Lee and Utley Dominate Yanks

So it is apparent that Cliff Lee is disgusting and could be a huge force in the series. Same goes for Chase Utley. It is not like anyone didn't see these two guys coming, both have been close to the best at what they do for the past two or three seasons. Still, it is a bit disheartening that the Yankees would go down so easily in Game 1.

CC Sabathia was good for the Yankees. He was shakey all night but only made two real mistakes, both to Utley. Still seven innings of two run baseball is a solid effort for the big lefty. It is the Yankee bullpen that was the biggest disappointment of the night.

After Sabathia held the Phils in check for seven innings, the bullpen utterly collapsed. Phil Hughes looks like he is scared these past few rounds, and Brian Bruney should be nowhere a baseball diamond at this time of year. Combined all four relievers allowed four hits, three walks and four runs.

That simply will not get it done and if the bullpen continues to falter as it has then this could be a short series.

As for Game 2, the Yankees should destroy Pedro Martinez and with A.J. Burnett on the mound this game could easily end somewhere around 11-10. But here is the thing. The Yankees normally destroy pitchers like Pedro. He pitches to contact and can't really strike anyone out anymore. He doesn't have overly powerful stuff and relies on location and deception. These are all characteristics of pitchers the Yankees normally hit, meaning that in a playoff setting he is bound to dominate. Think Kenny Rogers circa 2006 (although he clearly cheated with his pine tar palm) or even Paul Byrd in '07.

No matter how Pedro pitches A.J. Burnett can do a lot to rehab his image after his poor performance in Game 5 of the ALCS. The Yankees need this game and Burnett needs a good showing.

Vintage Pedro

The other day I caught one of those Red Sox classic game replays on NESN. It was a game from August of 2000 when Pedro Martinez one hit the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (as they were then known). It actually took me a long time to come around to baseball, so I don't have clear memories of Pedro in his prime. This performance sure did remind me. He struck out the side about three times. The Tampa batters couldn't even touch him. There weren't even any foul balls. Considering the offensive era in which he played, is there any doubt that Pedro is a hall of famer? Who cares that he doesn't have the 300 wins? The guy has a career ERA of under 3.00, 3000 K's and less than 100 losses over a 17 year career.

Pedro sits now waiting for a job. I'm sure he hopes a contender will pick him up for one last playoff run. But I think he should just ride off quietly and let the career as it stands speak for itself. Pedro may not have the totals that Maddox and Clemens have, but for about a five year stretch he was better than anybody.