Seems one man's loss in another man's gain.
Darrell Rasner went six workmanlike innings, Melky Cabrera and his buddy Robinson Cano hit back-to-back jacks in the third and the bullpen twirled three innings of shutout ball for the third consecutive day as the
Yanks thwarted the Mariners 8-2 to complete the weekend sweep. The top of the Yankee order punished Seattle pitching for the second straight day -- the first four hitters combined to go 11 for 18 with four runs batted in -- and the bottom of the lineup dropped the hammer with two home runs.
It was a strange week for the Bombers -- they went from being the sweepees to being the sweepers. It's much better to be the latter.
The Good:Darrell Rasner. The newest Yankee starter fell behind the eight ball early by giving up a two-out, two-run bomb to Adrian Beltre in the top of the first, but settled down nicely. Rasner doesn't have an overpowering fastball or tremendous movement on his breaking stuff (his arsenal is actually very similar to Ian Kennedy's), but he worked quickly, believed in his stuff and threw strikes. He was rewarded for his fortitude. The biggest plus for Darrell -- he didn't walk anyone. Rasner probably could have gone deeper in this game (he left after only 76 pitches), but I'm guessing Joe Girardi wanted to get him out while his confidence level was at its highest. Rasner picked up his first victory of the year with this: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HR. I'll sign up for those numbers from him every day of the week.
Melky Cabrera. The Melk-Man collected only one of the 14 Bomber hits on Sunday, but his two-run blast in the third extended the Yankee lead to 5-2 and really changed the tenor of the ballgame. Cabrera is really turning into a complete player before our eyes. It's amazing to think the Yanks considered unloading him the past two offseasons. Melky's dinger was his sixth of the year (he had eight all last season) and he's hit safely in eight of his past nine games. Cabrera finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and the two RBIs.
Robinson Cano. I've been frustrated with Robbie's season thus far (I'm sure I'm not alone) and it looked like the poor start was starting to weight on Cano. But Canu followed Melky's two-run blast with a solo shot to give the Yanks a 6-2 advantage. Hitting a home run doesn't mean Cano has broken out of his funk (in fact, I'd rather see him put together a few multi-hit games in a row), but things have been so rotten for him so far I'm willing to give him a pat on the back. Cano finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and a run batted in.
Derek Jeter. I usually like to keep the "good" section limited to three players, but how can I not acknowledge The Captain's four-hit day? This fourth "accolade" could have gone to Johnny Damon (2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base), Bobby Abreu (3 for 4 with a run scored and a ribbie) or Hideki Matsui (2 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI as he extended his hitting streak to 14), but Jeter gets the nod because he's banged out seven hits in his last 10 at-bats. DJ finished 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.
The Bad:Chad Moeller. Every Yankee regular contributed to this victory on offense with either a hit or an RBI. All but one. Moeller went hitless in his four ABs. Moeller did guide Rasner and the pen behind the dish so it wasn't all bad for the Bomber catcher. But I still have to mind everyone's Ps and Qs. Moeller finished 0 for 4.
The Ugly:What youth movement? The Yanks sent struggling pitcher
Ian Kennedy down to Scranton on Sunday to work things out. The Yankees didn't give a timetable for his return. Hank Steinbrenner's claim that the team was going to stick by their young pitchers didn't last long, did it? I was a little surprised with the move, but Kennedy hasn't exactly looked sharp (even though he's pitched "better" in his last two starts). This is a real test for the kid. Kennedy didn't take his demotion well which is a good sign (shows he's got fire in the belly), but this comment is a bit confusing:
"I guess if I can pitch under a smaller microscope down there, I guess it
might put a little less pressure on me. You are on a
bigger scale here. In Scranton, I'm struggling, but here, the world is going to
end."
I'm hoping this quote is taken out of context because Kennedy better learn how to pitch under pressure if he expects to succeed in the Bigs. Everything is always going to be magnified in New York (right or wrong), but there should be pressure to perform on every Major League team. This isn't Little League where having fun and giving it everything you got is all that's expected. Screw your head on right, Ian. Kennedy's departure also means that old favorite
Kei Igawa will most likely get another shot. May God have mercy on us all.
Monday is an off-day for the Bombers. On Tuesday the team will welcome in the Cleveland Indians for a three-game set. Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.93 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Yanks and go against Fausto Carmona (3-1, 2.60 ERA). The Tribe signed Carmona to a
four-year, $15 million deal earlier in the season and so far Carmona has been worth it. His walk total is too high (26 free passes in 34.2 innings), but he's holding righty hitters to a tiny .233 average on the year. Pettitte has dropped his past two starts and has struggled in his career against Cleveland -- 6-8, 4.63 ERA in 17 starts.
Time to rectify those stats, Andy.
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