The baseball thread.

[Benny Profane]

The Yanks shouldn't (and of course aren't) thinking about the Sox. All they need to think about is winning the next game. Its been an amazing surge for the Bombers, but if the Sox continue to play .680 baseball down the stretch...its almost impossible for the Yanks to win the division.

Division? The playoffs look doubtful if the starters give up 5-7 in the first three.

[tuffy109]

the sox have to worry about the yankees about as much as they have to worry about toronto.

i'm praying you are a jinxing bosox fan.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Is it too early to start talking magic numbers? 25.

Uh, yes. This week is going to be alternately fun and terrifying. I am definitely wearing my Dewey Evans jersey to work tomorrow.

[fez]

if the yanks sweep the sox, they are still in it.
if the sox take two of three from the yanks, they are sunk. possibly even for the wild card. those west coast teams are hot and the yanks can't afford to lose* three series in a row.

the sox yanks series this week should be a classic though. Matsuzaka vs Pettitte then Beckett vs Clemens followed up by Schilling and Wang.



* yes i am assuming the yanks are going to lose to detroit tonight. Mussina vs Verlander? i'll take Verlander and Detroit with Mussina giving up 6 in the 1st.

[iceman]

Uh, yes. This week is going to be alternately fun and terrifying.

If you're alternating, go fun, terrifying, fun rather than the other way around, please.

[Woodsy]

Wells comes back and gets a W
bunts to get on and scores?
the big man is better than I thought!
glad we took 1 from the Mets.
dayum

[tuffy109]

that curve ball he threw to get out of the jam in the 5th (6th?) dropped outta the sky like a ton of bricks.

oldest dodger starting pitcher evar.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Yankees-Tigers gameblog!

Sean Casey just scored from first base on a little two-out flare into center-right no-mans-land. Yankees looking sloppy and Mussina throwing a lot of pitches.

2-0 Tigers in the Detroit second.

edit: Placido Polanco singles, Granderson scores. 3-0. I have something of a man-crush on Curtis Granderson. He's like Alfonso Soriano, except that he can actually play a position.

[Rontele]

Yankees-Tigers gameblog!

Sean Casey just scored from first base on a little flare into center-right no-mans-land. Yankees looking sloppy and Mussina throwing a lot of pitches.

2-0 Tigers in the Detroit second.

It is kind of sad how awful Moose looks.

[Steven S. Dallas]

It is.

Damon grounds into a double play, wasting The Melkman's leadoff single. Jeter then strikes out. Verlander is the best pitcher I've seen this year, although I haven't watched the Twins play much.

[Rontele]

It is.

Damon grounds into a double play, wasting The Melkman's leadoff single. Jeter then strikes out. Verlander is the best pitcher I've seen this year, although I haven't watched the Twins play much.

Beckett is pretty damn good, too. I give Verlander another season or two before he starts dominating the Cy Young.

Go Tigers!

Edit to add that Musina looks like he is throwing batting practice out there.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Here's the problem, Mike- when your fastball is topping out at 83 mph, you can't throw it over the plate. Likewise, the change-up is more or less worthless, too. Meanwhile, Al Leiter is basically dictating Mussina's obituary as his color commentary.

Carlos Guillen tags one to deep left, Ivan Rodriguez hammers one up the middle, and Melky's throw is up the line and almost to the backstop. Former Senator Sam Rayburn singles up the middle, and Rodriguez scores. 5-0 in the Tigers third, Brandon Inge must be Mussina's last batter.

edit: Inge's Texas Leaguer evades fatass Bobby Abreu, Raburn scores. 6-0.

[Rontele]

Abreu is a lazy outfielder. Mussina is done. I feel kind of bad looking at how bummed he must be--wait, he is a Yankee; fuck him.

[Steven S. Dallas]

A walk marrs Verlander's 4th. Early prediction: there will not be an episode of "Yankeeography" dedicated to this game.

Mussina is done, his line for tonight is 3 IP, 9H, 6R, 1 BB, 0K, 1 ticket to the bullpen for the rest of the season or until Cobra Kei Igawa fucks up even worse.

Meanwhile, Placido Polanco homers off Edwin Ramirez to lead off the Tigers 4th. 7-0 Detroit.

[Rontele]

A walk marrs Verlander's 4th. Early prediction: there will not be an episode of "Yankeeography" dedicated to this game.

7-0. God, I hate the Yankees.

[fez]

nice to see the yankees bullpen get a lot of work before they start a 'must sweep' series against the sox.

[Steven S. Dallas]

nice to see the yankees bullpen get a lot of work before they start a 'must sweep' series against the sox.

Indeed. Sean Henn is now in the game. Meanwhile, Al Leiter and Michael Kay have given up on baseball and are talking about the impending eclipse and the relative position of Mars to Earth as Sean Casey hits a triple and is immediately hooked up to an oxygen tank.

[Rontele]

Has anybody noticed that ak_powder_monkey eerily looks like former major leaguer and walking heart attack Bob Hamlin?

Compare


with

[Steven S. Dallas]

That is uncanny.

Al Leiter, who I liked as a player, is an idiot as a broadcaster. I know it's a tough job, just talking for three hours straight, but he's making Tim McCarver sound like Grantland Rice right now.

Marcus Thames singles past the dive of Alexander Rodriguez, scoring Brandon Inge. 10-0 in the Detroit 5th, and "a good looking shot of the moon over an angry, snarling tiger, eyes lit up green," according to Michael Kay.

Kay also just said "Is there a time when you just don't want to throw the baseball? There's no delay of game in baseball." Um, that's not true, Mike- it's called a balk, rule 8.05(h). Although that might not be a bad strategy right now.

Bases loaded, 2 out, still 10-0.

[Rontele]

That is uncanny.

I just thought of the fattest white, non-David Wells player I could think of. Tim McCarver makes me wish I was deaf. Do you follow firejoemorgan.com?

[stump832]

Uh, yes. This week is going to be alternately fun and terrifying. I am definitely wearing my Dewey Evans jersey to work tomorrow.

Sweet culture of losing attitude.

The reality is that if the Sox even split the remainder of the season series, this thing is basically wrapped up. They'll be 8 games up after tonight, and have a bunch of home games left on the schedule.

25.

[Steven S. Dallas]

I just thought of the fattest white, non-David Wells player I could think of....Do you follow firejoemorgan.com?

I would have gone with Bob Horner, but that would have been uncanny, too.

I read it once in a while... I really need to set up RSS feeds for that kind of stuff; I always forget about it. Ken Tremendous had something in SI last week, which I thought was weird.

Oh, right, baseball.... Still 10-0, one out in the Detroit 6th. Mike Mussina was last seen hitch hiking to Columbus.

Sweet culture of losing attitude.

Eh, maybe. But I can't say I don't care about these games- it's still the Yankees in late August.

[Steven S. Dallas]

You remember how the San Diego Chargers got all upset because some members of the Patriots "disrespected" steroid user Shawne Merriman by doing his "Lights Out" dance at midfield after the AFC Divisional game? Do you think the Yankees get upset when they go on the road and the opposing team plays that "Day-O!" clip? I hope not, because that clip is gay as shit.

Henn is finally taken out, 14-0 Detroit in the 7th... Brian Bruney then comes in and throws at Polanco's head. Class.

[stump832]

Eh, maybe. But I can't say I don't care about these games- it's still the Yankees in late August.

I'm not saying they aren't going to be good games to watch. I'm just not that worried. But mildbill is in your camp, and he scares me, so I'm not going to talk much more trash.

Yankees run differential has come down to earth a bit lately.

Also, interesting Day-o hypothetical.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Actually, bill being in my camp tells me I should probably lighten up a little.