Yanks Brass Set Mo Up For Failure On Saturday
Via Tim Brown -
For several hours before Rivera took the ball Saturday afternoon in that tie game, he’d suffered with a stomach ailment that brought aches and repeated vomiting, according to one Yankee. Rivera had rolled off the trainer’s table, where he’d hoped to sleep it off, and into the bullpen in the eighth inning, when he began to warm up.
So, no, he didn’t have his best command. And, no, he didn’t have his best fastball.
But, he didn’t sprinkle the Yankee Stadium mound with breakfast, which, in itself, was a small victory, even in defeat.
“He was so upset afterward,” the teammate said.
And yet, Rivera did not mention it after the game, and he did not reveal it late Sunday afternoon, when it would have played less like an excuse than, in victory, the simple retelling of a trying 30 hours. He did not hang those hittable fastballs or that loss on his illness. He did not blame manager Joe Girardi for asking him to pitch in a tie game when a healthier body might have – and probably should have – done.
He accepted the baseball.
That was that.
A day later, when clearly his vigor had returned and the Rays had been helpless, Rivera said only that these are the public and emotional wanderings he accepts as a closer, indeed, as the Yankees’ closer. He said he slept fine Saturday night, and that he would again Sunday night.
“Yesterday was yesterday,” he said.
Well, Mo may not want to blame Joe – but I will do it. When someone has a stomach bug – bad enough to cause repeated vomiting – it’s insane to ask them to play in a major league baseball game at the same time. You need at least one day, of eating real food and being able to keep it down, before you start to tax your body again.
Granted, if this were Game Seven of the World Series, sure, that would change my stance on this one. But, the Yankees should be able to find someone else to pitch the 9th inning of a tie-game in June, right? Or, is the bullpen that Brian Cashman built so bad that there’s no one else to trust in a spot like this other than Mariano Rivera on fumes? If so, maybe Cashman, and not Girardi is to blame here? What do you think?
When someone has a stomach bug – bad enough to cause repeated vomiting – it’s insane to ask them to play in a major league baseball game at the same time.
Rivera isn’t the first, nor will he be the last pitcher to pitch with a stomach bug.
its what u get when u have 1 reliable bullpen arm
and a lot of pitcher have pitched with stomach bugs but when u have 6 other arms out there someone should be able to step up on a saturday in june. this wasnt game 7
it would be great if we had more reliable bullpen arms.
but since we have one of the best pitchers in baseball already in the game, only at 101 pitches (he averages 111), who was pitching very well (one mistake) and getting better as the game went on (retired 6 of the last 7 he faced), maybe, just maybe, girardi can stick with him. especially if mo is sick and it’s a non save situation (don’t care what the “rules” on bringing in your closer say). i was surprised it wasn’t CC when i thought nothing was wrong with mo. with mo sick, it has to be CC for one more and give us a chance to win it with the top of the order in the 9th. bad job by girardi.
The Yankees bullpen has gotten better of late. I dont love it, but the results have been better, because they have had to pitch less with the starters going deeper. I got this from a comment on RAB:
Also, the relievers dropped their ERA from 6.46 in April to 4.04 in May and now it’s down to 2.35 (huge SSS alert) in June so far.
Jake1 wrote:
It’s also what you get when you have a manager that has seemingly lost his touch for running a bp.
A lot went wrong that game, starting with the decision to remove Sabathia.
yagottagotomo1 wrote:
lol did u take that last part right out of a RAB commentor’s comment? or do u post under that handle over there
Raf wrote:
could not agree more, raf. on both counts.
@ Corey:
Straight out of the comment, as I noted in my comment. I probably should have credited him directly rather than indirectly- it was MATT ACTY.
Do we know Girardi knew that Mo was sick? And when does it become Mariano’s responsibility to say that he can’t pitch?
when mo does it, its a gutty performance from the heart, anyone else its stupid
lisaswan wrote:
If he was ralphing it up and trying to sleep it out in the trainer’s room, I think Geno or Steve would have told Joe.
guys like mo and posada and jeter are going to say they want the ball/in the lineup everyday, rain or shine, unless it’s physically impossible for them to play. it’s part of what makes them who they are. it’s the managers job to determine at what level below “physically impossible” it’s not in the best interest of the player/team to send them out there, and force them out of taking the ball/lineup. it’s the only way you are going to keep them out. i have no idea if that is the case in this instance, as maybe mo just had a bad day. but girardi’s bullpen managment has been horrific, and he has struggled with the above in the past in my opinion, where he listens to veterans word (again, they are never going to say “uncle”) instead of making determinations on his own if they should be in or out irrespective of what they tell him.