Fish And Guests: DRays-Yanks Gamer XV

Let's get one matter of business out of the way.   What kind of closeted Sox fan would I be if I didn't congratulate young Clay Bucholz on his fantastic performance last night?  Great stuff.  I'll have to make sure to get those Sox gamers up on time when our fellow authors are on holiday so such events are encapsulated in their proper place.  We all apologize for the ommission.

Three days of the SatanFish have seen some interesting happenings at the Stadium.  Suspensions following ejections without warning, bat shenanigans, (don't make Alex angry; you wouldn't like him when he's angry), and a fine debut by young Mr. Kennedy, but I think I've had my fill of Tampa Bay for this year.  (edit: Chamberlain's suspension didn't really have anything to do with TB; just interesting timing and the last three days are a blur..I'll blame the fish anyway..) If the fish and all their young talent someday become a contender, this could make for a pretty chippy rivalry.

It's a getaway game with Andy Pettitte on the mound for the Yankees as the Fish send Jason Hammel. Pettitte is riding a six-game winning streak; his last start against TB was the late-July 21-4 rout in which he went six innings, allowing 3 runs.  He also defeated the Fish July 12th, and recorded a no-decision in his season-opener against them back in April  This will be the fourth time the Yankees have seen Hammel this year, twice in short relief and once as a starter, where the bombers bounced him after four innings.

Lineups follow, comment away.

Tampa Bay
A. Iwamura	3b	.281
C. Crawford	lf	.315
C. Pena	1b	.272
B.J. Upton	cf	.315
D. Young	rf	.294
B. Harris	2b	.285
J. Gomes	dh	.250
J. Wilson	ss	.263
D. Navarro	c	.208
J. Hammel	rhp	7.44
NY Yankees
J. Damon	lf	.260
D. Jeter	ss	.325
B. Abreu	rf	.283
A. Rodriguez	3b	.308
H. Matsui	dh	.300
J. Posada	c	.328
R. Cano	2b	.298
A. Phillips	1b	.293
M. Cabrera	cf	.296
A. Pettitte	lhp	3.70

Comments

[Lar]

AP's pitching relatively well. 2 hits over 2, one of which probably should've been caught, and the other got picked off.

The Yanks hitting Hammel hard, when they do make contact and not strike out. Thus far, 3 strikes out sandwiching a double by Abreu in the first, and two hits up the middle in the 2nd, but followed by 2 double plays (the first not turned because Hammel didn't touch the bag).

Let's get the slaughter going before we go to Seattle!

Ohya, Seattle down 3-0 to Toronto. Nice.

Just as I said that, Andy gives up a HR barely over the wall and Damon's glove with 2 outs to Navarro.

[Lar]

AP left one up with a good 7 pitch AB by Navarro to give the Rays 1-0 lead.

AP with 42 pitches through 3. Hammel with 33 pitches through 2.

[Lar]

Melky with a dribbler that eludes everyone and leads it off with a single.

[Hudson]

>>>Don't make Alex angry; you wouldn't like him when he's angry.

Yeah, if you're not careful, ARod might try to swat a ball out of your glove, or yell at you while rounding third... ;^)

(Apology appreciated for the lack of a Buchholz gamer, though the burden for these really falls on the SF mods not on a.g.)

[Lar]

JD strikes out, Melky steals second. Jeter strikes out, both for the second time.

Here's Abreu with Melky on second with 2 outs.

[Lar]

Abreu strikes out, so Hammel strikes out the side. 3 innings, 52 pitches.

[attackgerbil]

ARod gets plunked and swipes second, then Cano walks, but yet another squandered opportunity. Heading to seven, Yanks down 2-1

[attackgerbil]

Navarro singles to lead off the seventh.

Iwamura's funky bat doesn't help him as it is left on his shoulder and he is punched out on a fine pitch on the inside corner.

[attackgerbil]

Yankee-killer Crawford singles to advance Navarro to second.

[attackgerbil]

Pena goes yard to the RF bleachers. 5-1 Fish. That's it for Pettitte; skinny time. Maybe I should go outside or something. This stinks.

[Lar]

Went to take a Sunday nap. Came back to see this. Bah.

Abreu just tripled though, but with two outs, though it makes it a 5-2 game. C'mon ARod, at least drive the run in!

[Lar]

Well, we get a run back, but we're still down 3. The Yanks have been leaving people on base left and right today..

[Lar]

Well, at least Seattle already lost. Would be great to pick up a game though..

[Rob]

D Rays now ahead 6-2 on a Wilson solo homer to left.

[Lar]

And Josh Wilson adds on the hurt. 6-2 Rays. WTF.

[Lar]

And now it's out of reach. Iwamura makes it 8-2. Sigh. Okay, end of me for the day.

[sf rod]

might wanna check that bat joe.

[Rob]

Has to be frustrating for Yanks fans to sweep Boston, teh turna around and lose the series to Tampa.

[attackgerbil]

> Has to be frustrating

The Yankees continue to show a remarkable capability to play to the level of their opponent.

[Dionysus]

Unless its the Angels, Gerb. Thats the ONLY comfort I have in the Yansk maybe winnign the Wild Card.. at least they'd face the Angels in the first round. Small favors.

[Rob]

Was this the last series for Ny against TB?

[IronHorse (yf)]

Watch for Detroit in the WC race. If anyone will challenge for it, I really believe it will be Detroit/Cleveland and not Seattle, which is in the middle of a TERRIBLE slump and still has a lot of tough games left with little rest.

I want the WC and I want to face Anaheim. We need to get that (rally) monkey off our back. If we can't we don't deserve anything more anyway.

[Marc from Portland Maine]

Wow. Some Yankees site. You guys really need to grow some. I look at the sux site and no Yanks fans trashing the sux fun and here the place is loaded with sux fans trashing your team and you don't say a word.
I really thought this place was supposed to be a site that carried an even debate. Looks like they were right over at Lohud.

[Paul SF]

If you're a frequent commenter at LoHud, Marc, you've told us all we need to know.

The vast majority of the LoHud commenters wouldn't know a decent debate if it slapped them in the face. The fact that you can't seem to spell "Sox" properly shows you're not really interested in finding one here either.

[Marc from Portland Maine]

I see the sux defense here is, umm really Ignorant as I thought, lol.

[Paul SF]

I thought the Sox' defense was pretty good, actually. Pedroia, Crisp, Lowell, Youkilis. Really, one of the better-fielding teams the Sox have fielded in recent memory...

[Marc from Portland Maine]

That's funny what you losers always fall to. Shift the argument like Schillings demented republicans do all the time.

[Marc from Portland Maine]

Tell me Paul. I've read some of your comments and it seems to me you are a reasable person at times. Why is it that the sux fans jump all over the Yankee fans so much? The Yankeee fans don't do it. Why do you think that is?

[Marc from Portland Maine]

NO reasable debate here. Thanks Paul.

[Marc from Portland Maine]

oops > reasonable,

[attackgerbil]

> grow some

...

[Marc from Portland Maine]

You too Gerbil < rodent

[Marc from Portland Maine]

You too Gerbil < rodent