IT'S ALL WHITE SOX IS CHI-TOWN. YANKEES LOOK FLAT

The New York Yankees entered the Tuesday night match-up against the Chicago White Sox with a multitude of concerns.  The Yankees' division lead, that was once 10 games, had shrunk to 4 games as the Tampa Bay Rays surged into contention.  Furthermore the Yankee bullpen entered Tuesday's game with an 0-2 record and an 8.03 ERA over the last five games.  If that was not enough, Yankee starter Ivan Nova had pitched poorly of late, and he entered the game leading the league in extra-base hits allowed.

Yankee fans were momentarily comforted by a Derek Jeter HR to lead off the game.  Nick Swisher followed with a single to center and later scored courtesy of a Curtis Granderson RBI fielder's choice.  The Yankees led 2-0 after a half inning.  Nova yielded a hit and a walk in the bottom of the first, but escaped otherwise unscathed to preserve the 2-0 lead.

 

After the first two Yankee batters scored, the New York offense disappeared.  Over the next five innings, the Yankees managed four singles, a walk, and zero runs.  Meanwhile, one of the Yankees' worst fears materialized.  Starting pitcher Ivan Nova was putrid.  The first four White Sox hits that he allowed completed the cycle.  Dewayne Wise singled in the first, Alex Rios tripled in the second, Paul Konerko hit a HR in the fourth, and Alexi Ramirez doubled in the fifth.  In that fifth inning Nova got even worse.  He allowed four runs on the Ramirez double, a walk, another Wise single, and a Kevin Youkilis grand slam HR!  The White Sox led 6-2.

The game was effectively over at that point.  Russell Martin did manage to hit his 14th HR in the seventh to cut the Chicago lead to 6-3.  Derek Lowe relieved Nova in the bottom of the seventh inning, but he immediately allowed two hits, including the third DeWayne Wise hit of the game.  Following a walk to Adam Dunn, the bases were full of Sox.  Lowe managed to retire Konerko via strike-out and Alex Rios via ground ball to Cano, and the Yankees "escaped" with the Chicago lead holding at 6-3 through seven.

 

The Yankees did nothing in the eighth inning.  Chicago managed to score a run in their half of the eighth on an AJ Pierzynski triple and a Gordon Beckham RBI single to right that gave the Sox a 7-3 lead.  Facing a four run deficit in the ninth, Yankee prospects were bleak at best.  New York had not won a game all year when trailing after eight innings.  The Yanks were true to form.  The game that Jeter began with a bang, ended on a whimper, a weak fly out by Jeter to right field.   

 

In 1921, a former major league player characterized the New York Yankees of that season as the "best worst team in either league."  With a minor modification and a literary license, that phrase could be adjusted slightly to describe the 2012 Yankees.  I would say the current squad is the "worst of the best teams in either league."  The 1921 Yankees did not win the World Championship.

The 2012 verdict remains in doubt, but the unhappy final tonight was Chicago 7 - New York 3, as the Yankees continued in the wrong direction.

--Frank Gentry, BYB Writer

Twitter: @yankeefrank23



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