Athletics Nation

Yankees 6, A's 3

Oh what a week this has been for our A's.  We've had a near-perfect game (which suddenly doesn't seem so impressive), an impossible comeback, an extra-inning affair, and a laugher.

Even AN has gotten into the act with cameos by Blez, monkeyball, and Jennifer.  (Or did I imagine that?)

Tonight was predictably unpredictable as a rain delay that lasted as long as your average ball game threatened to wash out a contest that was supposed to be played four months ago.

Yep, it's been that kind of week.

Finally they pulled that nasty tarp off the field and played some ball, and for awhile there it was all puppies and rainbows for our boys.  Vin Mazzaro was not intimidated at all by his surroundings as he left opposing hitters talking to themselves in the early stages of his first visit to Yankee Stadium.  With family and friends hanging on his every pitch, the young slinger struck out six batters through three innings.

Meanwhile an A's offense that sandwiched 30 runs around a Dallas Braden start the last three days put up a two-spot on CC Sabathia in the second, courtesy of a sac fly by Jack Cust and a run-scoring knock by Bobby Crosby.

Mazzaro received some defensive aid from Matt Holliday in the third, who perfectly played a ball off the 318 sign on a hit by Robinson Canó, and gunned down the baserunner trying to gain an extra ninety feet.

Holliday showed Canó what a real double looks like leading off the fourth, which also cost an overzealous fan the privilege of watching the game from inside the stadium.  Kurt Suzuki, who himself had hit a two-bagger in the second, singled in front of a diving Melky Cabrera  to plate Holliday, and suddenly it was 3-0.

Reality reared its ugly head in the bottom half, and things unraveled with a quickness for Mazzaro, who was facing the same team he rooted for as a kid.  After a infield hit by Johnny Damon started things off, Mark Teixeira jumped on a 3-0 meatball and crushed it into the upper deck to cut the lead to 3-2.  Jorge Posada doubled to score Alex Rodriguez who had walked and stole second base.  Tie game, but not for long.  Eric Hinske dropped a single into shallow center to plate Posada, and just like that order had been restored.

The Yankees chased Mazzaro in the fifth with a pair of insurance runs they wouldn't need, as the A's went down rather meekly after that.  Starter CC Sabathia, with a little help from Phil Hughes, shut down the A's but good, and this long night ended like every other one since the All-Star Break: with a Yankee victory.

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