 |
| It was a bad pitch, but A.J. shouldn't have been out there (LoHud) |
But The Yankees still had the lead and a 65% chance to win the game. So would Joe Girardi tempt fate by leaving Burnett--who had allowed 3 baserunners and a stolen base the previous inning but somehow escaped unscathed--in to start the 6th? He did. Base hit by Vlad Guerrero and Joba Chamberlain up and warm in the bullpen. So would Girardi bring in Joba to face Nelson Cruz? No, and that moved worked out for Joe as Cruz grounded into a fielder's choice. Still no Joba, though as Burnett faced Ian Kinsler who drove the ball to the deepest part of the park for an out (Cruz advanced to second on a heads-up play).
Anyone watching this game could see that Burnett was finished. Guerrero and Kinsler (both righties) had each hit the ball hard against Burnett. Joba was ready and although Joba isn't Mariano Rivera, he is slightly more effective against righties. If Girardi was a poker player, this would be the equivalent position of him being in the big blind with a 10, deuce, but staying in the hand because no one raised him out. He had the chance to bet again and the common sense would be to fold at this point.
Instead, Girardi went all in. He walked David Murphy intentionally with two outs (a move that I don't quite understand considering there is no double play to set up with two outs) and instead of bringing in Joba here, he stuck with Burnett.
And Bengie Molina, who had never had 3 RBIs in his previous 36 postseason games, got three RBIs with one swing of the bat on the first pitch of the at-bat.
Burnett has to make a better pitch than that against Molina, but he should have never been left in that situation.
When Tex went down, he seemed to fall asleep on the bench. Instead of going to Mariano Rivera in the 9th to keep the deficit at 4. Instead, Girardi decided to go with Sergio Mitre. Joe's reluctance to use Mo in Game 3 cost the Yankees and it did again last night. It's sad that Joe Girardi seems to know how to use his bullpen better in a Taco Bell commercial than in real life.
I'm certainly not going to put the blame all on Girardi, however. The Yankees bats have gone silent this series except for one inning in the first game and they have failed to capitalize on numerous chances. Ever since that eighth-inning rally in Texas the Yankees are 3 for 33 with runners in scoring position. Only two Yankees have more than one RBI, Nick Swisher has been ice cold, Marcus Thames has looked over-matched at the plate, and Mark Teixeira was 0 for the series before he left. Their starting pitching has been suspect and their bullpen has failed them at times as well. And tip your cap to Texas who has made some great plays in the field (how big was Elvis Andrus' diving stop and force at 3rd on the Gardner ground ball?) and have put the screws on the Yankees.
This series isn't over by any stretch of the imagination. All Yankees fans will remember the Red Sox coming back from 3-0 in 2004 and 3-1 in 2007 to win the World Series. They have their ace, CC Sabathia on the mound tonight, Phil Hughes rested for a possible Game 6 on Friday and then the whole kitchen sink ready to throw at Cliff Lee and the Rangers in a possible Game 7.
But although I consider myself an optimist and believe in this team, it seemed that their chances deflated when Teixeira's hamstring went. The Quest for 28 will be extremely difficult from this point forth, but taken one game at a time, it can happen--and that continues tonight.
Posts
From Joel Sherman of the New York Post:
ReplyDelete“If you take A.J. out there and you give up a couple of runs, people say, ‘Why did you take A.J. out?’ “ Girardi said.
No, that would not have been the conversation. New York is now well versed on Burnett. No one could think it was a good idea to have him on the mound at that moment: tying run in scoring position, go-ahead run on first, season on the brink. Burnett has spent a career breaking hearts, throwing the pitch he absolutely could not at the wrong time.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/decision_to_leave_starter_on_mound_XEtb3oHDuDEDYJmtT6apbK#ixzz12uix92VA
Girardi puzzles me. He had Chamberlain warming up and then brings in David Robertson the next inning. The least Joe could have done is to send Dave Eiland out there or go out there himself and find out of Burnett had anything left (I don't believe a mound visit had yet been made).
ReplyDeleteNot to try to bring up the past too much, but this where Joe Torre used to get a lot of credit - he could read his players well and knew when it was time to make a move.
At first, I didn't mind Girardi walking Murphy, but now that I think more about it, why would you put the go ahead run on base with two outs. I understand that it creates a force at every base but home but Murphy's run mattered. And yes, I checked the career numbers and understand that AJ Burnett does not have good career numbers against Murphy, nor did Joba.
Too often we hear Girardi say "I liked the matchup." Sometimes you throw the matchup out the window in favor of common sense. AJ Burnett hadn't pitched in two weeks and just gave you 5.2 solid innings but the tying run is on base and you've just decided to put the go ahead run on. You won't even at least go out to the mound and gauge what your pitcher has left, especially when you have a fresh right hander ready to go out of the bullpen?
The walk made no sense. Those catchin Molina's have a flair for the dramatic in the playoffs. I can vouch for it. As soon as big Bengie came to the plate I knew it was over, much like it was for my Metsies when that jerk Yadier strode to the plate in 2006. argh.
ReplyDeleteI am not going to pin the losson Girardi BUT points made here and elsewhere are irefutable---- Girardi clearly lakes a clue. No logic to his decison making. Going to the pen there is the ONLY move to make. be thankful he gave you what he did and let others do what thye do. It reminds me of game 1 1995 NLCS I attended in the old unmemorable Riverfront Stadium---- Cincy vs. Braves. Pete Schourek was on the hill and had pitched a great game. Game was 1-0 Cincy and many in the stands (including me) were calling for the Reds closer to be brought in for the top of the ninth. The jackass in front of me says "But Schourek's only thrown 88 pitches." I said back "brantley has thrown none!" Of course Schourek gave up a run and they lost the game in extras.
ReplyDeleteCC must come thru big today.