Hitting Virus

I tell ya, these games are beyond belief. How is it possible that we keep posting 10+ hits in every game, build a lead behind solid starting pitching, give the lead back behind horrendous relief, and then battle back to win the game? In fact, these Yankees have now had more than 10 hits in 10 consecutive games, which is the longest such streak for the Bombers since 1937, and the longest in the Majors since Atlanta hit in 12 straight in 2004. The Yankee payroll is too high to call these players the "Comeback Kids" or the "Heart Attack Yanks" or anything that remotely suggests that they are the underdog in these contests. The fact is, however, we are playing with a bizarre roster recently. With the Red Sox Ebola Virus striking A-Rod and Giambi, we sported this roster today (luckily Johnny Damon has built an immunity by working in close proximity to the virus!)

Damon
Cabrera
Jeter
Posada
Williams
Phillips
Cano
Cairo
Thompson

What the &*(^? If you had told me in the Spring that we would be fielding this roster in June, I'd have either imagined mass suspensions for a brawl in Boston or a meteor strike. I didn't even mention that Chien Ming Wang closed the game for his first save. He's like a Taiwanese Army Knife, he's so versatile. This is like a roster of Bizarro Yankees. Today's lineup (including Wang) featured 5 members of the 2005 Columbus Clippers opening day roster!!

The Baby Bombers were less spectacular today. Not horrible, but they did hurt the team on a few occasions. All told, the triumverate of Cabrera, Phillips, and Thompson went a combined 3-15 with a homer(Phillips), 3 runs, an RBI(Phillips), and 15 runners left on base. As a team the Yankees left 29 runners on, after amassing and incredible 13 hits and 5 walks. Half of those stranded runners were the property of the kids. Adding in Posada's 0-4 and 5 runners left on base, we spoiled a lot of good chances. Still, you have to like the fact that we have those chances to begin with. Adding a sprinkle of A-Rod and a dash of Giambi to the mix would surely have produced a few extra runs.

Randy Johnson has been the beneficiary of a lot of run support and has been handed more than a few wins this year while he's stunk up the joint. Today the Universe settled the score with him, as his brilliant pitching performance was quickly erased by Scott Proctor's plummet to Earth. Proctor still features very good "stuff" but hitters seem to have caught up to the pattern he's using to get guys out. He relieved Johnson after an out and a walk in the 8th, and promptly got out number 2. Great. Well.....not so great. He walked another batter, and gave up two doubles to allow Johnson's runner to score and another to come around and tie the game. Ouch. The killer is, Proctor settled down to get out of the inning and worked the 9th to send it to extra innings. He vultured a win off his blown save, when Damon homered, and Myers combined with Wang to close the 10th and the game.

All you can say is, "What goes around, comes around."

Tomorrow's game features AAron "Trenton" Small (notice the 'AA' in his first name), and Rodrigo Lopez for the O's. Their ERAs (Small: 7.78, Lopez: 6.68) lead me to believe that the game will be decided by a pair of come from behind Grand Slams in the top of the 112th inning. Probably Phillips followed by a pinch hitting Scott Erickson. See you tomorrow. Go Yanks.