Friday, August 05, 2011

The Yankees at Fenway: Hit Us at Your Own Risk, Boston



...And so it begins. Again. The New York Yankees will saunter on over to Fenway this weekend, beginning tonight, to face the evil Red Sox. No doubt the beer is flowing, "sick day," calls have been received GLOBALLY, and all things CLAM CHOWDER are giddy as shit.

Let them be giddy.

The Red Sox and Yankees are presently tied for the American League East Division within Major League Baseball. And water is still wet.

Aside from that whole EPISODE against the INEPT AND DEFENSELESS (and OFFENSIVELESS, i might add) BALTIMORE ORIOLES...the Red Sox have been exceedingly prolific and effective in winning games via the HIT THE SHIT OUT OF A HANDFUL OF PLAYERS WITH PITCHES strategy.

Theo is slumming, Tito has no balls, and not one person on the planet has raised an eyebrow over this fact. To date, the Red Sox have managed to hit 60 players with pitches, and something tells me that number will rise by at least a half-dozen by night's end Sunday.

Motives. Let's begin there. Hell, I'm just gonna be honest. THEY HAD NO REASON TO SMACK THE HAPLESS ORIOLES AROUND...and yet: they did. And, funner than fun: THE ORIOLES SMACKED BACK. Get this now: the team with the LEAST amount of batter's being hit by pitchers, the Orioles were systematically assaulted by the team with the MOST amount of batters being hit by pitchers.

So, perhaps that whole ORIOLES thing was just an act of fun for Boston. However, if one pays close attention, one will see fun trends. Like Red Sox pitchers targeting a Right Fielder, eliminating him from the series, and then clocking everything to Right Field.

Jon Lester will begin the series versus Bartolo Colon tonight. Lackey faces CC Saturday, and Satan Himself (oh, yeah, I mean BECKETT) will face (of all pitchers) Freddy Garcia.

So let's make it simple. For the most part, obviously, each team is equal in offense and defense. Each team has weaknesses: i.e. Starting Pitching, and each team wants the Division title.

In 2009, the Red Sox smacked the Yankees around for 9 before the Yankees woke up, SMOKED THEIR SORRY ASSES FOR THE REMAINING 9, AND THEN WALTZED INTO THE WORLD SERIES AND WON... Therefore, these LOSSES to Boston thus far in 2011 mean NOTHING to the overall true purist Red Sox/Yankee enthusiast. Anything CAN and WILL happen. The past means NADA, and do not fool yourself in believing this isn't DOWNRIGHT WAR.

'tis.

Lester v. Colon. Advantage: Lester.
Lackey v. CC. Advantage: CC.
Beckett v. Garcia. Advantage: Satan's minion, Beckett.

Thus, clearly the Red Sox COULD sit on their heels and gladly accept 2 possible wins. However, I firmly and wholeheartedly do NOT believe that is what they will seek. HELL NO. AT FENWAY??? THEY MUST SWEEP. I mean, hell. They went 0-6 to start off the season AT FENWAY and made most of their following want to mame and torture them. And most recently, they just got SMACKED AROUND by CLEVELAND. AT FENWAY. The tide must turn.

Now, let's configure HOW.

Being that their chief WEAPON is the HIT BY PITCH to win games, systematically targeting the greatest asset to a series, I have several thoughts regarding their possible approach.

FRIDAY. LESTER. Consider it a WIN. But SATURDAY, LACKEY, this will be a loss. How to set the dominoes in order to avoid said loss....hmmmm. How bout this. Since Lester is such the KING OF THE HBP, and Saturday's game is versus SABATHIA, wouldn't it make perfect sense to lay down a BOATLOAD OF BUNTS to Sabathia and disrupt the game (like Torre and the 2009 Dodgers attempted to do against Pettitte at Los Angeles) in order to win? (insert: GOD BLESS JONATHON BROXTON *HERE*)

Thus. The laying down of bunts. Fielded by 1st and 3rd basemen, right...cause we all KNOW that CC AINT GONNA BE FIELDING THAT SHIT; I say the Red Sox will target Teixeira and "Whoever's gonna be playing 3rd," thereby eliminating those players from the rest of the series, or at least the LACKEY game, where said BUNTS will be aplenty.

And, of course, Lackey will target key players for further DL stints to pave the way for BECKETT to go out and HIT NOT ONE PERSON, BUT SHINE LIKE THE NOON DAY SUN.

(After all. This IS to be a National Broadcast, and we musn't allow the world in on our little SECRET OF SUCCESS, the HBP.)

Equally concerning for the Red Sox: both Varitek and Saltimaccia's INABILITY to catch base stealers. The New York Yankees are presently 3rd in the ENTIRE LEAGUE for stolen bases. Bottom line there: doesn't matter WHO Boston has catching. I believe, however, Varitek will catch tonight and Sunday. AFTER ALL, THIS IS TO BE A NATIONAL BROADCAST AND VARITEK IS DAH CAPTAIN. uh huh.

So. Who's got a target on their back, leg, head, elbow, etc. etc. this weekend? Welp, the safest answer is the usual suspects: Jeter, Cano, Granderson, Martin; as these tend to be their FAVORITE'S FOR INJURY PROMOTION (or POSSIBLE ON-FIELD FIGHTS WHICH MIGHT LEAD TO EJECTIONS AND SUSPENSIONS AND FINES.)

(For the Yankees, that is. As Boston has YET to have ANY ACCOUNTABILITY paid on their incessant on-field actions. But this isn't all that shocking...being that ex-Yankee manager and current Bud Selig lackey JOE TORRE is head over On Field Behavior.)

I say Lester will go after Russell Martin, Mark Teixeira, and someone else who he just feels like hitting. Eliminate Martin and Teixeira from Saturday's BUNT GAME and maybe get someone else on the DL for a bit. Pave the way for Lackey to possibly do well and get the win.

However. Russell Martin doesn't hit particulary well against Lackey ANYHOW. Plus, Lackey's never faced Franky Cervelli nor Eduardo Nunez. Thus, I say: Friday night, Girardi MUST have Martin catch and Eric Chavez play 3rd. If EITHER get hurt, NEITHER will be needed Saturday. Plus, Lester's never faced Eric Chavez. That will piss him the HELL off, and Chavey is hot as of recent. Put Chavey on 3rd. Mark will hold his own and let the chips fall.

Saturday, enter Francisco Cervelli and Eduardo Nunez. If Nunez is put into Friday night's game: I have NO DOUBT that both HE AND BRETT GARDNER will BOTH be plunked hard...as Boston will have NO REMEDY against their amazing success at working walks and stealing bases.

SIT NUNEZ FRIDAY.

Andruw Jones is more successful against Lackey (.333 BA) and should be in Right Field on Saturday.

SIT SWISH ON SATURDAY.

The key to beating Beckett is disrupting him and working his pitch count by the 3rd inning. I say all base-stealers, hot hitters, and walk-workers MUST face him and play so WICKED SMALL BALL against him. In that event, I'd like to see Nunez and Gardy back to back...and have some concern over Russell Martin's involvement in Sunday's game v. Beckett due to his .000 batting average against him. Cervelli is .286 against Beckett...

There are many question marks as to how each team will approach this series. I do not believe the Red Sox will simply come out of their slimy little pits in the earth and show up and play ball. From their continual actions this year of utilizing the HIT BY PITCH to achieve an advantage over an opponent, I believe the Yankees must prepare themselves for this approach.

And hell. If one is adept to FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE, and we WERE to go TOE-TO-TOE in retaliation, I say HIT PEDROIA AND GONSALEZ. Without THEM, the Red Sox are null and void.

Not that I wouldn't prefer a line-drive to the leg of ANY of the aforementioned Red Sox Starters.

Or Papelbon.

Both legs with HIM, though...