Clueless Joe: ALDS Game 2 Edition

Thinking hard, or hardly thinking?

Let me start off by saying that I am a fan of Joe Girardi, I defend most of his choices but some of his moves in yesterdays game absolutely baffled me.

First move might not be on Girardi, but why are the Yankees pitching to Miguel Cabrera? I know that it was early in the game, and that the night before the Yanks pitching held Cabrera down but since 2009 Miggy has hit atleast .370 against them with 7 home runs and 18 RBI. I think its time for the Yanks to get a new scouting report on him, cause its pretty obvious that the current one doesn't work.

The second move was pinch hitting Eric Chavez for Brett Gardner in the bottom of the seventh. Chavez has shown that he has no pop left in his bat (5 home runs since 2008), also bats left handed like Gardner and is much slower. The move was essentially trading Brett Gardner up for someone of lesser value, atleast with Gardner at the plate he could beat out an infield grounder, and you would have speed on the bases. In the end Chavez went down on three straight pitches, looking at the third strike.

Just like the rosin bag, the Yanks chances
of winning dropped.

The final move Girardi made was in the top of the ninth, sending Luis Ayala out to the mound when the game was 4-1 Tigers. Luis Ayala apparently must have some good black mail on Girardi cause he had no business being in the game. The night before Girardi brought him into a eight run lead, and Ayala had a tough time throwing a strike, it got so bad that Mariano Rivera had to come into the game to close it out. Soriano and Robertson have not gotten into a game since last Tuesday, they have more then enough rest to throw an inning in game two and then again in games three and four, this is after all the playoffs. Instead Girardi managed it like it was just another regular season game, the out come was Ayala giving up a run to help the Tigers win the game. The run loomed large when in the bottom of the ninth the Yankees held a mini rally against Jose Valverde. With the score 5-3 the Yanks had first and second, so the tying run was on first not second had the run not scored.

Game three now proves to be a huge game, as CC and Verlander face off again, this time in the motor city. If the Yanks can't beat the Tigers in game three the season would rest in the hands of ::gulp:: A.J. Burnett.