> David Cone pitched today until about the fifth inning or so, I can't remember exactly. He had to warm up when the game started so he wasn't too great, then he did great for a while and then went down hill. I don't think he's going to last much longer, it's sad.
> After Cone, Jeff Nelson was brought in, then after Nelson they brought in another, I forget who now. Then they took him out and brought in a new guy they have now, his name is Darrell Einertson.
> In the second and third they were tied 2 and 2, then Tampa went up to 5 and the Yanks followed up to 4, and it looked like it was going to be a close game, it was real exciting for a while. Then in the 7th inning it was all downhill from there, one Tampa player after another literally was making it to home plate, it was a nightmare.
> It was definitely the pitching from today, the pitching wasn't too good. They went through so many pitchers today I can't even remember some of them, it was insane. Jeff Nelson was all right for a while, and then they gave him the boot. It seemed like Cone just gave up, he started doing so bad.
> Well, aside from them loosing it was still fun. Being out with my brother Scott and his family. Ashley went with us, Amy's Dad was there, too. Brooke came along also. This time it was good to be sitting in better seats, the last time it was the bleachers. Today we had upper deck, on the third base side. We were right next to the home plate, so we got to look straight down at home plate and get to see a good view of the batting.
> Okay, now the next game I go to they have to win, no room for loosing in that one. The second is depressing enough. ;o)
> Here's a report I got from the Yankees website about the game. Read it below.
> -----
> FINAL R H E
> TAMPA BAY 12 14 0
> at NEW YORK 4 12 1
> W: Rupe (2-4)
> L: Cone (1-9)
> By SPENCER FORDIN
> YANKEES.COM
> 7/22/00
> David Cone may have been charged with this loss, but he certainly didn't earn it. The Yankee starter pitched six efficient innings, allowing only three runs. When he left, his team was in the game, trailing 3-2.
> The bottom fell out for the bullpen, though, as Tampa put nine runs on the board in the next three innings, clawing out a 12-4 victory.
> "I thought he was a lot better," Joe Torre said of his starter, whose record fell to 1-9. "You still come up and you look in the paper and it says an L next to your name. We wanted to get him a win for him very badly."
> For six innings, it looked like it might just happen. Cone was on his game, and he certainly pitched well enough to win. At the very least, he deserved a no-decision. But the runs weren't scored at the right time, and the Yankee bullpen picked Saturday for one of their worst performances of the season.
> In three innings of work, the pen surrendered eight hits, four walks and nine runs, five of them earned. Still, Cone took no solace from the fact that he wasn't completely responsible.
>
> "Nothing encouraged me - I lost again," he said after the game. "It's gone. It's a broken record. I just wasn't good enough today."
> In the first inning, he looked pretty damn good - he struck out the first two batters he faced, coaxing Gerald Williams to wildly flail at a pay-off pitch before catching Russ Johnson looking at a called third strike.
> Then, unfortunately, he returned to Earth. On a 3-1 count, Greg Vaughn launched a homer into the stratosphere, with the ball finally landing on the concrete walkway next to the visiting bullpen.
> "That first inning was a microcosm of my whole season," he said. "Strike out the first two guys and then give up a booming home run."
> The second inning wasn't much better - Cone allowed another run, sinking his team in an early 2-0 hole. The Yanks fought back in the next inning though, plating one run on three singles.
> From there, Cone doggedly held his team in the game. He pitched three straight 1-2-3 innings, retiring 13 straight batters. That streak stretched from the end of the second into the sixth inning. By that point, the Yankees had tied the game, courtesy of a solo homer by Chuck Knoblauch.
> Tampa starter Ryan Rupe (2-4) was able to stifle the Yankee attack as well during the middle innings, besides the long ball by Knoblauch. Rupe chalked up 1-2-3 innings in both the fourth and fifth, matching Cone during that span.
> "We certainly wanted to have a lead for (Cone)," Torre said. "We just weren't able to do it."
> Cone stumbled in the sixth, allowing the tie-breaking run. With two outs, he gave up a single to Fred McGriff and a walk to Jose Canseco. Then Steve Cox singled to centerfield, and Bernie Williams couldn't control the ball in time to make a throw to the plate.
> As a result, McGriff scored, making Cone the pitcher of record. He got out of the inning, but that was the end of his day. His line was impressive - six innings pitched, six hits, three runs and five strikeouts. But it just wasn't enough to win.
> "It's typical of the days when I pitch," Cone said. "It always seems to fall apart. But I'm still fighting, still trying, still searching."
> When the bullpen took the ball, the game took a brutal turn for the worse. Jeff Nelson walked the first two batters he faced. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second-and-third, he allowed a single that emptied the bases. Just like that, the score was 5-2, seemingly still within reach.
> The Yanks clawed out two runs in the bottom of the seventh, threatening to give Cone that no-decision. But with runners at first-and-third, Bernie Williams struck out swinging to end the threat.
> That was as close as they would get. Jose Canseco led off the eighth with a double off Jason Grimsley, who proceeded to walk the next two batters he faced. He came out after that, yielding to Darrell Einertson. The rookie threw strikes, but he couldn't get enough outs. He allowed five hits in the inning, and one extra batter who reached on an error.
> When the eighth was over, so was the game - the Devil Rays scored seven runs in that frame, putting the game way out of reach.
> "You don't give yourself a chance to win if you don't throw strikes," Torre said. "The walks - there's no defense for that."
> And apparently, no recovery. The Yanks couldn't muster any offense in their last two at-bats, going quietly to the grave. In the final results, the team just couldn't come through when it mattered. Because of that, Cone won't be credited with a job well done.
> "I take a lot of pride in our team's record when I take the ball," cone said. "but i can't remember the last time we won."
> Unfortunately, that sordid streak will be extended by at least one more start.
shane i dont want to embarass u byt u spelt loose wrong. it is suppose to be lose not loose.