What a shocker…Yanks lose again, this time 4-3 to the Rays.

Over their past 10 games — where the Yankees have gone 2-8 –  the team is averaging a measly 3.4 RPG with a collective batting line of .236/.328/.335.  This level of offensive ineptitude is made worse by the fact that they are only 18-for-92 (.196) with runners in scoring position.

So, to summarize, the Yankee lineup has been abysmal.

I don’t care about Dan Johnson’s homeruns last night (he’s a nobody) and I don’t care to hear about how Phil Hughes cost his team yet another game (he didn’t).  I only care that the Yankees can’t buy a hit — timely or otherwise – to save their goddamn lives.

Unless someone writes something that warrants my response in the comments, I’m off until next Monday.  I’ve got better things to do with my time right now than spend four hours a night rooting for the Mets Royals Yankees.

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From July 30, 2010 to September 15, 2010, the Yankees have played 45 games and have gone 23-22 in those contests.

That’s 28% of the schedule and their last 45 games that we’re talking about here. And, a winning percentage just one game over .500, for those scoring at home.

If that ain’t moderate to inferior quality baseball, what is? In any event, it ain’t championship level play, that’s for sure.

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#@$%*!

Three days ago, I warned about this happening.  And, this morning, I shared how important it was for the Yankees to win today.  But, they lost – yet again.  Make it eight of their last ten, now, that New York has dropped.   And, at this moment, the A.L. Wildcard standings are:

         W L   PCT GB
Yankees 88 58 .603 -
Red Sox 82 64 .562 6

Yup, it’s a six game difference between the two teams with 16 games to be played – including six head-to-head match-ups between New York and Boston.  Oh, and, by the way, the Yankees also have to play the Rays four times, too, in those 16 games.

Man, ten days ago, the Red Sox looked like toast.  Heck, the Red Sox appeared dead back on August 24th.

But, those stupid ef’n blankety-blank Yankees have opened the door and let the Red Sox back into this thing. Criminy!

Damn, I just want to kick something now. Thanks Yanks. Thanks a lot.

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In the Times today: Crime Blotter Has a Regular: Yankees Caps

Hey, I told ya so – back on July 30th of this year.

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Via Mark Simon and Katie Sharp -

Would the Yankees be better positioned to make a playoff run if they finished in second place?

Even with Tuesday’s win, the Yankees are mired in their worst slump of the season, having just endured their first four-game losing streak and their first sweep of three games or more.

The team that’s been responsible for this poor stretch of games –- the Texas Rangers –- is the same team the Yankees would have to face in the divisional round if they win the AL East title. They’d currently get the Twins if they won the wild card.

The Rangers have one advantage that could doom the Yankees in a potential playoff matchup. They can trot out two quality left-handed starters, Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson.

The Yankees have lost their last five games against left-handed starters and their .259 batting average against them is ranked sixth in the AL. Several key Yankees are really struggling vs southpaw starters (see accompanying chart) –- if it wasn’t for Marcus Thames, the overall numbers would be much uglier.

Yankees BA vs LH Starters
                   2010 Career
Brett Gardner     .198 .227
Curtis Granderson .234 .240
Alex Rodriguez    .244 .289
Jorge Posada      .257 .300
Mark Teixeira     .260 .293
Nick Swisher      .266 .245
Derek Jeter       .274 .322
Robinson Cano     .295 .303
Marcus Thames     .316 .264

Francisco Liriano and Brian Duensing, or, Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson? Either way, the Yankees are going to have to deal with LHP in the ALDS this season. So, which pair would you rather face?

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Via Jon Paul Morosi today-

It’s been 11 games — and counting — since the last victory by a Yankees starting pitcher. Of course, we know that CC Sabathia (eight shutout innings) deserved to win on Monday night. But the fact remains that the New York starters, as a rule, aren’t staying on the mound long enough.

On Tuesday, Ivan Nova became the latest to leave too early. He had a 6-0 lead to start the bottom of the fifth. When the inning was over, Nova was gone and the Rays were ahead.

Nova cited “bad location” and “bad pitch selection” as causes of the meltdown. He also said his concentration was off. (And here we thought A.J. Burnett wasn’t pitching again until this weekend.)

The Yankees can’t be certain of how Nova would respond to a starting assignment in the postseason. Problem is, the same is true for Phil Hughes, who is already past his career high in innings; Burnett, who has a 6.70 ERA since Aug. 1; and Andy Pettitte, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 18 because of a strained left groin.

Contrast that with last autumn, when the Yankees’ sturdy rotation set the cadence for their championship march.

At this time last year, with an American League East title all but assured, Girardi doled out extra days of rest to Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte in preparation for the postseason. The Yankees gave the trio a breather in September, which enabled them to pitch on short rest when it mattered most. Girardi made it through the Twins, Angels and Phillies while using just three starting pitchers — a rare feat in the game today.

“Last year, it worked,” [Mariano] Rivera said Tuesday afternoon. “This year, new year. We’ll see what happens.”

So, the richest team in baseball may indeed have a postseason rotation that features a Cy Young Award winner (Sabathia), followed by a parade of five-inning men.

And though the Yankees’ biggest questions are on the mound, the lineup doesn’t look as lethal as it did last year. Prior to Tuesday, they had averaged fewer than three runs per game since the beginning of last week.

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are having sub-par seasons, by their standards. Nick Swisher could barely run to first base on Monday because of an inflamed left knee. Mark Teixeira is dealing with a broken toe. Posada is a 39-year-old catcher, and, Tuesday’s heroics aside, there is only so much that 39-year-old catchers can be expected to do.

…It’s been 11 games — and counting — since the last victory by a Yankees starting pitcher…

…Prior to Tuesday, they had averaged fewer than three runs per game since the beginning of last week…

For sure, if they try “that” in the post-season, it ain’t going to get the job done, is it?

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* Well, only if the Boston Red Sox win today, as well.

At this moment, here’s the overall standings in the American League:

.
And, if the Yankees lose today, and the Red Sox win, then that means New York is your new Wildcard leader in the A.L. and Boston will be six games behind them in the loss column.

“Six games with only 16 left to play? I’ll take my chances with that.” you may be thinking here. And, agreed, that seems like a safe cushion. After all, when the Mets blew a seven game lead with 17 to play in 2007, it was a huge deal.

But, within those 16 games, the Yankees do have to play the Red Sox six times. And, they also have four games against the Rays – who don’t want to do the Yankees any favors. So, while six and sixteen seems like a lot, there’s something inside there that should concern the members of Yankeeland.

Of course, the answer here is simple – a Yankees win tonight, without, or without, a Red Sox loss, makes it seven and sixteen (at the least). And, it’s best, for the Yankees, to have a cushion over the Sox that’s greater than the number of times they have left to play them.

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The Yankees beat Tampa 8-7 in 10 innings courtesy of Jorge Posada’s monster blast to CF and Greg Golson’s Roberto Clemente-like laser beam throw from RF to nail Carl Crawford for the last out of the game.

Before the excitement of the 10th inning, the Yankee offense came alive for a few innings (then predictably went back to sleep) and Ivan Nova and Boone Logan combined to turn a 6-0 rout into a 7-6 defecit in the span of one half-inning.

That’s all I can bring myself to say about this game.  For those so inclined to keep the discussion going, have at it.  See you tomorrow.

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Remember when Brett Gardner ended an inning on Monday trying to steal third base? Here’s what he said, after that game:

“Obviously, with two outs you can’t get thrown out going into third. I did, I screwed up. I take full responsibility. My fault.”

That’s doing the right thing in regards to a bad situation.

Now, let’s shift gears to Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Rays. As you may have heard by now, Crawford got nailed at third base, tagging from second, to end the game for his team yesterday. It was a stupid play. Everyone knows you don’t make the first or last out of an inning at third base. And, what did Crawford say after the game about his play? Here it is:

“I always make it on that play. That’s why I went.”

Well, I guess, now, he can say “I almost always make it…”

Seriously, Crawford really put on a bad display of base running in that 10th inning. When he was on first base, he failed to tag on Evan Longoria’s 400-foot drive to center – and that would have been the right play. So, he was forced to then steal second base – which then led to him getting thrown at third on the fly ball by Matt Joyce.

However, instead of owning up to it, like Gardner did the other day, Crawford says “I always make it on that play. That’s why I went.”

Really?

Oh, and, by the way, this is a pretty important series for the Rays against the Yankees, right? And, in the first game, Crawford got himself ejected in the ninth inning for arguing a third strike call by home plate umpire Tom Hallion. Another stupid move.

Ladies and gentlemen…Carl Crawford.

Many in Yankeeland want their team to pick up Crawford this off-season as a Free Agent – a move which would force Brett Gardner to the role of fourth outfielder (or trade material) next year. Well, be that as it may, if it happens, be prepared – because Carl Crawford may be a better player than Brett Gardner, but, he’s got a ways to go in terms of learning the right and wrong way to play the game and how to act afterwards regarding the reaction to what happens on the field.

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Via the Sports Network –

New York Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher underwent an MRI, which revealed inflammation in his left knee.

Swisher, who had the exam on Tuesday, received a cortisone shot and he’s not expected to be in the starting lineup until this weekend when the Yankees will be in Baltimore.

Pettitte should be back in that series as well. And, the Yankees will need both of these guys to perform well for them – down the stretch and in the post-season.

Man, I just got Déjà vu as I typed that.

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Via the AP –

The major league baseball schedule for 2011 features a midweek start in March, a midweek ending in September and the Chicago Cubs’ first visit to Fenway Park in nearly 100 years.

The new-look grid is designed to meet commissioner Bud Selig’s goal: to have the World Series over in October. Game 7 this year is set for Nov. 4.

Five openers are scheduled for Thursday, March 31, with games at Cincinnati, Washington, St. Louis, Kansas City and Yankee Stadium. One of them is expected to be moved up to the night of March 30.

Starting in 1999, the season had been slated to start on either a Sunday night or Monday afternoon — except for some special neutral-site trips.

The regular season is set to end on Wednesday, Sept. 28, with games such as Philadelphia-Atlanta, Colorado-San Francisco and Yankees-Tampa Bay. The last time a season finished on any day other than Sunday was 1990. This new way, the playoffs could begin in September.

It’s going to be strange to see the season end on a Wednesday night. It just seems “normal” to have it end with a Sunday day game. But, if it means no post-season games in November, then, sign me up.

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Have to confess, up until that rocket throw, I was sweating bullets in the bottom of the tenth.

It had a real bad 2004 ALCS feel to it…until that crazy ending.

Does this mean all the Yankees fans will come out of the woodwork now?

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…and all I can think of is…

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Via Kevin Kernan today -

In many ways the Yankees really haven’t shown us anything yet, other than their ability to dominate mediocre and bad teams. The Yankees have played 18 different opponents this season. Only seven of those teams entered play yesterday as plus-.500 teams. Against those magnificent seven (the Rays, Blue Jays, Rangers, Phillies, Twins, White Sox and Red Sox) the Yankees were 32-29. The Yankees are 9-1 against the Athletics, who were .500 before beating the Royals yesterday afternoon.

The Yankees also have made the most of good records against the Orioles (11-4 against them) and the Astros (3-0).

This series, against the Rays, is a chance to get it in gear against a good club.

Against the four likely playoffbound teams they have faced this season, the Yankees are 14-14. They are 5-6 against the Rays, 4-2 against the Twins, 4-4 against the Rangers and 1-2 against the Phillies.

Amen. Then again, I was saying this back in June.

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The numbers, via Mark Simon -

This season, in late-and-close situations, the Yankees are hitting .243, right in line with the American League average, .244, with a .727 OPS that rates 33 points above average.

One of the reasons that the 2010 numbers looks so paltry is because of their performance last season — a .316 batting average and a .945 OPS, with more late-inning dramatic wins than any other team.

The hitters who are bringing the numbers down are two who you would figure you’d want at the plate– Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira– who are hitting a combined .216 in 153 at-bats, each with an OPS below league average. That’s a lot of big late-game outs.

We’d lump in Alex Rodriguez with them too. He’s just a little better at .239, the difference being that when Rodriguez has hit, he’s hit for power, thus giving him one of the Yankees better clutch ratings on Fangraphs.com, which also has a system for relating in-game clutch performance.

That one compares a hitters weighted on-base average (think: similar to OPS) in key situations to performance when there’s not as much on the line. In the last 30 days, the Yankees have three hitters who rank among the 10 worst in the AL in clutch rating– Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and Brett Gardner.

Yes, of course, there’s always the question of sample size, as Simon notes in the piece, with stats like these. What I would like to see, in addition to this data, is how the Yankees are doing this year in terms of “clutch” as defined by Bill James. Now, that may tell an interesting story.

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Great stuff on this, today, from Joe Lemire –

Yankees ace CC Sabathia was great — though he threw eight shutout innings of two-hit ball with nine strikeouts, the Rays beat New York 1-0 on a Reid Brignac solo homer in the 11th inning to retake first place in the AL East by a half-game — but now what? There is no question that the big lefty can pitch effectively against Tampa Bay. Sabathia took a no-hitter into the eighth inning back in April and took a one-hitter into the eighth on Monday night. In 29 1/3 innings against the Rays, he has allowed just six earned runs, good for a spectacular 1.84 ERA even if he is just 1-1 with two no-decisions in four starts.

The other Yankees’ starters, however, are just 1-5 against the Rays and have given up 36 earned runs in 33 innings — an atrocious 9.82 ERA. While Sabathia has recorded a quality start in each of his four outings against the Rays, the rest of the Yankees’ rotation only has two in its eight starts, with one each by A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes.

While Monday’s loss might be tough to stomach for New York, the bigger question as a possible playoff rematch approaches is this: who else can Yankees manager Joe Girardi trust to shut down the Rays? For the rest of this series, Girardi first gives the ball to rookie Ivan Nova — making his fifth career start — and then to Hughes, whose most recent start was skipped so that he doesn’t exceed his season innings limit.

Yup…

…the other Yankees’ starters, [outside of Sabathia], are just 1-5 against the Rays and have given up 36 earned runs in 33 innings — an atrocious 9.82 ERA…

That says it all, don’t it?

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Since August 30th, the Yankees have played in 13 games.

Since August 30th, Joba Chamberlain has appeared in 4 games – throwing just four innings.

Well, if Joba ain’t hurt, then, for some reason, the Yankees are just not using him – that’s for sure.

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I was just looking at Ivan Nova’s big league starts, to date. Here they are:

.

So, Nova’s usually good to pitch into the sixth inning, most times. And, he usually allows around eight base runners per start, roughly speaking.

Let’s say he does the same, tonight, against the Rays.

How many of those base runners are going to try and steal a base in this game? Could it be possible that the Rays will have six steals tonight before the end of the sixth inning?

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Yanks lose 1-0 on a walk-off homer by Reid Brignac in the 11th inning.

If you want to talk about it, go right ahead.  I personally don’t care to.  If not for my loose contractual obligation to provide content to this site I wouldn’t even be writing these words.  I am not quite sure where my Yankees went but I am not enjoying watching all these Royals games I’ve been forced to sit through.

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In their last 49 games, the Yankees have gone 26-23. That’s pretty close to being just a .500 ballclub, ain’t it?

During this time, they’ve gone from being 4 games up, in first, to being one-half game out, in second.

When you factor all this in, it’s amazing that their record during this time didn’t lead to a bigger swing in the standings. Better lucky than good, huh?

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On September 13th, back in 1995, the Yankees were 5 1/2 games behind the Angels in the A.L. Wildcard chase. And, on September 21st, just a week (thereabouts) later, New York closed the gap to one-half game. Two days later, on the 23rd, the Yankees had a one and a half game lead on the Angels – and would go on to win the Wildcard that season.

On September 13th, today, the Yankees lead the A.L. Wildcard chase – by seven games in the loss column. I wonder how these standings will look a week from now?

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When was the last time that the Yankees were involved in an extra inning game, with the score tied at zero, with only 18 games left to follow, while being in first place, and playing the team directly behind them, by only one-half game, and they brought in pitchers like Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre to pitch in the extra frames – when they had several other pitchers with better statistics available?

Shades of Jeff Weaver.

Lemme guess, if Mitre had pulled a Houdini, like Gaudin did, was Javy Vazquez the next in line to pitch in this one for the Yankees?

Man, punting is one thing. But, it’s even worse when you shank it.

Update:  In his post-game presser, Joe Girardi said that Joba Chamberlain, David Robertson and Jonathan Albaladejo were not available as they needed rest. And, that he would not use Mo Rivera in a non-save situation. Well, Joba hasn’t pitched since last Friday. So, what’s up with that? And, Robertson last pitched on Saturday – throwing one and a third. And, in fact, over the last 13 days, he’s only pitched 6 innings (over five games). Therefore, how tired can he be – throwing 6 innings over a span of two weeks?

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Well, last shot in a “needs a miracle” kind of way. But, if the Red Sox go 5-1 in their next 6 games, AND, if the Yankees go 1-5 in their next 6 games, that would put the Red Sox four games behind the Yankees – in the playoff spot chase – with 13 games to play. And, here’s the kicker: The Red Sox would play the Yankees in 6 of those 13 games.

So, yeah, Boston would have to take 5 of 6 from Seattle and Toronto. And, the Yankees would have to lose 5 of 6 from Tampa and Baltimore. And, that’s asking a lot on both sides. But, boy, if that happened…watch out.

It would make the last two weeks of this baseball season one to watch – that’s for sure.

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Do you know that’s September 13th and, at the moment, the standings in the A.L. East appear as they do below?

Rk    Tm  W  L W-L%   GB Strk   R  RA
1    NYY 87 56 .608  ---  L 3 5.3 4.1
2    TBR 86 56 .606  0.5  L 1 5.1 4.1
3    BOS 79 64 .552  8.0  W 1 5.0 4.6
4    TOR 73 70 .510 14.0  W 1 4.7 4.5
5    BAL 55 88 .385 32.0  L 1 3.8 5.0

And, you do know that the Yankees are playing the Rays tonight, right?

Yet, there’s no buzz in Yankeeland today. Why?

Twitter is kind of quiet. I’ve checked a few other Yankees blogs and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of chatter in comment sections at the ones I visited. And, it’s been crickets here for the last 18 hours or so. What’s up with that? Everyone more interested in what the football Giants did yesterday or what the Jets will do next? Is that it?

Or, is Yankeeland just smarting because the team has lost 6 of 7 – and were a Swisher walk-off HR away from losing seven in a row? Or, maybe it’s that Yankeeland is not looking forward to what may happen over the next three games at the Trop? Or, maybe it’s both?

I’m just shocked at how quiet it is Yankee-cyberspace today. Com’on people! Nineteen games left, up by just one-half, and playing the team directly below you. If that can’t wet your Yankees chops, what the heck will?

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Sweeny Murti looks at the Yankees potential match-ups in the 2010 ALDS:

The Yankees and Rays play 7 times over the next 11 days. Isn’t this why we love September baseball?

Okay, maybe a little of the drama has been sapped from this thing with both teams comfortably ahead of wildcard contenders Boston and Chicago. But there’s still some drama left in the jockeying for position and the matchups created by finishing first or finishing second.

Heading into play on Monday, the Yankees would face the Texas Rangers in the first-round best of five. Maybe that didn’t scare you 72 hours ago, but a three-game sweep in Arlington punctuated by two walk-offs and a suddenly back-to-form Cliff Lee make you think twice about wanting to see that matchup again, right?

So is it better then to drop down to second and face the Twins? Be careful what you wish for. There is something a little scary about having to keep going through that team, the thought creeping into your mind that maybe this year the Twins will finally hang with the Yankees instead of falling down like bowling pins. A Yankee team that is vulnerable, a Twins team that is motoring through another regular season, now just two games behind the Yankees for best overall record—two games! And just the thought of watching Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson chase a Joe Mauer double into the gap…through the SNOW at Target Field!

Yes, the golden parachute of the wildcard may have taken away some of the intensity we’ll see this week at the Trop and again next week in the Bronx, but not all of it. Hopefully the Yanks and Rays give us some games to remember.

Here’s the thing for me: Thanks to this past weekend, the Texas Rangers now know that they can beat the Yankees. And, we know that the Tampa Bay Rays feel that they can play against, and beat, the Yankees. However, the Minnesota Twins still have to prove that the Yankees are not in their head – and that they can beat New York. Yet, that said, I’m totally on board with the concept that the law of averages comes into play. And, eventually, the Twins are going to beat the Yankees in a post-season series – just like the Angels finally beat the Red Sox last year in the ALDS.

There really is no easy road to the World Series for the Yankees this season. Then again, it wasn’t easy for them in 2009, 2003, 2001 or 2000 either. But, in those aforementioned post-seasons, they had something special and/or magical happen more times than not. And, you can’t count on that all the time. See: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Actually, that makes for an interesting question. The Yankees were in the post-season every year this past decade (as they’re all but in this year) sans one year: 2008. And, assuming they don’t win a ring this year, that would make them “one for nine” this decade in terms of making it to the dance and winning it all. That’s sort of Buffalo Bills/Atlanta Braves-ish of them, ain’t it?

Yeah, I know…twenty seven rings, and all that. But, in terms of the current day Yankees, wouldn’t this apply?

Granted, there’s an answer here: Win a ring in 2010 and it’s all moot. But, that’s looking easier said that done, at least now, no?

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The other day Alex Belth mentioned that he would be sending me a review copy of “Lasting Yankee Stadium Memories: Unforgettable Tales From The House That Ruth Built.”

Now, to be totally candid, I’ve sorta/kinda known Alex for about six years now. He’s a super-nice guy. In fact, I’ve never heard anyone, ever, say something about him that’s less than kind. And, I consider him to be a friend. That said, as I waited for his book to arrive, I had this Rocky vs. Thunderlips, let’s move around a little bit, you chase me and I’ll chase you, preconceived notion on how this would go down. He’d send me the book, I’d check out the book, and, regardless of what I thought about it, I’d give it a mention in the blog – because friends should help friends.

So much for the best laid preconceived notions…

Why?

Well, when I received “Lasting Yankee Stadium Memories,” I started reading it, and, immediately, it hit me – “This is really, really, good!”

Yeah, I knew about the project behind this – where Alex was collecting “Lasting Stadium” memories back in 2008 to share on his blog. In fact, I was one of those who contributed towards that effort. So, I should have known that it would be good – having read some of these back in 2008 on-line. Then again, maybe that was “the thing” behind my preconceived notion? Maybe I thought I wouldn’t enjoy the book because it wouldn’t be totally “new” to me? Well, whatever the reason, it was totally wrong of me to think I was going to have to plug this one out of kindness as opposed to it being warranted.

For the book, Alex uses the “heavy hitters” among those contributions – like Bob Costas, Richard Ben Cramer, Tony Kornheiser, Tom Boswell, Dave Kindred, Leigh Montville, Joe Posnanski, Jane Leavy, Maury Allen, Bob Klapisch, Tyler Kepner, Allen Barra, Marty Appel, Alan Schwarz, Steve Rushin, Mike Vaccaro, Rob Neyer, and Ken Rosenthal – along with some sundry others (mostly Bronx Banter Blog contributors and friends of that blog) and it’s a wonderful anthology. And, this totally “works” as a book. First, it’s a neat capsule of all these stories in one binder. Secondly, the beauty of this one is that you can read it from cover to cover, or, just cherry-pick the entries as you so desire – and, it’s a great read, either way.

“Lasting Yankee Stadium Memories: Unforgettable Tales From The House That Ruth Built” is a literary cornucopia of the Yankee Stadium experience from every possible angle. If you’re a Yankees fan, this one will hit the sweet spot for you.

The scheduled release date for Alex’s book is October 1, 2010. As mentioned, if you’re a Yankees fan, you owe it to yourself to pick up “Lasting Yankee Stadium Memories.” It will resonate with you. And, if you’re not a Yankees fan, but want to check out a cool book about what an old ballpark has meant to so many people, you’ll want to pick up this one too.

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Going into this game, with the pitching match up, I’m pretty sure every Yankee fan thought that the Yanks had no chance. Especially given how well Lee would actually go on to pitch against them. But, watching the game, I couldn’t help but be bothered by this one. Even more so than the previous two losses.

Why? Well Mosely gave the Yanks a performance that you’d pay top dollar to see Burnett turn in. He was outstanding. If you forget who was pitching and just look at the performance turned in, that’s when you begin to get worried about the playoffs. This game had a playoff atmosphere. The Rangers weren’t sitting around to hit the big 3 run homer. They were running, they were fighting. This was a preview of the playoffs, and I didn’t like it.

Ian Kinsler absolutely won this game single-handedly. He tagged up from first on a deep fly out to right. Then tagged up from second on a ball nearly as deep. Then he scored on a 2 out drag bunt that was perfectly placed. Once that run was plated, the wind came out of the Yanks sails. From there the Rangers managed to scrap together 3 more runs in the 7th, and this one was over. Pitching and speed. This is the way to beat the Yankees in the playoffs and it was eerie to see it play out. Hopefully it was not foreshadowing of things to come.

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Via Marc Topkin –

Even with the Yankees in town, first place on the line and David Price and CC Sabathia in a marquee matchup for tonight’s opener, there are still plenty of good seats available for the three-game series at the Trop.

And that, Rays manager Joe Maddon said, is too bad.

“In a baseball sense, that would almost be unbelievable,” Maddon said. “If you’re truly a baseball person, and I think there’s enough of those around the Tampa Bay area, that if you had this opportunity to go out and see it in person to not — and we’re pretty reasonable in regards to our pricing and parking and everything else — that would be very disappointing actually.

“At least close to being a sellout, 30-(thousand)-plus is what that series deserves every night in our situation.”

As of Sunday, that didn’t sound like the case, with the Rays saying there were tickets available in all seating categories.

Ah, the mystery of the deserted fort…it’s a tale as old as time…

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Via a Dan Wade tweet today:

With their win and losses for the Rays and Yankees, the Twins are now just two games away from homefield advantage in the playoffs.

Oh, and, by the way, at this moment, the Twins have the best home record in the American League:

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So, after getting swept by the Rangers, the Yankees are now tied with the Tampa Bay Rays in the loss column at 56 each. However, New York has one more win than Tampa. Therefore, they have a slim half-game lead over the Rays.

Tomorrow’s game should be a beauty. CC Sabathia against David Price.

After that, not so much. Rookie Ivan Nova against Matt “I pitch much better in Tampa” Garza followed by Phil Hughes against James Shields.

Prediction: Pitchers duel in the first one. Mismatch in the second one. Slugfest in the final game.

The Rays will win at least one of these games. Probably two. Maybe three. My guess is that they take two of three and the Yankees will be a half-game out of first, and one game back in the loss column, by the time we go to sleep on Wednesday.

That should make for an interesting final sixteen games of the season. Do the Yankees play them hard, and try and win the East? After all, four of the sixteen will be against the Rays. (And, six against the Bosox too, for what it’s worth.) Or, do they just punt the rest of the season and limp into the post-season as the A.L. Wildcard? My guess is that it will be the latter.

Has there ever been a defending World Champion team who backed into a playoff berth the following season via the Wildcard? Maybe the closest there would be the ’97 Yanks, no?

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