No defense against the base on balls?

Devil Rays 4, Yankees 2 (10 innings)

Yankees hit the trifecta last night:

1. Became the first team since 1954 to be issued 14 walks in a game, scored 2 or fewer runs, and lose.

2. Burned Mariano for two innings and lost the game.

3. Made tonight's series finale against the Devil Rays a much more psychologically important game than it should be.


Fourteen walks! And four stolen bases! Two lousy runs!

I suppose last night's game proves the old saying that every time you watch a baseball game you stand a good chance of seeing something you've never seen before. With this lineup, 14 walks and four steals only amounting to two runs . . . well, before last night I'm sure a bookie in Vegas would've given you 5000-1 odds against it ever happening.

So reluctantly I put last night into the "stuff happens" category. I'd love to be able to bitch about the effort but for the most part the effort was there. (Sheffield's less than blazing dash down the first-base line on the final out of the game was a notable exception.)

Chacon against Hendrickson tonight. Hendrickson beat the Yankees three times least year. So, the Yankees will most likely score 9 runs off him in 2 2/3 innings. Or get totally shut down.