Bronx, N.Y., July 26, 2009 — The Yankees completed a 9-1 homestand Sunday afternoon with a 7-5 win over the Oakland A’s. Fifth starter Sergio Mitre gave them a decent five innings, and the bullpen copped the win after an early glitch. All nine starters on offense had at least one hit, with third base sub Cody Ransom pitching in with two doubles.
Mitre throws strikes and throws to contact. With this righty sinker tosser on the mound you know what you’re going to get. He did well for most of his five-plus outings, even if the A’s pounced on him for two runs on four straight hits in the top of the first. Adam Kennedy lofted a ball to left to start the game, and five of the next six batters hit ground balls. Three of those were hits, and Scott Hairston’s rbi double to the left field gap scored one run and did the most damage. Jack Cust singled on a 3-0 count for a second run, and Kurt Suzuki’s hot shot up the middle eluded Robinson Cano. But seven ground ball outs and a fly ball around a second-inning single got Mitre through three innings with just those two runs on the scoreboard.
Sergio had a lead early because the Yanks posted a four-run first inning for the second time in four days. Oakland lefty Dallas Braden almost escaped after Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon reached on a single and walk, with Mark Teixeira striking out and Jorge Posada popping to second. But Hideki Matsui singled the other way for one run and Nick Swisher reached on a four-pitch walk. Despite a plus-.300 average, Robinson Cano’s troubles with runners in scoring posistion have been much noticed, and the bases-loaded, two-out at bat fell to him. But he smacked a Braden fast ball to the gap in right center for three scores. He actually reached third himself but was tagged out after he overslid the bag.
Back-to-back Oakland singles had Mitre in quick trouble leading off the fourth, and the second fly-ball out off Mitre, a Mark Ellis sac fly to right, closed the score to 4-3. But the new Yankee righty did what he does better than anything then: he coaxed double play grounders, two of them. On the first, his throw caromed off Jeter at second, but he got a 6-4-3 from Kennedy on the next pitch to slip out of trouble. The Yankees responded with a threat when Melky Cabrera singled and Ransom doubled him to third with one down in the bottom half. But Jeter’s fly to right was too shallow and Damon popped to second. Mitre allowed a single in the fifth but got another dp grounder to short. It was in this frame that Sergio actually got the A’s batters to swing and miss for the first three times, and the last one was Sergi’s only strike out, against Cust on a curve ball.
The Yanks went quietly in the fifth and when Suzuki reached Mitre for the ninth A’s hit, a single leading off the sixth, Girardi brought in lefty Phil Coke to face the next four, three of them lefty batters. Ryan Sweeney flied out but Daric Barton beat the relay on a force out grounder to second. The lone righty in the group, second baseman Mark Ellis, homered to left to give Oakland its second lead at 5-4. But once Cano bounced out the Yanks had a deja vu sixth. A one-out walk to Cabrera and Ransom’s second double into the left-field corner put runners at second and third with one out for the second time in three frames. Jeter wasted no time this time, singling to center on the next pitch for two runs and the lead. But Jeter was picked off on a funky, off-balance toss before Damon doubled to right. Teixeira singled for the two-run cushion and the game’s last run. Once Posada walked Braden was out fo the game.
The scoring was over, but not the threats. Phil Hughes came on and and retired the side with two strike outs in the seventh, though the A’s made him pay to the tune of 20 pitches. The Yanks threatened with a Swisher double, a Cano fly that moved him to third (good baserunning by Nick tagging up), and Cabrera walk. But Ransom struck out and Jeter bounced out to first. Hughes got Suzuki for a third straight swinging strike out to start the top of the eighth, but Sweeney battled him to an eight-pitch walk, and Barton doubled to right.
Both Mariano Rivera and the struggling Brian Bruney were warming, and most assumed Mo would get the call for a five-out save when Girardi strode out to pull Hughes. But Bruney trotted in, warmed, then struck Ellis out on four pitches. Now Joe G. bought on Mo, prompting a few more head scratches, but Rivera bounced pinch hitter Nomar Garciaparra back to the box. Two strike outs in the ninth and a grounder to third and Mariano had his 30th save and the Yanks the 7-5 win.
The two-year report card on Girardi is led off both on the high and low ends, for many, by the comment that “he is no Joe Torre.” And perhaps Joe G. doesn’t quite have the people skills his predecessor had. And Girardi does have the one mark against him that Torre never had here. The old Joe never managed a Yankee team that did not make the playoffs. On the other hand, it’s fair to say that Joe Torre never fielded a team where Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson got 35 starts betweeen them. As one of the many in the crowd and watching from home today who were scratching their heads in the eighth inning today, I think one thing is clear.
Mr. Girardi has managed the bullpen terrifically for one and a half years now. Bodes well for the post season. If only Joe G. can “manage” to get the Yankees there.
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!