9.28.07 - NYY @ BAL: All Pregame Info & Discussion

[TheBamTino24]

Phil Hughes pitched an outstanding 7 innings last night and Joba Chamberlain responded to his first outing on consecutive nights by striking out two in the Yankees’ 3-2 victory in Florida. With just 3 games remaining, New York has pulled to within 2 games of Boston in the AL Eastern Division.

Hughes capped off a remarkable September in which he went 3-0, 2.73 over 5 GS. Hughes provided NYY with 29.2 IP, allowing 25 hits, 2 HR, 10 walks and 18 strikeouts. Paired with Chamberlain’s throwing on consecutive nights, both rookies have answered questions for Joe Torre at least heading into the postseason.

Mike Mussina (11-10, 4.96) starts tonight in Baltimore against RH Jon Leicester (2-3, 6.51).

Like Hughes, Mussina is another starter who had a phenomenal September which will give Torre options for the postseason rotation and any extended relief needs. Mussina has gone 3-0, 1.93 over 23.1 IP with 22 H, 0 HR, 5 BB, and 13 K with a 1.16 WHIP and a 1.29 GO:AO. He threw a brilliant 7 shutout innings giving up just 3 hits and a walk against 6 strikeouts on September 18th at Yankee Stadium.

In that same Sepember 18th game, Leicester allowed 6 hits and 6 ER over 4 innings.

3 Yankees also hope to find their stride offensively in this final regular season series:

• Jason Giambi is .102/.339/.302 over 43 AB in September with 2 HR, 10 BB, and 15 K. He is 1 for his last 12 with 6 strikeouts.

• Hideki Matsui is .179/.323./.346 over 78 AB in September with 2 HR, 16 BB, and 13 K. He is 2 for his last 14 with 4 strikeouts.

• Melky Cabrera is .178/.232/.211 over 90 AB in September with 1 XBH, 7 walks, and 19 strikeouts. He is 0 for his last 14 with 6 strikeouts.

The struggles of Giambi and Matsui are troublesome considering the protection factor of Alex Rodriguez in the postseason. As of now, Jorge Posada would have to be slotted into the 5th spot.

Leicester vs. NYY:

HITTER	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Doug Mientkiewicz	4	1	0	0	1	3	0	1	.250	.250	1.000	1.250
Johnny Damon	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
Alex Rodriguez	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
Derek Jeter	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000
Bobby Abreu	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.500	.500	1.000	1.500
Hideki Matsui	2	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	.500	.500	1.000	1.500
Robinson Cano	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.500	.500	.500	1.000
Melky Cabrera	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Roger Clemens	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Jorge Posada	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.500	.000	.500
Carl Pavano	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	1.000	1.000	2.000	3.000
Jose Molina	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	23	7	3	0	1	7	1	4	.304	.333	.565	.899

Mussina vs. BAL:

HITTER	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Miguel Tejada	48	19	3	0	4	13	5	4	.396	.455	.708	1.163
Aubrey Huff	47	13	1	0	1	3	2	7	.277	.306	.362	.668
Jay Gibbons	41	15	3	0	2	7	1	7	.366	.395	.585	.981
Melvin Mora	39	13	2	0	1	5	0	8	.333	.350	.462	.812
Kevin Millar	38	16	3	0	2	8	7	2	.421	.511	.658	1.169
Brian Roberts	36	17	6	0	0	2	3	4	.472	.513	.639	1.152
Ramon Hernandez	16	4	1	0	0	3	3	4	.250	.333	.313	.646
Nick Markakis	9	2	2	0	0	2	1	5	.222	.300	.444	.744
Paul Bako	8	1	1	0	0	0	1	5	.125	.222	.250	.472
Corey Patterson	8	2	1	0	0	1	1	1	.250	.333	.375	.708
Jay Payton	6	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	.000	.143	.000	.143
Tike Redman	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Brandon Fahey	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000
Freddie Bynum	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	304	102	23	0	10	44	25	53	.336	.388	.510	.898

[TheDynasty26]

They hit moose well....

i didnt realize how good Hughes sept numbers were either...any chance he sees a playoff start?

I would keep the cold bats in and try to get em turned around, rest everyone else, get the young guys in real quick.

Melky - CF
Robbie - 2b
Abreu - RF
Giambi - DH
Matsui - LF
Molina - C
Gonzalez - SS
Bettemit - 3rd
Menty - 1b

EDIT: didnt see Pavano was batting 1.000 against Lieschester - bat him 4th

[dabomb2045]

I would play the starters and use a normal lineup tonight

LF Damon
SS Jeter
RF Abreu
3B ARod
DH Matsui
C Posada
2B Cano
1B Doug M
CF Melky

You dont wanna give guys too much rest and let them lose their sharpness....they are gonna have at least 2 full days maybe 3 days of rest prior to the start of the DS. Alot of guys had last night off so I say play the regulars tonight.

[TheBamTino24]

They hit moose well....

i didnt realize how good Hughes sept numbers were either...any chance he sees a playoff start?

I would keep the cold bats in and try to get em turned around, rest everyone else, get the young guys in real quick.

Melky - CF
Robbie - 2b
Abreu - RF
Giambi - DH
Matsui - LF
Molina - C
Gonzalez - SS
Bettemit - 3rd
Menty - 1b

EDIT: didnt see Pavano was batting 1.000 against Lieschester - bat him 4th

I'd get the regulars back in there tonight and give Cano and Damon the day off so Giambi, Matsui, and Cabrera are in.

CF Cabrera
SS Jeter
RF Abreu
3B Rodriguez
LF Matsui
C Posada
DH Giambi
2B Betemit?
1B Mientkiewicz

Cabrera and Matsui are situated in spots where they should see hittable pitches.

[hardrain]

I would play the kids one more night -- a lineup very similar to last night.
Play the regulars Saturday
On Sunday, start the regs for 2 at bats and then do the subs.

[primetime714]

I'd get the regulars back in there tonight and give Cano and Damon the day off so Giambi, Matsui, and Cabrera are in.

CF Cabrera
SS Jeter
RF Abreu
3B Rodriguez
LF Matsui
C Posada
DH Giambi
2B Betemit?
1B Mientkiewicz

Cabrera and Matsui are situated in spots where they should see hittable pitches.

I agree get the guys who were off last night in there today and rest the regulars who played last night except Matsui who could use the extra games to get out of his funk. I'd go with the exact same lineup and I think there is a very good chance that's what we'll see tonight.

[BRNXBMRS]

Keep playing the rookies & B-players, roll the dice and hope for the best.

LETS GO YANKEES!

[BonusCantos]

3 games, 3 wins.

Get it done, Yanks.

[MunsonNY15]

I'd get the regulars back in there tonight and give Cano and Damon the day off so Giambi, Matsui, and Cabrera are in.

CF Cabrera
SS Jeter
RF Abreu
3B Rodriguez
LF Matsui
C Posada
DH Giambi
2B Betemit?
1B Mientkiewicz

Cabrera and Matsui are situated in spots where they should see hittable pitches.

I'll ditto this line up and the thoughts behind it. Thanks once again for the write up, TBT!

Heidi

[BonusCantos]

I'd get the regulars back in there tonight and give Cano and Damon the day off so Giambi, Matsui, and Cabrera are in.

CF Cabrera
SS Jeter
RF Abreu
3B Rodriguez
LF Matsui
C Posada
DH Giambi
2B Betemit?
1B Mientkiewicz

Cabrera and Matsui are situated in spots where they should see hittable pitches.

That's what I'd go with, unless for some reason they wanted to give Jorge a bonus day off.

The best case scenario for me is a Yankee blowout in which all the regulars are lifted.

[NYDCYankee]

I am going to the game tonight, and what the heck, I want to see the B lineup.

[shotz]

GO YANKEES!!!!!

[Mark19]

I want Betemit and Duncan to get as many ABs as possible. We might need them to PH in the playoffs.

[NavyTim]

Nice info TBT - thanks

[Janttje]

Keep it going Yanks!

[NYKforever]

How about this lineup?

Cabrera CF
Betemit 2B
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi DH
Duncan 1B
Molina C
Sardinhia RF
Gonzalez SS

Gives Robbie a day off. Gets Jeter another day. Gets the cold hitters in the lineup to see if they can turn it around. Only problem is Matsui in LF (probably want to rest his knees)

[JSG]

I would play the starters and use a normal lineup tonight

agree. shoot for the W tonite and see what boston does. rest or DH a rod tomorrow, and maybe another game for duncan. sunday we go against a pretty good lefty in burres, so that will give joe a chance to test out duncan, giambi et al to help figure out our lineup vs sabathia.

[JSG]

I want Betemit and Duncan to get as many ABs as possible. We might need them to PH in the playoffs.

duncan needs to sharpen up and WB just looks lost at the plate these days. giambi will also get into a few games for the same reason. we have some Qs at PH ......... and DH Qs w duncan, matsui and giambi ..........

[R.V.47]

How about this lineup?

Cabrera CF
Betemit 2B
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi DH
Duncan 1B
Molina C
Sardinhia RF
Gonzalez SS

Gives Robbie a day off. Gets Jeter another day. Gets the cold hitters in the lineup to see if they can turn it around. Only problem is Matsui in LF (probably want to rest his knees)

I like giving Duncan as much playing time as possible this week because I could definitly see him getting at least 1 or 2 at bats against Sabathia or Rafael Perez in the ALDS pinch hitting for Dougie.

[sweet_lou_14]

We managed to gain a game with the B team vs. Scott Kazmir, mostly for two reasons: Hughes pitched great, and Madden put an artificial limit on Kazmir's pitch count.

I think you have to go out there tonight with your best lineup ... not only is too much rest not a good thing, it's also possible they gain another game. I don't care what they say in Red Sox land, taking the division would be a blow to them.

[MunsonNY15]

How about this lineup?

Cabrera CF
Betemit 2B
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi DH
Duncan 1B
Molina C
Sardinhia RF
Gonzalez SS

Gives Robbie a day off. Gets Jeter another day. Gets the cold hitters in the lineup to see if they can turn it around. Only problem is Matsui in LF (probably want to rest his knees)

I like Betemit at 2B to spell Robbie for a game, but he strikes out too much to bat second.

Heidi

[knickfan23]

I like giving Duncan as much playing time as possible this week because I could definitly see him getting at least 1 or 2 at bats against Sabathia or Rafael Perez in the ALDS pinch hitting for Dougie.

Is Duncan starting next week RV? Did I not read the paper correctly this morning? Unless your speaking of that spot in the 6th inning with a man in SP and Dougie is coming to the plate next week.

[cid]

sweep and the sox lose 2 of 3 and we get the division. it can still happen.

[R.V.47]

Is Duncan starting next week RV? Did I not read the paper correctly this morning? Unless your speaking of that spot in the 6th inning with a man in SP and Dougie is coming to the plate next week.

Yea thats what i meant, for pinch hitting purposes. I dont think Shelley is going to start.

[yankswn23]

Im gonna go with :
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Posada C
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Mientkiewicz 1B

I think we are gonna go for it, however we could rest some people, I think Melky gets the rest today..

[B.A.]

Per Pete Abe:

Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Posada C
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Mientkiewicz 1B
Mussina RHP (11-10, 4.96)

[hardrain]

I want my WB - He needs the at bats

[yankswn23]

Im gonna go with :
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Posada C
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Mientkiewicz 1B

I think we are gonna go for it, however we could rest some people, I think Melky gets the rest today..

HOLY CRAP!!

[ajra21]

Per Pete Abe:

Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Posada C
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Mientkiewicz 1B
Mussina RHP (11-10, 4.96)

they wan to get damon, matsui and giambi as many at-bats as possble so they know who is hot goign tinto the playoffs. melky will return as the CF of course.

[Yankees1962]

I want my WB - He needs the at bats

I saw enough of his at bats last night.

[TheBamTino24]

They're giving Cabrera extended rest. Interesting. Maybe those September stats do reveal exhaustion.

[Mark19]

I saw enough of his at bats last night.

Going up against Kazmir isn't exactly a fair impression

[hardrain]

I saw enough of his at bats last night.

He will be on the post-season roster. You never know when he may be up in an important situation. Torre never plays him. He needs more playing time.
Do you really think last night is indicative of all he can do?

[yankeeman61]

Four guys who need some AB's:

Betemit - 2B
Duncan - 1B
Giambi - DH
Matsui - LF

I'd sit Melky another day and put Damon in CF
Jeter, ARod, Abreu and Posada should play tonight to stay sharp. They can all rest Saturday and play Sunday

[BonusCantos]

So they went with the A-lineup. That's about what I figured; there will probably be more of a B-lineup tomorrow I guess.

[teknetic]

I wouldn't sit Damon all week, I would take him out of the game late, but he's been hitting real well as of late. Anyhow, I like todays lineup..

[MunsonNY15]

I don't think they should make any special effort to get Betemit ABs.

Does anyone honestly see him starting the playoffs? I don't. His value is as a backup infielder. The only time I can see him playing in the post season is if Giambi PHs for Dougie, then they'd use Betemit as a defensive replacement. Other than Dougie, who else are they gonna PH for? They certainly wouldn't use Betemit to PH for any of the lefties. And if for some reason Joe needed a righthanded PH, he'd probably go with Duncan over Betemit.

Just my take....
Heidi

[DEADSOX]

So they went with the A-lineup. That's about what I figured; there will probably be more of a B-lineup tomorrow I guess.

I have a feeling if the AL lead gets cut to 1 game again tonight we'll see the A lineup again tomorrow.

[sweet_lou_14]

I have a feeling if the AL lead gets cut to 1 game again tonight we'll see the A lineup again tomorrow.

And I'd applaud that.

[nemo]

I don't think they should make any special effort to get Betemit ABs.

Does anyone honestly see him starting the playoffs? I don't. His value is as a backup infielder. The only time I can see him playing in the post season is if Giambi PHs for Dougie, then they'd use Betemit as a defensive replacement. Other than Dougie, who else are they gonna PH for? They certainly wouldn't use Betemit to PH for any of the lefties. And if for some reason Joe needed a righthanded PH, he'd probably go with Duncan over Betemit.

Just my take....
Heidi

agreed. Lets get a W today and hope Boston loses.

[BonusCantos]

I have a feeling if the AL lead gets cut to 1 game again tonight we'll see the A lineup again tomorrow.

It's possible.

[nemo]

It's possible.

haha, Cantos... anything is possible... it's just a matter of what is probable.

[BonusCantos]

FWIW, Boston's playing their A-lineup again...but then again, I hear that the division doesn't matter to them.

[Brooklyn Yankee Fan]

I have a party to attend to tonight, so I won't be around for the game.

Go Yankees

[sweet_lou_14]

FWIW, Boston's playing their A-lineup again...but then again, I hear that the division doesn't matter to them.

Boston losing tonight would be great ... not only for our slim division hopes but perhaps more importantly because I want to see Matsuzaka continue to struggle going into the postseason.

[shotz]

10 minutes till 1st pitch