Will wonders never cease?
Carl Pavano earned his first win in over a year, Jason Giambi drove in three and the bullpen pitched four scoreless innings as the
Yanks downed the Orioles 5-3 at Camden Yards. Alex Rodriguez doubled in the first run of the game and Hideki Matsui capped off the scoring with a solo homer in the seventh to give the Bombers their second consecutive win in Baltimore. The victory also brought the Yanks to within five games of the Boston Red Sox in the wild card chase.
The Good:
Carl Pavano. Every Yankee fan must have felt bile rise in their throats as Pavano trotted out to the mound in this game, but it is what it is. And since Pavano wears my team's colors, I'm going to divorce myself from emotion and put him in my "good" category -- no matter how rotten it makes me feel. The Yanks spotted Pavano a 2-0 lead in the first, which I thought was awfully nice of them. Pavano still got off to a rocky start though, allowing three hits in the first, but escaped without giving up a run (thanks to a nice double play orchestrated by Robinson Cano). But then Pavano pissed away the 2-0 lead by allowing three runs in the second. Lord knows what the reaction would have been if the game was played in New York (even though it seemed like Yankee fans outnumbered Oriole fans about 3-1 Saturday night). Still, Pavano regrouped and allowed the Yanks to retake the lead. His most impressive inning came in the fifth. Pavano drilled Kevin Millar to lead off the frame and then allowed a base hit to Jay Payton. But Pavano struck out the next three batters swinging, including Nick Markakis to end the threat. It wasn't pretty (in any way, shape or form), but considering it was his first big league start since Tommy John surgery and the Yanks need wins, it was good enough. Pavano picked up win No. 1 with this: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 hit batsman.
Jason Giambi. The Giambino drove in the Yankees' second run with an infield single in the first (a very generous scoring) and then delivered the biggest hit of the night as he drilled his 25th homer of the season in the third. The two-run job got the Yanks right off the mat after the O's had taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second. Giambi has been scrapping the past two months (.234, 3 HRs in July; .233 so far in August), but things may be turning around. Jay Jay has five hits in his last 11 at-bats. Giambi finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and 3 RBIs.
The pen. The Yankees knew the bullpen was going to play a big role heading into this game. And the guys were up to the task. The trifecta of Brian Bruney, Jose Veras and Mariano Rivera combined for four innings of shutout ball to help seal the victory. Bruney has looked sharp since coming off the disabled list (2.70 ERA in eight appearances), Veras has recovered since his meltdown against the Angels on Aug. 9 (1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 HRs) and Rivera, well, Rivera is Rivera and earned his 30th save of the year. Keep it going, fellas. The combined totals: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K.
The Bad:Bobby Abreu. The Yanks didn't exactly tear the cover off the ball (they finished the game with eight hits), but two players failed to get into the act. Ivan Rodriguez was one of them, but he had to deal with Pavano for most of the night, so he gets a pass. Sort of (see: Ugly). The Candy Man was the other. It's a bit harsh to give Abreu the goat horns since he went 5-for-5 on Friday night, but every game is different. I'm sure Bobby understands. Abreu finished 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
The Ugly:Lucky break. The scene: the second inning. The situation: Markakis on first with two outs. The play: Melvin Mora strikes out swinging for the third out. Big deal, right? Well, the third strike hit the dirt and the catcher has to either tag the batter or throw to first (or second if you want to get technical) to officially record the final out. I-Rod did neither and trotted off the field (in fairness, the whole team was heading to the dugout). It was a rough inning for the Yanks (the O's scored three runs and took a 3-2 lead), but I-Rod has been in the league a long time (he's in his 18th season) and has to know the situation. Mora didn't think anything of it at first and looked like he was headed to the dugout, but then ran to first and then second. Markakis took third. When the smoke cleared (and YES came back from commercials) Mora was called out. Here's the official ruling according to home plate umpire Joe West: "The hitter walked toward the dugout to throw his bat and helmet away. He, in
doing so, has abandoned his effort to reach the next base. He's
called out, according to the rule." I think a lot of people fell asleep on that play and the Yanks were fortunate to get the call, but I-Rod could have made things a lot easier if he just tagged Mora after the strikeout.
The Yanks go for the sweep on Sunday and will send Darrell Rasner (5-9, 4.93 ERA) against Daniel Cabrera (8-8, 4.98 ERA). Cabrera is having a rough August (1-2 with a 6.14 ERA in four starts) and is coming off a beating against the BoSox (4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 2 HRs). But like A.J. Burnett, he's a guy who seems to thrive against the Yanks. Cabrera is 3-0 with a 3.15 ERA in three starts against the Bombers this season. Rasner pitched well enough to win in his last start in Toronto, but picked up a no-decision in an eventual 2-1 heartbreaking loss. The Ras is 1-2 with a 2.37 ERA in three starts against The Birds this season. Rasner had a bad start in August, but has given up just three earned runs in his past 11 2/3 innings.
Keep doing what you're doing, Darrell.
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