Yanks pulled off an impressive series against Seattle, and now stand 3 up in the wild card. Seattle looks done, and their lack of pitching caught up to them.
- What scares me most is, the Yanks have the easiest schedule of the three wild-card contenders. Let's have a look:
Yankees
-3 at KC
3 at Toronto
3 at. Boston
3 vs. Baltimore
3 vs. Toronto
3 at TB
3 at Baltimore
In the second half, the Yanks have gone 6-1 vs. KC and 5-2 vs. Toronto. Baltimore has beaten them in two series, but the O's look dead right now. Aside from Boston, Yanks have it easy the rest of the way.
Seattle
3 at Detroit
3 vs. A's
4 at TB
3 at A's
4 at LA
4 vs. Cleveland
3 vs. Texas
The Mariners have three tough series, and the rest isn't too bad. (They're 10-3 vs. Beane's team this year.) Although the way Seattle has been playing lately, even the A's might be a challenge.
Detroit
3 vs. Seattle
1 vs. Toronto
3 vs. Texas
3 at Minnesota
3 at Cleveland
3 vs. KC
3 vs. Minnesota
3 at White Sox
The series vs. Seattle can go either way, and the rest isn't too bad, although Minny might be tough. Detroit has been 7-5 vs. the Twins so far, but they'll have to do better for the wild card.
Right now, I think Detroit has a much better shot of catching New York than Seattle. But with the Yankees having a soft schedule coming up, the Tigers will have to be red-hot. Otherwise, we'll have to hope for another 1st-round embarrassment by the Yankees.
Showing posts with label Mariners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mariners. Show all posts
Friday, September 07, 2007
Monday, September 03, 2007
Bats Slowing Down? - Mariners 7, Yankees 1
Clemens is gonna miss a start? What were the odds of that happening? After dominating the Red Sox last week, the 45-year old version of Roger Clemens came back. And Mussina didn't look much younger following him up. King Felix kept the Yankee bats at bay, and Seattle broke a losing streak with a big win.
Key here is, Seattle now can't lose much ground in the series. Even if the Yanks win the next two, they'll still be only 3 games out. Yanks now face a couple of must-win games, or else their October slot will once again be in jeopardy.
- In the past seven days, only one team has had a worse average than the Yanks (.235) - the Giants at .215. Key guys are struggling, such as Damon (4-last 24, .167), Abreu (4-25, .160), and Matsui (4-25). Cano had 2 homers in the Yanks win last Thursday, but aside from that, he's 2 for his last 21.
The Yankee bats were hot all summer, but it was inevitable that they'd slow down. And that just might doom their playoff hopes.
Key here is, Seattle now can't lose much ground in the series. Even if the Yanks win the next two, they'll still be only 3 games out. Yanks now face a couple of must-win games, or else their October slot will once again be in jeopardy.
- In the past seven days, only one team has had a worse average than the Yanks (.235) - the Giants at .215. Key guys are struggling, such as Damon (4-last 24, .167), Abreu (4-25, .160), and Matsui (4-25). Cano had 2 homers in the Yanks win last Thursday, but aside from that, he's 2 for his last 21.
The Yankee bats were hot all summer, but it was inevitable that they'd slow down. And that just might doom their playoff hopes.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
If You Thought ... - Devil Rays 8, Yankees 2
... that the Yankees would sweep Boston then lose two of three to Tampa Bay, please stand up. And if you thought Ian Kennedy would be the Yanks' best starter over the weekend, stand up too.
Weekends like these are why I love Tampa Bay. Even though they got thoroughly trounced last time they played the Yanks, this time they showed up, taking two of three.
They beat up on Phil Hughes, whose ERA is up to 5.65. At this rate, he's not looking much better than Jeff Johnson, who had a 5.95 mark as a rookie in '91. I can give the guy a bit of a pass for being young, but if he turns out to be the next Bobby Munoz, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
- Kennedy pitched well in his debut, but so did Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright, both of whom have become afterthoughts. When Mussina was taken out of the rotation, I was surprised that their names weren't mentioned. After all, they weren't great, but they weren't horrible, either. They weren't nearly as awful as Kei Igawa. And for all the talk you hear about Joba and Kennedy, you hear nothing about Wright or Clippard. Those four homers in a row against Boston probably doomed Wright, and both guys will probably get traded sooner or later.
- Highlight of the weekend was Buchholz's no-hitter. For all I know, the guy might fade into mediocrity like Wilson Alvarez, the last guy to pull off the feat in his second ML start. But it's always great to see baseball history be made at Fenway, and steal some thunder from the Yanks. More importantly, it got Boston back on track after four straight losses.
- And speaking of teams that need to get back on track, I have no idea what to expect from the Yanks vs. Seattle this week. The Yanks who played Boston so well might show up, and put the wild card race to rest. Or the Yanks who played the Rays might show up, and Seattle might be able to turn things around. Gonna be one of the best series of the year.
Weekends like these are why I love Tampa Bay. Even though they got thoroughly trounced last time they played the Yanks, this time they showed up, taking two of three.
They beat up on Phil Hughes, whose ERA is up to 5.65. At this rate, he's not looking much better than Jeff Johnson, who had a 5.95 mark as a rookie in '91. I can give the guy a bit of a pass for being young, but if he turns out to be the next Bobby Munoz, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
- Kennedy pitched well in his debut, but so did Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright, both of whom have become afterthoughts. When Mussina was taken out of the rotation, I was surprised that their names weren't mentioned. After all, they weren't great, but they weren't horrible, either. They weren't nearly as awful as Kei Igawa. And for all the talk you hear about Joba and Kennedy, you hear nothing about Wright or Clippard. Those four homers in a row against Boston probably doomed Wright, and both guys will probably get traded sooner or later.
- Highlight of the weekend was Buchholz's no-hitter. For all I know, the guy might fade into mediocrity like Wilson Alvarez, the last guy to pull off the feat in his second ML start. But it's always great to see baseball history be made at Fenway, and steal some thunder from the Yanks. More importantly, it got Boston back on track after four straight losses.
- And speaking of teams that need to get back on track, I have no idea what to expect from the Yanks vs. Seattle this week. The Yanks who played Boston so well might show up, and put the wild card race to rest. Or the Yanks who played the Rays might show up, and Seattle might be able to turn things around. Gonna be one of the best series of the year.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Real Tests Ahead
Glad to see Seattle take two of three this weekend, even without King Felix. Aside from their outburst against Miguel Batista, the Yankee bats were quiet. Giambi is the latest guy to struggle, stuck in an 0-18 funk. Aside from A-Rod, Jeter, and Posada, these guys can't hit right now.
And with Boston taking two of three from the O's (sweet win today), the Sox pick up a game in the standings.
- Amazing to think how much I used to look forward to Yankees-Mariners. The Big Unit, Griffey, A-Rod, and of course, Edgar Martinez. Plus the one that got away, Jay Buhner. That was a good team, and the series they played were great. After the ALDS loss in '95 ended an era, you got the feeling the Yankees wanted to beat Seattle every time.
And even after three of those guys left, '01 with Ichiro, 116 wins, and Piniella's tirade in the ALCS: still a great series. But now, I'm sorry, even Ichiro can't make these games watchable. That team is dull.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next two weeks of Yankee baseball. That is gonna be the real test as to whether we'll see a Yankee-free October. They're playing the White Sox, who've struggled early on, but are starting to put it together. The Mets are gonna be a real test, and then we'll see Boston. Following that, the Angels, who are one of my favorite teams when they play the Yankees. The next easy series will probably be at the end of May, against that sinking ship in Toronto.
The next two weeks will be huge. Can the Yankees finally put it together, and pitch and hit well at the same time?
And with Boston taking two of three from the O's (sweet win today), the Sox pick up a game in the standings.
- Amazing to think how much I used to look forward to Yankees-Mariners. The Big Unit, Griffey, A-Rod, and of course, Edgar Martinez. Plus the one that got away, Jay Buhner. That was a good team, and the series they played were great. After the ALDS loss in '95 ended an era, you got the feeling the Yankees wanted to beat Seattle every time.
And even after three of those guys left, '01 with Ichiro, 116 wins, and Piniella's tirade in the ALCS: still a great series. But now, I'm sorry, even Ichiro can't make these games watchable. That team is dull.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next two weeks of Yankee baseball. That is gonna be the real test as to whether we'll see a Yankee-free October. They're playing the White Sox, who've struggled early on, but are starting to put it together. The Mets are gonna be a real test, and then we'll see Boston. Following that, the Angels, who are one of my favorite teams when they play the Yankees. The next easy series will probably be at the end of May, against that sinking ship in Toronto.
The next two weeks will be huge. Can the Yankees finally put it together, and pitch and hit well at the same time?
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