NEW YORK YANKEES Take Charge With 8-5 Victory Over The Philadelphia Phillies

I was only able to see the first five innings of the Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. From the fourth inning on, the Yankees, who were zero for everything through the first three frames, took charge with eight (!) runs on eight hits. There was no doubt about it even though Andy Pettitte's performance was up and down. I'm saying that kindly. His teammates bailed him out at the plate...there are no two ways about it. In the fifth, with Cole Hamels nursing a one run lead, pinstriped pitcher Pettitte (that has a nice ring to it) strode to the plate with a runner at second AND ONE OUT. The reason I capitalized it will become obvious in a minute. Andy had only been to the plate twelve times this year and what Hamels did next baffles me and SI's Tom Verducci. I "borrowed" these quotes from that article. Thank you, TV. The score was 3-2 Phils with a guy on second, one out. Pettitte could have been put away rather easily with fastballs but Hamels' first pitch, unbelievably, was a curve upstairs. Pettitte slapped a single and the game was tied, just the beginning of the end for the team from Pennsylvania. Why on Earth did Cole throw something slow and up? Verducci asked him exactly that...

"I made the right pitch to Pettitte," Hamels explained. "A pitcher doesn't hit an oh-and-oh curve in a bunting situation."

Verducci was baffled. Why would ANYONE bunt a guy from second to third with one out? If there were no outs, yes, in most cases the runner would get to third with one out and could score on a fly ball. This was not the case Saturday night. Tom Verducci asked Hamels if he thought the Yankee pitcher was going to bunt. He said this...

"Yes," Hamels said. "He swung and got a hit. Baseball is very, very difficult to understand sometimes."

It's obvious to me and Verducci and many others that Hamels was unable to understand. He made a huge mental error that tied the game and was instrumental in the game's final outcome. The Yankees have taken charge of this series and more and more it appears that the only two games Philadelphia will win are the two that Cliff Lee will start. Tonight's starters will be CC Sabathia and Joe Blanton. Will CC pitch two mediocre games in a row? I doubt it.

That's it for this still dark Sunday morning. You can click on the title of this post for full coverage of last night's game and as always, BE WELL. I hope you remembered to turn all your clocks back!