Kei-O'd

Supposedly momentum plays a huge role in sports. Someone should tell the Yanks. The Yanks were riding a three-game sweep in Texas, and a pitcher coming off a resurrecting performance against the hated rivals. Throw in home field and you figure the Yanks come out strong Friday night. Not so much. Kei Igawa quickly reverted to his early season form and the Yanks bullpen contributed another less than stellar effort. The Yankees score eleven runs and still lose!

Not only did they score 11 runs, but they put five up in the first inning, and also led 6-2 and 8-6. Each time Igawa handed it right back. The game was unwatchable. Seattle’s half of the fifth inning too longer than the third quarter of the Nets-Raptors game. Three pitchers, eight runs, thirteen batters, over thirty minutes, just terrible baseball. Colter Bean did not even get an out. Thankfully Mike Myers lasted the final four frames to save the bullpen for the rest of the weekend. There is nothing positive to say about this game, the Yanks erased all the good of the Texas series, at least for one night. Not to bring up bad memories, but this was eerily familiar to a few weeks ago, coming off a three game sweep of Cleveland after a walk-off homer by A-Rod, NY jumped out to a 6-2 lead over Boston. We know what happened after that.

Again, Torre has put himself in a corner thanks to poor bullpen use. Mussina and Pettitte each could have pitched another inning or more on Thursday, instead he went to the bullpen early in both games. Throw in a terrible start and early exit from Igawa last night, two rookies making their season debuts on Sunday and Monday, and the Yanks desperately need Wang to go deep into today’s game, and will probably still ware out the bullpen over the weekend.

Back to square one today. Alas, the Yanks can take solace, Seattle sends Jeff Weaver and his 18 ERA to the mound.