LAA 4, NYY 3: Angels Sweep the Yanks

Today’s loss, 4–3 to the Angels, has me thinking that something is going to happen. For the first time since 1996, Joe Torre was booed by the Yankee Stadium crowd.

For the second time this week, Joe lifted his starter under questionable circumstances. Mike Mussina threw 95 pitches through 6.1 innings, and Joe lifted him from a 2–1 game as soon as he allowed a baserunner in the seventh. Michael Kay and Ken Singleton questioned it on the air, and the crowd obviously questioned it with their boos, but to be fair, it wasn’t a bad move. Throughout his career, Mussina has always hit a wall at 100 pitches. This season, he hasn’t been around long enough to reach the century mark. Joe got him out of there right around the point where he historical loses effectiveness, and turned the ball over to Proctor, who’s been hot lately.

The problem is, Proctor didn’t have it today. If you want to question Joe, the move to question is leaving Proctor in after he first gave up a double, then walked the bases loaded, and then walked in the tying run. Joe didn’t lift him until he had already walked in the go-ahead run. Bruney was in the pen and ready. Proctor was in there one batter too long.

The Yankees mounted a comeback, scoring once off of K-Rod in the ninth, and bringing Jeter up with a chance to tie it with a single, win it with a bomb. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

The Yankee situation is dismal, they now sit all alone in fourth place, 12.5 games behind the Red Sox. This time last year, the Twins were 12.5 games behind the Tigers in the A.L. Central, and came all the way back to win the division. It is possible, but they can’t dig their hole much deeper.

Player of the Game: Wil Nieves, 2 for 2, 2 RBIs and a walk. I would’ve considered Mussina, but he pulled the biggest pussy move in baseball. After being lifted from the game, Mussina went straight back to the clubhouse rather than watching the rest of the inning from the dugout with his teammates.