Game 58 - Yanks Turn In Gutless Performance

Robinson Cano's strike out to end the game tonight was a fitting end to a dreadful, gutless performance by the Yankees.  There wasn't any positives to take away from this game, unless one considers Jose Veras not walking a batter in 2 innings of relief a success.  This despite Veras only throwing 13 out of 29 pitches for strikes and hitting a batter (plus giving up a HR).  Below is a list of the many, many Yankee negatives in what was suppose to be a marquee matchup of the AL's 2 best teams:

-AJ once again stood for Absolute Joke when it comes to facing the Red Sox.  When Burnett signed with the Yanks this offseason, one of the big positives was his sterling 5-0 record against the Yanks archrivals.  In 2 starts against the Bosox this year, he coughed up a huge 6-0 lead in a 16-11 blow out and looked completely lost in his 2.2 innings of work tonight in the 7-0 loss.  He threw only 40 strikes in 84 pitches and fell behind the hitters from pitch 1.  Amazingly enough, he only allowed 5 runs and only 3 earned, but there were Red Sox base runners everywhere you turned.  He surrendered 5 hits and 5 walks with 1 K.  He was down right God-awful.  He did get ahead of 2 hitters, Big Nugget Youkilis, who he walked after having him down 1-2 in the count and JD Drew, who smacked an RBI double on an 0-2 count.  Pitiful.

-Big Sloppy Ortiz hit a 2-run bomb to dead center with the wind blowing directly in.  This is inexcusable.  This guy had the same number of HRs as Yankees reserve outfielder, Brett Gardner did coming into this game - and Ortiz plays everyday!  He's hitting below the Mendoza line.  Big Sloppy supposedly visited an eye doctor and received eye drops the other day.  Since then, he's hit 2 HRs in 3 games.  I guess eye doctor and eye drops is now code for steroid supplier and a needle in the ass.  All of a sudden he's catching up to a 95 mph heater on natural talent?  Doubtful.

-Nick Green knocking in 2 runs with a double and a HR.  I repeat, Nick Green.  This guy has been dumped by the Braves, Rays, Yanks and Mariners before showing up on the Red Sox doorstep.  He didn't even play in the Majors last season.  And yet, the Yanks made him look like an All-Star tonight.  Unbelievable.

-The entire Yankees starting lineup amassed a total of 2 hits and 4 walks.  They finally mounted a "threat" in the 4th, already trailing 5-0, when Jorge Posada struck out with runners on 1st and 2nd to end the inning.  Derek Jeter set the tone, grounding out on the game's first pitch.  Josh Beckett recorded 8 Ks in 6 innings of work.  I believe the offense is beginning to slump and it couldn't come at a worse time, going up against the Sox.  In the 3 games against Tampa Bay, they recorded 7 hits, 6 hits, and 6 hits before dinking in 2 tonight.  21 hits in 4 games - not acceptable.  What happened to this dangerous lineup?  Jeter, ARod, Cano, Posada and Cabrera have all gone into mini-slumps.  Horrendous.

-ARod had an error in the 2nd and now the Yankees have erred in 7 straight games after setting the ML record of errorless ball in the previous 18 games.  ARod's gaffe came against the aforementioned Nick Green - a batter the Yanks just need to get out against the Red Sox lineup.  Sloppy.

  

-7 walks to the Red Sox.  To quote Yankee announcer, Michael Kay, "that's dreadful".  You can't walk the Sox - they'll kill you every time.  3 of the walks came in to score.   What Kay said. 

I'm sure I've missed some other negatives, but what it comes down to is the Yankees didn't look like they came to play against a team they are competing with for the division.  Boston has beaten them like a drum this season and the Yanks, going 6-0.  Tonight, the Yanks acted like a team who knows the Sox have their number, which surprises me, because this team has been walking around with a lot of swagger since the ARod's return off the DL.   No matter how badly the Yanks struggled in the last few seasons, they always showed up to play against Boston.  Where were they tonight?

I just found at least one other positive from tonight's game - the fraudulent MVP, Yoda Pedroia went 0-4.  

Yankees Record:  34-24