Notes From Game 46
Final Score: Yankees 8, Orioles 0
Yankees: 21-25
Orioles: 24-21
W- Rasner (3-0)
L- Olson (3-1)
Offense: Finally, the offense woke up! After weeks of miserable hitting, the hitting finally scored more than two runs, as they blew the Orioles out 8-0. A-Rod hit his second home run since returning from the Disabled List, and it would have been three if not for a blown call by the umpires in the sixth. Beyond that, Damon, Abreu, Cano, and Moeller all had multi-hit games, and the only starter to go hitless was Hideki Matsui. A-Rod's three hits ended up being huge, and his presence in the lineup adds so much to the offense. After winning two MVP's in the last three years, the Yankees are finally finding out why A-Rod is so valuable to have in the lineup. It just took a stint on the Disabled List to realize that.
Pitching: In his third start of the season, Darrell Rasner continued his dominating pitching, shutting down the Orioles through seven. His final line: 7 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 6 strikeouts. He now has a 1.89 ERA through three starts, all of which he has won. He has emerged as a solid, reliable, and consistent starter at the back end of the rotation, and his ability to perform will determine how well the Yankees play here in the early part of the season. So far, he has done a magnificent job, coming out of nowhere ala Shawn Chacon/Aaron Small to give the Yankees a huge boost. Joba Chamberlain pitched two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, tying his career high with 35 pitches. After the game, Joe Girardi said that they are going to try and stretch Joba out more often in preparation for his eventual starting role.
Final Notes:
- This was the first time since May 8th that the Yankees had scored more than 5 runs.
- Alex Rodriguez is now 15th on the all time home run list, with 524.
- Well, here's some bad news. Chien-Ming Wang apparently has a calf strain that may cause him to miss his next start. He will throw a bullpen session tomorrow and gauge his level of pain. Hopefully, nothing major comes of this.
- The Yankees are now 21-25 on the season. It's certainly a below average record, but tonight's game gave a glimmer of hope for the future months of 2008.
