The pulse may be faint, but it's still there.
Andy Pettitte was just dandy, Johnny Damon rebounded from a terrible game Tuesday night with two hits and an RBI and Derek Jeter continued his hot-hitting as the
Yanks turned back the Blue Jays 5-1 at the Rogers Centre. Jason Giambi and Xavier Nady gave the Bombers a quick 2-0 lead in the first on a sac fly and an RBI-single, respectively, and Brian Bruney pitched two perfect innings in relief to seal the win. Even Hideki Matsui got into the act as he collected his first hit since coming off the disable list.
The Good:Andy Pettitte. It's the formula every pitcher wants to use -- throw strikes and record outs -- and Pettitte had it working Wednesday night. The veteran lefty allowed only two hits through five innings and gave the Yanks another quality start. Pettitte's only hiccup came with one out in the sixth when he allowed three straight singles and a run, but he gathered himself and struck out Vernon Wells swinging and retired Adam Lind on a fly ball to left to end the threat. I thought Pettitte had expended all his energy in that inning, but he came out for the seventh and worked a clean inning. He probably could have came out for the eighth (his pitch count was at 83), but Joe Girardi turned to Bruney. It worked out. Pettitte moved to 13-9 with this beauty: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K.
Derek Jeter. It's nitty-gritty time and that's Jeter's time to shine. DJ reached on an infield single in the first and came around to score, singled to left in the second and launched a two-run blast in the fourth to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead. Yes, it's been a down year for El Capitan, but he's starting to roll (and the Yanks desperately need guys to get hot) and has upped his average to .298 on the season. Better late than never. Jeter finished 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 runs batted in.
Johnny Damon. It doesn't erase the defensive ineptitude from last night, but Johnny D bounced back with a solid offensive game Wednesday night. Damon led the game off with a single to left and later scored the first run of the game. JD also brought in the Yankees third run of the game with a fielder's choice grounder to second in the fourth. I'm sure Damon's play in center Tuesday night was eating him alive and it was good to see him come out swinging. Damon finished 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs scored and an RBI.
The Bad:Alex Rodriguez. It's been a rough series so far for A-Rod. Rodriguez fanned three times on Tuesday night and while he cut down on the K's Wednesday night (he struck out once), he was the only Yankee who didn't contribute with either a hit, an RBI or a run scored. He also had a few bad throws from third, but was saved by some nice plays by Giambi at first. The Yanks need to start clicking offensively and they really need A-Rod to get on board. Rodriguez finished 0 for 4.
The Ugly:Pick of the litter? The Yanks still haven't named a starter for Saturday's game in Baltimore, but that didn't stop the team from naming another possible candidate for the gig.
Victor Zambrano could be in the mix to make that start. Zambrano tossed five scoreless innings in Trenton on Monday. He hasn't pitched in the Majors this season and is probably a long shot, but there are reports that Carl Pavano is "suffering" from a stiff neck and
Phil Hughes was roughed up in his last start (3.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HB). Girardi said he'll reveal the winner on Thursday. I'm guessing that Pavano will get the nod (if his neck is OK, that is). The Yanks aren't going to rush Hughes and Pavano has had more work than Zambrano (which goes to show you how inactive he's been). I'm all tingly with anticipation.
The Yanks will try to take two of three on Thursday night and send Sidney Ponson (7-3, 4.19 ERA) to the hill. His opponent will be Roy Halladay (14-9, 2.64 ERA). Halladay has been nearly unbeatable in August (2-1, 1.14 ERA in three starts) and has been a one-man wrecking crew against the Yanks. Doc Halladay is 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA in three starts against the Bombers this season and is 12-5 with a 2.88 ERA in 29 career appearances against the Yanks. Ponson hasn't been as dominating, but is quietly putting together a stellar August (1-1, 2.96 ERA in four starts). The Arubian Knight doesn't have good career stats against the Blue Jays (7-10, 4.59 ERA in 19 games), but pitches better north of the border. Sir Sid is 4-3 with a 3.19 ERA in eight career starts in Toronto.
Play it again, Sid.
Leave a comment
Just throw Pavano out there. Who cares how he's feeling.