Looking Back On The Dog Days: Sox-Yanks Gamer XV

On May 4th, The Boston Red Sox laid claim to the best record in the American League.  The Sox briefly relinqueshed that title to the Halos on July 1st and 2nd, and traded it off with the Halos and the Tigers on July 17th-23rd, but have held that distinguishing mark since that time, meaning that the Sox have been, by record, the best team in the AL for 143 out of the 150 days since the beginning of the season way back in April.

Tuesday's and Wednesday's back-to-back losses to the Yankees are only the second time in the month of August the Sox have lost consecutive games.  Since August 1st, the Sox have gone 16-11 which is their best month of ball by winning percentage since May, and Boston has allowed 13 fewer runs in one less game played compared to that month.  The Bombers have gone 17-10, but have been less consistent in their play and have had several truly horrific outings (including two shutout/blowouts); the 158 runs allowed (their worst month by 33 runs) is a significant stigma to their record.

Today's getaway game sees Chien-Ming Wang on the bump for the Yankees as Curt Schilling gets the ball for the Sox.  Wang experienced a slight hiccough with a horrific outing in Toronto and a mediocre start in Baltimore, but has been victorious in his last two outings, both against the Tigers.  Schilling returned to action August 6th against the Halos and has gone six innings in each of his four starts, allowing 11 runs on 25 hits and only 1 walk on his way to two victories in his last two starts including an excellent three-hit performance against the ChiSox.

The Sox head home to Fenway to host the Orioles while the Yankees lay out the welcome mat for the Fish tomorrow, but in the mean time we have afternoon baseball with the rivalry rolling on in the fifteenth of eighteen meetings in the reggalar.  Game time is in one hour, lineups are in the extended.  Comment away.

Red Sox
D. Pedroia 2b	.316
C. Crisp cf	.268
D. Ortiz dh	.322
K. Youkilis 1b	.290
M. Lowell 3b	.324
J.D. Drew rf	.260
J. Varitek c	.264
E. Hinske lf	.201
A. Cora ss	.254
C. Schilling rhp	4.11
Yankees
J. Damon lf	.265
D. Jeter ss	.319
B. Abreu rf	.287
A. Rodriguez 3b	.306
H. Matsui dh	.305
J. Posada c	.333
J. Giambi 1b	.264
R. Cano 2b	.300
M. Cabrera cf	.295
C. Wang rhp	3.95

Comments

[LocklandSF]

Looking at our lineup I have only one thing to say.

Shit.

[IronHorse (yf)]

Giambi at first again. Interesting.
I continue to drool over our lineup these days.

[Lar]

Go Yankees!

At least you guys have a 6 game lead. Even if it's down to 5 you have so many games against the Devil Rays..

[LocklandSF]

Day games and MLB.tv blackouts are THE DEVIL.

[yankeemonkey]

Wow, Posada and Varitek both playing after a night game...Guess Joe and Terry both really want this game, eh?

[LocklandSF]

Moose...

"For someone who has been in a rotation for 17 years, it took me a little bit off guard. I needed a couple of days to simmer down. I was mad. I'm still not excited about it. It bothered me quite a bit. I'm just mad at the whole thing," Mussina said.

Mussina said he wasn't upset with Joe Torre, as the two hashed it out yesterday. "It was good to get that stuff off my chest," he said.

[Paul SF]

Every time you start feeling bad for Mike Mussina, he just won't let you.

No Manny, Hinske-Cora at the bottom of the lineup, and Youkilis batting cleanup? Schilling better have a hell of a game.

[FenSheaParkway]

I see today's line up was brought to us by the letter K and the numbers 1 and 2. as in runs, if we're lucky.

[YF]

My thinking, exactly YM, about Jorge and Tek. I guess they rest on the 'morrow. Paul: I don't get the carping about the Sox lineup. Hinske's gotta go somewhere, and if you're going to rest Lugo, cora belongs in the 9. Without Manny, whether you put Youk in the 4 or the 2 or the 1 seems to me of little consequence.

[Brad]

JESUS.
Why is Ellsbury not on this team right now!

[Lar]

At least you can't say Moose is fake.. =P

[Devine]

Fight, you f***ers! Salvage this sh*t.

God damn it.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

hey, fensheaparkway, our 1B may very well be sponsored in part by the letter E.

man, i could go for a drink right about now...

[Lar]

In case this isn't already odd enough:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/08/30/squirrel-at-yankee-s.html

[FenSheaParkway]

YFiB - I don't know, that was a pretty spiffy play Giambi made last night. Has he been taking yoga? Limbering up?

And just to follow up on my above post: I forgot Wang was pitching. K might reliquish his sponsorship, but G, I, D and P are ready to purchase ad space.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

that depends, FSP... is yoga the cream or the clear?

...i kid...

[Atheose]

Pedroia pops out.

[Atheose]

"is yoga the cream or the clear?"

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA thanks for giving me a good laugh YFIB ;-)

[Atheose]

Yankee announcer: "The last time the Yankees played the Red Sox in a non-holiday, non-weekend day game this late in the year was the Bucky Dent game"

Sigh.

[Nick -YF]

looked like a nice swing by Crisp, but it turns out to be a lazy fly ball out.

[FenSheaParkway]

Lar - That is a weird story. I'm less intrigued by what a cryptozoologist has to say about anything than I am to learn that there was a mythological squirrel whose name translates to "gnawing tooth", which is the same phrase 'rodent' is derived from. So thanks for that link!

[Nick -YF]

Wang just owns Ortiz in that at bat. 1-2-3 first. Let's see what 38.com has.

[Devine]

*sigh* And Gameday is not updating...

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

gameday doesn't even have wang's 1st pitch to ortiz yet... i have a feeling that this game will be frustrating...

[Nick -YF]

Jeter is jammed and it bloops in for a single. He gets so much out of his ability! Intangibles in action!

[Brad]

Somehow, Damon is going to be a factor in this game. I can feel it. Maybe it's the Tuna I had for lunch:)
ugh.
Jeter kills me with those little nubber hits and swinging bunts.

[Nick -YF]

Schilling is throwing strikes, but he always does that. 1-2 count on Abreu

[Devine]

Eff you, Gameday. Keep the play by play coming, Brad, Nick.

[Nick -YF]

Abreu k's on a nice splitter. Schill set him up well there.

Now A-Rod's turns.

[AndrewYF]

Neither Gameday nor Gamecast is working. Damn it, will have to rely on game threads to get me through the working day.

[Brad]

Devine -
Are you able to listen to it?

[Nick -YF]

Schill just misses inside to A-Rod. 2-1 count.

[Devine]

Unfortunately not at the moment, Brad. My job requires my ears elsewhere.

[Brad]

2-1
on A-Rod.

[Nick -YF]

Devine is actually an ER surgeon. Scary that he's posting here...

[Brad]

ha, ok.
I was going to share my password to the gameday audio on WRKO, which is working fine.
2-2 on ARod.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

i work in a library, devine. i'm in the same boat. thanks for the updates, people.

[Devine]

Heh. I like that one, Nick. Luckily, my job also requires me in front of a computer...

[Brad]

foul tip
still alive

[Nick -YF]

A-Rod lamely checks his swing. Nice inning by Schill. Damn.

[Brad]

K. Looking.

[Devine]

Ah, Gameday back. Just in time for the final K too. What's Schilling's fastball speed these days if someone has noticed? 89 or thereabouts?

[Devine]

Thanks, Brad and Nick.

[YF]

Also in a library today. Alex!

[ponch]

now, did we all remember to send emails and voicemails to Turk reminding him that yes, it's okay to use a reliever in the 7th inning, especially if your starter has given up 3 runs and/or 12 hits?

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

i'm looking around, yf... wave so i can see you...

[FenSheaParkway]

My Gameday placed every pitch of Youkilis' walk inside the strike zone. Um, what?

[Nick -YF]

Jason Giambi channelling Keith Hernandez. Wow!

[YF]

in a ny library, yfib.

[Lar]

Lowell hits into a DP. Nice.

[Brad]

Youk with the walk.
Then a DP.
Classic Cano.
Ball being hit right at someone.
Francona arguing the call at first.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

oh... so giambi is snorting the foul line?

or is he dying his hair?

(i'll stop now.)

[Devine]

*sighs at DP* In many ways, I'm glad I'm going to lunch soon so that I can't watch some of this gut-twisting nonsense.

[AndrewYF]

"It could be two, gets it to Cano, who goes onto first...it's wide! He's safe he's out!"

Sterling needs to just stop talking and wait five full seconds before actually talking.

[bloodyank78]

Another play like that and Giambi will have officially shed the "Tree Trunk" label in my book. Great D at 1B.

[YF]

dp. that's the wang we know and love.

[Nick -YF]

YF, did you see that one of the better baseball books of last year was reviewed on the Toaster's Griddle?

[FenSheaParkway]

"Sterling needs to just stop talking"

Agreed.

[Brad]

Again, another GB directly at someone. Someone smiling on the kid today...again.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

i know, yf.

[ponch]

why do I sense a long, long day coming?

[AndrewYF]

FenShea:

The only reason he needs to talk (other than his nice radio timbre) is so Suzyn Wahldman tawks less.

[dc]

"...another GB directly at someone..."
he continues to defy the odds to your chagrin brad...

by the way, do you sf's have a theory about steroids helping a player defensively?...

[bloodyank78]

Damn, Mats took that for a little ride before Crisp nabbed it.

[Brad]

Matsui with a LONG fly ball. Like 400 feet long.

[dc]

another warning track shot right at somebody... "Someone smiling on the [red sox pitcher] today...again."

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

"foul bunt"?!?

[FenSheaParkway]

Andrew -

They both make quite a duo. Listening to them makes me wish I could listen to the game on the radio and turn the sound down at the same time. Like, just hear the sounds of the crowd to tell me what was going on in the game.

[Lar]

Oh ya, Wang with 22 pitches through 2.

Let's work that Schill!

[Brad]

dc, almost every batter has put the ball in play. This isn't an arguable fact, buddy. But, as we know, baseball is a game of inches - especially when the ball is in play.

[bloodyank78]

Schill is locating well today. That 2-2 pitch was just a hair inside, then he comes with a good breaking pitch away for the punch out.

[AndrewYF]

I just tend to tune out what Sterling actually tries to say, because I really do like the timbre of his voice, it's great for radio. Whenever I try and think about his 'substance' other than the play-by-play, I get confused and sometimes annoyed that I'm confused.

[Brad]

Hinske worries me on every single play.

[Brad]

what's 38's pitch count?

[Devine]

28 pitches for Schilling.

[Brad]

GREEN LIGHT!

[Lar]

Schill out of 2nd on 28 pitches.

[Brad]

RED LIGHT.

[Lar]

Wow, Wang already walked 2.

[Brad]

Walks Varitek.
Hinske up.
Soon to be GIDP.
Jesus I hate Hinske. Even if he puts it in the upper deck, I hate him.

[Lar]

Wang not with his usual control - 15 strikes, 14 balls out of his first 29 pitches. Yuck.

[Nick -YF]

Wang walks another lead-off man, but follows up with a 3 pitch k of Hinske.

[Lar]

Does get Hinske to strike out on 3 pitches though.

[Brad]

Well, that's better than the alternative for you. Freaking asshole. I really do hope he falls down the duggout steps.

[ponch]

is it wrong that i was rooting for Hinske to K so he wouldn't hit into the 6-4-3?

[Brad]

Way to be paying attention there, Tek.

[Brad]

No, ponch. In fact, it's not wrong to root for anything bad to happen to him. It's perfectly acceptable to wish whatever you want upon him.

[Lar]

Cora flies out pretty deep. Pedroia gets a gift ball to start off the AB.

[Nick -YF]

Hinske apparently did something bad to Brad. The vitriol is impressive!

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

it might be hinske's .200 AVG, nick. but that is just a guess.

[Brad]

Yes, Nick.
He found his way to the park today!
I don't know why I hate him so much...I just do. Just one of those guys I guess.
Holy shit, Giambi.
What the hell is going on here?

[Lar]

40 pitches for Wang through 3. Still not that impressive, with only 23 strikes.

After 2 and a half, no score.

[Nick -YF]

Giambi! Seriously, we are entering a weird place here where Giambi is actually looking like Brooks Robinson. Baseball is magical, filled with surprises. We learn and experience something new each day. Wow! WoW!

[AndrewYF]

Wow, Giambi is making his case to play every day. Huge.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

wang at 40 pitches through 3.

[YF]

Thanks for the tip Nick. That's a nice gift from the Toaster! Pennies from heaven.

[bloodyank78]

Holy shit! I said in a comment above; "one more play like that from Giambi..".
Jason: not a tree trunk, great play.

[AndrewYF]

Think about how you felt about Tony Womack and Terrence Long. I would hate Hinske, too. He is useless.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

are you guys just screwing with those of us without video? giambi and brooks robinson have never been mentioned in the same breath before...

[YF]

Between yesterday and today, a lot of innings without a you-know-what for the Sox. Though walks aplenty.