[新聞] Yankees Running Out of Chances

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Yankees Running Out of Chances

By HOWARD BECK
Published: August 30, 2008
Blue Jays 7, Yankees 6

If the Yankees are to make September relevant and October a possibility, they
will surely need gritty pitching from the back of their rotation, runs by the
half-dozen and enough poise not to squander such gifts when they get them.

 They had enough going for them Saturday to inspire a little belief: six runs
to support Darrell Rasner, a four-run lead in the seventh inning and signs of
life throughout the lineup. True to their season, the Yankees let the
momentum and the good vibes slip away, just as rapidly as the clouds gathered
over their doomed stadium.

Robinson Canó botched a potential double-play grounder, Rasner unraveled,
the bullpen folded and Alex Rodriguez — with redemption in his grasp — hit
into a ninth-inning double play as the Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays,
7-6.

As missed opportunities go, this one was colossal. The Yankees had won Friday
on the surprising reliability of Carl Pavano’s arm and had a chance to take
the series before facing the nearly unhittable Roy Halladay in Sunday’s
series finale.

“It’s a frustrating game,” Johnny Damon said. “We just wish we all could
be a bit happier right now.”

The loss cut short the Yankees’ modest winning streak at two games and left
them six and a half games behind Boston in the race for the American League
wild card. The Red Sox played the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.

“This one hurts a lot,” Rodriguez said, and his pain was perhaps more acute
than some of his teammates’.

After being booed for his lack of clutch hitting, Rodriguez had a perfect
chance to win back the fans’ faith. An announced crowd of 53,273 rose to its
feet and roared as Rodriguez came to the plate in the ninth, with no outs, a
one-run deficit and two runners on base.

Rodriguez worked the count full, then smacked a blistering shot to the left
side. But José Bautista fielded it cleanly, stepped on third base and fired
to first for a double play. The play triggered immediate boos, although it
was not clear whether they were aimed at Rodriguez or the umpire. Rodriguez
thought he beat the throw, and Manager Joe Girardi came out of the dugout to
briefly argue the call. The game ended on Cody Ransom’s flyout to left field.

“I hit it hard,” Rodriguez said. “He made an unbelievable play. I don’t
know how he made that play. To be able to get two outs, it just leaves you
speechless.”

Canó also felt the fans’ discontent Saturday after committing the most
costly error of the day, with a 6-2 lead in the seventh inning. With no outs
and a runner at first, Toronto’s Lyle Overbay hit a grounder to the right
side of the infield. Canó scooped it up, but his backhanded flip fell short
of Derek Jeter’s glove, and the ball squirted away for a two-base error,
with Adam Lind going from first to third.

“I think he just might have been a little too far away to try to do a little
shovel pass there,” Jeter said. “But it happens. It’s a play he makes a
lot. Unfortunately, that time it was just a little off-target.”

Rasner, who had been solid through six innings, then loaded the bases, giving
up a run-scoring single to Bautista and a walk to Gregg Zaun before giving
way to Brian Bruney. Rasner left the mound to an appreciative ovation, and
with a 6-3 lead.

“I get in trouble and I try to do too much,” Rasner said.

Toronto added two runs on Joe Inglett’s broken-bat flare to shallow center
field, cutting the deficit to 6-5. The Blue Jays tied the score on a
run-scoring single by Bautista in the eighth, then took their first lead when
Travis Snider scored on a fielder’s choice. Dámaso Marte, who allowed the
first two base runners of the inning, was charged with the loss.

The fans booed Rodriguez when he struck out in the seventh and Canó when he
struck out in the eighth.

The day had begun on a far more upbeat note. The Yankees tagged the Toronto
starter John Parrish for four runs, including back-to-back homers by Canó
 and Iván Rodríguez in the fourth. Hideki Matsui drove in two runs with a
double to the right-field wall in the fifth.

At the time, it looked like enough.

“You hope it is,” Girardi said. “With the way ’Ras was throwing and our
bullpen’s been throwing, you hope that that’s going to be enough. But as a
team you can never assume that.”

INSIDE PITCH

Joba Chamberlain, recovering from a shoulder injury, pitched to hitters for
the first time Saturday and declared himself ready to contribute again,
either as a starter or reliever. He could be activated from the disabled list
soon, although Joe Girardi would not commit to a timetable. “He looked good,
” Girardi said Chamberlain threw 35 pitches, without a break, and said he
felt fine physically. He has not pitched since Aug. 4. Girardi has strongly
suggested that Chamberlain, who was converted from a reliever to a starter
earlier this season, will be used out of the bullpen when he returns.

News source：http://0rz.tw/2e4Jj

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