The Captain's Blog

No matter where you stand on the importance of winning the division, the story of yesterday’s extra inning loss begins with Andy Pettitte.

Orioles get Wiggy as walkoff double by Ty Wigginton helps Baltimore avoid a weekend sweep (Photo: AP).

After some early jitters (he went 3-0 on the first two batters), Andy Pettitte settled into a groove and became a strike throwing machine, locating both his fastball and curve with incredible precision for a man who had not been atop a major league mound in two months. The only run surrendered by Pettitte came on a two out bunt single in the first inning, after which the Yankees lefty allowed only two base runners. Pettitte only needed 78 pitches to complete six innings, and retired the last 11 batters he faced.

While Pettitte was picking up where he left off, the Yankees were once again leaving men on base. So, instead of building a big lead, the Yankees allowed the Orioles to hang around and eventually tie the game when they scored single runs in the eighth and ninth, the latter coming on a lead off homerun by Luke Scott off Mariano Rivera. Scott’s blast, which just made it over the 18-foot wall in right, gave Rivera his second blown save on the road trip.

The game wasn’t lost when Rivera surrendered the lead. In fact, in the eleventh, the Yankees seemed as if they were poised to get a second chance at winning it. In that frame, however, Buck Showalter proved himself to be a master tactician, while Joe Girardi seemed to be one step behind in the managerial game of chess that ensured.

Alex Rodriguez led off the inning with a walk and his pinch runner, Eduardo Nunez, advanced to third on a wild pickoff attempt that bounced into the stands. Before the errant throw, Ramiro Pena had been attempting to sacrifice, but with the runner already on third, Girardi opted to send Marcus Thames to the plate with a 1-1 count. Thames eventually struck out in his abbreviated at bat, prompting Girardi use Mark Teixeira in place of Brett Gardner. Showalter then had Gonzalez walk both Teixeira and Jeter, putting the game in the lap of Lance Berkman, who had batted .177/.270/.266 against lefties this season. Sure enough, one weak ground ball later and the Yankees had let another golden opportunity slip through their hands.

Ultimately, winning and losing comes down the performance of players, but a manager’s job is to put his team in the best position to succeed. In this game, Girardi didn’t do that, while Showalter did. Once Thames struck out, Showalter knew exactly what his exit strategy was going to be. Girardi, however, seemed to be caught off guard by Showalter’s approach. By sending his last potent bat into an obvious intentional walk situation, Girardi was basically falling into Showalter’s trap. With no useful bench remaining, the Berkman versus a lefty matchup was checkmate for Buck.

After wiggling out of the jam in the top of the eleventh, the Orioles finally put the game away with back-to-back doubles by Scott and Ty Wigginton off David Robertson, who was pitching in his second inning.  The Orioles’ walkoff helped the team avoid a home sweep, proving that turn around is fair play, as a Nick Swisher walkoff HR helped the Yankees avoid the same fate against Baltimore only 10 days earlier.

With the Jays building a strong young pitching staff and the Orioles under the control of one of the game’s better managers, the 2011 AL East could be an absolute monster. That’s a concern for next year, however. The Yankees still have two weeks to worry about winning this year’s division title.

According to Buster Olney, speaking on the Mike and Mike morning radio program, Joe Torre will be among the baseball luminaries on hand to help unveil George M. Steinbrenner III’s monument during this evening’s ceremony at Yankee Stadium.

The appearance will mark the first time Torre has returned to Yankee Stadium since his acrimonious parting with the team after the 2007 season. It also suggests the beginning of a permanent thaw that should culminate in series of future honors for Torre, including a retired number and plaque in monument park.

There are no issues with Joe Torre and the Yankees. In terms of what Joe did and what we all did together, no one is ever going to change that. No one wants to change that. We’re all really proud of what we all did together.” – Brian Cashman speaking to reporters on Friday, from the LoHud Yankees Blog

As Brian Cashman stated over the weekend, nothing can change what Torre and the Yankees accomplished together, so it’s nice to see a reconciliation of sorts on a day meant to honor the Boss. After all, if the Boss stood for anything, it was the importance of keeping the family together. Whether you view Torre as a prodigal son or an aggrieved party, his return to Yankee Stadium has been long overdue.

C.C. Sabathia notched his 20^th victory of the season, a milestone reached for the first time in his career, by limiting the Orioles to three runs over seven innings.

Fans hold up a sign heralding C.C. Sabathia's milestone achievement (Photo: AP).

After some early inning struggles, Sabathia settled into the game, but never really regained full command of his pitches, particularly the breaking ball. The Yankees ace lefty has made a habit of grinding through games in which he isn’t in top form, however, so having his milestone achievement come on such a night seemed rather appropriate.

In support of Sabathia, the Yankees jumped out ahead in the first inning when Jorge Posada singled in to two runs with two outs and the bases loaded. More than stake the Yankees to a 2-0 lead, the two out hit seemed to make the final cut in the clean break from the team’s recent struggles with men in scoring position, a process that started with Arod’s dramatic ninth inning homerun on Friday. And, sure enough, later in the game, the Yankees converted two situations with a man on third and less than two outs (a sacrifice fly and ground ball, both by Derek Jeter). John Sterling must have been very happy.

Robinson Cano’s continued resurgence, including a two run homerun in the fifth that gave him a career high 101 RBIs, as well as Nick Swisher’s return to the lineup with two hits were further positives from the game. There was, however, a significant negative, and that was the absence of Mark Teixeira, who has been playing with a broken toe since August 30. According to Teixeira, the tow has been causing him significant discomfort in both the field and at the plate, where he has gone .211/.343./.246 in 70 plate appearances since the injury.

So, the Yankees continue their challenge of trying to win the division while also getting everyone healthy for the post season. It has been a tough line to walk, but with the impending return of Andy Pettitte and signs of gradual awakening among the offense, the team may soon be on the straight and narrow, which the Yankees hope will be a path that leads deep into October.

Yankees’ 2B* with 100 RBIs in a Season

*At least 75% of games played at 2B.
Source: Baseball-reference.com