After a long Memorial Day Weekend, back to the Moose Watch. I was there in person for this one.
5/24/08
Opponent- Seattle Mariners
5 Innings Pitched, 7 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned, 1 BB, 4K, 2 HR
Mussina- W, 7-4, 4.39 ERA, 1.32 WHIP
Mussina was staked to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd, but gave it all back in the top of the third with a 3-run jack to Jose Vidro, and a solo shot to Adrian Beltre. He scattered 3 hits during his other 4 innings of work, and the Yankees won another easy one against the Mariners. Mussina gave way to Joba, as he likely will in the rotation next year.
May 27, 2008 at 1:59 pm |
The Moose will not “give way… next year.” No chance in hell he makes it through this year.
Joba will be in the rotation within 10-14 days, and Moose will be out by August at the latest.
May 27, 2008 at 2:22 pm |
I hear you… the guy who would be the second best pitcher on the Mets will not make it through August on the Yankees. More wins than any Met starter. Only 2 more earned runs than Johan. Lower WHIP than your Maine man.
Honestly, you are hoping to have two starters better than Moose for the entire season. He would be your number 2 starter, and if I offered you a pitcher named Miguel Mussinez, with Mussina’s numbers this year, you would gladly bump all your starters down a spot. Even if he breaks down, his 7-4 record for the team, including wins in 6 of his last 7 starts, is light-years from “done” “finished” and all the other knocks you had out on him.
May 27, 2008 at 3:54 pm |
We’ll see. It’s a real long season. Smoke and mirrors is all the Moose has left. I’d take Claudio Vargas over the Moose, and he’s the Mets’ #5.
What I am finding difficult to process is that you seem to think every single Yankee (even Moose and Giambi) are stars, yet the Yanks are in last place, were swept by the hapless Mutts last week, and have yet to win a championship this millenium. There is an obvious disconnect here.
In the Spring you said that Hughes and Kennedy were better than Maine and Perez. Now you have substituted Moose for the prior two. You were wrong then, and you remain wrong today.
And don’t mention “Miguel Mussinez” to Omar — he might take you up on your offer.
May 28, 2008 at 8:24 am |
And you seem to think that May 28th means the season is decided. Look at the respective positions of the Mets and Yankees at this time last year. If we applied the same standard that it seems you are using this year, it would appear that the Mets would have won the WS and the 86 games you are picking for the Yankees this year would be a best-case-scenario. instead, the Yankees reeled 94 wins while the Mets did what they did.
A-rod is a star, and the team just reeled off 5 in a row since his prolonged absence.
Posada is a star, and hasn’t played much at all this season.
Moose was a star, but is now a competent starter.
giambi was a star, but is now either HR, BB or out.
I dont think all the Yankees are stars now, but they still have had the most wins this millenium, and been to the playoffs every year, and WS twice. You have also rightly stated, stars don’t win titles, teams do.
Hughes and Kennedy are better than Maine and Perez as ostensible 3 and 4 starters. They are also 22 and 24. Maine is 27 with more than 60 big league starts. Perez is 26 with more than 100 starts. I would still take a healthy hughes 1st, though Kennedy is worrying me for this season.
May 28, 2008 at 1:02 pm |
Didn’t like Girardi’s management of that game last night. Why the closer in a non-save situation on the road? Did he think it was a home game? And why not go after Millar with first and third and one out in the 11th and hope for a K or a double play rather than load the bases for a lefty with added pressure on the pitcher to throw strikes? Never a big fan of loading the bases by walking a hitter (Millar) who is a double play candidate. Hitters do great with the bases loaded b/c the pitchers have to throw strikes and get ahead — more pressure on the pitcher with the bases juiced.
As for the pitchers, ya gotta be kidding me. John Maine is developing into a number 2. He had a stretch prior to his last 2 starts of 7 straight starts with 2 earned runs or fewer. If he was a Yank, the hype machine would be promoting him like he’s the right-handed Whitey Ford. I’m surprised you’re not more impressed by Perez, he seems to shut the Yankees’ asses out a couple of time a year.
May 28, 2008 at 2:32 pm |
Yeah, I agree that the game management strategy was a little chancy, but I also think that if Matsui can’t see because of a torrent of rain on his helmet, it might be time to tarp it up. He didn’t go after Millar because he wears out the Yankees, and had hit 2 jacks, i think.