Game 2 Recap

Sure its obnoxious, but hey so are Yankee fans and we love it.

Last night the shaky Yankee bullpen managed to get the ball to the only reliable arm the Yankees have for the end of a game; Mariano Rivera. A two run lead tends to be a sure thing for Rivera and despite allowing a double to his nemesis Marco Scutaro, the Sandman locked down the first victory of the year for New York. Its good to get the first win and the first victory of the season series out of the way so we can avoid the panic of sweep like last season.

A.J. Burnett and Jon Lester started the game and each was less than what they will be during the season. Burnett consistently missed his target, but managed to fight his way through five innings. Lester was much the same as he walked three through five. However, the Yankee bullpen was called on to keep the game tied and this time it held. Alfredo Aceves picked up where he left off with two solid innings of relief, and Dave Robertson, Damaso Marte and Joba Chamberlain were able to piece together one more scoreless inning to get the ball to Mo.

For the past three or four seasons analysts have tried to prophesies the demise of Rivera. "He can't do it forever," they say. Seriously though Rivera is 40 and when you look at Trevor Hoffman who has continued to dominate into his 40s, what would stop Rivera? Mo was sitting at 92 mph last night and that has been the story for about the past two or three years. He doesn't need the velocity though as his true dominance comes more from his impeccable command, a skill that ages well.

Back to the game though. The Sox defense let them down again during the eighth inning. The normally reliable Marco Scutaro threw low to Kevin Youkilis on a routine grounder allowing the inning to continue. Then Nick Johnson did what he does best and drew a walk on a 3-1 pitch to force in the lead run. Cano would add his first homer of the season in the ninth off of Scott Atchison to provide an insurance run for Mo who sealed the deal.

Tomorrow the two team meet for the last time until May 7. Somehow those games are also in Boston, which seems incredibly dumb. The rivalry will not return to the Bronx until a two-game a week and a half later. Anyway the starters for tomorrow are Andy Pettitte vs. new Red Sox John Lackey. I wonder how upset Lackey is about how his last start against the Yankees ended? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Yankees Get to Halladay Again

The Yankees managed to get to Roy Halladay for the second straight time and with the Sox extra inning defeat at the hands of Evan Longoria the Yankees moved ahead of the Sox by a 1.5 games, ensuring they will be in first when the Sox come to town on Thursday.

The Yankee game was stressful to watch, as the Blue Jays managed to come back and make the game interesting twice against Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. Mariano Rivera managed to shut the door, but he made it interesting too, giving up an RBI double to Vernon Wells and singles to Raul Chavez and Marco Scutaro.

Although Mariano has allowed some inherited runners to score over the past few outings, he has still been very good for the Yankees since his ugly outing against the Rays on June 6. He has a 0.40 ERA over the 22.2 innings since then and has a 1-0 record and 19 saves over that time period.

While the Yankees were holding off the Blue Jays, the Red Sox and Rays were gripped in a 13 inning affair that was what every Yankee fan was hoping for when these two teams clash. The Sox and Rays combined to throw 440 pitches over 25.2 innings. The Red Sox got good news at the same time they got bad news. After missing two games against the Orioles, J.D. Drew started against the Rays, but Boston lost Jason Bay to a mild strain of his hamstring.

With the Sox getting a little beat up the Yankees need to bounce out of their recent slump before Boston gets to town. The Yankees have one more game, but Yankee fans are looking at Thursday (especially with Sergio Mitre pitching tonight) and the Red Sox train that is going to roll into town.

The bats will have to carry the Yankees tonight and hopefully the Yankee pitching will be up to the task for this four-game set. At some point the Yankees have to win a game against the Red Sox right?

Mariano gets 500 and 1

Only in baseball could an athlete reach a milestone like 500 career saves while simultaneously getting a first from the opposite side of the ball. What K-Rod was thinking when Mariano Rivera stepped to the plate in the top of the ninth inning I don't know, but you could tell he was afraid to give Mo something to hit. Maybe it was that mighty hack Rivera took on the 2-2 pitch that let Rodriguez know that Mo meant business.

Mariano is obviously a once in a lifetime talent. I doubt he will ever catch Trevor Hoffman for the all-time saves lead, but he is clearly the most dominant reliever in baseball history. Now I know the role has changed quite a bit from the days of Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage and even Bruce Sutter and Dennis Eckersley, but Rivera's consistency coupled with his utter domination of the post season puts him above all others especially with his counter-parts from this generation like Hoffman or K-Rod.

Aside from Rivera's stand out performance last night and for his career, the Yankees played well against the Mets in the finale, but curiously only scored four runs while amassing 11 walks. The problem was one that has plagued the Yankees all season and that is getting hits with runners in scoring position. After Mark Teixeira's two-run double in the top of the first, the Yankees failed to deliever with a runner on for the rest of the game. It's something that the Yankees still need to work on.

The Yankees can also take away a win for Chien-Ming Wang, his first of the season. The numbers don't show it yet, but Wang is getting better with each outing. He pitched into the sixth inning for the first time this season and seems to be gaining more confidence each time out. He is again being efficient with his pitches and looks to be getting stronger with each outing. It will take longer than expected but it looks like Wang is starting to get back into his groove from last season and with him back at full strength the Yankees will finally have the opening day rotation they were expecting.

It will also mean Phil Hughes will be able to go back to the minors. It will be a big hit for the bullpen, but the reality is Hughes needs innings and he isn't getting them at the big league level. Hughes will be back at some other point in the season for a spot start or two and possibly more bullpen work when September rolls around.

After a dark and dreary two weeks it looks like the Yanks are turning this thing back around and can now enjoy an off day.

Angels in free fall

I hate the Angels. It's hard not to hate a team that always beats your team. Especially when they suck, but it seems like they always get up to play you and no one else. They Angels beat on everyone including the Yankees, but they yet again proved me wrong by showing their habitual inability to man-up and beat the Red Sox.

Not only did K-Rod fail to break this Sox curse that has plagued the Angels since 1986, but he also showed why he will never be one of the all-time great closers of the game. It's the same as Trevor Hoffman; he just can't get it done when it counts the most. 62 regular season saves mean jack and they are more meaningless when you have thrown fewer innings than times you have appeared in games. Closers who have trouble in the postseason tend to be the ones who have had to save the most games in the regular season.

Just look at Mariano Rivera. The two times he cracked 50 saves in the regular season he had blown saves in important games in the postseason. Hoffman had the same problem. In 1998 he saved 53 games and was demolished by the Yankees in the World Series. Dennis Eckersley had 51 saves in 1992 and was knocked around by the Blue Jays in the '92 ALCS. In three innings of work he gave up eight hits and had an ERA of 6.00.

Huge work loads in the regular season translate to postseason failure. In K-Rod's case we know that he also fails when his work load is normal so perhaps he just can't handle the spotlight now that he is a seasoned veteran and he doesn't have the ignorance of youth to fall back on like in 2002.

It looks like this series is over now, but game three is a very important game for the Sox. Josh Beckett will be throwing, and his performance will be of great interest to Red Sox Nation. How deep the Sox get into the postseason will rest heavily on Beckett's weak oblique. Game 3's performance will go a long way in easing or inflaming the nerves of Sox fans.

Rivera Could be Looking at the Knife

If the week wasn't bad enough for you Yankee fans out there, it could be getting a whole lot worse. According to reports in the New York Post and what is being reported by Peter Abraham, Mariano Rivera is going to need shoulder surgery after the season.

Now it isn't the worst possible scenario. Right now they are just saying that he needs to clean up some bone spurs in his shoulder which means his rotator cuff is ok. But that still doesn't put my mind at ease.

Anytime a knife goes near a shoulder you have to be a little worried, especially when that knife is going into the shoulder of your 38-year-old closer.

This off-season could be very messy and worrisome for Yankees. One of the sure things in their universe could be a big question mark.

Not only that but if Rivera isn't there to hold onto the closer job, Joba Chamberlain's role could be in serious jeopardy.