This isn't how the formula is supposed to work!
Andy Pettitte pitched well after two subpar starts, Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano provided the lead, but Joba Chamberlain gave up a pinch-hit, three-run homer to David Dellucci as the
Indians surprised the Yanks 5-3 in the Bronx. Hideki Matsui went 3 for 3 and extended his hitting streak to 15, but his perfect night can't take the sting out of this loss. The Yankees winning streak ends at three and they find themselves back at .500 on the year.
The Good:Andy Pettitte. The veteran lefty had a bit of a roller coaster night at The Stadium. Pettitte retired the first six batters he faced and was given an early 1-0 lead, but the home run bug continued to rear its ugly head. Jhonny Peralta ripped a two-run bomb in the fourth to give the Tribe a 2-1 lead. It was the fifth dinger Pettitte has given up in his past three starts. But Andy righted the ship and turned in a top-flight performance. Pettitte really wanted this one as evidenced by his animated discussion with Jorge Posada in between the sixth and seventh innings. I'm not sure what they were talking about, but I don't think it had anything to do with dinner reservations. He deserved a better fate than a no decision. Pettitte's line: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 WP, 1 HR.
Jason Giambi. The Italian Stallion returns! OK, there's only one Italian Stallion, but The Giambino was responsible for 66% of the offensive output Tuesday night. Giambi picked up a hustle ribbie in the first when he beat out a relay throw on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Jay Jay then doubled deep to left in the fourth to knot the score at 2-2. It's usually an accident if Giambi hits the ball the other way, but he actually looked like he was trying to shoot the ball to left on his RBI-double. Maybe this is the start of something big. Giambi finished 1 for 3 with a walk, a run scored an 2 RBIs.
The Bad:Joba Chamberlain. It's going to happen -- Joba can't be perfect every time he toes the rubber -- but his pitch selection was a bit perplexing. Chamberlain threw his curveball way too much and his control was off almost from the get-go. How off was he? On one pitch, Jose Molina set up for a fastball on the outside corner, but Joba missed so badly inside that Molina didn't have time to react and the ball drilled the home plate ump Gerry Davis in the shin. Still, Chamberlain was one out away from pitching out of it, but David Dellucci turned on an inside fastball and deposited it into the right field seats. It actually wasn't that bad of a pitch, but them walks almost always come back to haunt you. Chamberlain suffered his second loss of the season with this: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.
Johnny Damon. It's a tad unfair to dump on Damon since he's been swinging the bat well, but I can't in good conscience have two "good" things and only one "bad" thing after a game like this. This isn't personal, Johnny, but I have to sleep well at night. Damon finished 0 for 5 with two strikeouts.
The Ugly:It's only a game.
Rivalries can sometimes turn heated, but they should never end this way. If you haven't heard, a 43-year-old woman in New Hampshire struck and killed a 29-year-old man with her car following an argument about the Yankees and Red Sox outside a bar. The woman, Ivonne Hernandez, allegedly gunned her car at a group of Red Sox fans after a chant of "Yankees suck!" started. Supposedly, she only wanted to scare the group, but she wound up killing Matthew Beaudoin. Hernandez refused to take a breathalyzer test.
I don't really know how to segue from such stupidity.
The Yankees made a roster move before Tuesday's game (there have been a lot of those lately) as
Wilson Betemit was activated from the 15-day disabled list and infielder Alberto Gonzalez was sent down to Triple-A. Tough break for Berto, but I think it's just a matter of time before he gets called back up. I don't see the Yanks keeping Betemit and Morgan Ensberg on the roster for the entire season.
It will be a battle of the undefeated on Wednesday night. Chien-Ming Wang (6-0, 3.00 ERA) will go against lefty Cliff Lee (5-0, 0.96 ERA). Wang bested C.C. Sabathia and the Indians 10 days ago in Cleveland and will put his stellar lifetime record in the Bronx (29-9, 3.13 ERA) on the line. Lee has been God-like so far this season (37.2 IP, 19 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 32 K), but he's 1-2 with a 8.79 ERA in his career at Yankee Stadium.
Should be a good one.
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