The British are Getting Tired of Coming: Yankees Series Preview Part 3

By Patrick

How should I feel about this homer?

No offense, but the Mariners can't hit. See what I did there? But really, in Yankee stadium against Phil Hughes and Hiroki Kuroda, these are the kind of games we put together? The Mariners have four runs through two games in New York. Three of them came on solo home runs by Dustin Ackley, Jesus Montero, and (thank goodness) Mike Carp. The other came on an RBI double by Carp that missed a homer by about a foot (said Carp: "I'll do an extra push-up tomorrow"). None of these have come off of RBI singles with a runner at second and two outs. None came on sac flies following up a leadoff double and a sac bunt. None came on home runs in big spots, like Raul Ibanez's three-run jack off of Felix with two outs in the sixth Friday which sealed the win for the Yanks. 

All of that goes to show that this weekend, the Mariners have decided not to play very clutch. Justin Smoak has four singles in eight at bats. On paper, that's good. But none of them have come with runners on base. What's the point? His foot speed doesn't help much. And honestly Justin, let's hit a double here and there. Would it kill you to put one in the gap or in that absurd right field short porch? Probably not. 

Hector Noesi also sucked yesterday. He did weather the storm though. By storm I mean four two-out runs in the second inning. Geez. Get an out, buddy. Jayson Nix took him yard in that inning, snapping an 0-for-20. That's classic Mariners baseball right there. But besides that horrid inning, Noesi got through six. That's good. Previously, Eric Wedge has had to pull Noesi when he struggles, and he has produced two starts of three innings or less. He got beat up early again yesterday, but battled back to get through six and save the bullpen some reps. 

May 13: Old Man Jenkins (0-4, 5.88) vs. Andy Pettitte (season debut)

As exciting as Kevin Millwood is, Andy Pettitte's first start back from retirement will command the national attention from this game. Before I get into that though, just a note about Millwood. He has not been moved up in the rotation because the Mariners want him to pitch sooner. That 0-4 record should pretty much give that away. The reason Millwood got bumped up is that Blake Beavan got drilled with a Miguel Cabrera line drive in his last start. Anthony talked about it in his Three Amigos post from a few days ago, but Beavan only made it through three innings and Eric Wedge pretty much said that he would have his next start bumped back. So Millwood today. Anyway, on to Pettitte. Andy Pettitte is one of the original core four Yankees from their late nineties championships and 2009 ring. He got in some shit a few years ago for using steroids, and lately has been more popular for testifying in the Roger Clemens case than actually doing baseball stuff. But now, he's pitching again. Sure he's a borderline hall of famer (not anymore though since the 'roids stuff), but he hasn't pitched since 2010. And he's actually older than Kevin Millwood. I didn't know that was possible. I'm pretty sure Kevin Millwood is older than Jamie Moyer. Just a hunch. If Pettitte comes back and dazzles right away, the Mariners have no chance. But if he more than likely struggles, the Mariners can finally have a shot at getting Kevin Millwood a win. At any rate, I commend Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi for easing Pettitte back in against the Mariners. 

Players to Watch:

Jesus Montero: One thing I remember about Andy Pettitte is that he's left handed. Using the powers of hitting I still don't exactly understand, that should benefit right handed hitters. Jesus Montero is a right handed hitter. Jesus Montero abused the short porch on Friday with a soft fly ball. Andy Pettitte will be re-adjusting to major league hitting for the first time, and may serve up a pitch that Jesus can take the other way. I am speculating here, but I also like Jesus Montero, and would like to make the Yankees feel bad about trading him, since that seems to be all we can still accomplish here.

Derek Jeter: Derek Jeter is another one of the core four Yankees. His buddy Andy returns today, and he probably wants to help him win his debut. Also, Derek Jeter is hitting .376 this season. What the hell? So he's not done I guess. He bats 1.000 with the ladies though am I right? That was terrible. I hope Millwood, who is equally as old, can get him out today.

Prediction:

Mariners 6 Yankees 5: Call me crazy, but I think the M's win this one. Andy Pettitte can't be lights out in his first game back. That just makes no sense with the overall alignment of the universe. The Mariners are also hungry for a win (they have the appetites of birds it seems), and Kevin Millwood may be forced to retire soon with another bad start. Mike Carp got hot yesterday, Justin Smoak has been hot all series, and Montero might hit Pettite well. All in all, I like the M's to salvage something out of the Yankees series. Eric Wedge can't settle for "but Pineda and Campos are hurt" as a justification for success. Go M's.