GAME 112 : The bullpen has been a major factor in keeping the Yankees in the hunt thus far, and they’re going to have their share of miscues. Tonight was one. And it was a boil buster.
AL Central division-leading Detroit came in to town with their trade-dealine coup (David Price), and laying out a pitching matchup against New York that had sweep written all over it. But after last night’s gutty victory over Max Scherzer, anything could happen. And almost did tonight.
Tigers Get to Kuroda and Bullpen
After Martin Prado‘s 6th inning solo blast, the Yanks had a 3-1 lead but couldn’t hold it. Hiroki Kuroda scattered 6 hits and 3 ER over seven innings against the powerful Detroit lineup, but left with the game knotted at 3.
It stayed that way until the 12th when Matt Daley served up a home run to Tigers catcher Alex Avila. Detroit closer Joe Nathan had a 1-2-3 bottom of the 12th.
Speaking of the bullpen, old friend Joba Chamberlain made his first appearance in Yankee Stadium since his departure. He took over for Price in the 9th and stuck out Prado with Ichiro in scoring position, sending the game to extras. Joba was booed loudly when making the trip from the bullpen to the mound.
Those guys did a heck of a job. You had an opportunity to win that game, and it’s tough. They’re playing a very good team, and it’s going to happen sometimes.” — Manager Joe Girardi said of the bullpen
Heres’ the box score and recap.
THE 5 GAMES OVER CEILING: Once again, the Yankees came into a game 5 games over .500, and lost. We’ve lost count of how many times that’s happened this season. And 5 games over at the finish line will not cut it for post-season inclusion.
ROSTER MOVES: The club placed Matt Thornton on the wavier wire today, where he was snagged by the Washington Nationals. If you’re unfamiliar with how the wavier wire works, here’s a quick summary: After the July 31st trading deadline, players can still be traded but must pass through “waivers” first. Meaning every team in MLB can have a shot at signing him first. The teams with the worst records at the time have the first options to claim the player.
In Thornton’s case, once the Nationals claimed him, the Yankees had three options:
- Make a trade deal with Washington
- Rescind the wavier and keep Thornton on the roster
- Do nothing, letting the Nationals assume Thornton’s contract, plus collect a ‘wavier fee’ from Washington
The Yanks choose option #3, with both salary considerations in mind, and the prospect of a handful of rising farm-hands that could replace Thornton’s role in the bullpen.
MEMORY LANE: On August 5th, 2003, the Yankees defeated the Buck Showalter-managed Texas Rangers, 6-2 at Yankee Stadium. Derek Jeter clubbed a pair of home runs, Hideki Matsui added a 2-run blast, and Jason Giambi went 3-4 with an RBI to back up Roger Clemens‘ 11th win against 7 losses. Under Joe Torre, the New York was in first place with a record of 68-42. (Source: Baseball-Reference.com)
