The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox by a score of 16-11. A.J. Burnett started and got the loss after giving up 8 earned runs. I’ve realized that this isn’t a popular opinion especially when you say it on another Yankee message board or blog. I feel the Yankees are losing because of Jorge Posada. When you watch him catch, he never holds up a target. He always flicks his glove up at the last second just before the pitcher is about to throw the ball. He’ll call a slider on the outside part of the plate 3 straight times and then it gets to ball 3. The hitter knows a fastball is coming. What does Posada do? He calls for a fastball right down the middle. Bang, home run. It’s no coincidence that other pitchers in the past asked for a different catcher than Posada. This was the first time Posada caught Burnett and Burnett gets rocked. Not only that, but Burnett owns Boston. He never pitches badly against them and that is one of the reasons the Yankees went out and got Burnett. Burnett has been dominant to good in his first 3 starts with Jose Molina. Now he gets Jorge behind the plate and gets killed? I kept saying all game that it didn’t matter who the Yankees brought out of the bull pen because Posada is catching and they will get rocked. I was right. They did. Now, the bull pen is going to be taxed all year because I feel Posada doesn’t know how to call a game. This is the 5th time that Posada has caught where the opponent has scored more than 10 runs. You should of seen my father when I told him that the Yankees are losing and it’s because of Posada. He almost threw a fit. I even have a new strategy in fantasy baseball. Anytime Posada catches one of my pitchers, Burnett, Joba or Pettitte, I don’t start them. There’s no blaming Girardi on this massacre or moves that he made. Every pitcher got rocked and rocked hard. It didn’t matter that he left Burnett in too long because they bull pen got destroyed anyway. There’s really no breaking down, pitching angles, velocity or pitching targets. The pitchers were just bad. The Yankees hitting was incredible especially Robinson Cano with the 5 RBI and the 2 home runs. I feel stupid not drafting him in fantasy baseball. There’s nothing more you can ask from the Yankee hitters. Today was the first time I listened to John Sterling in a long time. His, “Robinson Cano, don’t you know” is brilliant. I loved hearing it. I wrote about Posada a few days ago about this very topic…Is it the Wind Tunnel or Jorge’s Catching?
