Posts Tagged ‘AJ Burnett’

Cliff Lee mastered the Yankees in game one of the World Series. CC Sabathia got touched up by two Chase Utley solo home runs and the Phillies poured it on against the Yankees’ bullpen for two in the 8th and two in the 9th to win game one 6-1.

Those tack on runs late in the game are costly. It takes away hope. Down by two runs, a bloop and a blast ties the game. Down by six runs, it takes a major rally to come back.

Phil Hughes couldn’t retire a batter in the 8th and left after walking the only two batters he faced. Both of those runners came around to score. If the Yankees have any confidence left in Hughes, it’s miniscule. The Yankees also won’t have much confidence in Brian Bruney after he was charged with two runs in the 9th. After game one, the Yankees may have the most confidence in lefty specialist Damaso Marte, who recorded two big outs in the 8th before being relieved by Dave Robertson. Robertson gave up a hit to the next batter that drove in two runs.

Derek Jeter was the only offensive bright spot for the Yankees with three hits. The rest of the Yankees had a total three hits combined. The Yankees broke the shutout with an unearned run in the bottom of the 9th.

The Yankees face a familiar foe in game two; Pedro Martinez. The Yanks will have a chance to put up some runs and will hope AJ Burnett can shutdown the Phillies offense.

Neither team has confirmed their starters throughout the entire series but here are the probable starters. Game one starters have been confirmed by both teams.

Game 1 Wed, Oct 28. Cliff Lee @ CC Sabathia (Phillies won 6-1)
Game 2 Thurs, Oct 29. Pedro Martinez @ AJ Burnett (Yankees won 3-1)
Game 3 Sat, Oct 31. Andy Pettitte @ Cole Hamels

The Yankees will most like go with just three starting pitchers in the World Series.

The rest of the series could look something like this:

Game 4 Sun, Nov 1. CC Sabathia @ Joe Blanton
Game 5 Mon, Nov 2. AJ Burnett @ Cliff Lee
Game 6 Wed, Nov 4. Pedro Martinez @ Andy Pettitte
Game 7* Thurs, Nov 5. Cole Hamels @ CC Sabathia

* if necessary

The Yankees need to finish off the Angels in game six. There can be no game seven. The job has to get done tonight. There is so much moaning and groaning around New York right now about if the Yankees blow this series then Girardi needs to be fired. Everyone stop. Finish it tonight Yanks. Let the articles in Sunday morning’s papers be about the Yankees and Phillies’ World Series matchup. Not about the all or nothing game seven that would be Sunday night.

I don’t want to hear people calling for Girardi’s head until it’s over. I don’t want to hear about Burnett’s inability to pitch with men on base. I don’t want to hear about Nick Swisher’s dreadful postseason (which the Yankees should put Melky in right, Gardner in center and Swisher on the bench for game six). Not yet. I don’t want to hear about it being a failure if the $200+ billion Yankees don’t win the World Series. I don’t want to hear those things until the Yankees are done and right now, they have a 3-2 ALCS series lead and have two chances to put it away. Do it tonight, Yanks. Quiet the masses. Worry about the Angels now and the Phillies once Mo gets that final out.

The Yankees would like to avoid a game seven by all means and close out the ALCS in game six behind their southpaw Andy Pettitte. That’s because, if the series goes to a game seven, and the Yankees win, CC Sabathia would not be available to start game one of the World Series. AJ Burnett would be the game one starter.

An argument can be made that Yankees manager Joe Girardi shouldn’t have let Burnett go out to the mound to start the 7th inning. The top of the 7th was long and Burnett didn’t have his best stuff, although he hadn’t given up a run since the first inning. With a two run lead and nine outs to go, Girardi should have mixed and matched pitchers in the 7th, went to Hughes in the 8th and Mariano in the 9th. Mariano could have even came in during the 8th inning.

Girardi went with Burnett to start the 7th and Burnett put the first two batters on base before Girardi pulled him for Damaso Marte. Marte was able to get two outs without giving up a run and Phil Hughes came on to get the last out. Hughes couldn’t hold the lead. He gave up two hits and three runs. Two of the runs were charged to Burnett and the other run was charged to Hughes. The Angels took a 7-6 lead and Hughes ended up getting the loss. Burnett put those first two runners on base but Hughes needed just one out and the Yankees would have preserved the 6-4 lead.

Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain have been getting hit hard this postseason. Hughes has given up nine hits in 4.2 innings with a 5.79 ERA. Joba has given up seven hits in 2.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA. These guys haven’t pitched up to their ability lately, especially Hughes. He was lights out during the regular season but has had his struggles here in October.

Mariano Rivera is always lights out. Mo got some big outs in the ninth inning after two men were able to get aboard off of Joba with only one out. Mo got the final two outs and kept the Yankees within one run of the Angels. After seeing the way Hughes and Joba have been getting hit, Girardi might think about bringing Rivera in for two inning saves.

I can’t fault Girardi for the way the game turned out. If Hughes gets that last out this discussion doesn’t happen. Hughes has been reliabl,e but his reliability is diminishing with the way he’s been pitching this postseason.

The series heads back to the Bronx and the Yankees need to win game six to preserve Sabathia for game one of the World Series. A small lead late by the Yankees may force Girardi to put in Rivera for the final six outs.

The Yankees and Angels are two teams you can never count out of a game until the final out is recorded. Game five proved it once again. With a couple of questionable, if not just dumb, moves by both managers, the late innings were entertaining to watch and people will be second guessing there calls until the next game.

The Angels scored four runs off AJ Burnett before they made an out. From that point until the 7th inning, the game took it’s course and neither team put up any runs. Lackey was superb through seven innings but it was the 7th inning when the game took a wild turn.

John Lackey was taken out of the game, to his discontent, with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 7th.

You could read Lackey’s lips when Angels coach Mike Scioscia went to the mound to take Lackey out.

“You’re (expletive) me,” Lackey said. “This one is mine!”

Scioscia didn’t think so. Scoiscia called on Darren Oliver to replace Lackey and Oliver’s first pitch was pounded by Mark Teixeira to left center for a bases clearing double. The Angels intentionally walked A-Rod and Hideki Matsui followed with a single that drove in Teixeira to tie the game at 4-4. Oliver’s day was over without being able to get that last out in the 7th. Kevin Jepsen replaced Oliver and gave up a triple to Cano that gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead. Swisher popped out to end the inning.

Mark Teixeira couldn’t have picked a better time to get his first hit with RISP this postseason. The Yankees scored six runs in the 7th inning, all with two outs.

AJ Burnett gave up four runs in the first inning before recording an out. After the Yankees broke out for six runs in the top of the 7th, Girardi left Burnett in to start the bottom half of the 7th. Burnett gave up a single and walk and was taken out. Those two baserunners came around to score, being charged to Burnett. The Angels tacked on a go-ahead run with a Kendry Morales single and the Angels had a 7-6 lead.

Both teams knocked on the door the rest of the game but weren’t able to score anymore runs. The game ended when Swisher, who has been struggling mightily, popped up to shortstop with the bases loaded, a full-count and two outs in the 9th.

The series heads back to the Bronx for games six and seven, if necessary.

The Yankees have the opportunity to close out the ALCS with a win tonight in Anaheim. AJ Burnett takes the mound for the Yanks against the Angels’ John Lackey. It would behoove the Yankees to end the series tonight or in game six, in order to have CC Sabathia ready to start game one of the World Series against the Phillies.

One LA team was sent packing in the championship series and the Yanks look to finish off the other. A-Rod looks to lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2003, the year before he arrived in New York.

All of the offseason talk by the Yankees’ big free agent acquisitions is coming true. Sabathia, Burnett, and Teixeira all mentioned that being Yankees would give them the chance to play deep into October. With one more win over the Angels, October doesn’t get any deeper.

The Angels were so close to stealing a game before heading back to Anaheim but a man named Alex Rodriguez had other plans. After Chone Figgins drove in a run in the top of the 11th to give the Angels a 3-2 lead, A-Rod answered with a line drive home run to right field over the glove of Bobby Abreu to tie the game at 3-3.

“Wow, what a game,” Rodriguez said.

What a game indeed, A-Rod. His dramatic home run adds to the incredible postseason he is having.

“I’m doing what I’ve done all year. Try to stay in the moment and really enjoy the moment,” A-Rod said. “I had a blast out there today.”

In the bottom of the 13th, Jerry Hairston Jr. led off the inning with a single, his first career postseason hit. Brett Gardner sacrificed him to second and the Angels intentionally walked Robinson Cano. Melky Cabrera hit a grounder to the left of second baseman Maicer Izturis who tried to get the force out at second. His throw was out of Erick Aybar’s reach, which allowed Hairston to make a run for home. Figgins, who was backing up the play, couldn’t get a handle the ball to make a throw to home and Hairston scored easy to give the Yankees the win.

After the game Izturis said, “I was a little aggressive there. I’m not scared to be aggressive. Unfortunately, it cost us the game.”

The Yankees have made two fundamentally sound teams, the Twins and Angels, play anything but fundamental baseball. The Angels’ two errors Saturday night gives them a total of five errors in the first two ALCS games.

The Yankees didn’t play good defense either in the 13 inning marathon. Jeter bobbled a taylor-made double play and Cano misplayed two balls for a total of three errors.

What may be lost in the game is the jobs both starting pitchers did. AJ Burnett and Joe Saunders pitched really good. Burnett gave up two runs on three hits in 6.1 innings and Saunders gave up two runs on six hits in 7 innings.

Call A-Rod what you want, a choke artist is not one of them. In the Yankees’ five games this postseason, A-Rod has had three game tying home runs in the 7th inning or later. Two of the three were when the Yankees were down to their last half inning. In the regular season, 15 of his 30 home runs either tied the game or gave the Yankees the lead and 50 of his 100 RBI either tied the game or gave the Yankees the lead.

Everyone but Chad Gaudin was used out of the Yankees’ bullpen and they did an outstanding job. They combined for 6.2 innings and gave up one run. They may have gotten themselves into trouble, but other than that one blip in the 11th, they were able to get out of it. David Robertson earned the win.

The win gives the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the series. The series heads to Anaheim.

No decision has been cemented yet by he Yankees concerning their rotation for the ALCS against the Angels. We know CC Sabathia will get the ball in game one, followed by AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte. Game four remains up in the air. Joe Girardi is leaning toward going with a three man rotation and starting Sabathia for game four on three days rest, setting him up to pitch game seven on full rest. The day off between games four and five in Anaheim allows Burnett and Pettitte to pitch the series on regular rest even if Sabathia goes on three days rest. Sabathia’s game seven start would also be on full rest thanks to the off day in Anaheim.

Weather could become a factor in the Yankees decision plans. They may choose a plan then have to change it if a game is cancelled or postponed. The outcome of games could also be a factor. Some people think with a 3-0 or 2-1 game lead, the Yankees should go to a fourth man and let Sabathia pitch game five on full rest. 

If the Yankees choose a four man rotation, questions will arise about who will be that fourth man. Will it be Joba Chamberlain, who worked out of the bullpen in each game of the ALDS, or Chad Gaudin, who hasn’t made an appearance yet this postseason but turned some heads on the regular season with unexpected strong pitching? I prefer keeping Joba in the ‘pen for the rest of the postseason and giving Gaudin the ball in game four with long reliever Alfredo Aceves waiting in the wings.

Once again, no decision has been made yet whether the Yankees are going with a three or four man rotation. All signs point toward a three man rotation right now.

The Yankees got strong starts out of their three postseason starters and swept the Twins in the ALDS. The sweep does a lot for the Yankees. They get some time to rest, which isn’t always a good thing, but can do them some good because of their age. Hopefully the bats don’t cool off too much in the four days off. Game one of the ALCS against the Angels is Friday.

The three-game sweep also doesn’t let the rotation turnover. If the Yankees had lost a game then Sabathia would have gone in game four for his second start of the series. Instead, each starter had one start in the series and they start back at the top on Friday.

Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte have one start each under their belts heading into the ALCS. This is especially good for Pettitte, who has had some shoulder fatigue in the second half of the season. The starters will be fresh for the ALCS.

The three starters were brilliant in the ALDS. Sabathia gave up one earned run in 6.2 innings while fanning eight batters. Burnett gave up one run in six innings with six strikeouts. Pettitte gave up one run on three hits in 6.1 innings while striking out seven. Combined they gave up three earned runs in 19 innings. With starting pitching like that they can beat anyone.

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