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Well, that was ugly. The third game lacked the drama of the first two, but it was a Sox win nonetheless, giving them the sweep.
And it did feature Jacoby Ellsbury stealing home on Andy Pettite. They had the shift on, so they couldn't hold Ellsbury on. Still, Posada was caught napping - he clearly wasn't expecting it, though he should have been keeping an eye on Ellsbury.
The Sox took the lead in that inning, and even though it was small compared to the slugfests of the two earlier games, it seemed insurmountable. And it was.
The Yanks scored only one run, with the RBI credited to Brett Garder's sac fly.
Gardner is not doing all that well. He's good on the basepaths, but is struggling at the plate. I don't think he's all that great in center field, either. Good speed, but his instincts could be better.
Melky is on a hot streak now, and you have to wonder how long it will be before Gardner is benched in favor of Cabrera. But I'm not that enamored of Melky, either. He's had his chance, and didn't measure up. Free Austin Jackson!
One thing about Gardner...he's making a lot of Yankees fans remember Bubba fondly. The River Ave. Blues game thread featured this lament:
Bubba Crosby could swing with one arm and have more power than Gardner. At least Bubba had a little juice in his bat.
Gardner had reminded me a bit of Bubba, but the Bronx Banterers say Bubba was a better hitter. They argue that Gardner is really more like Tony Womack - kept on the team solely for his speed.
I'm still rooting for Gardner and hoping he figures it out, but it doesn't look good.
And man, am I annoyed that Bubba never got this kind of chance.
