Let's try something a little bit new: Yankees-Angels "liveblog", anyone?

[nickgutierrez]

The Yankees and Angels (whose name I keep wanting to type as Angles, for some weird reason) are set to start game three of a four-game series at the New Yankee Stadium in a few minutes, so I thought I'd try something a little bit different.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (9-13): Matt Palmer (1-0, 6.00 ERA)

at New York Yankees (13-10): C.C. Sabathia (1-2, 4.73 ERA)

Palmer is a 30 year old righthander who spent last season in the San Francisco Giants organization. He started three games for the Giants last year, going 0-2 with an ERA of 8.53. This season, he has started once, against the Tigers on Apr. 23, going six innings with five runs allowed, four earned.

I think we all know who Sabathia is - the huge lefty that signed a record-breaking contract with the Yanks this past offseason. He pitched a complete game his last time out, giving up four runs, all earned, over eight innings in a loss to the Tigers.

Lineups:

Angels:
Chone Figgens, DH
Gary Matthews Jr., RF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Torii Hunter, CF
Mike Napoli, C
Kendry Morales, 1B
Juan Rivera, LF
Brandon Wood, 3B
Erick Aybar, SS

Casting a quick eye over last night's box score, looks like Bobby Abreu has the night off. Napoli moves behind the plate, after a night in the DH role, Figgens moves into the DH, and Brandon Wood gets the start at third.

Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Johnny Damon, LF
Mark Teixiera, 1B
Hideki Matsui, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Melky Cabrera, RF
Jose Molina, C
Ramiro Peña, 3B
Brett Gardiner, CF

Jorge Posada gets a fairly standard day off, after catching the previous night. Brett Gardiner takes over in the outfield for Nick Swisher, who is probably trying to recover feeling in one of his arms after getting hit on the funny bone by a wayward Jared Weaver fastball last night. He's in center, moving Melky Cabrera over to right. Obviously, Peña is in for the injured A-Rod.

Just a few minutes from gametime - the mlb.tv feed should kick in any minute now.

[flvegan]

1. Go Angels!!

[nickgutierrez]

5. Sawks fans.

:eyes:

:hide:

[Initech]

11. Dont get me started.

:evilgrin:

[Initech]

2. I want the Angels to win but after last night I'm predicting a score of 33 - 4 today.

:banghead:

[nickgutierrez]

3. Change that to about 33-32, and I might agree.

That was a wild game last night. I probably should have included a little bit about that in the OP.

[Initech]

10. Yeah I cant believe they blew it last night.

[nickgutierrez]

4. Sabathia's slider looks sharp today

He threw a couple of good ones to Figgens, and he gets Matthews to strike out on a checked swing with one. Two outs in the first.

Quick edit: Kendrick whiffs on a changeup. Solid first inning for CC.

[TZ]

8. Now see..I wouldn't mind watching CC...

"I never met a cheeseburger I didn't like" Sabathia pitch on TV..I'm fascinated by someone who looks that way actually able to pitch well...:rofl:

[nickgutierrez]

9. Every time I see Sabathia, this is what I think of:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/c_c_sabathia_prince_fielder_keep

He's got his stuff working today, though - 93-95 with the fastball, great change, sharp slider. Escaped a bit of a jam in the second, but he looks... hungry today.

[nickgutierrez]

6. Palmer has decent movement on a upper-80s fastball...

...but has had control issues early. He hit Jeter, and fell behind Damon.

Nasty incident at second - Jeter steals, Napoli bounces the throw, and it hits Jeter's helmet, then deflects up and catches the shortstop Aybar right in the mouth. He had to leave the game, and Maicer Izturis is in his place.

[nickgutierrez]

7. He can thank that fastball for keeping him from giving up more than the one run.

Matsui's single puts the Yanks ahead 1-0, with runners on 1st and 3rd with one out, but he was able to get Cano and Cabrera to ground out. Cabrera's bat absolutely shattered on one of those cut fastballs.

[nickgutierrez]

12. End of three innings: Palmer has settled down

He's got a decent little 12-6 curveball that he's throwing over for strikes, and he's doing a good job of keeping the Yankee hitters off balance. Jeter's second plate appearance was an odd one - he hit a bouncer down the first base line that appeared to bounce foul before Morales grabbed it and stepped on a bag, but the first base umpire ruled it fair.

[flvegan]

13. I'm betting you don't have the express written consent of Major League Baseball

to report like this.

I'm telling.

:evilgrin:

[nickgutierrez]

14. Nice post, Bud Selig. n/t

[nickgutierrez]

15. At the halfway point - the teams have combined for four hits so far.

An infield single by Brandon Wood in the top of the 5th was the first hit for either team since the top of the second inning.

[Initech]

16. This is way more evenly matched than I had originally suspected.

Hopefully Matt Palmer turns out to be a good asset for the Angels.

[nickgutierrez]

18. He's pitching well in this game.

He just escaped without giving up a run in the 6th, leaving Jeter on 3rd. His fastball is tricky - again, only upper 80s, but he gets a lot of movement on it. I've only seen this one start from Palmer, but it looks like the key for him is whether he can throw his curveball and slider for strikes - if that happens, he'll be a solid back of the rotation guy. Seeing as he's a 30 year old rookie, though, this success might be short-lived.

Mike Napoli deserves some credit, too, for making adjustments as the game goes on. The high fastballs that Palmer threw to Matsui and Teixiera had not been used very much to this point.

[nickgutierrez]

17. Angels tie it in the 6th, 1-1

A throwing error by Jeter contributes.

With the exception of Jeter, the Yankees have a really good defensive infield with or without A-Rod. Peña is a converted shortstop, but he seems to have the reflexes and strong arm to play third. It's a completely different skill set, and Peña handles it well. Cano has a strong arm and good footwork, and Teixiera is deceptively quick around the bag. Jeter has never been a good defensive shortstop - the two seasons that he's had that were actually close to average were the ones where he was awarded with Gold Gloves. He's only now reaching the point where the perception of his defense - that he is getting old and starting to struggle in terms of getting to balls that a good shortstop actually gets to - matches something like the reality. He might have one or two more seasons as a viable SS, and I'm not sure his bat would play at another position.

[nickgutierrez]

19. ...and blow it open in the 7th. 5-1 now.

Torii Hunter's two-run double does most of the damage. Sabathia has been taken out. Even when he has good stuff, like he did today, he seems to throw an awful lot of pitches. I think the double to Hunter was pitch #118 on the night, which seems incredibly high for what he had to do.

Johnathan Albaladejo (I think I spelled that right) is in now. First pitch, single to center, run scores. Uh oh.

[nickgutierrez]

20. Palmer just threw pitch #101, walking Jose Molina.

Good call by Scoscia to pull him now. When you walk a catcher with the last name Molina, your control has deserted you. It's better to pull a guy like Palmer while his confidence is still high, and before the Yankees see an opportunity to pull themselves back into the game.

Jose Arredondo coming in now. Interestingly, Jorge Posada is in to pinch hit for Ramiro Peña, in the 7th. I think Angel Berroa will be coming in to play 3B.

[nickgutierrez]

21. Arredondo does really well to escape from a bases-loaded jam in the 7th.

Throws the right pitch in the right spot, Jeter smacks it back up the middle, and he knocks it down, finds it, and throws him out at first. Nice play.

[TZ]

22. We interrupt this live blog to comment that

The Nats finally looked like a major league team by beating the Cards 6-1..including a non worrying 9th inning for once!
We now return you to your Yanks losing..already in progress...:P

[nickgutierrez]

23. Win #8 for the Natinals!

They might win 50 after all!

:P

It's 6-1 in this game, too, now that Kendry Morales launched one about 420 feet off of Jose Veras. I'm surprised Veras is in there, after Albaladejo pitched so well last night and in his bit of the 7th inning (after the first pitch single).

Veras really isn't an 8th inning quality pitcher. I'd rather have Albie, or Edwar Ramirez, or Damaso Marte, maybe even Phil Coke in these spots.

[nickgutierrez]

24. Angels tack on two more in the 9th. 8-1 now, last chance for the Yanks.

The eighth run scored thanks to a really boneheaded play by Melky Cabrera. A single dunked in front of him that was definitely going to score run #7, but with Kendry Morales coming around 3rd, run #8 probably wouldn't have scored with any decent effort. Instead, Melky overshoots the ball in an attempt to get his body in a position to throw home, and it bounces past him. Run scores, Juan Rivera to second on the error. Lucky for Melky it ends there.

The Angels have done a great job in this game of taking advantage when they get runners in scoring position, by the way.

[Initech]

25. WTF? Shields is taken out for Fernando Rodriguez?

:wtf:

Interesting move... hope it works!

[nickgutierrez]

26. Up by seven in the ninth - it should work

:)

Major League debut for Fernando Rodriguez. Looks like Mike Scoscia is taking an opportunity to see how a kid holds up in the 9th inning in Yankee Stadium.

He's off to a decent start, as Robby Cano's 18 game hit streak appears to be over, Cabrera walks, and Berroa strikes out.

[Initech]

27. So far it isn't.

edit: Phew, dodged a bullet there. But seriously I hate Derek Jeter.

[nickgutierrez]

28. Whoa!

Posada hits a two-run homer, Gardiner draws a walk, and Jeter hits a fly ball to right that should be out #3... until Matthews loses it into the sun and knocks it into the corner. Three-base error, 8-4 now.

Jason Bulger now pitching for the Angels.

[nickgutierrez]

29. Bulger gets Damon to strike out, and that's it. 8-4, Angels win.

Good start from a relative unknown in Palmer, and the bullpen does a pretty good job of keeping the Yanks in check from that point on. For the Yanks, a couple of big defensive mistakes helped the Angels a bit, but they just didn't play great baseball today the way they've been playing. A much-deserved win for LA.