IBANEZ HOMERS TWICE IN ANOTHER MAGICAL POSTSEASON WIN!

Momentum and major advantage in the 2012 ALDS were hanging in the balance as the Orioles and Yankees squared off in game three of this playoff series that was tied at 1-1 after two games in Baltimore.  If Charles Dickens was still around to recap the early innings of this game, he might have titled his story "A Tale of Two Pitchers."

 

Oriole rookie starter Miguel Gonzalez was dominant through seven innings and Hiroki Kuroda was almost as strong for the Yankees, but he teetered on the brink in innings three through five of his eight innings of work. 

The Orioles produced a run in the third on a HR off the bat of Ryan Flaherty.  They followed with a major threat in the fourth by sending six batters to the plate.  A hit, a walk, and hit batsman loaded the bases with Orioles, but Kuroda was able to retire Flaherty this time on a come-backer to the mound.  That was a significant moment in the game that could have been disastrous for the Yankees.  Kuroda yielded a second HR leading off the fifth.  This time Oriole youngster Manny Machado ripped a Kuroda pitch to left field for the Birds' second run of the game and a 2-1 Baltimore lead.

The Yankees had scored in the bottom of the third on a Russell Martin double and Derek Jeter RBI triple to center.  Oriole outfielder Adam Jones broke in on Jeter's ball and could not recover as the wind seemed to push the Jeter fly ball just out of his reach.  Martin's run produced a 1-1 tie after three innings.  Otherwise, the Yankee offense struggled against Gonzalez.  During his seven innings of work, Martin and Jeter each had two hits.  Unfortunately, the rest of the Yankee lineup went 1 for 20 against the Oriole starter!  Gonzalez really hit his stride in innings six and seven as he struck out five of the last six Yankee hitters he faced.  Gonzalez did not allow a run after the third inning.

Kuroda was almost as good.  He retired the last eleven batters he faced and allowed zero runs after the fifth. 

With one out in the ninth, things looked shaky for the Yankees.  Trailing 2-1 with Oriole relief ace Jim Johnson on the mound, the Birds were two outs away from their second win of the series.  At that juncture, Yankee manager Joe Girardi made a major decision.  He sent Raul Ibanez to the plate to pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez.  Some of the media mavens acted shocked by Girardi's move in the post-game interviews, but it was an imminently logical move.  Girardi got the left-handed Ibanez up to bat for the struggling Rodriguez and got the lefty-righty match-up that Joe loves to see in the Stadium.

Girardi's move paid off in spades!  Ina very dramatic moment, Ibanez homered to tie the game at 2-2!  Both bullpens were strong in innings ten and eleven and David Robertson remained strong for the Yankees in inning twelve.  The Orioles were not so lucky.  Raul Ibanez led off the twelfth for New York and was facing lefty Brian Matusz who was beginning his second inning of work.

Ibanez produced a result that forever more labeled this Yankee win as the Raul Ibanez game.  In an even more dramatic moment than the ninth, Raul Ibanez slammed a second HR to right, this one into the second deck, that secured the Yankees second win in this ALDS series and staked the Yankees to a 2-1 lead heading into game four tomorrow.

In an odd twist, the Yankees finished the game without both Rodriguez and Jeter.  Jeter departed after the eighth inning with a foot injury that was evidently sustained on a foul ball off his foot early in the game.  Jeter assured Yankee fans that he would be available tomorrow but he was hobbled by a noticeable limp when he departed in the eighth.  Regardless, the Yankees have a chance to close out the series tomorrow as Phil Hughes takes the mound against the Orioles and Joe Saunders.

Wednesday's happy final:  New York 3  Baltimore 2.  New York leads the ALDS by two games to one.    

--Frank Gentry, BYB Writer

Twitter: @yankeefrank23

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WHY IT WASN'T THE YANKEES NIGHT

Brian Matusz beat the Yankees tonight. That's it. The Yankees had runners on base, or lack there of and could not get it going tonight. Sure, it's baseball, sometimes that happens, but come on now, we're the mighty New York Yankees, and they are the Orioles.  Is it really possible that we can't go out there and beat them every time? I guess it is.

Phil Hughes was not good tonight. Maybe he was OK, but he wasn't good.  I don't care what Joe Girardi suggests about Hughes having better command of his fast ball, maybe he did but his line tonight looked like this: 5.2 IP, 4 hits, 4 runs, 6 K's. He's a strange case right now.  Not sure what to make of Hughes.  Sure, you can make the argument that it's the beginning of May and it's still OK if Hughes is still working out some kinks.  But let's be honest, this is a guy that's having some trouble still and how many more starts do we need to wait for him to be "back." 

There is a double standard in my opinion when it comes to Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes.  Hughes is home grown, the Yankee brass haven't given up on him yet. Freddy Garcia? Well, the bullpen is purgatory for him before he's released, I believe that.  Keep your eyes on Hughes, if he continues to give up a lot of runs, we have to ask ourselves some serious questions, like "Should Hughes be the guy in the pen?"  Stay tuned for that.

Eduardo Nunez had a misplay in the outfield, but it's going to happen when you're are an infielder and then they move you to the outfield.  I believe in the Nunez Experiment and sure it will take time, but don't get on his case yet, don't forget, Hughes was the one who let up for 4 runs before Nunez even made that misplay. 

Offense tonight was flat but there were moments.  Curtis Granderson had a solo shot and that was it.  Alex Rodriguez had an opportunity with the bases loaded and popped up. Come on Alex, you're a major league ball player, you need to hit that.  Derek Jeter of course had 3 hits tonight.  The Captain is just amazing. 

Final Score: Orioles 7 - Yankees 1.

Tomorrow Ivan Nova goes for the Yankees...damn I could use another win!

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THE YANKEES GUIDE TO THE AL EAST

It’s almost time again, Opening Day is around the corner and I can hardly wait! The Yankees made a lot of moves during the off season, and now it is time to see Cashman’s plan put into motion. The AL East is always a tough division, which also makes it so exciting to watch every year. You can find it all here from fierce rivalries to some of the best hitters in the game. This year will be no different, the Yankees aren't the only one to make changes and it is about to get interesting….so let’s break out the scouting report!

Baltimore Orioles

(In Photo: Brian Matusz)
Buck Showalter has a very young team that has a lot of potential but depends heavily on a few key players. Last year, the Orioles young and promising pitching staff did not pan out as they had hoped. This year, Brian Matusz is likely headed back to AAA and and Jake Arrieta is looking for a bounce back year after having shoulder surgery. Showalter has already named Arrieta as his opening day starter, so all eyes are on him. The Orioles are also going to count on Mark Reynolds to make more contact with the ball than he does with thin air since the Orioles do not have a lineup rich in offense. Another key to the offense will be Brian Roberts. Although he is currently on the disabled list with a concussion, he is the best lead-off hitter they have, and if his bat is out of the lineup it is noticeable. Matt Wieters is also crucial to the lineup, and while he is pretty solid defensively he has a hard time batting from the left side. The Orioles are still going through some growing pains, but they have a lot of potential.

Toronto Blue Jays

(In Photo: Ricky Romero)
The Blue Jays become even more dangerous with every year, if the Blue Jays were in the AL Central, they might be division winners. This team has a lot of young talent including a strong starting rotation and two closers. Ricky Romero has turned into the ace of a young staff, who has inexplicably managed to induce ground balls at an amazing ratio but has a higher than average fly ball ratio to go with it. Somehow, he keeps batters guessing and it works for him. The bullpen is also going to be a strength for them with two potential closers Francisco Cordero and Sergio Santos both capable of shutting down the game. Offensively, the Blue Jays have a big question mark with Adam Lind who is very streaky but can hit for power. Of course, Jose Bautista knows how to hit for power. After putting up similar numbers in both 2010 and 2011 there is no reason to think his numbers will be any less impressive.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have one of the strongest starting rotations in the entire league along with a productive offense to back it up. David Price is back again along with James “Big Game” Shields who are one of the most dangerous 1-2 pitching combinations in the game. Last year’s Rookie of the Year award winner Jeremy Hellickson is also back after working on some adjustments. One notable difference this year is Wade Davis transitioning to the bullpen, which will only make the bullpen bridge to Kyle Farnsworth even stronger. Offensively, the Rays may not hit for as much power but BJ Upon, Evan Longoria and newly reunited Carlos Pena (yes, again) can come in and deliver during a clutch situation. One of the biggest strengths that the Rays have is their defense, which is fundamentally sound. It will be interesting to see how the lineup changes without Johnny Damon this year, but make no mistake, this is a dangerous lineup.

Boston Red Sox

Oh can you feel the rivalry? The team has gone through a drastic makeover. Goodbye Theo, Francona, Captain Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, and Jonathon Papelbon….and hello change. After an epic collapse, it is time to see what Bobby Valentine brings out of the announcers box and onto the field. The starting rotation is still a big question mark with Daniel Bard taking on a starting position, Matsuzaka still out and John Lackey missing all of 2012. New closer Andrew Bailey is now dealing with a thumb problem which makes things even more complicated. The Red Sox have options, but they could use some depth. The offense is still as lethal as always, but it will be interesting to see how the lineup changes now that Marco Scutaro is not on the team, can Nick Punto handle a starting role at shortstop? Carl Crawford is still injured and will be looking for a comeback, but the Red Sox still have a lot of power in Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Dustin Pedroia. It’s a new look to an old rivalry and I can’t wait to watch the drama unfold!

On Friday the long 162 game season starts and I can’t wait to see how the Yankees new roster stacks up against everyone else. The battle for the AL East is always exciting, but this year it is going to be even more intense. It is hard to predict anything, but you can count on one thing…..it will be a fight to the finish. PLAY BALL!

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor

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WHY BASEBALL NEVER STOPS

Hurricane, Smurricane, let's play ball.

It's bizarre how the East coast was, bracing for the end of the world. If you went into any food store on Saturday, it looked like this.
That's what's left of the vegetables. All over the news, it was crazy, telling us to leave town, and businesses are shutting down and make sure you have batteries. Yes, I appreciate all the important information, but each one fed off each other and by the time it reached Saturday at 12pm in the Tri-State area, it was practically reported as Armageddon. It reminded me of this terrific Walt Disney Cartoon I watched as a kid:



But the reality is, it was a bad storm and by the time it hit the Tri-State area, it gave us a shit load of rain, that entered my basement around 6am this morning and then... stopped. Yes, it is sad to report that there was some tragedy and is definitely major flooding, but the reality is, if you took steps to keep your family safe, flooding that's in my house is minor. My rug can be replaced, my kid can't.

As I kissed everyone goodnight last night, I had 1 weird thought in the back of my mind; would the Yankees play? Is it really that important? Now, as I look out my window, I realize, it's over, and while destructive, life continues... baseball continues... the Yankees quest for 28... continues.

So, the Yankees day night double header hopefully happens today and the first game set to start at 1:35 p.m., is still scheduled to be played as planned.

The match ups today are most likely Bartolo Colon vs. Zach Britton. The Yanks were going to have Nova, but now he's pitching game 2.

The night game matches Ivan Nova vs. Brian Matusz.

An interesting nugget from Mark Hale of the New York Post says the Yankees are furious with the way Major League Baseball handled the rescheduling of yesterday's games. Apparently one of the games from yesterday we rescheduled for September 8th. WTF. Read the story HERE. Hale writes:

"Brian Cashman said his team was left out of the rescheduling arrangements for one of the two games postponed yesterday, which is now scheduled to be played Sept. 8. But the Orioles insist they've done nothing wrong and maintain both Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association approved the Sept. 8 date."

I get it. The Yankees should be pissed, a night game and then they need to travel to play first place Boston. You want to be rested when you play those guys, not worn out. It sucks...whatever though, it's BS but we'll have to deal with it. Game on.

So listen, if you're going to the game today in Baltimore, have fun. Remember, the worst is behind us. Now that we know that everyone is safe, it's play ball, and thank the good Lord for that.

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