Remember when the Yanks couldn’t buy a win at the Kingdome? No matter how good a team they had, they just could not win there? It seems like Tropicana is like that now as the Yanks lost their 9th straight game there, 7-4. Four of the losses have been by one run.
Domes, astroturf, poor lighting, crappy catwalks, …. is it any wonder why I hate these places?
It looked good early as the Yanks went up 2-0. Jeter doubled. Granderson, 5 for 52 off Shields, doubled home Jeter. Cano with an RBI single. 2-0. Then, the first of some questionable baserunning moves by the Yanks. Swisher flies into a DP. Cano doubled up at first.
Dewayne Wise has had one great week. HR #3 made it 3-0 Yanks after 2 1/2. Usually, that’s good for Nova. Not tonight.
The Rays tied it in the third, and one play changed the game. First and second, two out. Upton singles, and Wise’s throw has the runner out at the plate. The ump actually calls out. Third out. EXCEPT MARTIN DROPPED THE BALL. Now I know it is a tough play. But the runner was out. 3-1 Yanks. E-2 on Martin, who admitted he should have had it. Martin turned down a three-year deal in spring training. Bad move. The next hitter, single. 2 runs. Tie game. Because of Martin’s error, THREE unearned runs. Heck, Chavez made an error after that (it didn’t cost anything). Later on, Martin made a throwing error on an SB attempt. A lousy night for Martin, and let’s face it, his .182 batting average isn’t helping matters. If Martin holds on, (and it was an E-2), Yanks out of the inning, up 3-0. Instead? 3-3. Three runs because he didn’t hold on.
A single by Chavez after an Ibanez double makes it 4-3 Yanks, but Nova can’t hold it. Nova gives up a 2-run HR in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-4 Rays.
Granted, Nova struggled. His D didn’t help. Neither did A-Rod, on pace for a .266-26-72 season. $30 million for that? Bad deal.
In the sixth, down 5-4, Cano singles. With one out, Ibanez doubles, and 3B coach Robby Thomson sends Cano. He’s out by 15 feet! I don’t know what the hell he is thinking. Now if it is a bang/bang play, that is one thing. But he was out by plenty. Sigh. Ibanez went to third on the play but Chavez could do nothing.
Nova (9-3, 4.05) went 6+, 6 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 walks, 5 K. He wasn’t on, but his D didn’t help him.
Rapada 1/3, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 3.00.
Qualls 1 2/3, 1 R, 3 H, 0 walks and K. 4.54 ERA overall (Phils and Yanks). I didn’t think Qualls was necessary. The only Phillie I was interested in was Pierre, but if Wise continues playing like this, Pierre isn’t necessary (Wise has been superb the last 10 days or so).
Jeter got two hits, 3189. A-Rod looked bad. Let’s face it. He looks old, and is on course for .262-26-70. Those numbers aren’t bad numbers, but #1— they aren’t the numbers of a $28 million a year player and #2—they are not the numbers of a cleanup hitter. Maybe Girardi should consider not batting him third or fourth anymore. A-Rod, 37 in a few weeks, isn’t the same anymore.
Whatever, it is nine straight losses now at the Cow(bell) Palace.
The Sommer Frieze 
