Nick is without internet, and YF is off for a spa weekend, which leaves me, the enemy, in charge of the game thread. So while my compadres are either damning technology or getting hot pebble massages, Jose Contreras is making his return to the Bronx to square off against the Big Unit. Tonight, we hope, is the beginning of a second half that will spell the end of an amazing run of division titles and playoff appearances for the Yankees. We’re sick of them, as is everyone but a large contingent of obnoxious New Yorkers and bandwagoners. Consider this your game thread for tonight’s game. Go White Sox!
Jose Can You See: Yanks-Chisox Gamer I
Next post: Pop that Zito: Sox-A’s Gamer II
Previous post: My Ponson Analysis
Gerbil punching in at the top of the 4th. Looks like Crede got the two runs on board for the Sox with a home run in the top of the second, scoring Crede.
Johnson strikes out Thome and Konerko to start the 4th, and Dye is retired on a roller to second.
Guiel has the only hit for NY, and Contreras has walked no one.
Contreras is a 28 pitches through three innings. Damon leads off the bottom of the fourth for NY.
Damon is at 2-2: He takes a curve outside for ball 3. Full count: Contreras brings a fastball that Konerko knocks down and retrieves to the bag for the first out. Jeets up.
Takes a strike at the knees. 0-1 is away. 1-1: Jeter reaches out and strokes a pitch low and away to right field. Dye gave chase but couldn’t make the play. A stupid fan reaches out and catches the ball that would have rolled into the corner, making it a ground rule double. Jeter would easily have had third. The jerk is removed from the stands. I hope he enjoys the ball. Grr.
Giambi is walked on 4 pitches. It’s first and second with one away to Álex.
Arod swings and misses at a pitch away. The 0-1 is low. ARod is .303, with RISP.
He hits an infield single into the dead zone between third and the pitcher. Bases loaded to Jorge. Great hustle by ARod who was really trucking on contact.
A curve misses for ball one. Contreras is keeping the ball very low. The Sox didn’t like that call. Jorge ropes a single to right that scores Jeter. Giambi holds at third.
They showed that curve again; looked like a good pitch.
Bernie takes outside for ball one. Bernie is .299 with 11 grand slams in his career with bases loaded.
Low for ball two. The 2-0 is fouled off left. The 2-1: Bernie lifts it to deep left center for a sacrifice fly to score Giambi.
Tie game, first and second with two away to Aaron Guiel.
Outside for ball one. The 1-0 is outside. 2-0 is high. Three and O: Guiel started to swing but pulled back. It’s a called strike. Surprising that he was green lighted there. The 3-1 is away and high to load them for Melky.
Ozzie doesn’t like what he sees and comes out to talk to Contreras. He leaves Jose in there.
He throws a strike to Melky, and then induces a pop-out to third to end the inning.
Cairo fields a grounder from Crede for the first out.
I can’t see the game but it seems like Johnson isn’t pitching badly, just gave up the big hit–is that about right?
Uribe swings under an RJ fastball for strike one. Slider misses low. Uribe pops out to left for the second out. Big, big swings from Uribe in that at bat.
Walein: I didn’t start watching until the fourth, but from what I have seen, Johnson has looked good. He’s retired the last 10 batters he faced.
The 1-2 was a strike but got called a ball. Johnson gets Widger swinging to retire the side.
Cairo ropes it to left. Ozuna can’t get to it and the ball falls behind him; he slips. By the time he throws in to third, Cairo is in with a sliding triple.
Damon is up and falls behind quickly 0-2.
Damon cuts on a sick 0-2 curve from Conteras and misses badly. One out.
Jeter up: Contreras misses inside for ball one. jeter’s 1 for two with a double and a run. Strike 1 looking. The 1-1: Jeter chases a curve ball that was low and fouls it off up third.
The 1-2 is a fastball that Jeter wasn’t ready for. The ball was in the mitt before his bat broke the plane. Nice pitch by Contreras.
c’mon captain!
Ozzie doesn’t want to pitch to Giambi and calls for an IBB. ARod is up with first and third, two outs.
ARod chases a curve low and away for ball one. Brutal pitch for righties to pick up.
Called strike two. Looked inside. The 0-2: outside fastball for ball one. Good eye, Álex.
I’ve got to say. They seemed to pitch around Giambi last at bat to get to A Rod. He better start making them pay for this.
The 1-2: way inside and it hits Rodriguez on the elbow to load them for Jorge.
Ozzie must be fuming about that pitch.
Jorge grounds out to short to end the inning. Giambi tried to screen Uribe but he picked the ball up cleanly anyway.
Walein: agreed. Contreras’ split stats don’t show him to be a significantly better pitcher against lefties vs. righties.
Anderson singles between short and third to lead off the top of the sixth. Ozuna up.
You didn’t mention that GIambi stole second.
I didn’t see it; the camera didn’t show it. I guess no one expects Giambi to run. That’s impressive.
Ozuna hits a slow roller and the only play is to first. Anderson is on second with one away to Iguchi.
Johnson is ahead 0-2 on Iguchi. Johnson brings high heat that Tadahito fights off foul to stay alive. He fouls off another 0-2.
Iguchi is retired swinging on a nasty slider from Johnson that came way inside at the ankles.
Big bad Jim Thome is up. Johnson misses on a close pitch outside. 1-0: low and away for two balls. Way outside for 3-0.
The 3-0 is a nice breaking pitch that Thome misses at for strike one. The 3-1 is a strike on the high outside corner. Thome doesn’t like the call and barks about it.
Full count: strike three swinging!
NICE.
Great way for RJ to battle back from 3-0.
awesome
Meanwhile, Zito and the Athletics are shutting down Boston. It’s Oakland 4, Boston 0 at the end of four.
Bernie is ahead in the count 2-1 as we lead off the bottom of the sixth.
The 2-1 is lined hard on the ground at Konerko who plays it himself for the first out.
WOW!!!!! AARON FRICKING GUIEL!!!!!
Home run to right field on the first pitch, a high fastball on the outside part of the plate. It was up at the letters.
Yanks lead 3-2.
Melky is free-swinging today and is behind quickly again, 0-2. He then grounds out to third. Two away.
Cairo takes a ball low to make the count 3-1. He lines the 3-1 to right center for the third out.
Konerko singles to straightaway center to lead off the top of seven. Johnson is at 77 pitches.
He feeds Dye a slider in the dirt that Posada keeps in front of him, but Konerko swipes second on the pitch. Hmm.
secret weapon Guiel. Milton just hit a 2 rbi double off of Beckett…Sox having issues.
Strike one to Dye on a fastball. Dye fights a fastball off the middle-outside part of the for strike two.
Dye grounds one up the middle. Cairo fields it right over second base, bobbles, and throws to first to get Dye by a fraction of a step. Looked like Dye pulled up just before he reached first. Tough to say, but I don’t think he was legging it out fully.
Konerko advances to third. Crede is up with one away.
Johnson loses the handle on a slider and drills Crede in the left calf. The entire team and Joe Torre come to the mound to see if Randy is losing it.
Guillen and a trainer are checking on Crede.
Uribe steps in, and lifts a pop to left. The throw home is cut off by ARod. Tie game. I think ARod should have let it through; there could have been a play.
Crede tagged and advanced to second as well. I don’t get why ARod cut it off if he didn’t even have a play to second. Konerko is slow.
That’s really annoying.
It’s 1-2 to Widger with two outs. He fouls a slider off to stay alive. Another 1-2 is taken low for 2-2. Fastball misses away to make it full. The payoff pitch: comebacker that tips off of Randy’s glove, but fortunately bounces straight to Cairo who throws to first for the third out.
Let’s get that lead back, boys.
Konerko may very well have been safe on that play, but Melky made a great throw. It would have been close. Damn it, I’m ticked that the throw was cut off.
The good news is that Contreras is still on the mound. I think we can get to him. He’s at 88 pitches and has given up 6 hits..
I never get that when the cut off man is not either a) going to try to make a play at another base or b) the throw to the plate is obviously offline and possibly wild.
Lefty Matt Thornton is up in the pen for the ChiSox.
Damon grounds out weakly to first. One away. Captain up.
Jeter takes low and away for ball one. The 1-0 is a very close pitch, but clearly outside for ball 2. Jeter grounds the 2-0 at Uribe for the 6-3. Two away.
Giambi up. He takes the first pitch, looked like a splitter, at the knees for strike one. He breaks his bat and grounds out to Contreras to end the inning. That was quick.
Damn
Is Randy going to pitch one more?
No decision in this one for RJ as Farns takes the mound for the eighth. Keep it together, Farnsinator.
Farns leads off with a strike to Anderson. The 0-1 is a fastball that rises right over Posada’s mitt. The 1-1 is a fastball grounded to Cairo, who gathers it up for out number one. Ozuna up.
Fastball inside and high for ball one to Ozuna. The 1-0 is another heater that was supposed to be low and away, and ended high and tight.
Farns misses low for ball 3. 3-0. Kyle, what gives?
3-0 is a heater for a strike. Ozuna taking all the way. Ozuna fouls off the 3-1, another heater, to right to bring the count full. They payoff: fastbal down the middle, ground to Cairo who throws to Giambi for the second out.
Iguchi steps in to face Farns. Fastball for strike one, right down the middle. Breaking pitch is wild for 1-1. The 1-1 is another breaking pitch, grounded to Jeter who completes the 6-3 to end the inning.
Contreras is still pitching for Chicago. He’s facing ARod as we start the bottom of eight. Álex takes strike one. The 0-1 is lined to left for a single. Nice swing.
McCarthy and Thornton are in the pen for Chicago. Contreras is coming out of the game, for Thornton I think.
It’s Thornton. He’s a lefty with a 3.13 ERA. Posada is facing. He lines the first pitch to left, advancing Arod to second.
First and second with nobody out to Bernie. The infield is in at the corners. Bernie is batting as a righty. He takes inside for ball one.
The 1-0 is a fastball below the knees for ball two. The 2-0 is way inside for ball three. The 3-0 is high and Bernie takes first. Ozzie is peeved. Bases loaded to Guiel.
Let’s go AP!!
Pinch hitter as Andy Phillips comes out. Ozzie counters by going to the pen to bring in McCarthy.
Ah, maybe no AP, Ozzie goes to the pen after Torre brought out Andy to hit.
Sorry AG, I didn’t mean to be your echo.
No problem, BY. Glad you are here! :)
Andy is ahead 2-0, then fouls a fastball back to make it 2-1.
The 2-1: away to make it 3-1. Big pitch here: Phillips takes a straight fastball to make the count full.
Payoff: strike three swinging. McCarthy overpowered him.
That’s so frustrating.
I wish Guiel had stayed in the game.
Looks like McCarthy is coming out for Riske.
Yeah, why pull Guiel? The guy was locked in tonight.
Boston scores a couple of runs in the bottom of the sixth. It’s now 7-2, Oakland. C’mon, A’s!
It’s not Riske it’s Cotts. Cabrera breaks his bat on the first pitch, then ropes a single to center to score ARod.
Hell YEAH!!!!!! LECHE!!!!
MELKY! :)
Come on Miggy, more runs, more runs!
I’ll take that; let’s go Johnny D!!
Cairo falls behind 0-1. He then lifts one to right. Should score a run. Jorge scores on the tag, and Williams advances to third on the tag as well. Nice, Miguel. Damon up with two away.
Damon falls behind 0-2, then takes inside for ball one. The 1-2 is fouled off left. Another 1-2: in the dirt but Widger controls it and the runners hold. The 2-2: lined up the third base line for a double,scoring Bernie. YES! Nice, Johnny D.
Thatta boy Johnny
New York 6, Chicago 3 with runners on 2nd and 3rd. The Captain is up with two outs.
IBB to Jeter as Guillen likes the lefty Cotts’ chances against Giambi better.
I don’t give a shit what Sox fans say, I know deep down they wish he was still patrolling center in Fenway. He’s so much more of a gamer than Crisp.
Low for ball one to Jason. Mo is up in the pen for NY.
Shift happens. FC as Giambi grounds out and Jeter is forced at second.
Nice play by Iguchi. It’s Mo time.
“Shift Happens” LOL
Thanks, BY.. I’ve been waiting to use that line.. :)
Trial by fire as Thome leads off. Strike one on the inside corner.
Thome holds up on a cutter high in the zone for ball one. The 1-1: broken bat lifted to center. Damon can’t get there and it falls in for a single. HATE that.
Those extra runs are real nice seeing as its Thome, Konerko, Dye. Nasty little blooper for Thome.
Let’s turn two, guys. Konerko takes strike one. He then hits a soft liner to right to make it first and second, no outs. Nice hitting there. Dye up. Takes strike one.
Thank god for those three runs. No f’ing way Mo allows three straight base runners.
Ball one to Dye. The 1-1: hit on the ground in the hole between short and third to load the bases.
Jeter was playing close to second and there was a huge hole. ARRRGGHHH.
Posednik up with nobody out, bases loaded.
uggggg
I stand corrected. At least Posednik is a lefty. I’d love a GDP right about now.
Inside to Posednik for ball one. The 1-0 cutter misses inside for 2-0. The 2-0 is a strike on the inside corner. Another strike. The 2-2 brings the fans to their feet. Ground ball at AP who steps on the bag for one out. The run scores. It’s 2nd and 3rd, one out, NY leading Chicago 6-4.
Uribe is up. he hits a high pop to the corner. Crosby makes the catch. Konerko scores on the tag. It was in foul territory!!! Let that drop, Bubba!!!
Bubba just made a web gem. Come on Mo shut this meathead down. I can’t stand Piersynski.
AJ Pierzynski pinch hits.
A web gem that scores a run. He should have let that go.
Seems like Mo needs help getting the outs.
Mo gets ahead of AJ 1-2. Fans are on their feet. The 1-2: cutter inside fouled high and right out of play.
AJ just gets a piece of a pitch low and away to stay alive. Still 1-2.
Ground ball to AP is just foul. Would have been the last out. Looked fair over the bag. I don’t like that call.
I’m gonna need blood pressure medication after this AB
AJ breaks his bat on a foul. Another 1-2 coming.
yesss
AJ pops one straight back. Still 1-2. AJ takes one for a ride but it’s not deep enough as Crosby makes the catch in right to end the game. Heart attack over. NY 6, Chicago 5.
OVAH!!!!!! Jesus tap dancing Christ that made me nervous.
Seems like Mo couldn’t catch a break in that inning.
Nice outing by Randy there.
Gerbil, walein, have a nice night guys.
That one made me sweat, I think I’m gonna have some Johnny Walker to calm the nerves right now
You too, BY.. sounds like a good idea. That was a nail-biter.
The wheels are all the way off as Ellis doubles to the left field corner, scoring Thomas and Crosby. Bradley advances to third.
oops.
Caught the last 3 three innings of this, but unfortunately couldn’t boot up during the doings. What a wonderful ending though, with the great rally in the 8th—Leche!—the defensive gem by Bubba in the 9th, and that final battle between Rivera and Pierzynski, won by the forces of good. And all the while, the Sox are getting their asses kicked by the A’s.
Good nite all!