The Yankees split a doubleheader in Chicago yesterday and each game sends a very different message about the state of the Bombers. In the day game they again failed to solve a soft-tossing lefty in John Danks, swinging early in at-bats and getting in holes that Danks filled with sweeping breaking balls. Mike Mussina pitched okay but ran into a lot of trouble in the sixth and what was a 2-2 game turned into a 5-3 White Sox victory. The White Sox have had all kinds of trouble scoring runs this season and the Yankee refusal to wait out Danks was tough to watch. He's a decent pitcher, better than Brandon McCarthy and Horacio Ramirez, but the team's problems with lefties (four straight punchless losses) have become acute and teams aren't slow to pick up on those deficiencies.
In the nightcap, though, they got a gem from Chien-Ming Wang and a big game from Hideki Matsui to run away with an 8-1 win. They piled up four of the runs in the top of the ninth but Matsui doubled home a pair off of Jose Contreras in the third and they broke open a 2-1 game in the seventh with two more of the former Yankee. Bobby Abreu, who homered and singled in the opener, singled home the third run and Derek Jeter tripled him home to chase Contreras. Wang was aces, giving up six hits in seven innings and getting out of a fourth inning jam that was his biggest threat. He gave up singles to the first two batters but promptly got a pair of flyouts and a groundout to escape the inning and head to his second win.
Which is the real Yankee team? Probably they both are as the difference in hitting from day to night was matched by the difference in pitching. The fire's still not on at the plate so when Mussina or another starter is merely okay it's going to be hard to win. Abreu had an encouraging day but Damon, A-Rod and Cano did not so the new Yankee problem still requires some solutions. And, yes, it's really hard to find pictures of Rodriguez that don't make him look gay.
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Comments