9-8-12

That was one of the worst calls you will see a first base ump make and it definitely gave us a loss (not sure what the outcome would have been).  We had 1^st and 3^rd with 2 outs the prior inning and Granderson popped out but we came back in the 9^th to load the bases with nobody out and down by 2.  Swisher, who has been awful, almost grounded into a DP, but beat the throw to get us within one run.  With 1^st and 3^rd and 1 out Tex hit a grounder to the right side and hustled the best he could on his sore calf and dove into first base.  He touched first base with the ball more than a foot away from the 1^st baseman’s glove.  A terrible call at a very important time.  Tex probably did the right thing to dive into first because if he had to lunge if his strides were off that pressure might not have been good for his calf.

The umps caught more complaints as Tex was called out on a strike that looked to touching the righty batter box line and Cano actually didn’t swing at a pitch they called a strike…that is hard to imagine when he swung at I believe 7 balls today.

CC was not sharp as his curve did not have good bite and his fastball was usually only 92.  His change was working for him, but I think he needs more than 7 MPH difference, but it still was his best pitch.  The pitch selection was terrible again as Martin’s glove was hit and they pounded the ball…this tells you they are throwing the wrong pitch and to the wrong location.  I don’t why it took Reynolds to hit yet another homer off of us to say that they won’t throw him another fastball unless it is way inside…shouldn’t they have known that BEFORE the game?

They threw a curve to Jones that he ripped foul and then they threw him the same pitch and then he kept it fair this time…???  Mind boggling.

ARod has really helped and having Tex back will also.  The Yanks should have scored a lot more against Saunders, regardless of what Michael Kay said about him mixing speeds etc.  He put a lot of fat pitches over the heart of the plate that we just didn’t hit and we should have.  Too many guys slumping at once.

Ichiro kind of misplayed a double, but none of our other LF’rs would not have made the play (except maybe Dickerson) and I believe the tailing of the hit is not one Ichiro was used to as RF would slice to the right, and in LF the slice goes to the left. That being said, he made a fantastic effort on a HR that he just missed by an inch or 2 that he timed his leap into the wall and then sprung himself up to where just about his entire torso was over the wall and then with his arm extended he was way over the wall.  This also goes to show that if we had Ichiro in LF when Ibanez was he would have caught that 3 run HR from Wieters.  Like I have said, you don’t think about defense on plays like that, the play would just be made.

Very frustrating…