June 25th @ The Braves
He’s back!
No, not Cody Ransom – although he’s back too. Yes, A-Rod’s mashing the ball again. Jeter and Damon were ripping in this one too.
Then again, Derek Lowe, coming into this game, had an ERA of 5.46 and a BA allowed of .306 over his last 5 starts (covering 29.6 IP and 131 Opp PA).
And, in the end, the Yankees did allow an 8-1 lead after 4 1/2 innings turn into a 11-7 win where the Braves had the tying run on deck in the bottom of the 9th inning. That’s not too pretty.
Hey, bottom line, if you have to play a 9-inning game, in June, in Atlanta, in 90 degree heat, over three hours and forty nine minutes, it’s better to win it than to lose it, right?
And, it’s now off to Metsville for three games. Let’s hope there’s no let-down in Camp Girardi for this set in Queens.
To those of you that believed Andy Pettitte would win 17 games this year and dial back the clock to 1999…yikes. Pettitte’s looking every one of his 87 years out there on the mound this year. For a #4/#5 starter, I guess he’s no worse than average but, really, if Andy threatens retirement again this year, wish him the best and show him the door.
@ MJ:
let’s not forget he’s a 2nd half pitcher
Hey, bottom line, if you have to play a 9-inning game, in June, in Atlanta, in 90 degree heat, over three hours and forty nine minutes, it’s better to win it than to lose it, right?
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Hey Steve, i’m really digging the optimism in your words today
We could have taken a lot of bad from this win, but you hit it on the nose right there. Ugly win, but still a win!
Corey wrote:
I’m a diehard Pettitte fan so I know he’s been a second-half pitcher in the past. But last year was the first taste of his age and decline and, in my opinion, we’re seeing it carry over into this year. In short, I wouldn’t trust or expect Pettitte to turn it around for the second half when he’s simply been incapable of keeping the bases free of baserunners.
I love Andy and I will fondly remember the good times with him. But he’s been bad for two solid months now and he’s getting a pass. It’s not Mussina 2007 bad but it’s not good either.
@ MJ:
lol I prefer to take a sip of the kool-aid
MJ wrote:
Meh. What were you expecting out of him? His ERA is not out of line with his career ERA, and his WHIP is too high, but not egregiously so (it’s higher than usual, but he’s always had a high WHIP). He’s been somewhat worse, of late, probably having to do with whatever that injury was that he played through, but in total I’d say he’s given the Yankees about what they could have expected.
Last night was no good, of course. He should stop having games like that! But I can’t complain too much about his season. Next year, the Yankees might well have better options, though. So we should all probably take some time to appreciate Pettitte for what he’s been for the Yankees instead of complaining about what he no longer is. Because this is probably it for him.
Pettitte’s pitching hurt and playing half his games in a bandbox. That’s why his stats suck. Still, he’s a leader of the team. Andy Pettitte is not the biggest issue on the Yankees team right now. Anyway, that’s my two cents. Your mileage may vary – and you’re welcome to have a different opinion on the matter.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
True…
Something else about last night’s game is the terrible luck that Pettitte pitched in last night. While he didn’t have much, those two popups have to be caught.
I never said Pettitte was the team’s biggest problem. I’m just pointing out that since his third start back in April, he’s been more or less horrendous in most of his starts, with only two good starts in between. If everyone wants to give Pettitte a pass because he’s a great guy and because of the wonderful memories, that’s fine. If everyone wants to blame the new ballpark for all his woes, that’s fine. I googled “Andy Pettite elbow” and “Andy Pettitte injury” and got no mentions of him pitching hurt this year, other than when he left that start due to back stiffness. Let’s not create a new excuse now.
May/June: 62.2 IP, 5.00 ERA, 1.73 WHIP
Home: 41 IP, 6.36 ERA, 1.85 WHIP
Road: 21.2 IP, 2.54 ERA, 1.55 WHIP
Too many baserunners, both home and road.
For A-Rod, this website offers no excuses. For Andy Pettitte, this website cites ballpark factor and some nebulous injury. Comical.
Pettitte’s got World Champoinship play equity in Yankeeland. That helps allow for a buddy pass today.
Pettitte’s allowing more flyballs as well; highest rate ever in his career.
We all respect championships here, but Andy is looking like a player at the end of his road. I believe he is one of the rotation guys who stated that the he is uncomfortable pitching in the new Yankee Stadium, which I find troubling. The flyballs rate that Raf mentioned is an indicator we should all worry about.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
I respect your right to believe it but, for my money, championship equity is a poorly-crafted excuse. I much prefer Boston’s view of championship equity. New York’s is antiquated, overly sentimental, and ultimately a detrmiment to running the business.
Hey, agreed, on the whole, Pettitte’s just an average pitcher now – as his 1 RSAA in 90 IP says he is…but, again, if he’s your 4th starter (behind CC, AJ and Wang) as he was slated to be at the start of the year, what more can you expect from a #4?
MJ wrote:
wasn’t it his shoulder? Also, the year before that his numbers would have been a ton better if not for getting completely lit up in his last start
what more can you expect from a #4?
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Nothing. Which is why I said “[f]or a #4/#5 starter, I guess he’s no worse than average but, really, if Andy threatens retirement again this year, wish him the best and show him the door.”
Remember, people were hurling insults at Cashman for taking a harder stance with Pettitte during contract negotiations and others were certain that Pettitte’s 2nd half was purely due to injury and not age/decline. This is who Andy is now. He’s an average pitcher. That’s fine, as long as you go into it knowing that. But, like I said, if Andy wants to feel insulted again next year when the Yanks don’t fluff him and beg him to come back, he should remember why.
wasn’t it his shoulder?
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Maybe it was. I just googled “Andy Pettitte shoulder” and nothing came up for the last month of news. If he’s battling an injury this year — other than the lower back stiffness that took him out of his start against the Mets — it hasn’t been reported so, in my mind, that’s not a valid excuse.
http://waswatching.com/2008/08/07/moose-im-the-sole-survivor/
my fault, i read that as last year disregard my last few comments haha