Tag: Texas Rangers (Page 8 of 21)

      Sabathia tagged for 11 hits but Yankees survive in Game 5

      October 21, 2010 /
      CC Sabathia of the New York Yankee pitches to the Texas Rangers in the first inning during game five of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 20, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      It wasn’t a picture perfect outing for CC Sabathia but the Yankees don’t mind.

      The Yankees’ ace allowed 11 hits over six innings on Wednesday, but the Bombers managed to beat the Rangers 7-2 to stave off elimination in the ALCS. The series now shifts to Texas for two games, as the Rangers currently own a 3-2 lead.

      Sabathia worked himself in and out of jams the entire game, as the Rangers stranded a total of eight batters on the night. He struck out seven and somehow managed to not issue a walk while throwing 112 pitches to pick up his first win of the ALCS (he got a no-decision in the Yankees’ come-from-behind victory in Game 1 of the series).

      Offensively, Curtis Granderson finished with three hits and drove in two runs, while Nick Swisher scored twice and drove in a run as well. The Yankees built a 5-0 lead before catcher Matt Treanor hit a solo shot in the fifth off Sabathia to give the Rangers’ their first run of the game. They would add tack on another run in the sixth but that’s all they could muster as Kerry Wood and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 8th and 9th, respectively.

      Game 6 will start at 8:07PM ET and will feature Phil Hughes vs. Colby Lewis. The Rangers are just 1-3 at home this postseason.

      External Sports, MLB

      Why didn’t the umpires review Robinson Cano’s home run?

      October 20, 2010 /
      Texas Rangers Nelson Cruz tries to grab the homer hit by Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees as fans reach out in the second inning during game four of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 19, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      Given how the Rangers went on to win 10-3, what happened in the second inning of Game 4 of the ALCS on Tuesday night takes on a lesser meaning today.

      But it still begs the question: Why didn’t the umpires review Robinson Cano’s home run when it was clear that a fan interfered with Nelson Cruz’s attempt to catch the ball?

      Right-field umpire Jim Reynolds called Cano’s hit a home run and despite a brief argument by Texas manager Ron Washington, the umpires never reviewed video replay of the play to see if the fan (20-year-old Jared Macchirole) reached out and interfered. Had they done so, they probably would have reversed the call because it did appear that Macchirole stuck his hands over the wall and impeded Cruz’s attempt at hauling in the catch.

      You just know that someone in this country is standing around the water cooler telling his coworkers that because Major League Baseball wants the Yankees in the World Series because of the revenue they bring in, that that’s why they the umps didn’t review the play. You may even be talking to that guy right now.

      Personally, I don’t get into conspiracy theories but believe what you want. Either way, it was strange that the umpires never reviewed the play and of course, the scene was eerily similar to when Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall and carried Derek Jeter’s home run into the stands during Game 1 of the ALCS.

      Damn Yankee fans…always cheating.

      External Sports, MLB

      Are the Yankees finished?

      October 20, 2010 /
      Mark Teixeira (L), Robinson Cano, second left, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter (R) of the New York Yankees stand around as a new relief pitcher is brought in in the ninth inning during game three of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 18, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      Things don’t look good in the Bronx.

      A.J. Burnett retired the fist six batters he faced Tuesday night, but then remembered he was A.J. Burnett pitching in 2010 and the wheels started to fall off. The end result was disastrous, which is what most pundits figured when Joe Girardi appointed him his Game 4 starter.

      Burnett allowed five runs on six hits in six innings of work as the Rangers crushed the Yankees 10-3 in Game 4 of the ALCS. Texas’ catcher Bengie Molina (a great midseason pickup from the Giants) went 3-for-4 with a go-ahead three run homer in the sixth off Burnett, while the eventual ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton also hit a pair of dingers and Nelson Cruz added a two-run shot in the ninth.

      Compounding issues for the Yankees is that Mark Teixeira is now done for the season with a strain in his right hamstring. Twenty-three-year-old Eduardo Nunez hit .280 this year in 50 at bats with one home run, but he’s not going to keep pitchers awake at night like Teixeira will.

      The Bombers face elimination this afternoon at 4:00PM ET. The good news is that they have their ace on the hill; the bad news is that CC Sabathia has a 7.20 ERA in this year’s postseason. C.J. Wilson will start for the Rangers and his ERA is a tad better (2.03), plus he flustered New York hitters for most of Game 1 before they got to him in the 7th inning. And even if the Rangers lose today, they’ll be at home for the final two games of the series and Cliff Lee (who’s pretty good in the postseason) would start Game 7 if necessary.

      The Red Sox have proved this decade that being down 3-1 doesn’t mean a club can’t pull off a comeback. But the Yankees look old, tired and dare I say completely overmatched in this series. They look finished.

      External Sports, MLB

      Cliff Lee, one of the postseason’s best ever, puts the Yankees in deep hole

      October 19, 2010 /
      Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers pitches to the New York Yankee in the first inning during game three of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 18, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      I wonder what was going through Cliff Lee’s mind on Monday night when Josh Hamilton reached out and poked a two-run homer off Andy Pettitte out of Yankee Stadium to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 3 of the ALCS.

      “Thanks offense – that’ll do.”

      Coming into Game 3, Lee owned a postseason record of 6-0 with a 1.52 ERA. Believe it or not, he actually lowered his ERA last night in yet another magnificent outing, throwing eight scoreless innings and striking out 13 in Texas’ 8-0 win over the Bombers. He overwhelmed Yankee hitters the entire night and even when the Rangers broke out for six runs in the top of the ninth, you already had the sense that the game was over because Lee was set to come out in the bottom half of the inning.

      Lefty Gomez is the only other pitcher to have a perfect win-loss percentage in the postseason and he pitched 14 less innings than Lee. Mariano Rivera has the best ERA in the postseason, is third for win-loss percentage at .889, is first in saves and third in WHIP. Because he’s done it over 92 games and 137.2 innings, you can make an argument that the Yankee closer is the greatest postseason pitcher of all-time. But if Lee continues to do what he’s doing, then Rivera will have some company soon enough.

      Speaking of Rivera’s club, they’ve got some work ahead of them now. Lee has put them in a 2-1 hole and while they’re still two losses away from elimination, they’ll start a shaky A.J. Burnett tonight in essentially a must-win situation (it’s not “must-win” in that they don’t have to win to stave off elimination, but no team wants to go down 3-1 and have to win out).

      If ever there was a time when Burnett wanted to silence his critics, it’s now. A win won’t only tie the series, but will also shift the momentum back in the Yankees’ favor.

      A loss and the Bombers may be watching Texas play in the World Series in two weeks.

      External Sports, MLB

      The Rangers could have a huge advantage if they can win Game 3

      October 18, 2010 /
      Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cliff Lee pitches against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of their MLB American League baseball game in Arlington, Texas July 10, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Stone (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      The Yankees may have accomplished their goal of stealing a game in Texas, but their work has just begun.

      Game 3 is Monday night in the Bronx and the Rangers will throw Cliff Lee, who is 6-0 with a 1.52 ERA in the postseason. And if you think he gets freaked out pitching at Yankee Stadium – think again. His lone playoff start in New York came in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series when he threw a complete game, yielding just one run on six hits while striking out 10 and walking none.

      If the Rangers can win tonight, their opponent in Game 4 is A.J. Burnett, who gets the nod because manager Joe Girardi doesn’t want to use CC Sabathia and then pitch youngster Phil Hughes on short rest. To say that Burnett has struggled this season is like saying that Brett Favre struggled getting a date with Jenn Sterger in New York. (What? You mean you got my text-o-junk and you still don’t want to go out with me? Your loss, lady.)

      Girardi is sticking by the struggling Burnett and even went as far as to say, “We believe in A.J.” But the starter went 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP over 33 outings during the regular season this year and has shown no signs of turning things around.

      With a win in Game 3, the Rangers could be setting themselves up to take the series. One day at a time, though – tonight is pivotal.

      External Sports, MLB

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