Game 46 - Yanks Visited By Old Friends

The Yanks allowed some old friends that were haunting them earlier in the season to come back and visit today - ineffective relief pitching and leaving men on base.  The game was delayed by rain for nearly 2.5 hours, and it looked like the Yanks weren't ready to play when it finally started.  Joba Chamberlain was visited by one of his old friends as well - his first inning troubles, as he surrendered 2 runs in that frame, despite having Ian Kinsler thrown out at the plate on a grounder with no out after leading off with a triple.   He was one strike away from getting out of a bases loaded jam when he gave up the 2-run hit.  Joba was also inefficient with his pitches, being pulled after 4 arduous innings, giving up 3 runs and 4 walks.

Yankee batters fared no better.  They began the game 0-5 with RISP and ended it by going a pitiful 2-12, stranding 12 men.  Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher would be the biggest culprits, both failing to drive in a runner from 3rd base with less than 2 outs.  Swisher has become a big cancer in the Yanks lineup, as his failure sealed the Yankees fate.  They were trailing 4-3 in the top of the 7th, when they loaded the bases with one out.  Swisher grounded out into a game killing double play ball, one of 3 hit by the team tonight, but none as damaging as that one.  

And just when you could hope that manager Joe Girardi would replace Swisher's big gaping hole of a bat in the lineup with Brett Gardner - Melky Cabrera injured himself running into the wall on Kinsler's triple.  Gardner replaced Melky and had a nice game, going 3-5 with 3 stolen bases.  His average is now a respectable .271.  Melky injured his shoulder and is currently listed as day-to-day, but unfortunately, that will mean another few days of watching Swisher look clueless at the plate.  

As for the relief pitching, Alfredo Aceves finally looked human, taking the loss after giving up 3 runs.  Lefty Phil Coke is still having problems with lefty batters, as Chris "leading the league in strikeouts" Davis took him deep.  Davis had also taken Joba deep earlier in the game.  The one bright spot - recent call up, David Robertson, retired the 3 batters he faced with 1 K.

Yankees Record:  26-20 - tonight's loss blew their chance to tie Boston for first in the AL East and tie Texas for best record in the AL.