Last night, it was Brosius and Tino all over again. One out in the ninth, Arizona closer on the mound, when Francisco Cervelli - back from a year of exile on the NYS Thruway - hits a game-tying home run. When a guy who might hit 10 HRs all season ties the game in the ninth with a dinger, dammit, you're not supposed to lose in extra innings. You're supposed to win. The juju gods just gave you the door prize. You're not supposed to lose it on the ride home.
Of course, we saw it happen last fall against Detroit. Raul hits his miracle shot, tying game one. In the moments after that slam, I would have bet my esophagus that we would win the game and the series. Same way I felt a year earlier, when we came back to stomp the Texas Rangers in game one - our fast-exit series.
What can you say about a loss like last night? Hooray for us, we came back? I'll give Joe credit: Nobody can say his Yankees ever quit. But we fall into serious 10th inning funks, and it's almost as if we expect to lose. Last night, Heath Bell's ERA was pushing infinity, yet the reliever shut us down. And David Phelps - God bless him - seems a much different pitcher in the late innings than in the early ones.
Today, we stand in the AL in team stolen bases. How can this be? We have a lineup with Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki and Eduardo Nunez - each a 30 SB guy - and we're last. We have a glaring bullpen problem. How can this be? We have Mariano, Robertson, Joba, et al - we dropped David Aardsma at the end of spring training.
I know what this looks like: Typical Yankee fan calling the glass half-empty, when there is so much to be happy about. Vernon Wells may have two months in him, before he implodes to .230. Travis Hafner might last into June, before something pops. Andy - well - maybe he won't lie on the couch again all season, but there are still those Lazy-Boy recliners.
How could we lose that game last night? Dammit, how could we lose?
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2 comments:
The losing was in the 8th. Bases loaded, one out, a guy on the mound who had decided the actual plate was anti-matter and if the ball came near it, the entire universe would cease to exist (or turn into a 45 of Sweet Caroline, spinning endlessly in the void to no avail).
So what does Cano do? Swing, swing, swing! Yeah, man, that cat just swung out. He was so rooty tooty that he swung at a ball that hit him in the foot! The power of hoodoo.
And what does Youk do? Swing out, sweet sister! It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. Doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop.
WE HAD BASES LOADED AGAINST A GUY WHO COULDN'T FIND THE PLATE AND OUR TWO BEST HITTERS WENT UP THERE SWINGING. Cano being the worst offender, because he gave the enemy what you never give the enemy: hope. Which led to confidence. Which led to some semblance of control.
Cervelli, God bless him, should never have batted in the 9th, because the Yankees should have closed it out with the lead when Mo came in to nail the 'DBacks' (wtf kind of name is that? on their fucking jerseys? really?) in the top of the inning.
Pity poor Phelps. He probably started doing celebratory shots in the bottom of the 8th and was pitching with a hangover by the 12th. Not his fault.
seems like every time i look up, Gardner is getting thrown out this year. John M is right: we lost this one in the 8th.
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