Lather, Rinse, Repeat

"Don't Go West Young/Old Men"

I went over the flowchart scenario for failure in a recap of Friday night's game yesterday. Saturday's 5-4, 12 inning loss to the Seattle Mariners didn't vary much for the Yankees. They took the early lead, couldn't hold it, and lost it late. In fact the game would not have gone extra innings had Ichiro Suzuki made a rare misplay in right field to allow the Yankees to tie the game in the 7th inning. Of course, the Yankees then stranded the go ahead run at third base.

Both bullpens were solid until Mariano Rivera entered a tie game in the bottom of the 12th. Justin Smoak reached on a one out single (that resulted in Brett Gardner's grass facial above) and Jack Cust doubled to left center. The Yankees intentionally walked Franklin Gutierrez to set up the double play, but the strategy became moot when Adam Kennedy singled in the game winner.

The Yankees got off to a good start once again; Robinson Cano belted a solo home run and Mark Teixeira hit a two run shot off of Felix Hernandez for a 3-0 lead. It was Teixeira's sixth home run in the last nine games. Unfortunately for the Yankees, it was not a good night for starter Ivan Nova.

The 24-yr old struggled with his command, as he has done in three of his last four starts, and lasted just 3.2 innings pitched. The Mariners scored a single run in the second inning on a ground out - the fifth straight RBI via a ground ball for the M's in the series - and took the lead with a three run fourth inning.

Gutierrez reached on an infield single, that was originally scored an error on Derek Jeter (and should have remained that way), to start the inning and Kennedy followed with a double. Both runners came home when Miguel Olivo's deep drive to right-center took one hop and bounced over the fence for a ground rule double to tie the game. Nova struck out Carlos Peguero for the first out, but after a wild pitch moved Olivo to third, he allowed a go ahead single to Brendan Ryan.

Jeter drew a two out walk in the 7th and came home to tie the game at four apiece when Ichiro mistimed his leap, if he had to leap at all, on Curtis Granderson deep drive to right. The ball fell in play and Granderson was credited with an RBI triple. But after Hernandez pitched around/walked Teixeira for the second time in the game, he struck out Alex Rodriguez to keep the score tied.

Notes

Apparently the Mariners fans were spiking their Starbucks last night. Several fans ran on to the field, some sans clothes, and were arrested.

The classless crew also changed "Overrated" when Derek Jeter batted in the 9th inning.