Thursday, August 06, 2009
A Series in August.
Revisiting something I wrote a little less than two months ago, June 17 to be exact:
As we've hit the long-awaited date of August 6, the date that begins yet another big Yankee-Red Sox series, there is a sense that there is something particularly special about this installment of the rivalry. And I would suspect the core of that sentiment is unique to the Yankee fan side of the equation. For as much as the Nation would like the Boston white-washing of the Bombers to continue ad infinitum, and can't be pleased about being knocked off their first-place perch, there is a sense of urgent relief bubbling inside the Yankee fan, that is akin to hearing firefighters clamoring through the shaft after you've been stuck inside an elevator for a few hours. We know this isn't going to last forever, but 0-8 has been a dark cloud continuously hanging over the summer. Whether it ends tonight, tomorrow, Saturday . . . it's going to end soon.
My long-winded point is that this series is more about the Yankees than it is about the Red Sox. The Yankees are the team, despite the improbable 2.5 game lead in the division, that has the boatload to prove to Boston (and to themselves and their fan base) as opposed to the other way around. And although there is no substitute for post-season baseball, this series is as close to a simulation as the regular season can offer. And there are still serious doubts about how this Yankee unit will perform in the post-season, especially considering their performance against Boston and LAAnaheim in recent times.
A.L. East
The Yankees have over-performed my off-the-cuff projection in June by three games. Boston has under-performed by four games. It doesn't sound like a huge difference, but that's a seven-game swing in the loss column from what I was expecting. More than being surprised at the Yankees doing a little better than I thought that would, the Sox haven't been as crisp as I thought they'd be in a stretch of their schedule that was very favorable. Although the sight of the Rays over the last couple nights wasn't enough to kick them into another gear, pinstriped blood in the water tends to bring out their resourceful, grinding best. I expect nothing less.
One of the differences with this series is that for the first time in recent memory, the Yanks are playing the Sox to an even match-up in the starting pitching department. At least on paper. The Yanks have the edge on Thursday; Boston on Friday; Yanks on Saturday; Boston on Sunday. And to further that point, the New York's pitching advantages (Joba over Smoltz; Sabathia over Buchholz) are larger than Boston's (Beckett over Burnett; Lester over Pettitte). Now in saying this, I'm cognizant that no one would be surprised if Joba is wild tonight in the bright lights of the Bronx, and Smoltz, like a wily old outlaw, steps up his game and throws six innings of two-run ball. However, just a general look at the match-ups suggests the Yankees have shot to fare well here.
[I do question the need to bring Phil Hughes into a game with a three-run lead last night, presumably making him unavailable for tonight; he pitched Tues. & Wed. However, he got the job done, the Yanks preserved the lead and a win is a win is a win.]
Weather.com suggests only slight nuisances at the Stadium over the next four days. Chance of a shower or two this evening; showers on Saturday; and isolated thunderstorms on Sunday. Friday night looks perfect. I'll be heading to the game on Saturday, and for now I'll hold out hope that the local Connecticut forecast which I saw yesterday holds up, as that day was dubbed their "Pick of the Weekend."
I'll try and drop a word here or word there over the next four days, as I'm anxious to see how this plays out. My prediction: a 2-2 series split, that will go a little against the grain. I think Boston will get either the Thurs. or Sat. game, and the Yanks will get either the Fri. or Sun. game.
A little taste of October in August. Nothing wrong with that.
(The Rivalry That Keeps on Giving Edition)
Revisiting something I wrote a little less than two months ago, June 17 to be exact:
Just knocking through the schedules quickly, I put the Sox at 66-40 and the Yankees at 62-45 going into their next series, August 6-9 at Yankee Stadium. By that time, I think the Yanks have a shot to be up 5+ games in the Wild Card, which means any subsequent match-ups between Boston and New York will be more about playoff positioning than anything else. Beyond the issue of the Yankees trying to get over the impenetrable, tantalizing, mind-numbing wall of beating Boston for the first time this year, if they can jockey back into position to make a run at the division over the final six or seven weeks of the season, it could be to their clear advantage come October.
As we've hit the long-awaited date of August 6, the date that begins yet another big Yankee-Red Sox series, there is a sense that there is something particularly special about this installment of the rivalry. And I would suspect the core of that sentiment is unique to the Yankee fan side of the equation. For as much as the Nation would like the Boston white-washing of the Bombers to continue ad infinitum, and can't be pleased about being knocked off their first-place perch, there is a sense of urgent relief bubbling inside the Yankee fan, that is akin to hearing firefighters clamoring through the shaft after you've been stuck inside an elevator for a few hours. We know this isn't going to last forever, but 0-8 has been a dark cloud continuously hanging over the summer. Whether it ends tonight, tomorrow, Saturday . . . it's going to end soon.
My long-winded point is that this series is more about the Yankees than it is about the Red Sox. The Yankees are the team, despite the improbable 2.5 game lead in the division, that has the boatload to prove to Boston (and to themselves and their fan base) as opposed to the other way around. And although there is no substitute for post-season baseball, this series is as close to a simulation as the regular season can offer. And there are still serious doubts about how this Yankee unit will perform in the post-season, especially considering their performance against Boston and LAAnaheim in recent times.
A.L. East
| Team | Record | GB |
| New York | ||
| Boston |
The Yankees have over-performed my off-the-cuff projection in June by three games. Boston has under-performed by four games. It doesn't sound like a huge difference, but that's a seven-game swing in the loss column from what I was expecting. More than being surprised at the Yankees doing a little better than I thought that would, the Sox haven't been as crisp as I thought they'd be in a stretch of their schedule that was very favorable. Although the sight of the Rays over the last couple nights wasn't enough to kick them into another gear, pinstriped blood in the water tends to bring out their resourceful, grinding best. I expect nothing less.
One of the differences with this series is that for the first time in recent memory, the Yanks are playing the Sox to an even match-up in the starting pitching department. At least on paper. The Yanks have the edge on Thursday; Boston on Friday; Yanks on Saturday; Boston on Sunday. And to further that point, the New York's pitching advantages (Joba over Smoltz; Sabathia over Buchholz) are larger than Boston's (Beckett over Burnett; Lester over Pettitte). Now in saying this, I'm cognizant that no one would be surprised if Joba is wild tonight in the bright lights of the Bronx, and Smoltz, like a wily old outlaw, steps up his game and throws six innings of two-run ball. However, just a general look at the match-ups suggests the Yankees have shot to fare well here.
[I do question the need to bring Phil Hughes into a game with a three-run lead last night, presumably making him unavailable for tonight; he pitched Tues. & Wed. However, he got the job done, the Yanks preserved the lead and a win is a win is a win.]
Weather.com suggests only slight nuisances at the Stadium over the next four days. Chance of a shower or two this evening; showers on Saturday; and isolated thunderstorms on Sunday. Friday night looks perfect. I'll be heading to the game on Saturday, and for now I'll hold out hope that the local Connecticut forecast which I saw yesterday holds up, as that day was dubbed their "Pick of the Weekend."
I'll try and drop a word here or word there over the next four days, as I'm anxious to see how this plays out. My prediction: a 2-2 series split, that will go a little against the grain. I think Boston will get either the Thurs. or Sat. game, and the Yanks will get either the Fri. or Sun. game.
A little taste of October in August. Nothing wrong with that.
Comments:
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I think that's taking it a bit far, but certainly appreciate the sentiment. Like I wrote, I expect a split, but going 3-1 here would definitely give a boost to the Yanks' chances for winning the division.
Yeah, I sense the Nation is reeling a bit after the last 2 nights in Tampa. Massarotti was really sounding the alarm this morning in the Globe: http://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/massarotti/2009/08/pitching_depth_hits_bottom.html
I think the Sox will be fine, and I expect them to play well in the series. Would be very surprised if they get swept.
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Yeah, I sense the Nation is reeling a bit after the last 2 nights in Tampa. Massarotti was really sounding the alarm this morning in the Globe: http://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/massarotti/2009/08/pitching_depth_hits_bottom.html
I think the Sox will be fine, and I expect them to play well in the series. Would be very surprised if they get swept.
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