This one smarts.
Darrell Rasner pitched well enough to win, but Damaso Marte provided little relief and Aubrey Lewis Huff collected four hits and drove in four as the
Orioles edged the Yanks 7-6 at The Stadium. The O's took a 2-0 lead after four innings and later extended it to 6-1 with four runs in the seventh, but the Yankee refused to quit. Robinson Cano cut the lead in half with a two-run single in the eighth and Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi keyed a three-run ninth. The Bombers had the tying run at second with one out, but Cano and Wilson Betemit both whiffed to end the comeback and the ballgame.
The Yanks have followed their eight-game winning streak with a three-game skid.
The Good:Jason Giambi. It was a bitter-sweet night of sorts for The Giambino. Jay Jay entered Tuesday's game with a paltry .189 average for the month of July, but responded with three hits on the night. Giambi singled just over the head of Brian Roberts in the sixth (and flipped Roberts the bird as he rounded first), blooped a base hit down the left field line in the Yankees two-run eighth and smashed a two-run single off George Sherrill's foot in the ninth. That was the positive. The negative was Giambi's earlier at-bats. Giambi flew out to left with runners on first and third to end the first inning and grounded out to second with the bases loaded to kill a rally in the third. Baseball always finds a way to keep a guy humble. Giambi finished 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs.
The Bad:Damaso Marte. It wasn't an enviable position to be in, but that doesn't excuse the execution. The newest Yankee reliever entered the game in the seventh with runners on first and second and nobody out and proceeded to crap the bed. Single, double, double and the Orioles 2-1 lead ballooned to 6-1. That wasn't part of the plan! It wasn't a pretty sight and even though Rasner was tagged with the loss, Marte should get half a loss with his effort Tuesday night. Marte's stinker: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB (intentional), 1 K.
Mariano Rivera. It's almost heresy to curse The Sandman, especially when he comes in with the Yanks down by three runs, but he couldn't keep the Orioles at bay in the ninth and it may have cost the Yanks a shot at extra innings. Rivera entered the game in the ninth with the Yanks trailing 6-3 and promptly gave up a solo jack to Huff. You could say that Huff just got lucky, but you'd be wrong. Huff launched a ball into the upper deck that went just foul a few pitches before depositing his 22nd homer of the year over the right field wall. You can't predict the future (believe me, I've tried), but that seemingly innocent run came back to haunt the Yanks in the ninth. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. Rivera's night: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR.
The Ugly:
Quick trigger. I'm not complaining (then again, maybe I am) since Daniel Cabrera was cruising and the Yankees seemed powerless to stop him, but home plate umpire Chad Fairchild's decision to eject Cabrera after hitting A-Rod with a pitch in the eighth was ridiculous. Yes, Rodriguez took him deep in the sixth, but that doesn't mean Cabrera meant to drill him. And even if he did (Abreu led off the eighth with a double so first base was open), are we at the point in baseball where a pitcher can get tossed without warning? I can understand if it's obvious, but I don't think that was the case Tuesday night. And yes, I know the ump can throw out a pitcher without a "physical" warning, but it just seemed wrong to me (and I was rooting for the Yanks in case you didn't know). I don't want to get into the whole "when I was a kid" rant, but sometimes I don't know what sport I'm watching anymore.
The Yanks will try and avoid the sweep Wednesday afternoon (yes, another mid-week day game) and send Joba Chamberlain (3-3, 2.30 ERA) to the hill. The O's will go with Dennis Sarfate (4-1, 3.78 ERA). This will be Sarfate's first start of the season and first start of his career. He's made three lifetime appearances against the Yanks and has given up one hit in four innings. No Bomber has more than two career at-bats against Sarfate. Chamberlain was dominant in his last start, holding the BoSox scoreless through seven innings in the Yankees 1-0 victory July 25. Joba has made a smooth transition into the rotation, but he's still searching for his first home win as a starter.
Wednesday would be a good time to get it.
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Yeah, this loss hurts. I really thought they were going to pull it out. I agree, unless it's painfully obvious, a pitcher should be warned first.