoreboard in right to tie the game (2-2), but he then tried to stretch a single into a double. Presumably said attempt took place because Chris Davis, normally a corner infielder, was playing right field for the injured Nick Markakis. Teixeira would likely not have run on Markakis' arm, but was still easily thrown out at second base by Davis.

Buck Showalter elected to intentionally walk Curtis Granderson and it paid off when Hammel got Martin to fly out to end the inning.  The Orioles had a great chance to take the lead when they put runners on the corners against Sabathia in the 5th, but the lefty struck out Nate McLouth and got J.J. Hardy to bounce out. Sabathia also picked up his shortstop an inning later, after Jeter's error put two on with two outs, when he got Davis to fly out to center for the third out.

The Yankees finally took control in the 9th against Orioles closer Jim Johnson. After Martin's home run, Raul Ibanez singled through the right side and went to third on Jeter's hit-and-run single. Ichiro Suzuki then cued a ball that died in the grass near the first base line to score pinch-runner Eduardo Nunez for 4-2 advantage.

Alex Rodriguez continued to struggle and struck out for the third time on the night, but red-hot Robinson Cano delivered both base runners with a double to left. The Yankees added one more run on a Nick Swisher sacrifice fly against Tommy Hunter.

Notes

Game 2 will see Andy Pettitte on the mound in October for the first time since he allowed two runs over seven innings in a Game 3 loss to Texas in the ALCS two years ago. Cliff Lee and Neftali Feliz combined on  a shutout and the Yankees pen put the game out of reach when they allowed six  runs in the top of the 9th for an 8-0 final.  Overall, Pettitte is 19-10, 3.83 in 42 career post-season appearances, all starts. He'll be opposed by Wei-Yin Chen this evening.

Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira both know that for the Yankees to succeed they need to break out of the dual slump that has plagued them in post-season baseball in Pinstripes. Last night was a good start as both reached base three times (Swisher, 2 walks, 1 hit, Teixeira, 2 hits, 1 walk) and drove in a run each.

Many Yankees fans were not pleased that Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. was part of the TBS broadcast booth (along with Ernie Johnson and John Smoltz) last night and for the series. But the man who broke Lou Gehrig's iron man streak showed no bias, and it's absolutely ridiculous if anyone thinks his being part of the broadcast has an affect on the game.

The Maier Thing

As soon as I saw the Yankees would be playing the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS,  I knew (and everyone else did too) that Jeffrey Maier's name would be brought up..again...and again...and again. In fact Yahoo Sports interviewed him and a number of Orioles' fans about that fateful October, 16 years ago.

Some observations right off the bat (no pun intended), if you consider 16 years later right off the bat (I feel exactly now as I did then): Maier should not have reached over for the ball. Granted he was just 12-years old at the time, so you have to give him somewhat of a pass for that. But his parents made a big mistake the following morning when they paraded him around all the local television networks and did countless interviews with the print media.

They should not have celebrated the fact that the kid clearly interfered with the baseball. In today's game, instant replay would have had the call overruled and perhaps Maier might have been vilified (though likely Tony Tarasco catches Derek Jeter's drive had he not been interfered with) in the same manner as Steve Bartman n Chicago.

As for the Orioles fans, it's totally understandable that they were upset then and still are upset today. However, the one fan is wrong in saying the Yankees, or actually Maier, stole the World Series from them. There's no telling what might happened in the remainder of the game (Remember, Armando Benitez was pitching) or the rest of the series.

Also, the dude with the goatee, earrings, nose ring, and a splotch of orange paint across his face really gave me the creeps.

Aftermath of Blown Call Gets Blown Up

Where was this tonight?

There were a lot of unfortunates tonight down in Baltimore. Unfortunately, the Yankees lost. Unfortunately, CC Sabathia hit Nick Markakis with a pitch and the Orioles outfielder will be out six weeks with a broken thumb. Unfortunately, the Yankees blew offensive opportunities as they've been doing on a consistent basis.

Unfortunately, umpire Jerry Meals made a  terrible call which could heavily impact the Yankees playoff changes and lastly, and most unfortunately for the Yankees, Joe Girardi is being vilified for his actions immediately after said call.

First to the matter of the umpire, whose call will certainly get the call for expanded instant replay up and running again. Meals call was just plain awful and not the first bad call fans have seen him make. To quickly sum it up, Mark Teixeira, bounced into a game ending 4-6-3 DP with the tying and go ahead runs on base. He was clearly safe, his hands grasping first base before Mark Reynolds had ball in glove.

Meals didn't see it that way...clearly he didn't see shit. What we all did see was Teixeira half-slam his helmet on the ground as he rested on his knees in disgust and first base coach Mick Kelleher protest. And everyone saw Girardi not move out of the dugout until he finally flipped his gum and walked to the clubhouse.

That was mistake number one, Girardi should have been out on the field, backing his player and his team. Mistake number two, which was much more grave, came when Girardi got into heated "discussions" with members of the media.

Reportedly, Girardi had to be separated from the NY Post's Joel Sherman, who asked Girardi if he were lying about the health of CC Sabathia's arm.  Girardi's first year with the Yankees in 2008 did see him make mistakes in how he handled player's injuries with the press, but he learned from it and life went on. It was obnoxious for Sherman to ask the question, but Girardi needs to keep his temper in check.

This will all blow up now, because the metro area papers love a good story, especially the two NYC rags. This won't disappear in a day or even a week. Randy Levine, who for some reason thinks people want to know what he thinks, was to hold an impromptu conference call after the game, but weather issues stopped that from happening (at least for the time being).

Perhaps Girardi will pull an Earl Weaver and get tossed before tomorrow's game even starts, but by then it will be too late. Teixeira will likely miss the game due to his calf and could be fined after he ripped the umpires after the game. Russell Martin said he felt the Yankees were "cheated" out of the game. The game itself will be forgotten rather quickly, especially if the Yankees turn things around, but Girardi will have a difficult time with the media the rest of the way.

Poor Play, Worse Umpiring Cost Yankees

Less than 24 hours after we all reveled in Russell Martin's summer slumber break out, the Yankees slept walk their way to a 5-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

The Yankees wasted opportunities, starter CC Sabathia couldn't hold a 2-0 lead, Mark Reynolds hit another home run, and then to top things off, first base umpire Jerry Meals blew a call that could eventually cost the Yankees a playoff spot.

Down two in the 9th inning, the Yankees loaded the bases with no one out. Nick Swisher continued his slide (0-24) when he bounced into a  force out, but it did drive in a run to cut the lead to one. With runners on the corners and one down, Mark Teixeira, in the lineup for the first time in 12 days due to a strained a calf, hit a chopper to second base.

Robert Andino quickly threw to shortstop J.J. Hardy, who then turned two with a throw to first baseman Reynolds. Only one problem. Teixeira, who according to mlb.com's Bryan Hoch dove head first because he felt his calf injury act up, clearly beat the throw from Hardy.

Meals (who should be denied some after tonigh)t, however, punched out Teixeira for the game ending twin killing. Teixeira and first base coach Mick Kelleher raged at Meals, but Joe Girardi flipped his gum and headed to the clubhouse.  More on that later.

The Yankees had taken a 2-0 lead against Joe Saunder on a sac fly by Alex Rodriguez in the 1st inning and an RBI double by Ichiro Suzuki in the 2nd. But Sabathia, who has not been his dominant self all year, gave up back-to-back home runs to Reynolds and Lew Ford to tie the game.  Hardy added an RBI double and a solo home run and Ford chipped in with a ribbie single to give the O's a 5-2 lead after six.

A-Rod, who narrowly missed a home run earlier in the game, did connect for one in the 8th inning off of Pedro Strop. The Orioles reliever had been shaky in two previous outings against the Yankees, including a loss in last week's series at Yankee Stadium.  That led to the 9th inning drama and  a call that could haunt the Yankees for the remainder of the season.

O's Give Yankees Christmas in August

It wasn't Phelps' birthday, but he'll take it.

The Yankees were headed to another boring loss Saturday afternoon when, out of the goodness of their hearts, the Baltimore Orioles handed them the baseball game. Hopefully, after the game Joe Girardi sent a thank you note to Buck Showalter. It's the proper thing to do when someone gives such a tasteful gift.

The Yankees trailed 3-1 in the 7th inning after a shaky start from David Phelps (6 free passes, 3 ER in 4.1 IP) and a lack of hitting from a lineup that looked like it belonged in a future Old Timers Day. Then the magic happened, a magic we haven't seen too often in the Bronx this year.

Skipper Buck Showalter left starter Wei-Yin Chen in just a tad too long and the normally reliable bullpen and defense didn't get the job done.

Chen had allowed just two hits to that point- a 4th inning solo home run by Robinson Cano and a harmless single in the 6th inning by Nick Swisher. He retired Andruw Jones (seriously, still batting Jones in the clean up spot? In case you haven't noticed, Joe Girardi, that was last year that Jones killed lefties, not this year.) to start the inning, before Steve Pearce reached on a single.

No worries, Russell Martin flew out and Chen was about to finish up his day and get ready to watch Jim Johnson and company save the ball game. But the left-hander walked Jayson Nix and was kept in to face the right-handed hitting Eduardo Nunez, who had just been recalled from the minors. YES' Michael Kay and Ken Singleton speculated that it could be the biggest at-bat of Nunez's career, given the Yankees current circumstances.  They weren't wrong and Nunez came through with a broken bat bloop that landed softly in the outfield for an RBI single.

Showalter sent for hard throwing right-hander Pedro Strop to face Ichiro Suzuki with the tying and go ahead runs on base. Strop had been dynamite all year, but in his prior two games, the native of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic had allowed three runs and five hits in 1.1 innings pitched. Hits weren't a problem against the Yankees, but Strop walked Ichiro Suzuki to load the bases and then lost a battle to Derek Jeter, that resulted in another walk and a tie ball game.

With left-hander Brian Matusz warmed up in the pen, Showalter stuck with Strop despite the fact that Swisher has hit righties at a better rate than when he's in the other batters' box. Perhaps Showalter was thinking about Swisher's "Golden Sombrero" in the series opener. Swisher lined a one-hopper that ate up shortstop J.J. Hardy, who compounded matters when he bobbled a second attempt at making a play. The error allowed the Yankees to take the lead for the first time in the series.

Then it came down to the Yankees bullpen and they were perfect. David Robinson retired the side in order in the 8th and Rafael Soriano struck out a pair in the 9th for his 35th save and an untucked shirt for a well done performance.

Notes

The victory moved the Yankees back to three games ahead of the O's entering Sunday's series finale. Phil Hughes will be pitted against red-hot Chris Tillman.

Curtis Granderson struck out in the 2nd inning and didn't return to the field due to a tight hamstring. The Yankees certainly don't need any additional injuries to their already weakened lineup and, thankfully, an MRI revealed no structural damage. The Grandy Man will be considered day-to-day for the moment.

The Yankees' pen did a fantastic job; in addition to Robertson and Soriano, Cody Eppley retired the only man he faced in the 5th inning and Boone Logan tossed two scoreless innings for the win. Baltimore only had one hit after the 5th inning.

David Phelps entered the game with a 2.7 walks per 9 innings average. He also averaged 9.4 K's per 9 innings, but picked up just 3 K's.