ALCS Game 2. Yanks clipped by Astros in 9th 2-1. In 0-2 Hole.

Carlos Correa drove in Jose Altuve in the bottom of the ninth to win Game 2 of the ALCS, 2-1 for Houston over the Yankees.

Houston now leads the series two games to none.

Correa and Altuve each had two hits, accounting for four of Houston’s five.

Correa’s HR in the fourth gave the Astros a 1-0 lead. It was ruled no fan interference on the play as a youngster almost pulled a “Jeffrey Maier.”

The Yanks tied it in the fifth on back-to-back two-out doubles by Aaron Hicks and Todd Frazier. Frazier’s ground-rule double was odd in that it stuck in the fence.

In the ninth, Altuve singled and Correa doubled him home. The throw beat Altuve, but catcher Gary Sanchez could not catch it cleanly and Altuve scored.

The Yanks only had five hits in the game, as Justin Verlander got a CG win with 13 K.

Severino 4 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Kahnle 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K,
Robertson 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Chapman (Loss) 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.

Joe Espada is having a bad couple of games as the Yankees’ third base coach. Bird thrown out at the plate in Game 1, and in Game 2, Brett Gardner was thrown out at third trying for a triple.

One thing about Aaron Judge batting second: He does draw lots of walks, so his OBP is good (although right now he is slumping badly with many strikeouts), but with Judge up, Gardner doesn’t run because he doesn’t want to get thrown out at second with Judge up. A double-edged sword. You got the homers and walks with Judge #2, but at the expense of a Gardner SB?

Game 3 is in the Bronx on Monday night.

In the NLCS, the Dodgers took Game 1 from the Cubs, 5-2.

In the Arizona Fall League,  Scottsdale lost 11-1. Yankee SS prospect Kyle Holder was 1 for 4. DH Thairo Estrada was 2 for 4 with the RBI. Cody Carroll pitched a scoreless inning, walking one batter.

 

 

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ALDS Game 4. Yanks survive, force Game 5, 7-3.

Redemption.

Luis Severino got redemption for his wild card clunker by pitching seven strong innings as the Yankees evened up the series, two games apiece, with a 7-3 win over Cleveland Monday night.

The series will have a do-or-die, deciding Game 5 on Wednesday night. In a bit of a surprise, it will be CC going for the Yanks, and NOT Sonny Gray. Do-or-die game, all hands on deck.

The winner will face Houston in the ALCS. Houston eliminated Boston in Game 4 Monday.

The Yanks got four in the fourth. Castro reached on an error and moved up on a PB, then Todd Frazier’s double off the foul line deep in left made it 1-0. Hicks singled to make it 2-0 and Gardner singled. Gardner stole second. Judge, with his only hit of the series so far, doubled in two. (Should Judge, with only one hit and many strikeouts, be moved out of the #2 slot?)

A walk, double and walk loaded the bases in the third with one out. After a force at home, Gardner reached on an error that made it 5-0.

Severino faltered, giving up a two-run HR in the fourth, and a solo HR in the fifth. The Indians had cut the lead to 5-3.

The Yankees got one right back in the bottom of the fifth. Todd Frazier reached second on on error (Cleveland made 4 on the night) and moved to third on a Hicks’ groundout. Gardner hit a SF to bring him in. It was a risky send, since the flyball wasn’t deep, but they challenged Kipnis, a converted infielder, and the risk paid off.

Sanchez homered in the sixth to make it 7-3.

Betances came in in the eighth and was horrible, walking both batters and he wasn’t close to the strike zone.

Kahnle came in and was brilliant, blowing Cleveland away.

So Robertson and Chapman were saved for Game 5. Don’t forget about Warren and Green, either.

Severino (Winner) 7 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 W, 9 K. Gave up 2 HR.
Betances 0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 0 K.
Kahnle (Save) 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 5 K.

Gardner 2 hits, RBI.
Judge 2 RBI. Struck out 4x.

Headley 0 for 4, 3 K. The Yanks have gotten nothing from him or Ellsbury at DH this series. You wonder who DHs Game 5 vs. Kluber. Even though Holliday is a righty batter, do you go back to him? What about Judge’s struggles? Do you drop Judge?

There will be interesting decisions made. Both before and during the game, especially with bullpen pecking order.

Besides Houston eliminating Boston, the Dodgers swept Arizona, so they are in the NLCS. In the other NLCS game, the Cubs, despite being no-hit for 6 1/3 innings, won 2-1 over Washington to take a two games to one lead in that series.

ALDS Game 2. Yanks in 0-2 hole after blowing 8-3 lead. Lose 9-8 in 13.

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Sorry for the late report. I slept in and am not feeling well. Bronchitis again? Same time, just about, every year. Sigh.

1997. Mariano gives up the first of only two postseason HRs he would ever give up. It ties Game 4 for Cleveland and instead of the Yanks winning the series 3 games to 1, the Indians come back to win Game 4 and then Game 5.

2007: The midges. Torre doesn’t pull the team off the field, regrets it later, and his Yankee tenure is over. Joba vs. the bugs.

2017: The Faux HBP that Girardi didn’t challenge. Now Girardi’s contract is up, and I don’t expect him to be fired, but he made a mistake that seems to be as big as Torre’s in 2007.

(ok as for the bad omens…. the Yanks did win it all in 1938, 1958, 1978 and 1998, so we should look forward to 2018, right?)

Anyway, the game started off great when the Yanks knocked around Cleveland ace Corey Kluber. Gary Sanchez hit a 2-run HR in the first inning.

An error by Todd Frazier led to the Indians scoring two unearned runs in the first to tie it up (came back to bite them), then the Indians scored one in the second to go up 3-2. At this point, you are wondering about the Yankees’ starting pitching this postseason. The Indians did lose Edwin Encarnacion due to an ankle injury.

The Yanks went up 6-3 with four in the third. Starlin Castro tied the game and Aaron Hicks hit a 3-run HR.

In the fifth, a two-run HR by Greg Bird made it 8-3. Then the Yanks blew it. For one thing, the game went 13 and they couldn’t score anymore.

CC was pulled in the sixth after 77 pitches. Ok, maybe he should or could have stayed in with an 8-3 lead. But this is how they’ve treated CC for a while now. One out, man on first and in comes Chad Green. Normally a good move and the right one.

But was Green still taxed from the two innings he pitched on Tuesday? Here is where the early knockout of Severino in Tuesday’s wild card game may have come back to bite the Yanks, for Green wasn’t his usual self. He got a flyout for out #2 but couldn’t put Yan Gomes away. After fouling off a few pitches, Gomes doubled.

Then PH Chisenhall was HBP. Or was he?

Chisenall had two strikes on him. Replays showed the ball hit the knob of the bat and ricocheted into Sanchez’ glove. Foul tip, strike three and out of the inning. Instead, the umpire ruled HBP. Bases loaded.

Sanchez pointed to the dugout to challenge. And Girardi did nothing. For the brilliance of Tuesday night, when Girardi pieced together 26 outs out of the bullpen, he bleeped up here.

He stated that the slo-mo replay didn’t come up in the 30 seconds he had to challenge. He also stated that he didn’t want to disturb his pitcher’s rhythm.

What BS. That sounds like the excuses your seven year old kid makes to mommy and daddy when the did gets into trouble.

First off, why aren’t you trusting your catcher when your catcher is urging you to challenge? He’s right there. He caught the ball. To quote Billy Joel, It’s a Matter of Trust. And that matter of trust came up later in the game as well. Players in the dugout were urging the same thing.

Secondly, what do you have to lose by challenging? You win, strike three, out of inning. No, Joe decided to leave it go.

Third, the batter never reacted as if he were hit! He had to be told to go the first.

And you don’t challenge?

As far as his pitcher’s rhythm? Green gave up a grand slam off the foul pole on his second pitch after the incident. 8–7.

We’ll never know what would have happened had he challenged as he should have, got the call and it remains 8-3. There is a huge difference between going home 1-1 in a best-of-five and in going home 0-2. Especially to a team that has won 35 of its last 39 games.

So in came David Robertson, and you had to wonder how much he had left in the tank after his 3 1/3 innings of Tuesday night. Four up, four down, three by strikeouts. Looks good.

But then Girardi tried to extend him. Why? A matter of trust. He trusted Robertson in the eighth over Betances. Betances did pitch in Game 1 (when the Yanks were down 4-0). He also pitched and lost this game. But Betances didn’t come in until other relievers had gone before him.

He tried to extend Robertson, who was already extended on Tuesday night. It didn’t work. Jay Bruce (thanks, Mets) did it again. HR to tie the game.

And so the game went into extras. Kahnle and Chapman came in, then Betances.

Meanwhile in the 11th, Ronald Torreyes pulled a rock. Pinch-running for Todd Frazier, who reached second on an error leading off the inning, Torreyes was picked off second when Brett Gardner had to take a pitch on a sac bunt attempt. Ouch.

Betances came in for the 11th. After Green, Robertson, Kahnle and Chapman. A matter of trust. In because he had to, not so much because Girardi trusted him. After all, if he was trusted, wouldn’t he have come in in the eighth, like usual? It appears that at this point, Girardi doesn’t trust Betances.

Betances had two good innings, but needed to be overextended himself. Working his third inning, he walked the leadoff guy, who stole second. It’s well known that Betances isn’t a good fielder and with his size and delivery, doesn’t hold runners on well. Cleveland took advantage with the SB. Gomes, who extended the AB in the sixth, and who picked off Torreyes in the 11th, got the GW hit.

This is one loss that (unless the Yanks pull off a miracle and win 3 in a row to stun the baseball world and make it to the ALCS) will hurt all winter long.

Sabathia 5 1/3 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 W, 5 K.
Green 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1 HBP. Gave up grand slam.
Robertson 1 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K. Gave up HR.
Kahnle 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Chapman 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K.
Betances (Loss) 2+ IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K.

Sanchez 2 hits, 2-run HR.
Castro 2 hits, RBI.
Bird 2 hits, 2-run HR.
Hicks 2 hits, 3-run HR.
Todd Frazier 3 hits, but 2 errors.
Torreyes bone-headed PR play.

In the other series, Houston dominated Boston again and the Astros go into Fenway up 2 games to nothing.

In the NL, the Cubs and Dodgers both took Game 1 over the Nationals and Diamondbacks, respectively.

 

Wild Card Game. Yanks advance behind bullpen, 3 HRs, 8-4.

Luis Severino was awful. No one expected this, for Severino to get knocked out in the very first inning, having given up a HR, popup, walk, HR, single and double. Already it was 3-0 Twins, with men on second and third, and only one out.

Joe Girardi did what he had to do. He pulled Severino and brought in Chad Green. Green got two strikeouts to hold the Twins at three, and the Yankees’ bullpen saved the day and season from there on out.

Once in a while, I’ll criticize Girardi for some managing things but not today. He was brilliant last night in piecing together a game out of the bullpen after Severino blew up.

A hit off Green there and it would have been 5-0 Twins. Instead, great job by Green getting out of it.

The Yanks got the three runs right back when Gardner walked, Judge singled, and with one out, Didi hit a three-run HR.

They took a 4-3 lead in the second when Gardner homered.

Green had a great second inning, but faltered in the third. David Robertson had to come in in the THIRD inning with the bases loaded and one out. He got a force out that tied the game and a strikeout. All tied, new game again.

The Yanks went up 5-4 in the bottom of the third on a double by Sanchez and single by Greg Bird.

Meanwhile, Robertson kept pitching. He was a hero tonight. Normally a one-inning setup guy or closer, he went 3 1/3 scoreless innings tonight, saving the Yankees.

In the fourth, Aaron Judge hit a 2-run HR to put the Yanks up 7-4.

After this explosive beginning, 7-4 after four innings, things calmed down. Aaron Hicks drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh for the final score of 8-4.

Gardner 2 hits, walk, HR, scored 3 runs, RBI.
Judge 2 hits, walk, HR, scored 3 runs, 2 RBI.
Sanchez 2 hits.
Didi HR, 3 RBI.

The top four guys in the lineup had 7 of the Yankees’ 9 hits, 6 of the 8 RBI, and scored all 8 of the runs.

Severino 1/3 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 W, 0 K. Gave up 2 HR. Just awful.
Green 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 W, 4 K. Saved Yanks by getting out of first with 2 K.
Robertson (BS; WINNER) 3 1/3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 W, 5 K. Hero.
Kahnle (HOLD) 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W 1 K.
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.

The Yanks’ bullpen pitched 8 2/3 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 3 W, and 13 K. Awesome. Did they ever step up when needed.

The ALDS vs. Cleveland starts Thursday in Cleveland. Hopefully no midges.

 

and, from TMZSports.com:

 

Former New York Yankee Pat Kelly says he and his girlfriend getting booked for assault was just a “misunderstanding” … and “everything’s good” now that he’s outta the slammer.

TMZ Sports broke the story … Kelly and his GF, Marina Cernova, were arrested at the London Hotel in NYC on Sunday after Marina called cops to report Pat had beaten her.

Both Pat and Marina were jailed for misdemeanor assault … ’cause police say Marina also punched Pat in the face.

But when we got Kelly outside Manhattan Criminal Court … he told us he was A-OK — though he did seem kinda annoyed that our guy wouldn’t give up his sources.

Pat’s attorney tells us Pat “denies all wrongdoing and will answer the charges in court.”

 

Game 162. Yanks end season with 2-1 loss, now to the wild card game.

The Yanks lost a meaningless regular season finale, 2-1, to Toronto, and finished the regular season 91-71, 2 games back of Boston in the AL East. As the top wild card team, they will host the Twins in the sudden-death, wild card game on Tuesday night.

Toronto only got two hits in the game, but they were enough.

In the fourth, a walk, single and SF plated a run for the Blue Jays.

The Yanks, playing with most of the regulars getting a day off, tied it in the seventh on a HR (19) by Matt Holliday.

The Blue Jays got a run in the eighth on a strikeout, but on the play, ex-Yankee Rob Refsnyder reached on a wild pitch. A walk, sac bunt and infield nubber plated the winning run.

Adam Warren got some work in before the postseason starts.

Aaron Judge got a crystal gavel for breaking the rookie HR record. He also broke Babe Ruth’s 1921 record—set at the Polo Grounds—for most HR hit at home by a Yankee in a season. 33 of Judge’s AL best 52 were at home. Judge also led the league in runs scored and walks, and led the majors in striking out 😦   . He was second in OBP, SA and OPS+.

The Yanks announced they will be extending the netting for next year to protect fans better. The little girl struck by Todd Frazier’s foul ball about two weeks ago is home, but while in the hospital, the two-year-old had tubes in her, suffered a fractured nose and orbital bone, and concern was about blood on the brain that could cause a stroke. Her vision may never recover and be the same.

Montgomery 5 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 3 K. 3.88
Warren 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.35
German (L, 0-1, 3.14) 1 2/3 IP, 1 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K. 1 WP.
Heller 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.82.

Ex-Yankee Pat Kelly, who grew up and graduated from high school not far from where I live, was arrested with his girlfriend (I guess he got divorced, I thought he married an Australian girl some years ago) in a Manhattan hotel early Sunday morning. Both were thrown in jail overnight for assaulting each other.

As for Tuesday, a lot of tough decisions need to be made. Who is in CF? Hicks or Ellsbury? Who DH’s? Hicks, Ellsbury, Headley or Holliday? (Bird will be at 1B, Todd Frazier at 3B). Being that it is a sudden death game, if starter Luis Severino doesn’t have it, Girardi will have to have a quick hook.

 

Game 161. Yanks win, but Boston’s win relegates Yanks to WC.

The Yanks (91-70) won 2-1 today, thanks to a bomb by Aaron Judge (HR # 52), but Boston beat Houston, so the Red Sox win the division and the Yanks are relegated to the top wild card seed.

CC Sabathia got the win, #237 of his career, and that passed Whitey Ford on the all-time wins list. It ties CC with one-time Yankees Waite Hoyt and Clark Griffith. Griffith, of course, is remembered best not for playing or managing the Yankees, but for being the owner of the Washington Senators for many years (Griffith Stadium).

In the fourth, Judge hit his bomb, a drive that cleared the LF bleachers and was estimated at 484 feet. Another Judge drive this year, maybe more towards CF, didn’t clear the bleachers and was measured at 495. Anyway, another bomb and #52 for the season.

With the HR, Judge and Sanchez set a record for most HR hit by a pair of teammates 25 or younger at 85 (Judge 52, Sanchez 33).

After the HR, with one out, Didi singled, went to second on a WP and scored on a single by Castro.

Toronto got a run in the eighth on a SF, but nothing more.

Judge HR (52)
Todd Frazier 2 hits.
CC ties Severino for team lead in wins this year.

Ellsbury or Hicks Tues. night? Interesting question. Hicks has the better OF arm, and since coming off the DL this week, robbed a guy of a grand slam and has hit 2 HR. He has 15 HR this year despite missing two months, while Ellsbury has 7 HR. I’d say Hicks.

With a righty on the mound, Frazier 3B, Bird 1B, Headley DH. I think Ellsbury and Holliday are on the bench. We’ll see. Ellsbury can, of course, PR, and Holliday can PH against a lefty pitcher if needed.

Sabathia (W, 14-5, 3.69) 5 2/3 IP, 0 R,  4 H, 0 W, 6 K.
Green (H, 9) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.83
Kahnle 0 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K. 2.59
Robertson (H, 8) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. 1.84
Chapman (S, 22) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.22

Game 159. Rays’ big inning dooms Yanks, 9-6.

Not what you want to see from Sonny Gray in his final regular season start before the playoffs. No command, knocked out early, gave up a lot of walks and a pair of homers, and couldn’t hold a lead.

Tampa Bay scored seven in the fifth, knocking out Gray, and beat the Yanks 9-6.

The loss kept the Yanks (89-70) three back of Boston with three games to go. It seems inevitable that the Yanks will have to settle for the top wild card.

Gray gave up a HR to the second batter of the game, but the Yanks got back-to-back HRs from Gardner (21) and Judge (51) leading off the bottom of the first to go up 2-1.

They made it 3-1 in the second on a single by Ellsbury, passed ball, and an RBI single by Todd Frazier.

The red-hot Greg Bird homered in the fourth (9) to make it 4-1. Looking good.

Then the roof fell in. That seven-run inning featured Gray throwing a HR and a WP, and catcher Gary Sanchez committing an error and a passed ball. After Gray was pulled, Jonathan Holder gave up a HBP, single and triple in getting no one out.

Starlin Castro singled in a run in the fifth to cut it to 8-5, but Chasen Shreve gave up a HR in the sixth to put the Rays up 9-5.

Aaron Hicks hit his second HR (15) since coming off the DL this week to close out the scoring. It was a PH HR in the bottom of the ninth.

Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits.

Adam Warren is coming off the DL today.

Gray (L, 10-12, 3.55) 4 2/3 IP, 6 R, 6 H, 5 W, 2 K. Gave up 2 HR.
Holder 0 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. 3.89
Shreve 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 3.77 Gave up 1 HR.
Heller 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. 0.90
Gallegos 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 4.87

I am impressed this year with Heller and German as far as guys who may be able to really step up and contribute more in 2018.