Game 56 - Cardiac Kids Come Through Again

For 7 innings, the Yankee bats looked lethargic, collecting only 4 hits and a run on a Nick Swisher HR.  Meanwhile, Joba Chamberlain pitched 6 solid innings, limiting Tampa Bay to 5 hits and 3 runs.  He only walked one and struck out 4.   The game was tied 1-1 till the sixth, when Joba, who had only thrown 70 pitches coming into the inning, lost command of his fastball.  In his last inning of work, he labored through 30 pitches and surrendered a 2-out, 2-run single to Gabe Gross to give the Rays a 3-1 lead.  

Things looked grim for the Yanks coming into the 8th.  Joe Nelson, coming into the game toting a robust ERA over 6.00, relieved Tampa starter, Matt Garza, and retired 6 straight Yanks without even giving them a whiff of first base.  Grant Balfour answered the bell for the 8th and retired his first batter.  But, as the hometown heroes have done time and again in this young season, they rose from the deck and mounted their signature rally.  Johnny Damon started it off innocently enough with a hard fought single on a 1-2 count after fouling off a couple of mid-90s fastballs.  Mark Teixeira followed with a rip off the right field wall, but held to a single because he hit it so hard.  ARod loaded the bases with a walk and then things really starting going the Yankees way.  

Robinson Cano pulled off the rare feat of actually walking with the bags juiced.  Cano has been swinging at a lot of first pitch swings lately, bringing on his old, terrible habits of yesteryear, but looked patient at the plate as he drew a 5-pitch walk.  Posada then stepped up to the plate with the tying run at 3rd, the same position he found himself in last Sunday's loss when he failed miserably by ending that threat with a double play.  Posada failed again today, but was spared by the ineptitude of the Rays defense.  3B Willie Aybar couldn't handle Posada's potential double play grounder, allowing the tying run to score and keeping the bases loaded with 1 out.  Hideki Matsui then chopped the ball up the middle to the 2B, and once again, Posada almost blew the Yanks chance of taking a 4-3 lead when he ran straight into the Ben Zobrist's tag, but Matsui found another gear in those old, tired legs of his, and beat the throw to first.  Without the ball leaving the infield (because they're the Yankees and they wouldn't know a sac fly if one came up and bit them on the ass), they scored 3 runs to take the 4-3 lead.  

Mariano Rivera avenged yesterday's poor outing by retiring the side in the 9th for his 13th save.  Alfredo Aceves picked up his 4th win, pitching 2 brilliant innings in relief of Joba, striking out 4, including the side in the 8th.  As for the Rays, it's enjoyable to watch their socialistic ways catch up to them in the bullpen.  By signing cheap retreads like Troy Percival and Jason Isringhausen and mixing and matching the rest of the bullpen with hacks (although JP Howell is not too bad), they are costing themselves a good shot at challenging for the division.  I can only imagine how good this team could be if they signed someone like K-Rod in the offseason.  Why wouldn't they even make an offer?  Their weak-ass bullpen nearly cost them the game yesterday as well, as the Yanks tied the game in the 8th and almost came back from a 4-run deficit in the 9th.  I'm glad I don't root for this team - their bullpen would give me a stroke.  Are Tampa fans calling for David Price to pitch in the pen a la Yankee fans with Joba?  Better question - are there any real Tampa fans in existence?

Yankees Record:  33-23, .5 game up on the Sox who lost today to Texas.  One more with Tampa Bay tomorrow and then 3 games in Boston.  Should be an interesting test.