tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Turning Point?? Could Be As Yanks Pull Out Win

After Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, I hoped that Sabathia's gutty performance would be the spark to send the Yankees to a big win on Wednesday. That didn't happen and it was certainly not looking good approaching yesterday's game with AJ Burnett facing Jon Lester. But last night may very well be the turning point of the season for the Yankees as they battled to earn a 4-2 win over their blood rivals and win their first series against Boston this year.

If you have read this blog throughout the baseball season, you know that I have been extremely critical of AJ Burnett. But last night Burnett shocked every Yankee fan (me included) by pitching a solid game making only one bad pitch to Dustin Pedroia which resulted in a 2-run homer that gave the Bosox a 2-1 lead. Typically this season, Pedroia's home run would have meant the beginning of a Burnett meltdown. That did not happen and Burnett kept the Yankees in the game with a chance to still win.

Mind you, the Yankees had a number of chances to knock Jon Lester out of the game but couldn't cash in on scoring opportunities. There were two huge moments in this game which changed the momentum and made you think that the Yanks would overcome their inability to hit with runners in scoring position. The first one was the outstanding catch by Curtis Granderson off the bat of Jed Lowrie. With two outs and runners at 1st and 2nd, Lowrie sent a sinking line drive to right center field that Granderson dove for. If he misses it, two runs most certainly would have scored but Granderson came up with it to end a Boston rally.

The second moment occurred the next inning when Andruw Jones took a 14 pitch walk off of the human delay machine, Alfredo Aceves. After Jesus Montero was hit by a pitch, Russell Martin drove a double to right center field scoring Jones and Montero and the Yankees took the lead. Eric Chavez, who has been a godsend while ARod has been out, delivered another big hit in this series by driving in Martin and the Yankees took a 4-2 lead, one they would not relinquish.

The Yanks leave Fenway only 1/2 game out of first place. Moreover, they send a message to the Red Sox that they are every bit as ready to face them in October. The Pinstripers wore out Lester and hit Beckett, the Red Sox ace pitchers. In addition, they also punctured the invincibility of Daniel Bard. The series victory provides the road map that the Yankees will need to win in October. The Yankee bullpen, in each of the two wins, was outstanding. In both of those wins, the Yankee starters kept the Yanks in the game allowing the offense to chip away at the Boston pitching staff. They received timely hitting from the bottom part of the order, particularly Eric Chavez and the combo of Russell Martin and Francisco Cervelli. They also won this series without their cleanup hitter, Alex Rodriguez.

Am I suggesting that we should begin planning the parade down the Canyon of Heroes for late October?? No. The Yanks have their flaws. But this series win shows, in my mind, that this 2011 edition of the New York Yankees has the tenacity to do what it takes to win. Too often against Boston it seemed like once things went bad, they would rollover and die. That was not the case in this series.

There are some issues still to address. There has to be concern over ARod's thumb injury. These types of injuries can linger and if you remember late in the season last year Mark Teixiera had a similar problem which bothered him into the playoffs. With respect to the starting rotation, as I suggested yesterday Phil Hughes will have to go the bullpen. If AJ Burnett can give the Yankees the type of start that he had last night, they will be in pretty good shape. The Yankees also need to get Mark Teixiera going offensively. Hopefully, this bruised knee that he suffered last night will not keep him out of the lineup for an extended period of time as his defense is invaluable. However, he needs to hit better than .249 as the number 3 hitter in the lineup. With the uncertainty surrounding ARod, Teixiera is really important. Moreover, the Yankees need to cash in on scoring opportunities. In October, you only get so many chances to score. Leaving runners on base will lead to an early exit in the playoffs. That's why Teixiera needs to get on track.

28 games remain in the season. The Yankees will face Boston again in the Bronx, where they have not beaten the Red Sox. They will also travel to Anaheim to face an Angels team fighting for their playoff lives plus they have games left with the dangerous Tampa Bay Rays. Not an easy stretch but this series win over Boston gives Yankee fans hope that they could win this division and make a statement in October. The rest of September should be real interesting!!