Yep. The unimaginable happened. The Yankees fell to the Nationals 3-2 Wednesday night. And believe it or not, this is the first game the Yankees have lost all season when holding the opposition to 3 runs or less. John Lannan was too much for the Yankees offense to handle, throwing 8 1/3 innings of 4 hit ball. He held the Yankees hitless until the 5th, when Cano broke the no hitter and the shut out with a solo shot to right field, his 12th. It'll be hard for Cano to get to the All-Star game despite his strong season, sitting behind reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia and Texas phenom Ian Kinsler.
As for my predictions on the series, I was almost right. The Yankees got to the bullpen too late to do any real damage, as Mike MacDougal came in with an out in the 9th up by one run. Johnny Damon led off the ninth inning with a solo shot to cut the deficit in half. Then with one out, Mark Teixeira walked to put the tying run on base. Brett Gardner pinch ran, and was nearly the hero of the game. He immediately stole second and third base, putting himself in prime position to score the tying run. The Yankees didn't even need a hit to take this one to extras. However, after a walk to A-Rod, Cano couldn't come through. He fouled off several 2-2 pitches before grounding into a double play to end the game.
Chien-Ming Wang was decent tonight, and I think it will earn him another start. He got through the first three innings allowing only 1 hit, but unravelled in the 4th and 5th. Adam Dunn homered (he wasn't going to leave town without one) in the 4th, and Nick Johnson (former Yankee) hit a 2 run triple in the 5th. Unfortunately, the third run should've never reached base in the first place, another one we can toss up to Crappy Umpiring.
For two straight games now, the Yankees have been held in check by a pitcher they have never faced. This is a bad trend for the Yankees, as they cannot put up runs against pitchers they are unfamiliar with. Tomorrow's starter is Craig Stammen, another pitcher they have never faced, so they will have to find a way to score runs against him.
The Yankees have now put themselves in a must win situation in June. If the Yankees lose two straight to the Nationals, they will pretty much be the laughing stock of the league. Not to mention the rest of the division will do the job against them, as they should. Only the Yankees can look so mediocre against the worst team in the league, although to John Lannan's credit, he's been the lone bright spot in the Nationals' rotation this season. Hopefully they show up tomorrow to take the series.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
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"For two straight games now, the Yankees have been held in check by a pitcher they have never faced. This is a bad trend for the Yankees"
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, son. Especially since it's been going on for about eight years now, not just two games. Very weird. Different players, different coaches, same result.