Game #83, Yankees @ Twins

Here’s a running diary of the Yankees first 2nd half game:

Top of the 1st

Scott Baker on the hill.  Derek Jeter is still coughing but bloops a single over Punto.  Gotta stop showering with naked men. Classic swing by Jeter, fighting off a high fastball into right center.

Damon is fooled by a high and inside changeup and called out on strikes.  Nice frame job by Mauer, I’m not sure if that was a strike.

Teix is a .364 career hitter against the Twins and hits a broken bat single to center on the first pitch.  He pulled a down and away changeup.  Jeter advances to 3rd, Teix is 9-17 with 3 HRs against the Twins as a Yankee.  Cone says he is strong.  He’s right…not very insightful, but right.

A-Rod hits .370 with 21 HRs and 52 RBI in 55 games at the Metrodome, but he pops up to Morneau on an offspeed offering from Baker.  Two outs, A-Rod fails to score Jeter.  So unclutch!!!

Matsui is 9 for his last 18, and starts the at bat 2-0.  He hits .328 against the Twins.  Does anyone not hit the Twins well in this lineup?  Another high called strike, the Yanks need to be aware of this.  Matsui lines an outside pitch to left center, great hit off a 92 mph sinker.  1-0 Yankees.  After being a model of consistency, Matsui is now streakier than Robinson Cano.

Swisher has a great eye but is vulnerable to the high strike.  Baker knows it and is pounding him upstairs.  Swisher is fighting off a lot of 0-2 pitches.  Baker strikes him out swinging on a good fastball upstairs.  1-0 good guys, Twins comin to bat.

Bottom of the 1st

Big CC takes the mound against Denard Span, who is a pretty good leadoff man.  CC throws him six straight fastballs, alternating inside/outside, and gets a soft grounder to 2nd.  1 out.

CC has good numbers recently against the Twinkies.  Perhaps he was told he would get actual Twinkies for every win.

Brendan Harris…not so great. 311 OBP.  CC throws five more fastballs and Ks Harris swinging.  2 out.

Joe Mauer…goddamn.  He’s hitting .389 and gets on base over 46% of the time.  He needs 5 plate appearances tonight to qualify for the batting average lead, let’s hope he doesn’t get there.  CC throws his first breaking ball to Mauer, but it’s outside, 2-2.  Next pitch is a fastball grounded to Jeter, 3 out.  1-0 Yanks.

Top of the 2nd

Cano looks a little off on Baker’s fastball, so Baker throws a 1-2 slider and Cano doubles down the right field line.  Cano AND Matsui get hits in their 1st at bats; good sign.  I need a stats guy to look up the Yankees record when Cano and Matsui get a hit in their first AB.  I bet they are 22-0.

Gardner grounds a high pitch off of Baker and the shortstop can’t get to it in time.  It’s an infield single for Brett, Cano moves to third.  Gardner’s swing reminds me of Johnny Damon.  It’s a hacking, ugly motion, but with his speed it works.  Hmmm, both speedy centerfielders with below average arms and an uppercut swing with a tendency to pull home runs just down the right field line…wow.  All Gardner needs is the caveman look.  Damn the Yankees no beards policy!!

Cervelli hits a fly ball right down the left field line, Span catches it on the warning track, and Cano scores from 3rd, Brett tags and moves to second.  Left field is 343 down the line in the Metrodome.  Wow.  In new Yankee Stadium that ball three rows deep…in the old Yankee Stadium across the street.  2-0.

YES replays the Jeter non-steal of 3rd from yesterday.  Over under on 3 more replays/Jeter’s “I was unaware of the rule change” comment.  I’ll take the over.  Gardner goes for 3rd, Jeter fouls it off.

Another replay.  That’s 1.  Cone still thinks Jeter was tagged.  How dare you question the Captain!!  Jeter flies out to right, Garnder goes to third.  2 out.

Damon gets a high chopper off the turf and the shortstop doesn’t even attempt a throw to 1st.  Infield single for Damon, 1st and 3rd, 2 out.

Teix hasn’t hit a home run since June 12th.  Once pitchers wise up to the fact that A-Rod is hitting again, that will change.  Teix breaks his bat again and bounces one in between short and 3rd, Gardner scores, Damon hustles to 3rd.  Sweet, 3 -0 Yanks.

A-Rod falls behind quickly 0-2.  He’s chewing gum and blowing bubbles.  A-Rod would chew gum instead of chewing tobacco.  Sorry, Rod, I don’t mean to hate.  Besides, I need you to get going for my fantasy team.  Dammit, weak hack at an outside fastball, strikeout. 2-0 Yankees.

Bottom of the 2nd

Morneau is the AL Player of the Week, but CC is unimpressed.  Groundout to short, 1 out.

CC continues to fire that fastball, between 92-95 mph.  Yikes, Cuddyer just got a hold of a fastball and puts it in the left center bleachers, 3-1 Yankees.

Crede pops out to 2nd.  That was fast.

CC Ks Delmon Young on 4 pitches.  This is happening too fast!  3-1 Yankees.

Top of the 3rd

Matsui hits a weak grounder to Crede, 1 out.

Swisher jumps on the first pitch and lines it the other way.  Swisher has been aggressive lately, which is out of character for him.  I like it though; if you can hit that first pitch, swing at it.

Cone and Singleton wax poetic about Target field, the Twins new home next year.  Grass!  Sky!  Snow-outs in September!  It’s a good thing the Twins don’t make a habit of playing October baseball.  Cano works a 3-2 count and Swisher doesn’t run.  Now Swisher does run as Cano hits a long out to the left field warning track, Swisher retreats, 2 out, man on 1st.

Baker throws a nasty 1-2 breaking ball to Grander and gets him on a check swing, 3 outs.  Great pitch.

Bottom of the 3rd

Carlos Gomez swings at the first pitch and grounds out to Jeter.  1 out.

CC walks Punto on 4 pitches.

Span lines out to Jeter.

Harris pops up to Teixeira, 3 outs.  (sorry these are short, I’m on the phone)

Top of the 4th

Cervelli hammers a ground ball just past a diving Crede for a single.  I <3 Cervelli.  Could he eventually replace Posada?  He doesn’t have the bat but he already plays better defense.

Jeter walks on 4 pitches, none very close.  Baker is over 80 pitches, maybe he’s tiring?  His trademark control is slipping.

Damon walks on 4 pitches.  For those of you who can’t do the math, that’s 8 straight balls from Baker.  He gets yanked!  Bring in the pen!

Some schmuck named Duensing gets TEix to pop out.

Noooooooooooo!  Carlos Gomez robs A-Rod of a grand slam right over the 408 sign.  That’s the #1 Web Gem tonight, no question.  Cervelli scores on the sac fly.  Wow what a play.  I hate those stupid hefty bag walls out there.  4-1.

Matsui walks on a 3-2 count. (still on the phone)  Bases re-loaded.

Swisher goes to 3-0, then takes a meatball down the middle, 3-1.  Off the phone!  Outside, ball four, forces in Jeter (Baker’s last run).  5-1 Yankees.  That was the 4th walk this inning, no one up in the Twins pen.  Muahahahahah.  The Yankees are rollin!

Called strike 1 to Cano, who is 0-21 with RISP.  My fantasy team is almost 0-21 tonight.  Oh no, sorry, 3-21.  That’s much better.  1-2 to Cano.  Singleton and Cone start talking about walking people with the bases loaded, like Bonds and Pujols.  Pujols is 1-2 with a walk and run scored tonight.  Bonds is 0-1 in calculating how much money he’ll have to pay his trainer to stay in prison.  That joke was a stretch…broken bat grounder to Morneau, 3 outs, 5-1 Yanks.

Bottom of the 4th

CC strikes out Mauer swinging.  Nasty breaking ball.

Mauer and Morneau are the only teammates to make the All Star team in 2008 and 2009.  I still hate you Morneau, for stealing Jeter’s MVP award.  Mauer, I look forward to seeing you in pinstripes, when you will sign a 7 year 140 million dollar deal and play an average of 90 games a season.  Morneau pops up to Cano.  CC is dealin; he’s allowed just 1 hit, the homer by Cuddyer.

Speaking of Cuddyer, he lines out hard to center.  Three up, three down. 5-1 Yankees.

Top of the 5th

Gardner pops a 2-1 fastball to foul territory in right, Morneau makes the catch, 1 out.

Cervelli drills the first pitch he sees…right to Punto.  2 out.  Cervelli has looked good tonight, wow.  I can’t wait for Posada to retire.

Jeter goes 2-2 and slices one to left, but Cuddyer runs it down.  A quick 1-2-3 5th, 5-1 Yankees.

Bottom of the 5th

CC has only thrown 50 pitches so far.  I smell a complete game.  Hitters are batting .207 against the CC-Cervelli battery this season (8 games not including tonight).  I like.  Crede pops out to shortstop.  53 pitches.

CC has started to work in his changeup and the Twins are waaaay out in front.  Brilliant game plan by Cervelli.  Weak hack by Delmon Young produces a slow roller to 2nd and legs out an infield single.  “He can run.”  Thank you Davey Cone.

Carlos Gomez has a “great body.”  Now I’m just picking on you, Coney.  Sorry.  2-2 breaking ball, grounder to A-Rod, just throws out Gomez at first.  Young advances to 2nd with 2 out.

Nick Punto ground a 1-2 offering to 1st, CC out of the inning.  This game is official.  5-1 Yankees.

Top of the 6th

Damon gets called out on a breaking ball up by the letters.  Elbow high.  This is ridiculous.  1 out.

My interest in this game is starting to wane.  Teix is 1-2 right now…but lines one up the middle.  3-4 tonight!  Cone says he muscled it up the middle.  Cone is very impressed by Big Teix’s strength.

No mention of Jeter’s steal of third since the 1st inning.  Weird.  Oh, wait, A-Rod is up.  HE walks on 5 pitches.  I believe that’s 5 free passes issued by the Twins tonight, plus 10 hits.  Only guy not to have a hit is A-Rod.  C’mon man, you’re my fantasy lynchpin!  I need you to come through.

Gomez catches a fly ball from Matsui in the same spot he robbed A-Rod of his grand slam, but this time he doesn’t have to jump.  Teix just gets back to 2nd.  2 on, 2 out.

Swisher walks on 4 pitches to load the bases.  6 walks, 3rd bases loaded situ for the Yanks.

Cano bloops a broken bat single to right center and also breaks his 0-22 with RISP slump.  Teix and A-Rod score, 7-1 Yankees, call to the bullpen.
R.A. Dickey throws a knuckler that doesn’t knuckle so much, and Gardner triples to deep right center.  Two more runs score, 9-1 Yankees.

Cervelli pounds a knuckler down the left field line for his third double and second RBI of the night, 10-1 Yanks.  They’ve batted around in this inning.  That was the 4th hard hit ball from the backup catcher.  I will have your babies, Cervelli.

Jeter strikes out looking.

And with that, I’m done.  This game is O-V-A ova!  (If the Yankees blow this one, feel free to blame me)  Goodnight and goodluck.