Monday, May 26, 2008

Matsui to the rescue

What a difference the worst team in baseball can make. One series after the Yankees got their first walk-off hit they get their first come from behind victory in the late innings. Now their back at .500 and hopefully that will keep the hounds at bay for awhile. Their luck is definitely turning though. Now they get to catch the Orioles as they are in the midst of a five game winning streak.

Who would have thought that the vaunted closer J.J. Putz would be done in by a slow roller from a pinch-hitting Hideki Matsui. Godzilla has always had a knack for coming through in the clutch.

It also helps that the Red Sox are on the road again which means victories will elude them until a return to the east coast or a trip to Seattle. Once again the Rays jump into first place and good for them. I hate seeing teams stay in the basement forever. They're good team and I like Joe Maddon as a manager (he brings that Angels winning style to Tampa which scares the crap out of me) but I don't see them surviving a September playoff race, but I also don't want to have to play them in a big spot in September.

The Yanks schedule isn't a killer one over the next couple of weeks and hopefully by the time I go to see them again in the middle of June they will be approaching ten games over .500. Here's hoping Rasner keeps doing his best Aaron Small impersonation today in Baltimore.

2 comments:

Dennis said...

Tampa isn't going anywhere, they are in this race for the long haul in my opinion. They remind of the 2002 Marlins, a lot of talented youngsters, but still maybe a year or two away.

Peter said...

Yeah exactly, a year or two away. Like I said I don't see them having a precipitous dive but I could see them fading as their young pitching hits a wall. None of them have ever had to pitch meaningful games that late in the season.