I've been putting up a brave front, but the end is nigh.
Sidney Ponson had a terrible night, the bullpen was just as horrid, Marco Scutaro and Alex Rios combined for seven ribbies and Roy Halladay cruised as the
Blue Jays thumped the Yanks 14-3 in Toronto. The final score doesn't even begin to illustrate what a thorough horse-whipping the Bombers absorbed Thursday night. The Jays scored at least one run in the first five innings, banged out 21 hits and put the exclamation point in taking two of three in the series.
I said last week that the Yanks needed to go at least 7-2 in this current nine-game stretch. Well, they are 3-3 so far and teetering on the brink of oblivion. If you stayed with this game until the bitter end, you are either a really die-hard fan or a delusional, crazy person. Maybe a combination of both.
The Good:Hideki Matsui. There weren't a lot of positives to take out of this one, but Godzilla belted his first home run since coming off the disabled list. Matsui's three-run shot in the seventh got the Yanks on the board and proved that Halladay is indeed mortal. It was good to see Matsui go deep in his third game back, but it's hard for me to get too pumped up about it. Matsui finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and 3 RBIs.
The Bad:Sidney Ponson and the rest. With Halladay on the opposing mound, the Yanks needed the Arubian Knight to be almost perfect. It didn't happen. Ponson wasn't just bad, he was really bad. There were a few balls that fell in front of Johnny Damon early on for hits, but they weren't the deciding factor. Maybe Brett Gardner makes those catches or Johnny D circa 2002, but Sir Sid was hit hard before getting the hook. And the bullpen provided little relief. David Robertson, Billy Traber and Chris Britton all gave up at least one run in their efforts. Edwar Ramirez was the only reliever to escape unscathed and he went just 1/3 of an inning. Ponson fell to 7-4 on the year, but the loss was a total team effort Thursday night. The combined totals: 8 IP, 21 H, 14 R, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR.
The Ugly:Fat toad on the loose. This has nothing to do with Thursday's brutal loss, but a former Yankee was in the news recently and it wasn't for saving a cat from a tree.
Hideki Irabu was arrested in Japan for assault. Here's the skinny:
Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was arrested yesterday for allegedly
assaulting a bartender after drinking 20 mugs of beer, a police official
said.
Irabu, 39, became angered after his credit card was rejected. He
then allegedly pushed the bartender against the wall, pulled his hair and
smashed at least nine liquor bottles at a bar in Osaka, western Japan, a police
official said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.
The
bartender sustained no injuries. Irabu paid the bill with another credit
card.
The police official said Irabu admitted the assault. And my brother, cousin and I were wondering why he wasn't at the Yankees Old Timers' Game.
The Yanks will head down to Baltimore and take on the Orioles for a three-game set beginning Friday night. Mike Mussina (16-7, 3.35 ERA) will lock horns against Radhames Liz (4-3, 7.47 ERA) in the opener. The O's are expected to recall Liz from Triple-A to make this start and a quick look at the numbers reveals why he was sent down. Liz was 2-3 with a 9.26 ERA in five July starts. Liz has made two career appearances against the Yanks and has allowed one run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. The Moose has been a machine most of the season, but he's really turning it on in August. Mussina is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA in four starts this month, but hasn't fared well against his former team this season. Mussina is 0-2 with an 11.12 ERA in two starts against the Birds this year.
Will it be the beginning of a hot streak or the beginning of the end?
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That picture of Irabu is hysterical. Yeah, I guess that answers the question about him missing Old Timer's Day. Looks like the Yankees will be hitting the drink hard after this season.