(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) WP - Kevin Jepsen (1-0)
LP - Phil Hughes (0-1)
SV - Brian Fuentes (1)
Things started out about as bad as they could have for the Yanks tonight. They put the first two runners on base in the top of the first only to leave them both stranded and let John Lackey off the hook. He was also helped on a 3-2 pitch to Mark Teixeira that was clearly a ball, but was called a strike. The walk would have loaded the bases with nobody out, and who knows how differently the inning and the game plays out.
Then in the bottom half A.J. Burnett had no command and allowed four runs on four hits and a walk. Torii Hunter drove in two with an RBI single, Vladimir Guerrero then doubled in a run, and that was followed by a Kendry Morales RBI single.
If the rains hold off game six will be played Saturday night in the Bronx. Andy Pettitte will try to repeat his series finishing start in Minnesota, while Joe Saunders will try to extend the series for the Angels. First pitch is set for 8:07 p.m. and the game can be seen on FOX.
Burnett would then settle down and get through the next five innings without allowing the Angels to score. He struggled at times, but overall was pretty good after the first and before the 7th. More on the seventh in a moment.
On the other side John Lackey had also settled down after his rocky first inning and held the Yanks scoreless through six. That all changed in the top of the seventh when the Yankees made things look like they were going to pull this one out.
Nick Swisher flew out to start the inning, but that was followed by a double by Melky Cabrera, and walks to Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter to load the bases. The 4th ball to Posada was also clearly a strike, so I'll just take it as a makeup call for the Tex at-bat earlier in the game .Johnny Damon flew to left for the second out of the inning to bring up the struggling Teixeira.
Then Mike Scioscia decided to pull Lackey from the game, which clearly upset Lackey who stood on the mound screaming "This is mine, this is mine!" I love seeing that from a pitcher. Anyway, Lackey was right because on the first pitch Darren Oliver threw Teixeira drilled it into the left-centerfield gap, driving in all three and cutting the Angels' lead to 4-3. A big hit for the struggling Teixeira. But the Yankees weren't done yet. After Alex Rodriguez was intentionally walked, Hideki Matsui drove in a run with an RBI single. Robinson Cano capped off the rally with a two-run triple and the Yankees now led 6-4. Swisher then flew out to left to end the inning, his second out of the inning.
After working very hard to get through six, and struggling along the way, Joe Girardi decides to leave Burnett in the game for the seventh. His pitch count was still low so I assume Girardi wanted to see if he could squeeze another inning out of him. I don't have too much of a problem with this, but after Burnett allowed a single to Jeff Mathis to start the inning on he should have been taken out. This is where I think Girardi may have blown the game. Instead of going to the bullpen with just a man on, he waited, Burnett walked Erick Aybar, and then Girardi decides to bring in Damaso Marte for the lefties.
I don't really understand why Marte came in before Phil Coke, but he did his job getting Chone Figgins on a sac bunt and then getting Bobby Abreu to ground out. A run scored, but the Yanks had two outs and just seven outs to go until their 40th World Series.
Phil Hughes came out of the pen to face Hunter and walked him on five pitches. Not a great starts. Then, after getting ahead of Guerrero 1-2 and making him look foolish on a curveball, he missed terribly on a 1-2 fastball and Guerrero drilled it into center for a game-tying single. The next batter was Kendry Morales and he gave the Angels the lead with another RBI single. Both runs were charged to Burnett and the Angels were up for good.
After going down quietly in the eighth the Yanks brought in Joba Chamberlain, another struggling reliever. For the third time this October Chamberlain allowed a double to the first batter he faced. Then, after striking out Mathis for the first out he gave up an infield single to put runners on the corners. That would be it for Joba who had another ugly performance.
Joba and Hughes allowed a run on four hits and a walk in just two-thirds of an inning. This is nothing new, though. They've been pretty crappy all October. Maybe it's time to give David Robertson a chance in a big spot.
Mariano Rivera came in for Joba and got out of the jam by getting Figgins and Abreu to fly out. Typical flawless outing from Rivera. He kept the lead at one and gave the Yanks a chance to comeback, and had they won tonight it would have been because of him.
They certainly had their chance in the top of the ninth against Angels' closer Brian Fuentes.
After two quick outs by Damon and Teixeira, Fuentes intentionally walked A-Rod, then un-intentionally walked Matsui and hit Cano to load the bases. This brought Nick "Mr. Invisible" Swisher to the plate with the tying run just 90 feet away. Swisher actually had a decent at-bat. After falling behind 0-2 he worked the count full, but on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, a 91 MPH fastball right down the middle, Swisher swung out of his shoes and popped out weakly to deep short. Game over, book your flights to New York.
Swisher is now 3-for-29 during the playoffs with just one RBI. Maybe it's also time to give Brett Gardner a start. Just a thought.
If the rains hold off game six will be played Saturday night in the Bronx. Andy Pettitte will try to repeat his series finishing start in Minnesota, while Joe Saunders will try to extend the series for the Angels. First pitch is set for 8:07 p.m. and the game can be seen on FOX.
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG | |
| Jeter, SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .280 |
| Damon, LF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .269 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .174 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .368 |
| 1-Guzman, F, PR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .294 |
| 2-Gardner, PR-DH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 |
| Cano, 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .238 |
| Swisher, RF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .118 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .381 |
| Molina, J, C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| a-Posada, PH-C | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .267 |
| Totals | 36 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 20 | |
a-Struck out for Molina, J in the 5th. 1-Ran for Rodriguez, A in the 9th. 2-Ran for Matsui, H in the 9th. | ||||||||
BATTING 2B: Rodriguez, A (2, Lackey), Cabrera, Me (2, Lackey), Teixeira (1, Oliver). 3B: Cano (2, Jepsen). TB: Jeter; Damon; Teixeira 3; Rodriguez, A 2; Matsui, H; Cano 3; Cabrera, Me 3. RBI: Teixeira 3 (3), Matsui, H (3), Cano 2 (4). 2-out RBI: Teixeira 3; Matsui, H; Cano 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Matsui, H; Cano 2; Swisher 3. Team RISP: 3-for-11. Team LOB: 10. FIELDING DP: 2 (Cano-Jeter-Teixeira, Rodriguez, A-Cano-Teixeira). | ||||||||
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Pitches-strikes: Burnett, A 89-55, Marte, D 4-3, Hughes, P 18-9, Chamberlain 10-8, Rivera, Ma 7-5.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Torii Hunter (2-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB)
HONORABLE MENTION: Vladimir Guerrero (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R)
GOAT(S) OF THE GAME: A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, and Nick Swisher.
GAME 6
Yankees vs. Angels
Game Time: 8:07 p.m. TV/Radio: FOX, WCBS
LHP Andy Pettitte (1-0, 1.42) vs. LHP Joe Saunders (0-0, 2.57)