Sigh.
Seattle is one of the worst teams in the American League. We need to win. This was an ideal situation and instead, we walked away with a 2-2 split. Definitely a disappointment.
Monday was nice. Jason Giambi followed up a terrific Sunday with two more homeruns and four RBIs. Alex Rodriguez homered for the 39th time this season and newcomer Matt Lawton even got in on the action with his first homerun in pinstripes.
Mike Mussina was shelled and only pitched three innings, but Aaron Small saved the day and improved to 5-0 on the season. Gordon and Rivera did their typical eighth/ninth routine and the Yankees walked away with a win. No problem.
No problem, except they lost on Tuesday. Shawn Chacon was simply beat up. By the end of third, the Mariners had an 8-2 lead. Joe Torre did get six innings out of Chacon, so at least he didn’t tax the pen. Alex Rodriguez nailed his 40th homer, but it was all for naught.
Yesterday was “The Matchup.” 41 year old, five time Cy Young winner Randy Johnson went head to head with 19 year old phenom and potential future Cy Young Felix Hernandez. The Yankees only managed five hits, but one of those was a Robinson Cano solo homer, and the other was a Gary Sheffield solo shot. Randy Johnson rose to the occasion and only gave up three hits in seven innings.
What lost us the game this afternoon was the line drive that nailed Jaret Wright. He was throwing a fine game before the injury, but the pen was then knocked around. Relievers Tanyon Sturtze, Alan Embree and Ramiro Mendoza all gave up at least one run, and the Yankees first inning lead didn’t have a chance of standing.
The Red Sox appear to be ready to beat the Devil Rays, so we’ll be four games back of the Red Sox in the lost column. Not insurmountable, but certainly not desirable. If the Angels win, they’ll be tied with the Yankees for the Wild Card. The Angels and Oakland will be tied for the AL West.
Oakland is on deck and this series has some major playoff implications. Sunday’s game is on ESPN, so I’ll be glued to the TV.
