Bronx & Beans

It's a Thursday afternoon - as fine a time as any to procrastinate at work by watching the Sox/Yanks series finale. Have no fear, work-weary Long Islanders: I'm right there with you.

However, unlike most of you, I'm rooting for the Red Sox to complete a rousing three-game sweep of the erstwhile Bombers. So far it's a pitchers' duel - Lester and Mussina have kept it scoreless through three. Sox n00b Mark Kotsay narrowly missed a home run earlier, but he got pwned and had to settle for a double. Sorry ... that's enough Internet-speak for today.

The Yanks just doubled up David Ortiz and Jason Bay to end the top of the third. Still no score.

--Whittle

Here we go with the Biggest Series in the History of Baseball. Three days time till the Bronx Boys have to sing Sweet Caroline.

And the pitching matchups:

Tonight: Wake vs. Bad Andy: It's a senior citizen convention on the mound in the Bronx. This is the one game that favors the Yankees: an aging knuckleballer coming off the DL versus a crafty veteran. ADVANTAGE: Yanks.

Tomorrow: Garbage vs. Worse Garbage: Expect a big-time slugfest as barfballers Byrd and Ponson heave meat-pitch after meat-pitch. My best guess: Ponson is awful. ADVANTAGE: Sox.

Thursday: Lester vs. Mussina: Aces high in the deciding game. It's Yankee Stadium, a lefty, and a team that can't hit lefties. You do the math. ADVANTAGE: Sox.

--Whittle

As of this writing, the Sox are looking to put a finishing touch on a victory over the punchless A's and the Rays are stumbling in extras against the Motor City Kitties. The Yankees won a slugfest over the Halos and the White Sox are getting crushed by the Royals. Also, the Twinkies slipped past the Tribe.

Where am I going with this? Because it's all indicative of the Doomsday Scenario that AL baseball fans had better be prepared for next month.

Most of you are probably Bombers fans, so let me put this simply so your feeble brains can understand it.

I've looked into my crystal ball, and here's what I see:

-It's the last weekend of the season - Friday to be exact - and the Yanks, BoSox, Rays, Twinkies, Kitties and PaleHose all have 90 wins. Three games to go each.
-The Yanks play the Red Sox. The Tigers play the Rays. The Twins go up against the Royals and the Bogus Sox play the Wahoos.
-The Angels have 100 wins already and have locked up the division and homefield throughout the playoffs and World Series. Halo Hughes dances awkwardly around in the newsroom at the thought of a Freeway Series that only he will care about.
-That leaves six teams competing for three playoff spots. Get ready for a weekend of nerve-racking baseball.

Now, I know there are holes to my theory. The Rays have to keep playing well and the Tigers have to start playing much better. The Rangers can't catch fire, which is still possible. The Yanks pitching has to hold out and the Red Sox have to keep hitting without Manny.

But you heard it here first. The final weekend in September is going to be one to remember.

--Whittle

So how has this weekend gone so far?

That thug Joba got our blood boiling Friday night when he ONCE AGAIN threw high heat near Kevin Youkilis's head.

The sputtering Sox offense hasn't resembled the machine that devoured the league in '07 (and is getting almost nothing from the leadoff spot or the catchers). The bullpen seems to be regressing.

And Saturday's ugly 10-3 loss triggered flashbacks to the hideous lost weekend in 2006 when the Yankees won 5 games in 4 days.

(There was also the matter of watching LaMonica and Fernandez giggle like Robinson Cano over their first successful bet of the season).

A sweep tonight wouldn't be fatal for the Sox, but it wouldn't bode well, either. Which makes this one of those character-defining games, when the team's battle-tested veterans step forward, restore order and save the summer. Right, guys? Guys?!?

The problem, of course, is that those veterans are shouldering problems that transcend this recent slump. David Ortiz is trying to find his groove after nearly two months on the shelf. Old reliable Jason Varitek looks lost against good pitching, Curt Schilling is done for the year.

And, of course, our guy Manny Ramirez is once again picking the perfect time to flake out on his teammates. And this time he seems to have finally exhausted the patience of a loyal fanbase and generous ownership.

What a disappointing inning. And I don't just mean giving up four runs. More frustrating was the missed chance to assert themselves - the way Pedro used to do regularly against the Yanks, and the way even Bronson Arroyo did against A-Rod four years ago.

If Joba is going to be the tough guy against Youkilis, the heart of this team, then some Sox pitcher has to respond. And was there a better chance than against A-Rod with first base open? First base open? A little high, a little tight... Someone?

It took too long for the Sox to earn top dog status in the AL East. It's going to take some hard ball to keep it.

- Dennehy

The only run of the game was scored on that hit? By this guy? Guess that's what they call winning ugly. (Watch the Giambi RBI single)

The Sox offense is putrid through six innings, wasting, so far, a gutty effort by Josh Beckett.

Oh, and Manny? Could you please take a break from your annual flake-out and pick up a bat?

-- Dennehy

Three pitching matchups, three distinct story lines. There's the battle of the bullet throwers. There's the matchup of ageless wonders. Then there's the face-off between the heroic kid who beat cancer, won the World Series and pitched a no hitter ... and the fat guy who does everything he can to flush his natural ability down the toilet.

Friday: Josh Beckett versus Joba Chamberlain.

This should be a jim-dandy. Beckett hasn't been as dominant as he was last year, but he continues to put the Sox in a position to win games. Despite his ERA of 3.98 - 0.71 higher than last year - his WHIP is holding steady at about 1.15. Chamberlain, on the other hand, is making a believer out of a lot of people. While Goose Gossage thinks he belongs in the bullpen, Joba has thrown three straight quality starts, and has posted a 2.64 ERA as a starter. But he has yet to pitch 7 innings, something Beckett has done 10 times this year. EDGE: Sox.

Saturday: Tim Wakefield versus Andy Pettitte.

My Yankee fan friends (thankfully there aren't too many) like to talk about Andy Pettitte as if he was too pitchers: Bad Andy and Good Andy. Lately, he's been Good Andy, holding batters to an OPS of .529 over his last three starts. But Andy seems to have something hanging over him ... something on his shoulder, if you will. Can he match knuckles with Tim Wakefield, who is quietly having a terrific season (3.69 ERA, .218 BA allowed)? My guess is that Good Andy shows up ... Pettitte has a career record of 5-2 with an ERA of 3.70 in 14 appearances at Fenway. Pretty decent. EDGE: Yanks.

Sunday: Jon Lester versus Sidney "I'm Such A Headcase That Texas Got Rid Of Me Even Though They Have No Good Starters PS Lefties Are Batting .327 Against Me" Ponson.

Uh, yeah, right. EDGE: Sox.

The second half is upon us. Time for some predictions.

Sox:

1. Boston will win in the neighborhood of 95 games and take the AL East. They'll wrap it up on the next to last day of the season at Fenway against the Yanks.

2. Justin Masterson will solidify the bullpen with a wicked two-seam fastball and fashionable tilted brim. The move will allow the Sox to use Hideki Okajima in a more situational role. He's held lefties to a .588 OPS this year, but righties are OPS'ing .770. The Sox will likely also trade for another lefty reliever, maybe former farmhand Ron Mahay, but it might not pan out to expectations. But that's OK because down the stretch it's all about matchups, and combustible Craig Hansen will get to show his stuff as a ROOGY (.212 BA allowed).

3. The fifth spot in the rotation might be something of a Merry-Go-Round. A little Clay Buchholz, a little Bartolo Colon, maybe some Pawtucket/Portland call-ups. But that's OK because the Beckett/Dice/Lester/TimKnucks rotation will keep getting it done.

4. David Ortiz might struggle at first, but he'll be his regular clutch self by September. The Sox don't really need to pick up a bat for the stretch run because they have Ortiz coming back.

Yanks:

1. The Pinstripers will win just a game or two less than the Bostons, and will be knee-deep in a tight wildcard race with the Rays and Tigers. Meanwhile, the Tigers will be battling the White Sox for the AL Central. Why is this relevant? Because the Rays play the Tigers in the last series of the year (it's in Detroit). I'm betting the WC race is still a three-dog fight on the last game of the year.

2. The Yanks bullpen will stay solid. Here's to You (Mr. Robertson) and Dan Giese will come back to earth a bit, but the JosFarnMo combo should be able to get it done in the late innings. The Yanks could use a lefty, though ... and when are they going to dump LaTroy Hawkins (7.50 road ERA)??

3. Sidney Ponson will go back to being a beer-swilling trainwreck, Darrel Ranser will continue stinking it up, and the Yanks will pursue a series of stopgap pitching solutions. However, I'm too much of a wily veteran at this to assume the holes in the rotation will keep the Yanks down. If they could do it will Shawn Chacon and Aaron Small in 2005, they can do it with whoever this year.

4. The Yanks will go berserk looking for a bat for the stretch run and will probably end up overpaying for Raul Ibanez. Ultimately, it won't matter. Remember Aaron Guiel?

Whittle and Dennehy = cool customers. Fernandez and LaMonica = concerned.

--Whittle

And with a funky little 27-hopper Sunday night off "Paps" (as my New England friends Whittlebon and Dennehy say), Brett Gardner pulled a Michael Corleone and got mixed up in the family business.

With two outs in the 10th inning and the score tied at 4, Gardner got just enough of the eighth pitch he saw from Jonathan "Sollozzo" Papelbon and as the ball bounced off a diving Alex "McCluskey" Cora, the Yankees picked up the 5-4 win against the Sawx.

Welcome to the rivalry, Brett.

Let's just hope now the Yankees don't send him away (minor leagues, trade, Sicily) for a year until things cool down. As Gardner injects life into this ball club, I hope they don't package him in a deal for a 37-year-old, fading righthanded National League reliever.

It's good to see a Yankee rookie get the game-winner. In fact, it's good to see any Yankee get a game-winner. Finally, someone stepping up.

And if the Yankees do decide to make a trade for a pitcher. How about this: He's having a down year, makes a lot of money, his team is in last place and even though he didn't pitch lights out against the Yankees, he had good stuff.........Roy Oswalt. All he needs is a change of location. He's got Reggie's number. Tellin' ya, it's meant to be.

-- Fernandez

Sunday night's Manny Ramirez vs. Mariano Rivera at-bat in the top of the ninth inning was what we watch baseball for: Their best against our best.

Our best won.

And he needed just three fastballs to do it. It was so one-sided that part of you wanted to feel bad for Manny Ramirez's right shoulder for the pain it must have been in by having to handle 30-plus ounces of wood for three straight pitches. Then you came to your senses and realized that Manny hits bomb after bomb against the Yankees.

Let's have a look at the strike three call, compliments of (in order) Getty Images, AP and Newsday's Paul J. Bereswill.

"Hey, did Mariano release the ball yet?"

"Oh, he did throw it already?"

"Really? Wow, I must have missed that."

(Getty Images)

Keep those Geno shirts in your closet, Bean Dennehy, because we've got the new savior in Bronx -- Brett Gardner.

Go ahead, salty Soxers. Start calling him Brett "Bleeping" Gardner. That's fine with us because that blast he hit up the middle off your precious Paps (OK, it was a seeing-eye dribbler, but whatever) will be the turning point of the season. When the Red Sox miss out on the wild card this year, look no further than the night of July 6, 2008 and that pesky at-bat by Gardner.

Johnny Damon almost make a remarkable catch in left, but it end up as a bizarre triple for Kevin Youkilis.

End result: Sox tie it in the third, Damon leaves with an injury and gets replaced by Gardner.

Sorry Pinstripers, this just ain't your year.

--Whittle

Is it silly to be talking about Sox/Yanks wagers when the Rays are clearly the class of the AL East? Pretty much, yeah.

Does that mean I won't accept the bet? Not on your life.

Bronx Boys: prepare to wear some Green.

Let's take a look at this weekends' pitching matchups ...

Tonight: Lester vs. Pettitte - Lefties love the Stadium. Recently, Lester has been one of the better lefties in the AL, while Pettitte has recently come around after misremembering how to pitch. This could be the one low-scoring affair of the series, and you know who that favors. ADVANTAGE: Beans.

America Rules Day: Beckett vs. Rasner - LOL OMG. ADVANTAGE: Beans.

Saturday: Masterson vs. Mussina - There's a chance the Sox might call up Clay Buchholz for this game, but either way, Mussina has been resurgent enough to engender confidence. ADVANTAGE: Bronx.

Sunday: Wakefield vs. Chamberlain - At first glance, this matchup looks like a mismatch; a butterfly-tosser versus a fireballer. But Wake has thrown seven straight quality starts and Joba has thrown two ever. ADVANTAGE: Beans.

--Whittle

Newsday/ J. Conrad Williams Jr.

Here we go, Beans Whittle and Dennehy. Let's see if you've got the guts to make another friendly wager based on the outcome of the upcoming Yankees-Red Sox series at the Stadium.

The Wager

Should the Yankees win the four-game series, Beans Whittle and Dennehy will have to pose for a photo wearing a Giambi-esque mustache which will then be posted in the blog.

Should the Red Sox win the four-game series, Bronx La Monica and Fernandez will pose with Dennehy's World Championship Celtics memorabilia for a photo to be posted in the blog.

You guys ready to step up? To quote the Mad Dog, "Show some guts!"

Do what everyone else in MLB is doing! Light up Mike Timlin. Only here, your screen will fill up with photos from this weekend's series instead of your team's scoreboard filling up with hits and runs.

0-fer for A-Rod!

--Whittle

Love Mike Timin, but, man, the run might be over.

Nice of Johnny Damon to bail out his fellow '04 alum, killing the Yankee rally with a back-breaking double play.

Yanks bullpen has looked too good tonight. Five scoreless innings And we still haven't seen Joba. Wait...It's Farnsworth time!

--Dennehy

I should be gloating up a storm, considering the Sox are up 3-0 in the third and Phil Hughes looks about as sharp as a butter knife. But I'm a Sox fan, and that means I'm paranoid. The source of my paranoia: Papelbon and Okajima are likely both unavailable tonight.

That means Matsuzaka has to go deep into the ballgame, and he's up around 50 pitches in the third inning. Gulp. If Dice K holds on to the lead through the middle innings, Francona is going to have to be creative with the bullpen - guys like David Aardsma and Julian Tavarez could be used in pressure situations. Tavarez reminds me more and more of Bob Stanley these days - boorish temperament, "meh" sinkerball, questionable salary.

Dice is up to 60 pitches through three ... the Sox are going to need to hit Hughes hard to hold this lead.

--Whittle

The Bronx could have a huuuuuge case of the Mondays if they have to wear Sox caps and have the picture taken to prove it. Seriously, that would smell more than that years-old ketchup on Schilling's sock.

But we're expecting big things from Johnny Damon and Jorge Posada tonight. They lit up Dice-K last year, going 5-for-13 and 5-for-9, respectively in three games against him last season.

Dice-K was 2-1 against the Yankees last season. The Yanks hit .238 against him (20-for-84) with three home runs, 13 walks and 21 strikeouts.

Those numbers make it look Dice-K was worth the $100+ million Boston had to spend to get him to beat the Yankees.

Now try these numbers:

April 22: 7 IP, 6 ER (W)
April 27: 6 IP, 4 ER (W)
Aug. 28: 6.1 IP, 5 ER (L)

That's a softball beer league ERA of 6.99. Ooh, looks like Dice-K loves to give up runs against the Yankees.

Conversely, Phil Hughes has never allowed a hit against the Red Sox. Of course, he's never pitched against them, but Red Sox 1B Sean Casey is 0-for-2 career against Hughes.

Yes, numbers can easily be manipulated to tell the story you want to tell. But it's still fun, provided we're talking about sports blogs and not government, politics or economics.

- La Monica

I wasn't born yet, but I didn't realize we were celebrating the 40-year anniversary of "The Heidi Game?"

That's right. You may remember that 1968 classic between the Jets, the Raiders and NBC.

Fast forward many years, nearly two score later, to the middle of Robinson Cano's at-bat. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Greatest rivalry in baseball. After a long rain delay ... the loyal Sox fans...soaked and tired, are still cheering for their team. Cano's fouled off a bunch of pitches so far ... Drama's building in this one-run game ... Three-and-two count, two-out ... Papelbon comes to the stretch with a 4-3 lead ....

Here's the...........race car! WHAT???

FOX, in the ultimate drop-the-ball, kick-it-out-of-bounds, fall-down-over-it move -- decided that the beginning of the Subway 500 was more important to New Yorkers than the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. WHAT???

I realize NASCAR is very popular in this country. That's fine. Watch away. But at this moment, it was all about Yankees vs. Red Sox.

FOX...let me save you the time and the inordinate amount of bar graphs, pie charts and endless meetings that it will take to break down our demographic by saying this -- No one in New York cares about the first lap of the Subway 500.

You couldn't at least wait until the end of the at-bat and then re-access the situation? Is the first lap of a 312-lap continuous left turn that important? Even though I made more right turns on my road test, I'm fine with the fact that people enjoy this. More power to ya!

I've even learned how to watch the game with a three-second video delay because my father has the radio on to neutralize Tim McCarver -- I'm fine with that.

Just don't deprive Red Sox and Yankees fans of watching our favorite rivalry.

-- Fernandez

Sorry I'm late, fellas - I was at Shea. It was Hat Day in Flushing, making it two "Hat Days" in two weeks for me. However, this time I got a hat I might ever wear in my life, unlike that homeless-guy-looking cap they tried to give me at Yankee Stadium last weekend.

I got home just in time to see Girardi flub a key decision - he pitched to Ramirez - and then see Boston native Manny Delcarmen pick up a key strike out of Jose Molina.

Seriously, this has been a pretty good series so far. Two tight ballgames. I hope Girardi does the right thing and brings Joba in for the 7th.

--Whittle

After being battered for a few years by David Ortiz, Yankee fans are forgiven for gloating over Papi's continued struggles. And they can enjoy for a few more innings, apparently, as Papi fans with two runners in scoring position, running this hideous stretch to a Giambi-esque 3 for 42. Ouch!

You get the feeling Yankee fans are watching Ortiz bat without their fingers covering their eyes for the first time in five years.

Hey, enjoy it while you can...but don't get ahead of yourself on Manny there, Joe.

Our favorite freak hammers his second big hit of the game, this time going the other way to knock in two runs and put the Sox back on top.

The question is: Why does Joe Girardi let Mussina pitch to Manny with first base open? I love Youkilis, but come on? Especially after watching what Manny did to Mussina in his last at-bat.

Manny didn't take too much time to watch that bomb from the box, I noticed. It's too bad, too. I looked forward to a lecture on baseball etiquette by Tim McCarver.

Let's see if Beckett and the Sox pen can hold the lead for Okajima and Papelbon. The sixth and seventh innings haven't been good for them so far this season.

-- Dennehy

What did I tell you about the Red Sox leftfielder opening up his own bar in the Green Monster called "Manny's"?

After an 0-for-3, two-strikeout performance, I wouldn't blame him for wanting to throw back a few belts in the wall-lounge. If Manny did make a bar in the leftfield wall at Fenway, who do you think would run the door?

Anyway, it's no news but the Yanks take Game 1 of the series. Wang was lights out and Giambi had an important home run. It was great to see that Mike Timlin still participates in organized sports. I couldn't believe he came in to pitch. I really thought Calvin Schiraldi was throwing the eighth.

Game 2: Mussina vs. Beckett, 3:55 p.m. (I don't even care that Molina might not need a glove to catch Mussina's fastball anymore, just please throw strikes, Moose -- And don't be afraid to pitch inside).

-- Fernandez

Common sense, recent history and laws of probability dictate that David Ortiz's awful start to this season won't last that much longer.

But, dang, it's sweet to see Big Papi start off 3-for-39 this season and be reduced to a wannabe punch-and-judy hitter!

He's owned Chien Ming-Wang of late -- 15-for-30 -- but Wang made Ortiz look like the kid who hits 12th in Little League because the rules state everyone must bat.

For the past five seasons, Ortiz has made it a habit of his to destroy the Yankees at every turn. For the past five seasons, the Yankees made it a habit of theirs to continue to serve up bombs to Ortiz and never once come inside on him or try to back him off the plate.

Yankee fans watching Ortiz come to the plate in the late innings has been more painful than watching Kyle Farnsworth come out of the bullpen wearing a Yankee uniform at any point of any game.

Seeing the mammoth looming shadow of Ortiz in the on-deck circle being reduced to the size of an ant right now is a more majestic view than any travel photo you'll ever see.

We know this won't last too long, but whoever said don't kick a man when he's down never was a Yankee fan in the late innings with Papi coming to the plate.

- La Monica

No matter the time of year or the city the games are played in, Red Sox-Yankees is great theater.

And if life too often imitates art, I'm left wondering who did a better impression of movie characters Friday night in Fenway.

Bobby Abreu pulled a Lupus from "Bad News Bears" by not catching that "home run" by J.D. Drew.

Shortly after that, Jason Varitek threw his hat in the acting ring with his Crash Davis impersonation from "Bull Durham." Varitek called a for a fastball three times in a row and Clay Buchholz shook him off each time. Varitek gave up and let the rookie pitcher throw his 12-6 deuce and A-Rod smoked it to left for a single.

Varitek then stared down Buchholz with a "You better listen to me next time, Meat" look. Any chance he went all out with the Crash Davis impersonation and told A-Rod what was coming.

- La Monica

To call this game a pitcher's duel is like calling Mount Washington a bump in the earth.

Wang is simply dealing - he's thrown all of 39 pitches through four innings and hasn't allowed a hit. Clay Buchholz struggled a bit in the top of the fifth, but Alberto Gonzalez picked him up by mooning around off first. Cabrera hit a line drive, Sean Casey snagged it, and Alberto was doubled off.

There's been a lot of anti-Yankee booing coming out of the stands today, and it kind of proves that Beans and Bronx-ers speak different languages.

Bronx: Giambino's done so much ta ovahcome injuries. Jay-son! Jay-son!
Bean: You wicked roidah! Boo!

Bronx: Jo-ba! Jo-ba!
Bean: O-ka-jima!

Bronx: Moooooooooooooose!
Bean: Boooooooooooooooos!

At least we can agree on one thing ...

Bronx: A-Rod's a bum!
Bean: A-Rod's a bum!

The Sox are going to have to work the count a little more if they are going to win this game.

Wait a minute ... J.D. Drew just went deep! Bobby Abreu had a chance at the wall, but he flubbed it! Beans 1, Bronx 1!

--Whittle

... sometimes Fernandez and LaMonica actually put on deodorant. Oh, and sometimes it rains.

Looks like the start of the game could be delayed due to rain, but have no fear - the Boston Globe reports the teams have a mutual off day in July.

I wouldn't sweat it though - the tarp is coming off and it looks like the first pitching is coming. More Bronx bashing live from Fenway - or is it my living room? - soon.

--Whittle

Heading into the big weekend series, the Yanks and Red Sox have something in common: injuries. And as surely as John Sterling makes up silly home run calls - "A thrilla by Godzilla"? - this Bean has a few things to say.

The Yankees are down a captain in Jeter and the Sox are down a World Series MVP in Lowell. I'm of the mind that these injuries are tough for both teams, but losing Jeter is a bigger bite for the Yanks, especially if he has to sit out the Sox series.

For starters, Jeter has clubbed two of the starters the Sox will trot out this weekend. He's a career .811 OPSer against Beckett and he hit .333 with two dingers against Dice K last year. Moreover, Jeter is a dynamic presence near the top of the Yanks lineup. The New Yorkers utilized an utterly bizarre line-up tonight in K.C. that reeked of Jeterlessness. Jose Molina batting sixth? Before tonight, Molina had started a game that high in a lineup exactly once. Baseball-reference.com lists the immortal John Marzano as Molina's most similar batter. I loved Marz, but a six-hole hitter he was not. He started a game in the six hole exactly twice in a 10 year career. It's not as if Jose Molina is killing the ball either - going into Thursday's game he was OPSing an Otis Nixon-like .722. If that's what Girardi wants out of his six-hole hitter - Otis Nixon without speed - I want some of what he's smoking.

The Sox, on the other hand, can move Kevin Youkilis over to third and start three-time All Star Sean Casey at first until Lowell is off the DL. No worries. Maybe we'll even get a look at shortstop prospect Jed Lowrie, recently called up from Pawtucket.

One Yank who will be called on to play a bigger role looks up to the challenge: Melky Cabrera just went deep. The Jeter-free Yanks will need him to produce out of the two-hole in Boston. Oh ... but wait just a Kansas City minute ... it's pouring rain now and the tarp is on the field. Oh well, erase that dinger from the record books.

Meanwhile, under the cloudless New England sky, the Red Sox lead the Tigers 4-3 at the stretch.

--Whittle