NYM 10, NYY 7: A Slugfest in Flushing

I just got home from a wedding and watched the archived video of today’s game on MLB.TV. I kinda wish I’d stayed at the wedding longer. As predicted, this game turned into an American League style slugfest. Glavine is over the hill, and the Yankee bats had to come to life at some point. Unfortunately, the Yankee pen crumbled late in the game and didn’t give the Yankee bats an opportunity to come all the way back. Final score: Mets 10, Yanks 7.

The Yankees were dealt a blow when Darrell Rasner took a ground ball off his pitching hand with 0 outs in the bottom of the first. Rasner was lifted from the game, and it was later learned that he broke the index finger on his pitching hand. Tough break, but Rasner wasn’t a solution, he was filler. His time in the rotation was limited, and to be honest with you, I like DeSalvo a lot more as a prospect. Still, the Rasner injury meant the Yankees would have to fashion 9 innings out of their bull pen. Here’s how they did it: Myers (2 IP, 4 earned, 5 hits, 1 K, 1 BB); Vizcaino (2 IP, 2 earned, 3 hits, 1 BB); Villone (2 IP, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 BB); Bruney (1 IP, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 BB, 2 Ks) and Farnsworth, f’ing four eyes (1 IP, 2 runs, 1 earned, 1 hit, 2 BBs, 1 K).

The Farnsworth inning was an absolute backbreaker. The Yankees came back from and 8–2 deficit to make it 8–6 in the top of the eighth. They had the momentum. Then Farnsworth comes in and spits the bit. He wasn’t helped by the Yankee defense, but at some point he needs to answer for the way he’s pitched this year.

I know he makes the big money. I know he needs to be babied so his back doesn’t act up on him. I know he throws 98 MPH. None of that matters to me. What matters is having a guy who can get through the eighth inning clean. I just don’t think he’s the guy. The Yankees do have that guy, or at least a guy I think is capable of doing it, and that’s Brian Bruney.

Bruney has appeared in 21 games this year, he’s allowed a run in two of those games. He has 22 K’s in 21.1 innings, and an ERA below 2.00. Obviously, the eighth inning is the least of the Yankee problems right now, but I think it’s an obvious improvement they can make right now, and it could mean the difference between a couple of losses and a couple of wins in the near future.

So far, my predictions on the nature of these games have been true to form. Pitching in game one, hitting in game two. The only problem is I thought the Yanks would win these games. It looks like they’ll send Tyler Clippard to the hill tomorrow night for his major league debut, instead of Wang on short rest. Loge 13 already has the broom out, but if today was any indication, the Yankee bats are waking up. John Maine is in for another rough start. I’ll take the Yanks.

Expect the “Fire Joe Torre” talk to intesify if the Yankees get swept by the Mets in this series. Expect it to be deafening if they don’t win the Boston series. Something is going to happen if the Yankees are 13+ games out of first come Wednesday, and probably something drastic. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Player of the Game: Jorge Posada, 4 for 5, 1 run, 2 RBIs, 1 HR.