(AP Photo)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.Y. Yankees | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| Baltimore | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | x | 5 | 7 | 2 |
SV: A. Simon (1)
It was an ugly night in Baltimore for the Yankees, who found a way to lose to the Orioles 5-4. That makes it four losses in the last five for the Yanks, who appear to have falling into their first rough patch of the season.
Phil Hughes was shaky for most of the game, but actually came out of it with pretty good results. Over 5.2 innings he allowed a run on just two hits, walked four, and struck out two. As you can tell by the four walks, he had control issues all night and threw 68 of his 109 pitches for strikes. Once again, he did not throw his changeup. But, like I said, even with the walks, one run on two hits ain't too shabby.
There was a point in the game where things could have gotten out of hand for Hughes when he loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with one out in the second. He then walked Cesar Izturis to force in a run and give the O's a 1-0 lead. But Hughes made the pitch he needed and got Adam Jones to ground into an inning ending double play. It was a huge pitch for Hughes, who then settled down and retired 12 of the next 13 batter faced until leaving the game with a 2-1 lead and two out in the sixth.
The Yankees got that 2-1 lead with individual runs in the third and fourth. Nick Swisher and Randy Winn started the third with back-to-back singles of O's starter Kevin Millwood. Derek Jeter then moved them over to 2nd and 3rd with a groundout. And Brett Gardner drove in the run on an error by Miguel Tejade. Mark Teixeira then walked to load the bases with just one out, but Alex Rodriguez lined out and Robinson Cano flew out, and the Yanks were unable to score any more that inning.
Jorge Posada did give the Yankees a 2-1 lead one inning later with his fifth homer of the season, a solo shot off Millwood.
Later, in the top of the sixth, the Yankees had another inning go wrong thanks to a couple base running blunders. Cano starting things off with a single, but then on the first pitch to Posada, he tried to steal second. I don't understand sending him here, maybe a hit and run later in the AB, but not a straight steal. Cano is now 19-for-41 on stolen base attempts in his career so he's obviously not the best base stealer around.
What made things hurt was that Posada would eventually work a walk. Curtis Granderson, who is now 1 for his last 20, struck out for out number two. Nick Swisher then singled on a ball that just trickled past Miguel Tejada at third and into shallow left, but Posada overran second base and was thrown out as he tried to get back. It's the sort of mistake that can lose you a ballgame.Back to the bottom of the sixth... Hughes was rolling along and was at 109 pitches so there is an argument to be made that he should have stayed in to finish the inning. I would have had no problem with that decision if it was the one Joe Girardi had made. However, Girardi looked down at his stat book and saw that Luke Scott hits worse against lefties over his career and is just 3-for-16 against them in 2010, so he went with Boone Logan. Not a bad move, so you can't really blame him for this decision, but, it didn't work out.
Logan would fall behind 2-0, and eventually walk Scott on a 3-2 slider. That was it for Logan, who was now being replaced by David Robertson. Like Logan, Robertson couldn't get the job done. He started off his terrible outing by hitting Ty Wigginton after getting ahead 0-2 on the count. Ryhne Hughes then tied the game with an RBI single. That was followed by two more RBI singles by Nolan Reimold and Izturis, and when the dust settled the O's were up 4-2.
Baltimore would add what turned out to be the winning run with an insurance run off Alfredo Aceves in the bottom of the eighth. The inning started with a fielding error by Jeter to allow Wigginton to reach. Julio Lugo pinch ran and with two out stole second and then moved to third on a bad throw by Posada. He then scored on a double by Adam Jones. It was the 0's fourth 2-out RBI of the game. That's significant because coming into this game they were just 8-for-74 (.108) with 11 RBI in those spots.
Like I said, that run would prove to be the winner, because the Yankees staged a rally of their own in the top of the ninth. Nick Swisher singled and Nick Johnson walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Following a Jeter strikeout, Gardner reached on an error by Izturis at short. It was a routine ground ball that took a bad hop and bounced over Izturis' glove and into the outfield allowing a run to score. Mark Teixeira then made it a 5-4 game with an RBI single. It looked like the game would be tied when A-Rod hit the first pitch he saw back up the middle, but the O's had him played perfectly and Lugo fielded and flipped to second for the force and the final out of the game.
Concerns are starting to creep up, especially about the bullpen, which has been shaky lately. They've now given up 9 runs in the last four games. They also came into tonight's game with a 4.04 ERA, good for 15th in baseball and 8th in the AL, and that only got worse. It's not panic time yet, and it's nothing that three or four good games can't fix, but it's something to keep an eye on.
Something that isn't a concern right now is the hitting of Robinson Cano, who picked up three more hits to up his average to .389. The guy is absolutely on fire right now, and it would be nice if A-Rod and Tex started hitting while Cano was still hot. If those three could all get hot together it would be very bad news for the American League.
Hopefully that starts tomorrow night when the Yanks look to even the series. CC Sabathia looks to rebound from a rough start in Oakland, and will be matched up against O's right-hander Jeremy Guthrie. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. and the game will be on YES.
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Derek Jeter, SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .296 |
| Brett Gardner, LF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .296 |
| Mark Teixeira, 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .129 |
| Alex Rodriguez, 3B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .274 |
| Robinson Cano, 2B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .389 |
| Jorge Posada, C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .316 |
| Curtis Granderson, CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .231 |
| Nick Swisher, DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .258 |
| Randy Winn, RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .077 |
| a- Nick Johnson, PH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .135 |
| Ramiro Pena, PR | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .111 |
| Totals | 36 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 9 | | |
| a-walked for Winn in the 9th | ||||||||
| Batting | ||||||||
| HR: Posada (5, 4th inning off Millwood, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Teixeira; Cano 3; Posada 4; Swisher 3; Winn. RBI: Gardner (6), Posada (12), Teixeira (9). 2-out RBI: Teixeira. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano 2; Rodriguez, A. Team RISP: 1-for-8. Team LOB: 9. BASERUNNING CS: Cano (2, 2nd base by Millwood/Wieters). | ||||||||
| Fielding | ||||||||
| DP - Rodriguez-Cano-Teixeira | ||||||||
| E - Derek Jeter (2, Misplayed grounder), Jorge Posada (2, Throwing) | ||||||||
| Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Phil Hughes | 5.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Boone Logan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.86 |
| David Robertson (BS,2; L,0-1) | 0.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10.80 |
| Alfredo Aceves | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.70 |
| HBP - Wigginton (by David Robertson) | ||||||||
| Pitches-Strikes - Phil Hughes 109-68, Boone Logan 6-2, David Robertson 21-13, Alfredo Aceves 31-22 | ||||||||
| Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Phil Hughes 4-10, Alfredo Aceves 4-2 | ||||||||
| Batters Faced - Phil Hughes 22, Boone Logan 1, David Robertson 5, Alfredo Aceves 10 | ||||||||
| PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cesar Izturis (2-for-3, 3 RBI, BB) HONORABLE MENTION: Robinson Cano GOAT OF THE GAME: David Robertson |
