Horrible Round 1 in Boston

Well, if you've been watching the past few games from Fenway, you can probably guess my mood. For those of you who haven't been watching, consider yourself lucky. In a nutshell, poor pitching and even worse decision making combined for the disaster in Boston.

I really want to discuss game 2 on Saturday afternoon. I was a little worried going into this game because you never know what Mike Mussina you're going to get. It's either the effective veteran, who has complete command in and out of the zone, or it's the washed up bum, with no "out pitch" and no heart. To my surprise, Mussina actually showed up to pitch on Saturday... he even got himself out of a jam early on by getting the slumping David Ortiz to weakly slap a double play ball. Unfortunately, the mistakes I couldn't have foreseen cost the Yankees the game.

Let me paint the picture of the situation for you the readers. In the top of the 6th inning, the Yankees got on the scoreboard with a 2 spot, taking a 2-1 lead. Now any pitcher knows that you want to have a quick inning right after you take the lead. This was not the case for Mike Mussina in the bottom of the 6th. Mussina found himself in a jam, with runners on second and third with 2 outs. Coming to the plate was right-handed RBI machine, Manny Ramirez. But no problem, first base was open with Kevin Youkilis on deck. Right??

Well out comes Joe Girardi to talk strategy with Moose, or maybe they were chatting about who is earning their paycheck less! The plan that was hatched on the mound was, in a word, idiotic. After listening to the post-game show on the radio, I learned what the discussion was all about. Apparently Moose told Girardi that his confidence level was the same facing Ramirez or Youkilis. That just doesn't make any sense to this blogger... one might very well end up in Cooperstown, and the other is Kevin Youkilis. You do the math. The strategy that was set when Girardi returned to the bench was if Mussina got behind to Manny, he'd put him on. Before I explain how this ridiculous plan unfolded, let me explain my problems with it.

First of all, Joe Girardi was sweet talked by Mike Mussina. Here's a tip, Joe; DON'T EVER LISTEN TO A PITCHER WHEN HE TELLS YOU HE'S CONFIDENT PITCHING TO A BATTER! The manager must evaluate the situation, and do what's best for the team. As a pitcher, I know that the answer to any confidence question is always "Yes, I can get him out." Of course every pitcher says this, but often times its not the case. It's times like that when you need a coach who can realize how to play the situation. God help the New York Yankees if Mike Mussina's confidence keeps us from intentionally walking top-notch hitters with first base open.

Problem number two is more frustrating than Girardi listening to Mussina. This would be the fact that Joe Girardi and the Yankees chose to challenge the percentages. The percentages are the percentages for a reason. It doesn't matter how confident Mussina says he is, when the best hitter on a ballclub comes to the plate with a chance to drive in the go-ahead runs, with first base open... YOU PUT HIM ON! Giving their best hitter a chance to do what he's supposed to do is bone-headed, and its decisions like that one that cost you ballgames. If you're going to ignore the logical moves of baseball, you might as well just phone in the game and not waste everyone's Saturday.

Needless to say, this decision to pitch to Manny backfired. Mussina did not get a chance to fall behind, because Manny drove in both runs on the first pitch. Right then and there, the Yankees had given the game away. Of course, there is no telling what would've happened had Mussina intentionally walked Manny to get to Youkilis, but at least you can lay down at night and know you made the right move on paper. This isn't "Major League", and Mike Mussina isn't Rick Vaughn... walk the guy next time. I can accept a bad decision here and there, but this was a part of something much bigger, and much more alarming. Taking the start of the season and viewing it with a broad scope, the Yankees have given away 2-3 games... already. Let's forecast for a second. In the first half of April we've handed 2-3 games away. If we average that for the entire season (2-3 games every half month for 6 months) we're looking at around 30 games! You find me a team that can give away 30 games and make a serious run in the playoffs, and I'll find you a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

I'm disappointed in the pitching, but the managing is even more troubling. Bad pitching or bad play is going to happen no matter how much you try to avoid it... bad managerial decisions can be, and must be eliminated.