2011 ALDS YANKEES VS. TIGERS GAME 5 PREVIEW

It’s one win down and one win to go. The Yankees won their first must win game on Wednesday in Detroit behind AJ Burnett, some spectacular defense by Curtis Granderson, and hot bats up and down the lineup to the tune of a 10-1 final. But tonight is another night, and another must win game for the Yankees. But, it's the same for the Tigers who had their chance to close it out at home. Almost everyone counted AJ Burnett out and thought he'd pitch poorly, while Rick Porcello would pitch well. We all know what happened, thankfully. But it's time to move onto the next game. It's a winner take all (Or at least advance to the ALCS.) It’s Game 5 in the Bronx tonight...where’s your big mouth now Valverde?

Ivan Nova will make his second appearance in the series (his first came in relief because of the crappy weather). He went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five. Yesterday Nova said he won't be nervous. Read that story HERE.

I'm not sure I buy that, he's pitching the most important game of his life in Yankee Stadium, but I like his thinking.

Doug Fister will make his second appearance in this ALDS. Like Ivan Nova, Fister also pitched the resumption of Game 1. He pitched well for awhile, but ran into serious trouble in the sixth inning. He allowed six runs in the sixth, with three of those runs scoring on Robinson Cano's grand slam served up by Tiger reliever Al Alburquerque, who hadn't allowed a homer all season up to that point. Anyway, Doug Fister finished with a line of 4.2 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits while striking out six.

Let's face it, although Game 4 was a huge win, it won't mean jack if the Yankees don't win tonight. I hate to burst that bubble, but that's the reality of it. As Alex Rodriguez said in Entourage “We’re trying to win a ring around here.” It’s true.

And anything short of that would be a failure. That's just how it is in New York, and the next step to accomplish that goal is to win tonight. Like Game 4, tonight's Game 5 will be a team effort by the pitching staff, the offense, and the defense and no one is rooting hard tonight than Bleeding Yankee Blue… and that’s just not us, it’s all of us, true Yankee fans!!!

Let's Go Yankees!!!

--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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THE YANKEES ARE ALIVE!

The Yankees had their backs against the wall and no one was hitting Burnett was to pitch...and all day today, it was the only thing on my mind. Then, like I said in WHY I'M IN AN EMPIRE STATE OF MIND, something happened. I felt better because my iPod was telling me something. Why else would Empire State of Mind just randomly play on shuffle? It was a sign...The Yankees are back and tonight proved it.
(Photo: AP)
The first inning for AJ Burnett was horrendous, but I had hope. After walking 2 and 1 more intentionally, the bases were loaded with 2 outs. Don Kelly then hit the crap out of the ball to deep center and Curtis Granderson made a tremendous catch. Brian Anderson, the announcer called the play a "big break" for the Yankees. A big break? He also called it "kind of a mis-play". How about an outstanding catch? I'll never understand the TBS guys. I will give Ron Darling some credit. He's complimentary to the Yankees while trying to give constructive analysis. Smoltz is terrible. Sorry John.

The top of the second inning, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher went fast. One positive though, Alex and Tex hit the ball hard, which led me to believe they are close to snapping out of their rut. The bottom of the second went quick for AJ. Thank God. He started to get into a rhythm and actually looked good.

The top of the 3rd was beautiful. The Yankees actually had Ducks on the Pond and got them home. Jorge Posada was hit by a pitch. Russell Martin then singled. Brett Gardner stuck out on a lousy, high third strike call and then Derek Jeter came up. He cranked a double to center field and Posada and Martin scored. Martin's slide was sweet around Avila and touched home with his hand as he slid by. He was pumped.(Photo: AP)
The 4th inning just showed me Nick Swisher striking out and looking ridiculous. Let's face it, Swish can't do a thing in the postseason right now. The bottom of the 4th Victor Martinez took the ball yard. He just crushed it, there was no doubt about it. At this point, the score was 2 to 1 Yankees. Then Jhonny Peralta doubled. This is right about the time where AJ starts to feel the pressure. Right around the second time around the order, the opposing team sometimes gets to AJ. At this point, I was wondering what was up Girardi's sleeve. Then, AJ struck out Wilson Betemit stranding Peralta... inning over.

In the 5th inning Russell Martin singled again. Man was he pumped tonight. Then red hot Brett Gardner singled moving Martin to second. At this point there were no outs and Jeter coming to the plate. Jeter bunted and give credit to Rick Porcello, he threw to third and nailed Martin. 1 out. Curtis Granderson then rips one down the right field line, base hit and it scores Brett Gardner. Jeter moves to third. Robinson Cano was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Alex comes up the plate and you know he had home run on his brain. Instead, he sacrificed and Jeter scored. 4-1 Yankees. Mark Teixeira shit the bed and stuck out. Between he and Swisher, I really don't know who's worse at this point.

The bottom of the 5th, Austin Jackson singled to left. Then a quick double play and a beautiful scoop by Teixeira in the dirt to complete the double play. Delmon Young then knocked it back to AJ and the inning was over. Nice work so far AJ.

In the 6th, Nick Swisher now came up for his third time of the night. A hit to second and out number 1. I tell you... I have no use for Swish right now, what is going on with this guy? Will he ever hit?

In the bottom of the 6th with 2 outs, Girardi came out and relieved AJ of his duties. At this point I was excited to see the team pat him on the shoulders and tell him "Good job." We fans tend to forget that these guys are human. Rafael Soriano came in and his first batter cranked one to center field. Now I've seen outstanding catches in my 40 years of life, but seeing Granderson horizontal and making that catch to end the inning is something I have never seen. You think the Yankees want to win this one? I do.

The bottom of the 7th was smooth for Soriano who got out of the inning fast, 1,2,3.

In the 8th inning Alex Rodriguez finally got a hit. I said it earlier, you can tell by the swings, he was going to get a hit soon. Now, all I wanted is for that to rub off on Teixeira and Swish. Then a dribbler for Tex down third and suddenly 2 men on and no one out for Swisher. Then, it happened... Swisher got a single. See? There are 2 things that are addictive in baseball, losing and hitting. The Yankees are hitting in this Game 4 and now, everyone is starting the hit. That's a good sign.

Jesus Montero came to the plate with the bases loaded as a pinch hitter. It's good to see this kid in a postseason game. Phil Coke was replaced by Al Alburquerque and suddenly, a balk. ARod scores and it's 5-1. Montero crushed a single through 3rd and Short and Tex scored. 6-1 Yankees at this point. Alburquerque was replaced by Schlereth and Gardner keeps on hitting and another run comes into score. At this point I cracked open a beer and sat back. I felt the need to finally relax. With the bases loaded, Jeter came to the plate and struck out. Then a wild pitch brings in a run... 8-1. Cano came up to the plate and looped a single over shortstop. 2 runs scored and at that point it was 10-1. Another pitching change and then Alex came up and cranked a single. He hit it hard...he's hitting now. Like Ron Darling said, the bat speed is there now, Alex is back. Remember I said that.

Mark Teixeira then ripped one to right field and deep, but it was caught to end the inning. "Mark" my words, pardon the pun, Tex is back too.Phil Hughes came in and he got the Tigers 1,2,3. He looked great and it was a relief to see because who knew what he'd have. Girardi used him perfectly, a non-pressure situation to get some confidence and it worked.

In the 9th, Jesus Montero got postseason hit number 2. Martin then hit into a double play and the inning was over. The bottom of the 9th brought in Boone Logan. I knew it was 10-1, but why was I nervous? I shouldn't have been, Logan struck out the side.

Final Score: Yankees 10 - Tigers 1

The Yankees are going back to the Bronx, and Jose Valverde can suck it. The New York Yankees are back and just in time, we have everyone hitting and we're headed home, just where I love to clinch. I believe. I know we can do it.

I leave you with this:



Looking forward to seeing my guys clinching the ALDS at home in the Bronx bitches!!!!! Go Yankees!

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WHY I'M IN AN EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

We’re going to be fine tonight. That’s right… The New York Yankees will win tonight and force a Game 5 back to the Bronx, to an Empire State of Mind. Why? Because today while I was on my way home, Jay Z’s Empire State of Mind came on my iPod. I had it on shuffle, so it wasn’t strategic, it just happened. And with that, I listened and smiled and looked around and saw a ton of Yankee fans in the city, wearing hats, shirts and jackets. It's Yankeeland, we’re all fans and we all have faith in our New York Yankees. I thought about our run in 2009 and how magical it was. Empire State of Mind was on a loop that World Series. So yes, when Jay Z came on the old iPod, it gave me chills.

Tonight, there are a few important things to think about. AJ Burnett could be a pleasant surprise. AJ Burnett could be the shining moment in our dim past 24 hours. And if he’s not, look for Joe Girardi to have a short leash. There is no way in hell this game gets out of hand. Look for the bats to explode because our backs are against the wall. While it’s not the last game in the series, we need to be smart about this, we need to play to win, but not play to blow our load. I found this on Youtube:

After all, we need to get back to the Bronx and we will, because everything happens for a reason and let’s face it, I haven’t hear Empire State of Mind in months. Why would that song just pop up on my iPod today? I know why… because it’s GO time New York!

I saw this story today from George King III of the New York Post. When the Yankees go to a 5^th game back in the Bronx, Joe Girardi had mentioned that CC Sabathia would not start, but would appear in the bullpen. I like that idea. I said “When” because there is no “If”. The Yankees have to go to a Game 5. We need to win this ALDS and we need to win it in the Bronx.

I also found these nuggets today I wanted to bring to your attention. Check them out:

Russell Martin: Anthony McCarron has a piece today titled Tigers catcher slipping nearly opened door for Yankees. In it, Martin is described as saying “This could be it…this could be the break.” In reference to Alex Avila slipping on the on deck circle in the Bronx in the 9^th inning of game 2. While at the moment it happened, I thought the same thing, I find a full story about this stuff silly. Bottom line, breaks help, but the Yankees need to win on their own, pitching, bats and defense. This is all much, much bigger than luck, the playoffs are about talent. The ALDS is too important to lose. That’s my take at least. You can read McCarron’s piece HERE.

Robinson Cano: Jim Leyland likes Robinson Cano. Newsday has this quote: “Well, I think Robinson Cano is a star, a superstar.” Read the Newsday piece HERE.

Finally, Curtis Granderson has been nominated for the 2011 Hank Aaron award. And dammit, I hope he gets it.

Go Yankees!!!

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ONE GAME AT A TIME

(Photo: AP)
The Yankee Stadium crowd was hushed today by Max Scherzer, doing his best Cy Young impersonation. Look, Scherzer is not an incredible pitcher, but for some reason, he has the Yankees number. You have to give him credit, he came into our house and took over. I watched today in frustration, but I didn't watch it real time believe it or not. Thank God for my DVR.

At 3 o'clock, I was at my kid's Little League game. There's a lot going on as you can tell. My son told me as we pulled up to the baseball field, "Today, I'm going with my Cano stance." He was clearly honoring Cano after last night's grand slam. I looked at him and said "Just be you." My guy was on his own mission today, he was fighting for more playing time next game as well as a shot at moving up in the batting order. To him, the playoffs and his personal challenge we're similar. You have to give him props, he's hungry.(Photo: AP)
Meanwhile, Freddy Garcia gave us a good pitching performance today and delivered what we needed him too. In 5.1 innings, he allowed 6 hits and 4 runs and struck out 6. Although, it started out rough, with a quick 2 run home run by Miguel Cabrera and by the bottom of the first inning, it was 2-0 Tigers. The only thing that would make that worse would be Max Scherzer man-handling the Yankees... and he did. The Yankees we no-hit for the majority of 6 innings. Scherzer left the game just giving up 2 hits.

Meanwhile, back at the Little League field I was constantly pacing, watching my son play and listen to the radio at the same time. I was a wreck. My boy creamed a liner down the first line in his first at bat, but right at the first baseman. 0 for 1. Then, he worked a walk and came around to score. The next time up, he singled on a softy dribbler...my man beat it out. Then, in his fourth time up today, a nice line drive over the head of the second baseman and into right center. 2 for 3 today and a smile as he stood base. Good. One stress is over, my kid did good today, but now the Yankees need to win.

As we came in the house, we turned on the TV. It was 4-0 Tigers and then Curtis Granderson came to the plate and crushed a homer run to make it 4-1. The Tigers got the run back making it 5-1 in the top of the ninth off of Luis Ayala. More on him in a moment.
In the bottom of the ninth, Nick Swisher came up to face a lethal Jose Valverde. Well, he wasn't that lethal to Swisher who crushed a solo shot to make it 5-2. Then Jorge Posada came up and he cranked a shot to center and Austin Jackson was lost. Posada got a triple. Next, Russell Martin worked a walk and Andruw Jones who was 3-7 lifetime against Valverde came up. He had a nice shot to right, but ran down by Don Kelly . Jones sacrificed Posada home. One out.

Derek Jeter came up. Russell Martin was on first. After Jeter had him chucking pitch after pitch, Jeter eventually struck out. 2 outs now and hope was dwindling. Curtis Granderson came too the plate and it was a huge moment. Martin is now on second base. Granderson hits a high pop up to the Tigers side in foul territory. Alex Avila slips on the Yankees on-deck circle logo trying to catch ball, but misses... how ironic. I thought for sure, that would be the turning point. Then... Granderson walked.The table was set for Robinson Cano. Men on first and second and Cano is up. The score was 5-3. The rain was now pouring in the Bronx and with an 0-2 count on Cano, a soft grounder to second... Game over... Tigers win. The ALDS Series is now tied at 1-1.

Now I mentioned Luis Ayala and I noticed the Twitter world is hammering Ayala. Yes, Ayala is giving up runs, but I think I understand Girardi's thinking. I think Joe wants to have the big guys fresh for the next 3 games and if Ayala can get some outs and not allow games to get too out of control, that's a good thing in Joe opinion. Look I don't know if that's what he's doing, and if it is, I don't agree, but I think that's what his thinking is. My thinking is, this is the playoffs, we need to shut down the competition. Look, I really don't think we're going to see Ayala much more this ALDS. I really think it's a strategy by Girardi. All I'm saying is don't panic yet.

Final Score: Tigers 5 - Yankees 3.

Tomorrow in Detroit is Game 3. It's being billed as the Matchup of the Century...CC Sabathia vs. Justin Verlander. Interesting stat for CC... As a Yankee, his record in Comerica Park is 0-3 6.00 ERA. Now, stats don't mean much because CC could come in tomorrow night shut down Detroit. The good news is, if for any reason CC can't hack it, the Yankees have a well rested bullpen in Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera.

Justin Verlander at home is 10-3 with a 2.37 ERA but with no day off, anything can happen. Don't forget, Verlander has never pitched on short rest, CC has. It's going to be a tough pitched game.

Yankees need to pull this off... and I know they can. Let's Go Yankees!

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2011 ALDS YANKEES VS. TIGERS GAME 2 PREVIEW

(Photo: AP)
Last night's resumption of Game 1 was awesome. Ivan Nova proved to everyone he can pitch on the big stage against a very good Detroit Tigers team, while Robinson Cano continues to become a great postseason hitter. Did you know, that in Cano's last 10 postseason games--three series--he's hit .375 (15/40) with five homers, and 12 RBI (six in last night's game)? He's been amazing, and he's really one of the best hitters and probably the best second baseman in all of baseball, and because of it the Yankees have a 1-0 lead in the best of five ALDS against the Tigers.

Anyway, the game this afternoon is huge. In a best of five--or seven--series, visiting teams like Detroit really aim to win one of the first two games in the series so they can go back home and win their home games and win the series. With that being said, it's very important that the Yankees get this one. Justin Verlander is going on Monday in Game 3, so the Yanks would love to have a 2-0 lead.The pitching matchup for Game 2 is Freddy Garcia (12-8, 3.62 ERA) for the Yanks, against Max Scherzer (15-9, 4.43 ERA) for the Tigers. Garcia has an 18-8 career record against Detroit with a 3.88 ERA while losing his only start against the Tigers on May 4 in Comerica Park while going 7 innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out a season high eight batters. Some guys who've had good success against Garcia in their careers are Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Avila, and Delmon Young. Ordonez is hitting .327 (17-52) with a homer and six RBI while Cabrera is hitting .391 (9-23) with three homers and six RBI career against Garcia. Some hitters who don't fare quite as well against Garcia include, but aren't limited to, Victor Martinez, Austin Jackson, and Ryan Raburn. Martinez is a .233 hitter (7-30) while Jackson and Raburn each hit .222 (4-18) and .111 (1-9) against Garcia, respectively.(Photo: AP)
Max Scherzer is 3-0 in three starts with a 2.84 career ERA against the Yanks, while going five innings and allowing six runs in his first start of his season on April 3 at the Stadium, and pitching eight shutout innings while striking out eight Yankees at Comerica Park on May 4. It's tough to find too many players who've had good success in a big sample size against Scherzer, but Mark Teixeira is 3 for 10 with a solo homer and Curtis Granderson is 3 for 12 against Scherzer. After last night's 0 for 5 Alex Rodriguez probably won't enjoy seeing Scherzer because he's 0 for 8 in his career against him.
(Photo: Getty)
The other starters that include Russell Martin, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, and Brett Gardner have combined to hit .166 (10-60) against the Tiger right-hander in their career. It should be interesting how this one will turn out.

This would be a huge win for the Yankees if it can happen. Being up 2-0 and putting Detroit on the brink of elimination would be great.

Go YANKEES!!!




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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CANO RIDES THE SUPERNOVA

The Yankees lead the ALDS 1-0. I liked typing that.
(Photo: Getty)
"Nova's doing great." That's my 9 year old. Sometimes the most simple statement speaks volumes. He's right. Ivan Nova was terrific tonight. He looked like a seasoned veteran who's been pitching in the playoffs for 10 years. He had total control, for the most part and trusted his fielders to take care of business behind him. Tonight, pitching and hitting was balanced perfectly. The Yankees looked good... damn good.Nova ran into some trouble in the 5th, you could tell, alittle wild, balls in the dirt were making Martin work a bit behind the plate and with 2 men on and a solid hit to Granderson, it looked for sure like Alex Avila was going to score from second. Not so fast, a throw to Derek Jeter and then a throw to Russell Martin and they pegged him at the plate. Martin held onto it, unbelievable. Tie game 1-1 after the 5th. I know the play was a normal type of play, clearly you try and nail the runner at home, but the play just reminded me of the Jeter Flip. Not the same impact of it, but just the smoothness of Jeter, always there, always instinctive and always in the big play. I was impressed. Again... Kudos to Martin for holding onto that ball. That play alone was the turning point of the game for the Yankees. Momentum started there.The Robinson Cano double started the offense and to be honest, it looked like a homer to me. It was a tough call. I am not privy to the rule book, I didn't know that if the ball bounced back into the field, it wasn't a homer. Who the hell knows. I just assumed it was a home run, but I'll take the double. 2-1 Yankees in the 5th.

The top of the 6th for Nova was great; A double play executed by Robinson Cano and then a diving catch to right field by Nick Swisher and you could see the momentum shifting the Yankees way. By the time the bottom of the inning, Mark Teixeira doubled, Jorge Posada walked and Brett Gardner knocked them both in.At that point it was 4-1 Yankees. The best part was after Derek Jeter hit a single, the Stadium was chanting MVP - MVP - MVP when Curtis Granderson came to the plate. With surround sound, I felt like I was there. Once Granderson walked, the bases were loaded and when Cano cranked a Grand Slam, the crowd went wild and I swear to God, I did the sign of the cross. I'm not sure I've ever done that before, but I realized at that moment...these are my New York Yankees...dominant.



The Yankees continued to just hit the ball hard. Robinson Cano cranked another double past Austin Jackson in the bottom of the 8th. Not sure what was more impressive, Cano having 6 RBIs at that point or Derek Jeter scoring from 1st. Great job!
Luis Ayala game in in the 9th, he gave up 2 runs that were Nova runs and at 9-3 with the bases loaded, Mariano Rivera came in and the Sandman closed it out. Beautiful.

Final Score: Yankees 9 - Tigers 3. The Yankees are up 1-0 in this ALDS Division Series.

Tomorrow, Freddy Garcia will face Max Scherzer. Garcia has the post season experience. Hopefully momentum will continue tomorrow after an outstanding performance by Ivan Nova. Bravo kid.

Also, according to Ken Rosenthal, it's confirmed, CC Sabathia will in fact pitch Game 3.

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WHY IT'S "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT THESE EYES HAVE EVER SEEN!"

The Yankees in the playoffs! I stole that line from Ned Beatty who played the role of Rudy Ruettiger’s father in the film Rudy, a film that still makes me cry like a little bitch. I like that line because while it’s simple, yet says so much.

Emotionally, I watched the mountain the Yankees had to climb this year and when you looked at that opening day Pitching rotation, there is no way in hell that you believed that the New York Yankees would win the American League Eastern division. But’s exactly what's happened.

Seeing Jesus Montero and Eduardo Nunez pouring champagne on Robinson Cano is truly extraordinary. Seeing Curtis Granderson and Rafael Soriano smiling ear to ear actually makes me really happy. And thinking about Brian Cashman’s patience rule come into play, it’s almost like he was Biff, using the Delorean to get the Sports Almanac and bringing it back with all the solutions to bring the Yankees yet another postseason berth.

Admit it, you believed in your Yankees, but did you REALLY BELIEVE when Phil Hughes went down and Bartolo Colon suddenly filled the void? Did you believe that Curtis Granderson was going to have a season for the ages? Did you truly believe that DRob would emerge as the greatest 8^th inning guy you’ve ever seen? Yankee fans believe in their team, but you just never know how 25 individuals will come together. When AJ Burnett started falling apart, the bullpen and offense lifted him up. When Rafael Soriano lost his 8^th inning job, he accepted anything to help his team win, and checked his attitude at the door. And when Jorge Posada was called upon to pinch hit, he never complained and he delivered.

These are my New York Yankees. And while they are terrific this season, you have to also give some created to Joe Girardi. Yes, sometimes the Girardi binder pokes in it’s head and tries to lead Joe, but Joe’s less dependant lately, and he’s developed into a pretty damn good manager I’d say. Maybe Manager of the Year and I’m impressed.

One things for sure though, it’s not over. Not only do we need to keep winning, we’ve achieved 2 goals but we need to achieve 3 more:

WINNING THE ALDS: A short series win is more important now because it tests our pitching. We’ve seen the Yankees win plenty of Series’ this season and I’ve always preached that winning every series will get the Yanks to the playoffs, but now we’re going and it starts all over. We need to strike early and often and never lose the focus. We need to play hard until the end of the season and keep momentum going into the playoffs.

WINNING THE ALCS: A slightly longer series but important just the same. The prize is winning the World Series but you can’t do that until you win the ALCS. I believe that when we get through the ALDS, winning the ALCS will happen, again it's momentum. That’s the key.

WINNING THE WORLD SERIES: You can’t go to the World Series and lose. We’ve experienced that before and it sucks. The Marlins... the Diamondbacks... those losses still sting. We’ve learned our lesson. The World Series is a must win, and winning it all in our house is always better.

Yes, when the Yankees clinched and Soriano locked it down, followed by the Yankees having alittle celebration, it was in fact "The most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen." But let’s be honest, it's bigger than that now, seeing them in the playoffs is, and then going further will be as well. I want to have more of that. We’re almost there.

As Jeet says “One game at a time, one game at the time.”

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