The bar was set low for Kei Igawa Friday night and the lefty pitcher meet those expectations.
Kei Igawa was smacked around repeatedly, Wilson Betemit had a horrible night and a ninth inning rally fell short as the
Tigers edged the Yankees 6-5 in Mo Town. Jason Giambi went yard and the bullpen continued to be the backbone of the team, but it wasn't enough to keep the Yanks from falling a game under .500 for the umpteenth time this season.
The yo-yo year goes on.
The Good:Jason Giambi. The Giambino stroked his second homer in two days in the second inning to tie the score at 1-1. The Yanks would get no closer. I was a tad surprised that Joe Girardi opted for Giambi at designated hitter and sat the hot-hitting Johnny Damon, but the move worked out. To call Jay's season disappointing so far would be a gross understatement, but the big guy never lost his confidence. Good thing, because I stopped believing in him long ago. But maybe there's some life left in his bat. Giambi finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.
The pen. Giardi has done a nice job utilizing the bullpen recently -- everyone he trots out there seems to toss goose eggs. Jonathan Albaladejo, LaTroy Hawkins and Edwar Ramirez got the call on Friday night and all three relievers kept the Yanks in the ballgame. It's unfortunate that the damage was too great to overcome. The mighty three combined for this sparkling line: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP.
The Bad:Kei Igawa. Throw a soft-tossing lefty who keeps everything up in the strike zone against a team loaded with right-handed sluggers and you got yourself a recipe for disaster. Igawa gave up a double to Ivan Rodriguez to lead off the bottom of the first and you could just smell doom in the air. The Yanks didn't play good defense behind him, but that's not the reason Igawa was sent to the showers early. Igawa is slated to make his second start on Wednesday against the Rays in Tampa, but I wouldn't be shocked if a change was made before then. Sometimes box scores don't tell the whole story, but this one delivers on all of its ugly numbers. Igawa's night: 3+ IP, 11 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 0 K.
Wilson Betemit. The switch-hitting infielder was reportedly cured of the conjunctivitis that sidelined him for two weeks, but you couldn't tell by his play at third base and on the basepaths. Betemit was charged with only one error Friday night, but he looked lost at the hot corner. He also got picked off first base after reaching on an infield single in the second inning. I think it's just a matter of time before the Yanks jettison either Wil or Morgan Ensberg from the roster. And so far it looks like Betemit has one foot out the door. Betemit picked up two hits on the night, but it wasn't enough to offset his poor defense. Betemit finished 2 for 4 with a run scored.
The Ugly:And that makes six. Reliever Chris Britton was sent down to Triple-A to make room for Igawa on Friday night, but the burly right-hander will be back with the team by Saturday. Why, you ask? That's because
Jonathan Albaladejo is headed to the DL with soreness in his right elbow. He felt his elbow bark in the sixth inning. Albaladejo will fly to New York and have an MRI performed. Hopefully, it's nothing serious -- he's done a good job this year. And if you're keeping track at home, JA is the sixth Yankee to hit the disabled list this year.
Darrell Rasner (1-0, 3.00 ERA) will try and get the Yanks back in the win column on Saturday and will square off against Jeremy Bonderman (2-3, 4.17 ERA). Bonderman pitched his best game of the season in a win over the Yankees on April 30. Rasner was efficient in his only start against the Seattle Mariners and has no real numbers lifetime against Detroit (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K).
The push toward .500 goes on.
Leave a comment
